Equestria's Ray of Hope

by The_Darker_Fonts

Monsters

Ray couldn’t have been more wrong. As if to prove him wrong, the weather had once again taken a turn for the worst. The day the army had marched out to continue onward, resupplied and invigorated, the temperature had soared to over fifty degrees, beyond the capacity the tools Kraven had for measuring the heat. It had killed three soldiers by noon, and the return trip had seen twice as many die, even after waiting till mid evening. He had been fuming at the time, twelve Fallen having died to the elements being one of the most infuriating and helpless factors he had encountered to date, yet now, he was glad to have been dissuaded so promptly early in the month.

Firstly, the army seemed to need the break. After two incredible victories against the minotaurs in such a short time, it seemed right to at least give them a time to relax. There hadn’t been any real time for that before, not knowing if the minotaurs were coming or whether they knew of the invasion. After the First and Second Battles of the Big Face, however, there was no doubt that the enemy now knew the Fallen were on their continent. Furthermore, the cost of such ignorance to the threat presented in over fifty thousand slain soldiers had surely put the minotaurs in a more stressful predicament than the Fallen’s. With the heat being so suppressing that the army could hardly move a mile a day, Ray knew that there was no way the minotaurs could attempt an attack either. Only traveling a short distance in the cooler times of the day had killed a dozen Fallen, but if they had attempted to finally breach the Golden Plains during this blistering summer, day after day, hundreds of Fallen would have undoubtedly also died.

Secondly, it meant that Ray would be able to report back to Equestria tonight. An unspoken- and perhaps forgotten- part of Ray’s plan for a continued offensive after the resupply had been the notion that the Fallen would have to abandon their camp on the coast. It would mean that the wayport would be inaccessible, even with the Matriarch to potentially give Ray a ride to it. Truth be told, he had a growing shame in him over his dismissal of the opportunity to see everybody last time. The emotional turmoil of battle, the walls he had put up to deal with the pain of loss and the terror of killing, had fallen after his return to the Golden Plains. He was looking forward to this trip now, even if it meant he owed everyone an apology for how he had acted last time.

Finally, he was growing again, he could feel it. His legs and shoulders especially began aching throughout the days, the familiar feeling of his body trying to expand annoying and encouraging at the same time. He had no way of measuring how much he had grown during his time here, but he knew it was great. He had arrived in Equestria as a kid, barely tall enough to be mistaken for an adult, but now he stood as tall as a minotaur, perhaps taller after this growth spurt. Twilight had once told him the Equestrian environment harbored great growth and prosperity, but he hadn’t imagined it literally. Even in a different continent, he felt the freshness of the air and the strength that coursed through him from his very breath.

Honestly, he was glad he had been wrong a month ago. It had passed by quickly and quietly, the Fallen resting in the harbor and relaxing in the waters while the spiderlings nested and raised new young. The minotaur they had feasted on had given them the ability to create more little ones and foster growth in some. Even though two broodmothers had been killed, the Matriarch had told him this was the largest birthing in a long while. Though it meant another few weeks after the full moon- almost to the next one- that the spiderlings were ready for battle again, it would be well worth the wait. Besides, it seemed like the weather would remain scorching for at least a month longer anyways.

A strong gust of the sea breeze suddenly blew its way through Ray’s hair. Eyes still closed, he breathed in deeply, taking in the smell of the magnificent ocean. Letting it out, he smiled softly, hands in his lap as he remained kneeled at the edge of the cliff. It was his little spot he had come to call his own, a place to relax and think in quiet while also staying cool and connected to the land around him. Taking in another deep breath of the ocean air, he drifted his hands towards the wiry, smooth blades of golden grass that covered the entire cliff.

He had long grown tired of them as a sign of endless hills and burning sun, yet he had come to a realization regarding their nature. In a land as scorched and barren as the Golden Plains, they were the only permanent sign of life in such a place. Without them, the Golden Plains would just be a wasteland of hard soil and dead brown. While it had still not rained once since the Fallen’s arrival, the sungrass seemed to have no problem surviving such an extreme drought. They were hardy, and Kraven’s pastime was investigating the only native flora of the Golden Plains. Ray would have to catch up with the general on their properties some time, but for now, he simply enjoyed the sun, sea, and wind all from the cliff’s edge.

