• Published 8th Jul 2012
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Dancing with the Devil - Nathaniel Fray



Nathaniel, a human, gets summoned by a mad mind willing to conquer Equestria just for vengeance.

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4.1 - Loose Nightmare

Chapter 4

Part 1: Loose Nightmare

Someone…

"Watch out for the bloody rocks, you... bastard..."

Something dragged me on a rocky surface, and it wasn’t what you would call gentle, hence me waking up. With my sight rendered to an uncolorful blur, I listened to the hissing produced by the sheath of the claymore at being slithered on the ground, promptly passing out.

My eyes fluttered open, greeting me with an excellent view of my lower body; the leg pieces remained intact, but the excruciating pain emanating from inside and the blood oozing out from two tiny crevices around both kneecaps left clear that something was beyond wrong under the metal.

I refused to stay awake.

After long minutes of numb sleep, I somehow gathered the willpower and strength to look backwards. One of the red-eyed wolves was gnawing the hilt of my sword, using it to drag me on a slippery, muddy ground. The specimen I was gazing at was much larger and fierce-looking when compared with the ones I had seen before, and something in its stare and its glossy fur made me realize it was a female.

“Am I going to be food for her litter? A token for an intercourse...? “ with such happy thoughts, I squinted my surroundings. Abundance of ridiculously tall and thick trees, bushes with unappetizing-looking black fruits and the annoying thrill of the birds left clear I was back in the bloody… Evergreen Forest or however the stupid grove was called. After a couple of painfully pointless attempts to reach the sheath on my waist, I gave up.

In an attempt to haste our “trip”, I watched a cute squirrel jumping on top of a pile of branches, and using them to leap onto a nearby tree. The tiny animal didn’t have time to start the climbing, as a perfectly camouflaged snake sprang from inside of one of the many holes in the tree trunk, trapping the oblivious animal between his poisonous fangs.

That wasn’t a pile of branches.

I drifted my gaze from the crude scene of nature to the pack of fallen wood next to the feet of the tree.

Was my hazy mind making me hallucinate? But I saw it moving!

And indeed, they moved, and they moved again, and again, again… the spiky branches scooted over themselves at lightning fast speed, gluing among them, remaining poised and stable in the air. Few seconds later, the once unorganized pile of branches had acquired the sharp figure of a golden-eyed wolf made of… wood.

Everything took place under the most silent of the silences.

The timber beast sidestepped to his left with an impressive swiftness, and stalked us from behind the dense rows of bushes, mimicking our pace, his unnaturally fulgurous eyes were the only trait of him I was able to see. Both spheres of yellowish light were fixed on the black furred wolf, which didn’t seem to notice the stalker, as it kept dragging me on the floor as if nothing had happened.

After a dozen of seconds of silent pursuit, the concealed beast appeared from within the safety of the bushes, facing us while hissing a low grumble. The female finally seemed to realize his presence, as she halted, freeing the hilt of my blade from her nibble. She didn’t have the time to move, as the timber beast leapt over me, viciously thrusting his paws deep inside the wolf's flesh and tackling her away from me, making both disappear from my field of view. Grunts, roars and finally, high-pitched yelps came from behind as I painfully crawled as far as I could from the unseen melee.

The noises suddenly cut, with only a sinister hiss breaking the silence. I hesitated, but curiosity made me look back.

The hiss was produced by a stream of blood gushing out from the severed neck of the flesh wolf, showering the timber beast in corrupted, brownish blood. The head was nowhere to be seen, and I didn’t feel like searching for it. The victorious creature met my gaze before gracefully trotting towards me, ignoring the disgusting corpse of his fallen opponent as he passed by. He slowed his pace to a halt, stopping a couple of meters far from me. I rose my right hand in a pitiful attempt to brace myself.

He, for my surprise and relief, bowed. Just in time, as a violent twitch shook his whole body, making him crumble into the same pile of branches he was minutes ago in a brief second.

Still in shock, I dragged myself towards a tiny, but noisy stream, refusing to glance back a second time.

With trembling hands, I took quick sips of the crystalline water, trying to ignore the pain coming from practically everywhere in my body. I took my time to gargle, spit and drink as much water as I wanted. Colours seemed to become livelier, and sounds clearer at each sip of water. With my need of liquid satisfied, I crawled my way through the narrow river, until I stumbled with a modest waterfall, which wasn’t more than half a meter of high. I bitted my lower lip as I pushed myself down the short undulation. The thin lake the river had formed soothed my landing considerably, but it still made the tip of the arrow inside my chest twist, hazing my sight in pain.

