Crossover story based on the "Word and Void" series of Terry Brooks' Shannara
Long ago, there was the Word and the Void. Two powerful forces, waging a war that has persisted since the beginning of time, and will continue until the very end of ponykind. It is a conflict between good and evil, a balance that each side has attempted to tip more than once. Most ponies in Equestria don't even know this conflict exists, but there are a select few who have been chosen to fight in the war.
Angel Rose is a Knight of the Word, a chosen champion of the Word's power in the world of Equestria. Hoof-picked by the Lady of the Word, it is Angel's duty to hold the dark forces of the Void at bay. Gifted with prophetic dreams of the future where she is shown what is to be if she fails, Angel seeks to understand her place as a Knight and what it means to fight for what is right.
Elsewhere, in Manehattan a lone Unicorn is hiding. Sought by a powerful demon, one of the Void's greatest servants, the Unicorn will have to rely on Angel Rose to protect her. If Angel fails, the balance will be shifted, and the Void will become more powerful than ever.
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This story is based on the intent of crossing over the worlds of MLP and the world inside of Terry Brooks' fantastic Shannara series. Primarily it is based on the chronological beginning of the series, the "Word and Void" trilogy.
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She stands upon the hillside, gazing down at the city of Manehattan. It is burning. The walls that surrounded the city compound have been torn apart, victims of the demons and the once-ponies. She watches coldly with a group of survivors. Mares, foals, and those stallions who were smart enough to follow her. They are cold and hungry. They look to her as a source of strength.
Angel Rose sighs. She knows she is not strong. She is doing her best to keep these ponies alive, because she made a promise. She is a Knight of the Word, and she has failed in her mission.
Angel grimaces and turns to the survivors. She tells them that they must move, that they will die if they don't. One of the stallions argues. He wants to stay and fight. He wants to believe that they have a chance to reclaim their home.
They don't have a chance. They never did. Angel had seen this day as she was seeing it now, in her dreams. She wishes she hadn't, as she knows what happens next. She does her best to try and change it every time she sees it, but ultimately she fails.
The demon speaks her name. She turns to face it. He is one of the Void's greatest champions. A demon far stronger than the rest of them. She knows she cannot defeat him in straight combat.
Angel lifts her staff, runes etched in its black surface. The demon laughs. Angel narrows her gaze at it. She knows she has failed because the demon lives. She failed to kill it before it could grow in power.
Fire erupts from the staff. It is powerful magic, but Angel knows it's not enough to kill the demon. She can only hope that it's sufficient to drive it away long enough for the others to run. She shouts at them to run.
They don't run. They die as demonic magic rolls over them. The demon sneers, its red eyes glowing with its triumphant power. All around her, Angel can see the feeders. Their glowing eyes gleam and they swarm with a sort of glee over the dead, feeding on the emotions of decay and rot. Angel grimaces. There's no way she can win this battle.
Angel turns and runs. She runs through the field of the dead until she can run no more.
* * *
Angel Rose awoke in a feverish sweat. The dreams always left her sweating hard when she woke up, but this one was special. This one she'd been having for several weeks. She knew what the dreams meant. They were a vision of her future, of the future she would live if she did nothing.
She slowly slid out of bed, using her staff as a boost to stay up on her bad front leg. She limped towards the bathroom and set the staff against the wall next to the sink. Splashing water on her face she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Her deep purple mane was matted and sweaty and her golden eyes were sullen and baggy. Her dirty pink coat was sweat covered. The dreams always took a lot out of her. She knew that her dreams were integral to her work, that they would not stop until she had successfully completed her mission or she failed and died.
Angel Rose was a Knight of the Word. A champion against the darkness in service to the Lady, Angel's charge was to prevent the darkness she saw in her dreams from coming to pass. In doing so, she had been gifted with magic to prevent the dark creatures of the Void from winning the war.
It was a struggle as old as time itself. The Word and Void had battled for centuries and would battle for the rest of time. Each side had its champions, the Word with its Knights, and the Void with its demons.
It was the demon in the dream that had brought Angel Rose to Manehattan. Somewhere within the city, he was hiding, waiting and biding his time to reap and sow destruction and pain. Angel Rose knew that if she failed in this mission that the future she saw in her dreams would come to pass. She would not be able to prevent the demon from gaining the power that elevated it to the Void's greatest champion. Among the thousands of ponies doomed to perish here, she would not be able to prevent her own death.
Angel turned away from the mirror and picked up the staff once more. It was often considered unusual for an earth pony to be carrying such an object, with its runic inscriptions running up and down the side. Such items had not been seen in a long time, and often were artifacts of what scientists believed were ancient Unicorn cities. Nopony had seen a Unicorn in recorded lifetime, and most ponies believed they didn't ever really exist.
Angel Rose knew better. Unicorns existed, but they had chosen to retreat into their own little world, cut off from pony civilization. Even pegasi were few and far between these days. They lived all the way in Cloudsdale. And alicorns? Well, most ponies didn't even know what they were other than myths.
Angel Rose knew all of this because at some point there was magic in her world. The Lady had told her so. Magic had pervaded everything. At some point though, the magic began to fade. It gave way to science and the ideals of the modern world. The Industrial Age, they'd called it. A brighter tomorrow. Angel Rose snorted in derision. She hated the idea of it. She already knew what would happen in the future, and it wasn't bright.
No, it wasn't very bright at all. Ponykind would eventually reach an age where the manipulation and mechanisms of the Void would tip the scales in favor of the darkness. As a Knight of the Word, it was up to Angel to defend and prevent that.
Angel crossed the small room she had been renting for the past month. A month straight of staking out the city and she still hadn't been able to locate the demon. She was getting antsy, wondering if the demon had moved on. If he had, she would have to seek her answers in the dreams to find out where to go next.
Angel's nose wrinkled in disgust. She sighed and headed back towards the bathroom, pulling open the shower curtain. She turned the shower on and let the water brush over her, cleaning away the sweat and dirt. When she finished, she made her way back to the living room to plan out her day.
The demon had been very quiet since she moved into the city, too quiet for her tastes. She had to do something to get it to slip up, to reveal itself. That wouldn't be easy.
She would have to make do.
