Fairlight - The Fortress of the Four Winds

by Bluespectre

Chapter Ten - That which lives beneath the hill

CHAPTER TEN

THAT WHICH LIVES BENEATH THE HILL

All of my thoughts, the doubts, the fears, even my optimism, I suppressed now, focussing everything on one single goal – to find Shadow. The pendant’s light was leading me north-east, skirting past the mountains and up over the farthest reaches of the Everfree forest. I’d released a lot of my strength now, focussing on flight only. To anypony watching I probably looked like one of those batponies, the ones Luna employed as her personal guards. My eyes were different of course, but fortunately so few equestrians had ever seen one of the reclusive creatures that I could probably get away with the impersonation if push came to shove. I had the transformation collar with me just in case, however it was only intended to change you to a unicorn or earth pony - pegasi were beyond its design. Must be the wings I suppose. In any case, it was not only thoughtful of Mitre to ‘loan’ me the thing, it could very well prove to be invaluable in the days ahead. I wonder if it could make me look like Celestia? Now that would be a trick I’d like see! If I covered up my flanks I could just roll up at one of the village taverns and be like ‘Two beers and one of your largest chocolate cakes, my good stallion!’ The looks on their faces would be absolutely priceless! Ah, we can but dream.

I rolled lazily through the sky, sensing how the wind reacted to every small tilt of my wings. The seemingly endless panorama of dark green trees spread out in all directions, with a few dense black clouds scudding across the cloud layer below. Up here though, the air was clean and crisp, with the warm sun high above me in a perfect blue sky. By all the gods, this was the life! It was if Equestria itself was blessing me, adding speed to my flight and rolling out a world of adventure to explore. For the first time in I don’t know how long, I felt incredibly alive. I banked and rolled, stretching out my wings in the sunlight. This was the first chance I’d had to really try them out properly and get a ‘feel’ for flying without being under pressure. Most of the time, Tingles and I had been struggling to get from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’ and I was certainly no experienced flier to be sure, but now… now I could really cut loose. Surprisingly, it was a lot easier than I’d thought. My earth bound mind was the biggest barrier I’d had to overcome, and trying to readjust it to understanding that barrel rolling and looping was perfectly normal had been unsettling. Occasionally I still felt a little lurch of nausea, though that was settling down now thank goodness. At first the stomach gripping sensation happened mostly when I lost sight of the ground. Now, it really only tended to affect me when I pushed myself to make hard manoeuvres and ended up not being able to tell up from down. Still, I felt I was beginning to get the hang of this now, and perhaps even starting to enjoy it. I pulled in my wings and dove, snapping them out just before I plunged into the clouds. Skimming over the fluffy white pillows of vapour, I trailed my hooves through them like a baker’s spoon through meringue, leaving thin trails in my wake. Oh, hell yeah! I could have been a pegasus alright! I bet that with practice before long I could match even that multi-coloured filly in Ponyville for aerobatic skill. She was the one with the designer hair, wasn’t she? Yeah… Yeah, I remember! I’d overheard some of girls chatting in the street one day, explaining that it was natural. Ha! What a load of rubbish, there was no way it could be. Mind you, she must have had one hell of a stylist. Either that or her mother must have been on some major narcotics when she was pregnant with her. I laughed out loud, swooping down to skim over the cloud tops. Goddesses, this was great!

Time passed quickly above the clouds, especially with my newly developed passion for trying out different flying manoeuvres. The sun however, seemed intent on spoiling my fun for the day and was already beginning to dip towards the horizon. Soon, Luna would be sending up her moon and the first day of my journey would be nothing more than a memory. At least it would be a good one for once. I stretched myself out and groaned. I had no idea what time it was, dad’s old watch was secured in a pocket I couldn’t easily reach, but regardless, I was starting to feel more than a little fatigued now and began to look for a resting place for the night. Yawning, I smacked my lips; definitely time to find a spot to land.

Below me the forest had thinned out to rolling lush grassland with a winding narrow river that twinkled merrily in the sunlight. From up here I could see the land was actually in a very wide, shallow valley, home to a number of small houses and outlying farms. An expansive cherry orchard nearby looked like a nice spot to come in for a discreet landing, and I dipped below the tree line with a practical, if not exactly elegant, re-acquaintance with good old terra firma. As much as I enjoyed flying though, it was definitely a pleasure to feel solid ground beneath my hooves once again, and my stomach was already beginning to rumble in expectation of food. Speaking of which, the faint whiff of something cooking drifted across the orchard, tickling my nose. I wonder… I could dip into my supplies and sleep out under the stars of course, but why do that what I could pay my way for a hot meal and decent bed? Country folk were normally a welcoming lot with travellers, especially when they were getting paid. You just had to make sure you didn’t outstay your welcome with them. I slipped on the transformation collar and threw my cloak over my back, letting my magic retreat back to reveal a… bright red unicorn? I felt my horn and stared down at my foreleg. Hell, why not! Peering at myself in the reflection from a bucket of water that sat nearby, I turned this way and that to admire the incredible transformation. A bright yellow tail, mane, and green eyes completed the ensemble. Not very imaginative I suppose, but at least I looked nothing like my normal self. Adjusting my equipment, I trotted up to the nearest farm building. It was a neat, if somewhat practical affair, built from heavy white wooden beams with burgundy panelling. A few tubs of flowers had been arranged outside that made it look more homely, suggesting that whoever lived here had a sense of taste as well as practicality. The property was warmly lit too. Behind the curtains I could see the shadows of several ponies moving about inside, while the sound of laughter rang out in the quiet country air. I took a breath, neatened my mane, and knocked. The sound inside died away a moment later as hoofsteps approached the front door. I heard the latch lift and a face appeared in the spill of light.

“Hello, can I help you?” the cream coated, burgundy haired earth pony mare asked curiously. She had a lovely, warm country accent that reminded me of home, a roaring fire, and good old fashioned home cooking.

“Good evening ma’am,” I nodded politely. “I’m looking for a place to stop for the night, and food if possible. I’m willing to pay if you have a spare place for me.”

She eyed me up and down. “A pony in need, huh? Let me ask my boys.”

The door closed and the murmur of discussion could be heard from the room beyond. It was a damned shame I couldn’t hear it, but at least I didn’t have to wait long. The door opened again and a bulky strawberry red and white stallion appeared, chewing on a length of tobacco.

“You looking for work?”

“No, sir,” I replied politely. “Just a place to sleep for the night. Food too if there is any spare. I can pay.”

“Yeah...” He spat a black gobbet of the tobacco juice onto the ground. “Reckon you can use the barn.” The big fellow jerked his head in the direction of the large red painted building standing nearby. “Two bits okay, lad?”

“Sure thing,” I nodded.

I fished two bits out of my bag and tossed them to him, which he deftly caught in his jacket pocket. Now that was a neat trick I wish I could learn!

He shouted over his shoulder, “Hattie? Bring the lad some food will ya?”

I waited patiently while the stallion just stood there… chewing. Gods, it turned my stomach! It was a bloody awful habit and one I’d never seen the appeal in. One of my pals at school had offered me some once and, being the adventurous sort that I was, I’d given it a go. Unfortunately my adventure ended rather prematurely when I violently threw up my stomach contents into the waste paper basket, much to the amusement of my ‘friends’. The stallion in front of me now must have had a stomach lined in lead. Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken by ‘Hattie’ reappearing with a plate of stew balanced on her back.

“Thank you, ma’am, sir. I’ll be away at first light, so I’ll leave the dishes by the door.” I nodded gratefully and levitated the plate steaming goodness away, heading for the barn and a well deserved rest.

Well now, that was nice and easy. Apparently money really did talk, even out in the sticks. Mind you, two bits? Cheap too! You’d be lucky to get a cup of tea in the city for that. I suppose it didn’t really cost these guys anything though, but a hot meal, shelter, and peace and quiet were just the ticket for a tired pony. It would eke out my supplies a touch longer too, and make my first night away from home that little bit more tolerable. Hell, if I could live in a sewer, I was damned sure I could sleep in a pile of straw for the night. The door to the barn was open ever so slightly, and I was able to slip inside to investigate my shelter for the night. The interior was dark, but a lantern hanging up from a hook fizzed into life with a little tinkering and the application of a touch of flame from my horn. A ladder stood at the bottom of the hayloft and gave access to my evening’s perch. Ha, you had to admire country folk! Simply, rustic, and extraordinarily comfortable, the hay gave just enough to rest my tired bones while the old lamp shone a relaxing light that was just enough to add atmosphere to the scene. Placing my steaming plate beside me, I took a mouthful. I closed my eyes and groaned softly. De-licious! You didn’t get fayre like this at fast food joints. Nope, give me home country cooking any day of the week. Gods, they even gave Heather a run for her money! I took another forkful. I had to give my complements to the chef for this masterpiece, the food was absolutely fantastic; a mix of soft grains and crunchy vegetables cooked to perfection in a light gravy. Everything would probably be locally grown too. No freezers or dried tat out here, no sir!

Finishing up, I found a dry comfortable sleeping spot and even an old blanket which would serve nicely to keep me warm until morning. I may not feel the cold the way I used to, but that didn’t mean I didn’t prefer to stay good and toasty at night. Still, the word ‘warm’ meant different thing to different ponies. I could imagine that to many, trying to catch a few winks in a hay loft was far from the luxury accommodation they were used to. To me, on the other hoof, it was simply perfect. These country types seemed to be a little rough around the edges, but they were good ponies at heart. The Apple family back in Ponyville had been a friendly bunch too if I remembered correctly. I’d not had much to do with them as a rule, except when they were dishing out gallons of cider to everypony who was old enough to hold a mug for goodness sake. Dealing with half drunk fillies and colts was not something I would ever want to deal with again, especially after incidents like the one where that poor sod had nearly drowned in the village well after he’d got himself so inebriated he’d convinced himself he was a hotdog, or some such nonsense. I doubt he’d do it again though, especially after being hauled out arse first in front of his parents. I chuckled to myself as I reached over and pulled over my gear. Fiddling about in my pack I found some nice little extras, including a few standbys from Equus. Mitre had included a pulse gun which was broken down into handy sections for stowage - practical and deadly. I genuinely hoped I wouldn’t need to use the thing, but at least it was there if the situation demanded. It came together with a good number of spare charger crystals too. Ah, there was nothing quite like being prepared to help settle nerves was there? Considering where I was going though, I suppose I ought to have resigned myself to the fact I probably would need the thing sooner or later. The Withers was hardly a pleasant holiday retreat populated by fuzzy bunnies, and regardless of how much life energy I had with me, it was better that I had an alternative method of keeping the more ‘determined’ denizens at bay than relying on my magic reserves too heavily. After all, I still had no idea how long this expedition was going to take, let alone how I was going to get to get there in the first bloody place. Magic crystal or no, who knew what I was going to find when I got there? Damn it, why was I thinking about things like that now? Bugger it all, I’d have to- My attention was caught be a light tap on the barn door.

“Hello? Anypony in here?”

I poked my head over the ledge from the hayloft. “Up here! Is everything alright?”

The lime coated filly smiled up at me in the glow from her lantern. “Mum’s sent me over with some cherry pie, sir. If you like, there’s cream in the jug too.”

She walked closer until I was able to levitate said pie and jug of cream from her back. Thanking the girl, she bobbed her head and trotted off back to the main house without another word. Probably under orders from mum and dad not to speak to the ‘stranger’. A sensible precaution considering we were miles away from anywhere. I suspected any form of law and order in these parts was swift, and more than likely, completely arbitrary. Speaking of which, I was about to give my dessert justice too. Deliciously spicy aromas tickled my nose almost instantly. I’d smelt home cooking before, but this was something else altogether. I didn’t wait to climb back up the stairs, instead plonking myself down on an equipment chest and tucked right in. I wasn’t disappointed. The sweet tartness of the cherry pie and mellow cream was simply heavenly, and before long I was wrapped up in the old blanket drifting off into a deep sleep, full of good food in the simple yet rustic charm of the hay barn.