I looked up; the waterfall spat crimson-tainted water... I wanted to believe it was dry blood, but the warm liquid flowing through my legs and chest indicated otherwise.

A spicy smell got my attention; I looked all around me until I located a small camp of purplish-blue flowers. I reckoned they were the ones producing the curious, but pleasant smell. Seconds later, I was dragging myself towards them with a hazardous haste and yearn.

-You don’t want to touch them, Nathaniel- A female voice with a curious accent said. I froze my right hand, which was already ripping one of the flowers from its roots. I heard a grunt of effort as I found myself rolling to my left, stopping as soon as my body rested on my back. My gaze got lost in the blue sky. Pointed tips of trees around the edges of my vision indicated that I was still in the forest, a clearing, to be precise.

A tiny smile twisted my constant grimace of pain for a brief second: seeing the sky was, for me, a forgotten luxury minutes ago.

-Perforated lung, multiple broken ribs, hooves or however you call them are… - I heard a sigh -Is a miracle that you are still alive, and even more that you can even breathe- Hearing a recital of my injuries made me realize the severity of my situation, and the pain, somehow, managed to increase. I tried to reply, achieving a bloody drool to form inside mouth –Don’t worry; you’ll live through this one- The same voice said, much warmer and sweet than before.

Words couldn’t soothe pain though; the stranger dragged me on the floor between stumbles, grunts of efforts, and my own hollow moans. Her tries to smooth the ride were useless, as I was too heavy, and the spikes of the armor made the slightest of the movements, awkward. With a sudden outburst of pain on the left side of my chest and a hindered breathing, I caught brief glimpses of my carrier.

Wavy lines of black and white, pointed ears, slightly more than a regular pony, something gold around her neck and earlobes, and a… Mohawk? The hell?

The blue sky suddenly changed for an oval, wooden ceiling. The creak of a door closing and a hilariously out of place bubbling replaced the thrill of the birds and the buzz of running water.

The stranger slid my helmet away gently, and without any problem. Her hooves held my head slightly lifted from the ground. My beloved gold hair was unrecognizable under all the filth, blood and sweat, and a crimson taint encircled my mouth, as if I was a vampire who just had a feast with a helpless person.

-This ought to hurt… a lot- I reckoned her accent to be African, and she had a smooth, wistful voice.

Suddenly, her face appeared right in front of my eyes, a tiny, crystal pot, filled with an exaggeratedly bright yellow liquid, hung from her teeth. She bended the tip carefully, accurately aiming every single drop into my mouth. The liquid slid into my throat, and made its way throughout the esophagus.

Then the pain came.

My upper body shot upwards, just to collapse back onto the ground between violent twitches. The outburst struck me so suddenly and with so much potency that not fainting seemed like a miracle… or a curse, given the situation. A melting heat roved through my lungs, stomach and every single vein in my body. My bones, literally, ripped flesh and skin to get back into their correct position, even the ones from my legs, which were by far, the worse. Every single muscle in my body tensed and relaxed back again with a wicked fast pace. I balled my fists and kept my mouth shut, trying to avoid biting my tongue off.

-Right hoof! – The voice shouted over the noise of my convulsing limbs.

“What? That was only one leg?”

Boom! Second wave.

A shout whose I was the owner surprised both me and the stranger –That means it’s healing well, hold on! – The voice exclaimed, trying to hold my head still between her hooves.

Another slap of pain hit me as I saw how the arrow stuck in my chest, literally, popped out as if my own lungs had shot it back. A stream of blood came from the open wound, just to cut abruptly a second later.

-External wounds being healed… this will be much bearable… - The stranger whispered, breathlessly.

Indeed, a fairly annoying itching coming from the multitude of tiny wounds swarming my body replaced the excruciating pain in a split second. My quickened exhales eased, as with my pulse. The haze blurring my mind vanished.

The zebra kept holding my head for a whole minute, after which the itching had already drifted away, as with any ache in my body.

-Done- She murmured in relief, helping me to sit.

-What in the bloody world was that? – I ask, surprised by the clarity and loudness of my own voice.

The blue-eyed zebra let out a tiny smirk.

-Drugs- She answered with a shrug. I looked into her eyes in silence for a couple of seconds before breaking into a relieving guffaw. The zebra analyzed me as I twirled my gaze around the new surroundings.

