• Published 13th Mar 2017
  • 917 Views, 41 Comments

Necropolis - Blitz Brigade

  • ...
4
 41
 917

Chapter Six: The Adventure Begins

The doors opened, and Celestia stepped forth into the room to greet the awaiting group.


"I have arranged transportation, but in the meantime, how is Captain Sentry doing?" She asked as her gaze landed on the Skyborn.


"I'll be fine, m'lady," Flash answered heartily.

Celestia nodded. "That is good to hear. Now, please, follow me."

"Excuse me, Princess," Fluttershy spoke up.


"Yes, Fluttershy?" Celestia replied, turning her head back to Fluttershy while still walking.


"Um...if you don't mind me asking, just how are we supposed to get to...actually, where are we going...if you don't mind me asking," Fluttershy said timidly.


Celestia gave a smile and answered, "You will all be traveling to where the Royal Guard were sent to, the village known as Harpystone."


“Hey! I have an old friend who lives in Harpystone! She's a harpy, of course, but, I just wanted to point that out. Yeah, she and I go way back, back to when school was over. She taught me how to fend for myself, and sh-!” Rainbow Dash blurted out, but she was cut off by Fleetfoot.

“Yeah, yeah, that's great!” She said sarcastically. “Seriously, no one cares.”

Rainbow replied with a frown and a rude hand gesture.

"Anyways, that’s not too far from here, about an hour long trip if we take the train," Applejack stated.


"I'm afraid that transportation by train isn't available. Due to the threat, I've blocked off all train routes to any cities that may be or have been attacked," Celestia explained.


"So...how are we getting to Harpystone then?" Rainbow asked.


Throughout time, humans have adapted to live in the harsh world they had been born into.

On their own they could not survive the harshest of threats, but it was through tools and weapons that they became the top of the world.

As time past, humans waged war against other humans for various reasons, such as resources, wealth, power, and sometimes just for fun.

It was war that caused the advancement of technology to increase, such as discovering iron, learning to make weapons for long range, taming animals, and of course discovering how to use magic.

But before magic was discovered, man had to rely on the use of swords, armor, and shields. But in that time there was an animal that became a key in every war.


Horses.

Yes, horses.


Strong bodied beasts, powerful enough to pull large carts of crops and materials as well as trampling the enemy in war.

To this day horses are still used for practically everything, farming, carrying supplies, or sometimes just a means for transportation.

Horses were the most useful creature in Enchantria, and thus the need for them grew, and as such so did the breeding rate.


But right now, we find Blitz Brigade standing in front of the Royal Guard horse stalls.

Wooden buildings aligned in rows were filled with horses waiting behind wooden doors in their stalls.

Rarity pinched her nose shut as a sharp smell entered her nostrils.


"PEE-YOO!" She exclaimed. "What is that disgusting smell?!"


"Horse poop, duh." Pinkie answered.


"Shouldn't be," Flash scratched his head to think of what Rarity was smelling.

"The horses don't go to the bathroom in their stalls, normally they just go outside but it's always shoveled up and given to the..." Flash trailed off before snapping his fingers, "Oh that's right! We give all waste to the botanists so they can turn it into manure."


"Well that explains it." Rarity grimaced before sighing.

"Is there no other way to travel to Harpyrock, or whatever, besides riding a horse?" She asked Celestia, who only gave her a slow shake of the head.


"Alright, it doesn't matter which horse you choose. Each one should be healthy and ready to go, once you've picked out your horse have somebody saddle him or her up and wait outside," Flash explained.


"Say, Flash." Rainbow said, casually resting her elbow on Flash's shoulder with a suggestive tone and a cocky grin. "Can you be a pal and tell me which one of these horses is the fastest?"


"You're not getting a horse," Flash responded nonchalantly, to which Rainbow recoiled back in shock.


"WHAT?!" She screamed. "Why not?!"


"Because if we gave you a horse you'd most likely run away with it, we're not idiots you know," Flash stated. "But don't worry, you will be riding a horse. You'll just be riding with someone else to keep you in check."


"This is degrading my basic human rights!" Rainbow protested, until her lips were magically sealed shut by Twilight's magic.


"You have the right to remain silent." Twilight said with a triumphant grin as Rainbow fumed with anger and gave yet another suggestive gesture.


