Quoth the Raven: Into the Light

by LordLycaon

Let There Be Light, Part 2

“I don’t have much for you,” Tricky informed her with a faint shrug.

The Raven sighed in exasperation at the yellow stallion's continued stubbornness. Despite waiting for him in his cluttered apartment—which was adorned with file cabinets, maps, and other things that the pony kept in his long-running information business—he still took it personally that she was able to get around the traps he had set up to protect his residence. “Come on, Tricky, you of all ponies should have something I can use,” she asked the dark-yellow earth pony. “Didn’t you once tell me there wasn’t anything that happens in Manehatten you weren’t aware of? Or was that just you making empty boasts?”

He leaned forward on his desk, running a hoof through his unkempt dark-blue mane. “Listen, Raven, believe me when I tell you I’ve tried. These Disciples of Light are a stingy group that doesn’t let just anypony in. I’ve tried getting ponies in their ranks, and each time, I lose spies. Whether they get killed off or converted to the Disciples’ cause is anyone’s guess. All I can really tell you is that they’re dangerous and not to be trifled with.”

She shifted her weight as she stared down at the seated pony. “I need to trifle with them anyway. It’s important.”

He rolled his eyes at her with a sigh of his own. “Why am I not surprised?” A snort escaped through his nose. “Care to tell me why?”

Pure yellow eyes narrowed at him. “Quit trying to fish information out of me. Isn’t there anything useful you can tell me?”

The stallion rubbed his chin in thought for a few moments. He briefly looked around the room, scanning every detail. After a while, he stood from his seat and approached one of the file cabinets and began sifting through the files within one drawer at a time. Eventually, he seemed to find something he approved of, opening a file and quickly reading through it before tossing it to the Raven.

“Last guy I lost contact with disappeared somewhere up Chancellor Avenue in uptown. They may have moved from there, if they were ever really there to begin with. It’s not much, but I figure you’ve got a decent chance at finding them. Just try not to get whacked. It’d be pretty inconvenient for me to lose such an effective bodyguard.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re hilarious.” She read over the file he’d given her, committing as much of its contents to memory as she could before closing it and giving it back to the info dealer. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to bring you back a souvenir or two.”

Tricky smirked. “Anything that can expand what I know about these Disciples will do very nicely.”

With a nod, the Raven headed for the nearby window and leaped out of it, taking off into the night and leaving Tricky to himself. He blinked at the window for a moment.

“She does realize I have a door, right?” he muttered to himself.

-o-

Swirling walked alongside Summer Streams as they traversed the main thoroughfare of Manehatten the next day. As much as she wanted to hunt down the Disciples that night, she knew her Raven form would not last long enough to find Princess Luna, let alone save her. Swirling only prayed to Celestia that they hadn’t done anything to the Lunar Princess while she waited for the magic of the Raven to recharge.

The evening hours were quickly giving way to dusk as the sun gradually lowered on the city.

“I’m so glad you decided to come with me, Swirling,” Summer said with a gleeful smile. “I’ve been wanting to shop in uptown for a while now, and I can’t wait to try on some new saddles and boots!”

Swirling’s smile wasn’t as genuine as she had hopped. “I’m happy to hang out with you, Summer. It’s been way too long since we last had a girls’ night.”

Summer bounced as she walked. “Maybe we can find us a nice spa and have our manes done! Wouldn’t Page just fall over if I showed up all dressed to kill?” She gave her friend a sly smile. “We might even pick you up a nice stallion while we’re at it!”

Swirling closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the blush creeping up on her face. “You just won’t stop until I find a special somepony, right?”

Her friend gave an arrogant toss of her head. “You know me so well.”

“Too well…” she deadpanned.

Summer pranced a bit more before she stopped, an odd look crossing her face. “Hey!”

A warm laughed escaped her and she wrapped Swirling up in a hug. “You’re too easy sometimes, you know that?”

Summer harrumphed but a smirk crossed her face as she tugged Swirling along. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”

A short time later, after some solid pampering from some spa ponies, Swirling and Summer stepped back out into the warm lights of the city nightscape. Swirling’s hoof instinctively went to her mane as it was held up in a fashionable curl. She and Summer both had decided to wear the identical look at Summer’s suggestion.

‘Great. Now you can look fabulous for your date with the Disciples,’ Nevermore snarked.

‘I can’t just blow Summer off just like that, Nevermore. It’ll look suspicious.’

‘Well, you better come up with something. There’s the street you need.’

She looked to the street sign and saw that it was indeed Chancellor Avenue. If she was going to save Princess Luna, now was the time to get started.

A worried frown crossed her face as Summer bumped into her. “Hey, why the frown? You look great. Don’t worry about it so much.”

A smile tugged at her face despite it all. “It’s not that. It’s…” Her eyes settled on a nearby clothing boutique, and her eyes brightened slightly. “I think we need to get some clothes to match our new look.”

Summer squeaked in excitement, and tried to pull her along, but Swirling stopped her. “But I’ve got to go to the little fillies’ room. Meet you in there?”

Her friend nodded excitedly. “I’ll be waiting!”

Swirling watched as her friend galloped for the store, nearly bowling over a pair of ponies leaving said store.

‘Remind me not to get in her way...’ Nevermore said with a touch of nervousness in his tone.

‘It’d hurt worse than when Brawn punched me.’

The spirit snorted. ‘Now’s your chance. Let’s get going already.’

Swirling quickly headed down the street, a sudden feeling of guilt rising up in her chest for ditching her friend, but she knew she had to rescue the princess.

