To Live Again

by _No_One_Remains_

Kuja Day Fifteen: Arrival at Last

The night passed in peace. We slept comfortably in our bags, just outside the borders of the Everfree Forest, with cool wind blowing on us. The late night moonlight showed me the trees with a special viewpoint, in a way I’d never imagined nature before. It became obvious that I was changing. My appreciation for the beauty of the world was something I’d never truly had before my time here.

When the sun finally rose above the horizon and woke us with its warm rays, we packed up camp and headed into the forest. It’s true, we could’ve continued along the tracks and travelled around the forest, but that would’ve directly taken longer, and I felt like finishing our quest as soon as mortally possible. Of course, looking back, things would’ve been a hell of a lot simpler had we just stayed on the steel…

It took us literal seconds before the sour fortune hit. Before we were even out of sight of the tree line, Mr. 33 triggered a pitfall trap that ensnared both of my companions. When I say ‘ensnared’, I truly mean it swallowed them into a deep pit of indefinite depth. After mere moments, even their cries for help were drowned out. It truly saddened me to even consider the possibility of their deaths, so I had no choice but to stop the caravan and pursue them.

Of course, it would have been quite foolish to simply jump into the pit after them. I scoured the immediate area for any type of cavern or trail that lead downward, but I found nothing. I had almost gotten to the point of giving up hope and carrying on, until a burst of flames poured out from behind a large boulder in the distance. I couldn’t fathom any other cause of such an intense pyre aside from the mages, and so I hurried to the blockade.

My assistance was very obviously not required, as the boulder combusted into dust before I could even come anywhere near. Just as I had expected, both of my companions stumbled from the concealed cavern, rips and tears scattered about their garments. It took everything in my power to not let out a relieved sigh. The last thing I needed was to come off as a sensitive soul in this dark forest.

It was strange. My eyes focused on our surroundings as the mages approached me. Though the world outside had been peaceful and full of beauty, this forest seemed as if it had been made of pure evil. Everything within was of a dark nature, with colors significantly more morbid than those of Appleloosa and Ghastly Gorge. I could feel an unnerving aura about the area, sending shivers down my spine.

Mr. 111 chuckled, “I think we got more than we bargained for, Kuja. First we get partnered with a bandit, and then there’re traps everywhere.” He ran an arm across his face, clearing it of dust.

Mr. 33 groaned, “We set off dozens of tripwires down there!” He slumped over with his arms dangling toward his feet. “I think the traps are out for a reason…”

“Same here. Whoever set them up is obviously trying to hide something.” The more mature mage cracked his knuckles in a challenging manner. “Maybe we oughta find out what it is?”

“No.” I snapped instinctively. “They aren’t hiding anything. These traps are new. I believe they are for protection. I imagine this forest contains many gruesome beasts.” I raised a hand dominantly and whispered, “Stay silent, and watch your step.”

We quickly returned to the caravan’s post and took up the reigns, Mr. 33 doing most of the work. We continued on down the trail away from the tree line, wanting nothing more than to get out of the forsaken environment. We carried on for a few minutes in relative peace. I began to hear strange noises in the distance, which in turn sent my heart racing. Something about this place set me on edge and multiplied any rational fear to be infinitely worse.

I darted my eyes all about, watching for traps and triggers. I shifted my focus on the distant noises temporarily, wondering just what the cause was.

And then it hit me.

More accurately, the source tackled me with a head-butt and sent me flying almost ten yards into a solid oak tree. My muscles locked up, removing my ability to move. On top of that, my voice failed to work. I could tell from my viewpoint that I was collapsed in an unnatural heap at the base of the tree. I was able to watch the beast toss Mr. 33 aside like a ragdoll, while Mr. 111 took up my fallen sword and clashed with the creature.

The beast had the body of a lion, while a set of intimidating bat wings stretched wide from its back. A scorpion’s tail swung wildly from side to side as its owner continued to press forward against its opponent. The beast was a prime example of a manticore, fiercer than any I’d seen on Gaia. I could sense that it wasn’t acting of its own rational thought, and rather fueled by a muddled mind. The beast wasn’t itself.

They battled for several moments in an intense display of strength and tact.

The manticore’s paw and my blade held one another in place temporarily, until the monster swung its free paw at Mr. 111. In a quick reaction, the mage did a somersault to the side and met the offending paw with the blade of my sword. Before the metal could slice through, the beast swatted it aside with its tail, then proceeding to bare its claws. Mr. 111 gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, placing his free hand on its blade.

As the manticore pounced at the resisting mage, my sword shot out a beam of solid darkness, piercing into the offender’s arm. Upon landing, the beast let out a loud wail and charged toward Mr. 111. The mage raised his weapon forward and charged the opposite direction. The two forces collided head on.

The blade let out an intense golden light for several seconds, blinding me and cutting me off from the full action. I heard the manticore roar, and my companion let out a loud groan. Once the light faded and my sight returned, I noticed Mr. 111 on the ground, my sword resting barely an inch out of my reach. At some point in the blind fight, the beast must have disarmed him. In doing so, it almost disarmed me…

It reared back and readied its fangs to dig into the mage’s flesh. It let out another loud, victorious roar, and then began a downward arc at its victim. I closed my eyes instantly, unable to tolerate watching the poor puppet suffer a second death.