Everyone observed the horses that snorted and whined every now and then, circling in their stalls. There were many horses to choose from, all ranging in various colors of white, grey, brown, and black.

The CMC were assigned to three ponies that fit their size, while everyone else was still trying to choose.


Twilight tapped her chin in thought, trying to come to a decision. Every time she narrowed her choice down to two horses, another would enter the equation and make everything more difficult. It made it nearly impossible to choose.

There was a tap on her shoulder, asking her to turn around. Twilight did and saw Fluttershy behind her with that warm and gentle smile of hers. She grabbed Twilight's hand and urged her to follow.


"Come on, there's something Flash and I want to show you," Fluttershy said, pulling Twilight out of the stall.

The two made their way towards the plains and forest where the horses roamed.


They entered the forest and Fluttershy led Twilight deeper in, and the deeper they went the more vegetation they saw. It wasn't until they came across a pond that sparkled in the sun's rays that they stopped and waited.


"What are we-" Twilight started, but was almost instantly interrupted.

"Shhh!" Fluttershy hissed, placing a finger over her lips.


The two continued to wait until they heard twigs and branches snapping and the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

The two looked towards the source of the noise, and surprisingly, they saw a herd of horses.

But these weren't the average looking horses, as they were not white, black, grey, or brown like their brothers and sisters at the Royal Guard stables. These were horses that had been exposed to magic, and it had altered the way they looked. They were still horses, as their figure and shape remained the same, but their manes and coats were different.

There were twelve horses, and it became thirteen as a strong-looking stallion entered with Flash riding him.

The stallion had a bright white coat, a blue mane and tail, and brown eyes. The horse strode up to Fluttershy and Twilight, standing tall and powerful before them. Flash dismounted himself from the horse and patted him on the head.

"His name is Gradius, he's my personal mount and a very loyal friend,” Flash said as he introduced Gradius, as he undid knots on the saddle. "He’s no normal horse you see," Flash paused and jumped back as two strong and powerful feathered wings flared from the horses sides and he posed majestically. “He’s actually a Pegasus."


Twilight stood in awe at the magnificent horse, her mouth opened wide. She realized this and quickly shut it before looking to the other horses. "Are they all Pegasi?" she asked.


Flash shook his head. "Nope, Gradius is the only one. But, speaking of the herd, let me show you why I had Fluttershy bring you here." Putting two fingers in his mouth, Flash made a unique whistle to which only two horses heard and galloped over to the girls. One was a mare with a grass green coat of fur, dark green mane and tail, and sea blue eyes. The other was a stallion with a black coat of fur, lavender mane and tail, and purple eyes.


"This is Gabriel, your brother's horse," Flash said, introducing the stallion.


"This was...Shining's horse?" She asked and Flash nodded to confirm her answer.

Twilight raised her hand and slowly reached for the stallion, but when her hand was close Gabriel shook his head and took a few steps back while giving off a warning snort which made Twilight freeze for a moment. But she continued to reach for the horse, gently placing her hand on his muzzle and petting him lightly, to which Gabriel gave an appreciated sigh.

"So...what makes Gabriel so special?" She asked, assuming all of those in the herd had an extraordinary trait.


Flash answered by drawing a steel sword from his sheath and raising it above his head as he aimed for Gabriel's neck. Twilight's went wide as she realized what he intended to do.


"Wait, no, stop!" She cried out, her mind to confused to cast any magic to stop Flash as the sword came down on the neck of Gabriel.


And it snapped in two the moment it came in contact with Gabriel's neck. The top part of the blade spun backwards before sticking itself into the ground behind Twilight.

Flash held up the now shortened sword to show off the damage. "Gabriel is an Ironhide. This means that his skin is made of a dense material that only diamond is known to pierce," Flash explained.


Twilight let out a sigh of relief now knowing that Gabriel's life wasn't in danger, but a curious thought entered her mind and so she decided to ask, "Why are these horses out here roaming free while the others are kept in stalls? Is there something special about them?"


"As a matter of fact there is," Flash said with a grin. "All of these horses belong to a high ranking member in Enchantalot. See that horse right there?" Flash asked, pointing to a horse whose dark blue coat resembled the night sky with tiny white dots scattered throughout the coat. His mane and tail were the same as his coat, and his eyes were completely white.