* * *
Elsewhere, an unseen force watched the ponies of Manehattan go about their everyday business. The demon stroked his chin, looking for the one that would serve his purpose. He had come to the city for a very specific purpose. The Void, in its wisdom had gifted him with a vision, a vision of the power he could have in its service if he completed the task it had laid before him.
Somewhere in the city, there was a unicorn. A creature of magic, pure and whole. The demon's task was to goad it out of hiding and capture it. By feeding off the unicorn's essence, the demon would grow stronger. There was only one snag in this plan. The demon didn't know where the unicorn was hiding, and any attempts to enter any of the wooded areas of the city would result in those pesky sylvans revealing his presence and position to that incessant Knight of the Word.
The demon's eyes narrowed. He was going to have to be creative with this. He needed somepony that he could manipulate.
The demon walked into the crowd in search of his prey. Nopony around noticed him as he made his way through the city.
* * *
Angel Rose stepped outside the apartment building she had been staying in. It was in a poor part of the city, run down and out of the way. It was the perfect place for her to hide and keep an eye out for the demon. Nopony would ask questions or poke around into her business.
She walked with purpose this day, heading towards what she hoped would be her first solid lead in finding the creature. It had been revealed to her a day or two ago through one of her dreams that a servant of the Word awaited her presence in Manehattan's Central Park. Angel assumed that this servant was a forest creature, a sylvan or something similar. A creature of magic.
She made her way through the city, her eyes shifting back and forth as the feeders danced at the edge of her vision. Angel never understood why the feeders existed. She knew that the Word had created them, for some strange reason she could never begin to fathom. All the feeders did was... well... feed. They fed on the dark emotions that ponykind exhibited, in addition to the magic released upon death. Normal ponies couldn't see them, but as a Knight of the Word, Angel could.
Angel grimaced. There were too many of them to count. They too sensed the demon and its stink. It was still in the city. She was sure of it.
Angel stopped in front of the entrance to the Central Park. It was a bright day, a perfect time for a park outing. Ponies littered the park grounds, doing everything from having picnics to playing games. They hardly noticed Angel as she walked towards the back of the park. It was one of the perks of her office that most ponies didn't really notice her unless they had to.
She stopped at the edge of the wooded portion of the park, looking back before she went in. Nopony was following her thankfully. She walked calmly towards a small pond and sat down. Several long moments passed.
Angel Rose... a voice echoed across the pond.
Angel's eyes drifted upwards. At first there was nothing there, and then suddenly a foal appeared out of nowhere. She was vaguely transparent, and looked as if a stiff breeze would blow her away. Her eyes however... were blank. Angel narrowed her gaze. This wasn't a sylvan.
“You're a tatterdemalion,” Angel stated aloud, addressing the being. Tatterdemalions were creatures of Faerie, made of the memories of dead foals. They were often seen in service of the Word, but they lived so shortly, more often than not only surviving approximately thirty days before disappearing forever. That one should appear to her was a sign.
“You are very astute, Angel Rose,” the creature replied. “My name is Rose Petal. I have come to you to deliver a warning and a message from the Lady herself.”
The Lady? Angel thought, her eyebrows raised. “Go on.”
“The Lady wishes to commend you on your service thus far,” Rose Petal said. “She knows how hard your mission is, but wishes to let you know that your service is nearly at its end.”
Angel grimaced. “I see. What does the Lady require of me?”
“There is a demon at loose in this city. It is one of the Void's strongest servants, and destined to get stronger. It will not be easy to locate,” Rose replied. “The reason this demon is here is because there has been sightings of a Unicorn in the city.”
“A Unicorn? I thought they liked to hide away from big cities like Manehattan?” Angel asked.
“This particular Unicorn is an outcast, an exile. It is very powerful, and still retains a large portion of the race's innate magic,” Rose Petal said. “The demon wishes to claim that magic for itself, twisting it to its own purpose.
“If he succeeds...”
“The vision in your dream will come true, yes. The magic will elevate the demon's strength, tipping the scales in the Void's favor,” Rose finished for her. “Manehattan will fall.”
Angel looked down at her hooves, considering her options. With no reliable way to locate the demon, she was left without any way to force a direct confrontation. Likewise, she didn't really know where to find the Unicorn that Rose had mentioned. She looked back up at the tatterdemalion.
“Where is the Unicorn?” she asked.
“Unknown,” Rose Petal said. “It is believed it is hiding in plain sight, disguising itself. I can sense its magic, but only when I'm in close proximity of it. The Lady has asked me to aid you in this task.”
Angel nodded. The Lady would not have assigned the tatterdemalion to work with her if she didn't believe she would be of some assistance. “Alright. But... how will you... you know... come with me without raising some eyebrows?”
“I am a tatterdemalion,” Rose replied. “I can hide in plain sight as well.”
“Where do we start? I can't imagine this Unicorn is willing to let us find it,” Angel said.
Rose Petal pondered the question for a moment before replying. “There is a museum nearby. Ancient history. I do not know if it will be there, but it is a good place to start. The current exhibit is on Equestrian Mythology.” The tatterdemalion began to fade. “I will follow you.”
Angel Rose grimaced and stood. She turned and started back towards the entrance of the park. She could feel the tatterdemalion's presence with her as she walked. She trotted back onto the city street, unaware of the presence that watched as she headed towards the museum.
* * *
The demon stroked its chin, grinning widely as an idea formed in its head. It stood next to a pony that it felt would suit its needs, a plain country bumpkin named Hayseed Turnip Truck. The dumb pony had been cleaning windows at a coffee shop across the street from the park. The demon flicked a claw, drawing the other pony's gaze towards the Knight of the Word.
“You should follow her,” the demon whispered. “She looks suspicious.”
“Suspicious...” Hayseed intoned. “She looks suspicious. Like she's got something to hide.”
“She kidnapped a filly. Took her from her parents. Track her down,” the demon continued. “Don't get too close, but follow her. Find where she took the filly and then use force to restrain her if she resists. Lethal force.”
Hayseed's eyes widened. His expression was horrified. He dropped his mop and bucket and trotted off after the Knight of the Word. The demon's grin widened even further, its yellow eyes gleaming. The Knight would lead him to the Unicorn, and then the Unicorn would be his, and that power would propel him to the pinnacle of the Void's service.
Angel Rose glanced up at the sign leading into the museum and grimaced.
Explore Ancient Equestria! See the wonders of Equestrian Civilization! Experience the history of Equestrian Mythology!
