Chapter Thirty Three: Shattered Glass
“So, we should just stay here?” Onyx asked Varti, the Yak nodding firmly.
“Yes. You’re helping enough just by being here in case Discord needs your assistance for more of his plans. Icait is settling in nicely; from what I understand your primary concern is learning about, well,” the Yak gestured around to the complex as they walked. “Life and such. That is a big enough assignment as it is.”
The shadow-entity grumbled. It was a fair enough answer. “Very well. We will remain here.”
“I would give you specifics, but…”
“I know. Security concerns. I take no offense.”
The Yak nodded, clearly not entirely sure what to talk to Onyx about. Thankfully, another individual solved that issue.
“Hi!” Icait chirped, floating in the air as she then settled down to the ground with a wide, perky smile. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all; feel free to contact me with any more clarifications, Onyx,” Varti said with a wave, the Professor trotting back off to his lab.
“He was just explaining why we are not taking part in the rescue operation,” the Shadow-Pony rumbled. “I was curious.”
“Mmmmm. I mean, we have enough stuff to worry about, right?” Icait mused, the two of them walking along the grassy path towards a seaside cliff. “You’ve been studying like, a lot of stuff, and I’ve been helping with the library.”
“True.”
The simple reply and subsequent silence seemed to make Icait shift uncomfortably, the two now sitting on the cliff that overlooked the crashing waves below.
“So, Onyx? Could I ask you something?” she said softly, teal eyes flickering over to her friend. The shadow-pony’s magic was muted, as it often was around the Windigo, his grey eyes standing out more against his translucent black coat. The usual sharp edges were rounded and calm but she wasn’t even sure if he knew that happened.
“Of course?” he replied, clearly not entirely sure what the usually-peppy Windigo was getting at.
“It turns out that the movie night we were going to have with Knife and Barley is going to have to change,” she explained, “I know you seemed to have fun with the one we watch the other day.”
“It was…new,” he admitted. “Enjoyable, but new.”
“So, I was wondering if you still wanted to have a movie night.”
Onyx’s head tilted in confusion, the shadow-entity not picking up on the very-obvious pink tinge spreading across Icait’s face.
“Of course? I don’t really understand how that is changing.”
Icait couldn’t meet his gaze any longer, her eyes flickering to her hooves, one of which traced patterns in the dirt.
“W-well, Knife and her coltfriend can’t come. So, it’d just be me and y-you…”
Onyx stared at her, one of his eyebrows raising in surprise.
“I see,” he said, a soft huff leaving his muzzle. “Icait?”
“Hmm?” she immediately replied, eyes snapping up to meet his.
“Are you asking me on a date?”
The Windigo let out a soft, embarrassed squeak, the mare managing to nod.
“Are you aware we’re both still figuring out how to be long friends, and have zero experience in this area?” he stated cautiously, Icait’s ears drooping.
“Y-yes…” she stammered softly. “B-but I want to try. I like you, as a friend and, as someone more. I think.”
“You think?”
“We both don’t have experience in this!” she exclaimed throwing up her hooves in frustration, still not able to meet Onyx’s piercing gaze. “I just like being around you and you make me feel safe and happy and-”
Onyx reached out with a hoof and calmly tapped Icait’s nose, rolling his eyes as the mare blushed furiously.
“I never said no,” he sighed. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”
“R-really?” she squeaked, Onyx nodding. A rare, gentle smile broke through his usual scowl, the shadow-stallion sighing.
“And, look, I won’t repeat this again for a long time,” he said, actually appearing rather nervous. “To everything you said about being happy and safe?”
Icait had to contain another high-pitched squeak as the stallion’s cheeks lightened considerably, his grey eyes darting away as he mumbled.
“What is the word? I believe it’s… ‘ditto.’”
Icait’s face was now a stark different color than her body, the mare sniffling as the full impact of his words hit.
“Really?” she asked incredulously. “You’re always so grumpy though!”
“I’m naturally ‘grumpy’. But that doesn’t negate my statement.”
Icait shifted on her hooves, scooting a bit closer.