"That blind horse is Potter, he belongs to General Nox, he's been known to be able to teleport. The horse, not Nox." Flash clarified.

"And that pompous horse right there." Flash pointed to a horse with a white coat, blond mane and tail that was neatly tied and fashionably presented, and blue eyes. "That horse is Stomper, he belongs to Duke Blueblood, and just like his master, he's a spoiled, stubborn mule. He's an Ironhide like Gabriel."


"Wait a minute," Twilight spoke up, noticing Fluttershy grooming the other mare’s sides with a brush she had from her bag of tools. "If all these horses belong to important members of Enchantalot, then does that make Fluttershy a-"


"Oh goodness no," Fluttershy interjected, before apologizing for it. "I'm sorry to cut you off, but I'm nobody special. This dei-uh, I mean horse's name is Eve." She said, introducing the horse who hid behind Fluttershy.


"Eve is a Woodscolt," Flash begin to explain. "A Woodscolt is a creature that is able to shapeshift and manipulate nature. It was Eve that taught Fluttershy her nature magic."


Twilight stared at Eve and Fluttershy in amazement.


"Welp, we best get moving. Wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting," Flash said as all three of them exited the forest.


Rainbow sat on a stump of a cut down tree, her chin resting in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees, and a sour frown on her face.


"Hiya Rainbow Dash," A peppy voice greeted the depressed Skyborn.


Rainbow's eyes glanced to the left and she saw Scootaloo mounted on a pony with a white coat and black spots, blonde mane that covered the pony's eyes and long tail, and hair covering her hooves. Scootaloo dismounted and walked up to Rainbow.


"So, how ya been?" She asked, standing on her tiptoes and going back to balancing on her two feet.


Rainbow's response was a grunt as she stood up and walked away from the kid.


"Hey! Wait up!" Scootaloo shouted, running after Rainbow.

Scootaloo caught up to Rainbow who had her arms crossed and was stomping in frustration with an angry look on her face. Scootaloo crossed her arms, stomped like Rainbow was doing, and made the same angry face that Rainbow was. Rainbow noticed this and uncrossed her arms while staring at Scootaloo with a raised brow, and Scootaloo did the same as though she was Rainbow's reflection in a mirror.

Rainbow did various poses and faces, and Scootaloo did all of them in perfect unison. Rainbow decided to put a stop to it.


She turned around and stood in front of Scootaloo, blocking her path.

"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked nicely, her tone hinting her pent up rage.


"I'm just trying to talk to you," Scootaloo explained. "You're the one trying to avoid talking to me."


"Well, maybe it's because I don't want to talk," Rainbow stated, crossing her arms defensively.


"Yes you do." Scootaloo said, taking a seat on the ground. "Take a seat and tell me what's bothering you."


"What's bothering me?" Rainbow shouted. "You wanna know what's bothering me? Well why don't we start with the fact I'm not even trusted with a horse, I got thrown in jail, I'm labeled a criminal, I attacked the guard, not to mention killed one, I steal money just to survive, and my idols think I'm a joke when the only reason I'm even doing all this stuff is just so I can at least get a shred of their attention!

“Do you have any idea how much I want to be a Wonderbolt?! How many times I apply for the job only to get rejected?! How devastated I always am when I give it my all and they still don't accept me?!" Rainbow was sobbing now, her body caved in and she collapsed onto her knees.

"You have no idea what it's like," Dash croaked, her head hung low. "You have no idea what it's like to be ignored by the people you worship."


"Actually..." Scootaloo sighed. "I do know what that's like. Because you always ignore me."

Rainbow's head perked up when she heard that.

"I know you may not believe this but I'm just like you. I don't have a home or a family to take care of me. I have to steal so I can buy food and water. But you wanna know the worst part about it? It's that when I was alone, there was nobody else that was abandoned like me.

“But then I saw you, I saw you stealing stuff and running from the guards with that taunting smile on your face. I saw you and I thought, 'There's somebody like me, somebody who has to steal and is all alone'. After you had shaken off the guards I approached you and asked if you and I could team up," Scootaloo smirked. "But you just said 'Sorry kid, I don't do teams,' and then you took off.

“But that didn't stop me, I knew what you were going through, I knew you were hurting inside and that you were all alone. And soon after our encounter, for the first time, I had friends, friends that cared about me, that told me that I'm not alone in this world," Scootaloo said as she stood up and embraced Rainbow in a hug.