As soon as she was certain that no one had paid her any mind, she changed form and charged down the street, moving swiftly through the shadows. She shot through alleys like an loosed arrow, looking through windows from building to building and scouting out floor after floor to find whatever it was she was looking for. Eventually, she stumbled upon a door that bore an eye-like symbol that resembled the one that was on the mask of one of the Disciples from last night.

“That’s it, right?” Swirling asked as she approached the door, cautious curiosity taking her for a moment.

‘It fits what Tricky told us. I’d bet your next paycheck that there’s a trap waiting for us.’

“How are you going to bet my money? Little as it is…” she groused finally.

She could practically feel him rolling his eyes at her. ‘Just open the door.’

With a nod, the pegasus faced the door and reared back, readying her forelegs before slamming them down, blasting the door off its hinges and sending it crashing into the opposite wall. She charged in, battle ready and poised, prepared for… absolutely… nothing.

The room in front of her was empty, though it looked only recently vacated. There was a plate of food on a table not far from her, and it still looked fairly warm. Had the Disciples left this building in such a hurry that they couldn’t finish some baked potatoes?

‘This screams of a trap.’

‘Will you shut up about—’

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Corrupted One’s little pawn.” The Raven quickly spun around toward the door, facing the same masked stallion from last night (probably).

‘Nevermore, if you say anything, I swear I’ll find some way to buck you.’

‘Told you so,’ he said anyway.

“Lady White Star was correct in assuming you would come.” He shook his head in mock pity. “So unfortunately predictable, it seems.”

Swirling felt her hackles rising at the masked pony’s tone. “What’s pathetic is you hiding behind that ridiculous mask. Are you so ugly that you have to hide your face behind that glorified Nightmare Night decoration?”

He snarled at her. “Bark all you want, dog. You will not leave this place alive. The Light shall cleanse your taint from this world. Disciples!”

At his word, a dozen robed ponies rushed in, some coming in through the door, others entering through another door on the far side of the room, all looking ready for a fight. They surrounded her in an instant, standing ready with weapons drawn and aimed at her.

Her eyes darted around to the dozen ponies all staring at her with open hatred, though she saw a few weapons were shaking in their grasp. For some reason, this put a smile on her face.

“So, you think it’s gonna take twelve of you to beat little, old me? I’m actually flattered you think so.”

“Take her!” the masked one shouted, and the robed ponies charged with battle shouts of varying confidence.

In response, Swirling dove into the shadows beneath her, the Disciples’ weapons meeting only each other before she reemerged and crashed her hooves into the backs of two ponies’ heads. The other ten reacted quickly, swinging their spears and blades at her with murderous intent.

“Too slow!” she taunted as she grabbed a stabbing spear just below its head. She yanked the Disciple that stubbornly clung to it and slugged him hard enough that he did an inverted flip before landing painfully to the ground. She then swung the spear’s non-lethal end into the side of another Disciple, breaking the shaft in half and winding the opponent, a sense of satisfaction hitting her right before a sword almost did the same her neck.

‘Do I have to say it?’

‘Keep moving and don’t let the enemy catch you,’ she repeated in a dull monotone. ‘I get it already!’

A buck sent the sword pony flying across the room, and she quickly ran off, the remaining Disciples following after her. She dashed up a flight a stairs before a pair of pegasi cut her off, their spears trained on her.

“You’re going nowhere, demon!”

“All right, I’m getting tired of the insults!” She charged ahead, ducked under the pegasus’s swing, and came up with an uppercut that caught him under the chin. The blow sent her opponent flying over the side of the stairwell, but she had no time to celebrate, as his companion tackled her to the ground.

“Your days of skulking in the night are over!” he yelled as he raised his spear to impale her.

“Indoor voices, please!” she said, kicking the stallion in the back with her hind legs, sending him off of her to collide with a wall. When he slumped over in unconsciousness, the Raven darted off further through the building. She stopped as the hallway she was running down just suddenly dead ended.

“Great…”

“Nowhere to run now.” She turned to find the remaining Disciples and the masked one blocking her way out. “You put up an admittedly admirable fight, pawn, but this ends now.”

She bared her teeth, though the Raven form wouldn’t show it. “Call me ‘pawn’ one more time, and I’m going to buck you so hard, you’ll be kissing the moon!”

“An empty threat.” The remaining Disciples charged ahead.

With a snarl she lunged forward catching two of them by the neck and slamming them to the ground, but the move cost her as another Disciple nailed her across the flank with his blade. She hissed in pain as the blade got past the magic’s protection and cut at her side, thankfully not deep enough to cause serious damage.

‘You need to be more careful!’ Nevermore scolded her almost eagerly.

“Oh, shut up!” Swirling exclaimed out loud, not caring what the Disciples would think of her talking to no one as she retaliated against the pony who’d hit her with a heavy punch to the barrel. She then grabbed him by his forelegs and spun, twirling around faster and faster before letting him go, launching him into the crowd of his colleagues, knocking away several and startling others.

The Disciples who were still standing looked at her with very obvious surprise on their faces. She glowered at them, solid yellow eyes narrowed in what she was assumed would be a menacing fashion. For several moments, nopony did anything except glare at the opposition. Eventually, Swirling decided she’d waited long enough and stepped forward.

The Disciples grimaced and readied themselves, preparing to fight to the last.

“Enough,” said the masked stallion, stepping in front of them with cold determination. “I will handle this myself.” The others bowed, moving away to give him the space they apparently believed he deserved.

Swirling eyed the masked pony cautiously, unsure of what to expect here. “So, you and me, huh, chuckles?”

She assumed he was glaring at her. “My name is Zeal. I hope that you remember it well, for it will be the last name you ever hear, Raven.” His horn glowed, and a blade of hard magic appeared beside him, ready to pierce her flesh.

“Did you take an acting class or something?” she deadpanned, her ears flattening. “That was stupidly dramatic.”

