The Fiend that heralds Dark Skies

by Skijarama

Chapter 5 - Promises and Faded Light

Drifter sat silently, gazing out over the dimly illuminated landscape. The sun would be coming up soon and she would then have to break Wonderboom and Palmwood’s peaceful slumber. They had been rather thrilled when Drifter told them they would be camping tonight. They were between towns at the moment, somewhere southwest of Ponyville. The edge of the Everfree forest was clearly visible to her, far off to the east. Her eyes adjusted somewhat as she turned her gaze back to the somewhat dimmed fireplace, the last of it’s light fading out.

She had gotten her rest intermittently, but had opted to keep watch after having been asleep for only three hours. She’d gone for days on less; not that it was pleasant. She looked to the left and saw Wonderboom and Palmwood snuggled into their individual sleeping bags, snoring softly in restful slumber.

She smiled softly at the adorable image before looking away and frowning. It’s gonna be dangerous for them to come with me any further… they don’t know the first thing about defending themselves against nature or the elements, let alone a fiend. She sighed and gazed towards the faint glow of sunlight starting to appear on the horizon. I’m going to have to teach them how to handle themselves if they keep following me.

“Drifter?” Palmwood’s voice asked drowsily. Drifter could only smile and laugh under her breath as the little brown colt slipped out of his sleeping bag and trotted up to her.

“Yes, Palm?” she asked with a soft smile back at him.

“Uh… are there any good bushes nearby? I kinda gotta… um…” He looked more than a little embarrassed.

Drifter giggled and nodded. “Yeah, a little ways over there. Kinda thorny, so don’t sit in them.” she gestured with a hoof and hummed in amusement as he hid his face and scampered off to answer the call of nature. She frowned for a moment once he was out of sight and started once again thinking about the two siblings and the immense risk they were in. When Palmwood returned, he wore a relieved expression and looked about ready to fall asleep again. Drifter put a hoof on his shoulder as he passed, stopping him.

Palmwood looked at her with a curious tilt of the head. “What is it, Drifter?”

“You want your sister to be safe, right?” Drifter asked simply, looking seriously into his eyes with a hard stare.

Palmwood shrunk under the intensity of her gaze. “Uh… yeah, of course. Isn’t that why we’re staying with you? So you can keep us safe?”

Drifter frowned and gently pushed him. “Sit down, please.”

Looking worried, Palm did as told and sat on his haunches. Drifter looked at him intensely, making eye contact and working her iris, adjusting how dilated her pupils were. A subtle means of intimidation she picked up from the animalistic traits of her fiend heritage. As she stared at him, Palmwood shied away and looked to the side.

“Look at me.” Drifter said firmly. Palmwood did so, shrinking under her gaze nervously.

“Uh… d-did I do something wrong?”

“No, Palmwood, you didn’t do anything wrong. I simply have to ask you right now; do you honestly believe you and your sister are safe with me?” Drifter asked slowly, never once breaking eye contact with him.

“Yeah, I do. You saved us from the fiends on the train, you’ve taken care of us since then while we looked for mom…” Palm said nervously, shifting away slightly. Drifter scooted closer and narrowed her eyes.

“Palm… how much do you really know about the situation? About who I am, or what I do?”

“I… uh…”

“I’m the mare that eats monsters, Palmwood. I’ve lived for a thousand years and danced with death on more occasions than you have hairs in your coat, mane and tail combined. I’ve lost friends and seen the worst the world has to offer. I am half fiend, half pony, and it shows.” Drifter explained slowly, letting her claws on her good hoof extend as she spoke. She flexed the claws subtly. “I have almost always traveled on my own, or when I did have company, it was from Princess Celestia herself.”

Palmwood went silent, watching Drifter anxiously as she slowly stood tall.

“I have never traveled with two foals before. You two don’t know how to defend yourselves… how to fight, forage for food, make a shelter or properly treat a wound to prevent infection and blood loss.” She looked towards Wonderboom and then jabbed her muzzle in the sleeping filly’s direction. “If you two come with me, I will gladly have you come along… but you have to understand that it’s going to be dangerous and I won’t be able to protect you two forever. You will have to learn to fight, to forage, to survive.”

Palmwood looked at his sister and wilted noticeably, his ears falling flat against his head.

“It won’t be an easy life, it won’t be fun, and it will probably be shorter than most. I want to know, Palmwood, right here, right now, if you are willing to commit to that. If Wonderboom is willing as well, then I’ll bring you with me and teach you everything I know… but if you don’t want that sort of life for yourself or for her, then I’m going to have to drop you off somewhere. An orphanage, probably…”

“...Are you saying you’re abandoning us?” Palmwood asked quietly, looking up at Drifter with misty eyes.

“No, Palmwood. I find you two a joy to be around; which is why I want to make sure you understand the risks of being around me.”

“Drifter... We have nowhere to go. You saved our lives and you took us in when nopony else would…” Palmwood said solemnly, surprising Drifter with his tone and the way he spoke.

“Palm, I’m not your mother. I never will be…” Drifter said softly, earning a nod from him.

“I know. But you are all we have left. If we don’t go with you, then we’ll have nothing.” He looked at her with watering eyes. “I don’t want Wonder and I to be alone… or you, actually.”

“Me?” Drifter asked in quiet surprise, leaning away slightly. “What do you mean?”

