Arc Angel

by Valorousspectre

Warlock

I suppose that, being on the run, I should have expected to meet others. I suppose I did really. I mean, Applejack, Moondust. Both were unexpected, but I knew I'd meet ponies. I guess I expected guards, or something like that. At worst some sort of hunter looking for a bounty. But what I found when I exited the tent I was sharing with my new fillyfriend was the last thing I expected. I must say, I wasn't unpleasantly surprised, but I was surprised nonetheless.

I'd slipped out of bed, you know, so as not to disturb the angel within it, and had decided I wanted to make her breakfast. So, after I'd collected the necessary foodstuffs from the saddlebags (Located conveniently next to the bed), naturally my first action was to exit the tent. Outside, sitting by the ashes of the fire, sat a familiar face I never thought I'd see out here. Haunted look and all, Shade Touch sat staring into the ashes, as thought they'd hold the answers to life itself. I didn't even get to speak. My shock at seeing him rendered me silent and then he spoke.

"Good Morning, Arc. Been a while."

"Shade?" I asked, bewildered, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Canterlot?"

Shade's horn, forgot to mention that he's a unicorn didn't I? Anyhow, His horn is long, thin and tapered. He looked up and his steel grey eyes bored into mine, chilling me. They were still as haunted as they ever were, never changing, but there was something else in them too. I couldn't place what it was, and it scared me.

"I never did tell you what I did for a living did I, Arc?"

I shook my head slowly. And he never did tell me either. I've never been told, and I still don't know. He sighed in answer. A long, haunted sigh. I know I use the word 'haunted' to describe him a lot, but really there's no other way to do so. His eyes closed for a long moment and I started to feel worried. When he opened them again, they were dark, angry and determined. There wasn't a speck of the Shade I'd gotten to know as my housemate, nor as my friend. We didn't speak much, but of all the others, I'd gotten on best with him. There was no recognition of a friend in those eyes, no pity, remorse, no nothing. His horn began to glow ominously and the field around us grew cold.

"Arc. By order of her Royal Highnesses Princesses Celestia and Luna and on the authority of Guard Captain Shining Armour, You are under arrest."

By Starswirl's saggy right armpit, is Shade Touch trying to arrests me!? Shade is one of the most peaceful, if not mysterious, ponies I've ever met! He hates violence, there's no way he's serious!

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously, "You can't be serious, right?"

The glare he was giving me suggested otherwise. I couldn't help it, I started laughing.

"Shade, you know I'm a trained guard right?"

All he did was nod. I felt my confidence begin to falter at his unbudging, unfaltering glare.

"Shade, I don't want to hurt you."

He stood up slowly and took a menacing step forward. I held my ground. I might not be able to stand to a mare, but I will not back down, especially not from a friend.

"Then give yourself up, Arc," He said quietly, dangerously. His voice had an edge to it I'd never heard before. It was dangerous, deadly and icy cold, "It'll be so much better for me to bring you in unharmed, and better still alive. My pay will be docked if I'm forced to kill you."

Kill me!?

"Kill me!?" I exclaimed, "You? You hate violence! Look, we can talk about this, I don't want to hurt you Shade, but if I have to I will."

A manic, homicidal grin broke across his face like a wave of pure malice and his eyes glinted.

"I do so love it when they resist~"

It came so suddenly I didn't have time to react. A blast of raw force so powerful it knocked me off my hooves impacted against my chest, no doubt from Shade. I didn't know he even knew combat magic! But there's nopony else here, so it had to have been from him. With a startled shout, I reacted instantly, rolling as I hit the ground and springing back up. My ribs hurt, but it wasn't anything serious. I guess my hopes that he'd see reason is pretty much useless.

"Alright, if you can't see reason, I'm sorry."

Shade's grin hadn't changed the entire time, and now he merely licked his lips, the faded glow of his horn returning, and the glade dropping a few more degrees.

"No you're not~ Not yet~"

He sprang forward and I only just managed to dodge his physical assault before I realised it was just a diversion. He turned his head and blasted me again in mid air and I was sent hurtling backwards. My back hit a tree, the food I'd been carrying, even after the first blast, was sent flying away even further than I was. Hitting the ground hard, I barely had time to look up when he darted forth once more. This time, I wasn't running. Not a chance. I reached deep into myself, taking hold of my own magic even as he fired off a blast of his own, still galloping towards me. I threw up a shield without even a thought and the shot was deflected, or rather, reflected. It shot back at him and, for a moment, he blurred and the magical bolt passed right through him and missed the tent by inches!

Not allowing myself the luxury of surprise, I displaced the air directly in front of Shade. I wanted to knock him out maybe, but I certainly didn't want to kill him. I was quite surprised when he dodged to the side. He was still hit, but only by the fringes of the blast. He jerked to the side slightly and lunged, tapered horn first, at my chest.

