Pathfinder

by The Sumareian

The Storm Arrives.

"Princess we need to move, get everyone off the streets lock down this city now." Taliel stormed through the palace. Each step was wrought with purpose and worry. He turned the corner before pausing at the armory doors.

"Taliel, why are you so upset?" Celestia asked as she watched him kick open the doors.

"That, creature that came with me....Stupid, I should have seen it earlier." He angrily grabbed a rack of spears and threw it to the ground. He fumed momentarily as he started to sift through the armory.

"Taliel, what about it what should you have seen?" Celestia looked down the hall were several guards were rushing to investigate the commotion.

"That, thing was a prime strain... once it taints enough life it evolves into a creature capable of destroying armies.... A Deygoth."

'Its to late morsel,we have already begun our march on the city you and every living being shall join us.'

"Get out of my head!" Taliel shouted. as he looked back to the princess, he felt weak his arm throbbed and he could taste a sickeningly familiar coppery taste in his mouth. "Princess, get everyone out of the city, now."

"Princess, we heard yelling and..." Taliel looked up to see three stallions in front of Celestia their spears leveled and ready to strike. "Halt right there you foul creature." The leader bellowed.

Taliel smiled darkly as he notched and arrow in his bow. "You, fools you would fight me when everything you love... is about to be destroyed." He looked at the guards.Then into Celestias eyes, he didn't see the fear of a god but something else.

"Stand down Claymore." She said calmly.

"But princess he is armed." Claymore glanced back at his ruler, Celestia nodded to him.

"Its okay, he's been here for a couple of weeks now."

"Lower your weapons, everypony." Claymore glanced to Taliel as he relaxed and placed the arrow back into its quiver.

"Claymore. Get this entire city ready for an attack." Taliel said sternly as he opened a chest and began to rummage through it.

"An attack, from what?" Claymore looked to Taliel.

As Taliel prepared to explain what they were about to face the castle was rocked by a loud explosion. Dust started to crumble from the roof.

"Princess have your guards get every last pony out of this city now, A Deygoth is here and that means this city will be lost." Taliel glanced over to the door as the two guards that were in his room pushed past there fellows.

"Corporal Bastion Stonewall at your service sir." The grey stallion and his partner saluted Taliel.

"You helped us in a jam, and its time to return the favor." Whiterun smiled as he hefted several spears.

"Theres one last thing we are forgetting if we are going to have a chance." Taliel looked to a nearby window and blasted his wind at it until it buckled and shattered. "Good, she should be able to hear this." he produced a small whistle made out of whales tooth and blew into it.

********************************************************************

In the Equestrian zoo, veterinary clinic Embers ears perked as the sound of her masters call penetrated the thick cement walls. Glaceing quickly she saw none of the smaller equines that had imprisoned her for the last three weeks.

She stood to her paws, she still wasn't all to used to her new size or the now smaller equines poking and prodding her with there "vaccinations" she turned her head to the metal bars that separated her from freedom. She was strong enough to break them, and she knew it.

She threw her new found weight against the bars. Again and again each time creaking slightly. With one final effort she threw herself into the bars again, to be rewarded with the loud clanging of the bars in her wake.

The cacophony of her escape prompted the other creatures to cry out and roar in response. Ember raised her head and howled out, silencing the din. She charged through the wooden doors to freedom and her master....

*********************************************************************

"Die, damn you." Taliel hissed as he shoot another arrow into the lumbering beasts head."Go, I'll hold him off." Taliel called out to the princess and her guards. It wheezed a sick blue fog as it trudged forward. Taliel glanced down to his feet where Whiteruns spear sat.

"Hey ugly." Taliel smiled as he kicked the spear up and caught it in his right hand. With all his might he hurled the spear into the beasts chest. The creature stumbled back slightly before placing its paws on the spear and snapping it in half.

'You are but one pathetic warrior against an army. What could you hope to accomplish by saving these creatures.'

Taliel heard a unmistakable growl come from behind the creature. The lumbering abomination stopped its slow march to him and turned around. On its back sat the many twisted and mutated creatures it had absorbed to form itself. Taliel stole a quick glance back, only to be met by the the princesses stern gaze.

"Hey, I'm not the one hopping here, but that doesn't mean I don't have a duty to fulfill." Taliel said to the voice.

"Ember...." He snapped his attention back to the beast, as it slowly marched away from him. "Get him girl." he smiled darkly. As he watched the massive white canine barrel into the creature, and promptly tear open the creatures chest cavity. She ravenously torn into the creature, or what was left of it as a thick cloud of blue fog bled from the wound.

Taliel waited for the sounds of struggling to stop. As the fog cleared he saw Ember towering over the quivering mass of twisted flesh.

"So... That escalated quickly." Bastion said as he trotted over to Taliel. "And this I presume is your.. pet?" he looked at the massive wolf the thick blue pus of the creatures tainted wounds dripping from her paws. Taliel simply nodded.

"Is it dead." Whiterun poked his head out from behind his partner. "I mean, your welcome for the spear. Without it I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have gone down." He puffed out his chest and stood triumphantly.

"Sister, we heard an explosion. Is thou ...." Taliel glanced behind Ember to see Luna staring in sheer horror.

"Luna. I'm fine, we were on our way to get you when this thing showed up." Celestia stated calmly to her sister as she started to delicately step around Ember.

"I hate to interrupt here but Princess we need to organize some sort of counter attack now." Claymore stated as another explosion rocked the palace.

'It is to late fool we have arrived, this city burns tonight.'

Taliel paused in horror as a loud cry filed the air. "By the gods. They truly do have a Deygoth." Taliel looked at the ponies around him. "It is to late, all we can do now is run and live." he stated numbly as he walked over to Ember.

"Taliel, tis this the warrior we saw save, those ponies not a month ago?" Taliel paused. "Tis this the warrior who charged headlong at me whilst in combat?" he turned his head only to be met with Lunas face mere inches from his own. "Thou hath given up so easily, twat about your duty, to vanquish these foul creatures. what abo-"

Luna paused as she saw Taliel pull out his necklace, and pinched the only trinket he had from his grandmother. "Luna. There was one braver them me, I'm sorry but I don't have the strength she did." He looked out to the window as parts of the nearby forest started to ignite with a deep blue fire.

"Sometimes it takes a madman to do the right thing, not because they have the power, but because they aren't afraid to put it all on the line to help those they care about." Taliel felt a gentle hand brush past his shoulder."This isn't there fight pup, we cant let it become theirs you and I both know we cant." Taliel looked at the black orb he felt the sadness the seeing his grandmother die, the loneliness, the emptiness he felt in the years since her sacrifice."Come pup,we were the only ones who could stop this." Taliel glanced at Ember she stared at him her eyes filled with sadness, then a flash of something else. "Even If this world forgets what you did for them, know that you did this so that they wouldn't see thier homes shattered and destroyed." Taliel stared deeper in Embers eyes then it flashed again.....

"Hope."

Taliel turned to the ponies gathered around him.

"Celestia, Luna. Get as many ponies as you can off the street. You three tell the other guards how to take them down." Taliel turned to Ember and hopped on her back. "This ends tonight with either the destruction of this city.... or...."

Taliel looked to the window once more a bolt of blood red lightning landed in the city. He watched as the sky darkened blotting out the sun. He saw the teeming mass of Tainted creatures marching to the city.

"Come on Ember we got some work to do." Taliel drew his bow, and gently nudged his mount in the side...