Angel groaned. She hated history exhibits. She knew deep down the true history of the world, that the demons of the Void had been vying to shape it for ages. Was the Unicorn really here? Was Rose Petal correct in detecting a hint of its magic?
“We have a problem,” Rose Petal whispered into her ear. “We are being followed.”
Angel Rose cursed under her breath, glancing at the very corner of her vision. Another pony, a male earth pony, was following her. Likely a pawn of the demon, she assumed. Demons. They were cowards who never did their own dirty work. They always used others to get what they wanted.
“We'll lose him inside the museum,” Angel said quietly. “Is he...?”
“Yes... he's been tainted. I can smell the demon's magic all over him,” Rose Petal whispered. “We should be careful in how we proceed.”
“Hold tight to me then little one. We will not have much time to find this Unicorn if the demon knows we are here,” Angel replied.
Rose Petal nodded and clung to her back as Angel made her way up the steps and into the museum. She was going to have to do her best to lose this pawn.
Behind her, Hayseed moved forward as well, trying to keep up with the strange mare and the filly he believed she had stolen. The filly she traveled with looked sickly, like something had happened to it. He couldn't believe that anypony would steal a foal like that.
Angel stepped inside the doors and glanced around. The museum itself was labyrinthian in nature, massive halls extending out from a central lobby. There were two floors, with two sets of stairs heading up to the next level at the far end. How was she supposed to find anypony in this place? Let alone somepony who was hiding out?
Angel peeked in the corner of her eye, seeing the other pony starting to come into the door. She had to move quickly. She didn't want to hurt the pony, but she knew that the demon had given it instructions likely to hurt or otherwise kill her, so she had to do something.
“Ma'am?” one of the museum attendants standing next to the ticket booth said. “Would you like to buy a ticket?”
Angel smiled and pulled a few bits out of her pouch. “Sure, here you go.”
The attendant smiled in return and handed her two tickets. “Thank you so much, please enjoy your visit with us today.”
Angel nodded and headed forward, staying ahead as best as she could of the pony that the demon had sent, without causing a panic by running. He was close enough now that she could smell his stink too. It was almost overpowering. She heard him arguing with the attendant over his lack of a ticket. Good. She could use the distraction to slip away further into the museum. It was unlikely that the demon's pawn could magically sense her, he was just a pony after all.
She could feel the oppressive presence lessening as she disappeared into one of the far wings. There was very little in the way of security. She could slip upstairs and the pony chasing her would never find her. It would give her time to find the Unicorn, if it was even here.
“I cannot sense the demon stink any longer,” Rose Petal whispered in her ear. “We are safe for the time being.”
“I hope so. Do you think the demon knows we're here to try to find the Unicorn?” Angel asked the tatterdemalion.
“It is impossible to discern what the demon's goals are. Perhaps it merely wishes to try and remove you from the equation,” Rose said flatly.
Angel grimaced. She was going to have to do what she could to make sure that didn't happen. The world depended on it.
* * *
“I'm telling you, that pony you just let in is dangerous! She kidnapped a filly! You have to let me in after her!” Hayseed shouted at the attendant.
The attendant lifted a hoof. “Sir. You are not a law enforcement officer, and the pony you're talking about didn't have anypony with her. Now, if you would like, you may buy a ticket and go inside, but I cannot let you in without one. If you cannot do that, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to vacate the premises.”
“Gosh darnit, you gotta listen to me! That mare done kidnapped a filly! A filly! And you're not even going to go ask her about it?” Hayseed roared. “What is wrong with this world?!”
“Sir, calm down. I will call the manager. We will question the guest and proceed from there,” the attendant replied.
Hayseed fumed. He knew he hadn't been seeing things. He had seen the filly hanging off the back of the pony he'd been chasing. He had seen the fear in her eyes. Hadn't he? He grumbled at the attendant and walked out of the museum lobby.
The demon waited just outside, furious at his pawn for giving up so easily. Why had the Knight of the Word come to this place? What was special about some old museum? The demon scowled. He had come too far to quit. He could not enter the museum without alerting the Knight, she would be able to sense him immediately. He had to come up with another plan. He sidled up next to Hayseed.
“The police should be able to help you. You should call them. After all, she has to leave sooner or later,” he whispered into Hayseed's ears. “There is a pay phone over there.” He pointed across the street.
“Yeah... the police. If the museum won't help me, the police will,” Hayseed said aloud. “She can't stay in there forever. If she tries to leave the police will get her.”
He trotted across the street and picked up the pay phone.
“Emergency?”
“Yes, I'd like to report a foalnapping...”
* * *
Angel Rose sighed as she walked through the dark museum hallways. She was sure that sooner or later she was going to have to deal with the demon's pawn, but for the moment she was safe. She could focus her efforts on finding the Unicorn.
“I think we should split up,” she said, glancing back at Rose Petal. “Cover more ground. This place is huge and you can make far greater time than I can.”
The tatterdemalion nodded, disengaging herself from Angel's back. “Be careful, Angel. The Unicorn is likely to be scared. It may not recognize you as a force for good.”
Angel nodded in reply and started off towards the next hallway, a section on science and industry. As she walked, her mind rolled over and over on how she had gotten to this part of her life.
* * *
She is thirteen years old, and her parents are gone. Dead to a fire that ravaged her countryside home just outside of a town called Ponyville. She is left on the streets, begging for her next meal and praying for anypony to take mercy on her, but nopony does. Ponies are more interested in their own lives, not caring to look at the poor orphan.
She is reduced to having to steal to eat. She digs through the trash, taking what she can. She learns how to scrounge, how to ration her food. She learns how to survive. She lives on her own for three years before her life changes for good.
She is sixteen, and walking through the park on a sunny day. She carries her bags, stolen from a local store, where she keeps her provisions. She decides to take a break and eat her lunch. She sits across from the fountain, keeping her distance from the other ponies. They don't bother her and she doesn't bother them.
Then she hears the shouting. Her gaze shoots up across the park and there is several law enforcement ponies heading her way. Standing behind them is a shop owner she recognizes. They look angry. Likely she had been noticed stealing something from the store the owner belongs to.
She decides to run, leaving behind her lunch. There isn't any time to pick it up. She would have to get more later. Her stomach rumbles as she thunders across the park, trying to lose the police ponies. She dips into the deep woods and keeps going until she doesn't even know where she is anymore. She slows down, realizing the police aren't even following her anymore.
