Fairlight - Memories of a Perfect Sky

by Bluespectre

Chapter Eight - The dead city

CHAPTER EIGHT

The dead city

Across the river, the thestrals went to work, every member of their assault teams using their cloaks to maximum effect. The plan had been to cross the river, using the water’s black sheen to cover their approach. Once in the trees on the opposite bank, the cloaks would be deployed once more as they approached their respective targets. I watched from cover with Thorn while Shadow dozed behind me, reluctant to leave my side. The rest of our comrades stationed around us watched our flanks and rear, crossbows ready to meet any attack from land or sky. The focus for me however, was on the activities on the other side of the bridge. It was hard to make much out, but I didn’t have long to wait for something to happen. A series of loud pops and flashes from several of the small buildings were followed by neighs and screams which drifted across the river. Shouting from the buildings further inland were followed by a rush of dozens of enemy re-enforcements heading for the huts under attack.

Thorn’s plan was working out exactly as he’d planned.

Our adversaries had shown themselves, but for them their planned ambush had backfired. And badly. It was hard to see any specific direction or leadership amongst them even at this distance. In fact, rather than our disciplined and organised warriors, these appeared to be acting more like a mass of individuals. Regardless of their lack of cohesion however, their numbers were greater than ours and threatened to overwhelm the assault teams should this descend into a pitched battle - a fact that I knew Thorn was all too aware of already. From here it was hard to see specific details, except... What was that there? I thought that… I did! There! Cloaked and all but invisible against the white foliage, several warriors slipped from the rear of the first building and melted away into the surrounding trees. The generally black appearance of our foe against the snowy landscape made them hard to miss as they poured in to where our warriors had vacated only moments earlier. As one they crammed themselves inside until the ones left outside neighed and fumed, unable to see what was going on.

Beside me, Thorn stared intently and whispered, “Now…”

As if on cue an enormous green ball of fire erupted from inside the building, spewing flames from the windows and doors, licking under the eves and bursting out of the chimneys like a blast furnace. The intense magical light blended with an eerie otherworldly ‘darkness’ in a mind reeling display of raw magical energy the likes Equestria had probably not seen since the last war. And thank Celestia for that. As the second explosion went off from the other hut targeted by our teams, the screams from the thestrals caught by the merciless fires as they had stood outside assailed my ears. I was only glad I couldn’t see any more than I could. Even so, it was a horrific memory I will never forget as long as I live. Of those who had been inside however, there was no sign. The remaining thestrals ran about in apparent confusion, blowing hard, unsure as what to do next. But Thorn knew. With lethal accuracy, bolts flew from their invisible attackers in the trees, putting them down. One of the creatures charged the tree line, raising a spear. I could hear his battle cry from my vantage point and I watched the glint of a weapon being swung, his body crashing lifeless to the ground a moment before his decapitated head landed next to him. Dear goddess, it was all so fast it was almost impossible to comprehend. I had been told about the applied use of speed, aggression, and surprise in the Watch. Here, instead of aggression it more brutality.

The pressure of forelegs gripping me made me crane my neck round to see a dark muzzle pushing hard into my neck, a whimper of fear and loss filling my ears and heart. Pulling my attention from the butchery by the river, I nuzzled Shadow. It was all I could do for her for now, but the toll of what was happening was making her shake uncontrollably. I whispered into her ear, “It’s alright love, it’ll all be over soon.” I wasn’t sure if I believed my own words. Either way, Shadow didn’t answer.

A whistle from the ruined buildings brought Thorn to his hooves. He gave orders to Glimmer who rushed off to pass the word along. We were moving. Thorn brushed himself off and hefted his war axe. “Captain, are you ready?”

I took up my crossbow and checked the safety. The huge old thing wasn’t designed for ponies but would serve me well enough. Solid and reliable, judging by the scarred black wood and steel of its construction it most likely heralded from the great war between the goddesses. My sword on the other hoof appeared to be a home-grown thestral creation, made from the same material as their axes – crystal. It was a magnificently crafted weapon, but how it would fair in battle however, remained to be seen. Smiling to Shadow I turned back to Thorn. “Yes, Sir.”

We swept down the wooded slope, keeping to the tree line. On Thorn’s orders and despite our apparent defeat of the enemy, we still retained our white cloaks. He was right too. There was no sense in taking chances at this stage, and anything that gave us an advantage was to be welcomed, particularly when we were so few in number. Following the others, I was careful to maintain my footing as best I could, but there was an overarching feeling of urgency from radiating from Thorn now that was infectious. We could all feel it - the sense that despite his outer calm, his son could not wait any longer. He had already told me he expected his son would be dead, his body nailed to a cross as a message to him from the duchess. It was to tell him she was coming for us, and that he would be next, along with his comrades. This, Glimmer had explained whilst I had sat with Shadow under the trees, was an ancient tactic of intimidation. It apparently showed a willingness to make an enemy suffer incredible torment without remorse, nor fear of retaliation. It was a threat, a promise, that should they be opposed then this would be the fate of their enemy. But whether this had any effect on the thestrals or not, it didn’t show. Not until now anyway.

At the bottom of the slope, Thorn rushed headlong for the wing wall of the bridge. He slowed and then stopped, staring at the water, snorting his impatience. And waited. As I neared him wondering what had brought him up short, a thestral, water cascading from his hide, emerged from the black water like some mythological beast.

Red eyes blazing she shook her coat and saluted. “Bridge is clear, sir.”

Thorn nodded, and with a loud huff charged across the bridge weapon drawn, heading straight for his son who was now flanked by several of his troops. Gradually he slowed to a trot, then a walk, as he approached the forlorn figure hanging helplessly from the crystalline structure. Thorn stared up into his son’s face, his expression utterly unreadable. I caught up with him a few seconds later and felt a shock of bitter cold burn through me at the nightmarish sight. I was no stranger to cruelty, not after what they’d done to myself, my wife and my unborn daughter. But this? What sort of monsters could do something like this?! And why the hell hadn’t they cut him down? Dear gods, they were just standing there like statues! Were they in shock, or was there something else I hadn’t seen or understood yet? My mouth hung open in horror at the macabre sight before me. The young thestral had been hung on a crystalline post, suspended by his forelegs by wickedly large nails driven through his flesh while his hind legs had been tied behind this terrible object of his pain and humiliation. It was then that I noticed, in my rising horror, they had been broken first before being pulled back into their unnatural position. His hide showed signs of a dreadful struggle too: slash wounds, burns and teeth marks covered him from muzzle to tail. Whatever they had done to him, he hadn’t taken it lying down and had fought his attackers hoof and fang. I nodded to him and whispered a prayer to Luna; may she guide his soul to the next world, this brave warrior of the Beyond. Thorn slowly walked up to the devastated body of his son, looking into his face, his own features as expressionless as stone. He held up a forehoof to touch him, faltered, then put it back down. If anypony else saw the slight quiver as he did so, they didn’t say. The respect and bond they shared with their commander was a deep one.

One of the assault team trotted over respectfully and nodded to his commander, “Sir, it’s as we feared. They’ve-”

“Father…” Everypony froze as one of Nimbus’ eyes opened a fraction, the green fire in them barely a flicker, but still bearing the faint breath of life. “Father…”

“Water!” Thorn shouted, and I thrust my water skin into his outstretched hoof. He reached forward to sate his sons thirst.

Nimbus groaned piteously but managed to croak a few words to his father. “No. Keep… Keep away. Mag… Magmi...” He tried fruitlessly to wet his lips with a dry tongue, and I felt my heart go out to him. A single green tear trickled down his cheek to fall upon the bloodstained grass where it fizzed before vanishing into nothingness. It was one of the most painful and pitiful sights I have ever seen, and as for Thorn, I couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind right then. How he was keeping his composure was extraordinary.

“Sir!” The thestral who had tried to report to Thorn a moment ago, stepped up to put a restraining foreleg against his chest, firmly but still respectful. “They’ve rigged him with a magmine. It’s been set to detonate if we touch him. Please...”

Thorn pushed forward against the pressure momentarily before backing away, a look of agony in his eyes that was now unmistakable. He took a breath, composing himself, and pushed the water skin back at me. “You are a unicorn are you not, Captain? Have you any experience with such devices?”

I shook my head. “No, sir. I’ve never heard of them. I assume they’re a booby trap of some kind?”

Thorn nodded, his eyes looking into his son’s whose chest rose and fell in short pants. “Yes,” he replied quietly. “They’re a magically operated explosive mine. A ‘Magmine’. It’s a cowards weapon which we first encountered in our campaign against the Celestians. I had believed the last of them to have been destroyed years ago. Apparently, I was wrong.” He closed his eyes and let out a long pained breath before removing his cloak. Carefully, he unbuckled the crossbow from his harness. “My son, you know what I must do.”

Nimbus attempted a weak nod as the thestrals near him backed away, and all of a sudden the dawning realisation of what was about to happen hit me. “Thorn, you can’t mean to-” I took a step forward, trying to stop him. “For the goddess’s sake, stallion,he’s your son!”

The Storm Major motioned to Glimmer who stepped between us, physically pushing me back. “Fairlight,” the mare said levelly, “this is something he must do. Don’t make it any harder for him than it is already.”