“Insolence!” He charged ahead, blade leading.

‘I won’t be able to stop that blade. Do not get hit.’

Growling softly, she jumped away from his slash and backpedaled as he followed up with another attack. The cut came within a hair’s breadth of slicing her across her barrel. She could feel heat coming from the blade, almost like a very pointy furnace. She lunged in after his swing, but found herself on the receiving end of a punch to her face as she got close. With a gasp, she barely ducked under his countering swing, the blade tearing through the ethereal mass of her mane.

He stopped his attack mid-swing and inverted the blade for a stab. She rolled out of the way to find the blade tearing through the wood of the floor like a hot knife through warm butter.

‘How do I get to this guy? He’s too good!’ she shouted to Nevermore as she found herself in full retreat from Zeal’s ferocious attacks.

‘It’s probably why he’s their leader, and I bet he’ll expect you to jump from the shadows at him, so that won’t work either.’

‘What do I do?’

‘I’m going to try something. Next opening you get, punch.’

She swore at him inwardly, wondering how she was even going to find an opening. Her eyes widened as Zeal aimed a stab right at her face. She barely got out of the way to avoid being skewered, but his blade sunk into the wall behind her.

‘Now!’

She brought her hoof back and connected solidly to his barrel, he staggered back from the hit, but remained standing.

“You will pay for that!” He charged back in, but found his hooves stuck to the floor, his shadow suddenly darker and binding his hooves still. “By the Light! What is this!?”

He looked back in time to see the Raven draw back her hoof and punch out. The sheer force of the punch cracked and split apart his mask and sent him soaring down the hall to land with a pained grunt—his magical blade dissipating into nothingness. He groaned as he covered his face with his hooves, glaring at the shadowy mare with a milky white eye, his other eye blocked by his hoof.

“What in the…?” Swirling asked to no one in particular.

‘Bleeding hell, he’s blind,’ Nevermore said, unable to hide his astonishment.

“Master Zeal!” the remaining two Disciples shouted and leveled their weapons at the Raven.

“Enough!” he shouted. “The demon has won this day.” He grunted as he staggered to his hooves, still clutching at the side of his face. He pulled the hood of his robe further over his head, making it impossible to see what he really looked like.

The two looked at each other, clearly not understanding what they should do.

The Raven turned to them. “I suggest you boys start running before I hoof you your flanks.”

They scowled and set themselves. “We’ll not let you harm Master Zeal further, monster!”

“I said stand down!” Zeal shouted to the two, who backed away in surprise. “It will not be us who ends this pawn; that pleasure will belong to Mistress White Star.”

“White Star?” asked Swirling. “Who’s White Star?”

Zeal faced her coolly. “She is our leader. She will be the one to cleanse the world of the Corrupted One’s vile presence, and you along with it.”

Swirling bristled, stepping forward menacingly. “Where have you taken Princess Luna? Tell me before I beat the three of you into a pulp!”

He scowled, but winced in sudden pain. “You will find your master in warehouse 121 in the docks district. Go and try to save the foul creature. The Disciples, and Mistress White Star, know you will be coming.”

Underneath her shadowy form, Swirling smirked. “Well, I’d better not keep them waiting then, should I? But I don’t want to leave anything here up to chance.” Just as Zeal was about to say something, Swirling sank into the shadows, then blasted out from under him, landing an uppercut square in his jaw before striking the other two Disciples with her hind legs, knocking all three of them out cold.

With that deed done, she dashed out of the building, taking off for the docks.

‘Hold on just a little longer, Princess. I’m coming.’

-o-

White Star held her amulet close to her chest as she knelt before a hastily constructed altar, prostrating herself before a depiction of the very eye that represented the center of her faith - the same faith that was shared by hundreds. The Light’s Eye bore into her, staring with a perpetual calm, judging her worth and testing her merit as she offered forth prayers and praise to the Light.

“Glory be unto the Light that gives us life,” she whispered. “Praise be unto that which warms us at day and shows us the path at night. I pray for strength to endure the challenges placed before me, and for the forgiveness of sins I have wrought in the name of the Light. I pray for the Light’s warm embrace, not only for myself, but for the Light’s faithful, and for all those who know not the magnanimous compassion of Light.”

She placed a hoof just below the eye sigil, head low in respectful submission. “May the Light’s radiance grace those who dwell within the Dark, and banish the profane from this mortal realm. May the Light’s guiding beacon lead those trapped within the Darkness against their will, and offer their pitiful souls peace in Elysium.”

The snow white mare then hummed an old hymn passed down within the Disciples’ leadership for generations. No doubt, it was not the original melody - decades, if not centuries, of only word of mouth tended to muddle details. Still, the tune’s hauntingly serene tones were as wondrous as when she’d first heard the song from her mentor, the late stallion who’d led the Disciples before her.

“Mistress.”

White Star sighed as a voice called to her just as she finished the hymn. She turned to the speaker, a stallion wearing the white, undecorated robes of a novice Disciple. “Speak.”

The stallion quickly bowed his head. “Forgive my intrusion, Mistress, but I was sent to tell that the ritual is ready whenever you deem it time to punish the Corrupted One.”

With a quiet nod, White Star stood and approached the low-ranking Disciple. “Thank you, my friend. Let our Brothers and Sisters know that we will begin at dawn. Barring any interruptions, of course.”

“You mean the Raven?” the novice asked. “Surely, milady, your second-in-command will be able to handle the demon.”

She turned away from him, returning her attention to the altar. “Zeal is a skilled warrior, in spite of his handicap. Or… maybe even because of it. Either way, I do not believe even his skill will be enough to keep the Raven at bay for long. A demon is no easy foe to conquer.” She faced the novice again. “I expect the creature will attempt to save its cursed master before the night ends. We must be ready for that.”

