The Elements of Tyranny

by Wings of Black Glass

The 2nd Session: Summer Snowstorm

Eclipse Corona stirs first. He blinks, his head pounding with the rhythm of a hundred hoofbeats. Only, those are real. He looks around and finds that he and Red Haze and Tiny Hooves are surrounded by ponies wearing the armor of Celestia’s royal guard. Beyond them are the six standing stones, they have somehow been returned to the henge. He glances up, but the tree of worlds has vanished. The sun shines over the treetops.

He returns his attention to the soldiers around him before he tries to stand. Most of them are establishing a perimeter, a few are watching the three ponies in the center of the circle. Three of them do not wear armor, but rather star-studded cloaks; wizards in the Princess’s employ. These wizards pay no mind to Eclipse and the other two, who are themselves beginning to stir, and study the runes on the stones. Someone stomps over, their shadow blotting out the sun, and he blinks against the glare to see them.

“Well, Eclipse Corona, I didn’t expect to see you here. You have some explaining to do.” It’s Rose Given, captain of the royal guard. “What happened here?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” He climbs to his feet, he had expected to feel stiff and sore, but he feels fine. Better than fine, fantastic. Something clinks as it falls to the marble below him, and he glances down to find the silver casting crown the white unicorn had been wearing there on the ground. He lifts it to examine it closely. Its fragile appearance, made from twisting spirals of thin silver that would wrap around a head and horn and bejeweled by ten tiny gemstones, belies the power it contains. “Are the other two alright?”

“I’m awake. I’m awake.” Tiny babbles a bit as he stands. “How did we get back outside?” Eclipse notes the sword strapped to his side is not the same one the Pony had, last he saw him.

“How long were we gone?” Red stumbles a bit, and feels for the scar on her chest, scowling slightly when she finds it. Eclipse blinks and looks back at his own flank, he wound is gone. Tiny’s is equally healed.

“The lot of you missed the rising of the sun, but that’s all.” Eclipse looks up at the sun again and sighs. He’s not looking forward to returning home to face his father now. At least they hadn’t disappeared for weeks or months.

“So time moved at the same rate within that place at the same rate as out here, that’s good.”

“Inside where?”

“The Tree! It’s gone!” Red stares up at the empty sky.

“I presume it’s been sent back to that demi-plane where it was secured.”

“Did you dream?” Red collects her new gauntlets and steps over as she slips them on over her forelimbs, they fit her perfectly despite being constructed for a Dragon. Some of the guards glance about nervously; Rose Given maintains her composure and allows the three to converse, although she clearly listens intently. “I saw the battle again.”

“Same here. But this time I saw Knight Harrow meet his end.” Rose blinks in surprise when Tiny says the undead’s name. “And then the white unicorn cast some spell… before she died.”

“Yes, she created that demi-plane, to keep the tree safe.”

“What tree?” Rose interrupts.

“The Tree of Worlds.”

“It was here?!” Each of the three nods.

“This place is a portal, which leads to the temple beneath the great tree.” As Eclipse explains, Rose spins towards the nearby wizards and the second in command at her side.

“I want this place secured like a vault! No pony gets in or out without my or the princess’s express permission.” The officer salutes and immediately runs off and starts to organize the soldiers. The wizards go back to examining the stones and the runes on the marble slabs. “You three.” She brings herself back to face the two unicorns and the other pony. “You need to tell me exactly what happened.”

“As I said, I am not entirely sure.”

“It got a bit confusing.”

“We were drawn here, each of us.” Red begins. “And Timberwolves surrounded us. Somehow we activated the spell in the stones, and were sent to the base of the great tree.”

“We found an ancient battlefield, dead soldiers of the Cult of the Red Blade.” Rose’s eyes twitch as Eclipse continues to explain. “They had attacked the tree, and were fought back by three powerful heroes, who gave their lives to defend the Tree.”

“Not to mention that mountain of a pony.” Tiny takes over. “Knight Harrow, wasn’t that what you said his name was? His body…”

“It reanimated as we approached, along with many of the cultists. I almost didn’t survive the fight.”

“We all barely got out of that alive.”

“You destroyed him?”

“Tiny Hooves deserves the credit for the kill.” Eclipse gestures to the circus performer. “Behind Harrow, we found-”

“An illusion,” Tiny interrupts again. Red eyes him carefully, who shoots her back a glance that tells her not to say more out in the open. “There was a crystal goblet we thought was magical, but it turned out to be just a fake. It was all a waste of time. We fell unconscious and just woke up back out here.” Rose glares at them, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

“I’m taking you three back to the Princess, she will decide what to do with you.” At this Red’s eyes go wide in surprise. Tiny glances about at all the guards and shuffles around nervously. Eclipse merely nods. “Commander!” The officer returns to her side. “You have your orders, I’m taking these three back to Trotton.” Then she points to the dozen soldiers inside the circle. “You will come with us, form escort ranks.” Each soldier salutes and drops into formation around them. The four Pegasus guards square up just above them as the eight Unicorns and Earth ponies form columns on either side.

Then Rose Given heads out; Eclipse, Red, and Tiny, are forced to follow along. Red grabs her pack of supplies from the ground before they leave the henge behind. Eclipse hovers the tiara alongside him but doesn’t put it on just yet. He wants to examine it more carefully to see if he can figure out what it can do. It takes some time to get back to town as the trees are thick enough to hamper the formation. Red slips up next to Tiny so she can whisper without being overheard.

“Why didn’t you tell her? She’s the captain of the Princess’s guard, we should be able to trust her.”

“And the others? The dozen soldiers about us? The wizards? Whoever else might be listening in?”

“Tiny is right.” Eclipse, walking along just on the other side of Tiny from Red, is the only pony close enough to overhear. “We don’t know what it was in there. At this time, silence is the wise option.” Red nods, accepting the reasoning. They pass the rest of the journey quietly. Tiny seems particularly jittery, straying as far from the soldiers as he can whenever the terrain forces them to move closer.

Eventually, they leave the forest behind and approach the town. The circus is still running, with a quite substantial crowd around the tents and attractions. Rose Given whistles once and points at one of the Pegasus above them, then to the town. The guard nods and darts off to inform the Princess of their arrival. Rose turns them away from the circus and leads them around the outskirts of the town to stay away from the crowd. She brings them back to the city square, where the stage for the celebration this morning is being used as a makeshift audience chamber.

Red Haze stares at the Princess of the Sun in open reverent awe as they approach. The tall white Alicorn with the flowing pastel mane glances up from the face of the lucky foal who had her attention. She smiles down at the child and sends them away so she can bring her full attention to her captain and the three escorted ponies.

“You have returned. What did you find in the forest?” Before Rose answers she bows, Red follows suit, barely able to take her eyes off the Princess. Eclipse also bows, but Tiny hesitates and flicks his eyes at all the guards before jerkily dropping to his knees.

“These three ponies, your Majesty, unconscious at the center of an ancient standing stone circle.” Then she stands and approaches the Princess alone. She leans up to whisper in the Alicorn’s ear, there are too many possible eavesdroppers for such sensitive information. Princess Celestia blinks, but this is her only display of surprise.

“I need to speak with them, securely.” Then the Alicorn turns and goes into the city hall. Rose indicates they should follow and herds them in behind the Princess. Once inside the Princess glances to each window and all the shutters close, Rose shuts the door behind them. Red looks like she might faint from over-excitement from meeting with her goddess. Tiny, on the other hand, seems like he might rather face Knight Harrow again. Eclipse stands a bit straighter than before but maintains his composure, a private audience with Celestia rather more than he expected. Once the room is sealed, lit from above by a few high windows, Celestia speaks again. “Alone, I would prefer.”

“But, your Majesty!” Celestia holds up a wing to order Rose’s silence.