I waited for a few moments, until the beast let out a loud, frightened whimper. The patter of paws sped past me, as the trotting of hooves approached.

“Be gone you wretched beast! I do not fear you, not in the least!” An exotic voice called out into the trees, following the direction of the manticore’s whimpers.

I opened my eyes once a gentle hoof touched my shoulder. Above me stood a black-and-white pony with golden bangles around its neck and hooves. It wore a brown cloak and held an assortment of flowers in one hoof. I tried to speak, but found myself still mute from the impact on the tree. I managed to catch a glimpse of Mr. 111 regaining his footing, as well as Mr. 33 taking up the reigns once more.

The pony tittered, “You should take more caution in these trees, stranger. The recent days have brought to us more danger.” I recognized the voice as feminine. The pony took her free hoof and jabbed me in the chest seemingly as hard as she could. The pain sent a jolt of electricity through my body, and I was mobile almost instantly.

I groaned, “You could have warned me!” I gripped my chest tightly as the pain slowly subsided. I then realized my voice returned, which made my anger give way to happiness.

Before the pony could respond, Mr. 111 scoffed, “Thanks for saving us, but what the hell was that thing?” He stretched the arm he’d used to swing the sword, its sleeve almost ripped completely off.

She took a few steps away from our caravan before sighing, “That was a manticore of the highest breed—its behavior has been suspicious recently, indeed. Things are changing in this forest of Everfree; greater beasts are being born, as you can see.” She shook her head in disappointment before turning away from us.

“Thank you for saving us. We need to be on our way before that beast returns. I suggest you do the same, miss.” I scanned the immediate area for even more danger, but nothing immediate appeared to me.

“My name is Zecora, and I agree. You must leave this forest of Everfree…” With that, she darted off into the darkness of the forest.

I started on my way and snapped, “Let’s go. I grow sick of this forest and the aura it comes with. Let’s be on our way, and never again approach these cursed trees.” I stomped off, the mages close behind.

Mr. 33 rolled his neck and moaned, “Sounds good to me.”

“I won’t argue with that choice, Kuja.” Mr. 111 tried to keep pace with me as we continued on. He carried my blade ready in his hand for another attack.

As we continued on, he continued to send me silent messages with his expressions. I could tell he was disturbed, and I understood his perturbation without a word. I knew what he wanted to say, but didn’t know how to say. I wanted to do the same. Neither of us wanted to say it, because it would then suddenly become real to us.

That monster may have belonged to Equestria before, but it was almost definitely enhanced by an unnatural force. It had to have been Mist.

Less than ten minutes after our meeting with Zecora, we reached the edge of the forest and caught a glimpse of the setting sun. Not one-hundred yards in front of us stood a large red farmhouse, and on the opposite side of it sat hundreds of apple trees. Upon seeing the apples shine in the sunset, I let out a relieved sigh.

Mr. 33 cheered, “Yay, we’re finally here! I can’t wait to meet the Apple family!” He picked up his pace without hesitation, wanting to reach the farm as soon as possible.

Mr. 111 chuckled, “The tracks would have taken us right through the orchard, Kuja.” He waved a hand toward the barely visible train tracks in the distance. “I guess what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”

“How very right you are, 111. I never knew you had skill with a blade. I pegged Black Mages as physically useless puppets.” I smiled slyly at the weary wizard.

He scoffed, “Don’t assume things. It makes an ass out of you and me, as the saying goes. Now, what do you say we catch up to that naïve bastard and finish our job?” He nodded toward Mr. 33, blissfully advancing toward the building.

“I’ve never heard such a beautiful idea in all of my second life…” My fatigue from the last few days struck me instantly. It took every ounce of willpower not to collapse in an unconscious ball in that very spot.

Supporting one another as we stumbled on in exhaustion, Mr. 111 and I caught up to our companion as he knocked on the farmhouse door for a third time. When the door finally opened, an orange mare greeted us with shocked eyes. She removed her Stetson hat and offered a greeting.

Before she could begin her hello, I collapsed right in front of her hooves, barely conscious. The last thing I remember before waking up was feeling 111’s weight on top of me.

Comments

[Meliane Snapdragon]

You wrote hooves when you should have wrote hand.

[_No_One_Remains_]

2088883 Would you mind pointing out where? I can't seem to find the mistake...

[Meliane Snapdragon]

2090177He waved a hoof toward the barely visible train tracks in the distance.

[_No_One_Remains_]

2090223 Can't believe I never caught that! Appreciate it!

[_No_One_Remains_]

2090482 According to the Hasbro-licensed map of Equestria, the two towns DO look a decent distance apart...
images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120811193360/mlp/images/1/12/Map_of_Equestria_online_version_2012-08.jpg

I also never considered doing any actual math to determine the distance.

Also, they make the trip in three days on foot. Have fun with that.

[Silver Wrench]

2090636
That is the official map, and the locations of each town and city are relative to each other.
Keep in mind Hasbro said the map isn't to scale so the actual distance is up to your interpretation.
Also Hasbro state that some locations are missing as new locations are revealed in the show (like the Crystal Empire)

[Nknight]

T T you...you...YOU UPDATED! HUIZZAH!!!! Wonderful chapters for Kuja and the other Black Mages! Keep on writing, always looking forward to more of "To Live Again".