True Magic

by CodeMonkey

Chapter 25 - No Sanctuary

Chapter 25 - No Sanctuary

A salty wind blew through Trixie's frightened mane as she galloped through the paved streets divided by dark, sleeping buildings that stood all around her. The town was quiet, and only distant voices and sounds could be heard over her labored breathing. Her legs burned with each stride, constantly reminding her of what she was fleeing from. Teardrops flew behind her, brought on by pain both physical and emotional.

She didn't understand what happened nor could she piece together the puzzle of Magus' sudden insanity. Despite all that had happened between them, the promises, the apologies, and even the faintest glimmer of kindness, Magus could very well have killed her back there, and he probably would have.

Trixie had been running for some time, wanting to put as much distance between her and the fire wielding psychopath behind her as possible. But fatigue was setting in, her legs ached and her lungs felt as if they were beginning to tear apart. Quickly scanning the area, Trixie looked for a safe place to rest.

Slipping into a shady alley, Trixie sat down and rested against the cold stone wall, gasping for air as her heart violently pounded against her chest. Cautiously, she peeked around the corner to make sure she hadn’t been followed. Magus and the caravan were nowhere to be seen, but her surroundings seemed somewhat familiar, from the briny air to the subtle sound of waves crashing against a shoreline.

In the distance, Trixie could see a row of buildings leading to a massive patch of blackness against the starry, moonlit sky where tiny lights floated across the bleak surface of an inlet. The bright glow of a lighthouse shone at the mouth, its light stretching far into the dark horizon. Almost immediately, she recognized it as the ocean, but where specifically she was along it was still unclear.

The cove had a distinct curved shape to it that spanned the entire inlet which made it easy to guess where she was. It had to be Horseshoe Bay, which meant that the town must’ve been the port town, Baltimare, a place she hadn’t frequented much in her travels.

As she was enjoying the sight, a sudden chill ran up her spine followed by the sound of metal clanging together. Before she could react, something grabbed her and pulled her deeper into the alley, latching onto her neck. She struggled violently as a foreign hoof covered her mouth, muffling her screams and shouts. Her thoughts sprang to Magus, a crazed look in his eye as she tried to pull her attacker’s hooves off. She was sure it was him, come to drag her back to the caravan or worse.

“It’s okay, Trixie, it's okay! It's me, Silver.” Trixie ceased struggling. There was something familiar about that voice, and name. The pony’s grip loosened, if only slightly, allowing her to pull away as she spun around to face the stranger.

The figure was a pegasus, wings noticeably protruding from the dark brown, raggedy cloak that enveloped him. He was armed, the scabbard of a sword poking out from beneath his shroud that clanked and rattled with every move he made as if something were loose. The hooded shawl covered many of his features, making it difficult to make out anything else of note save for a single, silver eye that watched her carefully through the shadow of the hood.

“Silver?” Trixie asked, eyeing the figure cautiously as she prepared to run in case her suspicions were incorrect. “Is that really you?”

“It is,” he answered as he took a step towards her. “Are you all right? Are you hurt? What happened?” He looked down at her forelegs before taking one in his hooves and carefully inspecting it. “By Celestia! What in the world happened to you?”

Trixie winced in pain as he brushed against the wound, immediately pulling it away in response.

“Watch it!” she said, taking a step away. Looking at her hoof for the first time, she could see deep red splotches all over the base of her forelegs that seemed to glow in the dark. “It stings a bit, but it’s nothing, really,” she said, ignoring the brief surge of pain as she returned her hoof to the ground.

“It's not nothing! Did he do this?” Silver demanded.

Trixie was reluctant to answer. Had that really been Magus back there? It seemed more like a bad dream than something she’d only just escaped.

“I said it's nothing,” she replied, glancing down at her hooves once more. “What are you doing here anyway? How did you find me?” she added, wishing to change the subject.

“I was watching the caravan when you rushed out.” He lightly chuckled as he shook his head. “Boy, you sure can run fast.” Silver stared at Trixie with a smile and said, “I'm so glad you're safe.”

“Um, thanks,” she said, not quite able to return the smile.

At that moment, his smile vanished as his ears spiked up, rotating and flicking wildly while his eye darted around. He galloped passed Trixie and peeked around the corner, looking both ways at least three times before glancing back at her.

“Do you feel his power at all?”

“Who's? Magus’? No, I don't.”

“Good, he’s not close then. It's not safe to talk here. Can you walk?”

Trixie nodded.