Her eyes widen, and she panics. She is lost. She glances around, the gloomy forest rising around her. She realizes where she is. The Everfree Forest. It is a place the ponies of Ponyville warn against going into. They say that ponies disappear inside of it.
She keeps walking forward, hopeful that if she moves in a straight line she can hit the other edge of the forest without issue. As she walks, the ground begins to slope downward, carrying her into a small valley. The trees become more dense, and it is hard for her to see anything beyond them.
Suddenly up ahead there is a dwelling, a shack of some sort. She cannot believe her eyes. Somepony living out in the middle of the dark forest? She makes her way cautiously forward, glancing warily at the masks laying in front of the dwelling's doorway.
The door opens as she approaches, nearly terrifying her into running away, but she decides to stand her ground. She is hopeful whoever lives here and help her get out of the forest. An equine form steps outside and she gasps. It looks like a pony, but instead of a colorful coat it bears white and black stripes. The other equine's piercing green eyes look her up and down and she nods solemnly.
“You must have many questions I think,” the other equine says in her rough deep voice. “Come inside and take a drink."
She blinks. Did she just... rhyme? “Who... who are you?” she asks hesitantly.
“I belong to she that protects all in the light, the one who gives her champions righteous might,” the other equine says. “But if you had to place a label, you may call me Zecora if you are able.”
“Um... what are you doing all the way out here by yourself?” she asks. “Isn't it dangerous out here?”
“I have been waiting for somepony special like yourself. Come in, sit and rest, you will need your health,” Zecora replies, motioning to the inside of her shack.
She nods. She is very tired and hungry from all the running. She isn't sure if she can trust this Zecora, but somehow deep down she knows she isn't going to hurt her. She follows inside, sitting where Zecora motions.
“Poor orphan of the street, the Lady knows your plight. She seeks one as strong as you to take up the fight,” Zecora says.
“What? What do you mean?” she says. She averts her eyes.
“You are the one called Angel Rose,” Zecora says. “Yes, the Lady knows. She sees all you have been through, and she has much to offer you.”
“I... I'm not anything special,” she says. “I'm not strong.”
“Ah but strength comes from deep inside,” Zecora replies. “All you have to do is look where it hides.”
She looks down at her hooves. Is she really strong? All she seems to do is take, take, take. But the world took her parents from her. She is angry, having had to spent three years on her own. She looks back up Zecora and her voice croaks.
“Why me? Who is this Lady? Why does she want me?”
“The answers you seek are found outside, they do not try to run and hide,” Zecora says, pointing beyond outside of the shack and into the forest.
She follows the motion, and her eyes widen. The Lady is there.
* * *
Angel Rose kept moving through the dark museum, wondering if she had made the right choice in following the tatterdemalion, in coming there. The Lady never did anything without purpose, and she truly believed in the cause of the Word, so why would she be questioning it?
She pushed forward, renewed in her determination. She had to find the Unicorn. It was the only thing she could do. She couldn't question her mission. If the demon acquired the Unicorn's magic, the results would be terrifying for the entire world. The balance would be shifted greatly.
Angel made a left turn, trekking into an exhibit on modern art. There were very few ponies there, and none of them looked like a Unicorn, but there was something about the room that called to her. She somehow knew in the back of her mind that was where she would find her quarry. She wasn't sure how she knew this, possibly some part of the magic she had at her disposal as a Knight of the Word, but she wasn't about to ignore it.
She entered the hall, making several stops along the way before settling in front of a large painting of the kingdom of Equestria. It showed the world for what it used to be, a gleaming symbol of hope and love. The Void had done its best to break that image down, only slowed by the efforts of the Word and the inherent goodness of ponykind.
“It's beautiful, isn't it?” a voice said from next to her. “The colors, the shapes. Everything about it makes you wish for that time.”
Angel's eyes drifted to the mare next to her. She was a soft lavender in color, her mane a deep purple with a pink stripe running through it. She wore a pair of glasses that made her look... dignified. Her eyes widened. There was something else about her. Something she couldn't place a hoof on. At the bare edges of her vision, there was a... a shimmer. A glamour of some sort was surrounding this mare.
But... that could only mean... she thought, trying to parse what she was seeing.
Magic. It could only mean magic. Which meant that this mare was who she had been searching for.
“I... Yes...” Angel said, realizing the other mare expected a response from her. She had to be careful. She didn't want the Unicorn to think she was there to capture her. “It's quite lovely.”
“I greatly enjoy pieces like this. They make me feel very nostalgic,” the other mare replied. Her gaze narrowed at Angel as she took in her appearance. Her eyes rested on Angel's staff. “So. It's like that then, is it? You know what I am?”
Angel grimaced, but nodded. All caution had been thrown out of the window. She had been found out. “I was sent to find you by the Lady. You know of my staff of office. You know what I am.”
“A Knight of the Word,” the other mare said. “I haven't seen one of your kind in a very long time. What do you want with me?”
“You are in danger,” Angel said. “A powerful demon is here in the city looking for you. The Lady sent me to protect you.”
The other mare's eyes closed briefly and her body shimmered. The glamour dropped, revealing a mare that looked exactly the same but instead had a horn protruding from her head.
“Clever disguise. Why don't you change what you look like?” Angel asked.
“I like how I look. Simply disguising my horn lets me travel among the earth ponies without cause for alarm. I've only dispelled the glamour for you. Everypony else can only see me as an earth pony,” the other mare answered. “This demon you speak of. What is he and why does he want me?”
“He's one of the Void's greatest servants,” Angel said. “He wants your magic, which I had thought your race had all but forgotten.”
“Mostly. I am... well... special,” the other mare said, indicating the cutie mark on her flank. It consisted of a purple star, set amidst several smaller white stars. “My special talent is... well.. it's magic.”
“I see. If that is the case, then it's easy to understand why this demon wants you,” Angel said. “I hate to say this but things are going to get a lot more difficult from here on in.”
The other mare frowned, but nodded. “I understand. I guess I should introduce myself then. My name is Twilight Sparkle of the Unicorn Kingdom of Celestite.”
“Angel Rose, Knight of the Word,” Angel said. “I came here with a friend, a tatterdemalion by the name of Rose Petal. She's somewhere else in the museum. We should find her and get out of here. I suspect I have been followed by an agent of the demon. He may not know you're here, but he will soon.”