Don’t make it any harder?! Dear gods, this flew in the face of everything I had ever been taught. I had been brought up to respect, honour, and protect lives, to sacrifice my own if need be to save others. It was the code of the watchpony, and one that been instilled into me by my father ever since I was a mere foal. I had never come across anything like this before, and I prayed that somehow I had the wrong end of the proverbial stick, that somepony was going to be able to magic up some sort of solution at the last moment. Instead, everypony around me, including myself, stood as still as statues watching helplessly as a nightmare unfolded before our eyes. I cursed myself for not having a better grasp of magic, but with no idea what this thing was or what it could do, I’d be like a foal playing with a box of matches. Realising my distress, Shadow put a hoof on my shoulder and shook her head. Damn it all, she was as bad as the rest of them! I couldn’t believe they’d just give up on him so quickly. Was this some weird thestral thing of theirs?

Thorn spoke to his son. “How many did you slay my son?” he asked.

The voice came back, weaker now. “Four.”

The old thestral nodded, and a faint smile edged in pain crossed his lips as he announced to all present, “My son has fallen in battle. He has slain four of his foes single hoofed! From this day songs will be sung of his fearsome strength, his deeds of valour, and his bravery in death. Remember!”

The Thestrals as one slammed their hooves to their chests, the sound echoing dully around the old encampment. “Remember!” they shouted as one, the cry echoing out across the clearing.

Oh Luna… Celestia… Can’t you do something to help this soul? Where are you both? We need you and we’re all alone, here in the darkness… I stared in stunned silence at the heavy crossbow being levelled by Nimbus’s father, the light glinting off its lethally sharp tip. The wood creaked almost imperceptibly as the safety catch was released. I couldn’t bear to watch, yet when I looked over my shoulder I saw that Shadow was stood with us, staring intently at the stricken young thestral. They all were.

Suddenly Thorn shouted out to his gathered troops, “Behold! The warrior returns to the halls of his ancestors!”

We all looked up at Nimbus who raised his maw to the sky and howled with the last of his strength. Around me the others cried out too; a single note mixing with his, calling to his ancestors, warning them he was coming. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the sound began to die away. And as it did I saw something I would not have dreamt possible from the grizzled war veteran - a single silvery tear rolled from Thorn’s eye, dropping to the ground where it faded into the pool of his own child’s blood.

“Goodbye, my son.”

The final notes echoed away into the eternal sky, while far below amidst the carnage of an alien world, Thorn’s bolt left his crossbow with a loud ‘thwack’, transfixing Nimbus’ upturned head to the crystal pole. Almost instantly the stricken young stallion was engulfed in a violent green magical fire which doubtless would have incinerated anypony stood nearby when it was activated. Instead it was a funeral pyre to send a young soul on his final journey to be with his ancestors. I’d never met Nimbus, and although this gave me a strange sort of detachment from what was happening here, it didn’t mean that it didn’t wound some inner part of me as I bore witness to the brave stallion’s final moments. I fear that if not for me, he would most likely still be alive - a weight I would have to carry with me for the rest of my days. And carry it I would. The thestral race was so enigmatic, so alien to everything I had ever been brought up with in Equestria, that I sometimes felt frighteningly alone. Other times it was almost as if I’d been born here - a thestral in the body of a pony. Perhaps I was losing myself to this place, becoming one with the people, my own now nothing more than a distant memory, or a dream that had happened to another Fairlight. Right now, right here, seeing the green flames crackle and the heat haze shimmering in the strange white light of this land, all I could see was a brave young life, brutally cut short.

We re-filled our water skins from the river and set out towards the final destination for our group. I may not know wherever, and whatever that was, but at least I knew I was going in the right direction for home. I peek down into my barding where my pendant glowed brightly, keeping its glow covered to avoid detection. What was really concerning me however, was Shadow. She appeared to be retreating more and more into herself as time passed. The mysterious mare rarely spoke at the best of times, yet why this was the case I’d never really understood, and the fact that I never seemed to have the time nor opportunity to ask her only compounded the problem. Maybe I was being cowardly and merely finding excuses to avoid confronting an awkward topic, I don’t know. It’s easy to look upon these matters in hindsight and say what I should have done or what I could have done, but right then I just wanted to comfort her, and not burden her with my needless questions. I would look over my shoulder and smile at her from time to time. She would smile back pleasantly enough, though when she thought I wasn’t looking would occasionally hang her head and drag her hooves. She looked tired, worn, and world weary, not at all like the mare I had first met in the black desert. The death of Nimbus seemed to have hit home with her more than anypony else, maybe even more so than his own father. Had they been close? If so, she hadn’t let on. As for the major himself, he continued on exactly the same as he had since I’d come under his command: stoic, unyielding, and utterly focussed on achieving his objective. Thorn may have been old, but with his battle scarred armour and equally scarred coat he was like a stallion straight out of the pages of one of my old books on knights. He was tall, strong, and lifted his hooves with a smartness and purpose that was, to be frank, inspiring. I could see why his warriors followed him so naturally too. He radiated the same kind of innate leadership quality that reminded me of Mitre. Anypony would be proud to fight beside either of those two old salts, but with any luck the bloodshed was behind us now and we’d be able to get to our destination without further mishap.

Shadow and I were relegated back to to middle of the formation whilst the scout headed out. It was interesting to note how that dangerous task was rotated too. They were never out there for more than a couple of hours before being replaced with another, the whole operation so mechanical in its precision that it put me in mind of being part of a living, breathing, watch mechanism. It was easy to see when something was wrong too. The whole group came to a halt when movement in the trees up ahead revealed a runner from the forward scout detachment rushing back to speak to his commander. Words were quickly exchanged and a ripple of excitement ran through our party. Thorn looked back at me, a broad smile on his weathered face. In my eyes he’d seemed to have aged a great deal since the tragic events at the bridge, yet now he was bright, re-invigorated, and alive with fresh purpose.

“We’re here, Captain,” was all he said before beckoning me to follow him.

It was something that I could never have imagined even in my wildest dreams. I was, quite literally, lost for words as I stood there with my eyes as wide as saucers and my mouth hanging open in utter astonishment. Ahead of us was a sight which would have made any Equestrian historian wet themselves in excitement. A vast bowl shaped depression in the land, hollowed out of the white landscape itself as though a giant had pressed their hoof into the world, spread out before us almost to the horizon. The geography in itself was impressive compared to the endless seas of black sand, hills and white crystal forests I had encountered before, however it was what filled the bowl that was the true jewel of this land. It was a city of crystal, sparkling and glinting in the moonlight, a fairytale picture of palaces, spires, sweeping sky bridges and elegant buildings of every description. Even from this distance the road network was incredibly clearly defined, laid out like some giant spiders web. It’s lines radiated out from a large central area which, from what I could tell, was a large round flat ‘rise’ of brilliant white crystal. The city as a whole was simply breathtaking, and truly beautiful to behold in all its majesty. I had never seen it’s like before. Even in the stylised pictures I’d seen of ancient Canterlot, this was on another level altogether. If I hadn’t know better, If somepony had told me that this actually was Canterlot, I wouldn’t have questioned them at all. This was a place that one would find royalty, even deities, clamouring to live. Dear goddesses, maybe they did!

I only realised how long I’d been staring at the city when Glimmer knocked my head good naturedly with a hoof. “Wake up you big foal’s blouse, we have a ways to go yet you know.”

She was right, the city was still a fair few hours walk away from us across open ground and no matter which way we approached it, we would have to cross that expanse of nothingness. But there was no choice now, the prize we sought was right before us... waiting. Whether with open arms or with drawn swords, remained to be seen. We kept in formation, keeping low and remaining vigilant in the white grass, our weapons ready. We would be exposed without the cover of the trees, but an advantage was that we could also see clearly around us and would be able to break for the apparent safety of the cities outer suburbs if need be. Unfortunately the white grass of the open plain gradually became sparser the closer we came to the lip of the city’s perimeter, replaced by the horribly familiar black sand that banded it almost like a dry moat. As as result the white cloaks we wore were now useless for camouflage and so we stowed them back in our panniers, securing weapons and tightening gear in case we needed to move quickly. Unexpectedly a few errant grains of sand flicked up into my mouth as I worked, and I immediately spat them out. Part of me had hoped that I’d seen the last of that damned stuff, but wishful thinking didn’t seem to work very well here, and so I tried to remain focussed on reaching the cover of the city itself. Fortunately the dark coats of the thestrals blended near seamlessly into the scenery. Blended that is, with the exception of one. For the first in my life I became acutely aware of how much my bland grey coat stood out here. It wasn’t much, but by the gods I wished I’d had a cloak to cover myself.

Soon enough the last of the white grass had vanished completely and sand crunched once more beneath my hooves, just as it had on the very first day I’d found myself in the Wither World. It was almost a relief when we broke into a trot. Clearly Thorn wanted to spend as little time in the open as possible, but any faster would raise clouds of dust which out here would be clearly visible to any eagle eyed observers. We were making good progress towards the city, when one of our lead scouts let out three shrill blasts on his whistle bringing us to a sudden halt. Thorn paused, and standing on his hind legs he lifted a hoof making a pumping motion.

Glimmer raced past Shadow and I, shouting, “Looks like trouble. Let’s move flank pony!” She didn’t have to tell me twice. We dug our hooves in and raced after her and the other thestrals, kicking up little puffs of black sand in our wake.

As we picked up pace I saw Thorn looking skyward and shout back to us, “Don’t stop ‘til we get to the city rendezvous point! Whatever happens, run like the witch herself was behind you!” He took off at a full gallop.