Given it was the day of a full moon, many of the Fallen had come to recognize it as a complete break day. Nothing could happen today since Ray would be off in Equestria for the night, leaving them to their own devices. Likewise, the generals decided on leaving Ray to rest in preparation for the long night in Equestria, allowing him to be well-rested and prepared sooner. After what had happened with the First Battle of the Big Face, they had begun taking measures to make sure none of them, especially Ray, would be exhausted. Zecora and Skalos had gone with the Matriarch somewhere in the morning, and he didn’t know if they had returned yet, but every other general was down at the beach to relax with their soldiers.

The Fallen was unlike any army Ray had ever heard of and it was not only because of their equine genus. The soldiers in the army had fought war before, though it had been centuries ago, and none of their original leaders had remained after Luna’s damnation. It had left them to find their own leaders, and that meant entrusting their closest and most trusted friends to lead them. The generals of the Fallen had to learn to be generals just like Ray had, and while Skalos, Harbor, and Kraven had taken to it naturally, much like Ray, Pelios had and was still struggling to adapt to the newness of being in command of his friends.

In the off time, however, it meant that boundaries such as rank and status ceased to be, and the generals and captains could mix freely with the unranked soldiers, and vice versa. Almost everybody knew one another, and that also made them a tighter group of soldiers. The entire army felt loss, but it meant they would fight twice as hard for each other than for themselves. When Ray had first taken into account the Fallen’s connectivity with each other, he had wrongly assumed it would be a hindrance that would severely affect the morale of the soldiers every time they suffered losses. As each battle had shown him, it only served to unify the army. Even the infantry and archers no longer had any derision towards one another after the archers’ impressive showing at the Second Battle of the Big Face.

“Meditating are we, lordling,” a voice Ray immediately identified as Yarem suddenly asked.

Opening his eyes and turning to look at the infantry general, the human smiled and replied, “No, just thinking. I don’t really understand meditation.”

“Ah, that’s a shame,” he said, taking a seat beside Ray at the edge of the cliff. “I’ve learned many things about myself through meditation. It’s how I got over my guilt and shame, actually. I spent hours a day for years on end slowly learning to accept my faults and mistakes in the quiet of my home in the middle parts of the city.”

“Huh, well it certainly paid off, didn’t it,” the human pointed out with a smile.

“It did,” Yarem agreed with a nod. A small amount of seawater sprayed from his bare head as he did so, causing Ray to chuckle slightly.

“Enjoying some water games with the troops, general,” he asked, knowing the answer.

“Indeed I was,” he confirmed with a proud smile. “We were using the wrecked minotaur dock for king of the hill.”

“Did you win?”

“No, Kraven and Pelios were on the other team,” he chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

“Really, Kraven joined in the games,” Ray questioned, genuinely surprised.

“More like he commanded the games,” Yarem corrected with a smirk. “He sat on top of the wreckage and calmly told his teammates how to wrestle us off the wood and keep us in the water. I think he was only there to see for himself the durability of the remnants of that dock. To be fair to the minotaurs, it’s survived hundreds of Fallen wrestling on and ramming into it, so it must’ve been built well. I think he’s building up the courage to take a dive and investigate the sunken ship a bit further out in the harbor.”

“Huh, well, so long as he doesn’t drown,” Ray shrugged, glancing down at the waters. Hundreds of Fallen swam in the choppy cove, undeterred by the depth or sharp shoreline. He would have to join them in the ocean one of these days.

“Um… if I’m being honest though, lordling, I didn’t come by to make small talk,” Yarem clarified softly.

“Of course, what would you like to talk about,” he asked, looking back at the general.

“Well, I know this is going to sound silly and… unprofessional,” Yarem began hesitantly. “But I figured… I’ve known you for over a year now and we’ve been fighting this war together for seven months, so I might as well ask before I no longer have the opportunity to…”

“Go on,” Ray encouraged as the stallion trailed off.

After a moment’s hesitation, the Fallen looked up at him and asked, “What’s it like only having two legs?”

The human opened his mouth to answer the question, only to find that he had nothing to respond with. Closing his mouth and furrowing his brows as he contemplated what the question even really meant, he found himself completely stumped. With a chuckle and a shrug, he told Yarem, “I’ve had all sorts of questions about being a human in Equestria, yet for some reason, that’s the one I don’t know how to answer.”

