Every story has a beginning. This is the start of The Paladins of Light, a group of warriors that fights darkness wherever it may be found.
Every story has a beginning. The Paladins are no different. This is the story of how one man traversed the dimensions in seek of those willing to rally under his cause. His journey will be perilous. He will turn into a wolf. In the end, he will prevail.
A figure stood in the middle of a seemingly empty field. His armor looked black, although it could have actually been any color. It was night, approaching dawn. The ground around this figure was bloodstained, even some pieces of armor and weapons still dotted the ground. A hand reached up and took off its owner's helmet, revealing a weary face underneath. No distinct features stood out on the human, even as the day began to break over the horizon. Sun started shining on its armor, revealing its color. The armor was red, except for the white that bordered the symbol in the middle of his chest plate: crossed swords.
"Hey, you all right commander?" A voice sounded behind the commander.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Even though we won, I still have the nagging feeling that there will never be an end," the commander answered, revealing the fact that he was male.
As the newcomer was about to continue speaking, the commander held up a hand. "Hear that, recruit?" He asked, his voice a low whisper.
The recruit strained his ears, not able to make out any sounds other than the occasional rusting from their camp. Morning had come. "No, sir. You should probably get back to camp. Someone came looking for you the other day. He said that his name was K'rand, and was quite disappointed when he found out that you were out fighting," the recruit informed him.
The commander's eyes widened. "K'rand you say? I'd better get going then," he started to walk off but left the recruit with another order. "By the way, I'm putting you in charge, private." He finished, handing a sealed scroll to the stunned soldier.
"What has K'rand found this time? One of his stupid theories?" He thought out loud as he walked down the dirt road that led to where he knew K'rand would be.
When the commander got close to the destination he was seeking, he was met by an all too familiar face. "Hey, Sandrick. Thought you wouldn't show this time. After all, you've just won a war," the cat-like creature greeted the commander.
"What have you got this time? I don't have a lot of time for your stupid theories," Sandrick replied, annoyance evident in his voice.
K'rand rolled his eyes and pulled out a device unlike what he had made before. Usually, it's some holograph of his planned design, but this wasn't the case this time. It was actually tangible. He had pulled out a circular object, a few inches in diameter.
"What's this?" Sandrick asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I thought you'd be interested in this commander. This is a trans-dimensional teleporter," K'rand explained.
"Wait, you mean this thing can take people to different dimensions?" Sandrick asked, surprise evident in his voice.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. I've already visited a few myself. Some experiences were rather... unpleasant. If you go to a dimension that has a certain native creature, it transforms you upon teleportation," K'rand told him, causing Sandrick to cringe internally.
"But why in all of Riyara had you not even thought to create this kind of technology before?" Sandrick asked, his mind still adapting to the development.
"Because I couldn't risk them finding out about it," K'rand answered, caution in his voice.
"Who's them?"Sandrick asked, now only with mild curiosity. K'rand could be delusional at times.
"A new evil has descended upon this world. Its origin is unknown, but I believe that they founded the seven dimensions," K'rand replied, seeming to lose Sandrick's interest even more.
"So why did you bring me here?" Sandrick inquired, annoyance returning to his voice.
"Because I need your help. Here, you're the only person who has studied light magic. It is the only thing that can combat these... shadows, for lack of a better word. They move around in a mist-like form, but can inhabit the body of any mortal it chooses," K'rand finished, right before something happened. If you didn't have the commander's acute sense of hearing, you might have missed it.
"K'rand, we need to go. Now," Sandrick ordered the humanoid.
The noise sounded again. The very sound that Sandrick had had enough of. The sound he had caused to happen over and over again since he decided to fight in the military. It was the sound of death, and it came from everywhere.
"Very well commander, it's been nice talking with you. I'll take my leave," K'rand informed him, before putting his hand over the object and muttering a word too quiet for Sandrick to hear.
Sandrick jumped forward and placed his hand on top of K'rand's, giving him a nod to signify he was coming with him. A brilliant flash of light filled the clearing, one of the last lights that this world would see for a long time.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Sandrick woke up with a headache, not to mention his joints. They felt out of place. He tried to stand up, but he didn't seem to have enough strength in his legs to do so. He then raised his hand to inspect it. He didn't see a hand. Right there, in front of his eyes, was a tan hoof.
"K'rand, if this is a joke I'm going to kill you," Sandrick muttered to himself, opening his eyes wider.
"You okay, sugarcube?" A female voice told him, prompting him to open his eyes all the way. He couldn't believe what he saw.
An orange equine was looking back at him, a look of concern on her face. The first thing his eyes went to was the hat on her head. Since when do horses wear hats? He thought. Her mane and tail were yellow and styled in a, for lack of a better term, ponytail.
"I..I think so. Where am I?" Sandrick asked, his voice dry.
"Yer on Sweet Apple Acres," she replied, handing him a glass of water.
"Never heard of this place before," Sandrick remarked, taking a sip of water and holding off from adding: or talking horses.
"So, how'd you manage to find yerself in one of the apple trees?" She asked him.
"Before I can explain anything to you, I need to know who you are," Sandrick said, still suspicious.
"Ah'm Applejack," She replied.
"I'm Commander Sandrick Fiercestorm of the 2nd legion," Sandrick attempted to sound regal, but couldn't quite do it due to the fact that he was still in shock.
"Ah ain't heard of no 2nd legion, but ah think ya owe mah an explanation," Applejack said, her green eyes unsettling the commander.
"I doubt you'll believe me, as this seems to be a completely different world, but I'll do my best," Sandrick got off the bed and took a swig of water before continuing. "I came from a different world unless this is Riyara," a quick no from Applejack confirmed that K'rand's device had worked. "I came here with someone else. His name is K'rand, but he's most likely not using that name. He built some sort of device that took us here, wherever here is. The only thing I remember about being here was waking up in that bed," Sandrick finished.
"Interesting tale ya got there. Not sure if yer telling the truth or delusional, but still interesting," she told him, starting to examine him.
For the first time, Sandrick noticed a marking on Applejack's flank. It was three apples. What that was supposed to represent, he didn't know. He was about to ask when Applejack was suddenly shocked about something. "Where's yer cutie mark?" She asked.
"Cutie mark? What does that even mean?" Sandrick inquired, but Applejack didn't seem to hear him.
"Yer an adult stallion with no cutie mark. What the hay is goin' on?!" She asked, suspiciously staring into his eyes.
"Look, I don't know what a cutie mark is, or why my friend took me here. All I know is that my home is probably destroyed, along with those I've spent my entire life beside. I need to find K'rand." With that, Sandrick attempted to leave. He didn't get far.
Sandrick tried to trot out the door, but he wasn't used to his new limbs yet. Pulling himself out of the bed was easy, but walking wasn't. He tripped about a foot from where he started.
"You don't look that great sugarcube. Maybe ah should take ya to Twilight. If yer telling the truth about this other world mumbo-jumbo, she'll want to hear 'bout it," Applejack told him.
Sandrick sighed, defeated. "Fine, I guess I can go talk to this 'Twilight'. If she'd be interested in it, then she might be able to help me get back."
"If ah know Twilight, she'll be able to get ya home in no time," she commented, helping him to his hooves.
Sandrick nodded, starting to get a hang of walking with four legs. He followed the mare for quite some time. He got some strange looks from the residents of this town, it might have been due to the fact that he didn't have this "cutie mark" that everyone kept talking about. Then again, this is a world of talking equines. I doubt they know anything about my species. Eventually, they came upon a structure that stood out from the rest. If Sandrick didn't know any better, he would've called it a castle.
"Well, here's where Twilight lives. Ah'll stay around and see what ah can do to help." When she finished speaking, she reached up and knocked on the giant doors on the castle. Shortly after, a shorter creature pulled the door open.
"Hey Applejack!" He greeted, before turning to Sandrick. "Who's this?" He asked.
"I'm Sandrick. Applejack said someone named Twilight would be able to help me," Sandrick explained, warily looking at the sharp scaled running down his back. He looked like some sort of drake.
"Well if anypony can, it's Twilight. She's in the library with Starlight," Spike told the duo before going inside himself.
Sandrick followed Applejack and the drake upstairs and through large, empty corridors. This place was deceptively big. If he didn't have a guide, he would've been lost a long time ago. Eventually, they came upon a door that looked different. Nevermind, it was exactly the same as the rest. However, the drake pulled the door open and motioned for the ponies to go first.
The pony Sandrick assumed was Twilight looked up from the book she was reading, her face lighting up when she saw Applejack. "Hey Applejack," she greeted, prompting another pony in the room to look up.
Sandrick went unnoticed for all of 2 seconds. He noticed that while Applejack looked similar to the ponies he was familiar with back home, Twilight was far from it. She was slightly taller than him, and had a horn and wings.
"So who are you?" Twilight asked, jolting Sandrick from his thoughts.
He bit back the response he would give back on Riyara and went for something more simple. "Sandrick Fiercestorm," he stated, the blandest answer he could come up with.
"Interesting. I know just about everypony in Ponyville, but I've never seen you before. New in town?" Twilight asked.
"You could say that," Sandrick replied.
The other pony, who Sandrick assumed was the Starlight that the drake mentioned, trotted over.
"Twilight, he doesn't seem to remember being in Equestria at all before today. He says he's from another world. What do ya make of that?" Applejack asked, getting Twilight's attention immediately.
"Another world? Interesting, I've been to another world, but I was able to get back. Are you stuck here?" Twilight asked.
Sandrick nodded, then Twilight continued. "I'm afraid I don't have anything that would help you get home, not without channeling some energy through a gateway. Without any information about this other world, I can't construct one right away," Twilight finished, her rant coming to an end.
"I don't need another method of getting home. If I can find my friend, he can get me home. He's the reason I'm here," He explained.
"Um, Twilight?" The drake asked her.
"Yes, Spike?" She replied, a neutral expression on her face.