I was glad in some ways to have a chance to really open out into a full gallop myself. After countless hours of trotting, to get the blood really pumping through my veins and feel the breeze drying off my sweaty coat, was wonderful. It was a relief to be free of that white cloak too. As much of a necessity as it had been, the sticky thing became uncomfortably hot when worn for long periods. And that was another thing I’d discovered since coming here – wind. I’d been happily surprised to find the Withers actually did have some form of weather pattern after all, even if it was only a slight breeze. It didn’t do much to cool you down when carrying armour, weapons, and saddle packs sadly, but it still went some way to making the land feel more… ‘alive’. Finally able to stretch myself out in a full run, I might have neighed aloud in relief if it hadn’t been for the sudden rush of fear I felt mixing with the adrenalin. And with good reason - to my alarm, the others were rapidly outpacing me. Something had prompted the thestrals into a blistering charge, heading straight for the cover of the city’s outermost buildings. I poured everything I had into my legs, willing them go faster. Thorn had said something about a city rendezvous, but… Bollocks! I didn’t even know where that was! Hell fire, I was completely dependant upon following these guys, and now I was getting left behind in a cloud of dust.

As we galloped, a faint noise overhead intruded on my hearing and I risked a glance upwards to see what it was. Goddess give me strength, I wished I hadn’t. Large sizzling balls of green magical fire were arcing through the dark sky in our direction. If it was possible to gain any extra acceleration out of the poor old Fairlight legs, then this was the time I need it. The first one screamed in with a noise like the damned of hell trying to escape into the world of the living. Taking us back with them if that thing catches us, I thought to myself as I locked onto the first building that hove into view. The explosion of the green fire however was almost anticlimax; more a ‘wumpf’ than a ‘boom’, as I’d expected. The flames spewed and splattered in all directions, the heat so intense where the fire landed that it melted the black sand to glass at its centre. But it was only just beginning. More of them came in, almost blotting out the sky until all I could see was a bright green haze all around me. The thumps of the fire balls bursting nearby flashed me with waves of searing heat and, frighteningly, I could smell burning hair. I saw Glimmer coming up next to me, blowing like an equestrian steam engine. Thank the gods I wasn’t on my own out here!

“Keep running, ghost pony,” she called between pants. “We’re nearly there. Just keep going!”

There were burn marks on her armour from the fire and smoke trailing from her hide where it had caught her. Glimmer’s stoic face showed nothing but grim determination and I used that as inspiration to draw deep for a little extra speed. More thumps came in, some close, some far away. I thought I could hear screams carried on the gusts whipped up by the explosions but kept my head down and willed myself on. If those things hit me I would be an instant pile of ash, my body becoming indivisible from the black sand around it for all eternity. Oh, goddesses! Why was I thinking of that now?! Shoving that thought roughly aside, Glimmer and I almost simultaneously leapt the retaining wall of the first structure we saw and turned quickly down a side alley. I had no idea where the rendezvous point was but an educated guess would be the central raised platform-like area at the heart of the city. Any enemy we faced in here would most likely be there already waiting for us, and we would have little choice but to meet them. But at least in this maze of roads and alleys the glowing green balls of magical death were nowhere to be seen, and if given the choice I would always prefer to know who was shooting at me. At least then I’d have a chance of shooting back. Right now I let Glimmer take the lead. She seemed to know where she was going and galloped around a corner, just in time to be met with a hissing blizzard of crossbow bolts seemingly from out of nowhere.

“In here!” she shouted, heading off down another alley.

I was hot on her hooves. The clatter of our passage echoed off the empty buildings, their open windows and doors like the bones of dead creatures staring out at the living ones running past them. A sudden thought broke through my adrenalin soaked brain. “SHADOW!” I shouted at Glimmer. “She’s not behind us! I have to go back. You go on ahead, I’ll catch you up.”

Glimmer screamed back at me, “Don’t be a bucking idiot! She’ll be with the others. We need to take care of ourselves right now and get you to the target area.”

“You don’t know she’s with the others!” I bellowed. “She could be back in the open field - hurt! For Luna’s sake, Glimmer, I have to go!”

Glimmer suddenly lunged for my barding, grabbed it in her teeth and, flaring her wings, she flung both of us through the open doorway of a small building. She threw me to the ground and kicked me roughly in the chest, “Shut up pony, just shut the buck up! Do you hear me?!”

I was taken aback by her attack but rose to my hooves, taking to a fighting stance by instinct. “She’s my mate and your duchess’s daughter. I promised her father I would protect her with my life and that’s what I intend to do! So get out of my way, Glimmer, I’m going back for her with or without you.”

Glimmer stomped her hoof. “We don’t have time for this bullshit Equestrian! Your mate has her orders and she knows this place like the back of her hoof. We all do. It’s you we need to worry about, since you’re obviously not the duchess’s ‘precious’ daughter. The good Lady Shadow is far less likely to come to harm than her pony kidnapper, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I…” I closed my eyes and felt my shoulder sink.

Glimmer nodded, satisfied her point had been made. “Good. Now we’ve got that settled, get your goddess cursed arse out of here before those buckers come in here for us.”

Wasting no more time we charged back out into the street, keeping to the side alleys more than the main roads. Row after row of what had clearly once been shops and homes, flew by in a blur as we galloped down one thoroughfare then another. It was immediately apparent that Glimmer knew this area well, which was surprising considering that nopony had lived here in a very long time judging by the overarching abandoned feel to the deserted city. If I hadn’t have been so jacked up on adrenalin I probably would have had some serious reservations about this place. I’d heard of ghost towns before, especially down in Appleloosa, but this? This was on a whole new level altogether. But Glimmer had no such concerns. She never slowed, never faltered, the dust whipped up by her thundering hooves catching in my nose in our haste to catch up with our comrades. Honestly, I thought nothing could catch us now, not even the wind. But I should have known better. Every time I dared to believe things would be going my way, even for a moment, my old friend Fate dragged my hopes and dreams kicking and screaming into a reality so horrible I had begun to believe I truly was cursed.

As were those around me.

We hurtled around another corner just as a volley of bolts crashed right into us with a sound of hail hitting glass. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Glimmer cried out and smashed into the ground at a full gallop, sliding to a halt as I twisted to arrest myself from colliding with her. Grasping her barding as she had done with mine, I pulled her with all the strength I could muster into the nearest open doorway. With a speed born of desperation I took out my crossbow, flicked off the safety, and covered the door entrance while simultaneously looking over Glimmer’s body. It wasn’t good. Several bolts had hit her flank, chest and neck. The mare’s laboured breathing and coughing evidenced that at least one of them had penetrated her lungs. As if I needed any more proof, blood foamed from her muzzle, joining the crimson rivulets seeping from the numerous terrible wounds on her body to drip soundlessly onto the dusty floor. She held her eyes tight closed and let out a low whimper of pain. Oh goddesses, what could I do? My basic training had been just that – basic. The whole emphasis had been on stabilising the injured only until properly trained medics could get there, with an assumption that they wouldn’t be that far away. There hadn’t been anything at all about treating injuries this severe, and there sure as hell wasn’t an ambulance on its way to help either. I tipped out my pack onto the floor, searching for medical supplies but finding only bandages. I remembered that the team had a medic with them, but only Luna knew where they were now. There was only one thing for it...

“Glimmer, look, stay here and don’t move, okay?” I rolled up my cloak and tucked it under her head as gently as I could. “I’ll draw them away from you and come back with help.” I lay her own cloak over her to keep her warm and checked my sword was free.

A hoof reached out and stopped me.

“No...” Glimmer glanced up at me with a half open eye, wincing with pain as she opened her mouth to speak. “No, just… just get out of here. I’m… I’m not going… to make it.”

I took a breath, trying to stead my racing hear. “Glimmer, please, just try and hold on.” I started to undo the strapping on her gear, “Here, I’ll loosen your armour so you can breath and I’ll go get help for you.”

She reached out and hooked my barding with a foreleg, panting for breath. “Don’t be a…” She let out a gasp and coughed droplets of blood onto the dust covered floor, “Don’t be a bloody hero. I can… I can feel my ancestors calling my… my soul to them now. Get to the centre of the city. Remember… Remember what Star Beard told you, my… my young equestrian… pony.” More racking coughs hit her and I put my hoof on her chest for her to hold, chancing a peek out the doorway just in time to duck back as a bolt pinged off the frame. I levitated my crossbow up and shot back, quickly reloading as Glimmer pulled me back to her. “Make me one promise, cute flanks…” she croaked. The fire in her eyes was starting to flicker, and with heart breaking certainty I knew she wouldn’t be able to last much longer.

I nodded, “Of course, Glimmer.”

She smiled. “Sing to my ancestors for me. Let them know. Let them… know, I’m… coming home.” I could feel tears stinging my eyes and glanced out the door. There was some movement but it was hard to pinpoint. Suddenly Glimmer shook violently and gave a stifled cry, “Damn it, come here!” She pulled on my barding and kissed me full on the mouth, her blood and hot breath taking my breath away. Weakly, she moved away and snorted blood and steam onto the floor. “I always thought you had a… a cute arse… pony boy. What I wouldn’t do to… to you. If only that little filly hadn’t stolen… stolen your heart, eh?”

“Glimmer…” Tears rolled down my face. How many mares had died before my eyes, now? How many more were going to suffer because of me? Goddesses, was I cursed to bring so much pain and death to those around me?

Her hoof reached out and tenderly brushed away the tears. “Go now,” she breathed. “Run. Go save your mate… go…”

I took Glimmer’s head and kissed her, giving her a nuzzle before I drew back, brushing the soft mane from her eyes. “I’ll never forget you, Glimmer. We’ll remember you. May the goddess be with you.”

