Starting A Flame

by Star_Shade

Chapter [23] The Appleloosian Plains

Two hours before noon, Shining directed and moved the company. Being careful not to be detected, he expertly avoided the small outpost the city had, and positioned them in the area that the buffalo tribe had described. Soon enough, the tribe was spotted drawing closer to the company.

A few of the ponies whispered amongst themselves as they saw the approaching buffalo. Shining, noticing the nervousness of his group, decided to make first contact. “Hail the tribe of Arikara,” he called as he pushed to the front and bowed.

“Hullo the company of Shining Moon,” replied the buffalo chieftain, as he walked over to the commander and bowed in return. “I am Chief Tatanka, and I welcome you to our tribe as we voyage across the great Kreaccimund. Or the Appleloosian plains, as your kind calls it.”

“Thank you. Tatanka, and on behalf of my company, I thank you for your hospitality. Is this all of your tribe?” asked Shining, indicating the group and bowing in return.

“It is. We were once a proud tribe in charge of keeping peace with our kind and yours, offering hospitality to any in need, and safety to those that wished to journey through our lands. Yet our outstretched hooves were not only smacked away, but our authority was dismantled. The demon Tunrida has been merciless against us, and now only thirty of my tribe remain, ” said Tatanka, shaking his head sadly.

“Tunrida? I do not think I have heard that name before,” remarked Shining curiously.

“It is a curse among my tribe. She has been named as Dawn Lighter among yours. She has withheld aid to many of the wandering tribes of buffalo and attacked those that sought to oppose her,” continued Tatanka, angrily pawing at the ground.

“Oh,” replied Shining, pain flashing across his face, “I am deeply troubled by this. If any of my company could help with the damage that our kind has done, please let us. Though if she is close to the city, then we must make haste to avoid her.”

“Thank you for your offer, but it is unneeded. We see helping others as a noble task, and we are thankful that your company would join us. As for whether Tunrida is close, we can only hope not. But enough of this talk, our journey shall take many moons, and we should move now.”

---

The desert plains were brutal. The constant howling wind, combined with waves upon waves of sand crashing into the forms of ponies and buffalo alike, quickly dragged the group’s spirits down. All of the company wore bandanas, yet that did little to spare their lungs from sand that always seemed to find a way in.

The tribe of buffalo were faring much better than their pony companions. Having built up a greater immunity to the raging plains, the buffalo were sympathetic and did their best to support the rest of the company. Sharing their food and water with them, the bond between the two groups grew quickly, and the ponies found themselves quite dependent on the buffalo.

It was interesting to see some of the traditions the tribe had, ranging from synchronously shaking off sand towards the beginning and end of each day to singing sweet hymns to their fallen ancestors during their camp time. What interested Shining the most, however, was when Chieftain Tatanka would lay his head against the ground at somewhat random intervals. When asked about this particular behavior, Tatanka would simply reply, “Sandworm.”

A few days into the journey, Shining asked what the chieftain meant by ‘sandworm’ and whether they should expect any danger. “Of course there is danger when traversing Kreaccimund. Many of the sandworms have attacked our tribes, scattering our goods and water containers. They are attracted to our movement and will attack without mercy,” stated Tatanka.

“And you think one of them is following us?” asked Shining nervously.

“Maybe more than that, but we are making good headway to the barren rocks, and that should discourage anything following us,” responded Tatanka. “Rest your fears, should one attack us, I am confident in my kind fighting it off. We have driven off a few in the past.”

“Very well, but my ponies will do the best they can to help in defending,” declared Shining confidently, before returning to his tent.

The following day, five days into their journey, a buffalo scout notified the two entourages that they would be entering a sand dune territory. What once had been scattered small slopes with patches of green, now turned into rolling hills of sand. Dramatically slowing the pace of the group, the buffalo moved much more carefully through these areas.

“It is also a very popular ground for the sandworms to attack us from,” said Tatanka, walking beside Shining. “Even harder for my kind to stir up enough vibration to drive them off.”

“Would you like my ponies to arm themselves? We had brought armor and weapons should we need them. Is there anything more you can tell us about these sandworms? Maybe a way to kill one?” asked Shining.

“Not anything that you may find useful, I am afraid. My kind have always respected these creatures, simply driving them off when we encounter one. Killing one would be a mighty feat,” replied Tatanka thoughtfully.

“My ponies will do their best, but I would prefer not to lose any of your or my kind on this expedition,” continued Shining.

“Death is never an easy matter, but should we fall, none of my tribe fear death.”

“Let us hope what you have said does not come to pass,” said Shining, commanding his company to arm and prepare themselves.

---

Just as they passed over another dune, the sand before them shook. The buffalo stopped as each and every one of their hairs rose in trepidation. There was a momentary pause of peace, before the ground erupted. Cries escaped from a few ponies that witnessed the event. A huge burst of sand was flung in the air, blanketing most of the surrounding group and forcing them to cover their eyes. Those farther away were spared and were able to get a glimpse of the perpetrator.

The sandworm opened its maw and let out a challenging roar, showing its rows of sharp yellow teeth, as well as an awful stench of death and decay. Black tentacles retracted from its maw, slithering about as it tasted the air. Razor-sharp purple scales shielded its body. Two black beady eyes sat atop its head. It eyed the group, before jumping back into the sand.