Twilight grimaced. “In that case, we had better be moving.”
Angel Rose moved to the window silently as soon as she saw the lights. The Unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, joined her and gasped.
“What are those?” she asked softly.
“Not good for us,” Angel replied. “The demon's getting creative.”
Beyond the window, there was lights blinking from the street below that were attached to the carts of police ponies. From what Angel Rose could see, there were a lot of them. Angel cursed under her breath.
“We need to get out of here, silently,” she said. “If I know the demon, he's hoping we'll get caught so he can extract you while the police have us in custody.”
“That is creative,” Twilight replied. “I... I might be able to help with our escape. I've never tried this before, but the glamour spell might work on you as well.”
Angel Rose grimaced. “We'll have to give it a try, but first we need to locate Rose Petal. Come on, follow me.”
Twilight nodded, falling into line behind the Knight of the Word.
* * *
“And you're sure that this mare is in there with the foal?” the police officer said in what sounded like a dull drone.
“Yessir, officer,” Hayseed replied dutifully. “I saw her leave the park with the filly and come here. Poor thing was strugglin' for her life.”
“I see... and you're certain she kidnapped her? Why didn't you call us before?” the police pony asked.
“I wasn't quite sure what I was seein' to be honest, officer,” Hayseed said. “I didn't want to cry no timberwolf.”
The demon watched the exchange between the police pony and his pawn from the side. Flexing his knuckles, he reached into the recesses of the police officer's mind. Even those in power are weak-willed, he thought as he insinuated his commands into the other pony's thoughts. The police pony suddenly nodded and smiled.
“Alright, well that's no worries, Mr. Hayseed. We'll get this foalnapper, don't you worry,” he replied. He made his way across to the crude barricade he had ordered set up. A loose crowd of ponies had gathered nearby to watch. He flicked up the megaphone and yelled into it.
“We know you're in there with the foal! Come out with your hooves up and nopony has to be hurt!”
* * *
Angel Rose scowled hard as she heard the voice shouting. Twilight was right behind her as she pulled her behind one of the large sculptures out of sight.
“I don't think this is going to work,” she muttered. “We're like the only ponies in the whole museum. It's going to look really suspicious when we exit, glamour or no glamour.”
“I believe I may have found an exit,” a wispy voice said from between them.
Angel and Twilight both looked down to see the translucent foal creature below them. Rose Petal floated on her hooves, not quite touching the ground. Her soulless eyes pierced both of them.
“So... are you... are you Rose Petal?” Twilight hesitantly said.
“That is correct, and you are the one the Lady instructed to keep safe,” Rose Petal replied, her tone airy and light.
“You said you had a way out?” Angel asked impatiently. “We don't have much time.”
“Yes,” Rose Petal said with a sigh. “There is a stairwell on the back side of the building. It will take us to the roof, where we can make our way to a nearby building and escape.”
Angel grimaced, but nodded. “Take us there. Quickly.”
Rose Petal motioned for the two ponies to follow behind her as they made their way carefully through the museum halls. The museum itself felt dark and cold, as they were the only living things inside of it it seemed. Angel felt nervous, expecting something to jump out at her at any moment.
They made it to the back end of the museum in no time at all, where Rose Petal pointed out a service entrance that took them to the back stairwell. They ascended quickly and quietly. As they walked, Angel glanced at Twilight. The strange Unicorn seemed to be unaware of the true danger she was in. Was she really as important as the Lady said? Angel shrugged off the thoughts. Later, she decided. She would have to ponder this question later. At that moment, what was important was getting away from the demon's clutches.
They emerged from the door at the top of the stairwell onto the roof of the museum. The wind whipped about, chilling Angel Rose to the bone. She could hear the sirens and the shouting of the police ponies from beyond the edge of the roof. She looked down at Rose Petal.
“Where to from here?” she said.
Rose Petal hovered in the middle of the air and pointed towards the rear of the building. The museum was close enough to a nearby office building that the two ponies could get across without any issue. Angel Rose stepped up to the ledge and motioned for Twilight to join her.
“What other spells do you know?” she said.
“Well, I'm versed in many fields of applicable study, including equilibrium displacement, levitation, telekinesis, advanced matter displacement, teleportation...” Twilight said, lifting a hoof to her chin.
“Wait, go back. You can do all that? Levitation? Can you get us across without dying?” Angel said, trying to wrap her head around what the Unicorn just said.
“Certainly,” Twilight said. Her horn began to glow softly and the two ponies suddenly disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the gap.
* * *
The demon sniffed the air and scowled. He could sense the use of magic like it was a fragrance on the wind. The smell was very unique, and unmistakable. Not only was that incessant Knight of the Word here, but so was the prey he'd been searching for. The demon grinned. The Knight had led him right to the Unicorn.
“Stupid pony,” he muttered. “You've given me all I wanted. You will be the architect of your own demise.”
He glanced around at the police ponies running back and forth. They were getting ready to enter the museum. Hayseed sat in a haze on the ground next to him. The demon sniffed again. The magic was coming from the roof of the museum. He snarled.
“Looks like I will have to do things the hard way.”
* * *
Angel Rose steadied herself from the haze of the magic. Her legs felt wobbly as if she might fall at any moment. She looked up at Twilight standing across from her.
“What in the... what just...” she started to say.
“Oh, right. Sorry. First time teleportation can do that to a pony,” Twilight said with a smile.
Angel groaned and managed to get her bearings. The two ponies were standing on the other building's rooftop. Angel breathed a sigh of relief. They were one step closer away from danger. Away from...
Her eyes drifted back across the museum. There he was. The demon. His yellow eyes sparkled in the darkness.
“Twilight... Twilight, get down,” Angel hissed.
Twilight gulped loudly, but complied. Angel stood to reveal herself fully, her staff at the ready.
“Ah, Knight of the Word! How wonderful it is to run into you this fine evening,” the demon called out from across the roof. “You have something that belongs to me!”
“Stand down, foul beast. I am warning you,” Angel called back. “You cannot stand against the magic of the Word.”
“You and your pathetic little stick with all of its little hat tricks do not scare me, Knight,” the demon crowed. “I am more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”
“Run...” whispered Rose Petal inside Angel's mind. “Run, and I will hold him off. He is too strong, even for you, Angel. You must run. You mustn’t use magic. That's how he'll find you.”