“Rose, do not worry.” The royal mare sweeps her eyes over the three before her, smiling faintly as she locks eyes with each of them for a moment. “They will not harm me. I suspect if either stallion attempted it, that this young mare would leap to my defense.” Rose glares down at the three ponies, and then with a scowl leaves the town hall and shuts the door solidly. “Before we begin…” Celestia raises her horn and casts a spell, the room shimmers for a moment. Several sparkling orbs appear in the air, scrying sensors. “I thought as much.” She casts a second spell, and the orbs blink out of existence. “Now we may speak candidly, no one will overhear what we say. My captain tells me you made your way to the Tree of Worlds, is this correct?”

“Yes, your highness.” Eclipse responds first, drawing a hiss from Red. “We will explain if we can, what we experienced.” Each, in turn, tells the Princess their version of how they were led to the standing stone circle by dreams and a stranger. Following that, how the henge transported them to the gateway of the temple. “We found ourselves at the heart of an ancient battlefield.” The princess’s eyes fall to the breastplates on Eclipse and Tiny, and she frowns.

“I recognize that symbol. I had thought the Cult of the Red Blade was destroyed centuries ago.”

“They were, my lady of light.” Red bows again. “In the deepest shrine of the temple, at the heart of the Tree of Worlds, we found the corpse of Knight Harrow.” Celestia nods, relaxing slightly. “Although, as we drew near his body woke again.”

“His hate was a powerful thing, it is no surprise to me that it would linger in such a place of power.”

“He nearly killed us all. We were able to destroy his undead form.” Celestia nods again upon hearing this from Eclipse. “Beyond his body, we found a hidden chamber. Where the bodies of the ancient heroes who killed him lay.” The princess lets her head droop slightly.

“Ah, so they perished in the battle.”

“Did you know them?”

“I knew of them. Those years were terrible ones, the Griffons were invading in the east, Changelings were swarming in from the south, even the Yaks were foes. I was forced to lead my armies into battle far too often. But still, I heard of those three as they fought to bring stability back to Equestria. In time their names and victories were forgotten as peace finally came.” She shakes her head sadly. “Not even I ever knew their names.”

“Past the bodies, there was a basin beneath the heartwood of the tree. Full of the sap of the Great Tree.” Eclipse doesn’t hesitate to tell the Princess what they held back from her guard captain.

“Three lights waited within the sap, and we each took one.” This takes Celestia aback, she nearly rears in surprise.

“You drank the sap!” She recovers her composure quickly.

“Yes, your majesty, we did.”

“And then we fell asleep. In our dreams, we saw the Forgotten heroes last moments. When we woke up, we were back outside, with your guard around us.” Celestia paces for a moment, obviously considering the story they gave her.

“Tell me what you saw in that dream.” Then she lets them speak again, listening intently.

“There isn’t much to say. Upon defeating Knight Harrow they limped back to the basin chamber and died. The white unicorn, she could have saved herself by drinking the sap, but choose not to.”

“There was only one star at the time. There were three when we found it.” Celestia nods as if she expected this.

“Before she cast the spell that sent the Tree into hiding, she said that one-day Tyranny would rise again.” Celestia’s eyes narrow, and she sucks in a deep breath as she stands rigid. “And that whoever would face it would need the power of the Tree.”

“Tyranny… I never thought… did she mention any other?”

“The swordpony did. Just after they killed Knight Harrow, he said that ‘Hate was slain,’ and the ‘Elements were sealed.’ Do you know what he meant?”

“No… not again.” Celestia shudders and cringes. Red stares aghast at the display of fear in the Alicorn, uncertain what to do. Princess Celestia turns away until she can compose herself again. “Forgive me. I will not speak of it, not at this time. Not until we know for a fact…” The three companions glance at each other in worry, Red most distraught of all.

“As you wish, your majesty.” The Princess falls silent, obviously deep in thought. “What do you-” Eclipse shuts his mouth as the princess snaps out a wing, demanding silence. They stand quietly as the Alicorn paces a moment longer.

“I believe I understand now.” She finally turns back to face them. “Those who guided you to the stone circle. They were the ghosts of the forgotten heroes, calling to you.”

“But, why us?” Tiny can’t hold his question back. “What do we have to do with them?”

“I believe you are them. Or rather, you are their souls reincarnated back into forms of flesh and blood. They brought you to the basin so that you could drink of the sap and be gifted the power within. I remember how I found myself there once and drank of the same.” Red raises her hoof to her mouth, taking pride in sharing a connection with her idol. “There is a power within that gift. If you are, in fact, the reincarnations of those heroes you may have also inherited some of their own strengths. You may very well become quite powerful in your own right.”

“If we are reincarnations… what does that mean about our own fates and destinies? Are we bound to the same course as our predecessors?”

“Not at all.” Celestia giggles. “Your destiny is your own. Whatever you choose to do with that power is your own choice. I will not dictate the course of your lives. However, I would be willing to invite you to ally yourself with me, and help secure Equestria against whatever dark forces may move against it.”

“I would be pleased, honored!” Red Haze jumps at the chance to work directly for, or with, The Princess of the Sun.

“If I can be of aid to Equestria and its future, I will.” Eclipse bows deeply. Tiny hesitates, and all of them look to him.

“You do not need to feel pressured by the decisions of the others. You may choose to refuse my offer, with no consequence against you.” Tiny lets his gaze fall to the floor and then looks at his hooves.

“I’ll do it, on one condition. I am searching for the pony who murdered my brother. I will work for you if you promise to help me find him and bring him to justice.”

“This, I will do. Murder is a crime most foul and whoever has committed such a sin must be punished.”

“Thank you.”

“Now then, my new friends, I think it is time I learned your names.”

“Red Haze, your majesty.” Red leaps to be first again, bowing deeply and puffing out her chest in pride.

“Tiny Hooves…” Tiny responds slowly, hesitantly.

“Eclipse Corona, second son of the Astral family.” He bows, not quite as deeply as Red did.

“The Astrals? I know that name. Your father has come to the palace repeatedly. Please, be aware that I cannot show your family any greater favoritism than I already do by giving you this position.”

“I understand, and am grateful for the opportunity, regardless.” Silently he considers that his father will be quite pleased to know he is working directly for the Princess.

“Now, please invite Rose back inside. There is a little more I wish to discuss with her present.” Celestia glances around the room and the windows fly open to let more sunlight inside. The time for secrecy has ended. Red is the first to reach the door, gesturing for the captain, standing just outside, to return. Once inside Rose salutes the Alicorn and speaks.

“How may I serve you?”

“These three…” Celestia glances from one pony to the next, pausing for a quick moment on Tiny. “Interesting new friends will be assisting us in the foreseeable future. I wish you to assign them a bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard?”

“I will explain in greater detail later.” Celestia considers something. “Send for Rampart Rock.” Rose nods and heads back outside.

“Excuse me, my lady. But why do we need a bodyguard?”

“You saw those scrying sensors when we entered the room? There are other, darker, forces at work in Equestria. They will know, sooner or later, that you three have come into possession of power. They will seek that power for their own ends. Some will not hesitate to cause you injury to get it, or to remove it from being a threat to them.” They hear the return of the guard captain before they see her, each hoofstep marked by a heavy clang. She enters the room followed by a grey Earth pony stallion, in heavy full plate armor and bearing a shield.

“You requested my presence, Princess?” His voice is harsh, and his face marred by lines from scowling constantly.

“Ah, Rampart Rock. I have a new assignment for you.” He raises an eyebrow but does not interrupt. “I require you to be head of security for these three ponies.” The soldier turns to face his new charges and quickly sizes them up. He scowls a bit when he finds something distasteful about them but does not voice any complaint.

“As you wish.”

“And now,” Celestia addresses the three again, “I have my first request for you.” They each nod. “It has come to my attention that to the north, on the border, there is a town which has not yet properly removed the winter storms. I was going to send some guards there to ascertain the cause of this delay. However, I wish to see just exactly what you three are capable of. Think of this as a trial run for your new station. Go to Shine Shire, resolve the issue if you can, and return to me in Canterlot.”