“You didn’t say it was a frickin’ tatzlwurm!” screamed Shining as he ran to aid his ponies. He took a moment as his brain caught up with what his eyes just saw. Focus! Prioritize the situation! Evaluate your assets and form a plan of attack. “Unicorns to me! Rain lighting among the sands to draw it out!” Let’s see the enemy.

Four unicorns immediately charged their horns and sent bolts of lightning into the sand. The rest soon followed, with a crackle of electricity in the air as the sands continued to move beneath them. “Pegasi to the sky! Focus on finding where it may attack next! Keep others safe and rescue any that get caught in its tentacles!” continued Shining as he began preparing a spell.

All but a few jumped into the sky and they began circling the dispersed group, letting out calls as they saw the exposed hide of the creature. “Earth ponies form a blockade! Gather together and try to keep it occupied or find a weak spot! Arocez, find Piper and any others that are not equipped to fight this and get them to safety!” yelled Shining as he released the spell, forming a shockwave that clapped and rippled through the sand.

Even with everyone doing as they were commanded, the skirmish with the tatzlwurm was vicious. As soon as a unicorn got lucky enough to hit a particular area with a spell, their opponent would jump out of the sand, attacking any who were nearby. Fast and incredibly intelligent, the cunning worm left no time for relief with its merciless attacks. Every breach the sandworm would grab two or three ponies in its jaws and then try to dive back into the sand. A few brave and daring pegasi were able to save their fellow ponies from immediate doom, others were not so lucky, getting snatched and then immediately being crushed by the massive and powerful jaws.

The screams and horrendous sound of bones terrified the group, but Shining remained in control. “Unicorns! Form up and pour your magic into me!” he called as he began charging up another spell. Standing in a circle, Shining gathered the magic around him. Forming a claw, he let it seek out and find the tatzlwurm. The claw pulled the monster out of the ground and into the air. The commander only eyed it warily, giving no remorse as he stretched and ripped the sandworm in half. Split in two with a horrid groaning sound, the worm let out a pitiful screech as its life and viscera spilled out and onto the party below.

The rush of battle and adrenaline slowly faded as Shining steadied his breathing.

“Commander! Two more tatzlwurms were spotted attacking the buffalo as well as our weaker forces!” exclaimed Dasher as she landed next to Shining. He simply turned to her, wiping off a good portion of the blood before looking at her. There was a fire in his eyes that scared her deeply.

“Best to give them a friendly welcome then,” he stated as he rallied his forces towards the buffalo.

---

At first, Piper didn’t know what was going on. He had chased a sand salamander over a dune and cornered it into a bush, when his ears perked up. Unsure of the raised voices and cries coming from a good distance away, Piper cocked his head in confusion. “Piper, come here,” called a peach-colored mare, who hoisted him onto her back.

“What’s happening, Pearl?” asked the colt, clinging to her, a bit scared by the unicorn’s demeanor.

“I don’t know, but le--” began Pearl, before the ground below them shuddered. A blast sent the two sprawling from each other.

“Pearl!” cried Piper after he got up and looked over to his friend.

“Stay back, Piper!” stammered Pearl timidly, frantically looking around at the shifting sands. Another rustle, and a giant sandworm breached just below the mare.

“Pearl!” screamed Piper as he witnessed the tatzlwurm grab Pearl and dive back into the terrain, never to be seen again. “Nooo!” Running to the spot he just watched his friend get taken under, he attempted to dig into the sand. “Bring her back…” he protested weakly.

Suddenly, he was lifted into the air. “I got you, Piper,” said Dasher as she brought him closer to her chest. A moment later, two more worms breached, bringing chaos to the group. Yet reality seemed to slip as Piper’s brain attempted to deal with the shock of losing a pony right in front of his eyes. Tears pushed their way across his sandy face. He barely noticed being laid down near a group of buffalo and given a command to stay there.

Soon enough, the buffalos with a few ponies, created a circle and began to stomp their hooves in unison. Yet that did little to stave off the two tatzlwurms from working together, breaching and snatching at ponies and buffalo alike as they whittled down their numbers. With so much mayhem happening around, Piper hunkered down and held his hooves over his head in fear, only vaguely noticing the coarse feeling of shifting sand underneath and the tight hold of Arocez above.

Eventually, Shining’s group came into view, charging at the enemy. With a distraction on one side, the buffalo moved together and assaulted from the other. “Commander! There is a weak spot on its maw!” cried a pegasus, pointing at one of the worms. Shining quickly utilized the opening, grabbing its jaw and tentacles, twisting it with magic before impaling it through.

With the second one dead, the whole group faced the third, ready to take it down. However, the tatzlwurm had other ideas. After smelling the death of its brethren, it slinked away into the sand. With the rush of battle cooling off, Shining took stock of his surroundings. “Alright,” he sighed sadly, looking around. “Tend to the injured and find what’s left of the dead.” The rest of the day, the group worked together to find those that had been killed and gave them the best burial they could. Those that survived, but were injured, were given the best treatment with the limited resources the group could offer. Through it all, Shining remained stoic, and once everyone was taken care of, the group moved on, the commander never looking back once.

Author's Note:

This chapter dipped a little darker, with some loss and some brutal moments. But will this be the only hardship our heroes face? Tune in next time and find out! Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter!

[Star_Shade]

10311512
Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

10312122
You’re welcome!