Complications
Complications
As magus fled into the woods, cackling, Kain looked towards where Rainbow Dash had been launched. A split second later, he saw smoke erupt from the bushes. That was all he needed to know she was okay. The dragoon checked on the captured cultists who were plenty unconscious, and then gave chase to his target.
Not much time had passed since the Unicultist leader had attempted to slow Kain down with an alleged dilemma, so the armored earth pony knew that he could still be caught. Luckily, Kain’s target was making plenty of noise in his haste to escape. Not to mention the grunts and curses that Prime muttered when something impeded his flight. Kain, however, was making good time in catching up.
The target was finally cornered, and Kain drew his weapon. Prime readied his staff to defend himself. The dragoon jabbed his spear at the cultist, only for it to be deflected quite easily. Kain followed up with a swing at the unicorn. This time, however, Magus used the staff to launch himself up and over the wide sweep. Mage or not, this pony was no joke in close quarters. Before Kain could deliver another follow up attack, the cultist sent a spray of small magical projectiles at him. The dragoon tried to shield himself as best he could, but some shots nicked his armor, and the knight gritted in pain. Kain shot forward to keep the cultist from continuing his fire, but Prime leapt away from the attack.
The target charged another magical bolt from his staff and unleashed it at Kain. It was an all too familiar attack for the dragoon and he responded to it by shielding himself once again, but as he lowered his guard, another volley of magical artillery was sprayed at him. Once again, the dragoon had to deal with a near unavoidable attack. Magus’ aptitude with magic was giving him the upper hand; he was able to cast spells subsequently without much effort. As long as he kept his distance from Kain, he could let off a combination of attack spells and put more distance between the two of them. Sure enough, Prime was beginning to appear as if he were going to flee once more, and Kain was not certain if he could give chase as easily after being worn down by all these magical attacks. One at a time, they were a nuisance, but altogether they began to weigh on him.
The Uniculstist leader began to flee once more, but Kain pursued him. Magus began to teleport short distances at random intervals to throw off the dragoon. “You’re quite the cold one aren’t you?” Prime taunted. “Prioritizing your target over that mare.”
“She’ll be fine.” Kain said as he sped after the cultist.
“Oh, she definitely isn’t fine. Not after my magic hit her.” Magus said, bragging. “Why, right now, I’m pretty sure she…urghh!” he grunted as he was hit by a speeding object. However, Magus was still able to continue running.
Kain closed in on the leader, unsure of what happened until he saw an incredible speeding object collide with Magus, sending him careening along the forest floor. It wasn’t until he noticed the cyan color of the object that he realized that Rainbow Dash must have caught up and aided in the fight. The dragoon took the opportunity to pounce. He swung with his spear at the cultist. Somehow, despite being the target of two pursuers, Magus still blocked the attack and now both he and Kain had their weapons locked in a contest of strength.
The dragoon used a show of force to parry the staff, sending it spinning at an incredible speed up into the canopy of the Everfree and far away in an incredible distance.
“Impudent worm!” Magus yelled. Only to be hit by the butt of Kain’s spear and knocked out cold. Kain spun his spear and set it back on his person. He then brought out the unichains and locked one of them onto Prime’s horn. Kain plenty knew that this unicorn was dangerous and didn’t want to risk another altercation with this pony should he have access to his magic.
“Good work Rainbow Dash.” Kain said. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
When he didn’t get a response, he called out again. There was only silence. “Are you alright?” he asked. There then came a sound from some bushes being shuffled. “Rainbow Dash?” he called out in its direction. “Are you injured? Where are you? I can administer aid if you need it.
Hoof beats sounded form the bush and what the dragoon saw he almost couldn’t believe. A small, cyan pig slowly, and by the looks of how it carried itself, ashamedly, came out of the shrubbery. This pig was almost assuredly Rainbow Dash as it had the same rainbow hair coming from its head, albeit it was only a small tuft instead of a flowing mane, and there was only a curly tail instead of the multihued one the pegasus ordinarily sported. Her cutie mark was still where it should have been, a cloud with a tri-colored lightning bolt oddly adorned the pony now turned pig. Atop Rainbow’s back were a small pair of miserable looking wings, somehow the alteration hadn’t changed the former pegasus’ talent with flight. It all looked so similar, and then Kain put two and two together.
“I suppose we now know who caused those problems for Ponyville earlier.” Kain said. “Excellent work making the connection.” He continued with a smirk. Rainbow looked up at him with beady little magenta eyes and snorted angrily. Apparently her transformation impeded her ability to speak.