My dreams were a lot better than they had been of late. Images of Meadow, Tingles, Shadow and the foals, playing together in the sunshine of a golden cornfield made my heart soar. Lumin and Sparrow frolicked and laughed, chasing one another while I lay there watching them, smiling happily. Meadow and Tingles were singing a song from one of Equestria’s many festivals while Shadow listened, joining in on the chorus. This particular one was a celebration of the end of winter, of the coming of spring and new life. I had no idea why, with sunshine and blue skies overhead, why think of cold and snow? It didn’t matter anyway, everypony was here and I was happy – truly, truly happy. In essence, the best way to describe it was… contentment. I didn’t get that feeling very often to say the least. In fact… What was that? Something made me stir, spoiling the wonderful dream and dragging me back to the darkness of the barn. Whatever had woken me was also waking up the main farm building’s occupants too, and I could hear irritated voices from inside even from here. My senses were beginning to bristle. I didn’t like the sound of this, there was an edge to the words being spoken and I quietly descended the ladder to listen. Secreted in the darkness of the barn’s large entrance, I could just about make out the shapes of three ponies in the light spilling from the farm house’s open door. One of them was the farmer, the strawberry red and white stallion’s deep voice raised in annoyance.

“…and I keep tellin’ yer, there’s no such pony ‘ere! Yer deaf or summat?”

The second voice sounded like it belonged to a pony used to being obeyed, and certainly not being argued with. “Sir, intelligence leads us to believe that the fugitive headed this way. Yours is the most remote farm in the village and an ideal place for him to hide.”

“Yer daft, is what yer are,” the farmer snorted. “Bloody townies.”

The newcomer took a deep breath. “Sir, we have an official royal order to allow us to search any properties as we deem necessary, including yours. Please, see sense.”

“See sense, is it?” There was a loud thump as something, probably a hoof, was slammed down in anger. “Now you listen ter me, shiny arse. Piss off! Go on, flap yer buckin’ wings afore ah set the dogs on yer!”

“Dad, for Celestia’s sake, let me handle this. Sirs, please, can you tell me what’s going on?” It was the young filly who’d brought me the pie and cream. Judging by her use of the word ‘Sirs’ there was definitely more than one of these ‘Shiny arses’.

“Madam, have you seen this pony?” the official sounding pony asked her, ignoring the farm stallion.

She shook her head. “No… No, I don’t think so. A unicorn’s staying here at the minute, but he doesn’t look anything like that fellow. He’s in the barn, but he’ll be asleep I reckon. Can you come back in the morning maybe? Perhaps he’s seen the one you’re after?”

There was a brief muttering from the visitors. Finally, the leader of the group spoke. “No. We’ll go and speak to this pony now. If he has seen the one we’re after, we need to know.”

Oh shit! They were coming this way. Time for me to grab my gear and bail out sharpish. I rushed back up the ladder and quickly secured my equipment just as the guardsponies marched in, high powered lanterns sweeping the place like searchlights. I clicked the crystal on the collar just in time…

“You there! Stop where you are!”

“Great Celestia!” I squeaked. “I’m just a pony down on his luck looking for work, sirs. I haven’t done anything wrong!”

The guards officer was a fit young stallion, not much older than I’d been when I’d joined the service of the princesses. He watched me warily with his blue eyes as I stepped out in front of them while another guard approached me, holding up a picture in the lamplight.

“It’s not him, sir,” she said shaking her head, “doesn’t look anything like him. The one we’re looking for is grey with blue eyes, a scar and-”

The officer slammed his hoof down. “I already know what he looks like! Damn it… Come on, let’s…” He slowly turned to leave then looked back at me, narrowing his eyes. “Where did you come from, stallion? There’s nowhere here for miles around.”

I tried to look as innocent as possible. “I was born in Fetlock sir, but I heard there may be work out here, so I’m hoping they’ll hire me on.”

“Hmmm, sounds reasonable,” he replied scratching his chin. “Wain, try the goggles on him.”

“Sir!”

Hang on, I didn’t like the sound of that. I tried to look nonchalant but quickly looked around for a way out, just in case. Bugger it, I should have been more careful! If I’d used my head I would have checked for open windows and back doors in case a rapid escape was necessary. It was too late now. One of the guards slipped on a weird set of goggles that glowed with a magical blue light, then proceeded to look me up and down. My muscles tensed. I hadn’t seen anything like this before, but I had that feeling-

“Dear Celestia…” he gasped suddenly, “It’s him!”

And then the shit really hit the fan. With barely a pause for breath the royal guards all rushed me at once, trying to grapple me. Unleashing my magic, I span, bucking one in the face with a metallic clang as my hind hooves impacted with his helmet, throwing him back into his colleague and leaving both of them in a tangled heap. Taking my chance in the confusion, I leaped over the prone guard ponies and spread my wings with a snap, bursting up and out into the night sky, ramming the wendigo magic through my body as fast I could. Shouts and yells followed me, including several crossbow bolts that mercifully fell short of their intended target. I didn’t bother to look back, the cloud layer ahead was now my sole focus. With any luck it would help me avoid detection, and I poured out my full energy into flying there as fast as I could. If the yelling was anything to go by the royal guard were far behind me, dwindling into the distance despite their best efforts to catch up with their fleeing quarry. Unfortunately for me though, there was no way I could keep up this pace for long. I’d unleashed the magic so quickly my head was spinning and my stomach reeled horribly. The overall effect was like a heavy night on the ale, but without the benefits of enjoying yourself first. Somehow I doubted I would be if these bastards caught up with me. Even so I kept to the clouds, eventually having to slow my pace to allow my wings a chance to recover and clear my head. By the goddesses they ached too. Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a pegasus after all - this was hard work! At least I didn’t have to worry about wearing armour like the guard ponies did. If they hadn’t been wearing it, they may well have been all over me by now. Lousy rats. So much for my hopes Luna had been able to change her sisters mind about me. Bathed in moonlight, I popped my head above the clouds and looked about. There was no sign of pursuit so far, thank the gods. I took a quick swig from my canteen, trying to settle my stomach. It was a lot better than it had been, but still felt like I’d been gut shot with a bloody siege engine. Damn it all, that was one hell of a way to learn a lesson in being prepared, wasn’t it? I took several deep breaths before checking my heading with the crystal, and with a few sweeps of my large wings I reoriented myself, and flew on unto dawn.

How the hell had they tracked me? Was I just that unlucky? Ponies used to say I was, but that was just mindless superstition, wasn’t it? Maybe Warlock been up to his old tricks, or had Celestia’s net been thrown that wide just to try and catch one single pony? Actually, I think I knew the answer to that already. The sun was beginning to light the sky as the hills gave way to a marshy looking expanse, and what I believed to be part of the Foal Mountain range in the distance if Mitre’s map was anything to go by. It was a useful thing to have, certainly, though right now only goddesses knew where the crystal’s light was going to take me. It could be the other side of the world for all I knew. In my musings I completely missed the shower of crossbow bolts until one clipped my hind leg, taking with it a sizeable chunk of the dumb sod called Fairlight. The shock of pain at least gave me a chance to dodge the next barrage that whistled past moments after the first. Seconds later the pegasi dove into view, hurtling after me like a swarm of furious bees. More of bloody Celestia’s goons by the looks of them, and this lot weren’t wearing heavy armour either. I banked steeply, allowing myself to try out some of my new moves. I rolled left then right, narrowly avoiding another of the deadly bolts intent on striking its intended target. Flying steeply into the sun, I hoped the light would blind them long enough to shake them off my tail in the clouds. No such luck though, the buckers were all over my arse like a frigging rash. Regardless of all the diving and climbing the pegasi remained stuck to me and wouldn’t let up for a second. Sooner or later one of their shots was going to hit me and that would be that. Wendigo magic or not, a well placed shot could tumble me from the air to end up as nothing more than a dent in the landscape, and I would likely never see my girls again - at least not in this world. Yet despite my will to survive, I didn’t want to kill these ponies. That bloody oath I’d sworn was beginning to hound me, and would probably follow me to my grave if I wasn’t careful. I had to come up with something else... and fast. A flash of inspiration struck me, with ‘flash’ being the operative word. Levitating out a flashbug in my magic, I shook the little cylinder as hard as I could and prayed to Luna this harebrained plan would work. Gods, I had to have some luck, didn’t I? Well, luck or no, here goes…

The squeak of outrage from inside was all the warning I needed and I tossed the thing up and behind me, barely clearing it as it detonated. The ensuing bang and associated yells from my pursuers allowed me a chance to drop to near ground level where I prayed I’d be able to shake them off. Flaring my wings, I rapidly wove this way and that amongst the rocks and trees until I found, thank the goddesses, what looked like a cave to take cover in. This strategy however, as much as it may have been my best option on the face of things, unfortunately did little more than highlight just how inexperienced a flier I really was. I shot in through the rocky opening like a comet, and immediately paid the price for my panicked recklessness. My large wings clipped the entrance as I ploughed into the dark interior, causing me to lose control. My flailing hooves smacked into something hard and I tripped, the impact sending me cartwheeling and skidding head over heels until I crashed helplessly into a heap of rock, muck, and the goddess knows what else. It was only by the grace of Luna I wasn’t killed outright or knocked out, but that didn’t stop my head from ringing like the old school bell at Ponyville Elementary. I lay there, coughing and retching in a terrible state. My vision too was horribly blurred, with gut wrenching pain racking my body from muzzle to tail. I was in a mess. In ever sense of the word.

“He went in here, Captain.”

Shit, they’d seen me. What a bloody surprise! Gods above, I’d nearly crippled myself for nothing and the bastards were already advancing on me. Voices rolled through the cave, echoing amongst the damp rock walls.

“By the numbers ponies. Ttake him alive, but if he resists, kill him. Don’t take any chances with this monster, you know what he did to the relocation team.”

I couldn’t help but snort in derision. ‘Relocation team’, eh? Yeah, right, the ‘prison guards’ more like, and this lot thought that was down to me somehow? Hornlocked, chained in the back of a sky carriage with armed guards, and somehow I magically took them all out? Give a break. I’d be laughing if I didn’t feel like throwing up my insides right now. Hell fire, I was in a state. My eyes were full of grit, and blood was pouring from a nasty gash on my head. Trying to move I muffled a cry as white hot pain lanced through me from, I suspected, a broken leg. I looked down but couldn’t see anything for the crap in my eyes and the congealing blood.

“First file, left side, covering by two’s…”

“Understood. Moving in.”

Well, at least they sounded like they knew what they were doing. Kinda reminded me of the operations I used to be involved in back in the day. Ha! Perhaps it wouldn’t be a summary execution after all. Right? No… No, they’d keep that little treat for old crumpet buns herself to enjoy. Either way I didn’t think I’d be getting away from them as easily as I did earlier. I closed my eyes and hissed in pain. ‘Easily’? Hell, call it ‘lucky’. Unfortunately my ‘luck’ had lucked out. I reached back and found to my surprise, and no small amount of relief, that my canteen was incredibly still intact. Pulling the stopper out, I poured some over my face. The water washed away the worst of the grit from my eyes and I released a trickle of spirit magic into my body to start healing the disaster area that had once been the ‘Lord of the four winds’. Huh! What a load of bollocks that was. This lot wouldn’t give a toss if I was Lord Sombra himself come back from the grave to turn Equestria into ash. Her royal arseness had told them get me, and get me they would. Well, to hell with them. And to hell with my oath too. I had to get to Shadow come hell or high water, and to Tartarus with anypony who tried to stop me. If it damned me to too… then so be it. My family came first. It always came first.

My magic was flowing better now. I could feel the open wounds and bones knitting back together, repairing the damage caused by my reckless headlong flight into the cave. Although the healing still hurt like hell, I offered a silent thanks for the wendigo healing power. It was damned sight better than bandages and healing potions. Considering how mangled I’d been, in normal circumstances the guards would probably have put a shot through my noggin to finish me off. Now at least I’d have some chance to fight back. I tried to grab a weapon, but my webbing and gear was hopelessly tangled and caught up in a mass of straps from the crash. I’d have to remove the whole damned lot and realign everything to make sense of it, but there was no time to do that now. Reaching out with a hoof I could just about get to the pulse gun, but on closer examination the fall had jammed the lock on its case solid. I spat on the floor in frustration - I didn’t have time to mess about with these buckers. Steel and muscle it would have to be. Weighing up my options, I decided I had to make a stand. Weapons or no, I’d stop them here or they’d just hunt me down again. Sooner or later they’d get me. If not these guys, then the next lot. And the next after that. I was so sick and tired of running, but did I really want to kill more ponies? These poor bastards were only doing their job, just the way I’d done mine back in Manehattan. How many had I killed now? How many of them had children or husbands or wives back home who would never see their loved ones again? Damn it all, there had to be another way.