“Could I give you a hug?” she asked softly. “I know you don’t like touchy-feely or emotional stuff.”
“Yes.”
Icait didn’t realize how nervous she had been, nor how much she had wanted to give her friend, her now-more-than-a-friend a long hug until her gesture was returned. Dark forelimbs wrapped around her, the mare immediately melting.
How a pony composed of shadow could have a scent, she didn’t know. Yet there it was; a comforting smell of a furious rainstorm, an ozone-like aura that made her nose tickle.
“And no, I don’t like being, as you said, ‘touchy-feely or emotional,’” Onyx admitted. “I hope you can be patient for that.”
“Well, duh,” Icait replied.
“However, that statement more applies to in public than anything. I’m not…” His gaze dropped, and to the Windigo’s surprise her friend almost appeared sad.
“Creatures think I don’t have feelings,” Onyx said softly, “or that I’m just some cold and lifeless golem. I’ve heard the gossip and the talk behind my back from some of the ponies. I know I can appear grumpy, rough, negative and generally not very happy…” his voice trailed off at that. “But I’m not heartless.”
Icait scooted closer, pressing her head against Onyx’s chest in a surprising show of affection. The gesture made the stallion pull back in surprise; but he quickly settled back down.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Just proving you wrong.”
His brow furrowed, not entirely understanding.
“How so?”
Icait reached a translucent hoof over and poked his shadowy chest, a smile still on her face.
“You may not have a physical heart,” she admitted, “but neither do I. So does that mean I am heartless too?”
Onyx let out a grunt, Icait smiling as she took a few deep breaths.
“I know you meant in a non-physical way. But I never thought you were heartless. Anyone who does, doesn’t know you.”
That seemed to make the stallion pause.
“The way you’ve treated me; I never doubted that you were a caring creature. Ever,” Icait admitted.
“Even when I snapped at you when we first were freed?” he asked softly.
“Even then. You were scared of everything, including having a friend.”
Nothing else was said for a few long moments, the stallion finally speaking.
“I still am. I do not know how to be more than a friend. I barely know how to be a friend.”
“I think you do. We’re just really new to it.”
He let out a soft chuckle at that, Icait shivering as she heard it through his chest.
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Only now did Icait pull away, the mare smiling kindly to her new date.
“You’ve been there for me every time I needed a hug,” she said firmly, Onyx’s eyes widening as Icait’s gaze locked onto his. “Every time I’ve had a bad dream and couldn’t sleep you were there. You saved me from those creatures in the hallway during that attack and you’ve been at my side every time I woke up crying at night due to the nightmares. That has been more times than not.”
“You woke up…”
“You never saw,” she admitted, “I wiped the tears away. But e-every time you were there for me to sit next to. My grumpy knight. You’ve got a big heart; you just have never had a chance to show it.”
To Icait’s absolute shock, Onyx’s grey eyes began to water, the stoic mask shattering to pieces under her determined and truthful gaze. Icait’s heart soared as she saw something ignite behind the usually impassive gaze. A fire; a life that she knew existed behind the grumpy exterior that was only now refusing to be contained.
“Y-you mean every word of that.”
It wasn’t a question, and yet Icait nodded in confirmation.
“So don’t ever say you’re heartless. Just because we were created with ill intentions doesn’t make us bad. We get to choose our own story.”
She clearly had underestimated how much Onyx was holding back; two tears tracing their way down his cheeks as the taller shadow-pony looked to his hooves. Icait had to hold back an audible gasp; she couldn’t remember ever seeing Onyx cry like this.
“Why are you telling me this?” he asked, emotion making his words tremble.
“Because I want you to believe that you’re a good pony, shadow…creature. You know what I mean!” she said with a surprising amount of fierceness. “I’m a creature who fed on hatred and division! The opposite of friendship love and all the good stuff that Equestria runs on! And y-yet here I am. I look at you and I’m happy, ok?” she poked his chest with a hoof to make her point. “I’m a creature who feeds on bad emotions; or I used to at least! And yet I feel nothing but good things when I’m around you. I can still sense bad creatures, or at least the stuff I can feed off on. And you have none of that.”