"So let me be the first to tell you, you're not alone, you're not weak, you're strong and powerful, and above all else, you're the most awesome girl I have ever met.”

Rainbow was at a loss for words. Her mind was completely blank, her body was frozen, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do or be doing. So, she did the only thing that came to mind, she hugged Scootaloo back and held her tightly. Scootaloo patted Rainbow on the back, reassuring her that everything was going to alright.


"Ahem."


Rainbow pushed off of Scootaloo and turned around to see Soarin awkwardly standing behind them, holding the rope to his horse. Rainbow quickly wiped away her tears and gave a weak smile as she stood up.


"H-h-hey Soarin, what's up?" She asked, her voice still shaken.


Soarin sighed as he slowly approached Rainbow and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her right in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. I know you might not think that good of me, but the reason your applications were always rejected was because of Spits and Fleet," Soarin began to explain. "See, as the three captains of the Wonderbolts it's the majority vote that decides if the application passes or fails."


"So...Spitfire...and Fleetfoot...rejected every application I sent?" Rainbow asked, the pieces slowly falling into place. Soarin nodded, and Rainbow's sadness turned to subtle anger.

“I'm sorry, I knew I should've told you sooner,” Soarin said, and he began to walk away.

Rainbow wasn't going to allow this to happen.”Hey, Soarin, how would you feel about me riding with you?"


As the day progressed, everyone had been given a horse and a saddle upon which to ride. Now all that was left was to pack supplies for the long ride to Harpystone.

Everyone had been given a backpack and two bags that attached to the horse's saddle.

The contents in the bags were various supplies such as food and water, tents, sleeping bags, maps, compasses, fire starters, lanterns, and other tools and utensils.

Flash already had his supplies ready, but when he looked to see how everyone else was doing he saw that they were having trouble getting the supplies compact. Flash couldn't help them, he decided it was best that they learned on their own or they wouldn't learn at all.


"I see you decided to bring your sword."


Flash was slightly startled by Celestia suddenly appearing next to him, but that didn't stop him from responding.

"I only plan to use it if necessary,” he stated.


"I know you do," Celestia smiled warmly, "but should the occasion ever arise, I hope you are capable of controlling that power."


"Princess," Flash spoke, deciding to change the subject. "About that message, what Chrysalis said. What did she mean by that?"


Celestia's expression became sad and somber. "It is a prophecy," the Princess answered.

"One foretold long ago, about the lights going dark and the world being plunged into an eternal nightmare, as the avatar of darkness would devour this world," Celestia explained. "The prophecy came to pass a thousand years ago, after I killed the avatar of darkness and sealed her remains in various prisons."


"But there's no way this all happened in one night, is there?" Flash asked.


"No, the avatar lived amongst us for a while, hidden from my sight. While she was hidden she created many artifacts and weapons from her magic. I too scattered these across the world and sealed them away," Celestia explained, a painful look in her eyes.


"Let me guess, that scythe and book are dark artifacts aren't they?" Flash asked.


"No, the scythe is not one of them, but the book is, it is known as the Book of Black, a foul and cursed book that holds dark and evil spells within. No doubt Chrysalis is being used by her to try and find the remaining weapons," Celestia said.


"This 'avatar of darkness' you speak of, she was close to you wasn't she?" Flash asked, knowing the pain of losing someone.


"In a way...yes, she was very close to my heart, and although I suffered more pain than anyone could imagine, I knew the person I loved was gone, replaced by the monster that was the avatar of darkness,” Celestia sighed.


"Well...thank you for your time Princess. But I think it'd be best if we got going," Flash said, as Blitz Brigade was finally ready to head out.

As Flash mounted Gradius, he pulled on the rope to guide him to where he was to go.


"Flash," Celestia called out, causing Flash to turn around and look behind him.

"Take it from me, the past cannot be undone, we can only look to the future. Forgive yourself for your brother's fate, and move on like he would want you to do."


Flash turned back around and not facing Celestia he responded, "I'll keep that in mind, Princess."


Everyone was ready for the adventure that awaited them. The CMC had ponies, Rainbow Dash and Soarin were riding the same horse, Rarity was trying to find a comfortable spot on her saddle, and Pinkie was painting random dots on her horse with a paintbrush while putting glitter in her horse's mane, but the strangest of all was that horse seemed to be enjoying it.