“I guess it is kind of a ridiculous question,” Yarem sheepishly admitted. “I mean, I wouldn’t know how to answer if you asked what it’s like to have a tail or four hooves. I guess I’m just confused on how you’re able to walk on only two legs while also having all of that weight on your top half.”

“I’m not that heavy,” he joked, giving the general a friendly punch. “I mean, humans start out crawling on all fours when we’re babies, but then we just… decide to stand up and walk around. I’ve honestly never thought much about it before.”

“Sorry for such a strange question, sir,” Yarem apologized, glancing away, embarrassed.

“Oh, it wasn’t strange, just challenging,” Ray assured the general with a pat on the back. “To be fair, I am a strange creature to you in a world that’s very strange to me. There’s bound to be some impossibilities that we’ll just never understand about each other.”

“It’s a lot easier to think about it that way,” the stallion agreed. “Everypony else has questions like that too. Plenty of my soldiers come to me asking questions about you like how you can eat meat or why you have only the tufts of hair on your head and some on your arms and legs. I’ve even had a few wondering if there was any way you could have a child with minotaurs… since-”

“Okay, that one’s a bit far,” Ray cringed, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose at the uncomfortable thought. “If you get any questions like that, tell them I won’t have children with minotaurs 'cause they’ll all be dead.”

“Yessir,” the general replied, unable to hide the amusement in his voice. “I’ll make sure to put them on privy duty as well, since their minds seem to already be in the gutter.”

“Sounds reasonable enough, general,” Ray replied with a masked smile, looking back out over the ocean. Sometimes it was hard to believe that it had only been seven months since they had crossed the great sea and entered the war against the minotaurs. It would only be another seven months before marking Ray being on this continent longer than he had been in Equestria. If the war did last that long, what would it look like at that point? How many Fallen would he have lost? How many friends?

With the current numbers, an additional three hundred and fifty Fallen would die, bringing the total to seven hundred dead. It was less than ten percent of what they had started with, merely four percent of the original number of Fallen. It would mean that more Fallen had killed themselves in the time before this war than the war itself had taken. Over sixteen thousand Fallen would get to be restored and live whatever life they wanted to afterwards, free from their damnation and redeemed in their own eyes as heroes of Equestria. That thought made him smile happily. So many Fallen would do Equestria good.

“Thoughts, lordling,” Yarem softly questioned, clearly noting the smile on Ray’s face.

“Just thinking about the future,” he muttered, looking back at the general. There was a moment’s hesitation before he added, “More like hoping about the future, to be honest.”

“Yes,” Yarem insisted patiently.

“I like the idea of thousands of Fallen getting to live after the war,” the human detailed. “I’ve always want as many Fallen as possible to survive and live the lives that they deserve, but I guess I hadn’t really thought about what it’d be like. So many strong individuals joining the population of Equestria and bettering it through their experience. I mean, just to have the opportunity to see you with your fur, mane, and eyes the way they once were would be special as is, but I can’t even began to appreciate what might be.”

“I’ve always loved imagining the children of Fallen I know,” Yarem admitted. “To get to see them fulfill their dreams of having a family and becoming parents. Skalos and Zecora, Glandor and Fortra, even Pelios and Inda. Their children would have the best parents in all Equestria, and I’d love to see the future of the Fallen be intertwined with Equestria once again.”

“Inda,” Ray questioned.

“Pelios’ lover,” the general clarified, looking confused. “He hasn’t introduced her to you?”

“No, I haven’t had the pleasure,” he replied, feeling slightly dismayed. For as great of a general and friend Pelios was, Ray knew shockingly little about him. In fact, that was true with many of his Fallen friends. A side effect of Luna’s damnation and their life before was an abundance of guilt in each Fallen. Even with the war now ongoing and the Fallen proving themselves, it would probably only be after the conclusion of it that many of the Fallen would feel comfortable with divulging their personal lives.

“I’m sure you will meet her soon,” Yarem assured him with a nod. “Pelios is a bit shy when it comes to his emotions. I don’t know if he’s talked about it with anypony else, but he once told me that he doesn’t feel like he belongs as a general. The first time he met you, he was late because he and Inda had been… busy. Told me he fears that the mare is too good for him and distracts him from what's more important.”

“Bullshit,” Ray stated, angry more at himself than at the stallion for his self-doubt. “The Matriarch told me that I would need to talk with Pelios about his place as a general, but I’ve clearly put that off for far too long. I’ll make sure to pull him aside and talk with him today. I won’t have him giving up on love for this war.”