Onyx nodded, Icait’s determined and confident demeanor now changing to that of a blushing school filly as he reached up to hold her hoof.
“Can we talk about that later?” he asked softly, “This is all a bit too much, but I think we have a lot to talk about, more than I realized. I suppose we both have a lot to think about. I know I do.”
“I agree,” she admitted. Her blush returned full force as a single question slipped out of her lips. “So, our date?”
“Anytime this week would be good,” he said firmly, “and I can’t promise that it’ll be perfect or neat or anything. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Will you let me know if you feel the same, or if you don’t as we figure this out?”
Onyx looked at her in apparent surprise.
“Of course.”
“Then that’s all I ask,” Icait said. “We’re both trying our best in all this. So, worst case scenario is that we just still are friends.”
He nodded to that.
“Agreed. And the best…case…um…” his voice drifted off. The widening of Onyx’s eyes and the extreme lightening of his cheeks and neck indicated the stallion had not even considered such a thing until now.
“Let’s just focus on having a good date. I think your poor head is about to explode,” Icait giggled. She didn’t miss how his eyes softened, even the stallion’s shoulders relaxing as he turned to look at her.
“Sounds like a date.”
Icait took in his smile, the slight smirk and playful glint in Onyx’s eyes before his usual grump-ness returned. The shadow-pony stretched, completely oblivious how the gesture made Icait shiver.
Not that she’d admit it.
“Hmm. Lunch time, isn’t it?” he mused, Icait nodding as they began to walk back to the main complex.
“I think so. I like eating, even if I guess it’s not totally necessary for me,” she admitted.
“Likewise. But at least we don’t have to worry about gaining weight.”
“You get to enjoy your list without the consequences.”
“Hardly. I still can get a stomachache. I don’t even have a physical stomach. I don’t know how that works.”
Icait giggled, the sound echoing off of the rolling foothills as a few security golems marched this way and that. The soft fluttering in her chest accompanied a few glows of warmth that made her hooves tingle. She wasn’t entirely sure what the right way to feel was, or if there was a right way. All she knew is that she was happy with this mostly-grumpy stallion at her side.
And now he was open to see where things led; how could she ask for more?
“So, you are now certified as an Everfree Emergency Responder!” SMAL stated happily as Gelliana let out a giggle. The entity had certainly become more animated in the past day. Ever since the awareness of something being ‘off’, SMAL had seemed more ‘herself’, in an odd way. Of course, Gelliana wasn’t going to take issue with it being an apparently freeing measure.
“Thank you, SMAL,” Gelliana said as she put away the crystal notepad; previously containing the lecture materials. “Can you scan Toxic again?”
“Of course,” was the cheery reply.
As the magical beam began to sweep over the unconscious stallion’s body, Gelliana couldn’t help but let out a sigh. The past day had been quiet, the storm passing or at least hitting a lull. Toxic was just slumbering away, not even a twitch or-
“WAIT!”
Gelliana nearly jumped out of her skin as Toxic let out a yell, the stallion staggering upright. SMAL also hopped into the air, clearly startled as Toxic began to shake his head.
“Don’t. Use. The. Green. Jar,” Toxic said pointedly, staring directly at the rock next to Gelliana.
“Uh…Tox?” she asked, his clearly clouded eyes shifting over to look at the surprised gryphoness.
“Huh? Who are you?”
Gelliana had tried to prepare herself. SMAL running scenarios, explaining what would happen; and yet that question nearly knocked the wind out of the gryphoness, her chest tightening immediately with anxiety. To SMAL’s credit, the mare seemed to pick up on her distress.
“Do not take it personally, Gelliana,” she stated calmly. “He is hallucinating.”
“Why in the world is there a talking tree?” Toxic muttered, now looking at SMAL.
“Case in point.”
Gelliana’s nerves relaxed a bit at that, but only slightly.
I have to remember. Always remember what he said. I’ll get through this. No, we will get through this.
“Just remember what we discussed,” SMAL stated.
“Right, I know,” the gryphoness said, taking a deep breath. “Toxic? You’re hallucinating. Are you feeling ok?”