"He doesn't have a cutie mark," Spike told her, his voice evidently shocked.
"Seriously, what even is a cutie mark? I keep hearing it over and over again, but I don't understand what it is," Sandrick vented.
This time, Starlight spoke up. "A cutie mark is what defines a pony's purpose in life. What their talent that makes them unique is," she elaborated.
"Sounds important to you equines, but I really don't care. My place is not in this world. I just need to find K'rand and get out of here." When Sandrick finished speaking, a wheezing pony came into the library. It was hard to make out many details, other than her gold armor.
He walked over to Twilight and handed her some sort of container. It had no evident way of opening it, no keyhole, and no hinges. It was unlike anything Sandrick had ever seen. Twilight seemed less confused about the box and why she was having it given to her.
"Why have you given me a magic sealed box?" She asked the messenger.
"Captain Lighthoof found it on the corpse of a cutie-markless stallion. I was directed to send it to you immediately," she reported.
"To me? Why?" Twilight asked, not knowing what two stallions without cutie marks could mean.
"Because of a note found on the body. It is enclosed with the only other thing found on it." When she finished, she saluted and galloped out of the room.
Twilight looked at Starlight, Applejack, Spike, and Sandrick and lit up her horn. When the light faded, the box had opened. Inside was a certain circular object and a piece of paper with evident writing on it.
Twilight glanced at the note and looked up at the group. "It's from somepony who addresses himself as K'rand," she paused and looked at Sandrick. "It's addressed to you," she finished.
"To me?" Sandrick reached out, shakily, and received the paper from Twilight. Out loud, Sandrick read:
To the finder of this note:
You needn't know why my death has come. Only that it did. Please deliver this letter to a member of royalty in Ponyville. I believe there is one there. Take anything on my body and deliver it. I've magic locked this letter so only one may see what the rest of what it says: Sandrick Fiercestorm.
At this point, Sandrick looked up, revealing that a few tears had fallen. Even though K'rand had been annoying, he meant a lot to Sandrick. He was one of the few people back on Riyara that actually treated him as a normal person and not a leader. Sandrick then looked back to the letter. This part he decided not to read out loud.
To Sandrick Fiercestorm:
If you receive this message then I would be surprised if I could be alive to tell you so. I know there is one dignitary in Ponyville, but the chances of it reaching her, or you for that matter, is very slim. If you are reading this then I have four things to tell you.
⦁ One: Thanks for putting up with my ridiculous theories about, well, everything. Without you, I would've given up on them before today.
⦁ Two: How I died. As I write this, my mind is slowly being corrupted by the same evil that is now clouding Riyara. From what it's been trying to tell me to do, it has obvious evil intent. After this letter is finished, I will have to kill myself. It is the only way to prevent the evil from spreading. Their leader does not exist in this dimensional plane. It exists in another, where it is already succeeding in subduing those brave enough to stand against it.
⦁ Three: How to activate the trans-dimensional teleporter. It's simple, really. All you have to do is put one of your appendages over it and say the name of the dimension. DO NOT GO BACK TO RIAYARA! There will be nothing you know left. Not only that, they may manage to take your mind, and I do not want you suffering the same fate as me. These are the rest of the dimensions: Equestria(where you are now), Equestria Alternate(has humanoids), Siikara, Kelosia, Kirldan, and Earth. I would not recommend going to the last dimension on this list until you have already gathered followers from the others. People on Earth can be, well, strange. Kirldan is a friendly enough place, once you get past the fact the main ruler is literally the devil. Siikara is home to several different species of sentient, predatory felines and canines. Kelosia is home to several different types of sentient animals. Equestria is a world filled with talking ponies. Need I say more? The alternate version of Equestria has humanoid equivalents of most of the ponies in Equestria. Just know that Equestria, Siikara, and Kelosia will change you into one of the inhabitants.
⦁ Four: Your mission. I know it seems odd that someone like me would be giving you a mission, but it's true. You must form a band of warriors to combat darkness, wherever it may arise. There is an ancient prophecy that I won't be able to explain or write down with my rapidly declining time, but know that you must take soldiers from each of the worlds, Riyara excluded. If not for the innocents, do it for me. You were a paladin back on Riyara, take it upon yourself to teach others how to use this unique type of magic. I tried to get you to, but you refused. You MUST do this in order to succeed. You will never see the same me alive again. The enemy can take the shape of anyone it has been near, do not let them fool you. You may find some of my counterparts in the other dimensions you go to, but they will not know who you are. I'm running short on time but just know one thing: I will always be with you.
The letter ended there, some blood stains on the bottom of it. Sandrick looked up, seeing his vision had gone cloudy from the tears. Wiping them away with the back of his hoof, he saw that the rest of the group was intently watching him, Applejack being the only one not about three feet from him. She was leaning against the closed door.
With a shaky voice, Sandrick found the strength to speak. "I know what I need to do now. I must do what I have been holding off for years. I must finally reveal the secrets of the paladin to the worlds, starting with Equestria," he explained.
"What in the hay are you talking 'bout?" Applejack inquired, evidently confused.
"A paladin is a warrior who uses the power of light magic to aid in healing and combat. As a paladin, I swore an oath to protect the innocent from the reign of evil and will die doing so. Even K'rand was not a paladin, but he did just that. I will make sure the death of my friend was not in vain. Twilight, you seem to be in charge here. Can you send a message out to the town?" Sandrick asked, his explanation seeming to confuse half of the audience and inspire the other half.
"I can, but I doubt anypony will show. If you're considered an adult and have no cutie mark, that would send off alarms in anypony's head. If I wasn't a science-based pony, I might not have listened to you. By the way, I believe this belongs to you," Twilight agreed, giving the small teleporter to Sandrick.
"Thanks, er, what's your title?" Sandrick asked, not wanting to upset one of the only peo, uh, ponies he could afford to trust in this dark time.
"Princess, but I prefer not to be called that way. I'm not too much different from a normal pony," Twilight replied.
"Maybe not, but respect is a moral I stand behind. I shall see you soon, Princess Twilight." Sandrick then saluted and trotted out the door.
"Er, maybe much sooner than I had wanted. Where's the exit door in this place?" Sandrick asked.
"Ah'll show him out Twilight. Ah need ta get goin' anyway," Applejack offered.
Applejack waved goodbye to the ponies in the library, then went to lead Sandrick out.
"Thanks," Sandrick said.
"Yer welcome. Ya actually seem like a decent pony. Ah suppose yer not a pony where yer from though," Applejack commented.
"No, I was a human. Someone who had caused death so much he could hear the sound of it. Here, I actually have a chance to start over," Sandrick remarked.
"It's fine sugarcube. Ah won't judge ya on yer past," Applejack comforted.
The duo walked in silence to the exit doors. They gave a small goodbye and parted ways.
Sandrick needed to get ready for the first training of the new paladins. There was only one problem: he hadn't seen a weapon anywhere on this confounded planet. The unicorns would have the closest thing to helping with creation, but it wouldn't work too well. If a weapon is magically generated, it tends to break easier. Sandrick knew the consequences of this firsthand. Even using magic to form metals into swords didn't seem to work out. He thought he may have to push the date from next week to even further down the line, but then an idea popped into his head. K'rand had mentioned that Kirldan and Earth had humans, which meant there was bound to be intense conflict on both planets.
He was starting to consider going to Kirldan, but there were just a few things he had to do before he went. He had no idea if time still passed when he changed dimensions. For all he knew, it could still be the same moment on Riyara as when he left. Although it seemed very likely that time still passed when he was in different dimensions, he wasn't positive. Because of this, he had to make sure that some progress was being made with training Paladins on this world. Because of this, he needed to get someone competent in fighting to help. As he was pondering this, a prismatic missile knocked him in the side, causing him to be slammed to the ground.
The pony that had landed on him immediately jumped up and apologized. She didn't introduce herself, instead opting to get out of there as soon as she could. The rainbow maned mare took off in a flash of color, leaving the commander winded and out of breath. He pulled out the ring and decided to get someone from Kirldan to help sort this predicament out.
Sandrick put his hoof over the small ring and took a deep breath to prepare himself. The last time this happened to him, he lost one of the only friends he dared to hold dear. Letting out the breath he was holding, Sandrick uttered "Kirldan" just as K'rand had told him. At first, he didn't think it did anything. Then, everything went black. A moment later, Sandrick opened his eyes and saw a small gathering of people, actual people, going about their day. He then clutched his head at the sudden pain.
I'll never get used to these headaches Sandrick thought to himself.
Finding he was again human, the paladin got to his feet and was a bit fazed by the strange feeling. Not only was he on two legs again, his armor had returned to him somehow. Not wanting to question this strange technology, Sandrick decided to see how different this world was from his.
Seeing that he was in the middle of a road, Sandrick decided it would be best to see if it went anywhere helpful. After a couple hours, he saw what looked to be a large city of some kind in the distance. The stone walls surrounding it looked ancient, some parts of it missing towards the top. A large structure could be seen in the distance, standing taller than the wall surrounding most of the city. Using his reserved energy, Sandrick broke into a sprint, covering the distance in a few minutes.
Finally reaching civilization, the worn soldier walked through the open drawbridge and into the city. There were several small buildings in the section he was walking through, most of them being shops. Sandrick was tempted to just buy weapons and get out of there, but he decided to see who exactly ruled this place. K'rand had said that the ruler of this land was "literally the devil", but he wasn't sure what to think of that until he met this pon, er, person.
Deciding to check up on the palace before he went back to Equestria, Sandrick walked through the streets of the strange city until he came upon a small building with a man hammering over an anvil. He walked up to the strange man, only to have him put the metal rod he was working on in a bucket of water and head inside the shop.
What Sandrick saw when he walked into the shop was something quite promising. Swords, spears, bows, and other weapons of destruction were on display in varying designs. The person who was outside not too long ago was pulling a sword down from a holder mounted to the wall. When he noticed Sandrick, his face took in a bit of an annoyed expression and he went back to his work.