“Alright, quickly, follow me.” The cloaked pony gestured for her to follow before taking a few steps out of the alley.

“And why should I?” Trixie asked. “I don't even know you, remember?”

Silver looked back before hastily approaching her.

“Please, you must trust me. You are in great danger here.”

“The last pony who asked me to trust him almost incinerated me. I just met you, so how do I know you won't do the same thing?”

Silver sighed as he looked to the floor before returning her gaze.

“Do you honestly believe that you’re better off with him than with me? The monster that almost killed you tonight?”

“That still doesn't—”

“It won't be long before he finds you again. Can you face him again? I promise, I will protect you with my life.” He stepped closer to her. “Trust me when I say, you cannot stay here. Please, we haven’t much time. Come with me. I will see you safe.” Silver extended his hoof to her.

Trixie hesitated, staring at it. Was this really an improvement? A quick glance around reminded her of the city she didn’t know, and the danger she faced. Reluctantly, she took his hoof.

He smiled as he turned back to the street.

“Come on. Let's go.” Releasing her hoof, he cautiously entered the street, looking around before gesturing her to follow. Trixie moved forward, praying that she'd made the right decision.

Silver led her in an almost zigzagging manner as they slipped between buildings and through musty alleys, avoiding the main roads as much as possible, all the while the smell of the sea was getting stronger. His eyes darted about constantly as he stopped at every corner and peeked around them, behaving as if he was worried that they were being followed. The trip wasn’t easy for her, every step she took felt as if there were hot coals littering the streets, stinging her tender hooves. She hoped that they were almost to…wherever they were going.

Just as the sound of waves roared somewhere nearby, Silver suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, freezing up as Trixie came up behind him. In a split second, he spun around and forced her against the wall as her back hit the damp surface. He propped himself against the wall next to her, holding her in place with a hoof as Trixie glared over at him.

“What are you—!”

“Ssshhh!” he replied, gripping the hilt of his sword that stuck out from his waist, partially drawing it, allowing the steel to glimmer in the pale light of the street lights.

The sound of hoofsteps soon filled her ears followed by voices, then, laughter getting louder with each moment. Two ponies passed by the alley, dressed in bright orange waders, unaware of the two who watched them from the dark. When they passed, Silver stepped forward and peered around the corner to ensure that they had left before looking back at her and motioning for her to follow. She wasn’t sure why he was so paranoid, but continued to follow him.

The two rushed across the street entering a blind alley with bits of junk and a crumbling wooden fence baring their path. In one quick motion, Silver slipped under a wooden beam that lay across the fence, propping up much of the junk on top, and lifted it up with his back, revealing a small hole at the base of the fence.

“Go,” he grunted.

Trixie stared into the bleak cavity before crawling under him, passing through the opening. Her stomach turned at the thought of blindly walking into this unknown place with a pony she barely knew.

As she arrived on the other side, she found herself surrounded by cold, lifeless buildings; all appearing to have been abandon for some time while they decomposed in silence. She looked around for any noticeable landmarks, but the darkness guarded its secrets well as she fumbled about, kicking what sounded like cans and bottles that clanked as she walked into them. The rolling waves and the smell of salt filled her senses; wherever she was, the ocean was nearby.

“This way,” Silver’s voice sounded, though she could only just make out his silhouette. “Here, take my hoof. We’re almost there.”

Trixie reached out and found his hoof, touching it lightly as he led her towards the towering, black splotch at the other end of the lot. It was difficult to see, but she could tell that it was massive, appearing to be a warehouse or a boathouse of some sort.

Silver released her hoof as they stood before the large structure before the sound of wheels whined and rattled loudly in front of her, stopping moments later. She felt his hoof gently wrap around hers again before she was led into the consuming darkness of the building’s interior that blotted out the sky.

Her hooves clopped and echoed against the creaking wood floor with nothing in sight but a few support beams outlined in the pale moonlight that seeped through the jagged holes in the ceiling. The fur on the back of her neck stood on end as a cold wind whipped though the place. Trixie’s horn whirled to life and started to glow with the casting of her light spell, hoping to get a better view of her surroundings.

Before the light could get any brighter than the moon’s, Silver quickly clasped her horn, stopping the glow.

“Hey!” she objected. “What’s the matter with you—?”

“No, magic!” he retorted, speaking in a low, quiet growl.

“What? Why?” she responded in a slightly more muted tone.

“They can smell magic,” he whispered before taking a quick look around.

“They?”