“Well, we’re still ways away from Ponyville. We’d best get moving.” Kain said. He then tied up the unconscious Prime for good measure and began dragging him though the forest. Rainbow Dash followed suit and the two of them made their way before the hour drew late. It was a rather odd sight to see a pig hovering next to an armored earth pony dragging an unconscious unicorn. Every now and then, Kain would stop to examine the magical map. He decided to break the silence, “I’m, certain Princess Twilight will be able to cure you. She was able to help that other pony who was turned into a bear.” Rainbow Dash looked at him expectantly with those words of encouragement.
Another voice then coughed out. “Don’t be so certain. I’ve been perfecting that spell. I’ve made that enchantment much stronger than the last time.” Magus said.
The flying pig somehow put on a very worried expression and stared at the cultist being dragged. “Don’t worry miss; I’m sure with time you’ll come to-“ was all of the taunt Magus could get out before Kain clubbed him over the head with his spear’s handle.
“That’s enough from you.” The dragoon said, knocking out the leader once more. He continued dragging the captive and Rainbow Dash followed once more, but now she drifted to the ground and trotted along, visibly shaken by the last remark by the cultist leader. Kain could only surmise what pre-occupations were going on in the mare’s head. “We need to return to the camp to secure the other cultists.” Kain said. “I know your current…state isn’t the most accommodating, but we still need to complete this mission.”
Rainbow Dash looked up and nodded in agreement.
////
When they arrived at the cultist meeting place, Kain and Rainbow notice that the captives she’d hung up in the sack began to stir.
“We’ll need to secure them individually with unichains, otherwise they may be a problem with their magic.” Kain said.
Rainbow Dash flew to one of the ropes holding the trap and undid the knot, which caused the cultists to spill unceremoniously onto the floor. “As far as you’re all concerned, you’re under arrest by order of Princess Luna.” Kain said as he righted one of them and put a unichain on her horn. “We don’t need any trouble, so don’t make any unless you want to end up like your leader.” The dragoon looked to the direction of Magus’ unconscious form. The other Unicultists looked at it as well, but also at Rainbow Dash.
“By the looks of it, he’s not the worst off.” One cultist said.
“That’s only temporary.” Kain replied. Rainbow Dash stared at the stallion that made the remark. “We’ll get that reversed.”
“Fat chance of that happening.” Another unicorn said. The boss perfected his spell by attuning it to the staff. It’s pretty much permanent, not like that other one with the bear.”
Rainbow Dash gasped, or rather squealed at the revelation.
“Don’t worry, that’s a good look for you.” Another cultist said.
Kain wasn’t one who had much experience with arresting individuals and his patience with the cultists reached its breaking pint. He placed a makeshift muzzle on each of the cultists that had spoken. “Are we going to have any more problems?” the dragoon asked, staring at the unicorn who’d spoken last. He looked at him in such a way that even the knight’s helmet couldn’t contain his contempt for the situation. The peon shook his head. “Good.” Kain replied.
After placing unichains on all the captives, in addition to keeping them tied with ropes, Rainbow Dash and Kain finally had a moment for respite. Even as a pig, Kain could see Rainbow‘s expressed preoccupation with the situation. “You’re not going to be stuck like that.” Kain said, just barely realizing the irony of the situation with his own. “There’s always some sort of solution, be it a spell or…”
The dragoon rushed to his saddlebags and rummaged for a few moments and returned with a small object covered in paper and tied with string at the top. The former pegasus stared at the object.
“I’m not certain if it’s still fresh, but it may work. They’re called diet rations.” Kain said. “I acquired a few of these a few years back. They’re somewhat a combination of food, medicine, and potion. It was created to help cure those with your condition.”
Rainbow Dash immediately made a move for the magical foodstuff at that disclosure. She snatched the diet ration, tore it from the packaging, and scarfed down the stale tack. Then the two of them waited for any change, but nothing happened.
Kain pulled out two more of the curative packages and held them in his hooves. “I suppose they may have lost their potency after all this time, one might not-“
He was interrupted as Rainbow Dash grabbed the items and tore into them wildly as well. After eating the food potions, she examined herself, expecting a change. When none came, she slid to the ground in defeat.
“Princess Twilight, is the expert on magic. No doubt she’ll find the answer to this. For now, let’s just try to make it thought the night.” Kain said. “We’ll need to take shifts to watch the prisoners. I’ll take first watch.”
Rainbow Dash lay down and exhaled sharply, more from disappointment than exhaustion. Kain looked at her briefly, and then at the cultists. It was going to be a long night.