Calmly tell him that he’s hallucinating, don’t argue, ask what he’s seeing, and try to gently keep him grounded. Offer to help him try and break the hallucination, but only as long as he isn’t getting frustrated.
“I feel weird,” Toxic stated bluntly, now flopping onto the ground, “so this isn’t real? I know that word. Hallu…hallu…hallucinijason. Seeing weird things, right?”
To see her love completely out of it was heartbreaking in many ways. And yet at least Toxic appeared to be feeling ‘ok’; hallucinations aside.
“That’s right. Can you tell me what you’re seeing?” SMAL butted in; clearly wanting to take the caregiver roll as much as she could. She was the trained one, after all.
“Oh, hi there,” Toxic said rather cheerfully. “Well, you’re a talking willow tree with big green eyes. And over there,” he gestured to Gelliana, “is a large plush chair that I find oddly cute when it talks. Really pretty voice and apparently stuffed full of feathers. The ground is pudding though, so that’s not right. The grass is also gummy worms, and I can’t really move.”
“I see,” SMAL stated, Gelliana struggling not to giggle. Even if it was likely a fluke, the fact Toxic associated her voice with ‘cute’ was just adorable.
“Would you like some help to see what’s really here?” SMAL asked calmly, “as you said, the ground shouldn’t be pudding. You’re actually in a cozy cave, underground.”
“I am?” Toxic asked, looking up at the roof. “That would explain why there’s no stars. Just a creepy spinning vortex of grey stuff. Eurg…I get dizzy looking up.”
“Then maybe just focus on sitting? No reason to get dizzy.”
Toxic nodded, focusing on settling on the ground.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. So, we’re in a cave?”
“Correct.”
“And what else isn’t real?”
“Well, I am not a talking tree. My name is SMAL, a magical assistant you and your friend Varti created. I am a pony in appearance, like you.”
“SMAL, that seems familiar,” Toxic muttered. “And my friend, he’s a big ball of fur, right?”
“He is a Yak, so that description is more accurate than most.”
Toxic laughed abruptly at that.
“Is it? I can’t remember what a Yak is! But that’s nice I answered a question right. So, you’re not a tree. Ok. Ground not pudding, that’s nice to know. But what about the chair? It’s the only other thing in this big field,” he rattled off.
“That is not a chair. Her name is Gelliana, and she is a gryphoness.”
Toxic’s eyes widened at that.
“I know that name,” he muttered. “There’s something important. Really, really important about it.” His hooves were drawn together now, the stallion looking around in apparent distress. “It’s a she, right?”
“Yes.”
“Is she ok?” Toxic asked immediately. “I feel like that’s really important to know.”
On a motion from SMAL, Gelliana walked over to Toxic, sitting down in front of him.
“I’m ok, Toxic,” she said, voice hitching slightly. “Do I really look like a chair?”
Breathing a sigh of relief, the stallion nodded.
“Uh huh. The cushion moves up and down when you talk. It’s really weird. So, you’re…Gelliana?”
“I am. And I am definitely not a chair, last time I checked.”
“That makes sense, even if it doesn’t match what I’m seeing. Where are we again?”
“A cave, Toxic. We’re underground.”
“Toxic. Is that my name? Seems right.”
Gelliana grit her beak, shaking her head as SMAL butted in at seeing her struggle to keep her composure.
“Your name is Toxic Shield, Director of the Last Light Organization,” the mare paused, thinking for a moment, “and special somepony to Gelliana.”
The gryphoness’s ears perked up at that, interested that SMAL decided to add that to his official title.
“A Director? Huh, that sounds important,” Toxic muttered, his cloudy eyes then widening. “Wait, I have a special somepony?”
“Somegriff,” SMAL corrected. “And correct.”
To Gelliana’s surprise, the stallion abruptly began to cry, his eyes darting around the imaginary landscape.
“Why can’t I see her?” he asked, “is she here?”
“I’m right here, Tox,” Gelliana said, knowing full well her voice might buckle. She couldn’t help herself, cautiously sitting down and reaching over to pull him into a gentle hug. “I’m right here.”