The stallion bowed deeply. “As you say, Mistress White Star. I’ll spread the word amongst the others.” He rose again and headed out to perform his given task, leaving White Star alone with the altar once again. She turned to it one last time.

“When the Raven comes,” she said, making a promise to herself and the Light, “I will personally remove its dark presence from this world.” She offered one more prayer, pleading for the strength of will and body to carry out her oath. The Eye of Hyperion, she knew, would be a tremendous aid in the coming battle, but she would not be able to rely on it exclusively. A shadow could not be swallowed by anything other than larger shadow.

To destroy a shadow, one must cast light upon it.

-o-

Summer was not going to be happy when Swirling saw her next. The pegasus hated having to ditch her friend like this, but it was either that or let the Disciples do whatever it was they were planning to do with Princess Luna. In the grand scheme of things, saving the Princess of the Night was a little more important than choosing between two different colored dresses. She’d have to find a way to make it up to Summer later, though.

She touched down from her flight upon the edge of a roof, out of her Raven form, with decent view of the docks. With a quick search, Swirling spotted her target; warehouse 121 had a number of ponies trotting around it, looking fairly ordinary. None of them wore those robes the Disciples had. None that she could see, anyway. There were too many for her to take out in a head-on fight.

‘You’ll need to be quiet if you’re going to do this,’ Nevermore warned. Swirling nodded, willing herself into the Raven before leaping off the roof and diving into the shadows like a pool. She darted towards the warehouse, stopping behind a pile of crates and peeking out at the ponies patrolling around the building.

Two stallions stood side by side at a door, both occasionally looking off to the left or right. One surly-looking mare was sitting back against a crate a ways off from the two guards, a cigarette hanging out of her mouth while a third stallion paced around her, looking beyond nervous, his attention turning to every little sound, as if he expected something to jump out at him.

“Will you stop?” the smoking mare asked irritably. “You’re driving me crazy, walking around like that.”

“Can you really blame me?” the fidgety stallion asked. “We’re all out here waiting for the Raven to pop up from who-knows-where, and the odds of us actually beating that monster are slim to none.”

“Can’t be that bad,” the mare said dismissively.

The stallion gritted his teeth, glancing around with a frantic look. “You weren’t there the other night when we caught the Corrupted One. If it weren’t for Master Zeal and Mistress White Star, I doubt we’d have made it out of there, Corrupted One or no.” He gulped anxiously. “Man, I’d rather be inside helping to get the ritual ready.”

The mare merely grunted in response, while Swirling Line couldn’t help but smirk to herself. It seemed she already had a bit of reputation with the Disciples. With their grunts, at least.

‘Why not give them something to really be afraid of?’ she heard her spirit ally suggest, and for once, she couldn’t agree more with him.

She jumped into the shadows behind her, but not without knocking on the crate she was hiding behind. The stallion and mare jumped at the sound, the mare’s cigarette falling out of her mouth and the stallion’s eyes nearly popping out of his skull. An anxiety-filled silence made itself known as the pair glanced at each other. The stallion bit his lip nervously and approached the crates.

Unbeknownst to both of them, the Raven darted past them, unseen within the shadows. While the pair’s attention was distracted, she knocked on the crate the mare had been leaning against, startling the mare, who quickly turned, but not fast enough to catch sight of Swirling. The pegasus was gone from sight, hiding right under the mare’s nose.

“What was that?” the stallion asked, clearly on the edge of losing it.

“N-nothing,” the mare answered, though her tone betrayed her newfound nervousness. “What’s over there?”

The stallion grimaced. “Nothing but boxes. I swear, something—”

He was cut off as he was pulled away by his tail, letting out a yelp before the mare heard sounds of a very brief struggle. She shot up from her position and galloped over to where her fellow Disciple had been, and found… nothing.

“What in Tartarus?” she muttered, a sense of fear now running through her spine. Where was that stallion? What happened to him?

There was a clang of metal behind her, and she spun around, stepping back to put distance between her and whatever had made…

Her eyes went wide as she felt herself bump into something, and turned again to see a living silhouette with solid yellow eyes piercing her like daggers.

“Boo,” the being said in an unnatural, otherworldly voice.

The mare didn’t have it in her to scream, it seemed. Instead, she fainted, falling over right into the Raven’s hooves. Swirling blinked briefly as she set the mare down. “Nighty-night, Princess What’s-Your-Name.”

‘Two down,’ said Nevermore. ‘About three dozen more to go.’

Swirling nodded and looked over to the two guards at the door. They didn’t look like they noticed what had just happened, nor where she hid the unconscious stallion. Either they were deaf, or they didn’t care what the mare and third stallion were doing right now. She dove into the shadows again, dashing towards the door, ignoring the stallions and slipping under the door and into the warehouse.

She rapidly climbed up the wall to the roof and stuck her head out of the shadows, giving the building a once over as she planned out her next move. At the far end of the warehouse was what looked like an altar of some kind, with large, heavily decorated table that had several lit torches surrounding it. Off to the right was what she assumed was once the manager’s office, with the windows closed and shuttered. A line of bright light was emanating from under the door—it was probably where the princess was being held, if the armed guards stationed there were any indication.

‘This reeks of a trap, Line,’ Nevermore said.

‘Yeah, I figured.’ If that room was where Luna was being kept, then she’d have to find some way to get the guards out of there so that she could bust the door down and get the princess out of this place.

She rubbed at her chin as she watched the Disciples walk about the warehouse, preparing for… something. Whatever they were getting ready for, it couldn’t be anything good.

‘That stallion from earlier said something about a ritual. What do you think they’re planning?’