For a moment, Sandrick stayed quiet, thinking about the one problem he had. He still had some currency they would use back on Riyara, but the only thing he had that might have any value here would be his armor and weapon. He looked at the various weapons on display and then back at the man who was still replacing displays.
"So, uh, how much would it be to get a few weapons here?" Sandrick asked him, trying to calm his heart beat while doing so.
"Sorry, civilian. This place is for the stocking of the Blade Empire's military. Unless you're a legionnaire or have prior approval from the general, I can't sell you anything." When he finished speaking, he went into the back room and Sandrick heard a wheel turn and sparks started to fly from it.
Well this worked out real well. If I have any chance in getting anything, I guess I'll have to talk to this 'general' he mentioned, Crion thought to himself.
The large palace that was on the other side of town looked like a good as place as any for Sandrick to start. If the general wasn't training anyone, they could be in the palace or at the barracks. Since the paladin didn't have any leads towards a barracks, he settled on walking up to the palace. As soon as he reached the top of the steps, he hesitated to open the doors. There were no guards around, but he could still be committing a crime by walking in unannounced. In the end, he decided he was overthinking it.
The inside of the palace looked, well, regal. There was a white spiral staircase on either side of the room that led up to the next floor. There was a type of rug he was standing on that was black with a red diamond design running all along it. At the end of said rug sat 3 thrones, only one of them currently being filled. Atop the middle one sat a muscular male wearing what looked to be a type of leather armor.
While walking towards the noble, Sandrick was surprised to learn that there were almost no guards in sight, the only two being next to the doors on the inside. When he was a few feet from the thrones, he heard the noble say something, a bit too soft for him to hear the exact words. but he heard him speak nonetheless. Then, he spoke directly aimed at Sandrick.
"Welcome, Sandrick Fiercestorm. I see you were able to escape Riyara." The voice of the noble had multiple tones to it, making Sandrick uneasy just listening.
"How do you know my name?" Sandrick shouted out to him, only to get a laugh directed his way.
"We know everything about you, commander. We know you escaped to Equestria with K'rand, and we sent agents out looking for you. I am one such agent," It replied, leaping off the throne and landing a few inches from Sandrick.
"We know why you came here, and how you plan to defeat the shades. Unfortunately for you, this world has already been taken by us," the shade declared, staring into Sandrick's eyes.
Sandrick drew his sword, readying for a fight. When he was about to strike, the shade was quicker. A single blow sent the sword flying from the soldier's hand. As he ran to retrieve it, he was sliced across the leg by one of the shade's guards. He fell to the ground, his leg creating a small pool of blood underneath him.
"You insolent fool! Two of the three leaders of this world were defeated and turned into shades by us. The only one who can help you is never coming back!" After speaking, the shade went to plunge its sword into Sandrick, but the blow never came.
Looking up, Sandrick noticed an arrow firmly embedded in the heart of the shade. A glass shattering scream pierced the silence in the throne room, coming from the creature of darkness. Eventually, the shade was gone. In its place was a normal human, shallow breathing coming from him.
The guards looked up in shock at what had transpired, and then rushed forward to attack Sandrick. They never made it. Two more arrows found their mark in the guards. One was hit in the heart, the other the head. The one who was hit in the heart had a similar effect as what happened to the leader, but the one hit in the head just poofed out of the room. The last thing Sandrick remembered before losing consciousness was being picked up and brought out of the castle, his carrier running at full speed.
Sandrick woke up with a throbbing headache. His leg had lost feeling, but it was most certainly there. Whoever managed to save him from that nightmare of an encounter had to be around him somewhere, unless they left him to die. He took a look around him, first taking a look at the sky. It was definitely night time, but the exact time was unknown to him. He was in a clearing in a forest of some kind. His leg was wrapped in some kind of a cloth which was stained red. When he tried to stand, his leg refused to move properly, opting to stay limp. Annoyed at the realization that he couldn't stand, he tried over and over again. Each attempt resulted in him falling down, making him even more determined to get up. On his sixth attempt, he heard a female voice come from the shadows.
"Careful there. You might hurt yourself more than you already are," she called, a trace of annoyance in her voice.
Startled at first, Sandrick looked to where he thought the voice came from, but it sounded again from a different direction.
"You should really be more alert. You look the part of a warrior, but your vigilance needs a little work. Sloppy movements won't get you anywhere," she smirked at him.
"You could at least show yourself. I'd rather match this voice to a face," Sandrick shot back.
At these words, a small snicker could be heard. Shortly afterwards, she jumped in front of the paladin, making him jump at the sudden movement. She wore a skin tight suit that seemed to blend into what she was standing in front of. A red dagger was hung at her hips, held in place by a ring sheath. She had a simple bow in her hand, but it was died a color resembling blood. The center of the bow had a white grip, becoming quite distracting in the moonlight.
Sandrick was speechless as he looked at the woman who he assumed had just saved him from certain death. "Well that wasn't what I was expecting," he said under his breath, but it was still caught by her.
"Well what did you expect? A bugbear?" She asked teasingly.
A bugbear? What in Riyara is that? Sandrick thought.
Instead of voicing his thoughts, he decided instead to reply a bit more appropriately. "Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't anything like this," Sandrick replied, gesturing towards the woman.
"I'm not sure whether to think what you did back in Wolf was stupid or brave. Either way, we could use a fighter like you, even if you are wounded. I'm Kirileth, by the way," Kirileth informed him, before offering him her hand.
For the first time, Sandrick noticed that she was wearing fingerless gloves that only covered her palm. Taking the hand, Sandrick found that he was able to partially stand, with the support of Kirileth anyway.
"Thanks. I'm Sandrick," He told her, managing a smile.
She didn't reply, instead continuing to lead him deeper into the forest. After a while of hobbling along on Sandrick's part, they reached what looked to be a cave of some kind in the side of a mountain. A figure stood outside of it, a torch in his hand. A helmet covered all of his facial features, the rest of him equally armored.
When they reached him, he took a look down at Kirileth and stepped aside. Sandrick was led inside by her, and it took him awhile to realize that two guards had followed them when they first entered. For the most part of the walk, everyone stayed to themselves, only giving them a curious glance every now and then.
A man who looked similar to the one who attacked him before Kirileth saved him was having a conversation with a man in a tan trench coat. He quickly dismissed him when he saw Kirileth and Sandrick approaching him.
"Ah, Kirileth! Welcome back," he then cast a suspicious glance down towards Sandrick. "Who's this then?"
"This is Sandrick, I didn't try to press any information out of him. I saw all I needed to to know that he's not with them. He walked into the palace and was attacked by the thing that took over," she explained.
"Interesting. Come with me Sandrick. Kirileth, you're dismissed for now," he ordered, getting a salute from her.
He led Sandrick into a back part of the cave, stopping when they got to something that resembled a desk. It was made of wood, but it was evident that a novice made it. It curved in some parts and had a slightly domed top.
"It's not ideal, but this is where I talk to newcomers. It has minimal echos and I managed to get one of my men to get something close to a desk in here. I guess we better start with introductions. You met Kirileth, former Jarl of Azuel. I'm Crion Lightfoot, former general and co-leader of this broken nation. You are either one of those hermits that come out every ten years, like that man who calls himself a Doctor, or you're not from here," Crion explained.
Sandrick paused for a second, thinking about how much this general knew about 'not from here.' He decided to tell him the truth, what else did he have to do at this point? "No, I'm not from here. I'm not even from this planet. I come from a land called Riyara," he explained, getting the general's attention.
"Riyara? You're from one of the other dimensions?" Crion asked, trying not to yell.
"Yes...." Sandrick answered, hesitantly.
"Then what I feared is true. The Prophecy of Forgotten Realms is coming true," he sighed.
"A prophecy? You mean this is documented?" He asked, hope starting to rise.
"Not exactly this. After 'The hold of a nation will be lost' there's a line that says 'A soldier of light will come from another land and aid the seven realms.' I never understood it, but now I may. A soldier of light is a paladin, but there are only 3 users of light magic not under the thrall of those things. Kirileth, Rah'zalt, and myself. I wouldn't describe any of us as paladins though," Crion elaborated, getting a bit aggravated.
"I think I may have the answer to this one Crion," Sandrick informed the confused general.
"Many think they do, but this prophecy hasn't been cracked in years. Any insight you have on it will be appreciated though," Crion replied, sounding a bit bored.
"I believe that I am the soldier of light. Where I'm from, I'm the commander of a legion, and a paladin," he continued, a hint of smugness seeping into his voice.
He was unimpressed by Sandrick's little speech until he hit the last word. When he said that, Crion immediately took his hands of the desk and put his hand on his sword. "If you are infact a paladin, and you come from Riyara, then we need to get you out of here. If there's even the slightest chance you're the paladin in the prophecy, then you're not safe," Crion told him, putting his hand over Sandrick's leg and whispering a word that was incomprehensible to him.
"You should be able to stand on your own now, but even my magic has limits," Crion commented.
"Thanks, but I still don't know what you mean. How am I not safe?" Sandrick asked.
Crion looked over at him with a saddened look on his face. "When they attacked Wolf, none of us expected it, not even my co-leaders. We fought as much as we could, but there were too many of our own men fighting against us. I still have no idea why they were attack me, or why Black Wolf and Shrub turned against me. All I know is that I have to protect you if I have any chance of getting my friends back, and I will do so if it costs me my life," Crion explained, motioning him to follow.
"General, care to tell me why this guy keeps claiming that he was sent here to help us?" Kirileth asked Crion as soon as he exited, motioning to the person Crion was talking to when Sandrick walked in.
"I honestly don't know if he's telling the truth or if he's gone insane. Either way, it would be helpful to have him around. He knows a thing or two about what's happening," Crion replied, looking back at the man.