“We will leave at once.” Eclipse takes command of the three, being more used to being in a position of authority.

“If that is your decision.” Celestia giggles again. “Rose, we need to return to Canterlot immediately.”

“I will organize the guard for mobilization at once, although I must discuss the defense of portal to the Tree of Worlds before we leave.” The Guard captain salutes and turns out. Celestia heads out of the city hall as well but pauses as she passes the three.

“Good luck, my new friends. I truly hope you don’t need it.”

---

They did not, in fact, leave immediately. Once they were alone, without Celestia present, Red and Tiny convinced Eclipse that they should delay until the next morning, as they would need to secure goods for the journey and Tiny wanted time to say goodbye to his circus friends. Later in the evening, they gather in Eclipse’s room at the inn to discuss the change they have undergone. Rampart Rock is standing guard outside in the hall, nothing if not devoted to his task.

“Do either of you feel any different? I don’t.” Tiny stands over by the window, looking out at the street below. His new sword leaning against the wall next to the pile of supplies for the journey north.

“It’s subtle, but yes. I do sense a source of energy within me that wasn’t there yesterday.” Eclipse is at the table, still examining the silver circlet and trying to figure out what it can do. The breastplates he and Tiny took from the cultists set in the corner, stripped clean of paint.

“For me, it’s a wellspring. Especially once I saw Princess Celestia, I could feel it burning within me.” Red paces, unable to keep still. “I feel I could burn stone if I had to.”

“That would be quite a thing to see.” Tiny turns away from the window to face the mare. “So, why don’t we get to know each other.” Red glares at him when she hears the licentious tone in his voice. “I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry, it’s a bad habit.”

“Then you can go first.”

“You said you were searching for the murderer of your brother.”

“Yes. I found my brother in his room, dead, with the pony who killed him standing there with a dagger. I couldn’t see his cutie-mark, he was wearing a long cloak. The only thing I saw clearly was the scar on his face.” Tiny traces a long line down the side of his face. “It was years ago. I’ve been looking for him ever since. Traveling through Equestria pretty much at random.”

“With a circus?”

“Sometimes.” Tiny shrugs. “Mostly on my own, taking whatever jobs I can get.”

“And you never went to the authorities with this?”

“We lived on the outskirts of Equestria at the time, there was no one to go to. And…” he hesitates. “I may have managed to get myself in trouble with the law a few times.”

“Ah, I figured it out!” Eclipse, only paying half-attention, finally stands and slips the circlet over his horn.

“Figured what?”

“What the circlet does.” He focuses and two tiny gems beside the horn slot shine momentarily. “It’s a storage device for magical energy. If I need to I can power a spell or two from this without draining myself.” He focuses again, but the remaining tiny gems do not react as he funnels power into the circlet. “Hmm… I think it’s been damaged somehow. I’ll have to figure out how to restore it before I can use it to its full potential.”

“Do you think these have some special power as well?” Red holds up one forelimb, indicating her bracers.

“Probably.”

“Do you think you could identify it?”

“I can try.” He glances at Tiny’s sword. “Would you like me to do the same for your weapon?”

“Might as well.” Tiny shrugs. He passes the sheathed sword to Eclipse as Red removes the bracers and sets them on the table. “So what about you? What’s your story?”

“I use to live far to the east of here, on the coast. But…” She hesitates, glancing at the other two. “I had a vision. Of a burning mountain, and the fall of a great tree. I left home to search for answers. I know now that it was the Tree of Worlds I saw.”

“OK, that’s fair I guess. But I was hoping to get to know you, not just your reason for traveling.”

“All you need to know is that I can burn you to ash if you touch me.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Trust must be earned… but you did save my life back there. Thank you.”

“I don’t have any more of those healing orbs. If one us goes down like that again, we’re toast. Unless we find more, I used to have three of them.”

“Alright, Red,” Eclipse speaks again. “These should help avoid that need, actually.” He returns the bracers to her. “They will defend you with a magical barrier, but as with my circlet, their potential has largely been lost. I suspect they once contained more potent active defenses, which might be helpful if we can reactive them.”

“Thank you.”

“Eclipse, come on buddy, your turn to share.”

“You already know I’m nobly born. My family, the Astrals, goes back a long way, all the way back to the time before Nightmare Moon. But my grandmother foolishly squandered our resources. We’ve lost most of our lands and holdings, so we don’t rank high in the esteem of the others anymore. Father sent me here to be part of the Summer Sun Celebration.” He sighs. “He’s going to chew me out for missing it.”

“A little overbearing?”

“He has… high expectations for myself and my siblings.” Eclipse lifts the sword off the table and turns it over in the air before him as he examines it. The blade is slightly curved, and the cutting edge seems to waver and fork as he watches it. The metal has a prismatic sheen to it. “I think he wants us to restore the family to its rightful place. That will never happen, he doesn’t seem to want to accept it.”

“Why do you say that? If the sap of the Tree of Worlds has given you great power, maybe you can.”

“I seriously doubt it.” He chuckles. “If the stories of our past are true, the Astral family used to serve Princess Luna herself.”

“Who?”

“Don’t you know any history?” He shakes his head. “Luna, the younger sister of Celestia, and Princess of the night. You might better know her as Nightmare Moon.” Red hisses at the name and backs away, little sparks of flame flicker at the ends of her mane.

“You served the blasphemer, the enemy of the light!?”

“You misunderstand, this was nearly five hundred years ago. I do not worship the dark in such a way.” Red eyes him carefully but calms herself before she burns the inn down. “It is my belief, and that of my family, that she can be redeemed and take her place where she belongs at Celestia’s side.” He sets the sword back on the table. “Even with powers granted to me by the Tree, if that is indeed what has happened, such a feat would be far beyond me. The Astral family has been slowly waning for all these long years. Unless Princess Luna returns within a few generations, we will be nothing more than a forgotten footnote of history.”

“How fatalist.” Tiny rolls his eyes.

“My own feelings on this matter are… complicated.” Then Eclipse passes the sword back to Tiny, who sheathes it and places it back with the supplies. “I can’t make heads or tails of this thing. Its nature seems to change moment by moment, all I can say for sure is that it is quite magical.”

“We all saw what it could do in those dreams.”

“If you can figure out how to use it that way, it would be quite potent again.” Outside the light begins to fade as the sun sets. “We should get to rest early, we have a long way to go tomorrow.” Red nods and turns to go, but Tiny hesitates.

“Hang on a moment.” He sounds apprehensive. “There’s something you need to know.” He glances down at his sword and steps a few strides away from it, closing the window as he does so. “If we’re going to work together like this, then you need to be able to trust me.”

“Tiny, what are you talking about?” The pony locks eyes with Eclipse Corona and then Red Haze.

“Please, don’t scream.” Then he takes a deep breath. A flash of green light bursts from him, not bright enough to blind but enough to startle. Where a moment ago stood a pony there now stands a faintly equine creature which resembles an insect more than a pony. Its carapace is green and chitinous, a pair of small horns sit on its head, in its mouth are small fangs, it has no mane or tail to speak of.

“You’re a changeling!” Red almost shouts it, scrambling backward. “A beast that feeds on ponies!”

“No, wait! Please. I needed you to see this, my real body, so you could trust me.”

“Red, calm down.” Eclipse is steady, despite the surprise. She remains on alert, her summoned flare ready to strike out at any moment. “Tiny, if that is your name, what is the truth about your story?”

“All of it. My brother really was murdered by a pony. I wandered Equestria looking for him. I followed the dream and the ghost, the same as you. My only lie was that I was a pony. The rest is real.”

“How many ponies have you fed off? Monster.” She spits the word.

“I haven’t done that in years! I love this land!” His voice almost cracks. “Everyone here is friendly and most are kind, I don’t have to watch for a knife at my back the way I did in the hive, and I don’t have to fight for food. Ponies share their friendship and love freely. Equestria may not be where I was hatched, but it is my home.”

“How can I trust you now, knowing you are a shapeshifter?”