Angel grimaced. Deep down, she knew that the tattermadalion was right. She could feel the pressure, the dark magic and the demon's stink all the way from where she was standing. This demon was the strongest she'd ever faced in her life as a Knight of the Word.
“Twilight... when I give the word... run,” Angel whispered.
“But...” Twilight tried to say.
“Don't worry,” Angel said. “I'll be right on your hooves, but we need to escape. We can't face him.”
Twilight bit her lip, but nodded. Angel waited patiently for Rose Petal. The tattermadalion appeared suddenly in front of the demon, blocking his view of the two ponies.
“Now!”
Angel and Twilight turned and ran, stomping across the roof as hard as they could. Angel stayed true to her word, never turning from Twilight's side. They quickly dove into a door that led into the building beneath them. Angel slammed the door as hard as she could and breathed out.
“Running away? You are pathetic if you think this Faerie creature can stop me, Knight,” the demon shouted. With a snarl, he lunged forward and slashed.
Rose Petal cried out as the demon's claws ripped right through her frail Faerie body. She disappeared into the cold dark air, her eyes fixed on the demon that had killed her.
“Lady, I did my best...”
The demon stepped through the mist of Rose Petal's death and with a powerful leap, jumped across onto the other rooftop. He grinned widely.
“Come out, come out, little Knight. Come see what is in store for you,” he crowed. “You have seen what happens when you fail, haven't you? In those little dreams she sends you?”
* * *
The two ponies took a moment to catch their breath as they heard Rose Petal's cries and the demon's taunt. Angel grabbed a hold of Twilight, yanking her down the stairwell next to her and into the building below. It appeared to be an old factory near the museum grounds. Angel could no longer hear the police sirens. All they had to do now was get away from the demon.
“Twilight, you need to hold your magic,” she whispered. “The demon... he can sense when you use it. Rose Petal told me so before...”
Twilight grimaced, holding out a hoof to Angel's shoulder blade. “I... I'm sorry about your friend.”
“Rose was a tattermadalion. She was... she was a Faerie creature, and a servant to the Lady,” Angel said. “She gave her life for us to escape. Let's not squander the opportunity she made for us.”
Twilight nodded, following behind Angel as they made their way through the labyrinthian factory maze. She didn't know what to make of the earth mare, or the company she kept. She was very curt, but genuinely seemed to care that Twilight survived. She recalled the demon's taunt, something about dreams.
“Angel?”
“Yes? What is it? I'm trying to find a way out of this place.”
“What did.... what did he mean by the dreams?”
“I... I don't have time to explain, Twilight. I will, but not right now,” Angel said as she made her way to one of the factory exits and tugged on the door. It didn't budge. “Locked. Great. Let's keep looking. We don't have much time before...”
A loud crash echoed from above them somewhere. They could hear the stomping of the demon. His voice echoed across the whole of the factory, calling for them.
“Come on, let's go over here,” Angel whispered, motioning for Twilight to follow her towards several large shipping pallets. They each held large metal shipping containers. Angel slipped inside one of the open ones and pulled Twilight in after her. She carefully closed the container.
“We're... hiding?” Twilight said softly.
“We can't get out of this place at the moment, and magic is off the table. He'll hunt across this entire city if he has to, and that's just ringing the dinner bell for him,” Angel replied. “If we can stay quiet, maybe he will be convinced that we've already moved on.”
“Do you think that will work?”
Angel Rose sighed. “No, not really. But even so, it gives us an opportunity to escape.”
“And then what?”
“Then, we get the heck out of this city and on our way to Canterlot. That's the only thing I've been able to glean from the Lady's instructions. Beyond that, I don't know,” Angel said.
“Canterlot? There's nothing there. I know, the Unicorns live in those mountains. Canterlot is a ghost town,” Twilight said.
Angel scowled, waving her hoof to cut off any conversation. The scraping sound of the demon had been getting closer and closer to the ground level. Finally she heard the demon take its first steps onto the cold floor.
“Come out, Knight. Come out and face me,” the demon said. “I know you're still here. I can smell the stink of magic in the air.”
Angel's eyes widened. If he knew that they hadn't left yet, what recourse did she have? She knew how strong the demon likely was. He had been a servant of the Void for a long time. The Lady's visions had shown his strength. She looked over at Twilight. She couldn't let that future come to pass. If it meant her life, she would stop it.
“Twilight... I want you to do something for me...”
“What is it?”
“I want you to run. Use whatever magic you have to get out of here, and make your way to Canterlot. I... I don't know that I'm joining you. You'll be safe in Canterlot, trust me. The Lady will make sure of it,” Angel said.
“What are you...? You just found me, you can't... you can't give yourself up for me,” Twilight said. “I won't allow it.”
“We don't have much of a choice,” Angel hissed. “Just... just be ready to go when I attack him, alright? If he's preoccupied with me, you'll have a much stronger chance of getting away.”
Twilight looked conflicted, but she nodded to indicate she would do what she had been asked.
Angel lifted her staff and carefully crept out of the shipping container. She peered through the darkness, scanning for the demon's form. She found him in the center of the factory, glancing side to side as he searched for her as well.
“You wanted me?” Angel shouted, her staff starting to glow blue with magical runes. Blue flame burst from it, searing everything in its path. “Come and get me!”
The demon's lip curled into a devilish grin. He stood tall and stroked his beard with curiosity. His yellow eyes pierced into Angel's soul, and she knew at once that there was no way she was leaving his fight.
The demon lumbered forward slowly towards the Knight of the Word. She stood solemnly against the backdrop of the factory, holding her staff aloft. The light from the staff illuminated everything around her as blue flame arced about.
“You are a fool, Knight,” the demon said. “You think that I haven’t fought your kind once before?”
“I know you have, and I know you’ve killed many Knights, demon,” Angel Rose spat. “But I also know what will happen if I don’t do this.”
The demon’s yellow eyes narrowed. “Yes… you do, don’t you? You know, you could reconsider your commitment to the Lady. You could join me. I would grant you power beyond belief,” he said. “Just give me the Unicorn.”
“Tempt me not, demon,” Angel Rose said angrily. “You killed a friend of mine, and your very existence is an abomination! I will never waver in my duty to the Lady!”
