Ghost of the Everfree

by David Silver

12 - On the Horizon

Lunch, as it turned out, was scrumptious. Granny had provided well for the foals. Dry learned that Brands of Destiny were called marks at times, cutiemarks when one was being proper. "And you aren't born with yours?"

Apple Bloom laughed as she picked up a drink. "I was just as surprised when I found out ponies in Everglow are born with theirs."

Scootaloo guffawed, interrupted as it was with a new mouth-full of food. "We had to work a long time to find ours, but totally worth it in the end. A pony has to find what makes them click first."

Sweetie inclined her head at Dry. "How did you know what yours meant? I doubt the first time you saw it, it was all that apparent." She burst into giggles. "You were too busy sucking on your hoof like any foal that tiny."

Dry colored at that summoned image. "I had to learn too, just like you, but instead of working towards your 'mark'. I worked from my brand." He pointed back at his bush with the eyes peeking out of them. "I feel safe when I hide, and now I can take images." He nosed against the dangling camera. "I feel I am doing the right thing."

Apple chomped the last of what was on her plate. "Ya look like yer havin' lots of fun with the camera. Good on ya havin' fun with it and still keepin' up with the buckin'"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Not gonna lie, I'd be super distracted."

Sweetie didn't have a chance to speak her part, the front door slapping open and Applejack entering with a frown. "Trouble a field over," she reported. "Gonna check it out." She marched right past them all. "Stay here."

"Ya know that ain't happening." Apple Bloom hopped down and dashed off to get her own supplies. The other foals scattered off, in search of whatever they needed.

That left Granny with Dry. "You stayin'?"

Dry tapped his hooves together, suddenly nervous. "I'm not good at fighting."

"Figured ya might wanna take pictures." She pointed at Dry's dangling camera.

Dry's ears pricked up. That was... a good idea! "You are a wise matriarch."

"Ah try my best." She reached out, ruffling the wispy mane of the foal. "Stay safe."

"Stay hidden," finished Dry as if this were a statement he'd shared with someone else before, hurrying out the door towards danger he'd hide from if he had any option.

Outside, the trouble became obvious with a thin trail of smoke reaching up towards the sky in the distance. He raced towards it, eyes searching for cover on the way as he began to weave from one to the next, managing a spirited trot of a pace despite his ducking and weaving.

The source of the trouble crawled into view, a horrible creature with horns protruding from most directions as it stomped and smashed on a strawberry patch, to the clear horror of its farmer. The mare was shrieking in dismay, seemingly to the satisfaction of the demonic marauder that reveled in her discomfort.

Going straight there, Dry had arrived first. He dived into a bush that gave him a vantage point of the action without exposing himself. With a click he captured an image of the tall, bipedal, longtailed boney... thing.

"Now... as appealing as your screams are..." The creature grabbed for the mare, but she ducked and scrambled away. It was unfortunate that the ghastly thing was as fast as a pony. Well, it was evenly matched until its sickly skeleton wings began to buzz and it lifted into the air at a terrific speed, grabbing the mare and shoving her against the ground as it came back down, pinning her roughly. "That's better. I have questions for you, little one."

"No, no no no!" Dry clicked another picture of the dramatic event and swallowed heavily. Surely the others would be there at any moment. Any... moment.

"Don't be like that... If you don't answer, I'll have to... make you answer... You won't like that. I will. Oh... I will... Please, go ahead, resist..." The bone demon leaned in over the trembling mare. "Don't make this too easy..." It had clearly changed its mind, enjoying its sadistic game. "Let's start with something simple. What is your name, creature?"

But she was too busy squealing and thrashing about to provide even that basic an answer. No information was coming from her.

Not that this seemed to upset the demon. "Hmm, I suppose we'll have to get serious." He dig into her, getting a pained yelp. She was looking right at it then, eyes trembling in pinpricks, but quite focused. "There we are. Hello. What. Is. Your. Name?"

Dry clenched his teeth. Still no sign of the others. He was the only one there. If he didn't act, that mare would get hurt... more than she already had been. But to emerge was to face that creature of extremely obvious danger. The mare's shriek of pain shook him from his moment of paralysis. Someone had to do something, and he was the only one there. He set down the camera carefully. No reason to risk it in his foolishness.

The demon looked up as a small form burst free of a nearby bush. "Oh ho!" it cried out with a malicious smile. "You look much more familiar." It threw the strawberry farmer aside, forgetting her entirely. "Come here."

He had stopped being hidden, and so he had stopped being safe. Those were the rules. Simple rules for surviving. The demon was approaching him all too quickly on its sickly skeletal wings that had no reason to be able to support its weight. Not that Dry was focusing on the physical impossibility of it, instead fleeing in a wild panic. If he couldn't hide, running was a close second best option.

A great form passed over him with a woosh of wind. "Stop right there." Applejack met the demon with a heavy thunk of a thrown hoof. "Thought we were done with ya Everglow varmints!"

The demon reeled back, as much in surprise as any actual pain. "A defender? Fantastic. Be a witness." With a strange sudden spell of alien words, it slammed the ground, ice exploding upwards around Applejack, sealing her in a bubble before she could finish a cry of annoyance. "Now, you..." It resumed its chase of Dry, leaving Applejack as the momentary distraction she had been. "Come back here, little creature. It won't hurt." It chuckled darkly as it caught up with unnatural speed. "That was a lie. It will hurt quite a bit, but I'll enjoy it."