“It is because we know it that we can.” Eclipse stands between the two, facing Red. “Think, Red Haze. He saved your life when you were wounded. He didn’t have to.” Her snarl starts to fade. “He could have harmed me in my sleep, he did not. He fought at our side against Knight Harrow.”

“I should still turn you over to the Princess, both of you.”

“I think Princess Celestia already knows.” Surprise flashes in Red’s face. “If the Princess herself is willing to give the changeling a chance, you should do the same.” Red’s fire dims and fades as she struggles to decide what to do with this new information. Eclipse faces Tiny now. “Thank you, for sharing this secret with me. I see nothing wrong with any of your actions. I would be pleased to have you as an ally.”

“Thank you.”

“So what is your real name?”

“I’m Tiny Hooves. My changeling name?” Tiny shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. That’s not who I am anymore.”

“It doesn’t bother me if you wear that form, but I advise you to keep it a secret when you eventually meet my family. My father wouldn’t hesitate to turn you in if he thought it would gain us prestige.”

“I wasn’t exactly planning on announcing it to the world.”

“The only question is…” Eclipse turns back to face Red. “What are you going to do?” The unicorn mare is still tense, eying the changeling suspiciously.

“It’s true. You did save my life. If you had meant us harm you could have killed us both when we slept after drinking the sap.”

“I even took the circlet and bracers off the dead and gave them to you. Not that it counts for much.”

“What have I gotten myself into? A moon worshiper and a changeling?” She shakes her head. “Very well. I will not turn you in. I will fight alongside you, we will serve the Princess together. But that’s all. We are allies, not friends.” Before Tiny can respond she spins and leaves the room, slamming the door behind her. Eclipse faces his new changeling friend.

“Give her time, she seems distrustful as a rule.”

“It’s better than I expected, honestly.” Tiny shifts back into his pony form. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Then he leaves to go rest in his own room.

---

The sky above is clear, the horizon ahead of them is not. They left Trotton far behind many hours ago, just before dawn. Each of the four travelers is laden down with supplies for the several days trip north. Rampart Rock marches at the front of their line. Tiny and Eclipse next, Red farther behind, still leery of the changeling. Tiny hasn’t told Rampart Rock about his origin just yet, unaware of how the Earth pony fighter might react.

“Hey, Rampart Rock. Are the stories true?” The Earth pony glances back when Tiny speaks. “Did you really take down an Ursa Major all by yourself?” Eclipse scoffs with a snort, disbelieving.

“That bear gets bigger every time somepony asks.” Rampart sighs. “No.”

“I told you it wasn’t true. No pony can handle a beast like that on their own.”

“It was an Ursa Minor, a small one.”

“Ha! Pay up.” Obligingly Eclipse passes Tiny a bit.

“And I didn’t kill it. I only held it off until the guard came to my rescue and drove it away.” Tiny passes the bit back to Eclipse.

“So exactly where are we going?” Red calls from behind and she hurries a bit to catch up to the others, standing on the other side of Eclipse from Tiny.

“Shine Shire. A small town on the northern border.” Eclipse explains.

“I’ve never heard of it.” This from Tiny.

“That doesn’t surprise me, Princess Celestia had it established only a few years ago, in an effort to reclaim the southernmost province of the old Crystal Empire.”

“I remember we were taught about that in school,” Red speaks. “Celestia fought the slave armies of the King back to his capital, and then the mad-pony cursed the land when the war was nearly lost.”

“That much is true.” Rampart calls over his shoulder. “Stay clear of any ruins out here. The old townships are still rife with dangers, and dark things linger in those dead places. The few creatures who hide out here are liable to attack without warning.”

“Such was the fury of that war that the land itself is scarred and blasted. Further north, in the heartlands of the Empire, freezing winds and near-constant blizzards hide crevasses which can swallow a pony whole if you don’t watch your step.”

“Why would the Princess try to colonize such a dismal place?” Tiny frowns as he looks ahead to storm-clouds in the distance.

“I suspect she takes the long view of this world. It may take lifetimes to clear the dangers, but then the lands would be fertile and clean. Green plains and open fields as far as the eye could see. To her eyes, it would be worth the cost.”

“She has seen other dark places brought into the light in her long life. Manehatten used to be one such cursed place before she spent considerable effort to restore it.” Red doesn’t hesitate to praise the Princess.

“We should quicken our pace.” Rampart calls from the front again. “That storm ahead of us looks like its getting worse. We need to find shelter before it overtakes us.”

“Shouldn’t there be villages or way-stations to rest at?” Eclipse is the one to complain, the others all more used to resting outside.

“Ordinarily, yes. But Shine Shire is still new, and so far north and lightly patrolled that we organize a monthly convoy instead of allowing free travel.”

“Once a month? That’s it?”

“If you don’t like it, get the nobles who own the land to use their own forces to secure it.”

“What if the town needs help? Or there is an emergency?”

“Hey, Red.” Tiny waves a hoof to get her attention. “That’s our job.” Red slows as she considers this, Eclipse hangs back to talk with her.

“Not used to having responsibilities, are you?”

“I’ve been traveling on my own for so long. It didn’t occur to me that I’m the one others call to for help now.”

“The obligation of power is having to use it responsibly.”

---

That night the storm rolled over them, and they sheltered in a copse of trees to wait it out. The rain made everypony miserable and the ground muddy. When the sun rose the next morning none of them were in much of a good mood, but at least their tents kept them mostly dry. Although the storm had passed, the weather was still decided sour, and the clouds continued to drizzle on them the entire day. It was late afternoon when the temperature started to drop sharply.

“Is that snow?” A tiny white snowflake lands on Red’s nose. They all pause and look up. Sure enough, the rain is letting up but the snowfall has begun. “It shouldn’t be snowing, not in the middle of summer!”

“The situation in Shine Shire must be worse than we thought.” Eclipse frowns.

“This could be bad, I didn’t bring cold weather gear.” Tiny checks his gear.

“None of us did.”

“I can keep us warm, as long as we stick close to my fire.” Red summons a floating flame and steadily brightens it until they can all feel its warmth.

“Looks like we’ll be getting to know each other a bit more closely.” Tiny smirks and winks at Red.

“Don’t you dare even make that joke.” Red snaps back, Tiny’s smile fades quickly.

“Do you two have a problem?” Rampart narrows his eyes at them.

“It’s-” Eclipse starts to explain, but Red cuts him off.

“A personal matter.”

“Come on, we’ve got a long ways to go.” Rampart jerks his head towards the north and they trudge on as fast as they can sustain, trying to gain as much distance as possible before the snow forces them to slow. As they walk the falling snowflakes steadily thicken until they can barely see more than a hundred feet ahead.

“Rampart, we may have to stop if this gets any worse.”

“Weather like this might last for days. We need to get as close as we can to Shine Shire before we get stuck out here.”

“We can’t just push through this during the night, we’ll all freeze.”

“Well we can’t-” That’s when the first javelin thuds into the ground next to Tiny. They all look up in time to see more raining down around them, most go wide. Rampart manages to intercept two by placing himself and his shield between the attackers and Eclipse, the javelins bounce off his armor. Red yelps as one javelin glances off her. “Get to cover!” A shriek from above is their next warning, eight Griffons swing down out of the clouds and dive towards them.

“Pony meat tonight, boys! Get them!” one shouts, in the dim light, it’s impossible to see which one gave the command. Tiny tries to conjure his black blade but is startled when his new magic longsword is the weapon that materializes in the air before him. No time to wonder why, as two of the Griffons land beside him brandishing shortswords. Eclipse looks up at the still descending flock and focuses his magic.

“Flee!” his voice booms, the word has the power of a command spell, and two of the Griffons immediately turn away. Red shouts in anger and scorching rays of fire lance out from her horn in rapid succession, striking one of the Griffon raiders square in the chest. The creature shrieks and falls, its companion charges down at Red.

