Heart of Magic

by TheCrimsonDM

Chapter Forty Five: Wood Warriors

Heart of Magic

Chapter 45: Wood Warriors

Written by TheCrimsonDM

Rarity had to admit Canterlot had certainly looked better. A lot of ponies walking by on the streets seemed to look on edge, though there weren’t very many of them as it was. It didn’t help that she’d encountered at least a dozen ponies who were sneezing, coughing and wheezing since then. She’d activated a health bubble after meeting the first one and had not deactivate it once since. There was something off about the mucus these sick ponies were expelling. It was either black or a dark purple, neither of these was a natural color.

She had to hurry, her shop was in danger of closing down and she did not spend years of her life trying to get this clothing empire up and running only to have it shut down because of some paranoia and sick ponies. She absolutely refused.

Rarity walked down on street and took a corner, she was almost at her shop. A pony nearly bumped into her and her health bubble. The poor soul was a mail-stallion and the moment he saw Rarity he sneezed. Large globs of black goop splattered against Rarity’s health bubble and hung in the air as disgusting filthy reminders of this poor pony’s condition.

He began to stammer, “I’m so-“

Rarity interrupted as she pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to him. “No need to apologize, you’re simply sick. I admire you still trying to do your job in this condition.”

He took the handkerchief and blew his nose into it. “Thank you.”

Rarity smiled. “No need to thank me. Now you keep that handkerchief with you and just try to take care of yourself okay, handsome?”

He beamed at her and trotted past her. “Thank you again.”

She felt happy about making that poor soul’s day. Now she could continue onto her real objective. She managed to reach the shop in no time at all and saw a closed sign on the front. This was not right, it was not time to close. Rarity marched into the store and saw Sassy Saddles packing away dresses. Rarity closed the door behind her and waited.

Sassy had a look of pure stress drawing aged lines across her face as she was carefully folding some articles of cloth and putting them in boxes while putting dresses into suit protectors that hung from a nearby rack. Eventually Rarity cleared her throat to announce her presence and Sassy jumped back. She nearly cursed, “Celestia’s B-“

Rarity raised an eyebrow.

Sassy calmed herself. “Miss Rarity, I am terribly sorry you have to come in such a stressful time.”

Rarity looked around. The place looked empty. “So explain to me why we are closing down here?”

Sassy swallowed. “It wasn’t my fault, we’re being forced to.”

Rarity growled. “And who exactly do I have to slap in the face for trying to shut down my business?”

A majestic voice filled the room with a sense of playfulness she hadn’t heard in some time. “That would be me, of course you’ll either need a stool or I’ll need to lower my head for you to slap me.”

Rarity looked over and saw Celestia herself exit from the back rooms. Rarity stammered for words. “I-I-I wasn’t serious.”

Celestia smiled. “I know.”

Rarity looked around and still felt anger in her gut, yet in the presence of royalty she could contain herself somewhat. “Why exactly are you closing my shop down?”

Celestia glanced toward the window looking out to the city. “You’ve seen the sick out there no doubt. I want to try and keep some of the ponies I know will be needed soon safe. I’m starting with your shop, but I’ll soon have to expand to others I fear.”

Rarity looked outside. It really did seem that at least three in every ten ponies had sniffles, coughing, or a runny nose. There mucus was all a strange mix of black and dark purple. Something was off about this, something she really didn’t like the feel of. “So because some kind of flu is going around your shutting me down?”

Sassy replied. “Rarity, you haven’t been here, you don’t know how scary it is. Everypony seems to be catching it. I don’t want to get sick.”

Celestia agreed. “This sickness might be more than just a flu. So I’m shutting down both of your shops. Sassy, you have a safe place to stay during this time don’t you?”

Sassy swallowed. “I haven’t left the shop in a week.”

Rarity glanced at her. “How have you stayed clean? There’s no bath here!”

Sassy looked down at her hooves. “I’ve been using the sink… its cold.”

Rarity felt her heart drop into her stomach. “Is it really that serious out there?”

Celestia nodded. “It is. And I know you care for your employees, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to put them in any risk.”

Rarity nodded. “Of course not… Sassy, you will be coming with me back to Ponyville, where you will get a real bath prompt and proper.” Rarity looked at Celestia. “Have you shut down my shop in Manehatten yet?”

Celestia shook her head. “Not yet, I will be going there next.”

“Could you do me a favor, Celestia? Could you bring Coco Pommel back to Ponyville for me? I’d rather not think of her being in a dangerous place because of me.”

Celestia smiled. “Of course. I’d not have it any other way.”

Rarity looked out the window once more. “How long before this sickness is gone?”

Celestia walked to the window and looked outside with her. “We are developing a vaccine now, but it might take a few weeks. I’m sure it’ll be all over soon.”

Rarity swallowed. “Is it dangerous?”

“If it wasn’t would I be shutting your shops down?”

Rarity leaned her head against the glass. “I suppose not…”

With a war on one side, and a new illness spreading on the other. Rarity could feel that things were drastically changing in the world. The worst part was that with Twilight gone all they could do was try to take care of the ones they loved… even in these dire times, after all that Twilight had done, she still relied on Twilight to save them… Rarity gave out a little laugh. How messed up was that, still expecting Twilight to save them, especially after how they all… well how they all abandoned her after what she did… Twilight no longer owed them any allegiance, she would have to learn to accept that Twilight wouldn’t help them, the poor dear was suffering with her own problems already. This time… This time they were truly on their own.