Once everyone was ready and present, they trotted to the gate and took a final glance at Enchantalot as it shrunk the further they went from it.


"Are we there yet?" Rainbow Dash groaned, resting her cheek against the horse's neck.


"DON'T YOU DARE EVEN START!" Applejack yelled back.


"Okay, okay!" Dash said, holding her hands up defensively. "I admit, saying that was probably a dick move. But I mean come on, we've been out here for days.”

"First: we've only been out here for two hours and thirty seven minutes," Twilight stated in agitation. "Second: Harpystone is a four hour journey by horse."


"I think everyone just needs to calm down,” Fluttershy said, trying to ease the anger between everyone. "I know we're all frustrated with traveling, but we're almost there."


"Speak for yourself Flutters," Pinkie said, doing a handstand on her horse's head. "Greg and I are as happy as we could be."


"Well at least you can move freely," Spitfire grumbled.


“Everyone quit yer griping, if you're gonna moan and complain then just shut yer trap,” Applejack snapped.


"Watch your tongue, Hillbilly," Fleetfoot hissed. "Don't forget who you're talking to."


Applejack opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it as she remembered her place in the military order.


"We are a team," Flash stated, "and as a team your rank means nothing, here we're all equal, we work as one and we get the job done no matter what. But let me assure you that if there is any mention of rank in this team I will not hesitate to punish whoever responsible."


"Pffft," Fleetfoot scoffed. "Oh, I'm so scared!”

As Flash was passing by a large boulder, he raised his arm and it became engulfed in blue and golden magic. His fist struck the boulder and several cracks split throughout the entire inner and outer structure before it collapsed into a pile of pieces.

Flash, showing off his arm which still radiated with magic, glared at everyone behind him and with a tone of authority and strength said, "Get the message?"

Everyone vigorously nodded.

"Good." Flash said, lowering his arm and turning back around.


Twilight strode up next to Flash.

"Give me your arm," Twilight ordered, pointing at Flash's arm that struck the boulder.


"Why?" Flash asked as though nothing wrong, but his response only caused Twilight to frown.


"Don't give me the tough guy act, that boulder's density was way to strong for your arm's bone to remain undamaged. So give me your arm so I can heal it," Twilight ordered once more.


Flash saw the stubborn look in Twilight's eyes that said she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Reluctantly he sighed and allowed Twilight to heal his broken arm.

She gently slid her hand underneath Flash's arm while hovering her other over his arm. The arm became trapped within a purple sphere, leaving the hand and elbow exposed. There was a silence between the two, only the sound of Twilight's magic gently healing Flash.


"Can I ask you a question?" Twilight asked.


"Well, it's better than this awkward silence. Ask away," Flash answered.


"My brother, Shining Armor...how well did you know him?" Twilight asked.


Flash thought for a moment before answering, "When I had been accepted into the Royal Guard, your brother was my commanding officer. At the time he wasn't Captain, just the leader of my troop. Everyday we would train, and I was the weakest link. I wasn't as strong, as fast, or as smart as others. So your brother decided to change that. Whenever we got the time, he would personally train me to be better. In his words 'he put me through hell'. But the results were worth it, I was the strongest, fastest, and smartest not only in my troop but practically the entire Guard. Once I had proven myself, Shining taught me how to use Shield magic like him, and over time I had perfected it."


"Wow...it sounds like you and my brother were best friends," Twilight stated.


"We were," Flash said, confirming Twilight's assumption, "and in time, I was his Best Man."


Twilight snapped her fingers. "That's where I remember you from, I saw you on the podium when Shining and Cadence got married!" Twilight exclaimed.


Flash chuckled. "You should've seen the look on his face when Cadence proposed to him."


It is tradition in Enchantria for the woman of the couple to ask for a man's hand in marriage. The man may propose as well, but it's commonly the woman that does it.

"So...if you and Shining were best friends, how come he never mentioned you?" Twilight asked.


"He didn't confirm he and I were friends until he earned the rank of Captain, and as the Captain of the Royal Guard he isn't allowed to reveal any friendships he has as they could be used against him,” Flash explained.


"I see...well...um...can I ask you another question?" Twilight asked.