SMAL seemed surprised as Toxic sighed in relief, burrowing into Gelliana’s feathery embrace.
“I finally have a special somecreature,” he whispered. “Me…”
“You really underestimate how appealing you are, Toxic,” Gelliana said in reply, feeling Toxic shift in her arms.
“I guess I do that a lot, huh?”
“It’s something we talked about. You’ve got a lot of past stuff to work through, so it’s ok.”
“I must have told you all of that if you’re my special someone,” he rationalized. “I guess that makes sense.”
Gelliana’s face lit up in a blush as Toxic leaned forward, snuggling into her chest and taking a deep breath.
“I like this smell,” he mumbled, apparently drifting off to sleep. “Smells like home…”
Her beak quivered at that, the gryphoness reaching over to run her claws through Toxic’s mane as he slipped into the never-never land of dreams, SMAL nodding in approval.
“That went as well as could be expected. I hope future episodes play out in a similar manner,” she remarked. “The fact he remembered you even in a hallucination is…endearing.”
“You said that he could slip in and out,” Gelliana said, settling down to be more comfortable. “Do you know how long he’ll be asleep this time? This is the first hallucination, right on cue as you predicted.”
SMAL shook her head at that.
“I am not sure. All I can say is that his symptoms will be more severe. Perhaps he will sleep for a day, or perhaps another few minutes. The poison is, after all, derived from an aspect of Chaos magic. There is no way…oh.”
As abruptly as he fell asleep, Toxic stirred, his eyes significantly less cloudy than before. There were still tendrils of purple in his usually green eyes however; a visual sign of the poison in his veins.
Looking up at Gelliana, he smiled and waved tiredly to her and then SMAL with a limb, then making a face as a cold sweat broke out across his body.
“You would not believe the dream I just had,” he muttered.
“Did it involve a talking tree and furniture?” she replied with a sniffle, Toxic’s brow furrowing.
“It did…oh. SMAL? I assume this is the part where reality becomes warped? Snapping in and out of things?”
“Correct, Director. It appears the toxin has penetrated the blood-brain barrier in sufficient concentrations. Thankfully the amounts have been reduced to ensure a low likelihood of permanent side effects,” the entity recited.
He sighed, abruptly scooting forward to snuggle closer to his special somegriff.
“Then I’d better enjoy this while I still see you as a gryphon,” he murmured, already beginning to drift back to sleep. “Please remember…I…”
“I do to, Tox,” Gelliana whispered as she brushed his cheek with her talons. “I remember. And I do to.”
Knife Twist adjusted her armor, taking a deep breath as she trotted up to the drydocks. The training had been progressing nicely, but something didn’t feel right, moreso for herself. She wasn’t ready for a full confrontation. Even with Hammer accompanying them, something didn’t fit.
The proud thestrel had long since admitted that she wasn’t even operating at a hundred percent. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t about to try. The word had come in that there was a pinpoint location for Toxic and Gelliana; that meant they had to move fast. The current orders were to deploy within the day. A single ship, maybe two. How they’d get past the shield Knife didn’t know. Her focus was on their part of the mission; retrieving Toxic and Gelliana and getting back to the ship unharmed.
Her squad was efficient and, Knife had to admit, in better shape than herself. Even the individuals with prosthetic limbs moved with a determination and focus that made the Thestrel want to redouble her own training efforts. These were not some new recruits.
These were veterans, creatures who had seen war and punched it in the eye with a roar. They had danced with death before; they knew how to be one step ahead and not fear it.
All they had been focusing on was learning to take orders from Knife and her specific style. It had been a shock; finding out that her own experience was matched if not surpassed by her squad. There was something else that she couldn’t place her hoof on, a swiftness and strength of these creatures that made them gain the edge whenever they were sparring.
It was one of the questions she intended to ask her superior shortly. Hammer had directed her to meet with the Fleet Commander, and so she wasn’t about to keep him waiting.
The orders had been given; and they still had an entire day to train. That was a blessing many emergency operations did not have.
Finalize ship-jumping procedures, extraction techniques, nothing new.