She waved a hoof at the door, “Go!”

I turned to leave, loosing off a bolt towards some movement at the end of the alley, grimly satisfied by the answering scream of pain. I took one last look back into the dark room. “Goodbye Glimmer,” I whispered, and galloped off into the eerie streets of the dead city.

Arrows and bolts flew past me as I turned corners at break leg speed, thanking Luna that I was able to get a grip on the gritty street surface. A broken leg here would more than likely mean death, rather than a few weeks in a Manehattan hospital being waited on by nurses and, on occasion, Meadow. Dear gods, when had been the last time I’d thought of her? Or Sparrow Song for that matter? I mentally kicked myself. Now was not the time to allow my mind to wander, damn it! I had to keep focussed and- Shit! Stepping out of what looked like an old shop frontage, an armoured thestral appeared in dark red striped armour. Definitely not one of ours, he saw me and immediately drew a long hafted weapon from his back. With a loud ‘click’, a long scythe-like blade flicked out and locked into place, white light glinting along its edge drawing my eye. He swung, the blade whooshing by as it sliced the air mere inches from the top of my head. Thanks be to Luna that I’d flattened my ears when I did or they’d have parted company from the rest of me in a flash. I certainly didn’t fancy losing any body parts in this world like I did in the last. I was rather attached to them to be honest, and I intended to keep them that way! Unfortunately my unexpected adversary seemed intent on the opposite, and if I didn’t do something quickly I’d have be in danger of having a much closer shave that any barber could give me. Grunting with the effort, he swung again and I rolled to one side just in the nick of time. My own blade, designed for close in work, allowed me to duck in under the thestrals swing. Without thinking I grabbed the hilt in my magic thrust upwards, straight between the armour plates and into his heart. He barely let out a sound as his still warm corpse slammed into the dusty ground. I took a chance and stole a glance at his armour before moving on. It was red and black painted crystal with a purple bulls head motif where a cutie mark would normally be on a pony. Something about it niggled at the edges of my memory, but I didn’t have time to be thinking about it right now. I had to get moving. Hopefully the others were having better luck than me and had already reached the centre of the city with Shadow, where they would be waiting for me to catch them up. Snorting, I took to my hooves and ran for all I was worth.

Hurtling up the deserted streets I caught glimpses of the platform. To be fair though it was impossible to miss. The thing was absolutely vast, with long, impossibly wide steps stretching up pristine sides to what looked like a simple flat summit. Whether something was going to be built there and construction had stopped for some reason, was most likely lost in the depths of time. But like so much of the thestral’s homeland I just couldn’t understand this place at all. The city was such a juxtaposition from the bird-like nests of the village that it was as if they had been built by completely different races, yet the thestrals clearly knew this place and had no fear of it. That being the case, why was it abandoned? None of it made sense, but then, neither did the thestrals. Something told me that I was going to have some very interesting evening conversations with Shadow when all this insanity was finally over. I only hoped she was safe with Thorn and the others. Following the back alley, I turned onto the main road where the dread sounds of battle carried to me on the breeze, echoing off the buildings like the ghosts of battles from long ago, doomed to repeat them for all eternity. And we were adding to their number. I raced around a corner and there, at the bottom of the steps, was a seething mass of armoured warriors, ducking, jumping, hacking, biting and slashing. Blasts of flame lanced out here and there in the unrestricted melee as diamond bladed weapons mercilessly sliced through flesh, muscle and bone. Ear splitting screams, shouts, neighs and snorts grew louder in my ears as I charged in, sword ready and eager. From deep down inside me my anger surged forth, searing away any trepidation I may have had. There was none. Not even fear could withstand the molten heat of battle. My friends needed me. Shadow needed me. The cries of the wounded, the bellows of the combatants, and the memory of Glimmer’s last agonising moments spurred me on to a need for battle. It was a desperate want for blood which normally would have terrified me. Now, it excited me and filled me with a heady sense of complete euphoria. It was all I could do to restrain the cold rage of the wendigo within me as it howled for release.

I gutted the first of them, sliding under him and slashing with my short-sword, his entrails, hot and steaming, spilled onto the ground like slick wet rope. He screamed, trying to hold onto his innards with his hooves as I rammed my sword up into his brain silencing him. Another armoured thestral swung one of those scythe blades at me. I ducked and took both his legs out in one swing, slashing his throat open as my blade twisted and was brought up into the yielding flesh. I couldn’t see who was fighting on our side for the tide of red and black armoured thestrals at the foot of the stairs. Whoever they were was being pushed up towards the summit, and my destination. Grimly, I swung, hacked and slashed with the short sword, carving my way towards them, the dead and dying marking my passage. The steps were becoming treacherous for hooves now, the blood soaked slabs slippery with gore. I had to use what purchase I could, to lose my balance would mean death here. Ironically I narrowly avoided being decapitated by the simple fortune of slipping on a thestral’s entrails, allowing a bolt to whistle past where my head had been only a split second earlier. I returned the favour, loosing a bolt straight into his open mouth, the shaft not stopping as it exited the back of his head and carrying skull fragments and brain matter out over the back of his armour. My eyes were wide, taking in every scintillating moment of the gruesome spectacle. It was…It was… delicious.

My sword and I became as one being, merging into a whirling, snarling, killing machine of magic, hoof and steel. Blood misted in the air and I could taste its rich iron on my tongue. I laughed as I slew my enemy upon the steps, always on the verge of releasing the power, always but a mere breath away from losing myself to it. It was bliss and torture combined, but it wasn’t time. Not yet. For now I sated my thirst in the blood of my enemies. And then, unexpectedly, the thestrals began to back away from me. Unable to reach me for the bodies of their dead and dying comrades, their eyes showed uncertainty, and some, the faint tinge of fear. At first I thought them afraid of me, but then from behind them came the bellow of something huge. Huge… and angry. The thestrals that couldn’t get out of the way in time were knocked flying by a hulking great beast from the pit, coming towards me like a runaway freight train. Half bull, half something else, the dark blue creature shook its huge horned head, flexing its claws, staring down at its intended victim - Me. Its beady eyes glared at me with a hatred born of insanity, as the creature lowered its head and bellowed a great blast of noise at me.

I lowered my sword and hung my head, laughing to myself. With a deep breath I looked up from under by brow, “You’re one ugly mother bucker, bully boy. Time for you to meet the butcher’s block.”

The minotaur took a half step back, cocking its head in confusion at my words before grabbing the severed head from a fallen thestral and pitching it at me like a hoofball. The throw was wild and missed me by a yard, the intention probably being to distract me from the huge axe it now produced from its back, the blade swiftly swinging downwards. I dodged the blow, jumped up and sliced my blade along the haft, removing several of the minotaur’s fingers. The hideous thing howled in rage and pain, then lowered its head and charged me with its lethally sharp horns. There was no way I could dodge in time. Levitating a thestral’s corpse, I slammed it into the things legs, taking them out from under it. The monstrous creature fell and slid at full tilt towards me. I leapt vertically, landing on its back and span round while grabbing one of the packages from my saddle bag. The minotaur, dazed and winded, started to push itself to its feet. But it was too late. Seizing the moment, I enveloped its head in my magic and slammed its skull against the stone steps as hard as I could. Again and again, I pounded the thing until its tongue lolled out and its eyes rolled up in its head. It wasn’t dead, just stunned, but it had been slowed enough for what I did next. Grabbing the creatures muzzle in my hooves, I wrenched its head back and plunged the pack of flashbug tubes into its steaming mouth and down to its throat. Releasing the minotaur’s head, I sent a small spark of flame down to the packaging material setting it alight and jumped off. The monstrous creature choked, clawing at its mouth and throat, trying to pull out the burning parcel but to no avail. It would only have delayed the inevitable anyway. I turned my back and walked off up the stairs as the flash bugs went to work. The resultant explosion rained pieces of skull, brain and flesh like a thunderstorm from hell around myself and the minotaur’s motionless comrades. Reaching down and picking up a fragment of bloodied skull which still had the horns attached, I turned and tossed it back down the stairs at the hooves of the stunned Thestrals.

Slowly, I licked the blade of my sword and smiled at them, “Come my friends, death is waiting for you. Will you keep him waiting?”

One of the Thestrals whinnied and retreated a few paces, the creature’s fear almost tangible. “Demon!” one of them cried and barged his way down the steps past the others who, one by one, began to back away.

I stood on my hind legs sheathing my sword and spotted something that I recognised poking out from under the corpse of its own. Picking up the particularly ornate scythe, I gave it a test swing. I smiled at the sound it made whistling through the air and swung it up and back, resting it on my shoulders as I turned to the thestrals below. “COME!” I roared, and moved toward them menacingly. It was all they needed. They turned and bolted, discarding their weapons as they went. I clicked my tongue in mock disappointment. “Looks like I’d better find some new playmates,” I chuckled. I shook my mane and snorted, looking up to the armoured warriors staring at me from the top of the stairs.

Thorn was sat on his haunches trying to stem the flow of blood from a shoulder wound while several other officers surrounded him, bloodied, burnt, and utterly spent. Before them a group of black and red armoured thestrals had turned to face me. All had stopped fighting to stare wide eyed at the newcomer, but I didn’t care, it was time to play and these would make fine playmates for my blade this day. It was like being in a dream, of dancing and of song. Shouts and screams of fear tantalised me as I cut them down with my scythe, just as a farmer cuts the fields of straw. I sang a wordless, meaningless song of joy and death while my blade did its thirsty work. Most fell, some tried to run, some lay dying - all knew that to oppose me was death. It was as it should be.