"You don't need my permission to speak," Flash stated. "You can say whatever you want."


"Well...I'm sorry, I'm just really curious about...well it's about your sword." Twilight said rather quickly.


Flash raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You mean this?" Flash asked, pointing at the sword sheathed in a leather scabbard. He pulled the sword out and showed Twilight the steel blade. "It's just a regular one handed steel sword, nothing special about it."


Twilight shook her head. "Not that one, I'm talking about your other sword. The one you got from the vault."

Flash let out a sigh as he re-sheathed the steel sword and untied the sword tied to the other side of the saddle.

"This sword?" Flash asked, showing Twilight the sword she asked to see.


All that could be seen was its hilt while its blade remained hidden by the golden scabbard, which was decorated with symbols and gems. The golden hilt had a diamond in its center as well as several gems along its handle.


"I saw you take it from the Vault, but you said that it's your sword. So...I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about it, I was just curious that's all," Twilight admitted.


"It's fine, I'll tell you about the sword, but before I can do that I need to tell you its origins," Flash said, re-tying the sword back to the saddle.

"When Shining Armor became Captain, he elected me to become an Elite Guard. After I barely passed the test, my first task as an Elite was to create my own weapon. I was given a choice of various materials. Iron, Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond, Hellstone, Obsidian, Eridium, Mythril, Adamantium, and Nexion. But out of all of those metals, none of them felt right to me, so I set out to find one that did. I searched for days but it was to no avail, until on the twelfth night, as I was traveling across an opened grassland, the entire area became blinded by a white light. As it began to fade I saw the light falling from the sky before crashing onto the Earth. Out of curiosity I headed for where the light crashed. When I found it, it was in the center of a large crater. I went to get a closer look and when I did I discovered what the object was. It was a star that had fallen from the sky," Flash said.


"Hold on a second," Spike said, popping out from Twilight’s backpack. "I thought star's were other suns in other solar systems?"


"That was a theory. Spike, but it was proven long ago that star's aren't sun's. They're balls of pure magic constantly exploding in space far away from earth. But every now and then a star gets caught in our gravity and falls to Earth," Twilight explained to the baby dragon.


"As a star enters the atmosphere, it begins to collect molecules and create a kind of chrysalis around it. This chrysalis keeps the magic contained while also solid. After I knew what the object was, I had found what to make my weapon out of," Flash said.


"Your sword is made out of a star?!" Spike asked in shock.


"It's nothing new. There have been weapons forged out of a star long ago, but each star contains a certain amount of magic inside of it," Flash explained.


"How do you turn a star into a sword anyways?" Spike asked.


"Normally, whenever one tries to forge a weapon they start by turning the material into a liquid, pouring it into a mold, straightening the weapon, cooling it, and then add the finishing touches.

“A star is different. The first thing to be done is removing the magic from the chrysalis. This process is done by transferring the magic to several crystals for storage.

“Once the chrysalis is empty, you smelt it into a sword, but it requires a powerful heat to smelt, a fire so hot that it would never go out. Only one such flame existed, hellfire. The chrysalis was melted into a blade, while the hilt and handle were made of gold to be used as a conduit for the magic.

“Once the sword was completed, the magic was returned to the chrysalis and the sword was complete. All that was left was to give it a proper name, which I appropriately named Starburst. But when I used the sword, it unleashed a powerful magic that was too destructive and uncontrollable. So I decided to leave it in the Vault for safety," Flash explained.


"Until now," Twilight said and Flash nodded.


Time passed, and the team continued their journey before coming to the edge of a dense forest of tall trees. They stopped just at the edge.

Before entering, Spike popped out of Twilight's backpack and held a map open. Flash examined the map for a minute before coming to a decision. He turned Gradius around to address the group.


"This forest is known as 'Snaproot Forest'. It acts as a shield for Harpystone due to the dangerous creatures that live within it. On the journey here I thought of a plan, and we will separate into two teams. One team will go through the forest to Harpystone on foot while the other will go around the forest with the horses," Flash explained as he showed everyone the map.


The map showed the city of Harpystone, and the crescent shaped forest which surrounded half of the city.


"At the top point of the forest right here is an abandoned tower known as 'Watcher’s Keep'. I want the second team to make camp there, and to be ready in case we're in need of help," Flash explained.


