Born In Light, Forged In Darkness

by Jest

Trial Six: An Old Friend

Kanathara yawned and stretched, smacking her lips as she looked around the damp, dilapidated room which lay at the bottom of a semi-collapsed apartment building. The space was as basic as ever, only now it had gained three beds, two of which were relatively plain while the other was a large four poster affair. A brief touch of magic assured the demon that the impromptu base of operations had not received any unwanted visitors while they had rested.

“No one even went near the place. Are they even looking for them?” Kanathara muttered, leaning up in bed and glancing at the two slumbering paladins lying across the room from her.

The pair of ponies remained in the same spot she had left them, turned on their sides, and with a small pillow placed under their heads. Though their beds were made from the same reconstituted wood as the chairs Kanathara had made the day earlier, they seemed to be holding up so far. The paladins themselves were still fast asleep, the wards which powered the sleep enchantment having only drained by about five percent.

Smirking to herself, the keeper slowly untangled her limbs from the vengant who was curled up against her chest, careful to not wake the other demon. Rainbow Dash hardly even seemed to notice the sudden movement though, and continued to snore even as Kanathara got off the bed. Hopping down, the keeper considered dismissing the four poster bed she had summoned a few hours earlier, only to think better of it.

Though it would probably be funny, Kanathara didn't want to deal with a grumpy Rainbow Dash right now.

Instead the demon turned towards the desk she had built using leftover wood and a good amount of magic. The spell she had been working on the day before lay spread out just as she had left it with the page in question having been nearly filled with calculations. Sitting on the half-rotten floor, the demon began to pour over the page, adding and changing things until it started to come together.

So focused was the mare that she hardly even noticed Rainbow Dash stir until the vengant was peering over her shoulder. “Watcha doing?”

“Bah!” cried Kanathara, throwing her pen into the air.

Rainbow Dash caught the writing utensil and placed it back on the table. “Woah there, it's just me.”

Kanathara shook her head and glared up at her familiar. “Not cool. I was in the zone.”

“Was that the ‘I actually got the spell done’ zone or the ‘I’m going to bore Rainbow Dash to tears again’ zone?” Rainbow Dash countered.

Kanathara snorted bitterly and straightened the sheet of paper. “It's not my fault that I had to find a workaround for harmony magic. Regardless, all I need to do now is test it, and it should lead us directly to the next element. If I had more time and more magical extractions from the other elements, I could create a spell that would be able to locate all of them, but alas this will have to do for now.”

“Awesome, ‘cause I do not like sitting around in this dump,” Rainbow Dash declared, gesturing to their rather poor living conditions.

“Oh, we’ve slept in worse places than this,” Kanathara remarked.

“That doesn't mean I want to keep one upping the last shit place we’ve rested,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a snort.

“True.” Kanathara cleared her throat and stood, trotting into the center of the room. “Just give me a bit of space, and we’ll hopefully be on our way in mere moments.”

Rainbow Dash did just that, putting some distance between them and watching as Kanathara lit her horn and began to cast the spell. The demon’s deep purple magic glowed vibrantly, briefly overcoming the light which spilled in through the holes in the roof. Then the magic dulled suddenly, only to spark once and die completely, leaving Kanathara visibly confused.

“Was it supposed to do that?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Kanathara pursed her lips, raised a hoof and was ready to offer an explanation when a distorted purple window sprung into existence on the ceiling. Scrambling over to it, the two demons stared upwards and found that they were looking at a mass of clouds near the center of Cloudsdale. The clouds themselves appeared almost haphazard in a sense, with various houses and larger mansions tied together to create an impromptu three dimensional encampment.

Though everything was slightly purple in color, the demons could still make out the shapes of earth ponies and unicorns who were patrolling the various grounds. Pegasi flew about the area as well, though they tended to linger near the groups of non-winged ponies, as if overseeing them. The last thing Kanathara noticed before the spell flickered and died was the fact that although the compound was at the heart of Cloudsdale, the surrounding buildings were giving it a wide berth.

This was unlike the rest of downtown Cloudsdale which were constructed around towering spires. There the three dimensional housing blocks shared a significant amount of space with one another. Then it was gone, the window vanishing and leaving the two demons staring at the underside of a half-rotten board.

“Do you recognize the area?” Kanathara asked, turning to Rainbow Dash.

“Sort of. It looks like a neighborhood near my old school, but they’ve made some major changes by the looks of it,” Rainbow Dash murmured.

“You could say that again,” remarked Kanathara. “It looks like they moved into the area and forced everyone else to move out.”

“Plus they made quite the impromptu fort,” added Rainbow Dash.