“CAPTAIN FAIRLIGHT!”

I could here a voice, a recognisable voice, calling my name. Was it my name? Yes… Yes, I think I was. I paused to kick the thestral from my sword, the creature’s blood shining seductively on the blade…

“Captain Fairlight, as your commanding officer, I order you to stand down. NOW!”

Who? I stood and stared at the body by hooves, and turned to face the one shouting at me. Shaking and gasping for breath in the cold air, my muzzle foaming, I stared at the wounded officer. Thorn? In a daze, I looked down at my hooves. They were black, black with blood. The scythe blade dripped with my victims gore, scraps of flesh and fur hanging from the haft. My armour, gouged and dented from blows I never even felt, let alone saw, was covered in grey brain matter and stained red blood. How much was of it was mine I had no idea. And yet, I felt… nothing. Nothing at all.

“My goddess, Equestrian. I would thank you for our rescue, but I… I have never seen the like.” The warrior I recognised as the reconnaissance squad sergeant, bobbed his head to me warily.

“I have.” Thorn stood, his attendant fussing over him as she applied bandages to his wounds. “Battle fever, blood rage, we had many names for it. Warriors lusted for it, but few achieved it. Thestral warriors could enter a blood rage but it was mostly common in wendigo.”

“What?! Wendigo?” the sergeant spluttered in surprise.

“Yes.” Thorn sounded thrilled yet to my surprise, also a little envious. “Have you not seen it this day with your very own eyes, sergeant? You may not believe my words but see! The proof lies before you, at our pony comrades hooves.”

The sergeant observed the carnage and looked back at me with an expression of wariness and even a tinge of fear. With a shake of his mane he sheathed his sword, “I don’t mind saying it, Equestrian, but you scare the shit out of me, let alone the enemy. I’m damned glad you’re on our side.”

Thorn gave a mirthless laugh, wincing as his shoulder shook. The medic tutted at him and reset the bandages. “Glimmer?” the commander asked.

I shook my head, “She was still alive when I left her, but not…” I drew a ragged breath, “She died saving me. She was a true warrior Storm Major. I promised her we would honour her when this is all over.”

“We will, Captain. We will. She was a good friend.” Thorn smiled faintly. “Tell me, Captain Fairlight of the Manehattan Watch,” he continued, leaning his foreleg on his thigh, “A warrior likes to leave a memory, a piece of advice for future generations that will be passed down from mother to daughter, from father to son. Did Glimmer tell you anything that you will be able to pass on to your foals?”

I nodded.

“Yes?” he asked me.

“Ears,” I mumbled.

“Sorry, Captain, I can’t hear you very well. Can you say that again?”

“Ears.”

“Ears?”Thorn frowned in confusion. “What about them?”

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Nibbling the ears ‘apparently’ drives mares crazy.”

I blushed and shuffled my hooves in the burning heat of embarrassment. There was a long, silent pause as the warriors before me absorbed the words, looking at each other in wonder. And then, like a bubble bursting, the moment was over. The Storm Major, his injury forgotten, threw back his head and roared with laughter, his comrades joining him. The joyful sound echoed across the cityscape spread out around us and I couldn’t help buy raise a smile. Glimmer’s ancestors didn’t know what was going to hit them.

********************

We climbed cautiously to the top of the platform, keeping pace with Thorn who was walking slowly with the aid of one of his troops. There wasn’t one of them who hadn’t been wounded, but they’d insisted on reaching the top before pausing for anything other than life saving medical aid. The poultices they had applied to the more serious of their wounds was a pungent blend of what appeared to be mushrooms or fungi of some kind. It stank to the high heavens but worked amazingly well, stemming blood loss quickly and covering the wound in a rubbery seal preventing any dirt ingress. I’d dipped a hoof in some when the medic offered a little to me in case I’d been hurt and I’d gladly dabbed a little onto the patchwork of cuts and burns I never realised I’d had until now. I have to say it was absolutely amazing. The odd concoction gave instant relief from pain and provided a cooling sensation that had me marvelling at some of the creations here in the Withers. Considering how barren the whole land seemed to be, there must be a hidden wealth of resources here which could be farmed or worked, like those handy white blob things that they made leather straps from. I felt a shiver run through me at the thought!

“Sir?” I asked politely as we climbed the stairs, “Is Shadow nearby or is she with another party?”

The old thestral gauged me with one of his fiery eyes and spoke levelly. “No, Captain. I fear the Lady Shadow is not with us. We lost sight of a lot of our people in the city.” He rubbed his eyes with a foreleg. “As much as it pains me to say, it would appear we have been betrayed. Our route here, and our plans, were known only to a select few. We had precious little time to concoct them in any case. All of our preparations were drawn up quickly in case of need, although there was always the chance that the duchess would have allowed you to leave.”

I doubted that. That old bitch Maelstrom was power crazed. I’d seen it in the way she attacked anypony, even her own family, to assert her complete dominance over the tribe. I’d thought at the time that maybe it was simply the thestral way of doing things, and that really I shouldn’t be judging them. After all, I was the outsider here whichever way you looked at it. ‘When in Roam’ and all that shtick. At least, that was what I’d thought until she’d struck Shadow. So maybe… nah, she was just a bitch. Personally, I’d love to return the sentiments to her before I left - once I’d found my Shadow of course. I could only pray to the goddesses that she was nearby waiting for me and would appear once she heard the sound of battle die away. I gritted my teeth and climbed. I had to have faith we would find her and we’d leave together, otherwise… I didn’t know what I’d do.

Painfully slowly we finally broached the top of the plateau with a combined sigh of relief. The others set about checking equipment, wounds and so on, whereas I stood there in open mouthed amazement staring out at the surreal scene. I’d never seen anything like it. Squinting against the glare from the immaculately polished surface, it was as if I was in another world. It stretched out before us, sparkling like a gigantic tabletop made of solid diamond: white, pure, unbroken, and radiating the feeling of a sleeping, hidden power, that was as faint and passing smile but infinitely alluring. This place was incredible! There were no signs of flagstones as I’d expected, nor were there seams or joints of any kind. It had to be a structure wrought of magic, and immensely powerful magic at that - the type written about in books that foals would read and marvel at. And here I was. Gods, I felt so small… The light from the surface reflected off our coats and we had to allow our eyes a moment to adjust to its glare. Looking up I saw… Dear Luna, it was the moon! The Equestrian moon! Shining like a massive light house in the dark seas of the sky I had begun to think I would never see it again, yet here it was in this most ethereal of places. A thought popped into my head and I took out my pendant. To my shock its bright light was now almost blinding, and it lifted out of my hoof to float towards the celestial orb high above. The little golden chain, thankfully, anchored the crystal to my neck and I went to place it back into my barding, trying to steady my racing heart.

“Great goddess…” came a voice thick with wonder next to me. It was the recon sergeant. “What is that?”

I held out the crystal for him to see, his eyes burning just as brightly as the others as they moved toward me in wonder. “It’s a beacon, a guide of sorts I suppose,” I explained. “It’s guided me all the way here. With your help. All of you.” I nodded to them. In all the time I’d been with these people, they had never questioned why they were doing what they were doing. The enormity of it was staggering. They had betrayed their ruler, fought and killed their own people, and all for a pony they didn’t even know.

Thorn spoke to the sergeant. “I saw it in Star Beard’s quarters. It glows when held in a certain direction. To here apparently. Useful, if this is your only destination.”

The sergeant gazed at the crystal for a moment longer then shrugged and walked away to sit on his haunches for a scratch. Very pony like, I thought. Good grief, I could even overlook the teeth now.

“Sir,” I asked, “who are the ones who attacked us? They don’t look like they’re from your tribe. The purple mark on the armour, the minotaur?”

Thorn sighed and nodded resignedly. “They’re the Earl’s warriors.”

“My goddesses,” I breathed. I suddenly realised what had been nagging at me since my first encounter with the one in the city below. “The Earl of the Purple Sands. Shadow’s betrothed.”

One of our party stood up, gazing up at the moon intently. “You’re going to be meeting him sooner than you think Equestrian. To arms, warriors of the Beyond. We’ve got company!”

Shading my eyes against the moon’s brightness, I could just about make out the flapping shapes approaching. There must have been dozens, if not hundreds of them, and they were getting closer. I felt a hoof on my shoulder and Thorn appeared.

“Listen, Captain,” he said gravely. “You are the one they want. You and the Lady Shadow. But make no mistake, we are all now hated equally in the eyes of our duchess. I don’t know if any of us will leave here alive this day, but I sincerely wish I could have brought you both here safely. I fear I may have failed you.”

I closed my eyes and smiled. “No, Thorn. You are the bravest and most noble warrior I have ever met, pony or thestral. You and your team have sacrificed your lives for a stallion you’d never met before. You’ve done what no other could, or would, have done to get us to this point. Whatever happens next, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” I took his hoof in mine and gave a single shake. “Thank you, Storm Major Thorn. It has been an honour serving with you.”

The scarred commander of the thestrals looked surprised and smiled a toothy grin, his white scar showing vivid against his skin. “And I thank you, Watch Captain Fairlight, for this final chance at glory for my kin.” He rose on his hind legs and the thestral warriors fanned out, weapons ready. “Brothers and sisters, we may die this day but our spirits will go to the land of our ancestors who will welcome us all as true warriors of the goddess. Honour to you all, warriors of the Beyond!”