Whether or not Rainbow Dash was awake, Kain didn’t have anyone to talk to, and he wasn’t about to strike up conversation with any of the cultists, especially since he gagged about a quarter of them. His shift was pretty much uneventful when it came to guarding the Unicultists, but he did consider the misfortune that befell Rainbow Dash. He wagered that despite her bravado, she still wasn’t taking it well, and why wouldn’t she? When he was polymorphed during his travels, Rosa was able to fix the problem within minutes. And here was this pegasus, having gone most of the day in that diminutive form. Though that one encounter in the Sylphs’ caves was especially frustrating and traumatic, it was short lived.
It was then that Kain realized he’d spent well over a week in this pony form, and he hadn’t once tried to get it fixed. He wagered that it was because of his attempts to keep his past secret, and that he was still closer to his original self than he ever was when he was transformed by those baleful magics he’d encountered before. Whatever magic that was at work her, he hoped that Princes Twilight would be able to reverse Rainbow’s condition. As much of a braggart and showoff as she is, Kain thought she’d learned her lesson long before night fell.
When the mare in question changed watch with him, he noted the awkward combination of regret and resoluteness she wore just before he fell asleep.
////
The next day, Kain and Rainbow Dash began to move the captives through the forest. Though this time, they couldn’t use the same path that the two originally used to infiltrate the cultists’ gathering. Since the Unicultists were tied up single file, they could not be maneuvered easily around trees, so the Dragoon and pigasus had to search for and move through clearings.
It was slow going as the group trudged through a small bog like portion of the forest. Granted, it was nothing compared in scale to the area that was the hydra’s home, but it still proved to be difficult terrain.
When about two thirds of the bound prisoners were crossing past the ‘shore’ of the particularly wet bog, one of the unicorns slipped face first into the mud.
That fall caused the closer linked unicorns to lose their balance and fall in as well. Amidst all the confusion, the captives hadn’t noticed ripples in the water making their way loser to the sight of the original spill. A reptilian creature now opened up its jaws and was about ready to move forward and clamp down on the unsuspecting unicorn when a cyan swine slammed down on its head.
Rainbow Dash had managed to keep the cultist from becoming the next snack of a cragadile. She continued jumping up and down on top of its head in order to distract it from the other unicorns. Just as when it looked as she had the situation under control, another cragadile jumped at Rainbow Dash and knocker her into the water.
Having just seen this, Kain called out to the captives, “Get to safety in the next clearing!” The dragoon then ran towards the fray. He readied his weapon and leapt upon Rainbow Dash’s assailant.
The former pegasus gathered her bearings and prepared to attack the two Everfree predators that were now focused on Kain. Rainbow Dash sped up to one of the cragadiles and slammed into it, knocking the beast from its balance. A third reptile surfaced behind Rainbow Dash, but she was ready. The cyan swine delivered a buck with her rear hooves, but what should have been a decisive blow instead reverberated the force back to Rainbow. With bucking out of the list of options, she had only areal stomps and slams to work with, which weren’t particularly useful against stone skinned creatures.
The Dragoon, meanwhile, was able to fend off these creatures with his spear. While it wasn’t piercing their hide to the degree he wanted it to, it still was a viable deterrent to them biting him.
Seeing there was too much trouble in trying to eat a metal covered pony, the cragadiles focused on the detectible looking pig instead. Rainbow Dash was able to stomp two of the stone reptiles, but lost track of the third. Just before a razor toothed maw was about to sample multicolored pork, Kain placed the spear in the gap of the mouth of the cragadile. The creature flailed in attempts to rid itself of the obstruction, but only managed to pierce its own mouth with the dragoon’s weapon. The creature retreated, deciding it wasn’t worth the pain anymore, and with it the others receded into the water as well.
Kain retrieved his weapon, and both he and Rainbow Dash returned to the group of captured cultists. It was surprising that rather than potentially try to run while the two were distracted, instead the unicorns weren’t far from the scene of the engagement. They wore almost the same surprised look Rainbow Dash and Kain gave them.
“Why did you save us?” one of them spoke. “You could have just as well let those cragadiles eaten us and have been on your way.
“It was the right thing to do.” Kain said. “I don’t believe you deserved for that to have happened.”
“Even after all we did?” the mare from earlier asked. “And after what happened to your friend?” she motioned to Rainbow.
“Even though my orders weren’t specifically to kill you,” Kain said. “that shouldn’t mean I should let any harm befall you, despite what you did to me.”
As the dragoon and pigasus continued to escort the unicultists out of the woods, another of them spoke out, “I guess we had it all wrong.” He said. “We thought we were at the top of it all, knew it all, and here we are best by, captured and saved by one earth pony and a single pegasus. I can’t believe I listened to Magus’ words. Why did I follow you anyways?” he yelled out at the cult leader.