Applebloom raised her hand to ask a question and Flash let her.


"Why don't we just ride the horses through the forest?" Applebloom asked.


"Or why can't just fly over?" Spitfire suggested.


"We can't take the horses because of the creatures inside of it, and if the horses are injured or killed we won't have a way back to Enchantalot. Also Fluttershy would never forgive me if I let the animals die," Flash added.

Dismounting from his horse, he spotted a dead toad and picked it up by its hind leg. He whipped his arm and threw the dead toad above the forest.


It was in the air for a solid second before the large mouth of a plant erupted from the forest, opened its jaws, ate the dead toad, and retracted back to the forest.


"This forest was named Snaproot as it is infested with carnivorous plants of the same name. They eat anything that flies above them. Birds, flying mammals, even Skyborn people," Flash added darkly, receiving a gulp from every Skyborn in the group.

"The good news is that Snaproots only eat things that fly, so we should be safe there. Now as for who's going where, I've already decided. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Spitfire, Rarity, Spike, and I will head to the city, while Applejack, Fleetfoot, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo will head to Watcher's Keep and set up camp."


"Hold on a second!" Fleetfoot yelled. "Why am I put in charge of tending to the horses like a mere peasant?"


"I had to think long and hard about this. Originally, I only planned on taking the strong members of our group to the city, but then I thought of the enemy attacking the weaker part. Therefore I made sure to divide the team's power by a ratio of 60:40,” Flash explained.


"That seems like a strategic method, I suppose," Twilight said, dismounting her horse as she was on Team 1.


"Remember, you are to stay at Watcher's Keep until we come back. If you are in trouble or you spot the enemy, Fluttershy will set off a flare and we'll come running. Under no circumstances are you to come to Harpystone, do you understand?" Flash stated.

"You can count on me, Sarge," Pinkie declared as both she and her horse did a goofy salute. Pinkie pulled out a microphone and pair of aviator sunglasses and yelled through the microphone. "ALRIGHT, SOLDIERS, I WANNA SEE YOU MARCH!"


And with that, Team 2 set out for Watcher’s Keep, while Team 1 began their journey into the forest with their backpacks and supplies.


"So, based on what you said, what kind of dangerous creatures do you think we should watch out for?" Spitfire asked as the group made their way across a stream.


"Everything in this forest is dangerous, but if I had to say what's the most dangerous, I suppose it would be between either a Raktus or a Jakol," Flash answered.


"The hell’s a Raktus and a Jakol?" Rainbow asked.


"A Raktus is a kind of spider, it's about three times bigger than an average human and it's the ugliest thing you'll ever see," Soarin explained. "Though I can't say I know what a Jakol is.”


"A Jakol is a type of carnivorous monkey that kills for fun," Flash stated before coming to dead stop, and everyone behind him did the same.

"Why'd we stop?" Rarity asked.


Flash turned around to face the group. "We're more than three fourths of the way to Harpystone and we haven't seen a single living creature. Only plants, that's it. Something's not right here, which means my suspicions might be correct," Flash said, continuing to walk through the forest.

"What suspicions?" Spitfire asked.


"Chrysalis has been attacking small towns and villages only, never any cities. But as it turned out, Shining Armor's group passed through Harpystone. I'm worried that Chrysalis' army may have attacked the city," Flash explained.


"But if that's true, then we would be walking into a trap," Twilight said.


"Don't worry, Twilight," Flash said reassuringly as he saw a trail of blood leading to the corpse of a bear with spears and arrows sticking out of its body a distance away.


"It is undoubtedly a trap," Flash muttered under his breath, as he tightened his grip on his sword.

Comments ( 9 )

Why do Spitfire and Fleetfoot hate dash so Much? WHY, Why do you do this Spitfire and Fleetfoot, Why

8168103
It seems like they would hate someone who's always trying to show off to them, p,us she's a thief

8168572 Hmmmm, True true true :moustache::moustache:

Where did you get your cover art?

8186148
I just looked it up online

Are you still continuing this story? Because you haven't updated in a while.

8323199
I'm still continuing, I'm just taking a break for the summer. I'll maybe post a chapter this summer, but maybe not

Comment posted by dashforever deleted Aug 10th, 2017

Please continue this! I'm enjoying it!

Login or register to comment