• Published 23rd Nov 2016
  • 421 Views, 2 Comments

Lunaris - Madame Ponka



In a world of eternal night, three ponies must come together and survive.

  • ...
 2
 421

Chapter III - Into the Fires

Everything was silent, aside from the crackling embers that torched the buildings. The screams had faded away as the final glimpses of life escaped from the unfortunate victims. The rest of the town’s residents were scrambling out of the village into the jaws of the wilderness, barely holding onto their lives. In a matter of hours, the town of Auris was nothing more than a burning pile of ashes.

The only ponies that stayed behind were a small platoon of robed ponies, their esteemed leader, and three brave ponies that dared to oppose them.

“Formerly, eh? Come now, my dear Even. You know better than to oppose us and Her Majesty’s Glorious Empire,” the general said.

“I said no,” the rebellious mare said with a piercing glare.

“Even… Even, my dear friend. Look inside yourself. This is not you. You are not this glorious little rebel hero. You’re a soldier, Even! You have immense power and strength. We have trained you how to use that power, and with us, your power will only increase. You are only wasting your time here. For years, any and all resistance had been swiftly crushed under the hooves of Her Majesty, and we will not hesitate to kill you and your plucky little friends, Mythic.”

“If death be my only option, then so be it. I’d rather die opposing your horrific deeds than continue to leave death and destruction in your wake.”

“Leaving death and destruction in your wake!? Look at what you’ve done to this place! This wouldn’t have happened if you never left us! You caused the death of all these ponies and the destruction of this town, Even! And it’s all because of your foolish decision.”

Eventide was seeing red, seething with pure anger. She trotted closer to him and spoke sternly in his face. “Listen here, you pathetic fucking excuse for a general! There’s no chance in Tartarus that I’m rejoining your silly clique of despicable little mages. If ponies have to die because of my decision, then so be it. I’d only bring more suffering by being a part of you. And I swear on the moon itself, I will do every last thing in my power to stop you.”

“You think we’re scared of somepony like you? Your power may be impressive, but keep in mind we have an entire army on our side. Thousands of ponies loyal to Her Majesty’s cause. We can easily crush you and your pathetic trio like a filthy insect, Even.”

Every word made Eventide’s rage grow more intense. She fought back the urge to blast him straight in the face right then and there. Mythic watched on with a blank expression. Standing in the presence of one of the most feared ponies in all of Lunaris shook her to the very core. She wasn’t scared very easily, but the experience of having one of Nightmare Moon’s most revered generals threaten her had left very few rational thoughts in her mind. Parallax wasn’t doing much better. His heart thumped rapidly and his breathing became sporadic.

Polaris turned to the two other ponies accompanying his former soldier. “I suppose you are her two companions, huh? How quaint. You, the guardspony.” He pointed to Parallax. “Shouldn’t you be guarding Fillydelphia by now? What are you doing out here helping this traitor?”

Parallax gulped. “L-Look, general… I don’t plan on staying with her for long. My friends… they were recently killed, and I’m trying to move on.”

Polaris chuckled. “Aw, you poor little colt. I do offer my condolences, but you must realize that we don’t let ponies off just because they got their insides ripped out. As far as we know, you’re just aiding the enemy. And I’m sure you know what happens to those who commit this high act of treason.” Parallax gulped again as his words shook him to the very core.

Polaris turned to Mythic. And you, the bat pony. You strike me as having a lick of common sense. Do you happen to be a psychic?” She could only nod.

“Oh, what fun. I’ve crushed many mind meddlers in my day. Why in Her Majesty’s name do you think that you can oppose us?”

Mythic stared him dead in the eyes. “I got nothing better to do. I’ve wandered this dead wasteland for years. I’ve seen the horrific struggles of ponies trying to survive. I’ve seen my companions being murdered in cold blood. I’ve fought creatures and other horrors you wouldn’t even dream of taking down. Every single damn day is a fight for survival. If this is what my life is, I might as well oppose the tyrannical kingdom that caused this while I’m at it.”

“You’ve wandered for years and yet you still don’t understand the purpose of all this. All this death and suffering is a part of Her Majesty’s glorious world. A world where every pony, young and old, bows down before her wondrous majesty. A world where-”

“Ponies scream in terror as their loved ones are ripped apart by the monsters and thieves that lurk around every corner,” Eventide spoke. “A world where everypony has to fight for their survival. A world of nothing but being stomped under an iron hoof until the end of time. I know what world you want.”