She furrowed her brow as her partner didn’t immediately answer. ‘Nevermore?’

‘I’m not sure,’ he finally said, his voice unsettlingly neutral, ‘but all signs point to them getting ready to kill the princess. That white unicorn from the other night did say she was going to ‘end’ Luna.’

The pegasus’ eyes went wide. Of course that’s what they were planning! But… why would a ritual be required to kill one pony, alicorn or not? There had to have been something that she was missing here. Something wasn’t quite right with… okay, there was nothing quite right with all of this, but something was certainly fishy.

‘Maybe we should try—’

“Up there! It’s her!”

Her head darted to the side as a Disciple was pointing frantically towards her perch. “The Raven is here!”

“Oh, horseapples!” she swore and dropped from her perch as a multitude of magical beams and arrows struck the wall.

‘So much for stealth.’

‘Now is not the time, Nevermore!’

She flapped her wings frantically as more attacks sailed her way. It seemed that the Disciples were almost spawning out of thin air, many as there were. In their rush to catch her, she noticed that the Disciples at the office door had left their posts.

She speed for the office, ignoring the ponies below her.

‘What are you doing?’ Nevermore demanded.

‘If I can get to Princess Luna, she can help us!’

‘What makes you think she would?’

‘We’re trying to—Whoa!” She banked sharply to the right as a beam sailed in, missing her by mere inches.

‘You’re going to get us killed!’ Nevermore hollered at her.

Before she could retort, a pegasus Disciple tackled her in midair, roughly bringing her to the ground as others swarmed around her. She managed to kick the pegasus off of her, only to be dogpiled by no less than a dozen other ponies. She struggled against their combined weight before sinking away into the shadows beneath her and reemerging outside of the pile of ponies, a grin on her face beneath her black hide.

Her slight triumph was short-lived, however, as she was blasted by a crimson bolt that slammed her against a wall, winding her as she fell to the floor.

“We were expecting you, Raven,” said a familiar mare’s voice. Swirling looked up to see that white mare from the other night, her horn glowing a bright red and her eyes narrowed with a mixture of spite and pity.

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Swirling said with a scowl, getting back to her hooves. “Let Princess Luna go.”

White Star frowned venomously, her horn not losing its aura. “I cannot do that. Her presence is required for the ritual to be completed.”

Swirling dug a hoof into the ground at her. “And just what’s this ritual of yours about, exactly?”

“It is something beyond the understanding of a pawn of the Dark.”

“Stop calling me a pawn!” It took everything she had to not try to throttle the unicorn where she stood.

“Pawn or not, it is not something you would understand, even if I took the time to explain it.” The albino mare glowered at shadowy pegasus. “All you need to know that the Corrupted One’s death will usher in a new era, one in which the Light shines upon all of creation.”

The Raven blinked at her for a moment. “If I didn’t think you were crazy before, I do now.”

White Star shook her head. “As I said, you could never understand.” Suddenly, a beam flew out from her horn, too fast for Swirling to dodge. The attack impacted against Swirling’s barrel, knocking the air out her and stunning her. For a brief moment, her shadow form wavered, but remained. She glared up at White Star, who was eyeing her curiously.

“Your form is…” the white unicorn began, gears turning in her head. Evidently, something clicked. “You are possessed, aren’t you?”

“Not what I’d call it,” Swirling answered in an attempt to be cryptic. “That’s as close as you’ll understand, though.”

White Star sneered. “Not that it matters. You will be no more once we are done with your master.” She glanced to the closest Disciple. “Bind her. She will witness the Corrupted One’s destruction before she joins her in oblivion.”

He dipped his head obediently. “Yes, Mistress.”

Swirling set herself to meet their attack. “Bring it on! I’ll take you all down before—” She gave a strangled scream as White Star hit her with another beam, and she felt her muscles lock up. She fell to the side with a thud, her body not reacting to her brain’s commands.

“Not fair,” she managed to gurgle out as the Disciples quickly bound her wings and hooves together.

White Star ignored the Raven, turning to the other Disciples. “Let all our Brothers and Sisters know that the Raven is no longer a threat. The ritual will proceed as planned.”

-o-

‘Well, this is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into.’

‘Shut up, Nevermore. Just shut up.’ She growled at her resident in annoyance.

She sat against a wall, bound tightly and guarded by four Disciples that had spears leveled at her, ready to thrust if she so much as twitched. White Star stood before the altar, singing another hymn as the other Disciples joined her. A sigil had been painted into the floor, it looked almost identical in shape to the eye emblem on the wall, though runes and other etchings encircled the eye. A pair of iron rings had been bolted to the floor within the emblem, but she hadn’t the foggiest what they could be for.

‘Is there anything you can do, Nevermore? They’re going to kill Princess Luna and then us if we don’t do something!’

‘You don’t say? I’m working on it, just hang tight.’

‘...Was that a pun?’

‘I don’t do puns.’

She snorted quietly, earning herself a painful jab from a spear. “Quiet, you!”

As much as she wanted to take that spear and do something rather unpleasant to him for poking her, she wisely kept her mouth shut. But she couldn’t stay quiet forever. She needed to free herself, preferably without getting impaled. Or sliced. Or… anything bad, really. The more she thought on on her situation, though, the more hopeless it seemed. The paralysis she was under made it impossible for her to slip away into the shadows, and even if she could, she had no doubts that that would only put the Disciples on high alert, making a bad situation even worse.

The office door opened, and two robed stallions trotted out, carrying a drastically weakened Luna. The Raven’s eyes widened at the princess’s condition, but stopped herself from speaking up. The Disciples were mostly silent, save for a few baleful murmurs and whisperings of spite for the Princess of the Night, some of which Swirling could hear. Most of what she heard were wishes of death to the “Corrupted One,” and some of them were sickeningly imaginative.