Thorn let out a howling roar, followed by the others - a fanfare of defiance to the approaching horde. My feeble pony voice had nowhere near the strength and power of my comrades, but I added it to theirs nonetheless. This Equestrian would fight by their side and stain his blade with the blood his enemies until the very end. I thanked Luna that Shadow wasn’t here to witness what would surely be coming, and prayed that she was safe. As much as I missed her terribly, I knew too that whether in this world or the next, I would see her again. Soon I would be with my family, one way or another, and all of us would be as one. I would have a lot of explaining to do with Meadow. Oh, goddesses I was in for it now!

The sergeant clopped me on the rump, laughing as he hefted his axe. “You smile, Equestrian, good! You are a true warrior now. Happy are those who fight by their brothers side.”

“And their sisters!” called another voice from further back in the formation.

I laughed aloud, joining in the merriment of the tribe. I had never felt comradeship nor friendship like this since… home. Friendship truly was magic.

With a blast of wind and the shudder of hooves landing on the plateau a good distance from us, the earl’s troops readied themselves for battle. Arrayed in ranks several deep with their blood red banners emblazoned with a purple bull’s head flapping lazily over the heads of the standard bearers, they stood in silence. Waiting. I adjusted my barding, scythe glittering in the moonlight, my brothers and sisters with me by my side. We too waited for what was to come. With the crack of a whip, a thestral driven sky chariot swooped low over the plateau and above our heads, giving me a clear view of the being within. As it passed by a pair of beady yellow eyes in a huge bulls face stared down with undisguised hatred. Dressed in what looked like furs, the minotaur cried out a hideous bellow which was echoed by his troops who began banging their spears on the ground in unison. It was quite impressive, if a little theatrical, but I had the impression it was more to psych themselves up for battle rather than to intimidate us. If that had been their intention however, it had failed hopelessly judging by the smirk on Thorn’s face. The sky chariot swept over us and banked, landing in a clatter of hooves and creaking wood. The chariot itself looked like it had originated from Equestria judging by its design, with modifications to accommodate the bulk of the gargantuan thing inside. No doubt the earl himself was paying us a visit. He pulled himself out of his conveyance which quickly took to the air, landing far back behind his massed troops, and well out of crossbow bolt range. Perish the thought we’d damage the upholstery…

The earl’s cloak caught the wind and flew out, revealing the massive musculature of the minotaur beneath. His horns, polished to a near mirror finish, shone brightly. There was no show about those things, their lethal points could doubtless disembowel a pony effortlessly. By the looks of his cloak, he’d managed to do that more than once already too. The macabre thing was an assemblage of thestral and pony hides, sewn into a grotesque robe of his defeated enemies. Cutie marks, faded and old were still quite visible. But I didn’t feel any fear at the sight. Instead I felt a pang of hunger in my chest, a flash of pain for my fellow ponies, but something more… A desire for vengeance. I watched as the earl lifted his cloak and inhaled of the hides deeply, eyes closed in obvious pleasure, a gratuitous display of intimidation which failed to have the slightest noticeable effect on Thorn’s team.

A voice rang out from our ranks. “Time for some more of your ‘bull’ shit your Earlship?”

Sniggers and laughter rang out from the hardened veterans. Amusingly I noticed that even some of the earl’s own troops were chuckling at the cheeky jibe.

Undaunted, the great beast bared its teeth, scanning the line of warriors one by one until its eyes caught mine. With a snort from those giant nostrils of his, the earl howled his words at me. “YOU!” He pointed a brown clawed digit at me. “Where is my betrothed you cursed thief pony?”

I took a step forward and looked him in the eye. “Don’t you know, Earl?” I grinned. “My, my, you really are careless aren’t you?!” I don’t know when I’d started delighting in antagonising my opponents, especially ones with hooves that could crack a pony’s head like an egg, but it had the desired effect. My comrades shook with laughter whilst the earl’s face turned a deep shade of scarlet.

“WHERE IS SHE?” he roared. “I WILL NOT ASK AGAIN, PONY.”

The words were like a sonic attack on my ears. I thought I’d become immune to the denizens of the Withers and their ability to speak deafeningly into my poor old brain, but this two legged leviathan was a walking fog-horn. The translation thing in my ear had done sterling service, but I half expected it to explode with this hairy clowns deafening racket. I opened my mouth to speak, my grip on the scythe tightening as I did so. The earl noticed it too. The beast was coiling like a spring ready to release, and I knew with deadly certainty that if I didn’t meet his charge, my hide would end up as the latest patches on that goddess damned cloak. Before I had a chance to speak though, there was a loud commotion from behind the earl’s warriors, drawing everyponies attention. Momentarily forgotten, the earl turned his back to me and I had to refrain from seizing the opportunity to attack. It set in me the grain of hope that maybe, just maybe… we could all just walk away from this. Some hope, I thought to myself sarcastically as the huge form of a familiar deep green thestral mare rose over the plateau followed by the equally familiar shape of Far Sight and, bringing up the rear, an enclosed sky carriage that landed next to them. All very dramatic, I pondered, but even so an icy chill tingled down my spine. Events were rapidly reaching their zenith but I would be damned if I was going to be carried along helplessly like a leaf on the river. For now though, I waited for the duchess to speak.

“Hold, my most gracious Earl. Please, I beg you, stay your hoof!” The old girl sounded breathless. Perhaps she was a little out of shape after all?

The earl stood where he was and rumbled his reply. “The thief is here, Duchess. He has stolen my betrothed. Where is she?”

The duchess gave a startled snort, “Yes, yes, I understand your impatience, my dear earl. But before that there is the matter of the treaty which-”

The earls face darkened, “-THERE WILL BE NO TREATY, FEMALE, UNLESS YOU FULFIL YOUR SIDE OF THE AGREEMENT!” Goddesses, that noise!

The duchess recoiled from the minotaur’s bellowed words but quickly regained her composure. “But my dear Earl, I have fulfilled our agreement. Here, see for yourself...”

She held out a hoof to the carriage door which a cloaked attendant hurried to open. My heart skipped a beat and I felt a wave of cold realisation flush through me at what came next. Slowly, warily, a slender black leg emerged from the darkened interior. Muzzled, wings bound, hobbled to prevent escape, Shadow followed, stumbling onto the white flat stone of the plateau. I felt a huge pulling sensation deep inside my chest, all the while choking back my desire to call her name. I didn’t want her to see this.

“Here is your gift from the people of the Beyond!” The duchess smiled expansively and spoke once more to the minotaur who continued to glower at the new arrival. “Now my dear Earl, the treaty…?”

The minotaur leaned down, sniffing at Shadow and growled low. “She stinks of the pony. She has been tainted and is useless to me now. There will be no trade agreement.”

“WHAT?!” Maelstrom screamed, grabbing at Shadow roughly. She pulled her muzzle towards her, staring into her daughter’s eyes. Shadow looked back, unmoving. Roughly, her mother released her and with a gasp of shock, shouted out her rage in a gout of steam. “You… you filthy little whore! You’ve lain with that stinking, filthy… HORSE!” There was that word again. By Luna, I didn’t like this mare one little bit, and I didn’t like where this was leading either. She was a vicious bitch who even her husband had little sway with, and I wouldn’t put anything past her. Sure enough, Maelstrom turned to me, grabbing her daughter around the throat. Far Sight rumbled low threateningly, steam pouring from his muzzle as he advanced towards his wife, but she ignored him as her rage boiled over. “She’s ruined now,” she snarled. “You… you filth! All those years of planning, grooming, training. Ruined. All ruined, because of a damned Celestian! Damn you and all your kind to the deepest circles of hell!” The duchess was incandescent with rage. All reason and sanity disappearing like the steam wisping from her maw. She smiled, shaking as the insanity took her. “Well… Well my dear sweet one… Sweet, sweet Shadow. I hope we meet again in ‘pleasanter’ times. You can go to be with your sister now…” A flash of sparkling diamond filled my vision as the duchess took a dagger to Shadow’s throat. I screamed in fury and charged at the same time my vision turned white, a jet of flame like a surgeon’s scalpel burning across the duchess’s chest and foreleg. The dagger clattered to the ground where it was kicked away by Far Sight, flames and smoke licking up the side of his muzzle.

“You go too far wife!” he hissed in barely controlled fury, whilst Maelstrom stood staring at her leg like she’d been poleaxed. At her father’s command, Shadow was quickly collected by two cloaked ponies and had her bonds removed. She was shaking in fright and, knowing Shadow, a healthy dose of anger too.

“PITIFUL.” The earl turned his back on the scene to face me, leaving the broken duchess sobbing in outrage and shame while her husband put a protective wing around her. Far Sight looked over to me and nodded slowly. Taking this as her chance, Shadow broke free of her assistant, looking about herself frantically before she saw me. We locked eyes. The black mare’s nostrils flared and she prepared to come full gallop just as another cloaked pony stepped in front of her, pulling her up short. The two spoke briefly and Shadow’s face looked towards me in utter desperation before nodding and walking slowly, head down, back to the sky carriage.

The sound of heavy hooves clopping on the hard surface pulled at my attention. “NOW, PONY, WE WILL FINISH THIS CHARADE. YOU HUMILIATE ME, AND I ANNIHILATEYOU!” The earl’s furious words made the dust dance around him.

“Oh dear,” I smiled. “I really don’t think so.”