I refuse to run. I won't turn away. I will not back down.

And then it came.

A surge of magical energy so powerful it physically hurt. I had to release it. With a cry of pain I focused the surge on my friend and prepared to launch something, anything, to stop him.

Which is precisely when his smile became even crazier.

"Gotcha!" He all but screamed and the magic he'd stored in his horn burst to life. A dark purple aura leaked out of his horn and shot out, whiplashing over to me and enveloping me. More pain than I'd ever experienced in my life flooded my senses and I screamed. The thread between us grew and, as I watched, the whites of his eyes blurred to green and his irisis burned a bloody red. A cloud of purple streamed from his eyes, matching each other unnerringly. How I noticed all this is beyond me. The thread of magic expanded again and I felt something being ripped from me. As I watched helplessly, a stream of magical energy was stolen from me. I could tell what it was because I could feel my magic ebbing away. It was the only logical explanation. I could feel myself weakening, and as I watched, he was surrounded by the glow, and he was showing no sign of letting up.

"W...What the hell are you.. doing.. to me..!?" I demanded weakly, inciting only a huff of laughter from him.

"I'm draining you of magical energy," He said simply, "You can feel it can't you? You can feel the life draining out of you, and flowing into me. I have to say Arc, I never thought you'd have such tasty magical power. I knew you had power, but I didn't know I'd enjoy it this much."

I'd have responded, if not for that being the precise moment when Nightspring smashed into him, shocking even me and I was facing the tent. I could barely watch I was so weakened as Nightspring leaped over in front of me, a snarl rolling out of her mouth, wings half outstretched as she came to my defense.

"You don't so much as touch him you half baked freak! The only one who beats him up is me!"

I wasn't sure whether to be honored, insulted or terrified.

For his part, Shade, whose smile had vanished when he was hit, grinned once more, his tongue running over his teeth.

"Nightspring~ The hunter. Traitorous as well are we? Bringing you in will get me a bonus, and now that your friend has given me his power, you really think you can defeat me?"

"Arc's never beaten me in his life. What makes you think you, even with his magic, which isn't terribly powerful remember, can beat me?"

Ouch. That hurt. I'm wounded.

"Because Arc can't stand to harm you. But I can, and I certainly will!"

And now he charged once more, his tapered horn leading, as though to skewer her. She barely flinched before her wings flared. in a split second decision, Shade jumped to intercept her on her implied flight. Spring smiled as she dived low, rolling as she did so, driving her hind legs into Shade's face. Shade grunted and stopped short, falling on top of Spring and right into her waiting hooves. She had him in a choke hold almost instantly and I couldn't help but feel proud of her.

That, is my fillyfriend.

Her hind legs were wrapped around his torso, pinning his forelegs in place, and her forehooves were around his neck tightly, strangling him.

"D'you give up yet bitch?" She asked angrily into his ear, "I might let you go in one piece if you do."

But of all the things I expected, Shade laughing was not one of them. It was strained and choked out, but it was a laugh nonetheless.

"Nice moves," He choked out breathlessly, "But you're forgetting something about me."

"Oh, and what's that?" She asked condescendingly. Shade grinned evilly as his horn started to glow.

"I'm a bloody unicorn!"

He vanished. Literally, just vanished! Instantly I knew he teleported, I just didn't know where. Teleportation isn't a lost art by any means as many seem to think. It's not restricted to the Princesses, trust me. There are very few who can actually do it, but it is possible. Shade must be more powerful, or at least more skilled than I thought. He reappeared directly behind Spring almost fifteen seconds later and, as hard as I tried, I couldn't warn her. My vocal chords refused to work, and my mouth only flapped uselessly. He'd taken much more than I'd thought. With a powerful strike that landed right on the joint of her left wing. She cried out in pain and her legs nearly buckled. Dammit, why didn't she bring Bella out with her?! I know she had the damn thing, why didn't she bring her to this fight!?

Arrogance I suppose.

They circled each other, both of them cautious, re-evaluating their opponent. In the time I've known Shade, I've learned he's patient, calculating and very bright. I've never won a chess game to him, and he grasps things much faster than I do.

Nightspring has no such patience.

With a fierce battle cry she charge at him head on, wings held tightly to her body. Her best weapon, flight, had been taken away from her, and without her scythe I'm afraid she's a second rate fighter. She's still good, but her skill goes down significantly. He merely grinned and sidestepped her assault, grabbing her mane as she went by and yanking it back viciously. I heard her scream in pain as she went down and his hoof found her neck. His horn, already glowing, began to crackle and that damning aura surrounded him again, flowing down him, over his hoof and around Spring. I wanted to cry out, to get him off her, anything, but I couldn't move. I fought vainly with my body, but it simply didn't have the energy left. I watched helplessly as he began to drain her energy.