In the darkness at the back of the cave I waited, and watched, letting my body heal. The longer they took, the better for me. Unfortunately the stench of rot and urine in this place was sickening, the overpowering odour assailing my nostrils with its acrid stink. It had to be the lair of some sort of forest beast, but regardless of which fantastical creature called this place home, it was long gone. Hopefully. The evidence of previous dinners lay everywhere too, crunching beneath me with even the slightest movement. I avoided looking down at whatever it was I was lying on; it felt distinctly… boney. Crouching down I felt something metallic hit my knee. It was the pommel of my sword. If I was careful, If I angled myself just… so… I could just about manage to draw it out, and… success! I breathed a sigh of relief as the heavy thing came free. It wasn’t much against this many ponies, but it was something I could trust, and something I knew how to use in close quarters. Of course, using my magic in here would be deadly for these guys, though I still had hopes of getting out of here with minimal injury, either to myself or them. If I was careful, I might actually be able to pull this off. If not, then things were going to get very messy, very quickly indeed. Steeling myself, I readied my father’s old blade, ready to cut down Celestia’s royal guard if I had to. Dear goddesses, I’m sorry dad, I really wish it hadn’t come to this. Letting the magic course through my body, I slowly released the white mist into the cave. Closing my eyes and concentrating, I wove my will into the swirling fog, carefully tempering it so it wouldn’t harm the guards but was still thick enough to provide me with cover for when I made a break for it. Up ahead the ponies called to one another quietly, moving in on their target.

“You in there,” one of them shouted. “I’m giving you one chance to come out or we’ll have to take you by force.”

“Sorry boys,” I called back, “I have an important date, and you’re in my way.” I laughed ironically. “Tell you what, I’ll give you guys one chance to buck off or I’ll use force. How’d you like them apples?”

“Why you…!”

Whoops! That riled them. Several bolts hissed over the boulder I was hiding behind and hit the rock wall at the back in a shower of sparks.

“What was that?” one of them said suddenly, looking over his shoulder. “Thought I saw something…”

“Are there snakes in here?” one asked. “I can hear hissing…”

The officer spat on the floor. “Secure that shit, Hocks. Keep your eyes peeled everypony, this buckers in here and he’s got some weird wendigo magic going on. Beans, bring the pulse guns up front trooper.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Celestia! We’ve got movement… Fifteen metres, can’t focus on it in this damned mist.”

“Jazz, ready a flashbug, we’ll winkle the bastard out.”

“It’s not coming from that direction! It’s behind us!”

“Then you’re not reading that thing properly, give it here…”

The officer took the goggles from the hapless pony and put them on. “Right, lets have a look and-” His scream was cut short by something large and black taking him off down a side passage. The rest all started shouting at once.

“Oh buck! They’re in the walls! They’re in the bucking walls!”

“Fall back, covering fire! Now!”

A torrent of bright green pulse gun fire lashed out, mingling with the screams of ponies and…something else… something that echoed around me making my already frigid blood run cold. I hadn’t got a clue what was going on, but it scared the crap out of me. My bones and wounds had healed for the most part thank the goddesses, and I’d managed to re-arrange my tangled kit so I could reach my PDW, but I was still far from safe. I slipped my sword was back into its sheath to avoid using my magic and have the glow give away my position. That said, I don’t think it exactly mattered too much at this point though, as I was suddenly far from the most pressing problem for these poor buggers. The guards in the cave were bellowing as though the gates of hell had been thrown open. By the screams and gunfire, they were starting to take heavy casualties from some unseen foe. Or some… thing.

Around me, rocks were being pulverised and blasted into fragments by the wild firing of the pegasi, their terrified shouts gradually beginning to lessen. Frighteningly, I could hear some cries for help from further away being abruptly cut off by hissing and growling before yet more screams of agony assailed me. To hell with this! Pulling myself up from the rocks, I began to head back the way I’d come in. It was a lot further than I’d thought, but my eyes gave me a distinct advantage in here. Forming more of the mist around my hooves, I kept feeding magic into it until the ethereal fog shimmered and swirled around me in a protective cocoon. Being white coated in my wendigo form, I would have been all but invisible if not for my various packs and other gear, but there was no helping that now. I edged forward, a green bolt of pulse gun fire penetrating the fog and missing me by inches. So much for stealth then! There was no point worrying about using my telekinesis either. The ponies would probably never notice the glow in the state they were in now, and I reached for my sword. With a flourish I flicked the archaic weapon out of its scabbard, holding it low as I’d been taught in the watch. Stabbing was always preferable to slashing anyway, it left you less open and gave you a chance to get a lethal strike in before the enemy knew you were on them. In any case, while ‘they’ were distracted by killing each other, I might actually be able to get out of this charnel house in the confusion. If I moved quickly enough.

Keeping low and to the walls I moved as quickly and as quietly as I could, inching forward step by step, until one of my hooves hit something... soft. I froze. Slowly, I glanced down, down into the torn face of one of the pegasi that was staring back up at me, his glassy eyes having seen the last of this harsh world. There was nothing anypony could do for him now, poor bastard. I stepped over the hapless pony and moved on towards the distant daylight. Gods preserve me, I didn’t want to die in this shit hole. Not like that, not a gutted, bleeding mess, far away from the sun and moon. I kept looking forward as a scattering of magical energy bolts flashed past me, this time followed by more of the sinister rattling growls. What the hell were these things? Timberwolves? No… No, these were different, more… reptilian. Whatever they were, they were cutting through the pegasi like butter. Pony body parts lay scattered around me in a grotesque trail, a river of horror leading back to the entrance in a slick trail of hellish red gore. I had to keep moving. I had to stay alive. I had to- A bony, clicking noise from above my right side made me stop dead in my tracks. Oh, gods… Looking up slowly, a pair of slit-pupiled green eyes stared right back at me. I could feel the thing’s breath on my face as it let out a long low hiss, the blue from my eyes glinting off its shiny, angular body. Well, two could play at that game. I opened my mouth, displaying my long, wickedly sharp teeth, and hissed back at the thing. Thick translucent mist dripped from between my teeth, oozing down, dripping onto the dank cave floor. For a few seconds I stood there glowering at the creature, each of us taking the measure of the other. Whatever effect this had on the beast, it worked; the thing backed away from me, keeping a careful distance but still continued to watch me warily. I was all too aware there would be more of them nearby, and I focussed my attention into getting the hell out of this butchers yard before that ‘thing’ or one of its pals changed their minds about trying me out for a snack. Breathing hard, I could see the entrance clearly now. It was so close! I gritted my teeth, focussing my attention on that precious splash of light beckoning me onwards towards the promise of safety. Unfortunately, salvation wasn’t quite as near to hoof as I’d hoped. There were three ponies that I could see stood there, all of them silhouetted at the mouth of the cave. They were talking hurriedly, their voices carried to me by the echoing, confined space.

“What? Are you bucking kidding me?!” One of the shouted. “Maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, Lieutenant, but we just got our arses kicked in there!”

“I say we MAD the bastard and his pets into the next world. ‘Boom!’, problem solved.”

“That’s right!” another jabbered hysterically. “Yes… YES! Let’s blow the bucker and those… those things back to the underworld!”

“We’ve got our orders, trooper.”

“To hell with those bucking orders!” One of them snapped. “If you want to go back in there, do it yourself. I’m staying here.”

Another of the pegasi started to argue but was cut off by a pulse gun shoved in his mouth. “Arrow, you got an M.A.D there?”

“Right here.”

“Set it up, throw it, and let’s blow the place.”

By the time the pegasi threw the device into the cave, I was already running…

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

When ponies tell you things happen in slow motion, it’s not always the case. In this one, definitely not. The concussive force of the blast caught me despite the ice shield I threw up, flinging me bodily into a side passage as the world around me filled with a heart stopping intensity of light, sound, and green fire. If I hadn’t been using my spirits full energy when the explosion hit, they’d have had to send me back to Tingles in a shoe box. Not that they’d bother of course. Besides, I wasn’t even sure Tingles even wore shoes. Hmm, there was a thought for a later date. I spat grit out of my mouth and groaned. Why the hell was I even thinking this?! Was I- Oh goddesses, my body was… I swallowed… it was broken. Broken badly. I couldn’t bear to look, but I knew I had to. My wings, taking the brunt of the blast, had been burnt to stinking crisps and half my fur was gone. The half that survived had been protected by my packs and other gear which smoked from where the flames had singed them. I could still feel things though, and I think I must have either been in shock, or the spirit’s magic was keeping me from blacking out. Part of me wanted to, but I knew with frightening certainty, that if I closed my eyes now I would never open them again. Without pause I concentrated my efforts on healing before doing anything else, directing magic into the areas which… My howl of pain broke the absolute silence, echoing in the rocky tomb. Hell fire… I could really feel it now. This hurt… This really, really hurt!

I coughed blue blood onto the cave floor, feeling my heart hammering in my chest, the stink of burnt hair making my stomach churn. Laying in a pool of my own gore I fought to stay conscious and keep the magic flowing. If I passed out now I’d never leave this place, and end up as little more than food for the terrifying things that lived here in the darkness - if there were any left after that detonation. MAD’s didn’t tend to leave much in the way of life in their fiery wake. There was barely any left in me for that matter. Ha! Yeah, that was a point; so much for them being banned, right? Not only did the agency have these ‘forbidden items’, but the royal guard too! Gods above, did anypony tell the truth in Equestria any more? No? No... they probably didn’t. In fact, most likely they never had. Bastards…

Time passed like blood oozing down a dusty rock wall, every second dragged out agonisingly into the next as the magic did its work. Slowly, painfully, I felt my body becoming whole once more. Wings, legs, head, jaw… Buck me, I could feel every little thing cracking, sliding and slipping into place. It was just as well I’d topped myself up with life energy before those rats had tried to turn me into a hedgehog, although exactly how much I had left was anyponies guess. Hopefully, it would be enough. The last time I’d used magic this intensely had been in the hospital when Tingles had drunk me virtually dry. Looking back, I think if she hadn’t released me when she had I’d almost certainly have died. Fortunately Mitre had been on hoof with some life energy, but no such luck here. No, I was on my own this time, and I sure as hell didn’t fancy blacking out here. Keeping conscious however, was easier said than done. Darkness pushed in on my vision with each pulse of magic, my body crying out for rest. But I couldn’t rest. Not now. Instead I embraced the pain, let it guide me to the damaged areas, direct the flow of energy, using it to keep me awake – and alive. Eventually though there simply didn’t seem to be anything left to repair. Either that, or I’d simply run out of magic. Ha! Well, there was one way to find out, wasn’t there. I took a deep breath, braced myself, and stretched out my legs. Joints moved. Muscles pulled and pushed. But no pain. At the risking of speaking too soon, everything looked to be in working order so far as I could tell. Praise be to the goddess! If she’d been there right then I would have kissed her hooves. Brushing bits of rock and debris from my coat, I muttered bitterly to myself. Being mangled was rapidly becoming a habit these days, and it was a habit I really need to get out of before it killed me. Again.

With just a few re-adjustments, I checked over my gear which, apart from a few scorch marks and snapped straps, was still remarkably intact. The pulse gun case was scratched and dented, but otherwise in one piece. My sword was similarly scratched to hell, although I think I could live with that. As for my scythe, it was still in its protective oil cloth. Whether it had survived being thrown into a rock wall I’d have to find out later. The rest of my supplies were similarly bashed and squashed, but what did that matter? In the great scheme of things it could have been a damned sight worse. Speaking of which... I pulled open the most important pack of all, reached inside, and felt the dampness within. My heart sank like lead into my chest. The life energy flasks! In a rising panic I pulled them out, one after the other, until… Oh, thank Luna! Only one of the flasks had been broken, and even then there was just enough in the bottom of it to give myself a good dose of the slick, silvery goodness. Mercifully they’d been in the pannier opposite the wall I’d been flung into. It was sheer luck, sure, and I was damned grateful for it too. I took another deep draught before feeling brave enough to try putting any weight on my legs. Gritting my teeth I let out a long breath of relief - they worked.