Knife found her teeth gritting as she imagined going up against the creatures who now held Toxic and Gelliana captive. The same individuals who had corrupted her mind, turned her against Luna…
The mission comes first, second, and third.
Knife’s eyes narrowed at that thought.
But if there’s an opening to slide my knife into one of their chests, I’m taking it!
Saluting to the crystal-like pony looking out at two of the smaller airships, Knife’s ears twitched as Pick Shield let out a slow breath.
“I don’t know if we’re ready,” he admitted. “I’d like there to be more training time, more preparation; but I don’t know if that sensation will ever change. What are your feelings on this mission? At ease, by the way.”
Opting for honesty, Knife let her shoulders drop slightly, gathering her thoughts.
“I think the squad is ready,” she admitted, “but I don’t know if I am. I’m not fully recovered, and I lack something they don't. I am not sure what that is yet. Some new piece of tech you haven’t trusted me with perhaps? I don’t know. They are just a hair faster and stronger than I am; and that’s weakened condition aside. I think they’re holding back at times.”
She stood a bit taller at that, looking the Fleet Commander in the eye. “If I’m to go on this mission, I’m requesting to receive that edge that my squad has. I can’t ignore that there is a noticeable difference. I cannot trust myself to be on the same level otherwise.”
“I agree.”
Her eyes widened, Pick Shield looking over to the Thestrel with an understanding smile.
“I apologize for keeping you in the dark about this, but it was necessary,” he explained. “We wanted to see your resolve without any aid. And to say you outperformed our expectations is an understatement. Just as the others earned it, you needed to go through the same steps.”
Knife wanted to be mad, but at the same time she couldn’t help but be a bit confused by it all.
“But why the secrecy? I don’t even know what this all is?”
“You weren’t ready.”
Clari’s voice should have made Knife Twist jump- but the mare simply turned to look at the leyline-entity in confusion. She had seen her a few times on the island, and odder things had happened in the past. She didn’t expect to be speaking with a keeper of a leyline, however.
“What are you-”
“You needed this,” Clari said softly, a tender smile on her see-through features. “You needed to do this all on your own without help. You would have always wondered if you could do it otherwise, nagging in the back of your mind.”
Knife’s throat closed up at that, the mare’s jaw setting to prevent it from trembling.
“H-how do you know me?” she whispered, Clari reaching over to gently lay a hoof on Knife’s shoulder.
“I guide creatures to be their best selves, Knife Twist,” Clari said softly. “And you needed to prove to yourself that you were up to this. You were used and manipulated. Your path could have gone so many ways once His influence was cut off.”
“The shield,” Knife whispered, Clari nodded.
“Correct. This was a proving ground for you. Do you recall what the Organization’s shock troops are called?”
An odd energy made Knife’s limbs tingle, a warmth filling her chest.
“The Templars.”
“Yes. And you have been keeping up with creatures who have been using their gifts. That alone is impressive,” Clari said. “They were instructed to use only a fraction of their power, to not keep it obvious. And still you have excelled. The Templars are not of my Order, however. So, I’ll let my sister take it from here.” She paused, waving briefly. “It is nice to meet you officially, Knife Twist.”
The spectral mare vanished, another individual taking her place. This mare was taller, more muscular and armored across her barrel and limbs. Eyes that radiated authority glanced down to the now-smaller Thestrel, Fide nodding approvingly.
“You have impressed me, Knife Twist,” Fide mused. “For a mortal, that is saying something. The gifts I unlock for my Templars are many. You are correct in realizing that you have been operating at a disadvantage. My name is Fidelia, or Fide. I am a fellow curator of the Leylines with my sister.”
Not knowing what to do other than bow her head, Knife felt rather abruptly of how inadequate she was. Between knowing she was behind on training, on talking with not one, but two of the entities that helped guide leylines…
It was like talking to Celestia or Luna, just amplified without the familiar blunting of that emotion.
Fide tilted her head in apparent confusion at seeing the Thestral’s wings slump.
“I do not understand your feelings of inadequacy. I can sense it even if I am not a changeling,” she mused. “I am here to officially welcome you into my Templars. There is no large ceremony, no flowery explosion of sparkles, if that is what you were expecting.”