"There's no bounty on your head~" He said, a quiet, sibilant whisper that I could only just hear, "So maybe I'll just kill you, drain you dry to add to my power. What do you think of that?"

I wanted to scream. To rush forward and kick the lights out of him but, again, I couldn't move. I was stuck on the ground, helplessly watching as the one I loved slowly died, forced to surrender her life energy, her magical power, to the enemy, the stallion I once called friend. Spring struggled weakly, trying to beat him off of her. His grin turned ever more maniacal, ear to ear if you know what I mean.

"Game. Over~" He taunted, pressing his hoof down harder on her throat, constricting her airways. I saw her, watched as she began to die...

Boom. Explosion.

An ear blowingly loud explosion blasted through the area and Shade was sent flying away, a grunt of pain as he hit the ground. In his place, moving Spring out of the combat zone with almost fatherly tenderness, was a stallion I didn't know. His tail was absurdly long, and seemed to move independently to his body, swaying against the breeze. He had a horn, but it looked like it'd been broken at some point, jagged and sharp. I barely got to see that much before he was gone again, and I heard Shade growl and vanish as well. I could see flashes of light and sounds of clashing, grunts of pain and I saw a tree trunk splinter into nothing like it wasn't even there before Shade tripped.

He faceplanted heavily on the ground, a really long tail around his hooves. As I watched, the tail (leading to the top of a tree) twined itself around Shade and started to squeeze, like it was a constrictor of some sort. I could almost feel his bone creaking and beginning to break.

Finally I found my voice as I forced myself to move.

"Stop!" I croaked out and, surprisingly, the tail froze. Shade was desperately trying to breathe before the tail seemed to loosen just a tad and he gasped for breath. With great difficulty, I managed to finally get to my hooves and stagger over to the growling Shade. I sat tiredly by his head and he glared at me, his eyes piercing straight through me.

"Shade," I forced out painfully, "I don't want to hurt you. But if you leave me no choice, I can't tell you what this pony will do to you. Please... just leave us in peace."

A burst of guttural, unintelligible language that I didn't recognize flowed from Shade's mouth. It was like he was chewing his words before violently spitting them out. Suddenly he stopped and violently shuddered. The glow around his horn, crackling and sparking, vanished all at once and his eyes returned to their steel grey and whites. He panted heavily, his brow matted with sweat before looking up at me seriously.

"I yield. I cannot best you all this day."

With a happy sigh I looked for the pony holding him. I didn't have to, since the tail uncurled itself from its quarry and darted back into the treeline. I could hear it as it moved before everything went silent. Shade got up slowly and cracked his neck. Aside from the sweat on his brow, you couldn't tell he was even remotely tired. For all I know, he isn't. With an absent flick, he dusted his shoulder free of dirt and sighed.

"I cannot guarantee I will not find you again Arc. But I have been bested, I will not persist for today. But I will hunt you, no matter where you go I will be there. It doesn't matter how fast you travel, I will travel faster."

He scowled angrily at me.

"I don't know if you did what they say, but that's really none of my business. I just bring you in. Keep running Arc, and I will be there. Return, and You won't have to worry about me. You have been warned."

Before I could answer, he faded into the air, vanishing from view.

"Wait!" I cried out, but he was gone.

Dammit, I want that spell.

The first thing I did was rush to Spring and regretted it instantly, swaying on my hooves as I got to her and almost toppling. She looked up at me from her back and smiled weakly.

"Sure showed him didn't we?" She asked breathlessly and I huffed softly with laughter.

"Yeah, sure did."

"You're lucky I came by when I did."

I froze at the new voice. It was more than a little cocky and spoke volumes of arrogance and self confidence. It was the voice of a young stallion fresh from school who thought he knew everything, ready to take on the world, young and foolish. I turned slowly, more to stop myself throwing up in dizzying waves than anything else, and beheld our saviour.

"The name's Warlock, and you two owe me big."

Comments

[metallusionsismagic]

Wow, I just finished the last two chapters, too!
Your friend Shade Touch is twice the badass Sombra ever was; those were some awesome dark magicks on display!

[Fireeaters]

Why is ark so freaking UNDER POWERED?!?

[Valorousspectre]

1708053

Tis 'Arc', and he's not underpowered, he was outclassed.

[ChillaxBrony]

not sure how i want to comment... so i left comment about leaving a comment 'cause

yo dawg i heard you like comments, so i commented about a comment so you comment on a comment that has already been commented on.

sadly there was no image for this

[ChillaxBrony]

with a side of twizzlers