-Cozy house… - I comment absently as my eyes danced from multicolored crystal pots to the shelves full of dusty, thick books to the tables holding mortars and other alchemy tools which I didn’t know the name of, and finally stopping onto a colossal kettle resting on the middle of the circular-shaped house.

-Thanks for the praise, now let’s get you on your... hooves... - The zebra said as soon our eyes met. She yanked me upwards with surprising strength; I dizzily lurched forwards, but quickly stabilized myself.

-Is it necessary for you to be that rough? – I ask, easing my tone so it didn’t sound as if I was angry, which I wasn’t.

-Pardon me, just testing your reflexes. Any headaches, blurry sight, overall dizziness…? – She asked, I shook my head in denial.

-Could you now please explain me what that was? – I ask.

-An experimental drug focused in healing injured soldiers in the middle of a battle- The zebra answered without hesitation.

-“Experimental”? – I emphasize, arching an eyebrow.

-I see it works, thanks for being such an opportune and helpful test subject- She replied.

-My pleasure- I add. We both smiled.

-Follow me, I ought to show and explain you a couple of things- The zebra said, trotting towards the kettle. I briefly crouched and took the helmet with me, grimacing as I saw the mess of scratches and blood on the floor, before joining the zebra.

-Sorry for the mess- I say as I joined her, the zebra simply shook her head, muttering a quick “don’t worry” before focusing into the content of the kettle. A silver liquid filled three quarters of the pot; I nodded down, gazing at the faint remnants of the silvery blood of the shape shifter on my chest plate.

–That’s what you wanted to show me? Are you plotting to topple my ego or something? – I ask with a lighthearted smile, pointing at the detailed reflection of myself on the liquid. Stodgy hair, sweaty and dirty skin and the shadow of a beard made me almost unrecognizable, even to myself. The zebra chuckled, and took a nearby pot. Something sparkled inside the glass as she unloaded its contents on her hoof. She left the pot on its place before turning towards me, gently blowing the surface of her open hoof towards me. A golden dust soared around my head, squeezed under my legs and enveloped my chest, vanishing with a sparkle and a cute twinkle after encircling me for a moment.

The zebra pointed at the kettle with a head jerk, I frowned and gazed down at my reflection: I was radiant; hair shining, armors glistening… even the beard had disappeared. I whistled in amazement.

-That was pretty neat, thank you… and by the way, what’s your name? And how do you know mines? – I ask, the zebra spoke, refusing to look into my eyes as she did so.

-My name’s Zecora, and I know you… let me show it to you- She suddenly lunged towards me, lowering her hoof towards the sheath on my waist and unsheathing the dagger expertly. I didn’t have the time to warn her about its properties, as a blinding white brilliance enveloped the edge, increasing its size by… I don’t even know, but it was longer than my arm –I am who enchanted your weapons- She said, spinning the blade and grasping it from the tip of the edge with those strange invisible fingers the ponies seemed to possess, offering me its handle. I took it, the white morphed into an ominous red –Have you seen it shine white before? – She asked, I shook my head.

-Explanations, please? – I ask with an eyebrow arched, the zebra took a short breath and leaned against the kettle.

-I’ll start from the beginning, although there’s not much to tell: A day like many others, I ventured deep into the forest, scavenging one of the rarest plants found in this world, which, by the way, you just swallowed minutes before- I shuddered as I remembered the experience –Trixie assaulted me out of nowhere, forcing me to collaborate and help her in her childish revenge…-

-That’s exactly what I thought- I comment almost by instinct, cutting her explanation. She shot me an angry glare, although she was smiling.

-As I was saying, I was forced to aid her, the same way as she did to you, although much more direct and cold; I was ordered to enchant two weapons, if I refused... well, bad things would happen to... someone...- She suddenly shuddered- Moving on, she gave me this book over here… - Zecora took a thick book from a large bookshelf and handled it to me -… It’s one of the three ancient books of sorcery: focused on bindings and enchantments. As I am the only one outside Canterlot who’s able to read it, she needed my help. She sort of “paid” me with information concerning her plans, but I had no interest in that, so as soon I was free” to return to my house to "preparate" myself, I made an exact replica with one similar-looking tome I found. I gave her the replica, and kept the real one- She said, pointing at the book I tightly held between my hands.

-I guess it was a clever thing to do, I can’t believe you fooled her though, well played- I say, admiring the zebra's courage.