When he was looking at him, the man instantly came over to them. "All right, chaps, what's the plan then?" he asked, in an accent Sandrick couldn't place.
"And who are you?" Sandrick asked, his eyebrow raised.
"I'm the Doctor," he replied, a smile on his face.
"The Doctor? So, a medic?" Sandrick asked him, getting more skeptical.
"No, well, not really. I think I've dawdled around enough though. Allons-y." With that, the Doctor left.
"That was, strange, to say the least, but we have more pressing problems right now. Kirileth, I believe we may have found our soldier of light," Crion told her, causing Kirileth to widen her eyes.
"You don't mean Sandrick do you?" She asked, gesturing towards him.
"The very same. He claims to be a paladin where he comes from. If what he told me is true, the situation is more dire than we thought," Crion said, urgency in his voice.
"Indeed. We need to get him out of here. We need to get out of here. I'm not sure how many of our men are actually our men. Without trust, this place will fall apart," Kirileth agreed.
At this time, the same soldier who was guarding the outside of the cave stumbled up next to Crion. He whispered something into his ear, causing Crion to draw his sword.
"They're upon us. Kirileth, we need to move. Sandrick is our priority, make sure he gets out of here alive. Rah'zalt, with me," Crion ordered, the soldier who Sandrick assumed was Rah'zalt nodding.
For the first time in what felt like ages, Sandrick put his hand on the hilt of his sword and drew it out of his sheath. The steel reflected the light off one of the torches, giving it a dramatic flair. The moment didn't last long though, as Crion and Rah'zalt could be heard fighting the shades.
"C'mon, let's move. If anyone can outlast what's happening down there, it's going to be them," Kirileth comforted him.
Sandrick nodded, leveling his sword. His armor had taken quite a beating during the battle against the shades, his leg plate had started to fall apart, but it was still intact. His chestplate had a slash in the back from the shade pulling the blade from his leg, weakening its structure. Regardless of his poor armor quality, Sandrick still stuck near Kirileth, or at least tried to.
"Can you at least slow down a little? Not everyone is stealthy and agile," Sandrick commented.
"You're right, you're not stealthy or agile," she shot back with a smile.
At this point, Sandrick just shut up and tried his best to follow her. "How big is this cave?" He ended up asking.
"Oh quit you're whining. We're almost out," Kirileth replied.
When moonlight could be seen, Kirileth finally dropped her stealth and jumped down next to Sandrick. As they were about to walk out, Crion could be seen running behind them. Several shades could be seen chasing him and Rah'zalt through the passageway. "Kirileth, keep going! We've lost the main hall!" He shouted out to them, causing Kirileth to motion Sandrick out the door.
When Crion and Rah'zalt were nearing the exit, the shades were gaining on them. Rah'zalt stopped and yelled back to Crion. "Go, I'll hold them off! You need to get out of here!" Shortly after, the guard turned around and started to fight the shades. His sword was a blur to the rest of the group, Rah'zalt giving it all he had left to make sure the others got out safe.
Crion finally reached the duo, a red sword with a silver grip and guard in his hand. "We need to move. Rah'zalt's sacrifice cannot be for nothing," He ordered, following the other two out.
"And where do you think you're going? Shouldn't you two be dead already?" A voice sneered at Crion at Sandrick, not seeming to notice Kirileth.
Crion looked over at me with a playful look in his eye. "Why, we were just on our way out. Whatever are you talking about?" He called back.
"That was a rhetorical question," he replied, drawing what looked to be a warhammer.
"Kirileth, initiate take down!" Crion shouted.
The shorter figure looked confused for a second, right before the pommel of a red dagger smashed into his face, before embedding itself into his heart in one fluid motion. He gasped, then fell to the ground, unconscious or dead was to be determined.
"No time to check. If he was a shade, he's not now. If he wasn't, let's just say that no man alive, not even me, could've withstood that," Crion remarked, before running, Sandrick doing his best to follow.
"That base was the last resistance that Kirldan had against them. Without it, I'm afraid that Kirldan won't last much longer. Sandrick, if you can still change dimensions, this would be a helpful time to do it," Crion informed him, many emotions flickering on his face: a few being anger, sadness, and desperation.
"I can, but I'm not sure you'll like where we're going," Sandrick replied.
"Even if I don't, it's better than dying here, knowing that they won," Crion called back, stopping his aimless running.
"Well, I'm gonna need you and Kirileth to put your hands on top of mine," Sandrick informed them, putting the dimensional transporter in his left hand and covering it with his right.
Crion and Kirileth followed suit, a serious expression on Crion's face and Kirileth having a neutral expression. Sandrick whispered "Equestria," and they were whisked away from Kirldan.
Sandrick opened his eyes to see a vibrant green landscape looking back at him. Just as before, none of his armor or weapons were kept by him when he wasn't human. It appeared that the same had happened to Crion and Kirileth. Kirileth had turned into a slim red mare with a charcoal black mane and tail. Unlike Sandrick and K'rand, she had a cutie mark. It was a bow forming an x with a dagger. Crion had taken the form of a copper colored stallion. His mane was yellow and Sandrick would compare its look to a pine tree. It was messy, almost to the point where it would be impossible to fix it.
Kirileth woke up next, and it was obvious that what she saw made her seething at Sandrick. "Where is my weapon you lowlife!" She shouted at him.
"Whoa, calm down. For whatever reason, whatever we have when we change forms is temporarily taken from us until we take that form again," Sandrick attempted to explain.
"What do you mean change forms?! Last time I checked, I was hum...." She abruptly stopped when she noticed that she didn't have a hand, but a hoof. Her eyes continued to widen when she realized that Sandrick was also equine.
"You should really be more alert," Sandrick remarked, meriting another annoyed glance from the assassin.
Around this time, Crion had gotten up, and he didn't look too pleased at what he saw. "Sandrick, where are we?" He asked, his voice holding a confused tone.
"We're, uh, in Equestria..." Sandrick replied, a nervous chuckle at the end.
Strangely enough, Crion reacted in a different way then Sandrick would've expected. He had been expecting a confused glance from the warrior, but he instead got more of a knowing look.
"We're in Equestria? As in the realm of sentient equines?" He asked Sandrick.
"W..well y..yes," Sandrick replied, his voice stuttering.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day when someone created the means to traverse the dimensions, but it seems that you have found a way," Kirileth observed.
At this point, Sandrick was speechless. When he had entered Equestria, none of the natives had known about the other realms, but these two did. Sandrick came up with two reasons for this. First: Crion had evidently been a leader of the shattered empire Sandrick had stumbled across. As a result, he knew about them because of the possible threat. Second: Crion had researched a possible way to escape Kirldan. While the second was not likely, anything was an answer for the paladin at this point.
"Interesting. Which of the seven do you hail from Sandrick? Judging by the armor you were wearing when you arrived at out final sanctuary, I would say you were from either Earth or Riyara. Since Earth is further ahead technologically, I would assume you come from Riyara," Crion asked after a few seconds of silence, stunning Sandrick.
"I do." Was all Sandrick had to say, his voice shaking.
"If you are wondering about Crion's knowledge of the realms, then join the many who don't. He never even told Black Wolf or Shrub, nor has he told me. The only other person I know he trusted with the information was Rah'zalt," Kirileth explained.
Sandrick looked at his surroundings. There was a dirt trail in front of them that cut between trees leading into a forest. Looking down the other side of the path, it seemed to go into the town of Ponyville. The only distinguishable building that stood out from the rest was a building looking more like a spire. It started out as white, but it was topped with brown.
"You do know what your device there has caused, don't you Sandrick?" Crion asked him.
"A way to travel to different dimensions?" Sandrick replied, confused.
"Not exactly. Because a way to traverse the dimensions has been created, it has weakened the barrier between them. This will allow the shades to slip more easily through the worlds," Crion informed the paladin.
"You mean they can get here?!" Sandrick shouted, before quickly going silent.
"That's precisely what I mean. We need to prepare. Kirileth, stay behind with him. I'll do what I can to get us some weapons, but you need to warn the residents any way you can. They need to be prepared. After you finish with that, I need you to go talk with whoever's in charge of that town." With that, Crion vanished in a blur.
"Well, I guess I'm stuck with you now," Kirileth jested.
Sandrick didn't dignify that with a response and simply lead her down the road into Ponyville.
* * *
Kirldan was in ruins. Shades had orders to get any remaining humans and bring them to their leader, where they would be converted themselves. The few beings left who could fight them were low in morale, their numbers waning. One such leader after the departure of Crion was Aylmer Wolfe, former lieutenant in the Empire's military.
A horseman rode up to Aylmer at a gallop, as if he didn't have much time. He didn't say a word, only handed it to the lieutenant. After a brief skimming of the parchment, he nodded to the horseman, got up from his seat, and rushed over to one of his trusted warriors.
"Hey Aylmer!" He called out, perhaps a bit too loud.
"Quiet down Hejgur, you're being a bit loud," Aylmer stated, getting a small chuckle from Hejgur in return.
"Maybe I am, but there's always a reason to celebrate. When our victory comes, you'll see what I mean," the stout man replied cheerily.
"Hejgur, I doubt this has a reason to celebrate. Look at this," Aylmer ordered, handing the courier's letter to him.
"We're the last base? How did this happen? I thought Crion's defeat was bad enough, but this is terrible. We only have around 100 men here, none of which have seen a battle with odds stacked against them so badly. It's the Battle of Wolf Ridge all over again, but more severely outnumbered. At least we had a battalion then," Hejgur ranted after reading it, his hands waving around like a mad man.
"The odds look grim, I know, but we have to press on. We're what's left of the Empire, so we have to make what we have count. Remember what Crion always told us: we will prevail when times are tough," Aylmer comforted, but it didn't seem to comfort the legate.
Around this time, an elven woman dressed in leather armor entered. "Lieutenant, we got a situation. A shade patrol found us and one got away. I'm not sure we can hold out against all of them at once," she reported.