“You said that you’ve always traveled alone.I know I don’t like it when I’m alone. Wonderboom really doesn’t like being alone. I don’t think you like being alone, either.”

“...Well, you got me there, little guy. I hate being alone.” Drifter smiled softly.

“Then let’s make a promise! None of us will leave the rest. We’re sticking together so we don’t have to be alone.” Palmwood held out a hoof and smiled brightly at Drifter. She looked at him with a small smile and relented.

“Alright… I pro-”

“Wait!” Palmwood suddenly said aloud, turning and scampering over to Wonderboom.

“Uh, Palm, you should let her…” Drifter started, but stopped when she realized it was too late. Palmwood was shaking Wonder awake and dragging her out of her sleeping bag. Oh, the mind of a foal, how I miss you.

“W-wah… Palmwoob? Whath are you…” Wonder slurred in her still half asleep state.

“Come on, sis! We’re making a promise!” Palmwood declared excitedly, stopping in front of Drifter with Wonder next to him looking more than a little nonplussed and sleepy.

“Heh… y’know, I don’t think she approves.” Drifter said coyly, to which Palm only made a ‘pshh’ sound and waved his hoof dismissively.

“Whatevs. Wonderboom,” Palmwood took her hoof in his and then pushed them both to Drifter’s still outstretched one. “say ‘I promise’, okay?”

“What for…?”

“Just say it!”

“Okay, fine, whatever. I promise” Wonder grumbled and glared at her brother.

“I promise, too!” he added with a thump of his hoof on his chest.

“Can I go back to bed, now...?” Wonder asked bluntly.

Drifter tittered and nodded at her, shooting Palm a look. “Yes, Wonder, go ahead.” Wonderboom didn’t answer, simply staggering back to her sleeping bag and flopping into it to return to lala land.

“Well? Your turn.” Palmwood grinned up at Drifter in anticipation.

“Alright… I promise.” Drifter said simply, bumping hooves with Palmwood with a small smile.

“Woo!” Palm thrust a hoof in the air and then lost his balance. “Woah! Eh-heh… I’m still kinda sleepy.”

“Go get some more rest, then. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go.”

Palmwood nodded, yawned and shuffled off to do just that. Drifter watched him go and then turned her gaze back to the horizon and the gradually increasing light. For several minutes, the two siblings tossed and turned, Palmwood uttering an apology to Wonderboom at some point before the two fell back to sleep. Drifter lost her smile and shook her head.

I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep. She then looked back to the sky and frowned deeper. Odd… the light from the sun should be brighter than this.

She wasn’t wrong. The light was noticeably dimmer than it should have been. The darkening of the sun Luna had imposed lasted only until Celestia’s funeral. Drifter’s eyes widened when the sun began to poke over the horizon. At it’s current level of light, just starting to appear, she didn’t even need to squint like she normally would.

“What in the world…?”

“This cannot be right.” Luna said with wide eyes, her magic flickering slightly as she set the sun into its motion for the day. Not only was the sun darker than it had any right being this morning, but it also felt… wrong, when she reached out to it with her magic. It was as if the sun was sick, infected.

A sharp knock came to the door of her personal chambers, the voice of that night’s watch pony calling to her. “Your highness? Why is the sun dim? Is something amiss?”

Luna frowned and opened the door with a twitch of her magic before releasing the sun, letting the motion she had given it carry it across the sky until it was time for sunset. She turned to the guard, with a serious look. “I do not know why this is happening, but I intend to find out. I want you to inform the captains to increase their patrols until further notice. This could very well have something to do with the fiends, and I will not have us caught off guard, understood?”

The guard gave a salute before galloping off to carry out his orders. Luna turned back to the sun, grimacing with a deep unease. For almost a minute she stood silently. She was only drawn away from the unsettling image by the appearance of a scroll from Spike. She swiftly plucked it from the air after it appeared and opened it.

Dear Princess Luna,

Last night, Applejack, Rarity, Scootaloo and Applebloom were all abducted by a fiend calling himself Skeintooth. He was after me specifically and used my friends as leverage to get me to go to him. He has since fled the area and I fear he got what he came for. Me mentioned ‘needing a part of me,’ and during our fight he devoured a piece of my lower back. I don’t know what he is after, but I know he is incredibly dangerous. Be on guard.

P.S: Why is the sun so dark? I just now noticed it. Do you know anything about this?

-Yours, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Luna lowered the note and peered once more at the sky. “What are you planning, Luminous Horizon... ?” A scowl formed on her face as she remember how the twisted father of the fiends had brutally murdered her older sister. “Well, whatever it is, you won’t succeed. I’ll make sure of it.”

With a subtle growl, Luna set about writing a response to Princess Twilight before turning and leaving her chambers for the throne room. She needed to consult her advisors and whoever there was in Canterlot that may have some insight into the fading of the sunlight.

That light is one of the most important things my sister entrusted me with… I will not let it fade away!

Comments

[Blank Page]

That little scene with Palmwood waking up Wonderboom to make a promise was the one of the most adorable things I've read in a while

[Skijarama]

8171018 XD Thanks. :P was the goal.

[tom117z]

I wonder if Drifter acting as a mother to these two foals will allow her to come to understand her own mother better, and how she felt.

The darkening sun has to be related to the sample taken from Twilight, Horizons done some sort of 'thing' with it.