Shaking my mane, I took stock of my surroundings. The side passage I was in had been filled with suffocating smoke and heat, although it had gradually begun to clear as I’d lain here. I closed my eyes and concentrated my senses, feeling a slight ripple across my fur. Cooling, and most importantly fresh, a steady flow of air was coming from somewhere off in the darkness. A way out perhaps? Maybe. But where there air, there was life, and more importantly – hope. It wasn’t much of course, but it was enough. It had certainly been enough to clear that damnable smoke, or else I’d probably have died of something other than that bomb. I brushed the last of the debris from my coat and readjusted the saddle packs and bags. There was nothing worse than grit under a pack for irritating your hide, and things were bad enough as it was without adding to it through sheer carelessness. I gave myself a shake. I couldn’t see much in this complete darkness, although my wendigo vision was still able to make out just enough to see the tunnel I was in stretching off ahead of me; the one behind me was now little more than a solid wall of collapsed rock. My nose twitched. There was that unmistakable scent of fresh air coming from somewhere up ahead, and instinctively I knew it was my best chance of finding a way out. Ice cold water dripping from the roof tickled my ear, and I stuck my tongue out to take it in. There was no sense wasting an opportunity like this and unnecessarily using my supplies. Fortunately most of my provisions had survived, and as I had no idea how long I was going to be down here yet, I was going to be careful how I used them. I unclipped my canteen, holding it under the ice cold water in my magic. Just a few moments and I’d be good to go.

A scratching noise by my hind leg caught my attention, making me look around at it’s source. I must have dislodged a rock or something. It couldn’t have been anything else, after all I- Dear gods! What I saw made me jump back, nearly falling over in surprise. Behind me was a small, black, leathery creature with bright green eyes. It was almost like a bizarre cross between a bat and a dog, with rows of lethally sharp teeth and wings thrown in for good measure. My heart rate was just starting to come back down, though I kept my guard was up. This thing was all of your worst nightmares in one terrifying package, albeit a very small one. If I made it out of here alive, I’d probably be having nightmares for bloody months. Whatever it was, it wasn’t moving though. I backed up away from it and was turning to leave when the thing coughed and let out a long plaintive squeal, a big pair of luminous green eyes looking up at me almost pleadingly. The creature was obviously hurt, its mouth opening and closing in short panting breaths. Goddess forgive me, was I going to leave a living being to die in here, alone in the dark? Against what I hoped wasn’t my better judgement, my heart won the day over my head. I knelt down on the rocky floor, trying to gently slip my fore hooves under the small body. As soon as I made contact it cried out pitifully, the leathery thing’s wings flapping uselessly like torn paper. Looked down at the helpless creature and the pain filled green eyes that peered back up at me, it reminded me of something… or some thestral. Shaking my mane to help me focus on the task at hoof, I took a deep breath and allowed the silvery fluid to begin welling in my maw before drizzling it slowly, drop by drop, into the creature’s open mouth. It responded almost immediately. I don’t know whether it knew on some level what the silver fluid was, or if it was acting on nothing but animal instinct, yet as I watched a small red tongue darted out, tasting the life giving elixir. The thing’s body shuddered and it emitted a plaintive whimper. Although a little reluctant at first, on some level it must have known in its animal mind that this white pony with the burning blue eyes was trying to help save its life. Drip by slowly falling drip, the creature took in the liquid life. In what seemed like no more than a few seconds, its eyes began to glow brighter, its muscles filling under the sagging skin. At its sides, a pair of stubby wings began flapping enthusiastically as it greedily squawked for more. What a strange thing it was! It reminded me of a baby bird, chirping for food from its parent. I can honestly say I’d never seen its like before, except maybe in a nightmare. Sadly, I had no time to marvel at the curious little thing and had to keep moving. There was the very real concern that the soldiers would find another way in to the cave system and block that too, or else call for reinforcements. I wasn’t going to hang around to find out though, I had to shift flank.

I’d barely taken a step when, without warning, the small creature let out a gurgling squawk and abruptly landed on my back, digging its small claws into my hide and nearly making me buck him off instinctively. I could have used my telekinesis to rip the leathery beast off me of course, or even blasted him with my magic, but instead... I stood perfectly still. I sensed no aggression from the strange animal, nor anything in particular really. Normally my wendigo self was fairly astute when it came to detecting what you might call the stronger, more ‘basic’ emotions from other living things: fear, anger, love, hate, and so forth. But not this time. This time, there was nothing at all. Although I didn’t feel especially afraid of it, there was still that primitive part of me that expected an imminent barrage of hungry teeth or claws to rend me the way these things had with the pegasi. What happened next however, took me completely by surprise. The odd creature sniffed me, then began nuzzling my mane, emitting an unusual purring sound not unlike a domestic house cat. A few moment later it had curled up amongst my packs and rolled up blanket. I couldn’t help but smile to myself. What a crazy, crazy world… Well, whatever this thing was it had apparently decided my back was its new home, and so, resignedly, I trotted off into the darkness with my peculiar companion in tow.

The going was awkward, but nowhere near as hard as I would have expected. Rocks of every conceivable shape and size were strewn everywhere, making finding my footing a little tricky, though not impossible. My greatest fear was turning an ankle on the uneven ground, which could quite easily pitch both myself and my passenger into a muzzle-long plunge into a painful heap. As much as I may be able to heal myself it would doubtless hurt like hell, and the little thing on my back was far from invulnerable either. Come to think of it, neither was I! I huffed under my breath. Strange how I’d found myself becoming more concerned about a leathery hitchhiker than myself. Very odd indeed. Was I becoming soft in my old age? Or was it simply because I appreciated the company, no matter how strange, and as a result felt protective of the little thing. Ha! Who could say?

It was a junction in the passage that brought me to a halt. One route held the stronger feeling of moving air and the scent of water, the other was drier, with a faintly musty odour. The one with the fresh air and water it was then, and away I, that is ‘we’, went, trotting for what felt like miles in the absolute darkness. I’d wondered about using my magic to conjure up a flame to help light the way, however if there was one thing I knew about being underground it was that there was the ever present danger of pockets of gas – also known as ‘firedamp’. To be honest my knowledge of mining or cave exploration was limited to say the least. Everything I’d learned had been from overhearing the old hooves in the bar at night, regaling anypony who would care to listen with tales of gas explosions, troglodytes, sudden rock falls, and the numerous other perils of their dangerous profession. Being a bit of history buff I’d found it fascinating, albeit now was probably not the best time to be thinking about things that could blow me to pieces or crush me in an instant. Since my eyesight had adjusted well enough, I would rely on that until I managed to find my way out of this bloody awful labyrinth. Hopefully soon, too. Gods, I hated enclosed spaces. And on that subject, was the creature riding along with me one of the mysterious beings the old miners called a ‘troglodyte’? Like a lot of their stories they’d been a bit vague on what they actually were, referring to them more as ‘mischief makers’ and things that pinched your tools or made strange noises off down empty tunnels. Somehow I doubted the type of ‘mischief’ this little fellow’s chums had been up to were hardly the kind of antics anypony would find amusing. The evidence of that was splattered all over the walls and floor where I’d been standing just before my own countryponies had tried to blow me to mincemeat. In all fairness though, I suspected the beings referred to by the miners were more of a whimsical way of explaining away unusual phenomena. Somepony nicking your hammer was hardly something I’d expected these toothy, clawed, whatever-they-were’s to do. No, these guys were a little more ‘direct’ than that. Mind you, I think I would have heard something about strange creatures in caves eating miners. Maybe they only lived out here in the middle of nowhere so nopony disturbed them? By the gods, we’d done that alright. For all I knew, my new travelling friend was the only one left. Like me.

Trudging along the tunnel, the path eventually took a downward angle and I felt myself automatically picking up speed. The scent of water and air, fresh air, was stronger than ever now, and getting more intense by the second. I felt a rush of excitement; I might actually be able to get out of here yet! Still, I had to watch my footing - hooves and rocks don’t mix that well, especially when they were wet. Picking my way along, the passage eventually opened out into a cavern that had me pulling up short, my mouth hanging open in absolute astonishment. Dear goddesses, it was breathtaking! Every sound, every tiny drip of water of crunch of my hooves, vanished into the dark expanse of nothingness. I would go so far as to say it was akin to a cathedral in scale, if not larger. Simply put, it was… monumental. Deep underground, I was standing on the rocky shore of a vast underground lake. The inky black water lay as motionless as the surface of a mirror, disappearing out into the distance. Massive rocks the size of houses as well as stalagmites and stalactites taller than I was, were liberally sprinkled throughout the otherworldly vista making me feel like I was in another world altogether. Strangely coloured crystals in the rock walls, similar to the ones in the chamber at the fortress, leant the cavern an ethereal ambient blue light. It was, in truth, one of the most engaging sights I’d ever seen and was one of those times I wish I’d had my old camera with me. My little companion seemed to agree, chirruping sleepily and snuggled further into my back. By the feel of it, the enigmatic creature was wrapping my mane around itself like a blanket. I wonder what Meadow would make of this if she could see me now?

“Don’t. Bucking. Move…”

It was a mare’s voice, and one that sounded as cold as the black water of the lake. I stood stock still. The voice had come out of nowhere, and so wrapped up had I been in my awe of the natural beauty around me I’d let her get the drop on me like a bloody foal. From the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of light on armour and the glint of metal as the soldier pushing the cold metallic muzzle of her pistol into the side of my head. She watched me intently, backing away slightly, but all the while kept the weapon trained on me until we were just stood there, watching each other in a wary silence. She looked like your typical guards pony, but her eyes were wide and her breath laboured.

“All my ponies…” she snarled. “Dead. Dead, because of you! You cursed demon!”

“Don’t be a fool, soldier,” I snapped back at her. “We’re both in some seriously deep shit here, and you’ve got a gun on me?” I huffed loudly. “I don’t give a damn who you are or what your orders are, all I’m interested in is getting out of here. And I expect you’d like to do the same, yes?”

The soldier looked unsure for a moment, but wasn’t so easily swayed. “You are my prisoner and will follow my orders.” She clicked off the safety on her weapon. “Or, I will shoot you where you stand. Either is fine with me, monster.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And ruin your best chance of getting out of here alive?”

She smirked at me menacingly. “I can find my own way out. With, or without your help.”

Confident she may sound right then, but I could sense uncertainty radiating off her like a blast furnace. “Bullshit,” I snapped, “you’re as stuck as I am!”

The soldier’s foreleg swung round like lightening, smashing me across the muzzle with the pistol. “Shut your bucking mouth, you freak!” The impact made the little creature on my back shriek and flap up into her face before disappearing out across the water in a flurry of wings. Shouting in anger and fright, the soldier fired her pistol at the creature, the green bolts of energy reflecting blindingly off the walls and water leaving a vivid afterimage in my eyes as they screamed off into the distance.

Damn it, that bloody fool! With all the noise she was making her idiotic behaviour could attract more of the little creatures, and I doubt they’d be as friendly as the one that I’d been carrying with me all this time. Angrily, I threw myself at her, knocking the soldier off her hooves. The two of us scuffled on the uneven ground trying desperately to best one another, the mare attempting to shoot me whilst I tried everything I could to get the pistol away from her and not get hit in the process. It was like trying to catch soap. Despite my usual assertions about the quality of the royal guard, she was damned well trained. One of her hind leg lashed out with unerring accuracy and kicked me right in the nuts, making me gasp in pain and shock. The follow up blow made me see stars and I staggered back, allowing the mare a chance to level her pistol at me once again.

“I knew it!” she roared. “You’re in league with them, those… those things! They’re the ones that killed my team, ripping them to pieces before my very eyes. This is all your fault! It’s you… you’re evil, utterly evil!” The pistol shook in her grip as her eyes narrowed in hatred. “I was going to take you in alive, but I can’t let something like you into Equestria. You have to be put down, for the sake of everypony.”