Aylmer's eyes widened. "Thanks for the update Sh'ragya. Get what's left of our archers under cover and ready to fire," Aylmer ordered.
"Rodger that Lieutenant." She replied before exiting.
"I hope you're ready for a fight Hejgur, because it's a fight we're gonna get," Aylmer warned, right before he heard the sound of arrows colliding against trees.
He looked over at where their clearing started to see several purple armored soldiers firing from black bows. They had a jet black dagger hung at their hips and a heavily guarded chest.
"Surrender to me and it won't have to go the way it's about to Imperials," they all droned at once, the eerie monotone unsettling Aylmer.
"Which one? There are quite a few of you out there. I mean, it could be you on the left, or you there, or any of you really," a soldier joked with his sword drawn, staring down the shades.
All of them laughed at once, but not at his joke. "None of these hosts are who you should surrender yourself to. Dusk Storm is the one you should serve," they clarified.
Alymer strung the small crossbow he had in his sleeve, aiming it at the heart of the center shade. With one word, he knew he could attempt to dispatch some of the strongest shades in the current Kirldan. For these are the shades that overtook the capital at the beginning of this disaster and left Crion virtually friendless.
"Fire!" Aylmer screamed, right before firing his own bolt.
A volley of arrows was fired at the creatures of darkness, but they bounced harmlessly off of the armor. "If it's a fight you want, so be it!" They screamed, right before their bows were replaced with average sized swords. The soldier that had jested at the shades rushed forward in an attempt to protect his allies, but was soon counteracted. Aggravated at missing his shot, Aylmer reloaded and aimed at a shade that was about to strike down one of his soldiers. It managed to pierce through most of the thick armor, but just fell short of hitting the heart. Even though it was not sufficient to kill, it managed to put the shade's balance off just enough to give the soldier enough time to parry the shot.
Meanwhile, the jesting soldier was finally knocked to the ground. Just as the killing blow was about to be dealt, the shade was kicked aside by none other than Rah'zalt. A look of surprise was put on the shade's face, right before a gleaming sword found itself in the shade's heart. The soldier was equally stunned. The entire camp had received word that Rah'zalt had been captured and that Crion and Kirileth had disappeared.
"Get up, you'll do no good on the ground," the elf ordered, and the soldier complied.
"How are you..." the soldier started, but was cut off by Rah'zalt.
"You'll all learn later. Just fight valiantly and without doubt. I sense the strength of the Empire here," he replied, before rushing to aid another soldier.
Aylmer's crossbow had run out of bolts, prompting him to pull out his shortsword. He hung back for awhile, waiting for a good opportunity to rush in. Unfortunately for him, he never got the chance. A purple arrow pierced his heart, causing him to fall to the ground. After this, the battle turned around in the favor of the shades. In the end, the Empire was down to Rah'zalt, the jesting soldier, and Sh'ragya.
"Well well well," a voice sounded from behind the four of the seven shades that had come.
"What do you want Dusk? You've already won, we all know that. Come to gloat?" Rah'zalt commented, spitting on the ground in front of him.
"Not quite what you'd think. I'm actually here to offer you a choice. You can either surrender and work for me willingly, or I can make all of you shades. Your choice," Dusk replied, her inky black form walking around the trio.
Right as Sh'ragya was about to voice her choice, half of the elite shades were viciously knocked aside by a gleaming warhammer. While it did not kill them, it was effective in keeping them unconscious. Dusk was evidently surprised by this attack, as she turned her back to armed enemy soldiers. Sh'ragya pulled the last arrow from her quiver and fired at Dusk's heart, barely missing. While shades cannot die unless their heart is pierced, they feel every bit of the pain.
"How brave of you. To harm a leader of the force that has overwhelmed you. I gave you a choice to live, but I guess that will be..." she didn't have a chance to finish as the same warhammer that had hit her soldiers knocked her aside, causing her to dissipate into tiny black squares.
"Stupid shades! They stole some of my gold!" A dwarf yelled, an enraged expression on his face.
Rah'zalt immediately recognized who was in front of him, and quickly rushed over to him. "King Shrub! My apologies, but I thought you to be dead," Rah'zalt hurriedly remarked, followed by a scoff from the dwarf.
"I don't know what happened honestly. One moment I'm sitting in the palace, the next I'm in the middle of some road without my warhammer," Shrub replied, an angry expression never leaving his face.
"Did this road happen to be next to a cave?" Rah'zalt further questioned.
"It did, but I didn't go inside once I realized that I didn't any gold on me. I've been tracking these ones for awhile," Shrub commented.
"I think I know why you're here then," Rah'zalt told him.
The gray storm clouds rolled across the sky, a storm threatening to come in. Crion stood underneath a tree on the outskirts of the Everfree. He still hadn't joined back up with Kirileth and Sandrick, but he knew that they wouldn't mind. He had a place cleared in the dirt where he had been idly drawing artifacts from Kirldan.
"I've been trying to come up with a plan for a few days now, but I haven't got anything. If the shades do decide to attack, we need to get the princesses to help us. Even though there hasn't been a conflict here in a millenium, their power and influence could be the difference between life and death," Crion thought out loud.
While Crion was speaking, he had got the attention of a pony that lives in the Everfree. His mane and tail are charcoal black while his coat is blood red, giving him the appearance of a warlord. This pony's name is Valiant Defender, former royal guard for Princess Luna. He will be essential to this story, but enough of my rambling.
Valiant had been watching the copper colored stallion for a while now, ever since he had decided to come into this clearing. He had decided to confront him today, right as the storm started to move in.
Crion heard the storm coming right before the rain started coming down. He had never understood why Equestria had needed to create its own weather. He was thinking about when he would go back to Kirileth and Sandrick when Valiant came from behind, a sword strapped across his back.
"And who might you be?" Valiant asked, startling Crion. While he already knew the answer, he knew that a test of trust was in order.
"Crion Lightfoot of Kirldan. Might as well get introductions over with. Your turn," Crion replied.
"Yes, might as well. I'm Valiant Defender, former royal guard for Princess Luna," Valiant replied.
"Former? Why were you discharged?" Crion asked, mildly intrigued.
"I was discharged for insubordination. Apparently going against orders to save Princess Luna's life is a valid reason for insubordination," Valiant scoffed.
"Even if it was to save who you were protecting, you don't disobey orders. I know this firsthand, on both sides," Crion replied.
"Yes, well, I'd better get home. I've never been fond of the rain," Valiant commented.
"And I'd better get back to my friends. Until next time," Crion replied, turning to go back to where he had told Sandrick and Kirileth to go.
* * *
Sandrick and Kirileth hadn't had much luck. Although they had warned both Princess Twilight and most of the residents, none of them believed they were in danger. The only one out of all of them that seemed interested was a gray mare that they could never get the name of properly, as she was in a rush to get some mail delivered.
Around midday, Sandrick and Kirileth were starting to get annoyed at the citizens. Not only do they not care about their impending death, they won't listen to reason. After a lunch at a local restaurant(Kirileth was disgusted at what they has as food on Equestria), they set out to find Crion. They had been talking to no one but locals for days and, despite Crion's orders, wanted someone sensible to talk to. Luckily for them, they didn't have to go far before Crion found them.
"Bout time I found you guys. You were supposed to stay in town, not wander off towards a forest looking for me! Anyway, I think I may know how to stop the shades!" Crion informed them, his tone excited.
"Well get on with it then," Kirileth ordered.
"This land is governed by four princesses. Princess Celestia and Luna are the most powerful, and reside in Canterlot. Princess Cadence maintains the Crystal Empire to the north. Princess Twilight upkeeps Ponyville, the city we're in. If we can get their support, we could be able to win this war," Crion explained.
"Good plan, but how are we supposed to get nobility to listen. I know that they aren't always the most reasonable people," Sandrick pointed out.
"You forget who you're speaking to, Sandrick. While I agree with your assessment completely, I do find it a little offensive," Crion returned.
"What should we do about the princesses? Twilight doesn't seem to want to help, but swaying one of the more powerful ones would help sway her as well. We could talk to Celestia and Luna, as they seem to be the most powerful. On the other hand, we could talk to Cadence. While she is not as powerful, she is still influential and could help us get the three. The only disadvantage is that we would have to travel very far north to even talk to her. Even then, there is still a chance she won't help us, meaning we've wasted time. However...." Kirileth started, before she was interrupted by Crion.
"Yes, yes. Your reasoning is perfectly sound, but maybe we could save it until we are actually making a final decision."
Kirileth simply huffed and closed her mouth. After a moment though, her look of annoyance turned into one more of urgency.
"Crion, look out!" She shouted, just in time for him to dodge an arrow that would've hit his head. More arrows were continually fired from unknown locations, but it was clear they were missing on purpose. Sandrick tried to point this out, but he was too late. The arrows had created a symbol on the ground with the eerie glow they gave off.
"Get out of the way!" The paladin shouted, jumping out himself, dropping his sword. Unfortunately for Crion and Kirileth, they didn't make it out in time.
Kirileth was the first to start showing the effects. Her normally permanently annoyed expression went blank. Before the transformation could continue, a spear was thrown down the middle of the symbol, destroying some of the arrows. Kirileth and Crion were both blown in the same direction from the force of the spell breaking.
"Who dares disrupt?" A voice boomed across the landscape.
There was only stunned silence from the three visible ponies. Crion had suffered a large gash on his forehead where he had hit the side of a building, as well as some bruising around his ribs. Kirileth had gotten off lighter on injuries, as she had landed on him, causing the bruising. Sandrick hadn't been affected by the disruption, but his mind was still having a battle.
"Well don't just stand there, get the fools!" The same voice boomed at the trio.
Before the shades could reach them, arrows were fired in their direction. While most of them didn't do much damage, it was enough of a distraction to get Sandrick had retrieved his sword he had dropped. He drew it and slashed at any shades that came near. Thankfully, he didn't need to make a last stand, not yet anyway.