“Not exactly inconspicuous, if you ask me. I wonder why the paladins haven't moved in on them already,” Kanathara began. “Though they might have been moving the element around, given how inefficient the paladin’s orbs have proven to be”

“Either that or they do know where they are and are waiting on backup,” offered Rainbow Dash.

“Possible,” Kanathara murmured, rubbing her chin. “Though I admit my knowledge of location magic is a bit better than what Equestria has developed, so we may be ahead of them both.”

“Don't break your leg patting yourself on the back,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a smirk.

The keeper rolled her eyes. “It's a simple truth. This plane is significantly harder to get to when compared to most others like for example Tartarus. Which can access many, many worlds with ease, meaning I can access worlds more of knowledge.”

“Magical mumbo jumbo aside. What's the plan?” Rainbow Dash asked eagerly.

“We need to scope out the area and figure out the best way to attack this fortress of theirs. If all goes well, we should have more than enough time to check out your parents after we grab the element,” Kanathara exclaimed.

“Excellent. So, what are we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash offered, grinning.

---

The pair had redonned their disguises, though they had altered their colors and heights in order to not attract attention. Now shorter, smaller, and each sporting a pair of feathery wings, the demons stood outside of an apartment block advertising rooms for rent. Though on the outside the two were talking about housing prices and the apartments in general, inside they were having a much different conversation.

They have really good security. Like, really really good, Rainbow Dash remarked with a hint of shock.

I haven't even cast a spell yet, and I’m already convinced they have the entire place warded, Kanathara added.

Oof, that must be some intense enchantments, if your already gettin’ that kinda vibe, Rainbow Dash thought back, while outwardly expressing disdain at the apartment’s overall color scheme of red and blue.

Cover me, I’m gonna fire off a quick scan, Kanathara stated.

Rainbow Dash nodded slightly, and as soon as the other demon leaned down, the vengant cast a quick look in both directions. Noone was looking at them, and the guards which patrolled a block away continued their rounds as if nothing had changed. When the keeper’s forehead stopped shimmering, Rainbow Dash nodded slowly, confident that nopony had noticed them.

“Feeling okay?” she asked, patting the other disguised demon’s back.

“Yeah…” Kanathara murmured.

They have a shield, a really big shield, but how did they... Kanathara pointed out, her thoughts briefly becoming so tangled that Rainbow Dash couldn't make heads or tails of what she was thinking.

Woah there, hold on a second. What kind of shield? replied the vengant.

A shield shield, like the one that I tried to shut down on the day I met you! That kind of shield! Kanathara thought, her eyes wide.

Rainbow Dash blinked and cast a quick look over her shoulder. But I didn't see anything like that. I thought the other one was like, really obvious.

It was only visible because the person who had set up the shield was a pride demon who wanted everyone to know how impressive his defences were, Kanathara explained, standing straight once more. Somehow these pegasi have some of the best anti-demon defences ever concocted, but why would they even bother with such a thing?

Demons aren't exactly the biggest problem Equestria faces, especially considering the paladins are around to deal with the few who are, Rainbow Dash remarked.

Exactly. They must know that our patron wants what they have. Why else would they bother doing something that dramatic? Kanathara declared.

Woah there, let’s not jump to conclusions, we don't know that yet, Rainbow Dash cautioned. First we should back up. What are our options?

Other than bring the entirety of upper Cloudsdale down upon them? Nothing. Demons can't get through that shield, so unless they routinely drop their defences, we won't be getting in, Kanathara exclaimed.

Hmmm. Now that is a problem. Though I’m not against dropping the upper plate on them, it would be really really difficult to do that, Rainbow Dash pointed out. What else can we do?

Kanathara stood up straight and breathed slowly, shifting their spoken conversation to a lighter topic. Realistically? All we can do is wait and hope they have power issues with the shield, or other problems that will give us a way in.

What about that possession spell? I thought that could get us past such a shield, Rainbow Dash offered.

It could, but the target has to be willing, and they would need to have a reason to be there and get past the normal guards, Kanathara retorted.

Alright, then how about we break for lunch and then go from there? Rainbow Dash remarked, already thinking of where they could go to eat.

I suppose this would be a good opportunity to locate your parents. It's not very likely that we’ll be able to do much about this shield without gathering more intel and possibly speaking to Velvet, Kanathara replied.

“I suppose that could work,” Rainbow Dash stated aloud. “How about we head down to that nice restaurant on the corner of Fifth and Windy Lane? I thought that place looked good.”

“Excellent idea. Though I may need to freshen up once we get there,” Kanathara replied, smiling faintly.