“I’ll look forward to seeing them raise a family one day, lordling,” Yarem said with a smile.

“And you,” Ray inquired. “Do you have a mare you aren’t telling me about, or any plans with anybody?”

“No, I don’t,” the general replied with an honest shrug. “If I’m being honest, lordling, these past fifteen hundred years have been very… slow for me. I focused on doing what I could for the Fallen. Many of the soldiers in my army I stopped from taking their own life, and a few have also seen me try to take mine, including Skalos. It was hard, but after they convinced me of my worth, I decided on putting it into the Fallen. I wanted to play my part in the army, to make sure we were prepared to fulfill our role and serve out our damnation responsibly. It’s why I started what became known as the Grims. I wanted us to always be ready. It wasn’t until after you showed us how much it divided us that I realized I’d only served to harm and restrict the Fallen. So now, I’m working on making sure that we aren’t only ready to win this war, but that we will have a life afterwards.”

“It’s an honorable work, Yarem,” Ray commented, patting the Fallen on the back. “I’m glad to have you as one of my generals, and proud to call you a friend.”

“Thank you, Ray,” he said gratefully. “Genuinely, it means the most coming from you.”

Standing up, the general saluted the human and told him, “I think I’ll leave you be now. I came to ask you something ridiculous and you’ve taught me more than I could have ever hoped for. Have a good night, lordling, and get some good rest in the morning.”

“Of course, general,” Ray promised, remaining seated and looking out over the ocean once again. A particularly strong wave crashed just below him at that exact moment, and the powerful sea breeze lifted the spray up to him. Smiling at the refreshing coolness, he considered momentarily if he should stay as he was, waiting only a few dozen paces away from the wayport until he needed to use it. Glancing to the side, he could see where the cliffs dropped into the cove, though the cove itself remained hidden. Given the strong tide and that it was inland enough that it was too far for the Fallen to swim out to open ocean from the beach, he couldn’t spot his soldiers relaxing in the ocean.

Tempted by the thought of joining him, he closed his eyes for a few last minutes of personal relaxation before heading down to the beach. Once again, his thoughts drifted to the ponies back in Equestria: Fluttershy, Rarity, AJ, Pinkie, and the Crusaders. Even though it was probably he didn’t see them last month, given his turbulent mental state and the gruffness of having fought so much in such a short time frame, he regretted not visiting. He was determined to not let the war prevent him from enjoying their company this time.

Having reaffirmed himself, he stood up and nearly let out a frightened yelp as he spotted the Matriarch crawling horizontally along the cliffs in his direction. Chuckling dryly at himself, he stood still and waited for her to finish her approach, the entire cliff shaking slightly from her many footfalls. Her unblinking red eyes were fixated on him, and wordlessly she reached out to him expectantly. Taking her invitation, he stepped on her feeler, and immediately was set on her head as she scuttled over the rim and back the way she had come.

“Good to see you, my friend,” he told her earnestly, resting a hand on her head as he sat. “What brings you into the heat today?”

“I’m sorry for my absence,” she apologized, her steps falling as she approached a range of the seaside cliffs at least a mile from where he had been. “Unfortunately, I don’t come bearing excellent news or new wisdom. I’ve seen something in the changes.”

“What,” Ray asked, already lost. “The changes? You mean the map of the cosmos?”

“No, but perhaps,” the Matriarch replied, hesitant. Ray’s throat tightened at the statement. There was very little the Matriarch didn’t have some knowledge about, almost all of it pertaining to the Aspects. If something had changed to sever that, then his anxiety about them and the Spectre would spike. They had well and truly begun the war, with two major battles under their belt. A paradigm shift in his priorities and the threat the Aspects presented would be catastrophic for them.

“That is part of the problem, Ray,” the Matriarch hushly admitted. “I cannot identify if this change is a result of the Aspects tampering with my abilities, the Spectre attempting to influence the world beyond its imprisonment, or my own immortality dimming as I begin to coordinate more with the mortal world. I have delayed the map of the cosmos by agreeing to assist in Equestria’s war and encouraging you to fight in it. Though it dismayed my gods, I see the wisdom in it that they may not understand, being immortal.”

“What are these changes, then,” Ray inquired tensely.