“You’re a fool if you believe that, soldier,” I wheezed. “I’m about as much a danger to Equestria as you are. I’m no demon, but I suspect you know some of what I’m capable of. I could have killed you at any time I pleased - but I didn’t. And do you know why? Because of a promise I made to my wife. I promised her I wouldn’t become a killer, and I don’t intend to break that promise unless I absolutely have to. Look, just… put the gun down, please. Let’s work together and try to get out of here. You can do what like after that.”

I’d hoped I would be able to get through that stubborn head of hers. I’d hoped she may have at least seen that working together would give us a better chance of getting out of this nightmare in piece. Instead, she lifted her muzzle… and sneered at me. “Your silver tongue doesn’t fool me, demon! I’m going to send you back to hell, where you should have stayed…”

I lunged for my magic, expecting the shot, but instead of a bright green flash I saw the mare looking up quizzically, as if something had just dripped on her head. A blood chilling look of abject horror slowly spread across her face, her mouth hanging open in a silent scream. Quickly, I turned my head to look towards what she was staring at. My blood near froze in my veins. Towering over the guardspony was a sight I never thought I’d ever see again, at least, not in Equestria. Here… Here was the true nightmare of this dark tomb beneath the earth. Ember’s terrified cry of alarm came back to me as though echoing through eternity - it was a lake demon. The enormous translucent worm-like monster dripped water and slime from its slick body in thick, shining strands, down onto the shore. Sharp thin teeth as long as my foreleg ringed a mouth that could doubtless swallow a pony whole. I had no idea how such a hideous thing could be here when the only ones I had ever seen had been in the Wither World, though I had no misconceptions about how deadly they were. This one was roughly the same size as the lake monster that had eaten Shadow’s sister too. Goddesses in their heaven, I didn’t want to see that again.

“Soldier,” I whispered, “get behind me, and keep quiet.”

Her eyes wild, the mare glanced at me before raising her PDW.

“Don’t!”

It was too late. The soldier fired a quick succession of blasts at the sickly white creature, many of them scoring direct hits that only served to make it howl in pain and thrash in an absolute fury. Those hideous cries echoed across the cavern, sending chills up my spine while the world around me turned into an eye-watering display of brilliant green flashes. I threw myself to ground, narrowly avoiding the wildly firing mare. I could only watch in helpless horror as the guard pony suddenly broke, turning tail in a blind panic and loosing off more shots before tripping over one of the multitude of rocks lurking in the darkness. With no more light than that provided by the natural crystals around us, running was potentially suicidal on this type of ground – as the mare had found out, all too late. Unluckily for her she didn’t have the benefit of my ‘freaky eyes’ as somepony had called them. On reflection, maybe it was just as well, or she may have seen those hideous teeth descending on her. I got up, throwing caution to wind to try and reach her, trying to distract the hellish lake demon with a blast of blue fire from my horn.

I was too slow. Far too damned slow.

The soldier was fiddling with an MAD from her pack when the massive white worm descended, swallowing the hapless mare whole in one stomach churning gulp. In that moment, as the creature’s slime dripping teeth engulfed the pony, I caught a glimpse of the light on the device. It was green. In less than a heartbeat I’d turned, running as hard and as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Damp rocks be damned! In my desperate flight I kept my head down and poured everything I had into speed. I wasn’t the only either. From the darkness of the cavern ceiling, the tiny creature I’d saved earlier flapped down until it was flying beside me, squawking insistently before racing off along the rocky shore line. I didn’t stop to think, instead putting my fate in the claws of this bizarre little creature, and followed - just as the MAD detonated.

I threw up a magical shield of spirit energy as thick black ichor and rubbery shrapnel began raining down around me in chunks big enough to crush a pony’s skull. It was pointless dodging. Most of it I ran through or leaped, reeking gore from the creature splashing my legs and hooves, and the smell… dear gods, the smell… We continued to race along the shore, through an archway and into a tunnel, as fast and as far away from the carnage behind us as I could get. I careered dangerously along corridor after corridor until finally coming to a gasping, panting halt, my heart hammering in my chest so hard my vision began to blur. By Celestia’s hairy arse, I thought I was going to throw up… I tried to breath, to steady my heart rate, all to no avail. I don’t know if I was hyperventilating or having a heart attack, but whatever it was I could feel my tenuous grip on consciousness slipping away from me. I swallowed, trying to keep calm. I couldn’t stop here. I couldn’t! What if there were more of them? Oh, dear gods…

Squeaking madly, the flapping creature leapt up onto my back once more, nuzzling me with its head for all it was worth. I suppose in its own way it was trying to comfort me, encouraging me with some of the weirdest noises I’d ever heard. Purrs, squeaks and chirrups, assailed me along with a great deal of head bumping. And you know, oddly, it actually seemed to be working. Breathlessly, I sank to my knees in complete exhaustion and grabbed my canteen, pouring a measure onto a cloth to wiped the foul black crap from my face. Almost immediately I began to feel a little better, my pounding head lessening a fraction. I stared down at the black goo on the cloth as a single, frightening word, popped into my mind. Poison. Oh, gods no! I poured out another measure of water, wiping more and more of the creatures disgusting remains from my body, legs and hooves. For bucks sake, what the bloody hell was that thing doing here? If I hadn’t known better, I’d have sworn I was back in the Wither World already. The worm thing in the cave, the strange bat like creatures - this was still Equestria wasn’t it? Squeezing my eyes shut, I took deep calming breaths and gave myself a shake, careful not to dislodge my new friend. And then another thought intruded into my mind - ‘corridor’. Lifting my head up, I magicked up a flame and looked closer at my surroundings. My vision was reasonable in darkness without the aid of artificial light of course, but here there was something I wanted to see in more detail to confirm to myself I wasn’t seeing things.

I wasn’t.

My eyes must have been as wide as saucers. We were in a pony made corridor, or at least I presume one made by ponies. It was cut stone certainly, and old too. Very old. In some respects it reminded me of the sewer, with it’s solid walls, arched ceiling, and overall sense of emptiness. That said, at least I wasn’t up to my hocks in shit here. The floor was solid cut stone, covered in a thin layer of dirt that acted as a cushion to my hoofsteps. A strong musty smell hung in the air too, not unlike what you get inside an old wardrobe that hasn’t been opened in years. Similarly, judging by the distinct lack of tracks in the dirt, I imagine nopony had been down here in a very, very long time either. What in Equestria was this place? There were no side corridors, no doors, nor any features of note other than for the rusty old hooks hammered into the wall spaced every so many yards which suggested lamps had been fitted here at one point. Any sign of the lamps themselves had long since been removed. But by whom, and why? As I walked on, my imagination began to run riot. There was so much about Equestria we simply didn’t know, and history was a subject few had any interest in outside of scholarly circles anyway. If ignorance was bliss there’d be one hell of a lot of happy ponies around, that was for damned certain. Mind you, the disappearance of those poor buggers in the mountains hadn’t exactly done much to encourage poking around in old ruins. The fact the once steady tourism industry at Smiling Borders had bombed out afterwards was proof enough of that, and that was without Barrick’s revelation regarding the expedition being cannibalised by the yak survivors. It was an interesting titbit of information I was hardly surprised never made it into the papers. Yaks were far from popular in Equestria as it was, and the palace was constantly trying to keep the peace with our volatile neighbours. Exposing the fact that their people had been eating ours, out of necessity or not, wouldn’t have done either country any favours.

I trotted on. My unusual companion had fallen asleep on my back, our mad dash from the cavern having exhausted both it and me. Sooner or later I was going to have to take a break, perhaps even sleep, and that was something I dreaded. Who knew what else was living down here, down in the bowels of Equestria, far from the sun of the princess? For now at least, and despite my curiosity into my surroundings, I was determined to keep a good pace. A quick drink of water, one of Barrick’s oat cakes, and I was good to go once more. Extinguishing the flame, I allowed my vision to re-accustom itself to the darkness and followed the corridor, avoiding the odd stones that had fallen from the wall along the way. Following a curve in the way ahead, my nose began to twitch. I could smell something… something that made my wendigo senses light up like a Hearthswarming tree. From up ahead there was distinct the smell of smoke. It was getting stronger too - acrid and cloying. It had a familiar tinge to it, one that reminded me of some of the street vendors in the griffin areas of Manehattan. It was like… meat. Burning meat. I checked my gear before continuing warily along the corridor. I’d let things get the drop on me already because I hadn’t been paying attention, and I would be damned if I let that happen again. The next time could be my last.

Soon the passage I was in opened out into a large empty hall with what was quite clearly a wide central flight of steps cut from the very rock itself. It was hard to make out much more detail in that ever present darkness other than the sheer scale of it all. Hell, you could have hidden an army in here and you wouldn’t have seen them until they were right on top of you. I threw open my senses, and got… nothing. Nothing at all. There was no sign of life here, that was for sure. And that was another thing – there was no sign of any habitation either. In a place that somepony had taken a great deal of time and effort to build like this, I would have expected to find at least something that would have suggested it had once been occupied. And yet, it was like the place had been picked clean. There was no furniture, no barrels, boxes, nor generalised rubbish of any kind. In fact the only thing in here was emptiness, and the almost overpowering smell of smoke. Still, whoever had designed and built this place had a definite leaning towards spacious, if somewhat plain, architecture. Perhaps I would find out more the further I went.

Climbing the staircase my hooves echoed loudly, making me flinch at each and every step. I could only hope the sound didn’t attract any unwanted attention - I’d had quite enough of that already! Flying would have been an option of course, if it hadn’t been for my passenger, although I didn’t relish the thought of trying to unhook it from my gear right then. I remembered all too well what had happened when I’d tried to remove one of Pewter’s legion of cats from my back when I’d visited there in my teens. The indignant little sod had dug its claws in so much it’d left marks there for weeks. The claws on this thing would likely do a damned sight worse than leave a bunch of scratches that was for sure, and frankly, I’d had quite enough of having my skin torn to shreds, thank you very much. So instead, I took a breath and steadied myself, carefully watching where I trod. Carefully, and as quietly as I could, I finally reached the landing. The way ahead lead to yet another corridor, but still no sign of any tracks in the dust. Maybe whatever, or whoever was causing the smell, hadn’t come this way? No doubt I’d be finding out the answer to that question soon enough.

I walked steadily, gathering my magic. The burning smell was now quite intense, and I was able to see the flickering of flames in the distant darkness - and shapes... moving. It wouldn’t do to go charging ahead, besides which my hackles were already going up like noponies business. I reached for my PDW and immediately thought better of it. The blasts from the energy weapon the solider used in the cavern had destroyed my night vision, near blinding me just when I’d needed it the most. No, this time It would have to be hoof and steel, with a little wendigo magic thrown in for good measure. Still, I had a bad feeling about this situation, and considering my amazing ability to be ‘surprised’ that I seemed to be inadvertently developing, I kept my sword ready and my magic simmering in the background. My diminutive companion seemed to be thinking along the same lines too as it leapt from my back to land of the dusty floor next to me, clacking its teeth menacingly.

“Keep close, little one,” I whispered.

Green eyes peered back at me. “Ack!”

Well, whatever that meant, he seemed to understand me well enough to waddle along next to me on his stubby legs. Clearly more at home in the air, I could only pray that my new friend kept himself out of harms way while I did whatever I had to do. I took a breath, shaking my mane. Magic flowed through me, urging me onward. If something in here was going to attack me, I wanted to be ready, and I bloody well would be this time. This time I was fully alert, and as prepared as I could be for whatever lay ahead. I hoped.

The corridor opened up once again into another large chamber. This time, one lit by small fires dotted around the wide open central space. There, in the centre, was another soldier clad in the burnished golden armour of the royal guard. Around him lay the burning corpses of dozens of the things that had attacked them earlier in the caves – the brethren of my new friend. I had no idea how this guy had gotten this far, but in the chaos of the attack and ensuing explosion, how many others had been trapped in here? Unless… unless there was another way in. And if he’d found a way in, that meant there was another way out! I could only hope the stallion was willing to team up until we could get out of here.

“Hey soldier!” I called. “Don’t shoot, I’m on your side!”

He looked up suddenly, loosing off a shot that sizzled past my flank. “Stay back!” he roared. “You’re that thing from the cave!”