“That's okay, dear. I’ll get our tables in the meantime,” Rainbow Dash answered, smiling back.

“Excellent. Let's go,” Kanathara declared, spreading her wings and taking to the sky.

---

One brief pitstop at a cafe and a hastily cast locater spell later, the two disguised demons now stood outside of a pegasus graveyard. A single tall tower loomed over them, joining several other such towers that dotted the gated off section of clouds. Though the entrance and walls of the sectioned off land were purely ceremonial, they were still quite high and cast deep shadows on the already shady area.

“I really need to brush up on my knowledge of pegasus burial rites,” Kanathara mumbled.

“The tower’s exterior bears the names of those buried within them so a part of them will always look out over the rising or setting of the sun,” Rainbow Dash remarked in a soft tone, gesturing to the tower before them. “Inside are the actual urns of those interred here.”

“Interesting,” Kanathara pursed her lips briefly. “So would you like to go first or should I?”

Rainbow Dash raised a disguised hoof, stopping Kanathara in place. “No, I can do it. Just give me a moment to gather myself first.”

Kanathara nodded, taking a step away from the entrance.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and then trotted forward, pushing open the semi-solid cloud door. Stepping inside, the demon looked around, only to stop and stare when she saw something familiar floating above them. Though the pegasus’ face was obscured due to the angle, Rainbow Dash could easily make out her distinct pink mane and yellow fur.

“Is that Fluttershy?” Kanathara whispered, her head turned skyward.

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly, watching as the pegasus scrubbed the inside wall of the tower with a cloth while whispering to herself. Though it was quiet, Rainbow Dash was a demon, and thus had sharp enough senses to pick up everything the winged pony said.

“-I’m sorry I haven't visited recently, and that I haven't dusted your plaque in a while, but I saw an old face recently,” murmured the pony as she rubbed the cloth in small deliberate circles. “Seeing her was... stressful, but Applejack said it won't be a problem soon, and I hope she's right.”

“Should we… talk to her?” whispered Kanathara, gesturing to the pegasus above them.

“Let’s wait and see if we can find out why she’s here,” Rainbow Dash urged.

Above them, Fluttershy placed the cloth into her saddle bags and smiled faintly. “Ahh, there we go. You two look great.”

“Can you see what plague she was cleaning?” Kanathara whispered, leaning towards Rainbow Dash.

The vengant nodded slowly. “It's my parents.”

Kanathara fell silent, merely watching as Fluttershy wrapped up her visit.

“I promise to come by more often once this whole… thing is dealt with,” declared the pegasus softly. “Which hopefully shouldn't be long. So just hang on for a bit, okay?”

Fluttershy reached out and gently ran her hoof down the urn which sat in a nook above the plaque, a gentle smile crossing her face.

The two demons watched as the pegasus stopped fluttering in place and the pegasus began to descend, her wings spreading wide and helping her to glide down. That was until she saw the two strangers who were staring up at her from the ground floor.

“Eep!” she cried, swerving to the side and running into the wall, her wing folding up instinctively and sending her spiraling towards the ground.

Kanathara was ready to light her horn and catch the pony, but stopped when she felt Rainbow Dash explode into motion.

Launching herself into the air, the vengant caught the pony before she even had a chance to fall more than a few feet. Though her disguise remained intact for the moment, it began to flicker, revealing the hard scaled flesh beneath. Fluttershy didn't seem to notice though, as she was too busy staring up at the stranger who had caught her with wide, terrified eyes.

Gliding back to the ground, Rainbow Dash gently put the pegasus down on her own four legs before taking a step back. “Are you alright? You clipped your wing pretty good there.”

Fluttershy nodded quickly, most of her face hidden behind her mane. “You were really fast,” she whispered.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. “Story of my life.”

Kanathara stepped forward. “We couldn't help but overhear a bit when we came in, and I have to ask. Are you the caretaker for this place by chance?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “N-no. I just look after a friend’s parents since she's not around to do it.”

“That's really sweet of you,” Rainbow Dash muttered, giving the keeper a sidelong glance. Boss, what do we do?

We try to get some more information out of her, Kanathara replied before smiling at the pegasus. “You wouldn't happen to know how they died, do you? I know this is a bit of a stretch, but you look about the same age as us, and I feel like I remember you from somewhere.”

“Oh um. My friend’s name was Rainbow Dash and her parents were Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles,” Fluttershy replied, glancing nervously towards the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I really must be going.”

“You didn't say how they died though,” Rainbow Dash pointed out just as Fluttershy was about to step away.