It was then that Polaris struck her in the face with a heavy hoof. Eventide fell to the ground, her cheek bruised. Her friends stood watching, too scared to do anything.

“I want you three to listen very carefully. It doesn’t have to be this way. You’ll only cause more suffering if you continue to act in this foolish manner. You’re only going to waste your time. Please, Even, come back with us. We can forget this ever happened, and move on to accomplishing what Her Majesty wants. If you come back, and your two friends give up and move on, nopony will get hurt. And if you don’t… heh… I think we know what happens next.”

Eventide struggled to her hooves, her nose leaking blood. “Alright. If this is how you want to do this, I’m not going to hold back.” She wiped the blood off her face.

Polaris chuckled. “You never change, Even. So eager to fight. You still have that lunar mage instinct inside you. It’s such a shame it’s come to this.” His horn ignited into a maroon aura as he turned to his soldiers. “Take care of her two friends. I’ll handle the filthy traitor.” He turned back to his opponent, her horn ablaze.

Mythic’s eyes glowed and Parallax drew his sword. The group of mages stared at the outnumbered duo. For a moment, the only sound was the frosty wind that blew in anticipation for the first attack. It was one of the mages that broke the floodgates. He conjured up a blast of fire from his horn and shot it towards Parallax. He easily dodged the blazing embers and dashed towards the crowd of mages. One of the mages attempted to put up a protective barrier, but she failed to do so before the blade slashed down upon her. She fell to the ground with a deep slash on her chest, barely clinging on to dear life.

Another mage shot a bolt of lightning at the distracted warrior, sending him flying back. Mythic seized this opportunity to attack, her eyes ablaze with purple mist as she tapped into the deepest corners of her mind. She began transferring the psychic magic into her hoof, making it glow a deep purple. Two of the mages began charging straight at her, their horns charging up a spell. As they were about to fire the spell at her, Mythic hit the ground with her hoof, sending a wave of psychic magic at the two. The two brought up a dark blue barrier in front of themselves that absorbed most of the wave. The barrier began to waver, however, as it took in more magic. Parallax took this opportunity to dash over to them and slam down on the barrier. With a loud crash, the barrier exploded and the magic was sent towards the two mages. The suddenly became paralyzed, and Parallax stabbed one of them square in the chest, his body collapsing to the ground. Before he could strike the other one, however, a dome appeared around the paralyzed pony. Mythic looked over and saw one of the mages conjuring the shield. She charged at the pony while the mage was distracted and used her telekinesis to choke him. The dome flickered away and Parallax stabbed the paralyzed pony, ending her life in an instant.

Meanwhile, Eventide’s duel with Polaris was evenly matched, neither one of them giving in. She sent a chain of lightning towards him, which Polaris deflected with ease. The general sent a large fireball at her, which she dodged with relative ease.

“I must say, Even. Your magic hasn’t faltered one bit. Only makes it more of a shame that it has to end like this,” Polaris said.

“One mustn’t ever let their magic die, general. I believe it was you who taught me that once,” she said as she sent a beam of ice at him. Polaris put up a blue barrier in front of himself, which deflected the beam back at her. Eventide jumped out of the way, the freezing cold beam hitting a nearby house with a loud crackle.

Eventide charged up a large blast of magic in her horn and fired it straight at the general. He created a large, shimmering dome around himself that made the blast deflect back at her. The bright explosion of magic hit Eventide square in the face, sending her flying back.

“It’ll take more than that,” she said, struggling to her hooves.

The tides were quickly turning for Parallax and Mythic. The remaining ten mages began to evenly split up into groups of five. Parallax slashed one of the mages to the ground, but was quickly countered by another mage tackling him to the ground, losing his grasp of his sword. Another mage brutally kicked him in the face, but he countered with a far stronger kick. The mage was knocked off of him, but another took his place in an instant. He charged his hoof full of crackling fire and slammed down onto Parallax’s neck. He screamed as his neck was scorched by the unrelenting sorcerer. The snow melted around him, the blood leaking into the fresh mud.