Thorn shouted to me, “Now, Captain! Your moment is here. Seize your glory!”

If a pony had shouted that to me at any other time I would probably have cringed in embarrassment. But as my old mentor once told me, it was all about timing. Timing and context. I breathed in several times, calming my heart, gently sensing for the cold anger inside. Like a frightened cat it backed away into the dark, and for an instant I feared I wouldn’t be able to achieve my goal. I

breathed slowly, all the while easing the storm inside, holding out an invisible hoof to it, teasing it, promising it all it wanted to fulfil its needs. ‘Come,’ I thought at it. ‘A banquet await us. Will you let me feast alone?’ I felt a movement, virtually imperceptible, but I could feel the restraints I’d put on it relinquish their grasp. Slowly, the tiny icy feeling sent questing tendrils out to my consciousness. ‘Come,’ I said to the darkness, ‘Let us be one again. We are halves of one whole are we not? Join me in the symphony now and bring our foe to the feast of death.’

A bare whisper answered, ‘Yes.’ Again a moment later, stronger, ‘Yes.’ The cold wall suddenly burst free of its restraints and flooded through me in howling flood, sending a rush of ice and fire through my body that made me gasp out loud…

“YES!”

I cried out to the night sky, my heart soaring on a wave of euphoria and anger. Cold, black vengeance, retribution for the fallen - it was all waiting for me. My rattling cry of pain and despair howled out across the plateau, my wings bursting forth from my back and snapping out to show their magnificent, terrible beauty to the world. I growled low and loud, the thick white mist beginning to pour like liquid cloud from my teeth. My vision became tinged in blue, my eyesight becoming impossibly clear. Every detail of my surroundings, every smell, every sound, the tiniest of movements, were as an open book to my senses. My hooves were the bringers of thunder, my teeth would rend, my fire would burn. There was time to kill…

The minotaur dragged a giant axe from its back as it yelled a terrible battle cry and charged me, horns down. With a single beat of my wings I flew up into the dark sky, my white coat and blue mane shining brightly in the moonlight. I hissed my defiance and swept down, plumes of white cloud shrouding my flanks making me appear like a comet from the heavens, howling down to sunder the earth. The Minotaur swung his mighty axe but I was too quick for his lumbering frame and I released a blast of blue fire from my horn straight for his chest. Surprisingly fast for such a monster, he twisted and my attack glanced across his chest flensing his flesh and drawing a shout of pain.

“COWARD!” he bellowed, stopping and lowering his axe to the ground. “YOU FLY WITH YOUR MAGIC, AFRAID TO FACE ME. YOU ARE LIKE EVERY OTHER CELESTIAN WORM I HAVE EVER KNOWN. YOU HAVE NO HONOUR.”

I came to a halt, my wings beating steadily. He was wrong. I was no coward. I was a pony of Equestria, a captain in the service of their royal highnesses. I would kill this animal, claim my mate, and return home. We all would return home. Except… him. I called to the Earl with my Wendigo voice, cold and otherworldly. “Very well…”

“By the goddess’s arse, Fairlight, don’t do it, it’s what he wants!” Thorn shouted up at me from below. “Take the bastard out with your magic.”

I understood. Victory was victory no matter how you achieved it. I flew down to him and recovered my scythe, turning to my commander as he regarded me with wide eyes. “The ends justify the means eh, sir?” I hissed, feeling the weight of the scythe in my magical grip.

He looked at me, the faintest of tears and a far away look in his old eyes. I could almost see the images of his son, Nimbus, nailed to pieces of crystalline wood.

“No, Captain,” Thorn said quietly. “Not always.”

I nodded and turned my face to the minotaur, my blue eyes reflected in the blade of his axe. The creature laughed expansively, “FOOL! You cannot defeat me! I have been in over a hundred battles!”

“Oh don’t worry, bully,” I retorted. “You can’t lose all the time.”

The earl screamed in a red haze of fury and ran at me full tilt, swinging the axe like it weighed no more than a feather. I deflected it with the scythe and span, cutting up and round, slicing through the vile creatures thigh and side. In reply his axe swept down, cleaving through my flank, leaving a trail of silvery blood pouring down my leg. He was a lot faster than I’d given him credit for. But no matter. We circled each other, everything and everypony else forgotten. Our sole focus now was on cutting down the other. Nothing else mattered. I felt the exhilaration of combat sizzling through me, almost but never quite overwhelming my conscious mind. I was floating in a sea of calm, dead calm, the waters around me surging and boiling, the white wind flowing and crying out for release. Inside the eye of the storm I controlled it all, working the flow of power and anger. I was the conductor of an orchestra of destruction. I was the bringer of woe, the maker of widows, and the harbinger of death. I cried out into the storm and the wind flew free.

The minotaur lifted his axe above his head and brought it down with a bone splitting strike that would have cleaved me in two. Whirling around him my scythe flashed and struck, blood blossoming where it drew back, only to strike once more. It barely phased him. An unstoppable mountain of muscle and rage, the earl snarled and tried to grab my mane, screaming in pain as his fingers froze when they barely brushed my body. Incensed with agony and fury, he lowered his head and charged, horns glinting with deadly purpose. I barely dodged his attack, his horns grazing my foreleg and drawing forth more shining blood. Even as his horns froze in shining blue-white ice, he swept the great axe at me and I pulled out all my speed to block the heavy weapon away from gutting me. I wasn’t quite quick enough. The blade nicked a piece of flesh from my rump and I gritted my teeth against the pain, dropping the scythe and pulled the short-sword from its sheath. The hulking creature, blood streaming from its many wounds, threw his ruined weapon on the ground and ran at me, bloodied clawed arms outstretched, screaming his hate and bloodlust as he came. I stood my ground, waiting for the right moment. He was almost on me as I arrowed the sword straight into his throat. Staggering off target he reached up and yanked the sword free, tossing it like a toy across the white ground towards the watching thestrals. The earl gagged, choking on his own blood and turned to glare at me with his cold hard bullish eyes while I took up my scythe, power seething through me in a cascade. I was beyond ecstasy. The end was near now. So near I could taste it. And I would - I would drink deep this day,

“Oh, Earl,” I hissed, the cold of the north wind in my voice, mist dripping, steaming onto the plateau’s solid ground. “No more running. No more games. Time... to play.”

I took my fighting stance as he came at me, a final rush that would leave one of us lifeless at the dead centre of the city of ghosts. Time slowed and I took in every movement of his muscles, the steam blasting from his nostrils, the blood seeping from his wounds. The claws, several broken away by the frozen touch of my body, reached for me. His mind was gone, and any thought of the injuries he would receive in grappling me meant nothing to him now - only my death at his claws. I waited, reaching out with my magic, bringing the scythe to my hooves. With an animalistic cry, time snapped back on track and the Earl of Purple Sands stumbled to a halt. A line of blood spilled from his neck to his waist. The life sparked in his eyes, then went out, the two halves of his body slipping wetly to the now blood slicked ground.

It was over.

I dropped the scythe from my hooves and stood over the defeated enemy. My breath slowed, I closed my eyes, and opened my mist dripping maw, breathing in the delectable aroma. It was time to feed. To the victor, the spoils...

Silence fell across the city like a shroud. I sat back on my haunches, my hunger satisfied. After what felt like hours I opened my eyes and looked upon the shrivelled ruin of the Earl of Purple Sands. What was left of him. Lifting the scythe I cut the thong holding the hideous cloak to his remains and brought it up so I could take a closer look at it. I was right, it was covered in cutie marks. They were old, faded, but had been unique and special to the victims of the vile creature from years gone by as they would be to any pony today. Dark red, purple, black, and green tinged thestral hides contributed to this abomination before me. I rolled it up and held it in the air with my magic before incinerating it with a pulse of blue fire. The burning cloak filled the air with the stink of hair and skin, sending black smoke up into the sky, covering the face of the moon.

I lifted my head to look to the symbol of the goddess. “Luna, princess of the night, goddess of our dreams, hear my prayer. Your children are coming home.”

Tears stung my eyes and tiny crystals of silver rolled down my face to land on the ground like hail. A light nuzzle against my neck brought me back to look into my lover’s eyes. Shadow smiled shyly and licked my cheek. I leaned into her and spread a wing across her back, feeling her warmth against my hide and felt the pain in my heart lessen with every heartbeat.

A familiar voice echoed out across the vastness of the plateau from behind the Duchess who was still weeping into her husbands chest as he cradled her. A broken doll she may be at present, but I had no doubt that the stern thestral inside would return some day. Hopefully, her children and husband would help her to become more - to be a better ruler.

“This is nice isn’t it? Everyone here then I take it?” A cloaked thestral emerged from the covered sky carriage and trotted over with Ember who kept several steps behind him and her head down.

I looked at Star Beard and smiled, “Impeccable timing my friend.”

He shrugged, changing from Thestral to Equestrian effortlessly. “Well, mmm, not really. I was quite tired galloping about after everyone you know and, well, I may have had a little snooze in the carriage… um.” He gave himself a shake. “Still, everything seems to be in hoof, eh? Like the look by the way. Very… ‘you’.”

Thorn trotted over with his warriors. The late earl’s troops may as well have been invisible for all the attention they paid them. “You old donkey fart!” he laughed. “I thought you’d finally been done in! Thank the goddess you’re alive.”

Star Beard clopped hooves with the Storm Major and pulled him into an embrace. “I missed you too, my son.”