Oh goddesses… “My name’s Captain Fairlight of the Equestrian Watch, soldier, and whether you like it or not we’re trapped in here together. I know you have your orders, but I’m willing to work with you to get us both out of here alive and in one piece. What do you say?”

The stallion was panting with exhaustion and clearly at the end of his rope. “I can’t trust you!”

I shrugged. “Okay, no problem. I’ll leave you with your friends then…”

“NO!” He lowered his pistol, looking around frantically in the darkness. “For the love of Celestia…Alright, just… come down here, and no tricks!”

I nodded and trotted down the steps towards him. As I approached, the little creature beside me let out a frightened sounding shriek and flew off into the gloom leaving the two of us alone. Well now, that wasn’t ominous at all was it?! Mind you, I could hardly blame him. Being surrounded by the burning corpses of dozens of your own people would probably rattle the best of us. Shrugging it off, I approached the armoured royal guardspony, trying to look as harmless as possible. Not an easy task for a wendigo. It was probably a bit late to release my grip on the magic anyway, but regardless, I didn’t want him having a sudden change of heart and putting a few energy bolts into me. I slid my sword back into its scabbard. The soldier eyed me warily. He was wounded, but not badly. Scratches and burns covered his hide and his pupils were wide, probably from running on nothing but adrenalin. He reached into a pannier and took out a hoofful of crystals, reloading his pistol.

I smiled at him, trying to sound reassuring. “What’s your name, trooper?”

“Corporal Nimble.” His eye twitched. “You know how to get out of this hell?”

“I wish I knew,” I replied honestly, “or I’d be out of here already. I was hoping you’d know, or at least have some idea. How did you manage to get this far and past that thing in the lake?”

“Lake?” His brow furrowed in thought. He shook his head. “No, we came in through another entrance through some ruins up top. But then these things came out of nowhere, and they… they killed everypony in my squad.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, steadying himself. “I think I’m the last one left. I ran as hard as I could, but now…”

I noticed his oil lantern. “Not much fuel left, eh?”

Bitterly, he spat on the ground. “No. Not many crystals left either. I’m saving the last for me though, I’m not being torn apart like my buddies.” The soldier looked me up and down. “You try anything…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill corporal.” I tapped the side of my head. “Look, my eyes are better in this light, so let’s see if we can backtrack your hoofprints, okay?”

He nodded, closed his eyes, and let out a long pent up breath. Poor sod, he was clearly at the end of rope. As for whether my plan would work though, it had to be worth a shot. In fact, as there was only one other way into this room it made the most logical sense anyway. I gave myself a shake, adjusted my packs, and headed towards it and, hopefully, daylight. The soldier followed close behind, his lantern suspended on a pole strapped to his back. Not a bad idea considering it would give him more flexibility when it came to using his hooves and magic, although I confess I was surprised to see they were still using those old oil lamps. Weren’t there magically powered ones now? Good grief, even the cash strapped watch used them! You’d think that considering these guys were funded directly from the palace coffers they’d have had the best of the best. Instead they looked to have been just another victim of the kind of bit-pinching bureaucracy the ‘powers that be’ were notorious for. Lousy bastards, I’d like to see them crawling around in a shit-hole like this with outdated crap to rely on. They wouldn’t last five bloody minutes. Fortunately though, young Corporal Nimble seemed to be handy in a tight spot and had made a good account of himself against those hungry little monsters. Even better though, his tracks were clearly visible and the thick dust and muck lining the floor in this place made them stand out nicely. In the poor light from the oil lantern however, I suspect the beleaguered soldier hadn’t been able to see very well, especially since he’d been fighting for his life. Speaking of which, he cleared his throat.

“Hey…” he began. “What are those things that attacked us? I’ve never seen or heard of anything like them before in my life.”

“Don’t ask me”, I replied. “I’ve lived in Ponyville and Manehattan for years. The only weird creatures you see round there are drunks, arseholes and the odd griffin.”

“You’re from Manehattan?”

I nodded. “Well, I wasn’t born there, but I worked in the Manehattan watch for years before I rose to captain.”

There was a pause. “I… I don’t understand… The colonel said you were a ‘dangerous monster that butchered ponies’, and that you’d murdered our boys who tried to send you into exile on the princess’s orders. Why would you do that if you worked in the watch?”

I sighed. I doubted he’d see it from my point of view even if I put the evidence up in front of him in glowing orange lights. “I didn’t kill them,” I said honestly. “It was a rogue element in the agency who, how can I put this... ‘don’t like me very much’? To them, the guards were just… in the way, I suppose. They shot us down, killed the guards, and left me for dead after shooting me at point blank range. Nice guys, eh?”

“The agency did that?!” Nimble shook his head in amazement. “Gods, those corrupt buckers…”

“They’re not all bad, Corporal,” I reasoned, giving my neck a quick scratch. “There’ll always be a few bad apples wherever you go. I worked with them for a while myself before… well, let’s say Celestia wasn’t exactly happy when she found out a wendigo was working there.”

His mouth hung open for a moment while he stared at me. “Is that what you are? Really?”

“Yeah, white coat and mist not give it away?” I shook my head in dismay. “Didn’t get much of a briefing I see. What did they tell you, that I was some sort of rampaging escapee from Tartarus or something?”

Nimble nodded. “Something like that. Only the officers get to know what’s really going on.” He shrugged. “Nah, I’m just one of the poor sods who joined up because I thought I was going to ‘make a difference’. Instead I ended up being thrown in at the deep end with this buck up shit show.” He held up an apologetic hoof. “No offence.”

“None taken,” I replied.

“Some of the guys overheard the commander saying you were a wendigo, but none of us really believed it. I mean, come on, you guys are supposed to be nothing but a story, right?” He huffed loudly. “But… hang on, how did you work for the watch looking like that?”

The inquisitive corporal’s incessant questions were beginning to irritate me, but I suppose I couldn’t blame him. At least it was distracting me from dwelling on our current miserable situation. He was right about one thing though – this really was a complete shit show. Unfortunately, I was the star attraction too. “I don’t always look like this,” I explained, “it’s only when I use my magic… kinda. Most often I look like who I am - a regular everyday unicorn. Like you, Corporal, I couldn’t help what I was born as.”

“So you’ve always been a, what, a wendigo?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Not really. The tribe I’m descended from used to enter into pacts with spirits to become wendigo, but that was a long time ago. It was being sent to the Wither World that did this to me. Some bastards murdered my wife and foal before sending me there half dead. Now I’m back, and no bucker will leave me alone.”

“Your wife and foal?” he breathed. “Goddesses! I’m… I mean, did you ever find out who did it?”

“Oh, yes,” I said, gritting my teeth. “They’re dead now. Very dead.”

“Good,” he nodded assuredly. “If somepony did that to my Ruffles, I’d sent them to Tartarus by any means necessary.”

I sniffed the air. I thought I could detect something… something familiar. “Hold up. Can you smell that?”

The corporal stopped and dropped to his haunches momentarily while I tried to find where it was coming from. “Smell what?” he asked.

I turned to face him. “It smells like… Wha-?!”

He sat there looking at me, drawing lazily on a cigarette as the pungent smell of the tobacco wafted over me in the dank corridor, tickling my senses. “Oh, sorry! Would you like one?”

I face hoofed, but had to admit, “Yes, please… By the goddess, I would!” I magicked one out of his packet and lit it with a small flame from my horn. Meadow and Tingles would flog my hide if they found out, but down here, I didn’t give a damn right now. I took a deep draw and let out a sigh. “Thanks, Corporal.”

“You’re welcome, Cap’,” he grinned.

That brought back memories. Nimble was quite the stallion alright. The way he accepted the situation we were in, adapting to it and treating me like his commanding officer, was quite something to behold. It seemed extraordinary to think that not that long ago this guy would have filled me full of burning holes, following his orders as any good soldier should. Now, it was like being back in the watch with an old comrade, covering each others back.

“How’d you get here?” I asked. “I was chased by a load of pegasi into the caves before one of them blew it up. I didn’t see you guys.”

“Sky carriage,” Nimble replied simply. He tapped the ash off his cigarette. “We got the call to back them up and I just followed the rest inside. The rest you know.”

“You turned up before they blew up the cave?”

He nodded. “Guess so. I felt a lot of rumbling and got showered in rocks, so that must have been it.” He jerked a hoof towards his flank. “I’ve got the dents to prove it too.” Nimble sighed, stubbing out the last of his cigarette. “Wish somepony had warned us. I think it was the explosion that kicked off the things that attacked us.”

“Damn...”

“Yup.” Nimble rose to his hooves and brushed himself off. “That’s what you get for working with muppets, I suppose.”

I couldn’t disagree there. I’d never heard the expression ‘Muppets’ before, but I didn’t need an explanation to understand the implication. A few minutes later we were off once again, the tracks before us still nice and clear.

“Cap’?”

“Hmm?”

“Where are you going to go?” Nimble asked curiously. “When you get out of here that is. I mean, half the army’s out after you, the palace guard too.”

“Wherever I can go, Corporal,” I said solemnly. “I wish there was some way to clear my name, but noponies listening. They’re not likely to either, especially after this monumental cock-up.”

“But what about Celestia? Surely the princess-”

“-Wouldn’t listen,” I interrupted. “Not even to her own sister.” A tinge of bitterness entered my voice involuntarily. “So much for co-ruling, eh? Anyway, the tribe of wendigo and our ‘beloved ruler’ have a history that goes back a long, long way. Forgiveness may be divine, Corporal, but old muffin-butt doesn’t seem to be inclined towards such fanciful sentiments.”

He didn’t reply. I knew why of course; Celestia was still his overall commander, and besides, I remember how Tingles had reacted when Pewter told her that her precious alicorn poster girl was actually just as capable of dreadful acts as us mere mortals. In my ancestral memories the war and subsequent slaughter of my people was as clear as day. To ponies like Tingles and Nimble who had grown up in a world of peace and sugary cupcakes, I might as well have speaking Yakistani. And, as expected, he just followed me in silence. I was glad of it too, I was sick of answering questions.

We walked on for a good distance, the corridor making several turns before I spotted something up ahead - ‘something’ lying motionless in the dust. Stopping in my tracks, I held up a hoof to warn Nimble. His training kicked in immediately and he kept silent, drawing his PDW and watching the darkness for any danger. Meanwhile I took a few steps forward, magicking up a flame to light the way ahead and to better see what the obstruction was. I had the horrible feeling I already knew what it was too. Suddenly my companion gasped, and my heart sank.

“Oh, hell no… Bramble… those bastards…” He sounded on the edge of tears.

I could see why. The mare’s fancy armour hadn’t done much to protect her, the long rents in the metal showing just how powerful, and merciless, her attackers had been. The hapless Bramble had been cut to ribbons, her bloodied corpse now lying in a goddess forsaken hole in the bowels of Equestria, her body half eaten. The corporal leaned down, carefully recovering something from her armour and pocketed it. Dog tags by the looks of them. Next he took what remained of her cloak, and laid it gently across her face. A deep look of determination warring with sadness in his eyes.

“Come on, Captain,” Nimble said quietly. “There’s nothing we can do for her now. Let’s just get the buck out of here.”

I nodded solemnly, stepping around the stricken form of the former guardspony and once more returned to following the tracks into the unknown. We walked in silence, the normally chatty Nimble now lost for words. I understood. I knew all too well what it was like to see your friends killed. I had seen far too many of them disappearing into those cold, uncaring holes in the ground, their memories carved into a small stone plaque that would, one day, be forgotten to all but a footnote in the history books of Equestria. And even then I doubted it. Ponies had a habit of burying the dead and moving on as quickly as possible. It made sense I suppose. After all, who wanted to live wrapped in grief and misery for the rest of their days? Still, it was a damned sight easier said than done when it was a pony you had loved. To others, they got on with their lives and might, over a cup of tea one day, mention the passing of the deceased – perhaps a few pleasant memories, a joke or two, a humorous story remembered. Reminicences of happier times. But to the ones who had loved them, to their family, that sense of loss, that pain and emptiness in their lives… it left a hole that could never be filled. And the pain… the pain never quite went away.

