Beacon in the Shadows

Or

Cheerilee’s a Paladin

Chapter 10: Away from the Sun

By DigitDaemon

~~~~~

Cheerilee held on tight as Illiesia expertly navigated the many thermals and downdrafts created by the desert night. They had been in flight for almost two hours now and finally Cheerilee was able to make out the caldera in which the Coal tribe made their home. It was a great basalt crater with a narrow shaft in the center for the heat and smoke of the forges to escape. The caldera itself was surrounded by various siege weaponry. It reminded Cheerilee of a history lecture she had heard in college, the professor had said that though the Wyvern clans are peaceful with each other, they build a great many weapons as sort of a competition. Sometimes they would even go so far as to hold test of their machines capabilities, also in competition with one another. Cheerilee had thought at the time that they would be small cannons and what not, but she could easily tell from here that the Coal clan would be well prepared if war ever came knocking.

Illiesia looked over her shoulder at the fuschia mare, “Hold on tight, I’m going to take us straight to the great hall.”

Cheerilee immediately clutched as tight as she could to the wyverness and moments later the pink feathered reptile fell into a straight dive, passing perfectly into the center shaft. As they continued to plummet Cheerilee could see, along with her life, an extensive network of caves whizz past. Illiesia finally pulled up from the dive and and began soaring through one of the larger tunnels. Finally they came to a stop in front of two great stone doors.

Illiesia strided up to the guards at the door, “We need to speak with my father, it is of the utmost importance.”

The guard shook his head, “Your father ordered that no one interrupt him, even you.”

Illiesia turned back to Cheerilee and shook her head. The wyverness was built for speed, it was clear that she was unmatched when it came to the size and stature of the guards. With a flick of her head, Cheerilee’s paladin armor appeared around her.

“I am Cheerilee Punch, Paladin to Princess Celestia, and as such I am taking command over the Equestrian forces within that hall. As their commanding officer I demand entrance.”

The two guards looked at each other and then reluctantly opened up the stone doors.

Wasting no time, Cheerilee rushed inside and quickly taking stock of the situation, ran inside and tackled the guard nearest to Ghanthorph to the ground.

“Paladin,” the wyvern elder roared, “What is the meaning of this intrusion?”

Cheerilee looked up at the grey figure towering over her. “Sir, these are not Equestrian guard, this style of plating hasn’t been used since the Griffon wars.”

Cheerilee’s explanation was reward by a hard kick from underneath, that knocked her onto her side.

“Guards, seize these imposters.”

The two large wyverns at the room entrance moved with haste to combat the now present threat. The would be assassins were now wielding their daggers in hopes that they could use them to fight against the guards. Cheerilee swiftly recovered and rolled back onto her hooves, she drew her sword and paused to grab her shield before remembering the piece of Magi-Metal’s untimely demise.

Before anyone could act though, a young voice called out from up on one of the lateral supports high above the rooms dusty floor. “Mark.”

A loud crack sounded out and one of the assassins literally dissolved. Cheerilee looked up and saw Phox sitting on one of the beams, holding a large contraption to his shoulder. It looked as if someone had taken Braeburn’s rifle, doubled the length of the barrel, added a scope the same length as the gun, and then decided that it needed a rocket slung beneath the fore grip. And if that wasn’t enough the whole thing looked like it had been held together with scrap metal and scotch tape.

“Illusions,” one of the guards stated, and sure enough, all it took was walking up to the other three images and touching them to make them go away.

Ghanthorph swept his gaze around the room, he said in a troubled manner, “Then who made-”

Cheerilee heard and felt the shock wave of breaking rock just as she also felt a sliver of steel beginning to slide through one of the seems in her armor and in between two of her vertebrae. The pressure on the knife let up though and then vanish altogether, leaving the mare with a burning pain in her neck. She slowly crawled forward and then turned around. Behind her, suspend by an obelisk of stone, was her would be attacker. His body was limply hanging from the formation that now made up the majority of his midsection.

One of the guards walked over to the Paladin, and while steadying her with one hand, carefully removed the knife. She turned to him and gave him a smile and nod of thanks. As the shock of what had just occurred wore off, the people in the room noticed the presence of a new pony. He was casually leaning against the far wall, wearing a cloak that covered his head but left his face exposed. He had ash grey fur and a similarly grey mane.

Ghanthorph was the first to address the new comer, “Who are you?”

“A friend, one almost as old as the earth itself.”

“I’m not one who enjoys these games.”

“My name is Onyx Loadstone, Rogue Knight of the Earth. I have business with my fellow pony here.”

“You have saved her life, since she is a trusted ally, I will give you the same respect. But I want answers. What is going on here?”

“I believe the Paladin can explain that better than I.”

Ghanthorph turned to Cheerilee and raised an eyebrow.

Cheerilee, still shaken by what had just occurred, began to explain, “There is a faction, The Children of The Night, who wish to gain control of the Equestrian government. In order to weaken our defences, their leader sent this assassin to kill you and blame it on us, and by doing so, hopefully start a war between us. I fear that without confirmation on whether the plan worked or not, they will attack Canterlot soon. And we know for a fact that they have had some contact with the demons of myth, but we are unsure of their involvement. Just one of those demons would be too much for the entirety of our guard.”

Ghanthorph nodded gravely, “I see. They got more than they bargained for when they involved us. Illiesia, inform the war flight, we will send half our forces to the Equestrian capitol, On this day they have saved my life, and a great many casualties of senseless slaughter. It is time we repay them in kind.”

Illiesia nodded and took off through the door.

Onyx walked over to where Cheerilee was standing and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, “Please, remove your armor. I need to get a good look at that wound.”

Cheerilee nodded and complied, she hissed in pain as the wound was shifted by the absence of her armor. The gash in her neck was bleeding quite a bit, Cheerilee figured that she must not have noticed with all the excitement. Onyx Loadstone gently pawed at the ground as if trying to make a hole in the stone floor, and sure enough, he succeeded. He dropped a seed into the hole and then covered it back up.

“Please, place your hoof on top.”

Cheerilee did as she was asked and before long, a little green vine erupted from the soil and began to snake it’s way up her foreleg. When the vine reached the stab wound on her neck, it circled around the injury and gently pulled the wound closed. Cheerilee grunted as she felt the familiar stinging of healing magic working it’s way through the back of her neck. After a short wait, the pain dissipated, and Cheerilee was fit to fight once more.

Cheerilee turned to her healer and gave him a warm smile, “Thank you very much, for everything. I don’t think I have properly introduced myself, I’m Cheerilee Punch.”

Onyx Shook her outstretched hoof, “As I said, I am Onyx Loadstone, one of your legendary comrades, or I was.” Onyx scratched his chin in thought, “Tell me Cheerilee, have you heard of the Angel’s Blade?”

“The one that Justice created as it died?”

“Ah, the very same, I see I will not need to explain everything to you then. With haste however, we must find you this weapon, and I know where to look.”

“Celestia said you would.”

“Oh, so the sisters still remember me! That is a pleasant surprise, perhaps I should pay them a visit when this is all over. Regardless...” Onyx turned back to Ghanthorph, who was currently scolding the young, light blue Wyvernling.

“But grandpa, I actually helped-”

“Indeed you did little one, and now you can help by shoveling out the furnaces for the next week. It will be good for you to get a little upper body exercise anyways.”

“Yes Grandpa.”

Onyx cleared his throat to get the elders attention, “You have provided my people with a great gift. Your added defences will be a great help, but I fear I must prey upon your generosity once more. Would it be a possibility for the two of us,” He gestured to Cheerilee and himself, “To get transport to the Fire Rock Mountains?”

Ghanthorph nodded, “These two are not my fastest flyers,” he motioned towards the two guards, “But they have more than enough endurance to get you there.” The elder turned to the two guards, “See that they reach their destination safely.”

The guards nodded in unison and hunched over to allow the two passengers to climb on. Though the two guards were almost identical in size, it was apparent that the one carrying Onyx had noticeably more trouble bearing his load. Apparently Onyx’s attitude was not the only thing about him that was a hard and heavy as stone.

The two guards leapt up with large, powerful wing beats and flew out the door of the large hall. Before long they had cleared the mouth of the caldera completely and the two passengers watched from above as Wyvern warriors were beginning to hoist up the great war machines that lined the rim of the crater.