“Very well then… prepare to die, Knight,” the demon said. He lifted a claw and lunged for the Knight, seeking to pierce her heart.
Angel sidestepped and responded in kind with the magic in her staff, the blue flames searing across the demon’s hand. The demon roared and pulled back in pain.
“More where that came from, demon,” Angel said. She lifted her staff and invoked more of its magic, willing more of the blue fire to appear. She knew that she only had a few shots at keeping the demon at bay long enough before her magic would run out. It would have to give Twilight time to escape.
“Your parlor tricks are cute, but they are no match for the magic of the Void, Knight,” the demon crowed. “You will bow before me by the time I am through with you.”
The demon’s mouth opened and exhaled a foul magic that settled upon Angel Rose. The Knight reeled back, stumbling backwards into a couple of metal containers. Intense pain wracked her entire body as she struggled to shake off the magic. She couldn’t see, her eyes blinded by the power.
Angel reached inward and called forth more of the staff’s magic, coating herself in fiery defense. The demon’s magic faded away and she found herself able to see once more. She gasped loudly as the demon himself appeared in her field of view, reaching out with his talons. Angel tried to call on the staff again, but found that she couldn’t. She had reached her limit in spending the magic in defending herself.
The demon’s claws extended, wrapping themselves around Angel’s body. With one swift motion he lifted her into the air. Angel could smell the creature’s dark stink, the mere smell of it nauseating her. The demon grinned widely.
“All out of tricks?” he said. “It is over for you, Knight. Now, tell me where the Unicorn is. Tell me and I may yet let you live long enough to see the fruits of those dreams.”
“I… I won’t do it,” Angel said, mustering all of her strength to speak through the creature’s grip. “She’s long gone from here. You’ll never find her.”
The demon growled under his breath. “Pity. I thought that maybe you would come to see reason, but I can see you are blinded by the truth. You will see your Lady soon enough, Knight.”
“Put. Her. Down.”
Angel’s eyes widened. She knew that voice. Oh no… why didn’t she just run?! She had plenty of time! she frantically thought.
The demon turned his head and glanced across the factory floor. Standing there was a purple coated mare with a spiraled horn protruding from her forehead. A look of fierce determination had emerged upon her face. The demon grinned widely.
“You must be very stupid. Do you think you can save this one from me?” he said with glee. “Now you have doomed both her and this world you care about so much.”
“I said, put her down,” Twilight said angrily. “Or else.”
The demon chortled, a thick heavy snorting noise that sounded like two cats speaking to the moon. “Excuse me, but was that a threat? I don’t think you are in any position to make threats… miss…”
“Twilight. Twilight Sparkle of the Unicorn Kingdom of Celestite,” Twilight replied succinctly. “Archmagus to the Queen of the Unicorns. You will unhand my friend.”
Angel blinked as she struggled in the demon’s grasp. Friend? I’m… what? That doesn’t make any sense!
“Greetings to you, Twilight Sparkle. It is fitting that you have given me your name. Names have power, you see. They allow you to label things, give them… value,” the demon replied.
“If that’s true, what is your name, so I may be able to speak it when I destroy you,” Twilight spat. “It’s only fair after all.”
The demon pondered this for a moment. “Knowing my name will not change the outcome this one has foreseen,” he said, pointing to Angel Rose. “But, if you must know, my name is Tirek. Lord of Darkness, promised champion of the Void.”
“Well then, Tirek,” Twilight said. “I will ask one more time. Let my friend go, or else.”
“You are out of your league,” Tirek mused. “I am in control here. Not you. You will surrender your magic to me, and with it, I shall tip the scales of balance in this world.”
“I will not allow that,” Twilight replied as her horn began to glow.
Tirek snarled, dropping Angel Rose to the ground with a crash. The earth mare grunted as she hit the ground hard. Tirek turned towards Twilight, lifting his claw to cast a magical spell upon the unicorn. Dark energy lanced from his hand towards the purple mare.
Twilight’s energy shifted, and the dark magic simply bounced away, having hit some form of invisible barrier. The purple mare grinned widely.
“Your magic is no match for mine,” she said confidently.
“Twilight, are you crazy! Get out of here! He’s going to kill you!” Angel shouted.
“I had to come back for you! Something deep down inside of me told me I had to!” Twilight called back.
Tirek chuckled loudly. “How cute. Now, enough with the pleasantries. My ascension is at hand, and the Void will reward me greatly,” he said. His hand extended once more, his claws reaching for Twilight.
The mare smirked and in a flash she disappeared as Tirek’s claws snapped into place where she had been. She reappeared behind Tirek next to Angel Rose. She quickly grabbed onto the fallen Knight with her hooves and cast her spell again. As Tirek turned to strike, the two mares disappeared in a flash of blinding light.
Tirek howled. He tried to track the unicorn’s magic, sensing its smell on the wind, but it was everywhere. He couldn’t make sense of where it had gone. He growled loudly and shouted, knowing no one would be able to hear him. When he had finished, he lifted a claw and balled it into a fist.
“I will find you, Twilight Sparkle. And when I do, you will know only the most exquisite pain I can imagine.”
* * *
Angel looks outside the window and then back to where Zecora is. The zebra is gone! Her eyes drift back out towards the majestic being standing just outside of the shack. Enthralled, she moves to the door and opens it, walking outside towards it.
As she moves closer, her eyes find purchase in the being’s features. A brilliantly colored mane of pinks, purples, and blues flows endlessly alongside the being’s white coat. Massive wings extend from each side of the pony, and a long spiraled horn protrudes from its forehead. Angel realizes she is staring, the pony in front of her is like none she has ever seen before. She doesn’t know what to say.
“Hello, Angel Rose,” the pony says suddenly.
Her voice is melodic, sweet. It comforts Angel. Makes her feel safe just by hearing it.
“You must have many questions, and I’m certain that Zecora only made things far more confusing for you,” the pony says. “Are… are you the Lady?” Angel finds herself asking without thinking.
The pony titters softly. Even her laugh is gentle. “Yes… I am the Lady. You may call me Celestia. I am the embodiment of the Word’s magic in this world.”
“The… the Word? What’s that?” Angel presses further. She’s never realized that she has ever been this questioning in her entire life. She’s always just accepted things as they were.