Wait… Thorn was Star Beard’s son? Bloody hell, just how old was he?! I remembered him explaining how time was different between here and the mortal world, but somewhere between fighting wars, he’d fathered Storm Major Thorn and, quite a bit later judging by the age difference, the duchess. I wondered just how many of the tribe the randy old sod had spawned. Wait a minute, that meant… If Shadow was my mate, then she was the daughter of the duchess which makes him-

“You’ve been busy I see, grandson,” Star Beard said happily, nudging me with his nose. “Long time no see, eh? Hope you’ve been taking good care of my granddaughter.”

“Star Beard-” I began, but he stopped me with a raised hoof.

“We have guests, fillies and gentlecolts,” the old thestral pointed out, gesturing to Thorn and his officers. “We must attend to our duties. It would be rude not to now, wouldn’t it?”

Star Beard nudged Shadow and myself into following him out in front of the confused looking warriors from Purple Sands. Their commander dead before them, they looked to have lost their will to fight as well as any idea as to what to do now. With a flourish, the old thestral unclipped his cloak, revealing another underneath. I recognised it from the secret room beneath the hill. It was a floor length dark blue cloak, a little mouldy looking, but serviceable. Silver crescents and stars were sewn into it and, oddly, brass bells which tinkled as he straightened himself out. He fussed a moment longer, pulling out a huge blue hat in the same outrageous style as the cloak from the depths of his saddle bag and plopped it on his head. Ember fussed with his garments until she was satisfied. He smiled and nodded to her and she backed away coyly.

Clearing his throat, Star Beard addressed the massed warriors. “Warriors of the Purple Sands, who speaks for you now that your earl has been defeated in honourable combat?”

A tall Thestral in black and red striped armour and sporting several white stripes on his helmet stepped forward. “I do. I am Captain Light Step of the tribe of Purple Sands.”

“Do you speak for all your people, Captain?” Star Beard asked.

“I can,” the warrior replied. “The earl is dead and his only heir is also slain.” I nodded as the thestral dipped his head in my direction.

Star Beard bobbed his head in understanding. “Captain, the ancient agreements of our peoples still bind us. By the laws of the goddess, your tribe now belongs to this warrior.” I nearly fell over backwards when Star Beard pointed his hoof at me.

“But… Elder,” Light Step stuttered, “He is not a thestral, nor even a pony! I… I do not know what he is. How can he lead us, such a… a demon?”

“A demon?!” Star Beard laughed out laughing and clopped the captain on the shoulder, “Oh come on now my dear fellow, don’t you know a wendigo when you see one?”

Everypony broke out in shocked mutterings and nervous movements all around me. Goddesses, I hated being the centre of attention and I could feel myself blushing slightly. How that looked on a white ‘demonic’ being with a blue mane and tail, not to mention leaking white fog everywhere, was anyponies guess. I certainly had an effect on the thestrals here though.

“They are extinct!” Light Step announced suddenly, rallying himself. “How can you say this one is a warrior of the goddess when none of them have been seen since the Return ? My people-”

“-Your people will know when they see a wendigo, Captain, as you did when he slew your despicable Earl.” Star Beard’s authoritative tone rolled out across the plateau brooking no dissent. “Where were you looking when the blue fire burned the sky? Where were you when the breath of the princess of the night caressed the ground? You have heard the war cry of our goddess here today, and you still say they are… extinct?!”

Light Step’s head dropped, “I… Elder…I’m sorry, it’s all…”

Star Beard put a hoof on the stricken captain. “I know my boy. In truth I couldn’t believe it myself at first, but here he is before you. Speak with him now. Go on, he doesn’t bite.”

The captain nervously stepped up to me, his eyes full of uncertainty and fear, but still carrying a touch of pride. “My Lord…” he began.

I stomped a hoof, making him wince. “I am not your Lord, Captain.” My voice flowed from my maw like wind gusting across a glacier, “You are a thestral, proud and strong, a warrior of the goddess of the moon. Hold your head high, my brother.” The captain stared up at me, his eyes wide. I stood tall, addressing them all. “I have fulfilled the terms of the agreement with the tribe of the Beyond. From this day forth, I decree that both tribes will be as one – whole, as they once were and shall be again. Be as one under the moon of the goddess.”

Shocked silence met me.

“I am leaving this land my brothers and sisters. I cannot say if I can return or not, but know this: All of you share a bond with me now, one forged in the heat of battle. We have fought and bled upon the land of the ancestors, and that is a bond that can never be broken.” I turned to the duke. “LORD FAR SIGHT!” I called, and the great thestral landed beside me, shaking his long mane. “Your warriors await your orders, my father. For now, I must beg your leave.”

Far Sight stared at me intently for a moment before smiling and giving me a sly wink with those big red eyes of his. With a sweep of his great wings, he turned to join to Light Step and Thorn. As for myself, I walked away with Shadow and Star Beard, leaving the old soldiers to discuss the future of the two tribes. Whether things would last, whether they would be able to put centuries of division aside and forge a new future together, was in their hooves now. I quietly prayed to Luna it would be so. We followed Star Beard past the milling thestrals, their old rivalries apparently set aside along with their stacked weapons as they joined their new friends to drink, smoke, gamble, and all the other things familiar to warriors of any race. If this was how easy it was to get the two sides talking to one another, then perhaps there really was hope. And then we passed the huddled form of the duchess and headed down the steps behind her. Spotting me she gave a terrified cry and scuttled away from us, from me, with a foreleg over her face. “Demon!” she hissed. “To think my daughter… with you… Demon! Back to the pit with you… demon…”

Star Beard craned his head round sadly and spoke to me in a hushed tone. “Don’t worry about her my young friend, I will see she is tended to. It’s all been a little too much for the poor girl.”

I glanced back to the duchess who squeaked in alarm when she noticed me looking at her and covered her face with a wing. I hoped Star Beard knew what he was doing. The duchess looked like she needed a little more than simply ‘tending to’. Shadow and I followed the eccentric old thestral into a large building with a crescent moon carved on the door lintel. Nopony had been in here for a long time by the looks of things, and our hoof prints were the only ones visible in the dust on the solid floor. Apparently they didn’t believe in carpets here. The building itself was built, like the rest of the city, in that solid white crystal giving the observer the feeling of being inside a cube of ice but without the chill. And speaking of chilly, I’d noticed on my breakneck journey through the empty streets a distinct lack of doors, glass for the windows, in fact furniture of any kind. It was almost as if the city was a blueprint, a plan for something that never truly happened. There was certainly no sign of decay, wear, or life of any description. There was one pony who I knew held the key to this mystery though, and he was a few feet in front of me wearing a relic from equestrian history.

“Star Beard,” I asked, “or should I call you ‘Starswirl the Bearded’. You knew what was going to happen today, didn’t you?”

He stopped in his tracks. Without turning he spoke, “My dear boy, I’m not a pony you know. I’d have thought you’d have realised that by now. The glowing eyes and teeth are a bit of a give away, wouldn’t you say?” His voice was level and had an almost dangerous note to it compared to his usual manner of speaking.

I pressed on regardless. “The cloak, the hat, the secret room full of Equestrian artefacts in a world like this? How old are you, what, like a thousand years or more?” I wanted answers before I left this place, probably forever.

Star Beard smiled, but it never reached his eyes. “You have a right to ask questions, Fairlight. After all, Equestrians have always been an inquisitive species. But I cannot answer them all. You will just have to accept that I have my reasons, why I can’t. Think of it as a promise to a friend, from long ago.” He slowly turned to face me. “And you, my pony friend, will also have to bear in mind that no pony, not even the goddesses themselves can know everything. That friend of mine I mentioned, he tried, and spent the best part of his life searching for the answers to magic, to life, even to death. He found some, true, but not all that he desired to know. And it was that same passion for knowledge that slowly consumed him until, one day, he simply stopped. He realised that sometimes the answers we seek are not always there ones we should, or want, to hear. And so he came to us here in the Wither World. He spent many years helping our people, teaching us, helping us to become more than the brutish, warlike animals we were. There is still a lot to do to continue his good works, but I am old, Fairlight. As you said - very old.”

“The cloak and hat belonged to this ‘friend’?” I asked inquisitively.

Star Beard nodded. “Yes, Fairlight, they belonged to him. Oh, I dare say that he had more than one set of clothes of course, but now, sadly, he is no longer with us. So it falls to his, shall we say, protégé to follow in his hoof steps. My adopted name is my homage to him, to help us remember what he did for us.”

“But you’re not a unicorn!” I blurted, regretting my thoughtless words the moment they left my mouth.

Star Beard looked past me into a memory only he could see. “No. I’m a thestral, like the rest of my people. However, we all have a magic within us, Fairlight, be you a unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, thestral, or even, yes, a minotaur. Aren’t you taught that any more in your world?”

I hung my head in shame, “I… I don’t know.” I swallowed my pride and cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, Star Beard, I shouldn’t have pushed you for answers and now I’ve made you remember painful memories.”

Star Beard shook his mane and looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression. “Painful? Goodness me, no! If my mentor hadn’t have come here I’d never have had the chance to wear such an amazing cloak and hat!” He suddenly pranced around the empty room making the bells jingle and tinkle, striking ludicrous poses. Shadow laughed, and I looked into her face as she held her hoof to her mouth, red eyes sparkling with mirth. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing with her at the old thestrals antics. Star Beard was definitely more than a little strange and secretive, but I knew in my heart that he was the best chance we had of getting out of here and I would put my trust in him completely.