The pegasus winced and took a nervous step back. “Well, you see, the thing is… it's not exactly a n-nice story, and I don't think it’s my place to tell just anybody.”

Can I reveal myself now? I need to know, Rainbow Dash urged.

Kanathara frowned. Fine, but take a step back first, you’ll frighten the poor girl.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, noticing how the two strange pegasi seemed to be exchanging strange glances, as if having a silent conversation. “Can I leave now, please?”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “Just one last thing.”

The demon took several steps back and released her disguise, causing the spell to fall away and reveal her true form. For a moment nothing happened, Fluttershy simply staring with wide, panicked eyes, her entire body tense with fear. Then her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, her breathing ragged and heavy, a hoof reaching towards her saddle bags.

“M-my inhaler,” she wheezed.

Kanathara shed her own disguise and cast a quick spell, causing the pony to suddenly fall still, her breathing becoming steady once more. The shock of having her emotions abruptly altered was strangely distant, and Fluttershy lay there blinking for several seconds. After determining that the urge to panic wasn't about to come back anytime soon, the pony slowly stood, eying Kanathara closely.

“What was that?” Fluttershy asked calmly.

“It was just a simple calming spell,” Kanathara explained. “It will keep your emotions in check for a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry about showing up like this, but I have to know what happened to my parents,” Rainbow Dash added, stepping forward.

Fluttershy gulped and adjusted her saddle bags. “I suppose you deserve to know…” She sighed. “Just lock the door first, I don't want anyone else to hear.”

Kanathara turned and briefly lit her horn, causing the tower’s only entrance to glow a faint purple. “It's done,” stated the demon.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. “We may as well get right straight to it then. After you died, they were forced to represent their house and come before The Six.”

Kanathara raised an eyebrow. “The Six?”

“It's an old council made up of the remaining warrior houses' eldest members, they have some control over the houses, aparently. But I thought the council was just a myth,” Rainbow Dash replied.

Fluttershy shook her head. “They are very real, and after what happened at school, Cloudsdale was in a considerable uproar. Some used it as an opportunity to campaign against violence in radio shows, while others sought to change the curriculum. To the warrior houses, they saw it as a sign that pegasus culture had become corrupted and that they needed to retake their former positions of power.”

“That doesn't seem right,” Rainbow Dash remarked, scratching her head. “There were only like two warrior houses left, and they had like nothing.”

“Plus I mean, it couldn't have caused that much chaos. Ponies die all the time,” Kanathara added.

Fluttershy blinked, and glanced from one demon to the other as if they had both grown an extra head. “Two children died, and a third will never be able to walk again. It was the single worst loss of life in the history of the Cloudsdale school system. There were serious talks about bringing up criminal negligence charges against both of Rainbow Dash’s parents.”

“What? That’s bullshit!” shouted the vengant.

Fluttershy winced. “I never said I agreed with it. That's just what happened.”

“So that one event really shook the city that much?” Kanathara asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “Two teachers were fired, and the principal quit. A bunch of ponies even stormed the mayor’s house demanding that he launch a criminal investigation into the matter.”

“Wow, okay, so then what does this have to do with my parents?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“They were blamed for most of it. Even The Six were convinced that they had purposefully raised you to do that,” Fluttershy held up a hoof, cutting off the angry tirade she knew was coming. “I didn't agree with it either, but by then the public had turned against them.”

Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth and growled, smoke billowing out of her nostrils. “That's so dumb. Why would they believe something so asinine?” muttered the fuming vengeant.

“That does seem a bit farfetched,” Kanathara pointed out.

Fluttershy shrugged. “Ponies were looking for someone to blame, and they were the easiest targets. You should know how easy it is to cause ponies to panic.”

Kanathara sighed, her shoulders slumping. “Okay, so then what? They go to see this secret council, and they kill them both just like that?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, well, not directly anyway.”

“Not directly?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed. “Don't tell me those uppity old jerks tortured them to death.”

The pegasus winced. “N-no. Nothing like that.”

“Then what happened?” Questioned Kanathara.

Fluttershy bit her lip and looked from one demon to the other. “Rainbow Dash, what do you know of my family?”

The vengant raised an eyebrow. “That you got a dumb older brother and that your parents were supposedly higher-ups at the weather factory. Why?”

“They weren't just upper management. Between the two of them, they ran the entire factory,” Fluttershy stated. “They were also members of the house of the Ebon Wind.”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head. “But I thought those guys had been gone for like, eight hundred years.”

“Wait, back up. What is the Ebon Wind?” Kanathara asked, stepping forward.

“A secretive order of assassins that supposedly worked directly for the sky marshal,” Rainbow Dash explained.