“Hush, no more talking.” He released her horn and disappeared into the dark behind her as she watched him go. She heard the moan of wheels again as the entry closed, before making a subtle slam. A warm glow bloomed the next moment from an oil lantern, revealing the cloaked pegasus and the large sliding door that had numerous unfastened locks next to it.

He quickly got onto his hindlegs and secured the many unfastened locks, ensuring that each latch, padlock, and deadbolt was fastened. After checking the door to ensure it was sealed, he scooped up the lantern in his teeth and headed towards her.

“This way,” he mumbled before passing her, penetrating further into the shadows with Trixie at his tail.

After a few feet, a flight of stairs materialized from the blackness looking not particularly safe especially when a few of the steps were snapped in two. Silver didn’t hesitate as he proceeded up the wailing steps, treading over the broken ones with ease. She did the same, forcing her ridged posture to move up the decaying stairs, despite lingering concern over whether or not they would be able to support them both.

He quickly entered the door at the top with Trixie in tow, although, she preferred to hop over the last two splintered steps.

The room was like the rest of this bleak place: dark and cold with the sounds of the ocean reverberating somewhere close. Looking around, Trixie could see Silver’s lantern swinging about at the other end of the room, noticeably dimmer than before.

As the light finally faded, Trixie wondered if he was still there as she couldn’t hear the creeks of the floor or the jingle of his weapon anymore.

“Silver?”

“Keep your voice down!” he loudly whispered. “Close the door. They won’t be able to detect us if it’s closed.”

Trixie glanced back at the door then back at the darkness where she thought he was before doing as he asked, ensuring to keep the noise it made to a minimum as she shut it. She didn’t know who they were, but thought it best to obey the obsessed pony…for now.

She stood in darkness for only a second before the light of a lantern bloomed brightly on the far wall with Silver standing next to it, still fully cloaked. He took a few steps away and lit another one.

“Thank you,” he said in a normal speaking voice as he moved to another lamp nearby. “Sorry if I was short with you. I just want to keep this place hidden from them for as long as possible.”

“You keep saying that. Who’s them?”

He stopped and glanced over to her with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

“Why, the Circle, of course. We don’t want those cultists finding where we are. They can detect magic and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were looking for me right now.”

“You? Why’s that?”

“I guess you could say I’m a bit of a criminal among them,” he said with a chuckle as he moved on to light another lantern.

As Trixie listened to him talk, she glanced around the room as it slowly became clear, with the lighting of the lanterns, what surrounded her. Groups of dusty boxes and waterlogged barrels littered the room with everything smelling of fish and the salty sea. The rafters were filled with cobwebs, looking like ghosts as a chilly breeze passed by. Everything was worn and forgotten by time, but it was what was on the wall next to her that caught her attention.

A map of Equestria covered an old boarded up window with drawn-on black lines leading from one location to another with some having a large, hastily scrawled X’s over the ends of them. As she looked closer, she saw a line leading from Trottingham, to Hayseed swamp, and up to Baltimare, the exact route Magus and she had taken.

“Alright,” Silver said, getting her attention. “Now, let’s tend to your injuries.”

He set two small boxes down next to each other and pulled a small saddlebag from one of the barrels, setting it down next to one of the makeshift seats before beckoning her over. She approached and sat down on the nearest wooden container as he took his seat.

“Where does it hurt?” he asked.

“My forehooves mostly.”

“Okay, here, drink this,” he said, pulling a small glass vial from the bag and presenting it to her. “It’ll help with the pain.”

Some kind of dark liquid swished around inside looking none too safe to drink. The drink smelled like death and decay as he removed the cap. Trixie eyed the strange concoction with a wrinkled brow before leaning away.

“Uh, I’m fine. My hooves don’t hurt that much.”

“They will when I start bandaging them, believe you me.”

“I’m not drinking that,” Trixie said, pushing the bottle away.

Silver sighed, hanging his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. He put the container down next to him before looking back to her.

“Fine, let me see your hooves,” he said, offering up his hoof.

Hesitant at first, Trixie allowed him to look as he gently took her hoof and started to closely examine the red marks around it. She winced a few times as he touched the sensitive skin, forcing her to jerk away when it became too much.

“I’ll need to apply some medicine to this,” he said as he glanced up at her. “This might hurt. Are you sure you don’t want some of the potion?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay then.” Silver reached into the small bag again and pulled out a small bottle. Removing the cork cap, a sickening smell entered her nostrils. As he prepared to pour whatever-it-was onto her hooves he stopped, glancing at her. “You might feel a slight sting.”