I pulled my darker thought away from the abyss, concentrating on the here and now. I was starting to warm to the corporal, he grew on you, but the terrible scene of his disembowelled comrade had silenced him completely. Although I was somewhat relieved I didn’t have to keep answering his incessant questions, I still felt for him. Losing a comrade was a painful experience, but finding them like that, a bloody shredded mess… Nothing could prepare you for that. I sighed quietly; I’d been there too many times myself. Yet somehow, no matter what I did, it kept happening. I gave my mane a hard shake and huffed. The tracks were all heading from one direction and I followed them closely, eventually coming to yet another large chamber, one that immediately made my hackles rise. The air in here was different from the corridors. It was heavy, cloying, and thick with the scent of burning flesh, hair… and blood.

Corporal Nimble nickered quietly. “This is where the bastards hit us,” he whispered. “We weren’t far in from the entrance when it happened.”

It was no wonder they’d got disorientated either, this place was huge. It was another massive cavern, natural this time, but no lake to be seen, thank Luna. I magicked up a small flame and sent it ahead of us for a better look. The flickering yellow light illuminated what I could just about make out with my eyesight. And by the gods, I wished it didn’t. Bodies. The floor was covered in bodies. Sweet goddesses…they were everywhere. Most had been cut down by tooth and claw, whilst others had been hit by their own side by the looks of it. Crossbow bolts and energy weapon wounds marred several of the corpses, clearly announcing how desperate, and panicked, the fighting had become. Casting the flame around, I found a couple of boxes of crystals lying on the ground by a pony who wouldn’t be needing them any more. I leaned down and picked them up. A broken pistol lay by the stricken soldier’s outstretched hoof. He’d been killed while trying to reload - the poor bastard. It may not be much consolation for him now, but at least his ammo could still help the living, and I intended to remain that way. Pocketing one, I passed the other to the corporal who accepted it with a nod. Somehow I had the horrible feeling I was going to need them. If there was thing I’d learned over the years, it was that the most obvious route was often the one most likely to get you killed. I could be wrong of course, but there was that little voice inside my head telling me there wasn’t going to be an easy way out of this mess, even if the way out was near. I took out my PDW and allowed the magic to flow through me, casting out my senses and readying a shield. As I did so my magic tingled and I sensed… high above us… Dear goddesses…

“Nimble…” I whispered. “Stay close, I’m going to raise a shield to cover us. Whatever you do, don’t stray from my side, you understand?”

He nodded. “Aye, Captain.”

“Nice and quiet now…”

There must have been hundreds, maybe thousands of them, high up in the black depths of the ceiling, hanging down like monstrous bats. Wings rustled quietly and the occasional chatter or squeak would remind us of their presence. My heart racing, I tried not to look up but kept myself facing forward, following the pattern of bodies to reach, what I hoped, would be our way out. Step by quiet, careful step, we moved towards what I prayed would be the exit. My heart was thundering, my neck tingling horrible. Every second I expected something to-

A furtive movement to my right made me pull up short. One of the bodies had just... moved…

“Is… is somepony there?” The desperate croaking voice was barely audible.

The corporal froze beside me. “Hasp? Captain, one our boys is still alive!”

I looked closer. ‘Hasp’ was buried under a number of other ponies and dead creatures alike. Getting him out was going to be a bloody nightmare - quite literally. I steeled myself, and taking a quick draught from my flask, I reached out with my magic to try and encase the stricken soldier. It wasn’t easy, but inch by torturous inch, my magic began pulling him, gasping and struggling towards us, until with a final kick from his hind legs, he was free and hobbling under his own power. Unfortunately I’d been concentrating so much on freeing Hasp, I almost missed the movement behind him. A loud hiss and rattling sound reverberated around the cavern making us all freeze. In near silence, a massive bat like thing, the light from my magic glinting off its black leathery hide, rose up behind Hasp like some hideous rippling mountain. I tried to snatch him in my magic and pull him in, but the bloody fool turned to face it and wasted time pulling out a PDW.

“No! Hasp, don’t!” I called out desperately. “Get the buck over here, you idiot!”

Luna’s arse, I could have written the bloody script myself. The stallion stood there like some bloody action hero from one of those cheap movies, opening fire at the monstrous creature and laughing dementedly. Brilliant green bolts of supercharged magical energy screamed into the void as I shouted to Nimble, “Forget him! Let’s get the buck out of here!”

The corporal shook his head defiantly. “For Celestia’s sake, Captain, please! I can’t leave him, he’s my friend!”

“Hell fire, Nimble!” I shouted at him, gathering my magic. “What the bucks up with you ponies? You got a damned death wish or something?”

I aimed a bolt of blue fire past the creature’s head, the blast missing the beast but making it recoil long enough for me to yank the traumatised Hasp under my shield. Enveloping him in my magic, I hoisted him off the ground and the three of us made for the passage the soldiers had originally entered from. At least, I prayed to Luna it was. The bodies had all fanned out from a single, dark hole in the far wall. Forbidding it may appear, but right then, to me, it looked like the entrance to paradise. Thankfully Hasp had finally remembered how to use his legs and began to run with us. If need be I’d pick him up and carry the damnable idiot, and if that didn’t work, he was on his own. There was no way in hell I was going to die in this shit hole. I fired off another blast of magic into the darkness, praying that it would be enough to make those damned things think twice about tangling with us.

As always though, I was hopelessly over optimistic.

We were no more than a few yards away from the other tunnel when an impossibly huge arm, tipped with claws like ships anchors, swept round and smashed into my shield, taking all off us off our hooves. The ferocious impact was bone jarring, flinging us like rag dolls across the ground to slam into the unyielding rock wall. White bursts of light popped in my vision, my head ringing like Ponyville’s school bell, while my stomach churned sickeningly as the world turned upside down. Damn it all… No, no, NO! It couldn’t end like this. It couldn’t! Trying to pick ourselves up, an intense hissing and grating sound from above made us look up to see great gobbets of saliva dripping from between teeth that were as long as my whole body. Great red reptilian eyes glared down, viewing us as probably no more than the creature’s next prospective dinner. I tried to stand, sliding on a pool of my own blue blood, but I was determined to show the damned thing I would not back down, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to lie there and be eaten alive. I bared my teeth and released all my magic into my battered body, urging the muscle and sinew to rebuild far beyond anything I had ever done before. Mist formed around me, billowing up to wreath my haunches, my blue eyes shining out into the darkness. If this thing wanted a fight, if it dared, dared, to challenge me, it was going to get a battle it would never forget… NEVER!

The giant reptile reared up then screamed out its anger at me, blasting hot foetid breath and sound like a battering ram. How the hell could I top that? How? Hell, I didn’t need to. I had nothing to prove here. Wendigo had nothing to prove. I felt my lips twitch, and I smiled, letting a loud rumble from my throat, hissing as the silvery blue fog built, white mist dripping from between my fangs. I snapped my wings open as my horn glowed a rich, bright blue, engorged with the elemental magic of my forefathers, lighting the chamber and the nightmarish creature before us. Hasp let out a strangled cry behind me, while Nimble tried desperately to placate him quietly. I thought I heard a word whispered, one I hadn’t heard in a long time…

“Dragon.”

Memories of the battle in the mountains flooded back to me. Blazing fiery death, the reek of brimstone, the same brutal strength and barely restrained lust for blood. Yes… this was like the one Maroc had fought. It was the same species without doubt, the same colouring too, but... different somehow, and on a level I couldn’t quite put my hoof on. It didn’t matter. It would fall just the same. The enormous lizard eyed me curiously, swinging its huge spiked tail this way and that before snorting a blast of steam at my hooves. Its great scaled head loomed close to mine.

“Who do you serve wendigo?”

If ever I needed old Maroc, it was now. I delved down, allowing my ancestral memories to flow to the surface and mingle with my own consciousness. I hoped to the great goddesses that I could get us out of this mess somehow, and, Fate willing, preferably without having to fight this behemoth. Sparks of memories, tiny glimpses of conversations, of etiquette between the two enigmatic races, flashed through my mind. And suddenly... I knew. I understood. I took a deep breath, bowing respectfully.

“Great lord of the high realms, I serve the one true ruler, the lady of the moon.”

The creature rumbled deep in its throat, eyeing me curiously. “And what is your name, little wendigo?”

I took another deep breath, keeping my voice calm and made sure my eyes never left the creature, not even for a second. “I am named Fairlight, Lord of the tribe of the four winds, and master of the fortress of the four winds.”

The dragon reached out and placed a claw under my chin, lifting my head for closer inspection. “Hmmm, you do bear a certain similarity to the one I knew. His tribe was that of the four winds. Tell me, wendigo, what was the name of your illustrious ancestor?”

“Maroc,” I replied firmly.

The great beast scratched his scaly belly, leaned back, and with a sound like thunder, clapped his enormous front claws together. In a burst of rainbow colour, elemental magic rushed out in all directions to light dozens of lamps hanging from sconces on the walls and from impossibly huge chains high up in the ceiling. I blinked in amazement at the dramatic change of scene. Here was a creature that was old enough to remember Maroc, and I still didn’t know whether he saw me as a comrade… or dinner. The dragon snorted, then turned and walked away to curl up atop what I could only describe as an unfathomable fortune of glittering gold and jewels. Dear gods, there must have been enough there to buy the whole of Equestria ten times over! Growing up in a modest home with cynical parents, I’d always believed fantastical stories of things like ‘dragon hoards’ to be nothing more than a flight of fancy to entertain impressionable youngsters. But then, I’d thought that of wendigo too, hadn’t I? Now, here I was, standing before one of these magnificent creatures as it settled down amidst its nest of extraordinary riches. Making itself comfortable, the dragon reached down and plucked a dead soldier from the ground, letting the bloodied corpse dangle from a claw while it addressed me.

“Your kind had more self respect once, wendigo,” it said in its rumbling reptilian voice. “Why do you ally yourselves with these murderers and thieves?”

There was no doubt who it was referring to, and I noticed the way it’s eyes glanced menacingly towards my companions. “My lord dragon,” I said formally. “I ask you to forgive my rude intrusion into your home. I was being hunted by those who would see me dead, and I took refuge in a cave not knowing it would lead to your lair. All I desire is to leave in peace and continue my journey.”

It watched me carefully, considering every word I said. “And where will your journey take you, my little wendigo?”

“I intend to reach the Wither World and rescue a friend,” I replied simply.

The dragon flicked the corpse into the air, and with a bone crushing snap of his jaws, swallowed the dead pony whole. Hasp cried out in alarm and I could hear Nimble trying to wrest his pistol from him behind me. Damn it all, I should have tied the bloody fool up.

“It would appear your companions are not wholly friendly, Lord Fairlight.” The dragon chuckled, the sound making the ground beneath my hooves vibrate with its timbre.

“Forgive them, my lord,” I said bowing low. “They are simply misguided ponies who stumbled in here unknowingly, looking for me. By your leave, I will take them from here and never return.”

The great best wiped the gory remnants of its meal from its mouth. “You may leave, Lord Fairlight. I will honour the covenant with the moon. These however…” He gestured to the two soldiers, “...will be food for my children.”

I shook my mane, keeping my head up as I addressed the huge creature. “Lord dragon, is there no other way? They are only here because they have been lied to by their leaders.”

The dragon suddenly leaned its massive head towards me, bellowing in outrage. “Of course they have been lied to, they are Celestians! These fools have such weak wills they are little more than mindless puppets in thrall to the white witch in the ivory palace. And yet they came here, intruded into my home, and murdered my children! And you defend them?!” The dragon snorted smoke at me, his distaste for my companions abundantly clear. “You are not like any wendigo I have ever met, ‘Lord Fairlight’.”

I stomped a hoof, snorting out a jet of icy wind. “I am not Maroc, great one. The war ended over a thousand years ago. The world has moved on. The Celestians dominate this land now, and yet I must do what I can to recover my people and try to rebuild what was taken. Do not speak to me of loss, my family was murdered by Celestian’s, my tribe slaughtered by them in their hundreds. Some day, our people will return, but it is not now. Now, I must do what I can to protect what I have, and making allies to the moon goddess will help take us one step further to regaining our strength.”