“Yes, but they never disbanded. I only found out about it after you, well…” Fluttershy shook her head. “That doesn't matter now. What matters is that they never really went away, and after what happened, they began to gather the other warrior houses back together.”

“So the Ebon Wind killed them then?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

Fluttershy sighed. “I’m getting there.”

“Just let her speak, Rainbow,” Kanathara whispered.

The vengant frowned and sat on the floor. “Sorry Fluttershy. Go ahead.”

“R-right. Anyway, so the Ebon Wind forced them to undergo some sort of experiment that ended up proving fatal, but not right away,” Fluttershy frowned, and her gaze grew distant. “After they were forced to do this, my parents tried to get me to join them, but I refused.”

“That's gotta take some serious balls,” Rainbow Dash remarked.

Fluttershy blushed. “I suppose you could say that. I certainly didn't feel very brave at the time. Just stupid and foolish, especially after they disowned me.”

“They abandoned you?” asked Kanathara in shock.

“N-no nothing like that. They waited until I was ready to move out before telling me of their decision, but I knew it was coming. Since then I haven't spoken to them in years,” Fluttershy frowned. “This spell isn't going to last much longer, right? It feels really weird to be this calm.”

“It should only be a few more minutes. I’ll dispel it if it doesn't wear off soon,” Kanathara replied.

“Okay, so my family was actually part of some warrior house that I was never told about, as was yours, and one of them killed my parents in a roundabout manner,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, massaging her temples. “What does this have to do with the element exactly?”

“Element? What element?” asked Fluttershy.

“It's a magical artifact of incredible power. We think these warrior houses have been using it for some nefarious purpose,” Kanathara explained.

“That's not good. They haven't done very much other than setting up that tower and a few other safehouses,” Fluttershy murmured.

Rainbow Dash turned to her mistress and grabbed her by the shoulders. “We have to take these guys down.”

Kanathara raised an eyebrow and shifted back slightly, avoiding the smoke which billowed from her familiar’s nostrils. “This is a vengant thing, isn't it?”

“You're damn right it is. I need to rain some well-deserved revenge on these assholes.” Rainbow Dash declared, mane and tail billowing angrily behind her.

The keeper nodded slowly. “Agreed and I also have an idea on how to do it.”

“Oh, that's good to hear,” Fluttershy murmured. “I may not like what my parents have been doing, but there isn't much I can do about it.”

“There is plenty you can do.” Kanathara smiled. “In fact, you will be the most important piece of this entire puzzle.”

The pegasus blinked. “What exactly do you mean?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide. “You don't mean to cast the possession spell on her and use her to get into the compound thing, do you?”

“I do,” stated the keeper of secrets.

“Wait, possession? What are you talking about? I feel like I should find this a lot scarier than I do,” Fluttershy remarked, frowning.

“Look, Fluttershy, do you want to do the right thing or not?” Rainbow Dash demanded, staring into the pegasus’ eyes.

The winged pony frowned. “I mean I do, but-”

“But nothing,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “All you need to do is walk into that place and leave the rest to us.”

Fluttershy turned to Kanathara. “What is this possession spell that was mentioned earlier? It wouldn't hurt, would it?”

Kanathara pursed her lips and hummed faintly. “I mean, not much. It would be more weird than anything, to be entirely honest.”

“Well if that's all I’d have to do…” Fluttershy murmured.

Rainbow Dash grinned and hugged the pegasus tightly. “Oh, thank you so much, Fluttershy! You have no idea what this means to me.”

Kanathara used her magic to gently split up the two beings before Rainbow Dash could crush the poor, out of breath pegasus. “Yes, well. Fluttershy must be able to get us into the facility first. Do you think that will even be possible?” Kanathara inquired.

Fluttershy breathed deeply several times, nodding slowly. “My parents may have disowned me, but they always said that I could come back if I gave up everything and allowed them to train me.”

“Perfect!” Rainbow Dash cried, grinning from ear to ear as she faced Kanathara. “Please tell me you have a plan.”

The keeper of secrets smirked. “I always have a plan.”

Author's Note:

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Comments

[Spellflame]

Huh, fluttershy + vengeance, somehow fits.

[Backlash91]

hmm her mother and father were assassins....

[Mossflower]

I mean, that certainly solved the problem of how the flying fuck they would manage to speak to FS while she's coherent :D

[Jest]

10328055
I didnt want to be TOO obvious with it. :P

[Jest]

10341496
early chapters have some terrible comments, but it changes shortly after that. I also get better at just writing and stories in general as well.

[Love able chaos]

Well I'm ready for assassinShy