“Just do it,” Trixie snapped, scowling at him.

She watched the first drop hit her skin. Surging pain ran up her hooves, like broken glass had entered her veins and was now clawing its way through her foreleg.

“OW!”

She pulled her hooves out of his and cradled her burning appendage close to her chest, like a crying foal.

“I tried to warn you,” he calmly said, frowning as she wailed in agony.

“I know! What…what is that stuff?” she hastily asked, as the searing pain continued to rip through her.

“It heals burns. I-I-It’s medicine—”

“Medicine!?” She glared over to him. “You call that medicine?”

“I know, it hurts, but—”

“Hurts? ‘Hurts’ doesn’t even begin to describe this.” Trixie groaned as she held her hoof tight, trying her best to stop the now escalating torment. “Wh—why is it getting worse?”

“Here drink some of this,” he said offering up the vial again. “It’ll ease the pain.”

“I…Oh, fine!” With her magic, Trixie grabbed the container out of his hoof and immediately drank some of the tart liquid. Almost instantly, the pain started to subside while her muscles relaxed. She panted a bit, as she could feel herself returning to normal.

“Are you alright?” Silver asked.

“Ye-yeah, it stopped. Um, thanks,” she said, distracted by the strange aftertaste that stuck to the roof of her mouth.

“Not a problem,” he said with a radiant smile. “You should be fine now. May I see your hooves again?”

Trixie gave her hooves to him as she gave back the bottle. Silver put it away before picking up the jug filled with the torturous liquid and poured a little bit on her injuries. Trixie winced in expectation, but soon relaxed. The ‘medicine’ left a tingling sensation rather than the immense torment as Silver carefully rubbed it all over the red scars.

As he slowly kneaded the chemical into her skin, something weighed on her mind and she felt she needed to say something to him.

“So, how long have you been following us?” she asked.

He glimpsed up at her for a moment before continuing the massage.

“Sometime, well, not you per say. Honestly, I didn’t notice you until I saw you in the swamp. The crimson pony is the one I want.”

“Because of what happened to your family?”

He froze and remained quiet for a moment, before letting out a sigh.

“I suppose I should tell somepony. But first, let me dress your wounds. Luckily, they don’t look too serious and the medicine seems to be working fine.” He leaned over and pulled out a pintsized jar and a roll of bandages from the bag before rejoining her. “I don't think I need to tell you that he's a psychopath,” he said as he opened the container. “I mean, you saw him. He's insane. I'm amazed and so glad that you made it out of there at all—And I mean that in the best possible way.”

“I…I don't know what I saw,” Trixie said, glancing away. “But whoever that was, it wasn't Magus.”

Silver scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but what you saw is what he really is,” he said, scooping a large glob of the medicine out of the jar before quickly slathering the white cream onto her forelegs, setting the bandages and jar next to him. “He’s been lying to you this entire time.”

From what she had seen, she should believe him, but she couldn't bring herself to accept that Magus was just a senseless monster all along. She hadn’t been with him for long, but it was clear enough that he was better than what Silver claimed. Despite him being an angry tyrant or a callous jerk, there was compassion in him.

When Trixie’s hooves were covered with the ointment, Silver pulled out a strand of cloth bandages from the bundle and began wrapping up her hooves as if he were a professional doctor or he had done this many, many times before.

“No,” Trixie said.

“No?” he replied, looking up at her.

“I can't explain what's happening to him, but he's not normally like this.”

“Trixie, you must know how crazy that sounds. He almost killed you back there, remember?”

“But he didn't. He could've, he had me right where he wanted me with a knife drawn and everything. And then…” She remembered the whole incident back at the caravan more clearly: Magus stabbing himself and ordering her to run. “… He protected me, from himself.”

Silver was quiet for a moment as he tightened the last bandage securely around her hoof, making her hooves appear half-mummified by the tautness of the wrappings. He released her as she touched them together to find that they no longer burned. She continued to examine the bandages as he put the medical supplies away.

“What are you saying?” Silver asked.

“Huh?” she replied, looking back up to see him avoiding her gaze by looking into his bag, even though the supplies were already put back.

“…Do you love him?”

“What? No! I just meant that he didn’t want to hurt me. If anything, we’re just friends, maybe even—”

“Shut up, you don't know anything!” Silver shouted, glaring at her as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her close.

“Ah! Let go of me,” she exclaimed as he squeezed her tight.

