Swift Light and the Chaos Conundrum

by Jest

Setting Out

Setting out, Swift Light made short work of the distance to the alternative path, climbing a large hill at the edge of town, maneuvering through a copse of scraggly trees, and after donning her armor, slipped beneath the roots of one such plant. Once inside it was a difficult two hours of crawling, twisting, and maneuvering through dark, cramped tunnels. At times she was forced to slide down slick crevices while others it was necessary for her to cling to vines as she swung across holes that had opened up in the ground. Finally, just when she was convinced she was thoroughly lost, she heard voices, strange, gruff ones coming from below her. Through a crack in the floor the guard peered into the chamber below, barely able to make out the forms of several thugs walking this way and that.

Low torches burnt along the walls, revealing the large entryway that had been described in the historian’s book. At the center there was a large water filled pit that was lined with bricks, ensuring it wouldn't spill over during high tide. Along the walls there were carvings of battles, and ancient history long since forgotten by most of Equestria. At the far side of the room was a glowing purple and yellow wall of force that shifted and changed colors as she looked at it.

Before it were two ponies, one of whom matched the description of the historian and formerly retired adventurer. The other was obscured by a large cloak that only partially hid his robust, and clearly well built physique. From what she could hear, he was commanding her to make sure the force field was strengthened as much as possible in order to throw off any who followed them.

Staring closer, Swift Light gasped when she noticed that strapped to his side was the ancient sword that Celestia had spoken of, meaning she was too late.

“Goddess damn it.” She muttered, slamming her hoof into the ground in frustration.

The guard paused suddenly, a slight tremor running through the floor, than, jsut when she thought it was safe, it cracked, and collapsed all at once. Falling to the floor below, Swift Light tried to duck into a roll, but the sheer height she had fallen made the effort almost completely wasted. Armor clattered across the ground, and dust and stone rained all around her, than, just as Swift Light thought her luck couldn't get any worse, she felt something snag on her scabbard and tear it completely. Rising slowly while spitting out bits of rock and dirt, Swift Light reached for her weapon, only to find that it wasn't there.

All around her she could hear bad guys running this way and that, but the rough had apparently given her enough dust to cover her frantic scrabble to find her weapon, an opening she did not waste. Using her magic, the mare sought out her sword, and after finding it a few feet away, began to run over it, tugging the weapon out from under the rock it had been half stuck under.

Just as it was about to be free, a hoof came down on the rock, pinning the sword under it once more. Looking up, Swift Light gulped at the sneering ex guard looking down upon her.

“Well well well. What do we have here?” He asked haughily, his magic drawing forth the ancient sword. “Looking for this are you?”

“I don't know what your doing here or why, but you have to give me that sword, the fate of the world may very well hang in the balance.” Swift Light demanded.

“Do you know what else hangs in the balance?” The ex guard asked pointedly, smirking down at the mare. “The fate of my savings account.”

Laughing proudly the stallion swung the weapon out of the reach of Swift Light. “You fool, this is serious, Celestia-”

The ex guard sneered, taking an angry step forward. “Celestia can kiss my ass, as for you, if you want the sword so bad, I supposed I could give it to you…”

He smirked, and in a flash, thrust the blade forward, aiming for the mare’s ribs. Swift Light, was like her name implied, and in a flash she tried to roll out of the way, only to bump into the wall of the well, the guard having overestimated the room she had to move. With nowhere else to go the blade stabbed into her now unarmored side, burying itself several inches into her body before being torn out, leaving behind a shard of something that wedged itself deep in the mare’s body.

With a cruel laugh, the hooded stallion used his magic to wipe clean the blade and place it back at his side. Beside him, a rather nervous older mare looked from Swift Light to the guard and back again, earning her a glare from the stallion who motioned to one of his underlings which had so far stood off to the side. “Keep an eye on her while I deal with this little fishy.”

Swift Light stumbled, unable to pay attention to what was going on as she forced her magic to try and heal the cut as best as possible in order to keep her in the fight. As the wound began to close, something heated up inside her, and she cried out in surprise, her spell faltering.

Stepping closer, the stallion smirked and reached down, gripping Swift Light by the neck he brought her up, and over the lip of the well. “That was easier than I expected, I’m almost a little disappointed, I had an entire plan on how I was goingto take you down.” He leaned in close, his breathe hot against her face. “And yet here you are, about to die, and having not even put up a fight.”