-It wasn’t that hard: you wouldn’t believe how excited and nervous she was regarding your summoning; she didn’t even thank me for doing my part- I chuckled –Anyways, I’ll explain you how the blades work. As you know, anyone else, aside from you and me, can wield them, but Trixie wanted more, she, kind of predicted how you would feel: she wanted an enchantment capable of reflecting the wielder’s anger, stress and overall negative emotions into an even deadlier tool. But, you saw the white aura before? – I nodded with vigor, interested by her explanation –That’s something Trixie didn’t want. White means hope, blissfulness… positive emotions in general. Both colors mean different effects: red will imbue the blade with the obscurest of energies, obliterating sentient/sapient beings without problem, at the cost of being ineffective against demons and other underworldly beasts, that’s what Trixie wanted. White, on the other hand, imbues the blade with holy energy, being a deadly weapon against any non-sentient being, such as the whole army Trixie has gathered. The spell couldn’t be broken in half, and our failed attempts just made it even more powerful... so, now you know what you're playing with, any questions? - Zecora asked, ending her speech. She gazed at me expectantly.

-But I have killed demons with the red aura on… - I comment, remembering the fight Twilight and I had against the chimeras in our flee from the fort. Zecora, unexpectedly, laughed.

-A weapon is a weapon: the blade is still made of metal, which, by the way, it’s by far the hardest, sharpest and most resilient metal I’ve ever seen. As long as you're the wielder, the edge will still cut rocks in half, no matter what effect is on- Zecora explained as she turned back and walked towards one of the many glass cabinets of the house. I stared at the silvery liquid from the kettle as the sounds of crystals clattering broke the silence.

-I need to get back to Canterlot… - I whisper, the noises faded.

-"We" need to get back to Canterlot- Zecora said, appearing next to my right shoulder, she handled me three tiny jars –Drop them at my signal… green- I poured the dense greenish liquid into the kettle, shapes without color emerged from inside the liquid –Red- I spun the correct jar upside down, thick, crimson sand came from the inside. The silvery harmony broke into an unorganized mess of colors, I started to realize what I had in front of me –And black- I bended the last jar, which let out a single drop of color-sucking black goo into the mix.

The shapes turned sharper, the colors ordered into their logical place, and the image was no longer static.

Canterlot stood as astonishingly beautiful as ever next to the waterfall coming from the peak of the annex mountain, but the gorgeous city only occupied a corner of the overall image. The entirety of the valley could be seen, as if looking through the eyes of an eagle (which was actually what we were doing), with a breathtaking clarity and detail.

The enormous field was divided in half: one side, and the nearest to the downhill leading to Ponyville, was flooded with demons and nightmares brought to life, the remaining side was occupied by even a bigger crowd of armored ponies, flying archers and a recognizable Luna standing on the front. It was shocking to see her in full-armor, although she didn’t seem to be carrying any weapons.

The ponies had the numbers, but most of the demons tripled them in height, width and probably deadliness. The tension in the scene was palpable.

-I must take part in the battle, there’s no way they can deal with all those… bastards- I mutter. Zecora nodded while humming absently.

-And you will- She said, without adding anything else. I took a deep breath as my eyes analyzed the demons.

“The shit I’ve just gotten myself into…”

The scenery suddenly changed: a wealthy-looking room. The “camera” seemed to be located on one corner of the ceiling, so I reckoned we were now looking through the eyes of a mice, spider or bug that had its nest over there. The room we were gazing at wasn’t very big, but it had a good amount of armchairs and crystal cabinets with drinks and appetizers, Zecora explained it was one of the many guest rooms found in Canterlot’s Castle, although I already knew it, thanks to the ponies that were standing on the middle of a fluffy-looking carpet.

The scene was a bit unrealistic: Rarity was trying to calm a sobbing Dash, while Twilight sat on one armchair, with her eyes wide open, staring at nothing. A water-eyed AJ took care of her sick-looking sister, who was lying down on the biggest armchair of the room, although Fluttershy was the one that surprised me the most: Her face was red as she demanded answers from a soldier without any kind of respect, cussing or insulting at least once in every sentence or question. The soldier had apparently given up in trying to calm the Pegasus, and simply nodded or shook his head if he had an answer.

-The entire village was evacuated, not a single pony was left behind, I thought you would be glad to hear it- Zecora commented. Her tone turned darker as she spoke:

–But not everything's fine, you made Celestia mad, very, very mad. Twilight being alive and safe under her protection did almost nothing to soothe her apparently; her soldiers have orders to kill you in sight. That’s why I also need to get to Canterlot: I must convince her that you’re on their side, or otherwise this will be a three-way battle- I nodded: The hatred the Princess eyes reflected when she recognized me in Twilight’s execution… it was beyond sane.