Valiant jumped down from the building where Crion had hit his head, a bow slung across his back. He quickly rushed forward and picked up the spear that was thrown, lodging it into the chest of the nearest shade. Shocked, Crion tried to get to his hooves to help, but was forced back down by Kirileth.
Valiant had killed all 8 of the shades that placed down the rune to trap Crion and Kirileth, and was finishing off the two melee that had been guarding said archers. He gave a glance over to Crion, calmly trotting over when he noticed him.
"It seems that we have met again, sooner than I had expected," Valiant assessed, pushing Kirileth out of the way to offer a hoof.
Crion raised an eyebrow at the gesture, but took a hold of it anyway. Kirileth was none too pleased, but decided against angering Valiant. When Crion was on his hooves, Valiant introduced himself to Sandrick and Kirileth.
"Well, it seems that that's dealt with, for now at least. I'm Valiant Defender, and I presume I owe you an explanation," Valiant sighed before continuing. "I'm a former royal guard for Princess Luna, and was discharged for insubordination. It was to save the princess' lives, but not in the way you would think. Instead of going against orders to hold ground or to not attack, I simply refused to do a guard shift. You may be wondering 'Well Valiant, how would not guarding the princess' save their lives?' A good question, and I suppose since we're in the same situation, it wouldn't hurt to tell you," Valiant paused. "I'm a member of a group of demon hunters known as The Silver Hoof. We had branches all over Equestria until the shades came along. The day I refused to guard, the shades had attacked our main outpost in Trottingham. They had requested my aid, but I didn't know how bad things were. I showed up with two of my best, expecting it to be an easy job, but we failed and my friends.. they...." Valiant started lightly sobbing at this point.
"I understand how it is to lose friends when fighting for what you believe in. I also know it's something you never get over," Crion offered with an empathetic smile, wincing when the gash on his head decided to start bleeding again.
"Thanks, but we have more pressing matters at the moment. If the shades have indeed learned how to traverse the dimensions the same way you three no doubt have, we are in some serious trouble. With every being shades corrupt, they gain more power. There's no telling how powerful they already are!" Valiant informed them.
"It wouldn't matter if they were weak! We know no efficient way to combat them. The only known way to slay a shade is by stabbing it through the heart, which is not an easy job," Sandrick commented, his tone worried.
"You are simply insufferable sometimes. Shades wear a special armor made out of a material called Darklace. It protects against most weapons, but not those made from Light-enhanced steel. It's more commonly called lies, and is very hard to create," Valiant countered.
"So, would there be a chance of us getting our hooves on some weapons made out of, well, lies?" Kirileth inquired, holding back a chuckle.
"The makers of Light-enhanced steel have gone into hiding, and it's unlikely that you'll ever find one. Luckily for you, I know a guy that can point us to one," Valiant assured.
"Then what are we waiting for, let's go get some!" Kirileth shouted.
Right around that time Crion collapsed, the gash on his head still bleeding pretty badly.
"Right after we get him to a hospital," Kirileth sighed.
"Val! Move it! It's time for your patrol!" A commanding female voice shouted at the red stallion.
"Look, Cap, I really don't have time for petty patrols. I have more pressing matters at the moment," Val shot back, grabbing a spear from a nearby weapons rack.
"Sergeant! I made it very clear to you that last time you shirked your patrol it would be your last! Either you get your flank out here and do your job, or I'll have you removed from the guard!" She shouted, again.
"Cap, I wouldn't expect you to understand, nor do I want to tire myself explaining a matter that you wouldn't understand. Just get the formalities over with so I can go," Val remarked.
"I give you a single 2 hour patrol and now you tell me something is more important than protecting a ruler of Equestria!" She yelled into Val's face.
"A ruler of a mostly peaceful land that hasn't had harm come to her in years?" Val asked, but not angering the other guard any more.
"Look, Val, just give me the key to the barracks and your armor. I don't want to continue this quarrel any longer than I have to," she ordered, quietly this time.
"They're on my cot, Cap. I'll be taking my leave," Val finished, walking out the barracks door.
* * *
"So, let me get this straight. Crion went to another place which is now about to be destroyed?" Shrub asked, getting a hesitant nod from Rah'zalt.
"Eh, sounds normal," Shrub commented, fiddling with a gold coin in his left hand.
Sh'ragya shrugged and motioned for Shrub to follow her. They walked off a little bit, not hearing what was about to be said to the soldier that was travelling with them.
"Look, we gotta get out of here. There's no telling how long we have left here. Is there any way to follow the general?" The soldier urgently asked.
"Citrine, listen to me when I say this. Don't just shrug it off like everything else people tell you. There is a serious danger here, and I'm too weak to help Crion in his endeavors. Sh'ragya and Shrub can come with you. You're going to need the help. I cannot accompany you, I've been weakened," Rah'zalt explained.
"Weakened?" Citrine asked, getting a piercing glance from Rah'zalt.
"Look, I said I would explain, but I do not have the time to do so. Just know that I have imprisoned the shade that has entered me. It is far too taxing for me to keep it up much longer. Get Shrub and Sh'ragya over here so I can send the three of you to the dimension Crion has entered," Rah'zalt ordered.
Citrine saluted, running over to get the two.
"Oh, Crion, what have you started?" Rah'zalt asked himself, chuckling.
"C'mon guys, it's time to get going," the soldier ordered the dwarf and the scout.
The trio walked up to the visibly frail elf and awaited the transportation. Rah'zalt raised his hands, mumbled a word that they couldn't quite understand, and they were blinded by a flash of white light.
* * *
Crion awoke on his back, a bandage wrapped around his head. He was in a bed of some kind, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to get up or wait to see what was going on. In the end, he settled for raising his head, only to have a splitting headache cause him to set it back down.
"Crion, you up?" Kirileth inquired, getting a chuckle from the wounded general.
"Unfortunately, yes. What on Kirldan happened out there?" Crion asked back, slowly sitting up to avoid the majority of the pain from the headache.
"We were attacked. Val saved us. Not much more to tell, you were there," Kirileth hollowly answered.
"I don't have time to be bedridden. How much longer am I supposed to be here? A couple days?" Crion queried, getting a chuckle from Kirileth.
"All in due time, Crion. I hear one of the locals heard about what happened and wanted to offer their... help," Kirileth said the last word with a heavily sarcastic tone.
"Oh for... look. Don't wanna know," Crion raised his hoof a little, instantly regretting it.
"Before you ask, Sandrick and Val went to go get those weapons Val was talking about. I'm not sure if you remember that or not," Kirileth informed him, getting another chuckle out of him.
"Of course. Figures. Look, seriously, how long am I going to be here?" Crion asked again, getting a few second laugh out of Kirileth.
"Oh, you know, just a couple weeks," Kirileth replied with a grin.
"You're kidding right? Surely they wouldn't hold me that long for a... head injury, right?" Crion worriedly questioned.
"From my understanding, they don't really deal with any sort of injuries in Equestria. The worst I've heard of is a few broken bones," Kirileth affirmed, getting a scoff from Crion.
"Medicine. Dead with it, dead without it," Crion recited, finally going silent, for about a minute. At that time, a certain purple alicorn burst through the door of Crion's room.
* * *
A humanoid figure bolted upright, sitting on a bed of straw underneath it. Nearby, a nearly burnt out candle flickered on a desk. The figure jumped up and leaned against the stone wall closest to him before starting to mutter to himself.
“I’ve been delaying long enough. The general has been injured, which can only mean Rilu draws closer. I promised that I would not interfere, but I have no other choice. Visarn must take action,” the figure whispered, a deep voice coming out.
The now very awake figure ran over to the desk and sat down on the stone chair, pulling the flickering candle closer to the center of the desk. An ink vial and a quill were extracted from a nearby drawer, the top of the vial getting uncorked. The figure worked diligently, writing for a short period of time before setting the quill down and sealing the envelope with a wax stamp.
“I do hope it gets to you in time, Visarn. They’ll need you for what happens next,” the figure proclaimed, putting the letter underneath his hand and watching as it disappeared.
* * *
Before one can understand the workings of the temple that this scene takes place in, one must understand why it was built. Hournar Temple was built as a stronghold to keep the Planes safe. Now that the Planes are threatened by the shades, Hournar Temple’s protectors must do what they can to ensure balance is kept.
“Visarn! Long time no see! What’s going on?” A man in a cook’s outfit shouted at the heavily armored paladin.
There were ornately decorated counter tops laid out for a few yards, implying that a lot of people were served in the area. A weapon rack was also behind the counters, holding a range of weapons from maces to bows.
“I finally get to get out of the temple! My father wrote to me saying that I’m needed on one of the Planes,” Visarn replied, grasping the other man’s hand in a handshake.
The cook put the wooden spoon he was holding on the gray counter in front of him, brushing his outfit off a bit and speaking to the paladin again.
“Nice. Just be careful out there. We’re mortal when we’re on the Planes,” the guy in the cook’s outfit warned.
“Don’t worry so much, Pyto. I’ll be fine. All I have to do is help a few fighters along. I shouldn’t be gone long,” Visarn shot back, taking a mace that Pyto handed him.
Pyto nodded his goodbye to the paladin before turning back to a cauldron. There were several different cauldrons, all of which were bubbling at varying degrees, but you get the gist of it.
Visarn walked over to the door that lead outside of Hournar Temple, grasping the golden doorknob. With a deep breath, he twisted it and opened the door. Visarn was greeted with a blue and green expanse of stars. Laid out before him were the gateways to the 7 Planes: Riyara, Equestria, Kirldan, some kind of alternate Equestria, Siikara, Earth(which is mostly composed of water. Seriously, who names these things?), and Kelosia. He walked over to the Equestria gateway and grimaced.
“I really don’t like doing this. At least I have an amazing sense of balance as a horse, I guess that’s an improvement,” Visarn chuckled to himself.