The remaining four predators all land about Rampart, trying to overwhelm him. The heavily armored pony spins in place, battering aside their swords with ease while he gets his grip on his flail.

Tiny dances between the two Griffons flanking him, cutting in and dodging as best he can in the disadvantageous position. Against a single one he could easily break through their guard and cut them down, but with two he has to spend most of his efforts on defense.

Eclipse, seeing Tiny’s and Rampart’s plights, projects a shield around them, giving each the chance to fight back as the magic barrier blunts the griffon’s blows.

Before the final Griffon can reach red, a burst of light emits from her and she vanishes out of sight. The Griffon who had been charging her blinks in confusion, and then spins towards Eclipse. The two Griffons Eclipse had forced to flee turn back towards the fight, flinging their other javelin down at him, from long range neither one reaches him.

Rampart Rock slams his flail into one assailant, the Griffon stumbles and screams, then he slams his shield into one of the other bird creatures and it tumbles away. Swords clank off his armor and shield.

Red reappears in a flash of light a few strides from where she had been standing. She flings a bolt of flame up the Griffon now descending on Eclipse, causing it to spin back towards her in anger. She blinks back out of reality before it can close, and it shrieks in irritation.

The remaining Griffons finally reach the ground, landing beside Eclipse, and the fight devolves into a swirling melee. Red pops in and out of vision, flinging firebolts at whichever Griffon seems most threatening, keeping them from swarming Eclipse. Tiny, defended by the magic barrier, makes short work of one of the attackers. Eclipse holds his attackers at bay by firing bright blasts of energy and quick electric shocks.

Despite his heavy armor and shield, Rampart is being overwhelmed. Two of the griffons stop even trying to use their weapons and simply clamp onto the pony with their claws and beaks. He cringes with pain but does not cry out. Hold immobile, he can’t properly fight the others off and they start to jab at his exposed face.

“Puny ponies! Yak will save you!” This new shout comes out of the darkness, and fully half the fighters face the sound. A huge mass of long brown fur barrels through the snow, moving quickly despite its mass and kicking up huge white clouds. The newcomer crashes into the Griffons holding Rampart, using large horns nearly as large as longswords to knock them clear. The injured Pony drops to the ground, and the Yak stands over him, shielding him with its body.

Tiny takes the chance the distraction gives him to drive his magic sword into the chest of the distracted Griffon. Eclipse, still facing two himself, smiles to himself at the arrival of an apparent new ally. The yak swings his horns in quick arcs, slamming them into the raiders and kicks out at one behind him. Bone snaps audibly beneath the raider’s screams.

With the battle turning decisively against them one of the Griffons shrieks loudly, and they all take to the air, trying to flee.

“No, you don’t!” Red appears again in a flash of light, roaring in unrestrained fury. A bright flaming blaze shoots out towards the flock of fleeing Griffons and explodes into a huge ball of fire. Eclipse and Tiny have to shield their eyes against the flash. The predators caught in the flames all fall out of the air and thud into the snow below, their bodies hissing and smoking. Only one Griffon seems to escape, but Eclipse shoots it down with a gleaming bolt of energy before it can get out of range.

The ponies all breathe heavily for a moment as the sudden end to the fight caught them all off guard. The Yak glances around at each of them and then steps away from Rampart.

“Cowardly bird things no match for Yak.” Tiny edges around the tall creature to reach Rampart Rock, who has yet to stand. “Little ponies safe now.”

“My thanks, stranger. Who might you be?” Eclipse takes a position beside Red, who has yet to calm completely, and little fires burn around her.

“Ormr is Yak name.” The yak pounds on his chest. Only now the fight was over could they see he had a large dark cloak thrown over his back. “Yak saw fire and fighting, bird things preying on the little ponies.”

“Rampart is injured.” Tiny is trying to help Rampart back to his feet.

“I’ve had worse, I’ll live.” Nevertheless, he can’t put any weight on his right forelimb without stumbling. “What’s a Yak doing out here? Yakyakistan is even farther north than the Crystal Empire.”

“Ormr not from Yakyakistan. Yak from tribe of Yakyaksgard.” The Yak puffs out his chest, making him look even larger than he is.

“I am not familiar with that tribe.” Eclipse searches his memory for any trace of the name, coming up empty.

“Yakyaksgard far to the west, quite distant from pony land.”

“We should find shelter, there might be more Griffons out there.”

“Pah, bird things no threat to Yak.”

“Rampart is wounded, we can’t make it to Shine Shire in the dark like this. We’ll have to wait for morning, despite the snow.”

“Cold not bother Yak.”

“Wait, you still haven’t answered the question. What are you doing out here?” Red, having doused her flames, eyes Ormr with suspicion.

“Yak sent here by ancestors. Warned of great danger to ponies, which threaten Yakyaksgard if danger comes to pass. Ormr sent to stop threat.” Ormr seems to think this is a satisfactory answer, Red and Eclipse share a confused glance.

“…OK then.” Tiny shrugs. “You could be a bit more specific.”

“Yak answered pony question.” The big creature eyes them each in turn, apparently judging them. “Ponies might be ones in danger, Yak will stay with ponies.”

“We don’t need your help.” Red seethes at the stranger forcing his way into the group. “You should be on your way.”

“Yak not leave. Ponies need Yak.”

“Don’t make me hurt you.”

“Yak does not fear. Yak here to help. Pony not hurt Ormr.”

“We can argue about that later,” Tiny interjects before things get out of hoof. “Right now we need shelter and a fire before we get buried in the snow.”

“Yak cave not far.” Ormr points in the direction he came from. “Ponies stay in safe cave till snow passes.” With that, the large creature moves away, certain they will follow.

“He can’t be serious.” Red grumbles. “You can’t be serious.” She complains again when the others make to follow him.

“We need a place to stay for the night. A cave, even with a yak, is still better than out in the open.”

“Celestia give me strength…” Red sighs loudly and turns to follow.

Ormr’s cave is little more than an overhanging rock, jutting out from the side of a hill. Even considering the primitive nature of the shelter, it’s still better than camping out in the open. Tiny spent the entire trip helping Rampart walk. Red continues to hang back at the back of the pack, keeping a suspicious eye on both Tiny and the Yak. Eclipse, for his part, tried to pry more information about the nature of the Yak’s mission, but Ormr refused to go into greater detail. Once under the overhang Tiny sat Rampart down and went to look for firewood.

“Red, let me see your wound.” With Rampart resting Eclipse faces Red.

“I’m not hurt.”

“Don’t try to tell me that, I saw you get hit by one of those javelins. Last time you took a hit you were almost killed.”

“…Fine.” Red obligingly holds still while Eclipse searches along her side for where the weapon had struck her.

“What was that thing you did out there, where you disappeared?”

“I stepped into the ethereal plane for a moment.”

“I’m impressed, that’s difficult magic. I… what is this?” Having found the impact site, Eclipse brushes her fur out of the way. “Are those dragon-scales?” He runs his hoof over the hardened scales on Red’s skin, scratched but unbroken by the javelin.

“I have… what?” She bends her neck around to see, just as baffled as Eclipse.

“Pony is lizard? Yak confused.”

“It would seem your change from the sap was more significant than we thought.” Eclipse backs away and goes to check on Rampart.

“Pony is tree, too?” Despite herself, Red laughs at the Yak.

“It’s a long story.”

“Did I miss something funny?” Tiny returns, bearing a few old branches on his back.

“The Yak thinks I’m part tree.” Tiny blinks at Red’s mirth.

“Ah, I get it now. The sap, right. Very funny.” He dumps the wood in a pile in the middle of the ‘cave.’ “This was all I could find anywhere nearby.”

“That’s unfortunate, it’s going to get cold tonight.”

“Yak will sleep with pony.”

“Excuse me?” Tiny bursts out laughing at Eclipse’s obvious discomfort, joined by Red and even Rampart.

“Did Yak say something funny?”