***

Trixie landed maybe a good twenty feet away from the ball of pure dark energy. Next to her came Red. With a flick of her magic she summoned forth an old friend that had protected her and guided her through some of her most trying times. Her father’s sword, the Trickster Blade appeared by her side. She withdrew it and focused on the bubble of energy, and on the dark alicorn shape deep inside it.

Mistmane watched from her position above it. “What on earth do you two plan to do?”

Trixie smirked. “To stop this evil here, once and for all.”

Red nodded. “it’s only one of many, but if we stop this one, the other two that remain can be found and slain as well.”

Mistmane’s eyes widened. “Other two? You found two more of these monsters?”

Trixie shook her head. “No, they found us.”

Mistmane’s ears folded back. The bubble beneath her wavered. “If two of these monsters found you, then the pillars guarding them are…”

A line of dark energy cut out from the bubble and tar like liquid poured forth from where the line cut. Mistmane shouted and the bubble began to recollect itself. Trixie watched as the dark alicorn shape inside it stirred. It looked directly at her. Trixie shouted, “Get Mistmane and keep her safe, Now!”

Red was off in a flash. She grabbed Mistmane by the waist and flew away towards the edge of the forest clearing. Mistmane shouted in protest, but she was weakened, likely from the strain of keeping this bubble active for so long. It took only moments before the alicorn noticed. It spread its wings and with it Trixie saw the bubble burst. A concussive force of wind slammed into her pushing her back by a good few feet. A pillar of dark energy rose into the sky piercing the heavens and spread out like a mushroom of shadow and purple haze far above them. The alicorn stepped out from the pillar of dark energy and gazed at Trixie.

The alicorn that stepped out had rotted fur, its meat dripping from bones, its face a mask of horror. Slowly dark energy pooled around its hooves and climbed up onto its body filling in the missing chunks of meat and flesh with dark patches of slime. The thing looked on with two hollow eyes, only twin purple lights emitted from deep within those sockets.

Red swooped in and landed next to Trixie. “So this is the thing that killed them?”

Trixie glanced at her. “Them who?”

Red’s horn lit up and a crimson scythe appeared in the air next to her held in her aura. “The one that killed my alicorns.”

Trixie glanced back at the corrupted alicorn standing before them. “I doubt this is the same one, but it is one of them. If I’m guessing right based on the fact that this was being guarded by a pillar of harmony, it’s one of six.”

Red smiled. “That’s fine. It just means I get to kill more of them.”

Red charged forward in a low hanging flight. Her scythe swept forward aiming at the corrupted thing’s neck. A blade of shadow and steel appeared before the corrupted alicorn and deflected the blow. Red spun around to drive another attack at the thing’s back. It moved and dodged another one of her attacks with speed that shouldn’t belong to the dead. After Red’s attack the thing surged forward and with a flash of its blade it cut a neat line across Red’s shoulder.

Trixie flew foreword. The thing turned around and its blade was already bearing down toward Red’s neck. Trixie’s blade lashed out. The swords clashed in mid air. Trixie drove the creature back, pushing it inch by inch further into the air. She refused to let it kill Red. Not when Red was her only contact with the Alicorn Empire, she still had use.

Red appeared behind the corrupted alicorn and lashed out with a sweep of her scythe. The blow landed home against the creature’s side with enough force to send it flying back into a tree. It didn’t just hit the tree it went clear through it and landed in the dirt behind it. Red and Trixie leveled out there flight and faced toward there knocked down foe. After all that Luna had gone through to fight one of them, Trixie knew this wouldn’t be the end of the fight. This was only just beginning.

Red spoke in quick breaths. “You saved my neck.”

Trixie replied. “I kinda require that head to be attached to your body right now.”

The corrupted alicorn surged forward behind the tree leaving a trail of shadow behind it. Trixie deflected another blow from its blade. Its horn lit up and a blast of dark energy shot out toward Red. Red used her scythe to block the magic blow. The corrupted alicorn’s free leg struck and Trixie felt her face burning with cold pain as she was sent spiraling upwards. Beneath her the corrupted alicorn was unleashing a flurry of fast attacks against Red. Red parried and blocked most of them, but the odd blow would lash out and leave a nick or a cut across an exposed leg.

Trixie had to fight the force of the wind around her to stop. Once she did she channeled magic into her horn and shot a lightning bolt down at the Corrupted Alicorn. The thing dashed backwards just in time to miss the lighting. This gave Red just enough time to fly further away. The corrupted alicorn was deadly in melee, fast and powerful. So it was going to require some good team work to take it down.

The worst part had to be the fact that when Trixie got a good look at the side where Red had left the wound. The black slime seemed to have just moved over and covered the wound as if repairing the damage. What was it going to take to bring this thing down once and for all?

Red flew up higher to meet Trixie. They were both hovering above the tree line now. The corrupted alicorn rose to meet there height but did not close the distance between them. Likely wary of possible ranged magical attacks. Red wiped a hoof at her cheek but it came back crimson. “It’ll take a minute before my regeneration starts to kick in.”

Trixie growled. “What happened down there? Getting too old for this?”

Red snarled. “I’m just starting. What about you? Didn’t know you made such a good punching bag.”

If there was one thing Trixie was sure besides this being the cause of the darkness inside of the Everfree Forest. It was that this fight was only just beginning. Without a sound the corrupted alicorn charged, and Trixie flew forward to meet it.