Visarn took a couple steps forward, then jumped in.
* * *
“No way. You’re telling me the leaders of Equestria don’t have assassination attempts?” Sandrick asked Val, a look of pure disbelief on his face.
“Not for the last half a millenium. Apparently, one of Celestia’s generals was killed in her throne room, but she was untouched,” Val affirmed, twirling his spear as he walked.
“Now that is a system of leadership that’s needed back of Riyara!” Sandrick proclaimed.
“I don’t believe an oligarchy would work with your people. You seem to be… quite focused on war,” Val pointed out.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Sandrick sighed.
“Ah, perfect. There’s what we’ve been looking for,” Val said, pointing to a small building in the distance.
“A shack in the middle of nowhere?” Sandrick asked, a look of annoyance on his face.
“Yes,” was all Val had to reply with.
Sandrick scrunched his muzzle, but didn’t protest further. When they reached the small shack, Val motioned for Sandrick to stop.
“I don’t know how well he’ll receive me. I’d suggest staying away from the door,” Val warned.
Sandrick stepped back a couple steps, watching attentively as Val reached up his hoof to knock. As soon as his hoof hit the weathered wood, the door opened with a grizzled earth pony behind it.
“Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying!” The elderly pony yelled out the door.
“C’mon Grolof! No ‘hey’ or ‘get off my lawn’?” Val joked, getting a grunt from Grolof.
“Valiant Defender. Course. Whaddya want?” Grolof inquired, throwing the door to the side.
“We need equipment. LIES,” Val blatantly informed him.
“Course. No one ever needs me for something useful. Get your companion in here and make sure he doesn’t touch anything,” Grolof angrily complied.
Sandrick and Val trotted into the ramshackle building, Sandrick having an offended expression on his face. Inside the shack, few furnishings could be found. There was a table with a broken looking chair in the right corner of the room, a stone fireplace in the center, and a kerosene lantern hanging from the ceiling. Grolof walked over to the lantern and pulled it down. The fireplace split in half and opened to reveal stairs leading downwards.
“Don’t touch anything,” Grolof repeated, making Sandrick a little annoyed.
“We heard you the first time,” Sandrick informed Grolof, making him let out a little chuckle.
“I know. It just seemed like you’re the type to not care about what you’re ordered to do,” Grolof shot back before descending down the stairs.
“What’s his problem?” Sandrick asked Val.
“Me,” Val answered with a grin before following Grolof.
Crion was sitting up on the side of the bed, the gash on his head stitched up and starting to look better than it used to. His sword was resting against the bed. Kirileth was idly playing with a balisong, occasionally slashing it around a bit. The light blue hospital walls were lined with charts and figures, probably due to the purple alicorn that was now pacing the room of the general.
“You came here from another dimension? Where it’s perfectly okay to just… do this to somepony?” Twilight questioned the still wounded general, getting a sigh out of him.
“That’s what I said. Look, I still don’t understand how we got here, we attribute that to Sandrick and whatever he did to get us out of that… messy situation,” Crion clarified, getting another confused look from the princess.
“Sandrick? The pony without a mark?” Twilight asked, her interested renewed.
“Uh. Yeah. I guess I didn’t notice he didn’t have one…” Crion agreed without much confidence.
“... but you two do! I have to see what makes you different from him! Don’t go anywhere!” Twilight spouted out, rushing out of the room mumbling something about needing more quills.
“Kirilith, for the sake of my sanity, could you please get me out of here? I’m perfectly healthy and I would prefer if I didn’t have to tolerate another… examination,” Crion nearly begged, getting Kirileth to chuckle.
“Why didn’t you just say so? I’ve been itching to get out of here, but you’ve been half dead and surrounded by blokes in lab coats! C’mon, we’re getting out of here. Where did those two say they were going?” Kirileth asked while she opened the window to his room that was on the 2nd story.
“They said they were going to visit an old friend of Val’s. Just get me out of here, and I’ll think of something to do while we wait for them to get back,” Crion replied, wincing a bit as he touched the stitched part of his head.
“We could probably survive the fall down, but with your sense of balance that’s not going to happen,” Kirileth commented as she looked out the window.
“Hey!” Crion objected before he was silenced by Kirileth continuing to talk.
“I could use my pitons to get us down there, but then I’d be responsible for damaging the exterior of a medical institute. I’m fine with having diplomats on my list, but buildings are a bit more… fixable,” Kirileth continued, finally putting the balisong away.
“I’d already determined that we can’t get out through the window. We need to get out of here by normal means or not at all,” Crion conceded, getting the unwanted attention of Kirileth.
“OR we would just run through the hospital,” Kirileth shot back.
Crion paused for a second and looked at her with a looked of pain and determination. “I’m not exactly up for running, but I’ll sure try. Let’s get going,” Crion affirmed, stumbling as he completely stood up and wobbled on the foreign appendages.
Kirileth, however, was a bit more acquainted to moving on hooves from a few days of running around while Crion wasn’t in a state of conversation; mainly when Twilight was examining him.
“Bloody… hurry your flank along, Crion. We don’t have time for you to dawdle!” Kirileth half whispered half shouted at the slow-moving general.
“I’ve been out of commision for days. What do you want me to do about that? I haven’t exactly walked on hooves for too long,” Crion replied with a little less volume than Kirileth.
Unfortunately for the duo, they were sighted by a nurse that was passing by. She jumped a little when she saw them and galloped away before they could get a word out.
“This.. this is your fault Crion,” Kirileth groaned before getting behind Crion.
“What are you doing?” Crion yelled out, perhaps a bit too loud.
“Just making sure you’re able to get out of here at a decent rate,” Kirileth threw back with a menacing grin.
That was all it took for Crion to immediately start to run at a much faster rate. Even though she was now running behind him, Kirileth outpaced Crion by a long shot. After a short time of running at a fast rate, Crion slowed down, winded.
“You really need to get acquainted with how your body works here,” Kirileth sighed, rolling her eyes as she slowed down to match Crion’s pace.
“Excuse me for not being physically fit because I was confined to a bed in a hospital for a week!” Crion shouted back, outrage seeping into his voice.
Their conversation was short lived, however. Stairs down to the first floor greeted them and, naturally, Crion tripped on the last stair.
“You could at least trip further up,” Kirileth jested, getting only a groan in response.
“Let’s just get out of here,” Crion mumbled, his head hanging a bit.
That’s when they noticed they had reached the lobby of the hospital and they were getting some very weird looks from the hospital staff.
“Uh, can we help you?” A receptionist asked in a very raspy voice.
Crion chuckled a bit before replying. “Can we get you a lozenge?”
The receptionist looked offended and Kirileth spoke up before things escalated.
“What my rather rude friend was saying is that he finds it amusing that your voice sounds rough. If you’ll excuse us, we should really be going,” Kirileth interrupted, not really helping the situation in any way.
“If you’re going to leave, by all means, the door is right there,” the receptionist somewhat angrily replied, pointing to the main doors.
Kirileth grabbed Crion’s neck and quickly ushered him out of the hospital. “What is wrong with you? You do not insult medical personnel!” Kirileth lectured, getting a chuckle from Crion.
“No, but since when am I the pinnacle of politeness?” Crion shot back, causing Kirileth to roll her eyes and crack a small smile.
“Just get moving. We’ll hide out until Val and Sandrick get back,” Kirileth ordered before trotting off.
* * *
“I told him not to touch anything. They never listen,” Grolof tsked, smiling at Sandrick’s current predicament.
On the way down the stairs, Sandrick had noticed a glaringly different part of the entrance to wherever the stairs led. Being the individual that he was, Sandrick decided to touch it, setting off a trap that grabbed him by the back hoof and dragged him into an opening that had appeared in the side of the stairs.
“Can’t take him anywhere,” Val commented with a grin.
“Look, I just saw something that looked wrong. How was I supposed to know it was a trap?” Sandrick objected, getting Val to chuckle.
“Grolof, what are the odds of you getting him out of there?” Val asked the elderly pony, getting a grunt in return.
Grolof had some kind of remote in his hooves. He pressed a button towards the center and Sandrick went flying out of the hole, landing on his back hooves.
“A warning next time would be nice,” Sandrick complained, wincing at the unexpected pain.
“There ain’t gonna be a next time, right? I don’t wanna piss off Gramps here more than I have to,” Val punctuated the commented by gesturing to Grolof.
Grolof just grunted and motioned for them to keep walking. Sandrick did not touch anything this time, but he did notice a fair bit of things that he could have touched. He just didn’t.
The stairs finally opened to what looked to be an expansive workshop. All sorts of wrenches, hammers, and tongs lined the wall that they were facing. There was a forge that had a ventilation system that led to the surface to their right. Near the forge were an anvil, a trough, and a barrel. Several coffers could be seen to the left, their contents unknown to Val and Sandrick.
“Welcome to the most basic workshop you’ve ever seen,” Grolof blandly stated, trotting over to one of the coffers and opening it up.
“Basic? Even the royal blacksmith didn’t have a workspace as big as this one!” Sandrick commented, an amazed expression on his face.
“Just be patient now,” Grolof said out of nowhere, pulling out a gray and yellow looking material.
“I assume that’s what we came here for?” Sandrick inquired, getting a nod from Grolof.
“That it is. Unfortunately for you two, I’m one of the only ponies that can still make it. You can either watch me tediously make your weapons, or you can tell me what you want and wait upstairs,” Grolof finished, pulling out various weapon parts like spear shafts, chains, and grips.
“Uhm. A simple sword will be fine,” Sandrick sheepishly requested.
“Hah. A sword, shoulda figured. I’ll take a spear Grolof,” Val informed the smith, chuckling a bit.
“Good. I presume that you guys aren’t the only ones who need equipment. That’s not how you operate,” Grolof assumed, pointing an accusing hoof at Val.
“Hey, he’s right again! Who knew? Your presumption would be correct. We need another sword and a dagger, if you would,” Sandrick supplied the answer, getting some of his swagger back.