All around her Swift Light heard the snickers of his men, and the laughter of the guard currently holding her by the throat. She wanted to fight back, to fire a spell, or at least give the creep a black eye, but every time she tried to summon her magic or move the heat in her midsection spiked and she was unable to do anything other than writhe in agony. A low groan escaped her lips, and just when she thought she was about to run out of air she felt herself in freefall, the unicorn missing the last taunt of her attacker before she fell into the pit of water.

Swift Light had been lucky enough to grab a lungful of air before she hit the water, but that did little to help, as she quickly realized that any attempt to swim back up to the surface would likely mean her sudden demise. Turning down, the unicorn remembered the description given of this chamber, and the fact that after only a few dozen metres, met back up with the ocean. With a plan of action now firmly in mind, she swam down, the heat in her midsection dulling somewhat as the cold bite of the ocean water slowly robbed her limbs of feeling.

It was a difficult swim, and more than a few times Swift Light considered turning around and taking her chances with the thugs, but with little breath left in her, and with the last of the light fading, she chose to bet it all on making it out to open ocean, and swam blindly through the dark abyss.

Her lungs and limbs burned with need, her body aching for oxygen. Only the sum total of the guard’s not inconsiderable will kept her from simply giving up and taking a breath of water. Swift Light was determined to not die here, not while she had left so much undone.

A light suddenly appeared before her, and with a renewed vigor, Swift Light swam towards it, hope flickering in her heart. The mare surged through the water, only to be confused when the light suddenly vanished. Eyes wide and filled with panic, Swift Light raised a hoof in defence at the last second, catching the shark in the nose and making it recoil slightly.

That wouldn't last long though, and using every last bit of energy she had left, Swift Light swam past the shark, delivering a weak kick to the side of it’s head as she passed, hoping against hope that it would be enough to keep the beast at bay. That hope was swiftly brought down several seconds later when she felt something clamp down on her back left hoof, sharp objects piercing deep into her flesh.

A silent scream of pain and terror tore through the mare’s lips, robbing her of what little oxygen she had left. In a desperate attempt to get free she brought her other back hoof back and stomped down with all the strength she had. The effect was immediate, and the shark relinquished its hold on the mare’s limb, leaving behind several sharp teeth that were now embedded into her flesh.

With a strength born of desperation, Swift Light surged upwards, making her way towards the light her mind conjuring images of the shark being right behind her. And indeed it was, though for once, luck was on Swift Light’s side, and every time it neared she inadvertently delivered a kick to its snout, keeping it at bay long enough for the mare to reach the light, and to breach the surf.

Deep lungfuls of air filled the mare’s body as she hurriedly looked around, desperate to find something to save herself with. Once more luck was on her side, and she quickly noticed that only a few feet away was a large slab of stone that rose from the surf. Surging toward the stone, Swift Light narrowly escaped the grasping jaws of the great predator, giving her enough time to throw herself on semi dry land and out of reach of the finned creature.

Not feeling safe with so little between her and her attacker, Swift Light pushed herself up as far as possible on the slab, watching as the fin of the shark went back and forth several times before slipping back beneath the waves. Breathing a sigh of relief, Swift Light felt the exhaustion that had been on the edge of her perception for the last several minutes suddenly surge back, nearly overpowering her.

Remembering her training, Swift Light fought off this feeling, knowing full well that if she passed out now, she wasn't likely to wake up. Looking around revealed that she was at the bottom of the cliff, which had no obvious methods of climbing.

A tingle could be felt all along the mare’s hooves as well as her gums, but that didn't concern her right now. Even when that same tingling sensation grew to the point that she lost sensation in her back legs, not even noticing that they had fused together, forming an almost flipper like appendage.

The surge returned, stronger than ever, and this time Swift Light was not strong enough to resist. With a weak moan of defiance, Swift Light’s body went limp and she collapsed against the stone slab, unable to fight off the wave of exhaustion that now held her tight in its icy grip.

For a moment Swift Light was certain she was going to be able to muster some resistance, only for her eyes to close, and consciousness to escape her.

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Comments

[Goldfur]

maneuvering through a corpse of scraggly trees

I think you mean copse.

but with little breathe left in her,

Should be breath.

Looking forward to the next chapter!

[Jest]

10545157
Fixed, Ty.

[Neece]

So shark mare at first. With possibly being forever super-adaptative? Interesting.

Was the entire chapter supposed to be in italics though?