-I can’t say I’m surprised... neither I'm in the position to judge her... -I mutter, the image in the kettle faded away. Our gazes met.

-Trixie gave an ultimatum: Surrender or fight, if the Princess didn’t chose in 1 hour, Trixie’s army will destroy everything in sight… and that was 45 mintues ago…- Zecora said, clearly expecting an answer, and I didn't wait to do so.

-We certainly don’t have much time, do we… what’s the plan? – I ask, the zebra broke into a smile, and beckoned as she walked out of the house with haste, carrying the ancient book on her back, I suddenly widened my eyes in realization -Dang, wait! I need to tell you something! –I exclaim, following the zebra with long strides.

The zebra turned back, with an eyebrow raised. My eyes darted between the small patch of blue flowers, the blazing sun and the reddish waterfall before focusing on her.

-Trixie and I share this word… over here- I say, poking where the sigil was with a finger –Any damage Trixie suffers will be transferred equally to me, I need to get rid of it- I explain. The zebra suddenly jolted her lower back, making the book fly onto my hands.

-Today’s your luck day, page thirty-five- She said, I quickly skipped pages until I stumbled with the correct one –Good, now I must ask you to choose someone to be attached with, it’s impossible to undo the binding once it’s done… think carefully- She explained. A list of candidates flashed on my mind. It wasn’t very extensive, but it had the perfect someone for the task.

-Fluttershy, I’m sure she’ll understand, and few people in the world are heartless enough to damage her- Zecora nodded.

-I agree, show me the page please- She said, I held the book open in front of her eyes. She cleared her throat before reciting a short chant. I felt a sudden heat inside the chestplate.

-Done- The zebra said. I broke into a smile.

-That’s all? I expected some kind of exorcism or something like that… and, how can you cast those spells? I don’t see any horn- I ask.

-I’m not the one casting the spells, the book is, that’s why they are kept so well- She answered –It’s time for us to go, we don’t have much time. Page 74- I nodded and skipped pages even faster than before.

-There- I say, offering the open book to the zebra, she gave the page a brief glimpse before turning her back to me.
-Raan mir tah… shout it as high as you can, the louder, the more will come- Zecora explained.

-And what exactly will come? – I ask, walking next to her.

-Remember what saved you from that demon before? –She smiled as I nodded –There you have your answer- I squeezed a nervous laugh between my teeth before straightening up.

-RAAN MIR TAH! – I shout at the top of my lungs. The ground below us started to shake violently as a chorus of roars, bellows and rustling trees flooded the ambient. I looked all around me, unable to see anything past the dense vegetation. My eyes fixed on the zebra, who stood up confident and calm, I tried to mimic her.

I swallowed hard and turned to my right, alerted by an increase of noises coming from that direction.

Two timber beasts appeared from behind the row of trees, trotting towards us with haste. They both halted as they got close enough, and nodded down in a bow, showing us their backs. The zebra climbed onto one of the beasts swiftly, and giggled as I walked towards the remaining wolf with a half-puzzled half-scared look drawn on my face.

-What? –She asked with a smirk –You thought we were going for a walk? We have a world to save! There's no time for that! –She exclaimed, I let out a tiny smile before climbing onto the wolf’s back, a successful but nonetheless awkward attempt. They both rose their heads at unison, and corrected their trajectory before lunging towards the rows of trees in an accelerated rush.

I kept my head low during the whole journey throughout the woods, fearing the sharp branches. I didn’t dare to look up until the sun heated my nape.

-Is this the right way? – I shout over the whistling wind, as Ponyville was nowhere to be seen. Zecora, whose mount ran dangerously close from mine, nodded eagerly.

-Taking the quick route! We’ll have a nice vantage point of the valley from that mountain! – She replied, pointing towards a modest-sized mountain a couple hundreds meters ahead from our position –Take a look of our six! – She added, making me turn back.

-Bloody… hell… - I mutter in astonishment.

Hundreds of timber wolves followed us closely in a surprisingly organized triangular formation; their golden eyes gleamed in longing, their slightly open mouths revealed rows of sharp thorns demanding blood.

A quick flash of a memory lit my mind: the slain demon bleeding out as her wooden murder bowed at me.

If he, alone, was able to kill the demon so easily… what would three hundred like him be able to do?

7 minutes later…

-3 minutes- Zecora said as she jumped off from her mount and climbed onto the rock I was sitting on –Are you ready for this? – She asked, resting a hoof on my shoulder. I leaned my arms on my flexed knees before answering.