The two stallions half-dragged, half-carried Luna along a path made open by the Disciples as they made their way towards the altar, where White Star stood annoyingly tall and irritatingly proud. The stallions carrying Luna roughly dumped the alicorn upon the sigil on the floor, binding her hooves and wings with iron clamps and chains, bowing to White Star before joining their fellow zealots.

“My Brothers and Sisters,” White Star spoke, her voice loud enough to carry within the warehouse, yet still retaining its calm, collected tone. “We are gathered here now for a monumental occasion, a great victory for which we have all prayed, that we may use as a weapon to strike fear into the hearts of those who skitter within the foul Dark.” There was silence as the white mare descended from the altar, slowly approaching Princess Luna, who managed lift her head to glare at the uncaring unicorn.

“This eve,” White Star continued, “we destroy the being who brought with her chaos, deception, darkness, and would-be tyranny. This eve, we slay the foul Corrupted One.”

The Disciples all released a roaring cheer of approval, while Swirling Line fought off the urge to scream about how insane all of this was.

“You are mad!” Luna managed to croak out, despite the uproar. “You know not what you do. In destroying me, you would doom Equestria to—”

“Silence!” White Star screamed, her amulet flashing again.

Luna’s back arched as she screamed in unbridled agony, tears of pain running down the alicorn’s face. White Star barely even gave notice Luna’s suffering, instead turning to another robed pony.

“Do you have the ceremonial blade?” the cult leader asked. The pony nodded, taking out an incredibly ornate knife, which White Star took in her magic. She examined the blade before facing Luna again after the magical torment had ended.

‘Nevermore, whatever you have planned, you’d better hurry!’

‘Oh, no, I thought I’d just take a break, watch the bloodbath, maybe take a nice nap afterward.’

‘Please… help me.’

Swirling felt that Nevermore was just as shocked as she was when a third voice entered her mind. She looked towards Luna, and saw her teal irises looking directly at her.

‘Princess Luna?’

‘If I… do not make it… please, get a message to my sister… Do not allow them to roam free. This madmare must be stopped.’

The pegasus had no idea how to respond. She sat, gaping at the princess as White Star began leading her cult in some kind of song. The blade of the knife began to glow with an eldritch light, as did the sigil that Luna had been placed within. At the continued chanting, the blade lifted up, and lights began to dance around the sigil, bathing the entire building in an otherworldly glow.

Whatever was happening, it was very painfully obvious that it was bad. The fear in Luna’s eyes was unmistakable.

‘I have an idea,’ Nevermore finally said.

‘It’s about time! What is it?’

‘I can try to counter White Star’s spell, but it’ll likely cut your time as the Raven in half.’

‘How much time would that leave me with?’

‘Around forty to fifty minutes.’

Plenty of time in Swirling’s mind. ‘Do it.’

The spirit gave a grunt of affirmation, and Swirling could already feel him working his magic. She was beginning to regain feeling in her hooves and in the tips of her primaries. As the Disciples sang their weird song, the guards around her included. She could feel legs and torso now, and decided now was as good a time as any to take action.

With no shadows beneath her anymore, thanks to the unnatural lights flying around that grew steadily brighter. She was going to have to rely on more mundane methods.

With a strong flap of her wings, Swirling took off towards White Star before her guards could even blink. Time itself seemed to crawl to a near halt as the Raven brought back a hoof to strike. She saw White’s red eyes widen in utter shock before the sheer force of the punch sent her soaring to crash through the altar, earning a collective gasp from the Disciples all around. Then, with grunts of effort, Swirling whirled and grabbed hold of the chains. She felt her body strain with the effort, but the chains snapped with a resound clatter of metal.

The princess stood slowly and shakily, all while wearing a thankful smile directed at Swirling.

Before either of them could say anything, however, an enraged shout erupted from the altar. White Star stood from the ruins, her eyes and horn blazing with unrivaled fury. “You will pay for defiling this sacred ritual, demon!” She pointed a hoof at the shadowclad mare. “Kill her!”

Without hesitation, the horde of Disciples charged, dozens of weapons held at the ready.

‘Ignore them!’ Nevermore ordered. ‘Go for White Star’s amulet! Get rid of that, and she’ll have no way of depowering Luna again!’

Swirling nodded, turning to face Luna, who gave a quick, approving nod.

“I will hold them at bay, while you deal with their leader,” Luna said as she turned to meet the charging horde.

The Raven, with no reluctance, charged for White Star. Swatting aside the two guards that thought to stop her. The albino mare scowled, erecting a crimson barrier that caught the Raven. White Star then fired off a beam that struck her square in the barrel, sending her end over end into the air.

Shaking her head, Swirling saw Luna fending off the Disciples hoof-to-hoof before grabbing a spear from one of her many opponent and expertly beating them back with the blunt end.

Knowing the princess was safe in her own hooves, Swirling made another dash for White Star, this time zigzagging in an uncertain pattern, the unicorn firing blasts at her from the shattered altar. The red beams soared past her, many missing only narrowly, but all of them leaving destruction in their wake.

Swirling dove forward and brought her forelegs back for a smash, but White Star threw a barrier up that stopped the attack, though cracks did appear along the barrier’s surface.

“Are you so eager for oblivion, demon?” White Star hissed with a cruel edge in her voice. “If you had only waited, you would have known it soon enough!”

“You really are crazy, you know that?” Swirling flew back as the barrier shattered outwards, the shards cutting past her painfully.

White Star fired off more beams as the Raven scurried to dodge them. “You call me insane, but it’s you who cannot comprehend the magnitude of the threat the Darkness brings to Equestria. We are trying to save this world!”