“What do you know? Your parents weren't roasted in their own beds!”

“Let go!”

With a swing, she smacked him on the side of the head sending him reeling back. As he hit the whining ground, his hood flew off. She stared wide eyed at him, a gasp escaping before she could silence it with a hoof.

The entire half of his face and neck were burned, as if he’d had his head shoved into a brazier, leaving one eye partially shut and his ear deformed. The ruby red scar stretched throughout his yellow coat, marking his forelegs and body with a snake-like trail wound around them. Only a few long strands of his auburn hair were left of his mane, combed over the damaged part of his face, trying in vain to hide his scar.

“Wha—what happ—”

“Do you see? This is what he did to me,” he said, getting back up and pointing at his scar. “Right after he took away everything that I loved.”

Trixie stood up and stared into his one good eye.

“But Magus wouldn’t…” she stopped and thought back to his temper and his insane actions earlier.

“I had a normal life. A happy life. And then it was all taken away in a flash the night he came.” Steadily, he started to approach with a wild look in his eye. “My home, my family, even…even the mare I loved burned along with everything I held dear.”

“But…but…,” she said, trying to reach for an explanation when he was only a few inches away.

Silver lunged towards her, getting in her face, baring his teeth.

“I saw the murderer standing before the still burning remnants of my home,” he shouted. “I remember him looking back at me with those accursed eyes, feeling nothing for what he had done even as the screams of my mother and father disappeared into the night.” Pointing at his scar, he said, “He gave me this before he disappeared. What do you think of him now? Still a hero?”

“I never said—”

Silver took hold of her face in both hooves, staring deep into her eyes.

“You’re as naïve as she was,” he said softly, but still with a bite in his tone. He eyed her from face to hooves and back again. “And… as beautiful.” He pulled her in close as he leaned in, kissing her tenderly on her lips. Trixie, caught off guard by the show of affection, thrashed about, attempting to dislodge his sudden embrace as her muffled screams of protest fell on deaf ears.

Whether by her aggressive struggle or by his own will, the unwanted affection ceased as Trixie pushed him back, yet it was not enough to break from his ironclad hold on her.

“What the hay is wrong with you?” she said, spitting and hacking the taste of his lips off as she tried pushing him away.

Silver just smiled at her struggle.

“I know you love me. We were always meant to be together.”

“What are you talking about? Are you insane? Get off me!”

His hold strengthened as he pulled her closer, touching foreheads and muzzles.

“It's alright, you can drop the act. I know how you feel and I want to return those feelings in kind. I love you, so very, very much.”

She kicked and wriggled as he came in for another undesirable kiss. Without warning, the two fell to the ground as he quickly positioned himself on top of her, pinning her to the floor.

“Get off! Let go of me,” she screamed.

“Why keep our feelings bottled up inside? We need to express our love the way true lovers should.”

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't force the stallion off of her. She didn't know what was going on in his twisted little mind, but she didn't want to find out what he had planned. Her attempts to call on her magic failed, like it was being blocked by something. Almost instantly, her thoughts shot to the drink that he had given her moments before.

“I love you, darling,” he cooed as he started to kiss her again, ignoring her show of resistance. She didn't want to think about was going to happen next if she couldn’t escape from him and his mad love.

Comments

[TechWolf20]

the fuck

[swyrl]

Buck this story is good. Dark, and horrifying, and confusing, but still good.
Keep writing ^^.

[Roxas117]

Holy shit, what is going on here?!

*takes a deep breath*

So...with this out of the way I must say, that this is still going strong...and definitely deserving it's dark tag. I'm wondering how this will develop from here on out. Though I can guess, that the "rape" from the crazy, paranoid and scarred stallion, who is longing for love, is going to be interrupted by someone...or something, at the very least.

*shrug*

But yeah...I hope I see more in the future. Don't stress yourself and just keep going.

[CodeMonkey]

5603022
Laughed for like ten minutes after reading your comment. Just the reaction I was looking for to go with this chapter.

[CodeMonkey]

5603256
Will do good buddy.
Hopefully I can get the next chapter out some time soon.

[CodeMonkey]

5603456
Well, it's not a true adventure unless something horrible happens, right?
Thanks so much.

[Roxas117]

5609976 Yeah...I guess you're right in that regard. An adventure without danger could be called "Chronicles of Boredom: The lame Quest of boring, magical Horses.". The story would also be relatively self-explanatory.

BTW, no problem at all. It's just the honest truth.