“Good to know. Now get out of my workshop and wait upstairs, would you?” Grolof requested, watching as Sandrick and Val trotted away.
“Oh, and Val’s companion? Don’t touch anything. I mean it,” Grolof ordered with a patronizing tone in his voice.
“Yeah, ok old man,” Sandrick shot back, right before he triggered a trap that had him fall about 4 feet.
“Hey, Grolof! Do me a solid and don’t help him!” Val shouted back, getting a laugh from the earth pony.
“No problem, Val. No problem,” Grolof confirmed, getting to work on the weapons.
“Hey Val, for the record, I really hate you right now,” Sandrick informed the former guard that was going up the stairs.
“I don’t blame you. Who doesn’t?” Val chuckled again, leaving Sandrick in the hole.
Kirlieth and Crion were in a bit of trouble. Well, a bit might be sugarcoating it a bit. Since Crion is about as stealthy as a cart with squeaky toys for wheels, they were promptly found and detained by the barely competent Canterlot Royal Guard. It would’ve probably been less embarrassing if they were caught by Luna’s guard, but they weren’t.
“Remind me again why we decided it was a good idea to break out of a hospital?” Crion asked Kirileth with an annoyed expression.
“You’re the one that didn’t want to stay in a hospital bed. Next time, remind me to leave you behind. Why are we even being arrested again?” Kirileth inquired, turning to the guard that was escorting her.
The guard fumbled with a notepad before finally pulling it out and flipping a few pages. “Uh, let’s see here. Reckless endangerment and damage of government property,” the guard forced out, stumbling with the words as he said them.
Crion and Kirileth shared a look of confusion and glanced at the guard’s armor. There were no discerning marks, as far as they could tell, but he was undoubtedly a new recruit. They made no effort to escape, but they were thoroughly annoyed by the time they were halfway to Twilight’s castle.
* * *
Sandrick dusted himself off, groaning a bit at the fourth trap he’d fallen in on the way up. Grolof was in a rare bout of laughter, sharing in Val’s mirth. They were nearly at the top, with the three of them shouldering the burden of the weapons that Grolof made. Val was clasping the spear he had been made, using it to steady himself as the trio cleared the stairs and went up into his rather expansive hut.
“Well, it’s been one of your more… productive visits Val. Do me a favor and tell the others about it, will ya?” Grolof requested while chuckling, getting a bit more under control.
Val and Sandrick walked out of the hut and started their rather expansive walk back to Ponyville. Sandrick was limping, his left hind leg dragging. Val noticed it but decided against saying anything about it.
It was a few hours into their journey back and nothing eventful had happened. They decided to take a small break before continuing onwards. Val mentioned Sandrick’s limp to him, but the commander insisted he was fine.
As dusk was breaking, a pegasus fell, seemingly from nowhere. They rushed as quickly as they could over to it, Sandrick trailing a bit. The bronze coated, charcoal maned stallion was unconscious, for now.
“Where did he come from?” Sandrick thought aloud.
“I’m wondering the same thing. There were no pegasi a few seconds ago,” Val observed, curiously trotting over to the pegasus.
Val’s hoof traced the intricate golden armor that the pegasus wore, looking for any identifying marks. Not finding any, he moved on to his back, where a mace was strapped.
Without warning, the pegasus jumped up and drew the mace, which shone brilliantly. His yellow eyes blazed before he spoke, throwing an aura of power behind his voice.
“Hold!” The pegasus commanded, holding the mace intimidatingly with his front right hoof.
* * *
Pyto was humming to himself as he stirred the cauldron. He set the wooden spoon down and put the cast iron lid over the cauldron. The temple was dark, lit by a few candles dotting the kitchen. The door that Visarn had left from not too long ago burst open, surprising the chef. As quickly as he could manage, Pyto scrambled to grab the dagger hidden under the counter.
“Calm yourself, Pyto. We need to talk,” the new arrival called out, causing Pyto to set the dagger down.
“You need to stop doing that. You know that you can’t be here,” Pyto warned, rushing to the black cloaked figure.
“I know, but I need to get a message to Visarn, now,” the figure countered, fidgeting a little.
“He’s out for a bit. He should be back soon,” Pyto explained, causing the figure to lash out.
“What? No. He must be here. If not…” the figure trailed off, getting Pyto to scoff a bit.
“Look, I’ve put up with you and your prophecies for far too long. You were exiled because of it. Leave, before the rest discover you’re here,” Pyto suggested.
“No, you do not understand! What Visarn thinks is a simple job will cause the Planes to be rifted apart!” The figure threw a wax sealed scroll at the ground in front of Pyto.
Pyto picked up the scroll and inspected it closely. He brought one of the candles over so he could better see it. When he saw the seal, his eyes widened. “Rilu. He’s… back?” Pyto asked with a solemn tone.
“Yes, even though Visarn took the news as a joke. Rilu is planning to attack Hournar Temple. He has been since the first Paladins disbanded after the first war against him. I care not if you believe Rilu wrote that. He did. I do not have much time to commune. I need to prepare my own defenses,” the figure finished, turning to leave.
“Wait! You don’t have anything else? No suggestions, no plans, nothing?” Pyto desperately asked, reaching out towards him.
“No. You must deal with this on your own. Light guide you,” the figure finished, walking out of the temple door and closing it quietly.
Pyto sighed and strolled back to the counter where he set his wooden spoon down. Pulling another candle over and setting it next to the first to do so, he ripped open the wax seal on the scroll, revealing what was written. Pyto read the words written in black ink.
Residents of Temple Hournar,
I, Rilu Dark-Bringer, chief commander of the shades, happily inform you that you are the last stronghold of the former Paladins. While your allies persevered during their destruction, Riyara and Kirldan are no more. They fall under my domain now, and the other Planes will follow. Please do try and stop me, it always makes it so much fun. Even my pathetic son finds entertainment in it.
-Rilu Dark-Bringer
As Pyto finished the small but very meaningful letter informing him of his imminent defeat, he was tempted to get the other resident of the temple to come down and read. Knowing them the way he did, he decided against it. They were a bit touchy about Rilu since the last war and telling them he was back would end up with his head leaving his body.
“I am sorry, but I cannot stay here and get slaughtered. You fools are gluttons who haven’t fought in years. I will exit to the only place I know will be safe” Pyto whispered aloud.
The chef took off his hat and set it on the bar. He took his white coat off and carelessly tossed it aside, revealing a covering of leather armor underneath. The dagger that he had stumbled with earlier found its way into an intricate sheath, a central engraving of a crux its main feature. The sheath was slipped onto a cloth belt which then went around Pyto’s waist. The former chef then opened the door for one last time, spitting at the marble ground before shutting the door and taking off at a full sprint.
* * *
A thump sounded across the quiet dusk landscape as Visarn landed, his armor having perfectly fitted around his pony body. The mace that he had been given was laid horizontally across his back. Strangely enough, he heard voices and the clanking of weapons. Deciding it was best to stay still and wait to see what would happen, he limited his breathing to make it appear as if he was unconscious.
He could not see them, but he determined there were at least 2 of them. He missed what they were saying, but he did not miss the actions. A hoof traced his armor and went to investigate his mace. Deciding that he had had enough of being treated like a science project, Visarn jump up and drew his mace, startling the one that had been investigating him.
“Hold!” Visarn commanded, holding the mace intimidatingly with his front right hoof.
“Whoa!” Val yelped out, jumping back and drawing his newly crafted spear.
Sandrick also pulled out his new weapon, albeit a lot less gracefully. They examined each other for a while, Visarn being the one to break the silence that was hanging in the air.
“Valiant Defender, Sandrick Fiercestorm. Dishonored guard and commander, respectively,” Visarn spoke aloud, getting the duo’s attention.
“How do you know who we are?” Val demanded, moving closer to Visarn, holding his spear in a defensive manner.
“Good, good. I found you, perhaps a bit earlier than I intended. I was sent to help you,” Visarn cheaply explained, getting a scoff from Val.
“Sure. Next, you’re gonna tell me you’re some kind of hero who has nothing but good intentions,” Val spat out.
“In a way, yes,” Visarn replied, holding the mace in a less aggressive manner in an attempt to quell Val’s growing anger.
“Hah! I’ve heard it all before. Next thing I know, boom. Attacked and left for dead. Been there, done that. Now leave, before I have to employ force,” Val warned.
“You cannot take me, guard. You failed your one job and failed the only reason you left,” Visarn sternly retorted.
“Why you…!” Val shouted, before charging Visarn.
Visarn smiled at Val’s attack and simply dashed aside when he stabbed downwards, burying the spear in the dirt. Seeing that things were not going well, Sandrick stepped forward and tried to pull Val back.
“C’mon, we don’t have time for this. We need to get back,” Sanrick reminded Val, but it was for nothing as Val shoved Sandrick off of him and continued missing all of his attacks on Visarn.
Sandrick had had enough. He was ignored, confused, and half angry. Letting out a rare show of anger, Sanricks hooves erupted in a bright light yellow light that engulfed both Val and Visarn.
“Stop! Now!” Sandrick shouted, his voice booming.
The first show of the night sky was interrupted to the trio as the light that Sandrick cast lit up the surrounding area.
“By Luna! Sandrick, what are you doing?” Val yelled out, struggling to break free of the bonds that Sandrick had imposed upon him.
“I am preventing you from adding murder to your admittedly small list of crimes. Even if he is fake, we can at least kill him later. Right now, it is a good chance to hear him out before trying to kill him,” Sandrick offered.
“Fine, just let me out,” Val grudgingly admitted.
Sandrick obliged, retracting the light that he had thrust out.
“So, who did you say you were again?” Val asked, anger seeping through into his voice.
“Visarn Stone-Heart,” Visarn repeated, adding his title this time.
“Yeah, I have no idea what that means,” Val admitted, causing Sandrick to facehoof.