“The Word is the force of all that is good in this world. It is what is just, right, and works to restore order where this none. It has been around since the dawn of creation, since ponies first touched Equestrian soil,” Celestia says. “I am the arbiter of the Word’s will. It is through me that the Word’s magic is spread to help others.”
Angel looks down at her hooves. “Why then…? Why, if the magic of the Word is so great, why did it let my parents… why did they have to die?!”
“Your parents’ death was tragic. I can see it in your eyes. Sometimes, the balance of life shifts, as it did in your case,” Celestia replies. “But your adversity, your life has made you stronger. You are capable of undertaking the battle that is being waged.”
“Battle…? What battle?” Angel says.
“The Word is not the only force working in this world, my little pony,” Celestia replies succinctly. “There is another… a force that we call the Void. The Void has long sought to undermine the order of the Word, through chaos and anarchy. It’s champions, dark creatures known as demons, sow the seeds of darkness in our world. It is a precarious balance we find ourselves in, one that will continue on into the eons of time.”
“What do I have to do with any of this?” Angel asks. “What importance could I possibly have to all of this?”
Celestia smiles. It’s warm and comforting. “I sought you out because I believe you are strong enough to take up my mantle, to operate in this world as an agent of the Word… a Knight of the Word, to be more specific,” she says. “You would fight the dark things, the demons. You would stop them from attempting to tip the balance.”
Angel snorts loudly and stands. “Okay, you’re just joshing me, right? There’s no way I can fight anybody. I’m not strong enough. I’m just a kid.”
“Strength comes from deep within, Angel,” Celestia says. “The measure of your strength remains to be seen, but you will not be alone in your battles. The magic of the Word will be with you.”
“What magic? I’m an earth pony. We don’t have magic,” Angel spat. “Look, I’m not really what you’re looking for. Find somepony else, please.”
Celestia sighs and looks away for a brief moment. It makes Angel feel strange. She almost wants to reach out and comfort the large mare.
“I was… I was there the night your parents died,” she says. “Watching. Waiting. Wondering. Your town was caught in a conflict it did not understand. So many brave ponies died that evening.”
“What did you just say?” Angel says, her eyes wide. “My parents died when I was young, from a fire. There was no conflict.”
“The fire… the fire was caused by a demon. He insinuated himself into your community, took advantage of the strong feelings between ponies to cause chaos and discord, all in the name of the Void,” Celestia replies. “Tell me, do you remember your parents acting… strangely at all prior to that evening?”
Angel stops for a moment. A vague and distant memory creeps into her mind. She had thought that her parents had been acting odd for a few days before the fire, but the fire had been an accident… right?
“Yes… there was a… a mare in town,” Angel says, rethinking her last memories of her parents. “Made… made claims about my father. It was ruining his business.”
“Demons work in ways we can never fully understand, but the presence of the pony you mention is not coincidence,” Celestia says. “He turned other ponies against your family, inserted thoughts into other’s minds that were not their own.”
“Why? And why didn’t you send one of your… Knights it was… to stop him?” Angel says angrily. “Isn’t that their job?”
Celestia falters for a moment. It takes several seconds for her to regain her composure. “There was a Knight there that evening. He died trying to stop the demon. It got away. There was nothing I could do directly. I am… merely a conduit for the Word’s power,” she says. “The Knight in question… was your father.”
Angel’s eyes widen. “What? You’re… kidding, right? My father was…”
“A Knight of the Word, yes. The Void saw an opportunity, used his sight against him in order to kill him and claim his magic,” Celestia says. “Now that you know this… do you think you have what it takes to be strong? To be a Knight?”
Angel looks down at her hooves and thinks for several long hard moments. She isn’t sure what to think. She looks up at Celestia, the Lady. Her smile is warm, inviting.
“What… what happened to the demon eventually? Did he get caught?” she asks.
Celestia calmly shakes her head. “No. He is still out there, still attempting to tip the balance. Should you take up my mantle, there is a chance that you may find him, and seek the justice you deserve.”
Angel grimaces. She nods. “I’ll do it. Just… tell me how.”
* * *
Angel startled awake with a jolt. “Twilight? Where are… you?” she said as she got her bearings. She was lying on a couch, her couch to be exact, in what appeared to be her apartment. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness as she saw Twilight sitting across from her.
“Oh, you’re alright,” Twilight said frantically. “I was beginning to think you weren’t ever going to wake up. What happened to you?”
“A vision,” Angel said, shaking her head. “Or rather, a memory. Strange, the first time I’ve thought of that night in a long time.”
“What night?”
“The night I entered into the service of the Lady. She must be trying to tell me something,” Angel said, shuffling into a sitting position.
Twilight grimaced. “I thought that we were dead. You were hurt badly by the demon. I did what I could.”
Angel winced as she sat up. She could definitely feel that the demon had managed to crack a rib or two, but it didn’t feel as bad as she had thought it would. “How did we get away without him tracking us?”
“Well… I may have had a hoof in that. I remembered what you had said about him being able to track us if I used my magic by smelling it. I took that and simply overloaded his sensors when we teleported away by flooding the area with ambient magic,” Twilight said succinctly.
Angel’s eyes looked blank. “You… what?”
“I turned his sense of smell against him, silly.”
“But… why did you even come back for me in the first place? I told you to leave, to get away,” Angel said.
Twilight shifted. “Yes… well… I couldn’t exactly let you get killed, could I? You’ve been so nice to me so far, and I just figured… well… you’re my friend, and friends don’t let friends get killed.”
“I… I see,” Angel said. “Well… I guess we’re going to have to wait here another night before we can get going to Canterlot.”
“Why?” Twilight asked.
Angel Rose sighed loudly. “You see… I used so much magic in the fight that I need to recharge it, and the only way to do that is the dreams.”
“You mean like the dreams that thing mentioned?”
“The same,” Angel Rose said with a nod. “They’re more like… visions. Every Knight of the Word experiences them. They show us… well, they show us the future.”
“The future? That’s… that’s not even scientifically possible,” Twilight said. “How can anypony know the future.”
“One possible future,” Angel replied. “They show the future of what happens to the world if we fail in our mission. It changes all the time, based on our actions.”
“And now? Will it have changed?” Twilight asked hesitantly.
Angel Rose grimaced and glanced up at the purple mare. “I… I hope so. Now that you’re here and safe? Anything is possible.”