As the mages charged at Mythic, she charged up her hooves with lightning and sent the crackling bolts at them. Three of them took on the attack without flinching, while the other two became paralyzed from the psychic’s lightning. The bolts seeped into their minds and distorted their senses. Mythic thrust out her hoof and forced the three mages into the two paralyzed ones. The sounds of bones snapping could be heard as they crashed into each other. One of the mages managed to get up and charge towards her, his horn preparing to unleash a blast of fire. Mythic located large beam of wood from one of the destroyed houses next to her, and lifted it up with telekinesis. As the mage prepared to blast her, Mythic swung the wood as hard as she could. The poor magician feel to the ground, his head bleeding profusely. Mythic stared at the poor stallion who was whimpering in pain. She raised the plank, preparing to finish her off.

She was interrupted by a tackle from two of the mages. Her face was blasted by a bolt of lightning that seeped through her body and made her senses shut down for a few seconds. She tried to telekinetically push them off of her, but they wouldn’t budge one bit. Summoning all the magic she could, she connected their minds and attempted to confuse them. The two mages, however, were well prepared for something like this. They forced her out of their minds with relative ease. Mythic tried forcing the confusion spell harder, but to no avail. The mages grunted and clenched their teeth as they defended themselves even further. As she tried to break into their minds, another mage sneaked up behind her and blasted her with a bolt of lightning, sending Mythic flying back. She landed in the snow with a loud thud, her blood seeping into the frosty powder below.

Polaris charged up his horn with magic and blasted Eventide with a brilliant ray of dark blue at her. Eventide countered with her own ray of magic. As the two beams connected, Eventide slowly began to overwhelm him. With a surge of strength, Polaris forced the raging beam of magic back at her. Eventide struggled to counter his rush of strength. Her heart beat at a rapid rate as she was slowly overwhelmed by his superior strength. Polaris chuckled maniacally as his magic proved to be far stronger than her’s. With one final surge of strength, he blasted the inferior mage back, sending her into a pile of blood-stained snow.

The general trotted up to the struggling mage. His horn glowed, and dark blue magical chains wrapped around her hooves. Eventide struggled to move as the chains wrapped tighter around herself. Polaris charged his hoof full of magic and struck her in the face, breaking her muzzle.

“Competent, but overall futile. You did put up more of a fight than most of my challengers, though. That I must admit.” He bent down low and stared right in her face.

“Now, here’s the thing. I won’t kill you, Even. Dueling with you, I was reminded of your strength. You’re too valuable to be murdered. Your two friends, won’t be so lucky however. We’re going to take you back to Canterlot, and we’ll force you to become a mage again. Even if you refuse…” he chuckled. “...Let’s just say that we have other methods. I’m sure you’re all too familiar with them.”

“You’ll never make me join you again! I swear on Her Majesty’s moon!”

“Oh, Even, my friend. We’ve dealt with rebellious mages before, and they’ve all joined us again without much trouble. You won’t be any different.”

Eventide’s heart pounded in her chest. She tried her hardest to escape the chains strangling her hooves, but to no avail. She was struggling to remain conscious, her mind growing weary and her vision dark. With a final strike from Polaris, she finally slipped away from consciousness.

Before she fainted, she heard a faint roar cry out in the distance.

~

Eventide woke up hours later in a worn-out bed, naked and shivering. She looked around the bedroom, which looked similar to one of the rooms of the Auris inn. Sitting up, she stared out the window and recognized the destroyed buildings of what was once Auris. A couple corpses of fallen mages were buried underneath a blanket of snow. Suddenly, a muffled, yet familiar voice rang out through the silence.

“Um… are you sure this is a good idea?” a quiet voice asked.

“No, not at all. Look, she spared our lives and showed hospitality to us. The least we could do is help her through this.”

Her ears perked up at the two voices. “Tidal? Serenity?”

“Oh great. She’s awake. Now remain calm, Serenity,” Tidal said as he opened the door to Even’s room. “Hey, Even! You’re finally awake! We thought we lost you.”

Eventide looked at them with bewilderment. “W-What happened? Where’s Polaris? Where’s Mythic and Parallax?”

“Even, relax. You’re safe now. Polaris and the rest of the mages retreated back to Canterlot, and your friends are waiting for you outside.”

“B-But why!? I thought you two ran off!”

“We were, but we wanted to make sure you left Auris safe, so we hung around for a while longer. Obviously… heh, that worked out quite well for us.”