-Define ready… - I whisper, smiling at her. Our exchange of encouraging glimpses was brief, as the scene in front of us demanded our attention. We both gazed at the bloodbath the valley was about to become.

The terror roaming around the heads of the armored soldiers was visible. Most kept themselves busy sharpening their blades, relocating their arrows or groping the string of their bow in a bad attempt to hide their fear.

Ironically, the demonic beasts shook… but in excitement rather than fear.

The middle ground between the two sides seemed much thinner than before, and the brave ponies composing the frontline already had their weapons ready for the oncoming charge. None of the sides seemed to have noticed us standing on one of the many mountains that encircled the valley. The lack of trees and overall, bald terrain of both mountain and valley gave us an excellent view of everything important. From the distance, I could faintly see the silhouette of a large crowd of ponies standing on the city walls of Canterlot; Arch wizards and other high-tier mages, ordered to act if the ground attack failed. Zecora explained this and more as I listened to her in silence, as I was too entranced by the scene to answer back.

-1 minute… we must get on the move- Zecora said, keeping her tone in a calm whisper. She squeezed my shoulder, a short yet warm gesture that made my body get on the move again. We both jumped off the rock and climbed onto our respective mounts. I got surprised by my quick comprehension of the art of riding as I mounted the beast in a swift jump.

I sighed, easing the tie that plugged my windpipe, and gave a reassuring punch on what seemed to be the shoulder of the beast; he looked backwards, and did his best to draw a smile. Dry, brownish blood covered half of his face.

The Pegasus rose their bows, their leader, Luna, kept immobile, impassive.

-Wait for the clash, attack from the flank, and for Celestia’s sake: don’t dare to die. I’ll find my way into the castle; I must return the book to the Princess, and smooth-talk things out- The zebra said, we exchanged a nod and a glance of worry before she and her wolf disappeared within a cloud of dust.

I turned back, gazing at the hidden side of the mountain; hundreds of golden eyes met my gaze, silently begging for the precious order.

I unsheathed the claymore; a blinding brilliance of pure white enveloped the edge, revving up currents of air around itself. 1.80 meters of rock-cutting steel, and 5 meters of divine justice.

My lips curved into a shaky smirk; I felt like a warlord.

-Too sad Leonidas stole all the cool one-liners for these kind of situations…- I mutter, feigning a sigh before cracking into a guffaw -Get in there and do your bloody job, just remember who's your enemy! – A shudder of excitement, fear, confidence and a ton of other emotions shook my body as every single wolf, including mine, lunged downhill, rushing towards the bloodbath while bellowing a single, coordinated howl that appeased the war horns echoing throughout the valley.

The world fell silent.

-NO MERCY! – I roar from the vanguard of the pack as the two main mobs began the charge.

Palace Observatory…

Celestia bitted her lower lip, in a bad attempt to hide her grimace of hatred. She walked away from the tiny telescope that belonging to Luna, located on the balcony of the still-not-finished observatory.

Her frenzied stomps echoed inside the hollow corridors as she made her way…

She suddenly halted: the anger had made her forget that she could simply teleport anywhere she wanted.

-Everypony take aim at Sunbeam Mountain! –She was already shouting these words before the flash of white light where she had appeared from had time to vanish. She shoved a couple of surprised wizards who blocked her view of the valley aside.

-My… My Highness… - The crowd of mages murmured, perplexed by her sudden appearance, aspect and tone.

-Stay quiet and obey! – She roared, glaring back at the crowd of wizards. The unicorns composed themselves before casting a simple sight-enhancing spell.

-What the…

-Who are those?

-What’s that white shine?

-I want them dead! – The Princess shouted, silencing the chorus of surprised exclamations.

-B-But… we don’t know if they are friendly or… - The Princess darted her eyes through the unicorns until she found the speaker.

-Do as I ordered- She muttered coldly, hushing the owner of the voice, who looked beyond scared.

-But he's right! And they are too close! We might damage our own troops! – A voice from within the crowd shouted. The mages stepped aside, revealing the young owner of the voice, although Celestia already knew who he was.

-I want them dead; do what it takes to kill them– The Princess repeated, focusing all her hatred and anger in her glare. The Captain of the Royal Guard made his best to remain poised and firm under the insane rage her eyes reflected. He hesitated before speaking.

-As you wish, my Highness- The Captain proceeded to shout a single order.

The Princess turned back, glaring at the black-armored rider with a smirk drawn on her face.