---

By morning the snowfall had lightened up but still drifted down from the clouds. Between the old branches Tiny found and Red’s fire magic they were able to keep warm enough over the night, and they set out again towards Shine Shire as soon as the sky starts to brighten.

Rampart was still limping, but once they convinced him to remove his heavy armor he was able to walk better. Ormr was willing to carry the heavy plate for him. As they walk it becomes clear that Rampart’s wound isn’t getting much better. By the time Shine Shire finally comes into view it’s quite clear the injury is infected.

On the subject of the Yak, Red was hesitant to let him join them, but given they couldn’t convince him to leave by any means short of violence, she didn’t have much choice.

The town ahead of them is situated atop a hill and surrounded by a wooden palisade. Activity atop the gatehouse tells them they have been spotted. When they reach the gate an Earth pony with a crossbow on the watchtower demands they identify themselves.

“We’ve been sent to find out why the winter storms haven’t been cleared.” Eclipse responds for the group, the watchpony seems hesitant, glancing at the Yak.

“Celestia herself sent us.” Upon hearing this the watchpony brightens and calls down to the guard behind the gate to open it for them. The gate creaks open and reveals a sizable group of militia and lightly armored soldiers armed with spears waiting for them, they had been ready to fight until they heard Red. There are a few Unicorns in the cluster, but the group is mostly Earth pony, only one Pegasus is visible. The Pegasus appears to be the guard commander, wearing somewhat heavier armor and a helmet. The cluster of ponies mumble and jostle each other when they see the Yak.

“Let me through, let me through!” a voice calls, and the crowd parts to allow an older looking Earth pony mare to the front of the crowd. “Thank goodness you’ve come. We were starting to worry our message hadn’t gotten through. I’m mayor Fluffy Ribbon and this is Dusty Badge, head of the town guard.”

“I am Eclipse Corona; this is Red Haze, Tiny Hooves, Rampart Rock, and Ormr the Yak.” Eclipse takes charge and introduces them all. “Before you explain what’s been happening, we were beset by Griffons on the way here and our companion is wounded, do you have a doctor?”

“Oh, of course!” The mayor turns to a nearby pony. “Would you mind taking him there?” The other pony nods and leads Rampart away. “Please, come into the town hall and we’ll try to explain.”

“Where are all the Pegasus?” Tiny looks around, not finding any.

“That’s the problem.” The mayor and the guard commander take them into the town hall, Ormr has to twist his head to avoid knocking holes in the walls as he goes through the door. “All the Pegasus still in town are too afraid to leave their homes for long, and none are willing to step outside the walls.”

“It started just after winter wrap up.” Dusty Badge continues. “One of the Pegasus didn’t come back when he was supposed to. We went out searching, but couldn’t find him. Over the next few weeks others started to disappear, one by one. Then last month there was a big storm coming in, and the entire weather unit went out to deal with it. The team vanished, all of them, they haven’t come back.”

“How many are missing?” Red asks.

“Twelve Pegasus have disappeared.” The mayor answers. “With the weather turning this bad most of our crops are going to die soon, we won’t have enough food to last through the summer and fall.” She sighs and rubs at her forehead.

“I thought the royal guard escorted a caravan of supplies here every month, wouldn’t that bring relief?” questions Eclipse.

“Our patrons, the Geode family, have been slowly reducing our monthly convoy for the past year. They said that if we can’t prove self-sustaining this year they will cut all our funding. If our crop fails we’ll have to abandon the town and go back south.”

“Would that be so bad?” Tiny tilts his head as he asks.

“We all left our old homes behind to settle out here. Most of us brought our whole families. We can’t just leave this place now.”

“Yak understands.” The big guy nods.

“If that happens, Celestia’s dream of restoring this land will wither.” Red’s looks out at the clouds. “I can’t let that happen. We will find your missing Pegasus.”

“How? We’ve searched everywhere.”

“Then they are obviously somewhere you have not.”

“Uh, Eclipse… that’s not helpful.” Tiny rolls his eyes.

“Bring me a map of the area and tell me, in detail, every place you have searched, and every place you sent one of the missing Pegasus. We will systematically determine where a dozen ponies could be hiding, or held, without being noticed.” Dusty Badge nods and leaves the room, heading to find his maps. “Red, do you think you could help the mayor organize their food to start rationing?”

“Why me?”

“Because you are used to living off the land or traveling long distances between towns without resupplying. You know how to stretch your resources to the limit.”

“I understand, I’ll see what I can do.” Red and mayor Fluffy Ribbon leave together.

“Right, you have fun pouring over your maps.” Tiny gives a mock salute. “I’ll go talk to the locals about what’s been going on.”

“What’s the point? They already told us what they know.”

“Sometimes you have to ask the wrong question to get the right answer.” Tiny and Dusty Badge switch places when the commander returns with several maps under his wings.

“What should Yak do? No good with maps.”

“I don’t know. Take a look at the landscape from the watchtower, see if there's any place you think might be worth checking. Maybe your ‘ancestors’ will provide guidance.” Eclipse mocks the quotes on the word with his hooves, Ormr doesn’t seem to notice.

“Yak will do this.” So the party divides their tasks and splits up.

A few hours later they reconvene in the town hall, Red first, followed by Ormr and then Tiny a few minutes later. Rampart is under strict bed-rest by the doctor and will be unable to assist in the search for a day or two.

“So, I’ve done what I can about discussing their rations for long-term survival.” Red starts the debriefing. “If they follow my advice they can stretch out their supplies a few more months.”

“Good. Tiny, did you get anything out of the townsponies?”

“Everypony is pretty scared, which is to be expected. The guards are of the opinion that the Pegasus have been kidnapped by something. Some of the townsponies think the Wendigos have returned.”

“That’s nonsense, the Wendigos were a myth to begin with.”

“Maybe, but one common thread about all their stories were some strange shapes and lights moving in the clouds. There is definitely something out there.”

“What about the Griffons that attacked us? Could they be the ones who did this?” Red suggests it.

“Possibly, but that was a fairly small group, and not particularly bright at that. I don’t think they would have been able to keep so well hidden for so long. Once we’re done here we should notify the other towns in the area to be aware of possible Griffon banditry.”

“I doubt they would have gone after the weather team either.” The commander interjects. “A single lone Pegasus is one thing, but a larger group? That doesn’t even include the fact that most Pegasus can outfly most Griffons. Especially weather Pegasus. If they have come this far north, we would have seen some sign of them.”

“The commander and I have gone over their search patterns. They’ve done a decent job of covering the immediate area to a distance of about ten miles. Past that the terrain gets rougher and more dangerous.” Eclipse traces a circle on one of the larger maps with his hoof. “There are some caves in the hills to the west, some crevasses and crystalline formations to the north, and the ruins of an old Crystal Empire city to the east.” He points to each of the landmarks as he indicates them. “There is plenty of space in any of those directions to hide captives.”

“If they were captured and hauled off they could be a lot further away than that.”

“True, and if there was a single pony missing that might be the case. But in order to be so systematic about this, whoever has been doing this would need to be close by the take in additional captives before the Pegasus could reach the safety of the town. They are still fairly close by. There is one more thing. All the Pegasus who went missing were sent out northeast before they vanished. So it stands to reason that the abductors have their base in either the north or the east. We should check the ruins, or the crevasses to the north, before checking the hills.”

“So, do we go spelunking or tomb raiding?”

"Yak has something to say.” Ormr has been silent for the whole conversation so far. “Ormr ancestors silent so far from home, but Yak saw dark places to east. Bad feelings from dead city.”

“So the Yak votes for checking the ruins first,” Tiny speaks and Ormr nods. “Any reason to go north instead?”

“A ruined city would provide plenty of construction materials as well as places to hide. It’s a good place to start. If nopony can provide any reason not to go there first, that should be our destination.” Eclipse looks to each of the others, no one speaks. “Good, Dusty badge, do you want to come with us or send any guardsponies?”

“I’m not comfortable leaving the town myself with the townsponies so worried, I need to be here in case something happens. I can’t spare enough ponies to search a ruin so far away. Especially if there are Griffon warbands in the area. I’m sorry.”