“Well aren’t I just the luckiest mare in the land? Okay, so… why in Tartarus did Polaris retreat? It’s not like him to just run off like a damn coward.”

The two didn’t answer for a second, until Serenity finally spoke.

“Um… A dragon…”

Even’s eyes widened at the mention of those horrific creatures. “Holy mother of Luna…”

“Yeah. If there’s one thing the lunar mages are scared of, it’s those damned scaly bastards. While they tried to defend themselves, Serenity here cast an invisibility spell on us and your bodies and we hid until they ran off. You should’ve seen the look on old Polar’s face. I’ve never seen him that mad, and that’s coming from two ponies who pissed him off more times than I could count.”

“Damn… uh, thanks, I guess…”

“Heh. Well, it’s the least we could do.”

“So, where do you plan on going now? I take it you’re also rebelling?” Eventide said as she donned her robes.

“Yeah, we plan on going to Baltimare and settle down there. We don’t have any interest in being mages anymore, Even. We just want to live a normal life. Or… at least as normal as possible.”

“Well, I guess I wish you two luck. Me and the rest of the group plan on heading west to Las Pegasus to join the Rebellion there.”

Tidal’s eyes widened. “Las Pegasus!? That’s so far away, though!?”

Eventide sighed. “It’s not like I have anything else to live for. Nothing but wandering this frozen and dark
wasteland with a pansy soldier and a pretentious psychic.”

“J-Just be c-careful, Even…” Serenity whimpered. Tidal nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, guys,” Eventide said with a light smile. “Oh, uh, one more thing.”

“We’re all ears, Even,” Tidal said.

Eventide breathed deeply.

“Am I a good pony deep down?”

Tidal and Serenity didn’t respond right away. They just stared at the poor mage with a curious expression.

Finally, Tidal nodded. “Yeah, I’d say that you are.”

“I’ve done so much awful shit in my past. I’ve murdered countless ponies and have eradicated many villages. I’ve left my own mark of hate upon this world, and I don’t think and amount of good I can do will ever truly make up for it. It eats away at me every second.”

“Even, I’ve seen the good in your heart. The way you spared us, it showed me that you are a kind pony beneath your rough exterior. When you look back on the awful stuff you did, you learn what not to do, and you become a better pony because of it.”

Eventide scoffed. “I think Mythic’s starting to rub off on you. Can’t wait to deal with her philosophical ramblings. But, uh, thanks, you two. I’ll keep that in mind during my travels.”

Serenity smiled and nodded. “W-Want to see your friends?”

“Yeah… sure,” Even sighed.

Eventide trotted out of the room and went through the destroyed halls. Articles of clothing, books, and other belongings were strewn everywhere. The walls had suffered immense damage and burns. Blackened streaks covered the stone walls and wooden chairs and tables. Every step Even took sent a jolt of pain through her body. She limped out the front door and saw her two friends sitting under a nearby tree.

“Even!” Parallax galloped over to her. “Oh I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Eventide nodded as Mythic trotted up to her. “Well, glad to see that the poor lass who got us in this mess is doing okay.”

Eventide rolled her eyes. “Yeah, thanks. Almost dying is a wonderful way to begin this epic journey.”

“Well, you better get used to it. The Lunaris wasteland takes no prisoners,” Mythic said.

“Right. Can’t fucking wait. Well, you’re the apparent expert on this land. Lead the way, I guess,” Eventide scoffed.

“We’re gonna rest up and heal for a while. Maybe scavenge for some supplies. We’ll head out to the Hollow Shades once we’re all ready to go. Sound good.” The two nodded.

“Great! Now, Parallax, go into those houses and bring back anything useful. Eventide, can we talk for a second?”

Eventide stared at her. “Y-Yeah… sure…” she said with unease.

“Good,” she said as she began wandering around town. Eventide followed close behind. “Are you… nervous at all? About our little adventure?”

“Oh you don’t even know. I can’t wait to be torn to shreds by hundreds of wendigos.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll let you in on a little secret, Even. I’m also scared shitless. Any sane pony would be horrified at the idea of going out to the Lunaris wilderness.”

“You’ve wandered it for years, Mythic. Why’re you so terrified by it?”