“My vision is dimming and my hearing receding,” she muttered, a small but sharp tinge of fear in her voice. “When I used to be able to hear all of Equestria, now I cannot even hear the grunts and whinnies of the minotaurs. When I used to see the monsters of the deep, now they are lost in the darkness, hidden once again. I spent all day, and yesterday, looking for them, searching. I could not believe that they had vanished from my sight and thought they might have retreated from this world, but I finally saw one when I prodded too deeply into the ocean. I’m afraid I’ve made my presence here known to them and awakened their hate for me once more.”

“Once more,” Ray repeated, bewildered.

“In the beginning of lifes, I was one of the first creatures of Darkness, and am the only remaining of the first four, as I have explained,” she clarified. “But there were others after me. The darkness of the land was populated, but Darkness knew of the black depths of the seas and wished to fill them also. I do not know how many cousins I have in those depths, nor even the extent of the power of those I know of. All I know is from when they encroached upon our territory above the waters of the ocean. I and Scorpan fought them for many long weeks before we wrested control of our domain and dominance of mortal creatures from them, returning them to their inky darkness, for while they were larger and more viscous, I am the World Weaver and Scorpan the Mage Maker, may Darkness rest his soul.

“I fear my journey has roused their hate, and my literal blindness has caused a situational one that may cause us and Equestria much grief. The monsters of the depths look towards the shores of these lands with hate and desire, a desire that only I can repulse if they attack. I fear, without Scorpan, I cannot,” the Matriarch solemnly warned. “Should they arise from the depths, I will face them and take them and our battle as far from the continents as possible, providing you as much time and safety as I can. They will not kill me, but they may cause me to be banished back into the depths of Tartarus in shame. They would kill me if not for my favor with Darkness, though that too may be rapidly fading. I am no longer the pride of my Aspect, now that Luna has restored herself and purged the evil from her soul.”

“I won’t let you be replaced by anything,” Ray swore, even knowing his word was nothing against that of an Aspect. “I’d follow you to battle against those monsters.”

“I know, Ray,” a smile in the World Weaver’s hum. “I would accept such assistance, save it were for the futility of it. I can face each monster individually; it would only be when they were a group that I would find them a difficult adversary. Even then, though, it would not matter if you were by my side. They wouldn’t even see you, I expect, until you had utilized their flawed and crazed instincts against them. However, that is not truthfully the focus of my talking with you. I’m afraid I’ve gone on a tangent concerning my past and wasted time. What I wish to say is that, from henceforth, I cannot be relied upon as I was in the Second Battle of the Big Face. I’m unsure of capabilities now. My silk is still strong, my legs still carry me, and my children heed my words, but my sight and hearing have both dimmed from perfection.”

“Well, you were able to hear my conversation with Yarem, correct,” Ray questioned, resting a second hand against the worried spider’s head, rubbing circles into the hard chitin. He had never seen her so… disturbed before. It did not bode well, but he couldn’t have the one person that seemed resolute no matter the conditions begin to slip into self-doubt.

“That is correct, lordling,” the Matriarch confirmed thoughtfully. “And my sight is not so bad that I cannot see my children and your soldiers from great distances and know them and their numbers. Perhaps- though clearly occurring- my degradation is not so bad as it could possibly be. I shall continue trying to be an asset to the war.”

“That’s all I need to hear,” Ray said with a relieved sigh. Being honest with himself, he didn’t know how well he could play therapist with a giant ethereal spider who had seen more years than anything else living in this world.

“Thank you, Ray, your words are wise and kind,” the Matriarch stated. She reached up a feeler, gently pushing it on Ray’s chest as he lay on her head.

Chuckling at the move, he couldn’t help but ask, “What is this?”

“If you could wrap your arms around my feeler, it would be the world’s most disproportionate hug,” she explained, voice humming with amusement. Happily relenting to the request, the human did so and leaned in as much as he could for the embrace. After what felt like too short a time, the Matriarch’s feeler retreated and Ray sat up, curiously looking down at the massive arachnid.

“What is it,” he asked.

“I enjoy your presence greatly, lordling, but it’s greedy of me to keep stealing you away from your friends and comrades in the army,” the Matriarch explained, already beginning to walk back towards the camp. “So, I will give you back to them before you must go to Equestria and make amends for your misbehavior last time. Besides, you have a promise to keep with myself, Yarem, and Pelios.”

Author's Note:

Yeah, there are giant monster fights in my MLP fanfic. What of it? As always, questions, comments, and concerns welcome and wanted.