“Then it’s up to us.” Red stomps a hoof. “We still have plenty of daylight left, we should get going.” She examines the map. “If we keep up a good pace we should be able to get there in a little over an hour.”

“I may not be as capable of wandering about in the wild for days on end as you three, but I can manage a run like that.” Eclipse nods his assent for the plan. “Let’s get going.”

---

The place ahead of them resembles nothing so much as the decaying carcass of some immense beast. Once majestic spires and gleaming houses are now little more than crumbling ribs and rotting muscles. No roof remains on even the smallest house, and the bare walls reach skyward like bleached bones. Even the name of this place is dead, no living thing remembers it now.

“Yak does not like this place.” They are standing not far from the outermost structures that could be said to still stand.

“Neither do I.” Eclipse looks back, both Red and Tiny are trying to catch their breath after the hour-long run to get here. “Here I thought I was going to be the one slowing us down.”

“Stuff it. It’s cold out here.”

“Maybe the sap granted you more stamina? We still don’t know how it affected you two.”

“Possibly.”

“So do we split up? Cover more ground. Red and Ormr, me and you?” Red shoots Tiny a curious glance. “I didn’t think you would want to wander off into a ruined city all alone with me.”

“That’s not a good idea. If there really is something out here capable of taking down an entire weather team we don’t want to run into it alone. It’ll take longer to search, but staying together is safer.”

“Ormr would be fine on Yak’s own. But if ponies need Yak, Ormr will follow.”

“Yeah, stick with us. We should get to work.” Tiny is the first to willingly enter the ruins, Followed by Eclipse and red, standing side by side, with Ormr taking up the rear. For several more hours, they wander the rubble-filled streets and wrecked buildings looking for signs of activity. Whatever goods were once contained in the houses and storefronts have long ago been picked clean by centuries of time and opportunistic looters. Eclipse tries to keep them on a grid search system, but Tiny and Ormr simply head off in whatever direction they feel most lucky in.

“Hey, did anyone else see that?” Red pulls them to a stop as they pass what might once have been a walled enclosure. “Come here, stay behind the wall.” They follow her to a large crack in the barrier, easily wide enough to walk through. Behind the wall is a courtyard of some kind, with a low building in the corner opposite them, it’s door has been long missing, although the roof is mostly intact. “There, see that. In the shadows.” Something is glowing faintly in the darkness.

“Yes, I see it.” Eclipse narrows his eyes. Hidden from above by the wrecked roof, and from afar by the walls of the ancient courtyard is what appears to be an armored pony, standing upright with shield and sword at the ready.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure. It’s too far away to get a good look. It’s not moving.”

“Then let's get a better look at it.” Tiny hefts a small stone and flings it towards the building. The rock clatters against the wall, and the armored figure lurches forward a few steps and glances around. Red gasps. The armored thing has no head or face beneath its helmet. The glow seems to come from within the armor’s interior.

“An animated suit of armor? Hmm.” Eclipse eyes it carefully.

“Could it be left over from the war?” asks red.

“I doubt it, everything else out here has been lost to time. Look at its sword, it's not rusted. It hasn’t been out here all that long. I think we’ve found our target’s hiding spot.”

“Good.” Tiny grins and glances at Ormr. “So, Yak. Who do you think can destroy it first?”

“Wait, what?”

“Yak accepts pony challenge!” Without waiting for the others, Ormr rushes through the gap in the wall and charges, with Tiny right behind him, knocking Eclipse out of the way.

“Fools are going to get themselves killed! Come on!” Red pulls the other unicorn to his feet and they run out after them. At first, the animated armor ignores them, seemingly unaware of them despite them being clearly out in the open, but as soon as they draw close it immediately turns its shield towards Ormr and readies its blade.

Two lizard-like animals, each almost as large as a pony, emerge out from the old building when they hear the Yak yelling. They hiss and growl and rush out to meet him. Ormr barrels through them, knocking one aside in his haste to reach the armor. He slams headfirst into the armor, but it was braced for the blow and resists him.

Tiny dashes between the two guard drakes, slashing them both as he goes. Despite the gashes, they remain standing and snap at him.

Eclipse focuses his magic, establishing protective magic shields around his two companions who ran out in front as red flings her firebolts at the drakes. Her shots go wide and the animals ignore her.

Ormr rears and kicks at the armor, which intercepts both kicks with its shield before slashing back. The blade sizzles and flashes where it glances off Eclipse’s shield. Ormr yells, a barbaric howl, and around him nearly transparent spirit appear, floating yak-like apparitions. They float and flicker around him, crowding around the armor and appearing to block it from facing Tiny.

The smaller pony darts past the armor to flank it before the drakes can close on him again, and rakes the blade hard across the armor’s back. It cuts through the metal, but without a back to cut, seemingly does little real damage.

Eclipse launches one of his gleaming star bolts at the armor, but even when it slams into the helmet it simply dissipates into the air, having no effect. He blinks, startled, expecting to have had more impact on it.

Red runs to the side, where she can see the armor and both drakes in an arc in front of her. Then she screams, almost draconic in fury, and flames erupt in a spray in front of her, washing over both the drakes and the armor. The lizards howl in pain, and one spins on her. Ormr and Tiny were just far enough away that her flames didn’t touch them.

The first drake closes on red, and while it snaps viciously at her she manages to back out of its range. Then it spins and slaps her hard across the face with its tail. She yelps, but isn’t terribly injured. The second tries to leap onto Tiny but rebounds off the magic shield instead.

Ormr slams his horns into the armor, and nearly sends it stumbling. The spectral yak spirits continue to prevent it from seeing any other target besides Ormr. The armor strikes out again at the Yak, nearly pushing through Eclipse’s barrier before Ormr moves to avoid the blow.

With the drakes and the armor still within her fire spray’s range, Red repeats the spell, badly burning all three foes. Even burned, the drakes still don’t go down.

With his guiding star bolt useless against the armor, Eclipse fires his arcane blast instead. Twin beams of bright energy lance out and slam into the armor. They should have burned holes clean through it, but they have as much impact on it as a wave does upon a granite cliff.

“I can’t help, it’s immune to my magic!”

“Get the drakes, we’ve got the armor!” Tiny shouts back to him, then nearly shouts in pain as the drake facing him manages to break through the barrier to clamp its jaws around his leg. Or it would have if one of the spectral yak spirits hadn’t stepped through Tiny and taken the attack for him. The spectral image flickers out, but Tiny is unharmed.

The armor continues to attack Ormr, but each time it manages to get close the blade deflects off the magical barrier.

The other drake leaps up to bite at Red, but she holds it back with one arm. It snaps and grows at her, teeth just inches from her face. She snarls back and bursts fire from her horn right down its throat. The creature lurches away, coughing and heaving until it falls to the ground, quite dead.

Tiny slashes once at the drake to force it away, and then drives his colorful blade into the armor’s leg. Despite what should be a grievous injury the construct doesn’t stumble.

Ormr kicks with his hooves and slashes with his horns, but has little effect on the armor. It does, however, keep its attention firmly on him as the spirits block its vision on Tiny or the unicorns.

Eclipse fires his arcane blasts again, this time focusing them both on the remaining drake. The first beam cuts down its side, and the second hits it square in the back of the neck. It slumps to the ground with a final yelp, its spine shattered by the blast.

Down to a single threat, Red hurls a firebolt at the armor. The flare hits the armor right in the head, and the helmet is blown clear of the body. Whatever magic was animating the construct fails, and it collapses with a clatter of half melted steel. Ormr and Tiny blink in confusion, neither one having won their bet. The Yak spirits fade away with no threat left.

“You idiotic, egocentric, testosterone spewing lunatics!” Red’s anger has yet to burn out as she shouts at Ormr and Tiny. “You didn’t even consider there might have been more danger! What if there had been something bigger than just these drakes?” As Red berates the other two, Eclipse drops his shields and comes over to inspect the ruined armor.