The Thestrel had to resist a laugh at that. In Equestria, she would have expected as much.
“No, you can begin to access your gifts here. They will be restricted to simply bring you up to your former combat readiness. We do not have time to train you to use their full extent before the mission,” Fide explained. “Will you accept this station, Knife Twist? To uphold your oaths to this organization and this world? Will you be one of the creatures to dive head-first into battle and strife, to be the one others look for when no-one else will save them?”
Knife wasn’t a sappy mare, not unless you asked Barley and even then she’d deny it. And yet Fide’s words made something stir in her heart, something deep and long buried. The sparks of what had made her want to join the guard so many years ago began to flicker and rise.
“Yes,” she found herself saying even before she could think it.
“Then stand at attention,” Fide instructed. “If this is not the station for you, the magic will detect it and reject your offered service,” she paused, appearing to think carefully. “I will ask you a question, and then the magic will do the rest. I believe the expression is, when feeling the energy and magic, to ‘go with the flow.’”
Knife stood at attention, Fide casually sending a splash of leyline energy at her. Washing over the Thestrel like a wave, it skittered down her barrel and limbs and sank into the ground.
At first, she didn’t feel anything. Her muscles felt less sore, that was perhaps something. Her vision seemed a bit sharper maybe?
“Why did you join the guard, Knife Twist?” Fide asked calmly.
Knife’s slitted eyes narrowed, glancing down at her hooves. There had been a ton of reasons when she first enlisted. Money, a career, the fun of doing something physical day in and day out.
But why?
Why did I do it? She thought. Why do I still do it? I’ve been brainwashed, imprisoned, almost killed multiple times…why am I still here?
It was only a soft glow, Knife holding up one of her hooves and examining it curiously. The bluish-green energy began to pulse in time with her heartbeat, the Thestral’s ears flicking in thought.
Why am I still here?
The answer came in a warm sensation that wrapped around the Thestral. A deep river of personal pride, of duty that led into an estuary of memories.
The memory of helping a child find their lost parents.
Returning a missing son who was lost in a ravine.
Her parents welcoming her home, so proud of her.
The village elder thanking her for her efforts. Knife being one of the individuals bringing their kind into awareness and public respect.
Capturing a thief who had stolen food; but then helping him get back on his hooves after his sentence was served.
Of watching Luna grow from a nervous, out-of-time Princess into the Empress of the Moon once again.
Of meeting…
She didn’t want to acknowledge the tears that now sprang into her yellow eyes. The warmth around her body tightened like a firm hug. Behind closed lids, Knife could almost feel Barley’s fur tickling her nose, that oatmeal shampoo he loved calming her senses.
The glow around her body brightened, Knife’s demeanor breaking as she smiled. Looking up to Fide fearlessly, the Thestrel bowed her head, then stood back up to attention.
“I haven’t really thought about it for a while,” she admitted, not caring that Fide saw her wipe tears off her cheeks. “But I think I have a simple answer to that.”
“Oh? What is your answer, Knife Twist?” Fide asked, appearing more curious than anything.
“I joined the guard because I wanted to help creatures,” Knife said firmly, standing tall. “I joined because I help creatures.” Her mouth turned up in a smirk at that. “But I’ve found out that lately I’ve been the one needing help. It took me a while to accept that.”
With only a subdued *pop* of magic, the leyline energy abruptly vanished, but the warm, hug-like sensation lingered for a few long moments.
“Congratulations, Knife Twist,” Fide said with a subdued but genuine smile that broke out from behind her usual scowl.
“Welcome to the Templars of the Last Light Organization.”
‘Something is different here.’
‘New smells.’
‘We agree.’
‘Sector has not been checked.’
‘He will be pleased. We must investigate.’
‘Agreed.’
‘Yes. Quickly.’
Dark forms tore through the forest, all small creatures immediately falling silent lest they fall to the fanged mouths which now slithered this way and that.
As dozens of creatures began to scour the area, a mare, nearly invisible to the naked eye, looked on in horror as she carefully began to retreat to the nearby cave. Yet each movement, physical or not, caused the creatures to stop and sense the air.