Magus Prime had traveled with his head hung low since the incident with the cragadiles. He’d had the gag removed since they set out but had said nothing. “Brothers…I mean ponies. I have brought you here because of my own hatred. The reason I had you under my lead was because of my past. I had grown up a unicorn in an earth pony family, on a form no less. My name was Corn Stalk, and every day growing up made me think about how much I hated earth ponies. I could not grow a thing on that farm, and all the earth pony fillies and colts that went to school with me reminded me of that. Even pegasus colts and fillies picked on my inability to grasp my family’s trade. And the town’s only other unicorns had a child who rarely spoke out against the others out of the same fear of ridicule."
"When I learned about how the three tribes were once divided, I set my mind to separate unicorns from all the other groups to prove who the best was once and for all. I changed my name and left my home. I studied magic from every cities’ best mages. When I told them of my plan to separate from the rest of society, they warned me not to disrupt harmony, but I didn’t listen. Finally, I took it upon myself to convince unicorns who were fed up with dealings with pegasi and earth ponies to join me. What a fool I was to have believed that my Unicultists could have existed away from the rest of the world. You have shown me and all these ponies how much we all help each other. I accept my fate.”
Kain and Rainbow Dash trotted out of the Everfree Forest after what must have been hours. They led the chained captives to an open field just outside the forest. “It looks as if we’re going to have to send for a contingency of guards to escort the prisoners to the capital.” Kain said. “Rainbow, I need you to help me take these prisoners to Ponyville so that I can send word to Canterlot.”
The cyan pig looked at the ground, obviously hesitant on going into town the way she was. Just then, Rainbow Dash started to emit a cyan colored glow. Her legs began to stretch and her body began to thin out back to her old pony frame. The pig snout converted back into the muzzle she was familiar with, her eyes returned to the large expressive ones she had before, her wings grew out and returned to their magnificent form, and lastly her main and tail grew out their rainbow hair.
Rainbow Dash examined herself and did an aerial somersault out of joy. “Yes!” she exclaimed. “I don’t have to go back to Ponyvillle looking like that!”
“It seems as if the remedies had a delayed effect from their lack of potency. It’s good to see that you’re in such high spirits now.” Kain said. “I suppose now you wouldn’t mind if I sent you to relay the message to Spike to send for assistance?”
“It’s just that whenever there’s been a problem in Ponyville, I’ve been there to help. Yeah, I’ve made some mistakes trying to show off from time to time and I paid for it. But coming back home as a …pig…would have been a new low point.” Rainbow Dash said.
“I understand.” Kain said. “Believe it or not, I’ve actually traveled with a bigger braggart than you. The worst part was that he had the skill to back that monstrous ego.”
“And your point?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“My point is that you handled yourself far better than he would ever have, and that’s no simple feat for those such as you. Now, if you wouldn’t mind.” Kain said.
“Oh, right.” The pegasus said as she took off towards Ponyville.
“And don’t worry my brave friend,” Kain said as she was leaving. “I won’t squeal about this to anypony!”
The dragoon could hear a growl of frustration Rainbow Dash let out before she disappeared from view.
~Belligerent Bindlestiff
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6420275
Don't worry. She's not completely omniscient to his psyche. Only to what he he shows or to what the reader sees.
6430552
Guilt is a very powerful force, and in this story a not so easy thing to overcome.Its funny, I began this story after the end of season 3, and it takes place before season 4. A lot of things have come to light since I've started writing the story. I already have my plan as to how it will end, but I will attempt to address the revelations in the show and comics that apply. Thanks a million for the input.
6440994
You bring up a good point. I always held that beleagured was a synonym for frazzled.
Given the definitions, I could go for aliteration with both words as they both convey Twilight's state. We are talking about a character who gets very engrossed in her responsibilities.
Thanks for your help.
6441052
...
Egad, the canon police!
Thanks for that one. I'll be sure to amend that one in the future.
6465373
A cookie to you sir.
But that's not the only FF shout out our clairvoyant mare has made.
One of the best FFxMLP fics I read so far, on FF.net.
Also, I am not the only one, everytime you see Kain speak, you will hear the voice of Liam O'Brien in your mind as you read. You have ponies talk, and then Liam comes out of nowhere and you realize how out of place it is XD
6466108
Thanks. And yes it is strange to hear Liam's voice amongst the rest of the cast, and perhaps even compared to other male characters.
6469243
6469243 I know...but its just awesome though. Kain is a badass, and he sounds like one too. XD
Rainbow Porker!