“Even, my friend. It’s true that I’ve wandered the land for years. I’ve had many near-death experiences. I’ve seen and felt things that will make a pony curl up and want to die. I’ve seen friends die in a matter of seconds. I’ve seen them get kidnapped and never return. I still hear their cries for help from beyond the grave. I relive those Goddess-forsaken images ever night when I go to sleep. And you know what? I’m fucking horrified at the thought of this cute little adventure. I’ve seen the horrific things this world can bring. I weathered the damn storm every single night. It’s the ponies who’ve experienced the worst that are the most scared, Even.”

“I’m sorry that you have to go through that, but you’re not really helping here,” Eventide mused.

Mythic sighed and spoke in a low voice. “I’m sorry… I get carried away sometimes. I don’t doubt your fear, Even. I can feel it within you and Parallax. Fear is like a parasite that latches onto you at a young age and it never lets go.”

“You’re getting into one of your philosophical ramblings again, aren’t you?” Eventide raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’ll make it short. Don’t let that fear within you win, Even. I know from experience. It’s caused the life of friends and innocent ponies. I’ve stood frozen with fear with nothing I could do as the breath of life escaped them. Even a powerful psychic such as myself has trouble defeating that terrible thing. No amount of pure magic can defeat it. But there is something that can…”

“Let me guess. Hope and friendship?”

“Um, I was going to say tackling your fears head on and telling them to go fuck themselves, but yeah, that’s not a bad thing to have,” Mythic giggled.

Eventide laughed along with her. “You’re pretentious as shit, but you’re quite alright, you crazy psychic.”

“Oh you think I’m pretentious now? Wait until we hit the road. I have lots of philosophical speeches planned out.”

Eventide stared at her. “Oh fuck me…”, she mumbled.

~

Parallax stared into the crackling embers that sat in the center of the circle of sitting ponies. The snapping flames melted the snow around it, leaving a wet mud behind. He sat there thinking about the journey ahead. He was scared, but he didn’t have much to live for at this point. So what if he died? His friends and loved ones were long gone. His job was awful, and even still he might not be able to keep it for much longer.

He looked around at the circle of companions. Tidal and Serenity were checking their supplies. Mythic was meditating; she sat up straight with her eyes closed, breathing deeply. Eventide was chewing on a piece of celery, staring intently into the flames. He looked up at the shining moon in the middle of the sky. He could make out the faint shape of an alicorn’s head made of the craters. The wind howled and screamed. The blistering cold made him shiver and gave him goosebumps.

“You holding up okay, Laxy?” Eventide said, still staring at the roaring fire.

Parallax nodded. “I’m fine. Just… thinking.”

“About what, pray tell?”

Parallax hesitated to answer the mare next to him. He looked down at his dirty, blood-stained hooves. “About what I have to live for. My friends and loved ones are gone. Everything that brought me happiness has been taken from me. The only thing that gives me a bit of hope is joining the rebellion, and our chances of getting there are slim.”

“It’s a harsh reality we live in, Parallax. I’m… so sorry for everything you lost, but you need to stop moping around in the past and start preparing for the future. It does no good to just be sad all the time. You need to be strong, Laxy.”

“I know, I know. But it’s easier said than done.”

Eventide said nothing. Parallax looked over to the meditating bat pony next to her. She breathed deeply, doing her daily pondering of life’s unanswerable questions and unsolvable enigmas. Her dark grey cape gently billowed in the frosty wind as the cold barely affected her disciplined soul. He envied her strong will and calm mind.

“How do you even do it? Your life could very well end in the next 24 hours and you sit there meditating your little heart out.”

Mythic smiled. “If I’m going to face death, I might as well face it with a peaceful and welcoming embrace.”

“That’s… a dark idea.”

“It is, and I’m still fearful deep down, but it’s better than letting your enemies gain pleasure from seeing your terrified face. Death isn’t necessarily as black and white as it seems. Sometimes we need to face the end with joy, so we can go out with a smile on our face.”

Eventide stared at her. “It’ll be hard to smile when your guts are spilling out.”

She shrugged. “Just a hypothesis I’m working on.”

Eventide rolled her eyes and scooted closer to Mythic for extra warmth, something she gladly offered. Parallax moved closer to the mage, leaning into her warm lunar robes.

For the first time in a long, long while, Parallax smiled.