The dragon watched me quietly, then stepped down off his hoard, his head held low. “How can I trust you?” it hissed. “If I let all of you go, then how do I know you won’t betray me, and come here with more of your new ‘allies’ to try and steal my gold? Your companions stink of Celestia and her sickening kind…”

A voice from behind me made us both turn. “Then take me, Lord Dragon.” Corporal Nimble walked up beside me and bowed to the giant creature as he went to remove his armour. “I will gladly be your dinner, if you would but let my friends leave in peace.” As the helmet came off, a truly remarkable change occurred. Before my very eyes the soldier’s coat began to alter, darkening from the pure white so characteristic of the royal guard, to a deep grey. Even his eyes changed from blue to yellow, his blue tail and mane turning as dark as midnight. There must be some sort of enchantment woven into the metal to make them all look alike. I’d heard of it before of course, but never actually seen it in person. Bloody military showmanship, I thought to myself. They would have been better off spending the military budget on more up to date equipment than poncing around in pretty pony armour that was about as much use in battle as wearing a sheet of blasted tin foil. I mean, Oil lanterns, for bucks sake!

The dragon leaned down and sniffed the soldier. “How very noble of you, Celestian. No, I don’t think so… Perhaps your… friend?” He looked past Nimble to Hasp who was shaking like a leaf. Whether the poor sod was going into shock or pissing himself in fear, I couldn’t say, but neither was good. Hasp suddenly shrieked and fumbled for his PDW, trying to aim it at his antagonist.

“Lord dragon!” I pleaded, desperately trying to intervene. “Please!”

The giant thing leaned back and unleashed a laugh that was more akin to a thunderstorm than actual humour. “You need not fear, Lord Fairlight. One of my daughters has spoken for you already.” It waved a huge claw and the small flapping creature I’d rescued flew down to squeak at me near my hooves, giving my forelegs a nuzzle. “She likes you, wendigo,” the dragon boomed. “You should be honoured, a dragon does not give their friendship easily.” It clapped its claws together. “Now, all of you, leave whilst my good humour remains. The way to the outside is before you. Go.”

I bowed to the dragon. “Lord dragon, may I ask your name?”

The creature yawned and rolled on the expansive golden hoard, peering at me with one eye half closed. “My name? Hmmm… It has been so long since anyone has asked me.” It shrugged. “My name is Barathel. Remember it well, Lord of the four winds, I may decide to call upon you some day, and will expect to find a welcome befitting one as nobly born as I.”

I bowed low, sweeping my foreleg across my chest in the formal manner of my ancestors. “I will, Lord Barathel. My people will sing of your deeds.”

He opened his eyes wide, staring at me with those huge red orbs before letting out a thunderous laugh which echoed around the room making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. With a happy squawk, his daughter leaped up onto my back and snuggled herself into my mane as we hurriedly left the dragon’s home. I didn’t look back. I don’t think any of us did really, nor did we want to. All we could hear were the sounds of our own hearts racing, and the rumbling peels of hissing laughter following us out into the darkness.

Without another word spoken between us we picked up the pace, trotting at first and then breaking into a gallop. The passage before us sloped inexorably upwards, up towards… light? My goddesses, it was! It was only faint, barely a hint of pale grey beyond the familiar black, but it was there alright. My nose twitched in anticipation, my muscles burning with the desperate need to escape this nightmarish world and reach that tiny patch of light, that oasis which held the promise of open skies... and freedom. At last I could actually smell fresh air and daylight ahead of us, it was so near now I could even taste it. I wasn’t the only one either. Our thundering hooves caused a cacophony of noise which spurred us on to run even faster, to finally break free from this terrible place. The entrance was growing closer all the time, the rock walls becoming more noticeable, brighter, clearer. Just a little further now. Just… a little… further… Nimble let out a loud neigh of triumph as we burst out from the darkness of the tunnel like a cork from a well shaken champagne bottle. Luna be praised, we’d done it! Dear goddesses and all the gods in their bloody heaven, we were free! Free! All three of us, or rather ‘four’, emerged out into the daylight and collapsed in a heap on the cool ground, panting, revelling in the simplicity of taking in the fresh late afternoon air. I had no idea what time it was, nor where I was. The part of it was that I didn’t care either. All I wanted to do now was relax - relax, close my eyes, and just… breathe.

We’d been lying there for some time, trying to take in the fact that we’d actually survived and this wasn’t just some cruel feverish dream, when a cigarette floated over to me, courtesy of the extraordinary Corporal Nimble. I accepted his offer gratefully, feeling a smile spread across my face. By the gods, it was good to be alive! I sat up and offered him a light. Seeing him sat there in the light without his golden armour on, he looked like the kind of everyday stallion you’d find anywhere in Equestria. He was grey, like me I suppose, a unicorn with yellow eyes and a golden shield for a cutie mark. A slight twinge of foalish jealousy took me - I would have loved to have had one like that when I was younger. Now, all I had was that rather nondescript lightning bolt thing. Funnily enough my girls had never been that interested in my cutie mark. In fact, it only seemed to bother me… Oh, wonderful! I was becoming neurotic now too, was I? I sighed and took a draw on my cigarette. What the hell did it matter? And why was I even thinking about that? Bollocks to it...

“Corporal?” I began, releasing my magic. “Thanks for what you did back there, my friend. You’re a brave fellow, and I won’t forget it.”

Nimble watched my transformation in fascination. “Nah, it was nothing, Cap’.You’d have done the same for me.”

I smiled. I probably would have too.

“Hey, is that how you look normally?” he asked in wonder, looking me over. “Heh! Apart from the blue eyes, you kinda look like me. At a distance of course!”

I chuckled. “Plenty of grey unicorns out there, Nimble. Still, we’re all unique in our own way, every single one of us.”

He was right though, the similarity was quite uncanny. I’d been born with brown eyes and a white streak in my tail of course, but other than that… Could he be related to the tribe somewhere along the line? Looking at him now, he could have been mum’s male twin. It was an interesting question, and if there was one thing I’d learned, it was that in this life there was no such thing as mere coincidence. Everything happens for a reason, even if you couldn’t work it out or understand what that reason was. No matter how crazy things looked, Fate, the gods and goddesses - all of them had their bloody hooves in everything. Actually, now that I think about it, I would imagine that-

“You two are getting on very well I see…”

I heard the click of the safety coming off and closed my eyes. Without even looking I knew Hasp pointing his pistol at my head.

“Hasp! What the buck are you doing, soldier?!” Nimble shouted in surprise. “He saved your life!”

The other guardspony spat on the ground angrily. “He’s in league with them, Nimble! That… that thing on his back, it’s one of them! Look at it for bucks sake!”

I shook my mane. “Hasp, you’re being a bucking idiot, stallion. Put the gun down and let’s settle in for the night, eh? I’m too tired to be dealing with this bollocks right now.”

Spittle flew from Hasp’s mouth as he yelled at me, “Buck you, you piece of shit! I’ve seen what you really look like, you can’t be on our side looking like that! You’re a… a demon! A demon masquerading as a pony!”

“Again with the ‘demon’ thing,” I groaned, lying back on the grass smoking the cigarette calmly. “If you’re going to shoot, Hasp, just do it. You won’t get another chance…”

The little dragon on my back chattered and hissed at Hasp who, rather surprisingly, ignored her. Instead he turned to Nimble. “Come on, Corp, let’s kill him and take the head back as evidence. Nopony’ll give a shit about ‘im. We’ll be friggin’ heroes!”

Hasp’s voice had a strained note to it, and I began to wonder if the soldier still had a full grasp on his sanity. After what he’d been through, I doubted anypony would be able to simply shrug it all off and lead a normal life again like nothing had happened. I watched quietly as Nimble lift his own pistol.

“Put the gun down soldier,” he said calmly. “I won’t ask again.”

For a moment I actually thought Hasp would comply. He stood there like a statue, staring at Nimble, his lips moving soundlessly. Then as quick as a flash he span round, sighting his pistol on me. “Buck it…”

His head exploded into a thousand pieces, spattering the rock wall behind us in gore and armour fragments. The rest of Hasp’s ruptured body followed a moment later, thudding wetly onto the ground, gushing crimson from where his head had been. I closed my eyes and sighed. What a waste of life. He’d been through the kind of hell nopony should ever have to experience, seen things that nopony should ever see, and then, when freedom was handed to him on a silver platter, he’d thrown it all away. Nimble just stood there in silence, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath before holstering the pistol.

He gave his mane a good shake. “Stupid cunt, I couldn’t bucking stand him.”

“I thought you said he was your friend?” I asked, looking at him calmly.

He shrugged, “Would you leave a team mate behind?”

He was right of course, you didn’t have to like somepony for them to still be a colleague. “I see your point. Thanks, Nimble. Looks like I owe you once again.”

“Not for this,” he replied bitterly. “This was for me.”

I nodded slowly. If I’d been in his shoes I could only hope that I’d have the same courage and strength of heart to do what he’d done. He’d killed a comrade, and whether or not it was to save another life, he’d crossed a line here, and we both knew it. I rose to my hooves. “I’ll get a fire a going, it’ll be dark soon.”

Brushing myself off I began gathering some dry wood from a nearby copse for our makeshift camp. Together with the corporal’s assistance, we soon had a good fire roaring away. My tiny dragon companion hopped down and waddled away to start sniffing curiously at Hasp’s body. Every living being had to eat of course, but I was just glad I’d moved the corpse away from our camp fire so I didn’t have to watch. I certainly didn’t want Nimble to see his deceased comrade filling the belly of a hungry dragonling, even if they hadn’t exactly been on good terms. Our escape from the caves had been exhausting for all concerned, and before I knew it, we were both soon fast asleep.

The morning came early here, and I awoke to the singing of birds in the trees and the rustling of leaves. A slight breeze ruffled my mane, carrying with it a cool tinge which hinted at the approaching winter. The sky was a perfectly clear blue, the sun rising over the distant hills bathing the land in a wash of golden light. It was ideal flying weather. Checking over my gear, I prepared a quick breakfast from my squashed rations and readied myself to move out without delay. Corporal Nimble was already having a morning roll on the grass and ,by the sounds he was making, he was enjoying it too. Damn it, I wish I’d thought of that now! Bugger…

“Captain Fairlight?”

I turned to my new friend who deftly tossed me a bag of equipment he’d fetched from the carriages and chariots parked nearby. Catching it in my magic, I looked inside. There were two boxes of crystals, some un-squashed rations, water, and… Oh! Oh, very nice! Two MAD’s in a travel case complete with detonator. I popped them into my pannier and fastened down the clasp.

I nodded to Nimble gratefully. “Thanks, my friend. I wish I could stay, but I’ll need to get going before your buddies get here. I doubt they’d be to happy to find me here, especially with...” I bobbed my head towards the roughly covered remains of Hasp. “With that there. What are you going to do now, though? There’s bound to be questions.”

He shrugged. “Well, I’m no pegasus, so flying’s out.” His trademark cheeky smile was back. “Anyway, there’s a comms device in the sky carriage over there, so I’ll be okay. Failing that, there’s a village not far from here to the south.” Nimble laughed at my expression of concern. “Look, I’ll be fine, honestly! Just wish I could come with you, I suppose. But… well, you know, my girl…”

He wanted to come with me? Now that was a surprise! I clopped him on the shoulder. “You’re a good pony, Nimble, a lot more so than many I’ve met over the years. Just make sure you take good care of yourself and your girl, okay? Oh, and try not to believe everything you hear about my exploits, yes?”

He chuckled. “I won’t, Captain.” The young corporal stood back, watching me in amazement as I let the magic flow through my body once more. “Amazing,” he breathed.

“It never gets old,” I grinned. I gave my wings an experimental flap. “Gods bless you, my friend.”

Corporal Nimble, the unlikely friend I’d made in the bowels of Equestria, bowed before me and smiled a smile that made my heart sing for the first time since my journey had begun. “Goddesses speed you on your journey, Lord of the four winds.”

I chuckled to myself, and waved to him as my wings caught the morning air. It felt wonderful to stretch them again after the suffocating closeness of the tunnels and corridors beneath the hill. Even better, I was back on track to finding Shadow. With renewed vigour, a short run and a few strong beats of my wings, I launched up into the sky, the small leathery passenger attached to my back squawking happily.

Comments

[Lord Legion]

Well that turned out quite well. And now Fairlight has made a couple new friends. Kinda reminds me of the scene from Lord of The Rings when the group traveled through the mines of Moria.