The Pony Who Embraced The Darkness

by Zurvan

Chapter 22: One Way Out

Chapter 22: One Way Out

Rainbow Dash trudges at the head of a short column of ponies, with one griffon in the middle of the column. The entire group looks exhausted, like they've barely sleep in a long time. All the ponies wear armor marking them as members of the Royal Guard. They'd been walking since Manehatten; the city kicked them out when they saw they had a griffon with them. No big surprise, the griffons had attacked Equestria less than a year before. At least the ponies of Manehatten were nice enough to give them supplies, otherwise they'd have starved long before this.

Rainbow looks forward. Canterlot was finally in sight. One of the two cities that would not turn them away. Rainbow had debated going home to Ponyville, but decided against it. Her priority was still to get Prince Bastion to safety. The anticipation of a warm meal, and a soft bed reinvigorates her.

Rainbow turns to the soldiers following her. “Come on you lot; we’re almost there!”

Her words seem to reinvigorate the ponies following behind her causing them to cheer. Bastion chuckles slightly. “Glad to see you’re all so happy. I’m just trading one prison for another.”

Iron Wing, currently behind Copper Penny takes to the air, catches up to Bastion and looks him in the eyes. “We sacrificed a lot to get you here, so I don't want to hear it. Chances are once Princess Celestia can get the elements together she'll send them to blast those we left behind with their rainbow friendship cannon.

“Seriously Wing?” Copper Penny says as she walks next to Bastion , having had used her earth pony magic to catch up to them. “I'm fairly sure that's NOT what they call it.”

“And I suppose you know what they call it?” Iron Wing asks.

“No, but I'd be interested to know, in fact I'll go catch up to the captain and ask.” Copper says, seemingly hurt by her comment.

“Sorry Cop, we're all a little tired and I'm just ready to be able to mourn my brother.”

Copper nods. “I shouldn't take offense, of those that remain none have sacrificed more than you.”

“Thanks Cop, I appreciate.”

“No problem, hopefully we'll all be able to stay in touch once we're home. I know we didn’t know him well but I'd like to be at your brother's funeral. He gave his life for us.”

“I'll make sure everypony in this company gets an invite.” Wing says as she looks forward to Cold Steel, who walks right behind Rainbow Dash.

Copper sees the look. “Forgive me if I'm out of line, but I hear earth pony stallions are the best lovers. Their magic gives them insane stamina.”

Wing blushes heavily but smiles as she looks to Copper. “I'm sure as an earth pony yourself you'd know.”

Copper chuckles, knowing it was meant as a joke. “I wish I could say I did, but I still haven’t found the right pony yet.”

Wing nods. “Perhaps I should introduce you to my brother the earth pony.”

“Wait! What?”

Wing chuckles. “My family is a herd, my mom is the earth pony, have two dads a pegasus and a unicorn.”

“Seriously?”

“Oh yeah, we were a rare set of triplets; one of each race. Iron Hoof; Iron Wing and of course Iron Horn.”

“That’s pretty cool. If you're serious I'd like to meet your brother, even if it's just to pay my respects.”

“I'll make sure to introduce you to him then.”

“Are you two done gossiping?” Bastion asks causing the two ponies to remember that he was there.

“Sorry.” Wing says. “Forgot you were there.”

Bastion laughs. “I can only hope that something like that happens in Canterlot, I don't want ponies treating me like some sort of sideshow freak.”

“I'm sure once ponies get use to you it'll be fine.” Copper says.

Bastion nods. “I hope you're right.”

==========

Winter and Nymeria walk through the woods, a river flowing to one side of them. “Remind me again why we're following the river.” Nymeria says.

“It’s completely logical, if there was going to be any type of civilization it'd be near the water.” Winter explains.

Nymeria nods. “That makes sense.” She watches the woods as they walk. The shadowy form of Lord Umbra shows itself just at the edge of her vision as if wanting to tell her something. Knowing that Umbra’s base was at the mouth of this river she realized she couldn't avoid him forever. “Hold up, I need to pee.”

“Alright dear.” Winter says as he stops and sits down to take a short breather while Nymeria goes into the dense foliage to take care of business.

Nymeria finds a secluded enough spot and lifts her skirt when Umbra approaches her. “Taking your time getting to me, aren’t you? Umbra says as he walks around her watching her pee.

“If I make him go too fast he'll get suspicious.” Nymeria says.

“The time for suspicion is over!” Umbra growls as his shadow form pushes her head down and smacks her front legs causing them to fold up slightly. He pushes her horn into the ground and uses his shadow magic to hold her still and her eyes open on her raised rear “You’ll bring him to me tomorrow, or I'll make things worse for you.” He says as he places his cold hooves on her flanks and forces her to watch as he forces himself on her.

Nymeria grimaces disgusted and waits until he finishes before speaking. “It will be as you command.”

“It had better be, or the next time I'll make sure he's watching.” Umbra says before releasing the magic and vanishing.

Nymeria sighs a couple times before pushing herself up then cleaning herself up and adjusting her skirt before putting on her best false face and stepping outside the foliage. “Come on Winter, let's move!” She says as she heads upstream as quickly as she dare.

Winter gets up and follows her. “Nymeria, what's going on?” He asks once he catches up to her.

She looks at him with tears in her eyes. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Nymeria, what are you talking about?”

She looks behind him, the shadowy form Umbra leers at her and she screams. “He’s here!”

Winter charges his magic as he grabs her and releases a pulse of cold fire around them. The spell leaves a ring of fire surrounding them, bathing them in it’s light. Winter turns around. “There’s nopony there.”

Nymeria looks around the blue fire eliminating every bit of shadow within the ring of fire, and for a good distance around them. “Your… your fire.”

“What about it?”

“I didn’t realize you could do this!” She says suddenly uplifted. “Please don’t let the fire go away.”

“Only if you tell me why.”

Nymeria nods. “Yes, I have so much to tell you, let’s start with the most important. Lord Umbra is my father, that much you know. He controls shadows, he can hear through them, see through them… hurt you through them.”

Winter looks around seeing that there are not shadows near them because of his fire. “He’s been hurting you hasn’t he?”

Nymeria nods. “He’d appear to me at the edge of the woods and if I didn’t sneak away to talk to him he’d hurt you. So I’d sneak away and he’s take a full shadow form and he’d...” she sniffles. “I’m supposed to bring you to him, so ha can use you as bait for your mother, but somewhere along the line I really fell in love with you. I swear Winter I love you and nopony else.”

“We’ll discuss that later, right now we need to get back to civilization.”

“We’ll have to get away fast, since he can’t spy on us with his magic he’ll send sentries after us, we’re a day away from his base, if that.”

Winter nods. “I’d rather get back sooner than later anyway, I can hold the cold fire, but it’s going to burn my mana reserves.”

“How do we get away?”

“It’s going to get a lot colder and dimmer, but I’ll keep the shadows away.”

Nymeria nods. “He’ll taunt us from the edge of your magic.”

“If he can keep up with us.” Winter says as he forms the cold fire into a boat, and levitates them both into it.

“This is very cold, but also amazing.” Nymeria says as she lights up her horn and uses her magic to propel them down the river.

Comments

[SudokuBrony]

[Zurvan]

7897044

Ugh, I hated Pokemon.

[Datgreenbrony]

Sad Face

[Zurvan]

7898667

Why the sad face?

[Luckyfanisaac]

so I can use you as bait for your mother,