They knew their prey was close; something was different here.
A voice then drifted through their crude hive mind; their master and his chosen servant were speaking.
‘My Bringer, are the decoys in place? I trust these creations know how to utilize them?’
‘Yes, my King. The countermeasures will active automatically. It’s a simple mimicking spell. I personally attached them to more than fifty creatures. They are holding still at their various locations.’
‘Good. Continue hunting.’
The hive mind then replied as one.
‘We live to serve.’
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Super cute! Icait and Onyx going on a date! The hallucination was funny. Also knife getting her promotion finally!
10867369
At long last! Glad you enjoyed it! (The poor guy is trying!)
Lots of progress in this chapter!
Because she didn't want to be a quiet tree
10867535
I mean, you're not wrong.
Throwing up chaff I see, lure them down to the ground and ambush them. A crude strategy, but an effective one.
10867717
The Shadow King isn't stupid. Cocky, yes. But not stupid.
The use of dream imagery in the hallucination was quite interesting.
A tree is a source of stability and protection, and a willow tree specifically is a shield or curtain that keeps out the rest of the world.
A chair is actually a very complex image in dreams, because it is not an object as much as an idea. A stump, or box, or a rock can be a chair just as much as what we call a proper 'chair'. No matter what form it takes, it is representative of support and rest. The form it takes then further expounds on that. In this case, it is a plush/upholstered chair, which indicates comfort.
10868055
Yes. That was 100% intentional....
(Ok I lied.) Interesting! Somehow I completely nailed that without knowing it. That's fascinating! Thank you for expounding on that. (But I can't take intentional credit for it, as much as I'd like.)
10868413
Some say that those who write the best stories are those who are most in tune with the allegorical meaning of the world around them. So it could very well be that you did know all of that, just not in a way that you could explain. Ideas and concepts are first explained through stories before they are fully articulated.
10868422
Perhaps! Dream symbology is a very interesting topic that certainly can add additional breadth to storytelling. Thank you again for bringing that to my attention.
I assume first word was supposed to be Geliana. Otherwise this has some disturbing connotations.
10871403
HAH! You're right, thank you!
welp, here is the dreaded moment when the "next" button is missing
...and uuhh, dunno if this would be appropriate to tell, but Gelliana reminds me someone I know, my cousin's wife, at least the part that she cannot have kids. Something about her metabolism that make her prone to lost her breath. And just like Gelliana, she cannot get pregnant because it would risk her life
but my cousin is absolutely in love with her, and despite everything, even with our family not liking her at first because of her condition... well, he told me once that, at the very moment they met, he knew he wanted to spend his entire life with her.
10885716
Sorry for the wait! But it's definitely still ongoing, and I aim to not have more than a month between uploads. Likely every 2-3 weeks.
Oh, that's interesting, and sweet of your cousin. I definitely am tacking a sensitive issue here with many, but wanted to do it in a realistic way. Thank you for sharing!
DAMNIT!!!
pony, shadow....., creature. Feels a bit more natural here.
don't.
Stolen.
11266569
'
HE'S NOT 100% GRUMP!
(Changes made btw- thank you! I do read each comment- but if they're just edits I make the changes. Otherwise it'd be a copy paste of '....yep. That's right.
Sorry for kind of grouping them together but there's four in this chapter.
11267419
Thanks!
It's nice seeing that Icait and Onyx plan to try taking their friendship to the next level by going on a date. I was wondering how soon that would happen. Curious how things will develop between them from here though, so that'll be interesting to see.
While Toxic's bout of hallucination spoke to the serious nature of the condition he's currently dealing with, it was oddly humorous. Silverlining is that he seemed to handle the moment well.
Also interesting how 'alive' SMAL seema to be at this point. Would this mainly be due to the interference by Fide or would this have happened regardless due to operating longer than intended?
Last thing I'm curious about is whether the King of Shadows is aware of the current rescue plans (hence the preparation of decoys) or if this was simply a 'just in case' measure.
11611516
And I can't spoil anything!