“Then Yak would have killed it.”

“Morons! I saw that sword deflect off that shield half a dozen times, if it weren’t for Eclipse you would be in pieces!”

“Yak could take it.”

“OK, you’re right.” Tiny sheathes his blade. “Maybe I shouldn’t have goaded him on like that. But we came out of that mostly unscathed.” Tiny spots the bruise forming on Red’s face. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Red spits out a little blood from her mouth. “Just a bit scratched up.” She stomps past him to the side of the other unicorn. “Is it down for good?”

“Yes. The magic animating it has been disrupted pretty thoroughly.” He glances around the interior of the building it was protecting. “What was it guarding? All I see is old rubbish and the droppings of those drakes.” The building appears to have once been a prison or security station.

“Then you aren’t looking closely enough.” Red walks over to the far corner and pulls up on an iron ring on the floor. A large square section of stone swings up, shedding rubbish and drake droppings, and reveals a hidden stairway down.

“Someone is on a roll today.” Tiny steps up beside her. “Well spotted. Who goes first?”

“You’re the one who can see in the dark.” Red glares at him from the corner of her eye.

“True enough.” He shrugs. “Down I go.” Tiny heads down the stairway first, with Ormr taking the rear. The passageway is large enough that he has no trouble despite his large horns. Red and Eclipse each light their way with simple spells. When they reach the bottom of the stairway the first room is a small squarish chamber with a single door on the other side. The floor is strewn with straw and unidentifiable bits of meat, presumably leftovers from feeding the drakes.

“This construction is recent, relatively speaking.”

“How can you tell?”

“These bricks don’t share much in common with the design of the Crystal Empire structures above. That, and it’s all in good condition.”

“Onward then.” Tiny looks up from where he was checking the door for traps. “There’s no trap I can find here.”

“Then Yak will open door.” Ormr rams his head into it with a heavy bang, splintering it badly. The door resists the first blow as they all stare at him. The recoil from the impact causes the door to swing back towards them.

“Ormr, it isn’t even locked!” But the Yak simply rams it again, knocking it right off its hinges and sending it tumbling into the hallway behind it. The action is anything but quiet. Eclipse sighs. “So much for subtlety.”

“If they didn’t know we were here, they do now.” Tiny looks down the now open hallway, constructed with much the same design as the stairway and the first room. “There’s another door at the end, I don’t see anything else.”

“Then Yak will open!” Without waiting for them, again, he rushes down and attacks the next door.

“Ormr, wait!” To no avail, the yak doesn’t listen to Red. The hallway booms as he rams the wooden door. “At least there aren’t traps here either.” They follow the yak as he bashes down the barrier into the next chamber.

This room is much larger than the other, almost the size of a full-blown cavern. The room is nearly a hundred feet long, with another door on the right at each end. On the opposite wall is a ramp leading up to what looks like a cellar door. The wide space is dominated by twelve metal cages. Most are empty, but three contain equine figures.

“Dear Celestia… what are those?!” Each of the three creatures snarls and snort at them, kicking at the metal bars. Their bodies are blackened and burned, and actively smoldering from each hoof and out of scars along their flanks. Their eyes and mouth glow with infernal internal fire, and their manes and tails billow like smoke.

“Hell Horses.” Eclipse remains calm as they approach the nearest caged creature. “Sometimes called Demon Steeds, or Nightmares.” The monster inside the cage kicks again, the metal rings with the blow but is rigid and sturdy.

“Fire horse is bad thing?” asks the Yak.

“Very bad. It’s a good thing these cages are built to last.” Eclipse slips around to the other side of the cage, examining the Nightmare. Red and Tiny stand beside the cage and watch it.

“Oh no… is that a cutie-mark?” Tiny, horrified, points to the creature’s side, where the remains of a symbol resembling a cloud can be seen.

“Hell Horses do not exist in nature,” Eclipse explains. “They were Pegasus once, taken by dark powers, tortured and mutilated.” Red nearly retches. “A ruined and terrible form of life.”

“These were Pegasus? Then, where are their wings?”

“Removed. Look, you can see the stumps behind their shoulders.” Eclipse points, and then it’s clear who these creatures were. “I think we’ve found the weather team.”

“Is there anything we can do for them? Can they be restored?”

“I doubt it. To become… this… they would have been tortured and imbued with vile magics. Even if we could heal them and restore their wings they would still be mad with hate and fury.”

“How do you know all this?” Red eyes him more suspiciously than before.

“I’ve studied magic, that includes the study of some the darker aspects of it. I’ve read about Hell Horses, but I had hoped to never see one myself.”

“What do we do with them?” Tiny asks.

“If there is no way to restore them.” Red shakes her head slowly. “Then killing them would be a mercy.”

Something dark whispers a vile word, unheard by the four companions. Ormr freezes. An instant later he lunges at Tiny, hurling the smaller pony away from the caged Nightmare.

“What are you doing!” Red kicks him back, but has no effect through the thick fur, and then backs away as the Yak turns his horns towards her.

“Kill the ponies. I am commanded.”

“Shit!” Tiny picks himself off the ground. “He’s been mind controlled! We’ve got to beat him out of it!” Then he draws out his pact blade, the strange magic longsword materializing out of thin air. He clamps down hard on its hilt.

“I’m more worried about what’s controlling him!” Eclipse hesitates to fire on their ally. His worry is justified a moment later when the door nearest to the entry swings the rest of the way open. An immense black serpent slithers out and rises to full height, absolutely towering over the equines.

“You are trespassing.” The voice growls deeply. It superficially resembles a black cobra, with a body nearly as thick as a tree and possibly thirty feet long if stretched out, but the malevolence and intelligence in its eyes cannot be understated.

It speaks words of power, and Eclipse can feel the air fill with an electric charge, the serpent casting a bolt of lightning towards them. The midnight blue unicorn reacts instantly, he lashes out with his own magic and wrestles with the snake for control of the spell. For an instant, they struggle, until Eclipse rips the magic away from the monster and snaps the spell apart. The large serpent narrows its eyes and focuses its anger on the Unicorn.

Ormr attacks Tiny again, kicking and swinging his horns with abandon. Tiny, agile though he is, cannot avoid it all, and nearly drops his sword as the Yak hits him. When he counterattacks he tries to avoid hitting anything important, but his cut on the Yak is still deep. Ormr shakes his head, as if to clear it, but then his resolve to kill Tiny renews.

The nightmares in the cages kick and scream, but are unable to affect the battle directly.

The serpent speaks again, its forked tongue pointed at Eclipse. Foul green vapors surround the unicorn and he shrieks as his body starts to wither, the water in his blood being siphoned out of him. Despite the pain, he remains standing.

“Enough!” Red glances between all the combatants. She reaches out with her magic, feeling the flow of power within the room, and washes it all away from her with a quick shout. The vapors around Eclipse dissipate, and his vigor returns. Ormr halts in his attack, blinking confused before spinning towards the snake. The serpent slithers back through the doorway and disappears into the darkness.

“Tiny, Ormr, go!” Eclipse, now free of the spell, points his horn at the changeling and the Yak. Tiny’s movements accelerate, becoming a blur. Ormr is right behind him, both moving faster than they possibly could before.

The two rush down the corridor, closing on the serpent before it can get away. Its eyes open wider as the catch up to it, not expecting them to get so close so fast. It can’t do more than lash about uselessly as Tiny carves long gashes into it. It hisses in pain, and can clearly see it has lost this fight.

It speaks a single word, unintelligible to the other two combatants, and a shimmering circle appears in the air and swipes across the serpent’s body. Even hasted as they are, neither Tiny nor Ormr can react fast enough to strike it again before the teleport completes. The enemy has escaped.

Author's Note:

At this point our session had gone on past midnight, so we stopped right as the Naga Dimension Doored out of the fight.
The Animated Armor was a Helmed Horror. The player's couldn't identify it.