Dry figured he would perish. He broke the rules of survival. That's how that worked. Hopefully, at least the strawberry farmer got somewhere safe. That'd be nice at least... No matter how quickly he tried to run, his short little foal legs could not hope to outpace the demon's eerily perfect flight path. It was like it was riding a downward angled rope, coming in all too quickly.

"Fireball!" Now, it was not technically required for any spellcaster of Everglow magic to actually speak the name of the spell they were casting.

This did not stop Scootaloo from doing so, a triumphant grin on her face, hoof pointed at the demon, standing upright in an action pose, scooter on her other side as the little bead of brilliant magic zoomed for the creature.

It exploded with a great roar, the plants combusting, the earth scorched as it engulfed a great area around it. It was gone as quickly as it came, leaving fresh wisps of smoke, and an entirely unharmed demon, laughing at her attempt. "I have endured greater flames waking in the morning." It fixed its dread gaze on Scootaloo. "Stay." Magic grasped at Scootaloo, not holding her still, physically, but she could feel some strange shackling happening. "Spellcaster, you always have such delicious information. Come, share."

Dry collapsed, heaving for breath. The demon had changed targets, zooming in on Scootaloo with a dry cackling. "Watch out!" he cried, hoping it would somehow help.

"Don't worry, I got--" Her words cut off as the demon faded from sight with a single arcane word. "Alright, I wasn't expecting that." She lifted her scooter like a shield from the unseen incoming menace.

With a dull thunk of something heavy striking wood, the demon re-appeared in mid swipe, knocking the scooter away in a great arc. Its laughing resumed for only a moment before it vanished anew. "Think you can fight me? Please, try your very best." The voice was moving as it spoke, bringing Scootaloo's eyes with it, trying to get a bead on the darting creature.

A sweet note rang out over the battlefield, flowing smoothly into a wordless song as Sweetie came into view, a mace clutched in her snout despite the singing.

Scootaloo couldn't celebrate the arrival of a friend for long, a sharp stabbing making her yelp as the demon snapped back into being, the stinger at the end of its tail buried in her side and drawing away, leaving a trail of nasty green goo behind. She dove away from it, grabbing her scooter up, her faithful weapon and shield.

The demon wasn't giving her any space, on her, battering at the shield and slashing at her with dangerous intent. At least until a dull thunk announced Sweetie's arrival in the melee, bopping the demon on the top of the head.

"Was that the best you had?" The demon turned on Sweetie, grabbing and hurling her as one might a football, sending the squealing filly flying. "Now, as we were."

"Thunder hoof!" Scootaloo twirled in an uppercut, thrusting a hoof up into the available chin of the bone demon as her entire body crackled with the electric power. Unlike the fireball and the mace strike, her blow landed truly, sending the demon staggering back. "Yeah, not so tough now are ya?!"

"The insect has teeth," chortled the demon as it stepped closer. "I will enjoy plucking your wings." It was only then that it noticed Scootaloo actually had wings. "I am not being symbolic."

Scootaloo snapped her wings shut instinctively, shuddering at the conjured mental image, to the demon's clear, laughing, pleasure. "Jerk." She swung her scooter, a wide miss, but she wasn't actually aiming for it. She hopped onto the scooter in position and her wings buzzed, carrying her away at a rapid clip.

Sweetie scrambled to her hooves, her song continuing as she gathered herself. She spotted something and smiled, her volume raising in expectation.

The demon reached for the fleeing pegasus. "Little bug, beating your wings. It's as if you're offering them to me."

Its fingers were just able to feel the brush of those wings when a fresh pain brought it to a sudden halt. Apple Bloom had joined, resisting the urge to shout as she came in, her sword was plunged right into the thing's boney chest. Sure, Applejack had told her not to use a sword, or even have a sword, but...

The demon roared in fury, punching Apple Bloom across her snoot, not that it dislodged her. The fight was on, physical combatant against another. Dry noticed something was odd with Apple Bloom. Her legs bulged with power she didn't have before as she clashed and fought with the demon, single-mindedly focused on their battle.

Dry wrenched his view away from that battle. A sound drew his attention to the ice bubble jutting from the ground. The ice was opaque, but he could hear something thumping against it from inside. Applejack? He turned himself around, back to the ice. "I'll help!" He had learned how to buck, mostly. He'd assist!

He was taking part in a battle. It was amazing and terrifying, but he was doing it. He lashed out with all the strength he had. His forehooves were planted just like Apple Bloom had shown him so he could get all the power into the ice and not throw himself to the ground. He wasn't sure if it'd help, but he was already not hidden. Fighting wasn't as good as running, but running wouldn't work, and hiding had stopped being an option.

He would fight.

Author's Note:

Did you forget this story was tagged as an adventure? Unfortunately, so did Dry, but here's a reminder!

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Comments

[badninja]

So I wonder how long it will take Applejack to show up once she hears the explosions and shows this creature how she likes to throw down?

[Auram Potentia]

11003650
uuummm she's in the ice at the end of the chapter.

[Jlan]

11003650
She's already there remember? She got Ice Prisoned in the first few seconds of showing up.

[Booster Spice]

Wonder if AJ has a variation of Bide that encasing her just lets her buff up?

[howard035]

Oh man they are boned.

[David Silver]

11014766
Pun detected, and appreciated.

[howard035]

11014929
Good detection! You're quite the O-sleuth.