Swirling ducked behind a crate and kicked it at the unicorn who rolled aside. “By killing one of its princesses? Yeah, that makes a whole lot of sense. For someone who worships the Light, you’re not very bright!”

“You ignorant fool!” Star gathered her power and unleashed a massive beam at the Raven’s hiding place. Crates and things burst apart and burned from the magical onslaught, and White Star watched the devastation, her sides heaving in ragged breaths.

As the dust settled, she could see no sign of the Raven. “Pitiful fool.”

That was when something jumped out of her shadow. “Yoink!”

In a fit of instinct, White Star loosed a beam at the Raven, knocking her away. The pegasus rolled across the floor into a wall, apparently out cold. Not wanting to take chances, Star charged her horn. “I will end you once and for all, you pawn of Darkness!” Just as she was about to unleash a blast of raw power, she heard the Raven… laughing. “What’s so funny? Do you find your imminent death humorous?”

“I keep telling you,” the shadowy mare said, lifting a hoof that held White Star’s treasured Eye of Hyperion. “Don’t call me a pawn.”

The unicorn’s eyes went wide, her hoof scrambling to her neck before she glared at the Raven. “Give that back!”

“Sure.” At that, Swirling crashed her hooves together, the amulet trapped between them. The relic shattered to pieces and fell to the floor with small, metallic clinks. “How much of it do you want?”

White Star’s jaw went slack, her eyes wide in a blend of rage, shock, and horror. She turned to her followers. “What are you waiting—” She was silenced at the sight of Princess Luna beating down the last of her conscious Disciples, the alicorn’s horn now glowing steadily. As the last of them fell, she turned to regard White Star.

“Your followers could do with more thorough training. They make for poor soldiers.” the princess quipped, tossing aside her borrowed spear.

Swirling wanted to laugh so badly at how much White Star was shaking now, but she forced herself to remain serious as she approached the cult leader. “It’s over, Star,” she said. “You lose.”

White Star hung her head low, scowling vehemently before lifting her head again, her horn glowing brightly.

“As long as the Dark exists, it is never over. The Light will never cease its radiance!”

Before either Luna or the Raven could react, the albino mare was enveloped in a flash of red light, leaving nothing but a scorch mark where she had been standing.

Swirling looked around and dove to the floor.

Luna lifted an eyebrow at her. “What are you doing?”

The pegasus lifted her head cautiously. “I thought she was going to attack me with another beam again. Or… something.”

‘Very smooth.’

A slight smile adorned the princess’s face. “That was a teleportation spell. She has quit this place.” Her small smile became a serious frown. “I have no doubts that she will show herself again in the future.”

“Oh, goody,” Swirling sighed. She would’ve greatly preferred if this whole mess was just a one-time thing.

There was a moment of quiet as Luna briefly looked around at the unconscious bodies around her. “I shall summon the authorities to deal with these criminals,” she said before looking back to Swirling. “For now, I recommend we leave this place. We’ve more to talk about now.”

Swirling gulped back the sense of anxiety Luna’s words called out. She nodded and followed the princess out of the warehouse, where they stopped a fair distance away from the building. The Lunar Princess turned to face the pegasus with a serious expression upon her visage, her eyes bearing an analytical stare.

“I am still uncertain that leaving you to your own devices is wise.” Swirling hung her head at the taller mare’s words. “However, it would seem that I now owe you my life, Swirling Line. Had you not interfered with the Disciples’ ritual, I would likely be dead now. Or worse.” The princess took a single step forward and rested a hoof on her shoulder. “For that, you have my gratitude.”

Swirling Line, unsure of how to respond at first, slowly looked up to meet Luna’s gaze. “It-it was no trouble, Princess. I only did what anypony else would’ve done.”

‘Including getting caught?’ said Nevermore.

“Hey, that was, er, all a part of my plan!”

‘Sure it was. And I’m Mother Faust.’

The mare huffed angrily, earning what sounded almost like a giggle from Princess Luna. “Whether or not it went as you had planned, you still saved my life. As thanks, I will, admittedly against my better judgment, allow you to continue your nightly endeavors.” The Raven glanced up at the princess with wide eyes. “Know this, however: should you ever cross the fine line between vigilante hero and menace, I will not hesitate to stop you by any means necessary. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal clear, Your Highness.” To further display her understanding, she gave what she hoped was a respectable salute.

Her ears perked up as she heard Nevermore grunt.

“What’s wrong, Nevermore?”

‘Remember when I said you had forty minutes or so left?’

Her ears laid back. “Yeah?”

‘I lied...’

Swirling blinked as the Raven form faded away, reverting her back to her natural state.

Her eyes widened and she looked to her hooves. “Nevermore!”

‘Tired. Going to sleep now. Wake me up when I tell you to.’

“Wait, sleep? You’re a spirit in my head! Why do you need to sleep?” The shadow spirit gave no response, frustrating Swirling further. The mare grumbled at the spirit’s laziness, cursing how tired she felt, but wasn’t about to get any sleep soon.

There was another laugh from the princess, who wore an amused grin. “I suppose you and tenant do not always see eye to eye.”

Swirling gave a flat stare. “That’s putting it mildly.”

“I shall escort you back to your home, if you wish. If you desire to keep your secret, I shall cast an illusion of invisibility upon us both. No one who saw the Raven come here will see Swirling Line come from here.”

“That would be an enormous help, Princess. Thank you.” Nodding, Luna took to the air first, with the pegasus following soon after, a brief flash covering them both as Swirling led the way back to her apartment, where she planned to flop down in bed and try to sleep away tonight’s troubles.

-o-

After the evening she had just had, Luna desired nothing more than to just go home fall into her sinfully cozy bed just as her new acquaintance did. But while Swirling Line was ultimately harmless, the Raven was far from such, and despite her abilities, she could not watch the supposed “superhero” every waking moment. She needed another pair of eyes and ears.

Touching down upon a rooftop, still in Manehattan, she briefly glanced around, searching for the pony she had in mind. From the reports he usually sent, this was where she could expect to find him most often, and it wasn’t long before she felt eyes on her back.

“I know you are there,” she said aloud. “Reveal yourself. I’ve a task of great import for you.”

At her words, a form leaped out of its hiding place in the nearby darkness, stopping in front of her. A dark blue stallion with a wild black mane and the wings of a bat knelt before her, his head low in respect. The thestral rose silently, his slitted, golden eyes serious and calm.

“It’s not often you come to places like Manehattan, Highness,” he said.

“Places like Manehattan are not completely to my liking,” she admitted. “There is too much noise for my tastes.”

The stallion nodded. “What task do you have for me, Princess?”

“I take it you know of the Raven?” He nodded. “She is, in truth, a mare named Swirling Line. I will have a profile delivered to you soon. I want you to watch her, and report all her actions to me.” She stared down at the kneeling thestral. “I would prefer that you do so in the most silent manner possible; she is not to know you are there. Is your mission understood?”

“Keep an eye on a mare with unusual abilities,” said the thestral. “She won’t go for a leisurely flight without me knowing about it, Your Highness.”

Luna nodded. “I do not believe I need to tell you what you need to do if she ever goes beyond simply fighting criminals.” The stallion bowed his head, understanding perfectly. “Good. And be careful. I fear I may have found a great threat to Equestria’s peace. A cult by the name of the Disciples of Light.”

He dipped his head to her. “I’ll keep an eye out for them as well, Princess.”

With one last nod of approval, Luna spread her wings and took to the air. As she flew, leaving the city of Manehattan behind her, she found herself pulled back to thoughts of the cult who had captured her, particularly their mad leader White Star. So long as that organization stayed afloat, Equestria was in great danger.

Whatever the “Light” truly was, it could only spell disaster.

-o-

The sun felt so good. She lay stretched out on the grass in Manehatten Central Park, rolling on her back. It felt so good to have finally slept in for once, and now, with the sun warming her fur, Swirling was in bliss. A giggle escaped her, drawing a few curious looks her way, but she ignored them.

“What a beautiful day,” she said aloud.

Her thoughts drifted back to the events of the previous night, and a slow smile tugged at her lips. She rested her hooves behind her head and stared at the cloudy sky above as she remembered the awesome move she pulled that sent White Star through the altar. That surprised look in the albino mare’s eyes brought about another giggle.

“I wish I had a picture of that. I could laugh at it for hours.”

She took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the grass around her. To think that she, some nopony waitress in the biggest grease hole in all of Manehattan, not only beat the pulp out of an insane cult, but also saved Princess Luna. Princess Luna! How many ponies could say that besides the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Nopony, that’s who. Nothing could bring a damper on her good mood now.

“Swirling Line!”

Her golden irises widened as she recognized the irate voice. She looked up to see Summer Streams glaring down at her, her hooves crossed in a pout.

Swirling gave a nervous chuckle. “Uh… hi, there, Summer.”

The unicorn flattened her ears. “Don’t you ‘hi there, Summer,’ me, Swirling! You ran out on me!”

Realization struck Swirling like one of White Star’s magical bolts. She’d completely forgotten all about Summer!

“I, ah, I just… had to go to the mares’ room,” she said, rolling back to stand on her hooves.

“For four hours?” the unicorn asked, half-deadpanning the question.

“It was… stressful.”

Summer slapped a hoof over her eyes. “Swirling, I don’t want to hear about your escapades in the bathroom!” She then jabbed a hoof in Swirling’s sternum. “You owe me big time!”

Swirling hunkered down from Summer’s rage, ears pinning back. “You’re right, you’re right. I do. Just name it, and I promise I’ll do it.”

It never ceased to amaze Swirling how fast Summer could go from justifiably angry to smiling cheerfully. “I was hoping you would say that, because there’s going to be a fashion show coming up next week, and I want you there with me.”

Her eyes shrunk to pinpoints, and her jaw dropped open. “A fashion show? Please, Summer, anything but that!”

Summer glared at her so fiercely, she was sure even Princess Luna would have taken a step back. “Big!”

Swirling let her head droop, knowing full well that she did owe it to her friend for ditching her to save Princess Luna. But she was a hero! Surely heroes aren’t supposed to suffer for saving the day.

Another look at Summer, and Swirling let the argument die before it could start, sighing in resignation. “Fine…”

Summer squealed in excitement and wrapped her friend up in a big hug. “Oh, I just can’t wait! You and me, seeing the newest, hottest looks before they even hit the shelves! Aren’t you excited?”

“Not as much as you are,” Swirling said, trying to sound earnest.

Even as she spent the day with her friend at the park, and knowing that she was going to have to suffer through so tedious an event as a fashion show in the following week, Swirling felt her smile return. It felt good to be alive, but it felt even better to be a hero.

‘That is literally the cheesiest thought you’ve ever had,’ said Nevermore, his sardonic tone killing her good mood.

‘Oh, shut up.’

Author's Note:

Theme of Zeal:

White Star Battle Theme:

Comments

[Maximus_Reborn]

I really enjoy the back-and-forth commentary between Swirling and Nevermore. Keep at it!

[Lightoller]

Worth the wait.

[LordLycaon]

6418110 I approve of your name.

[Maxes Altho]

Please tell me White Star will end up orbiting the planet at some point.