~~~~~

Braeburn restlessly paced back and forth on the ramparts of Canterlot Castle. It was close to midnight now, and he had spent the better part of the day helping to prepare the city for the coming battle. The city’s occupants had been making there way into the crystal mine below in a long orderly line, but from his vantage point, Braeburn could see that the fleeing ponies had gone from a great rush to little more than a trickle.

“Inquisitor.”

Braeburn turned and saluted Shining Armor, “Sir.”

“I am ordering you to go get some rest, you have helped immensely, moments ago our scouts confirmed that the city has been completely emptied, and that every resident is safe within the caves.”

“Sir, the attack could occur at any moment, I need to be ready.”

“From the looks of it you are ready, now I need you rested. I swear upon my honor that we will wake you up when the battle starts.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of heavy wing beats as Illiesia landed on the edge of the rampart.

“You are the pony from earlier,” the Wyverness turned to the captain of the guard, “I am afraid I do not recognize you however.”

“I’m Shining Armor, Captain of the Equestrian Guard. If you will excuse me however, I have many things to attend to. This city is about to erupt in war.”

“Indeed, it is for that matter that I seek you out. I would like to give you advanced notice that the Coal Tribe Warriors will soon be arriving with our machine of war.”

Shining Armor became even more white, if it was possible. Noticing his look of despair, Illiesia spoke quickly to alleviate his fears of a second attacking army.

“You misunderstand our motives, your paladin saved our elder’s life, and as thanks he has sent warriors to aid your own in the coming battle.”

The captain let out a sigh of relief.

“Now if you two will excuse me, I must return to my own forces, I only pray that we arrive in time for us to make a difference.”

And with that, the pink Wyverness was gone, but her presence was soon replaced by another winged creature.

“Captain.” Lieutenant Flurry Wing gave Shining Armor a crisp salute, one that was returned in kind. “You had wished to be informed when the Elements of Harmony arrived. I just saw to their smooth landing myself.”

“Good, I’ll head down there myself, no doubt that my sister is asking for me anyways. Inquisitor, I trust that you will see yourself to one of the guest quarters?”

Braeburn gave a weary salute, “Sure will.”

“Good.”

~~~~~

The Fire Rock mountains were not located far from the Canterlot mountain range. In fact, it was only a small valley that separated the two. The mountain range got it’s name from the sedimentary rock that peeked out from under the granite surface, which in the olden days looked like flames from afar. Legend attributed the flipped rock patterns to Terra’s anger setting them ablaze, and while they were infact flipped by the ancient goddess in anger, it was water and wind that had done it and not fire.

The two wyvern guards landed on top of a cliff side that led into a deep cave. The two ponies dismounted and the lead guard turned to Onyx.

“Here is one of my feathers,” he handed it to the rogue knight, “Burn it when you are done and it will will take you to Canterlot.”

“Thank you.”

With a nod, the two departed in the direction, leaving the two ponies alone. From the cliff they could see part of Canterlot around the mountain, and just before following Onyx into the cave, Cheerilee saw what at first she thought was a signal flare, until it began to arc back down striking the walls of the castle. The explosion was immediately followed by small bolts of magic raining back down from the ramparts on the ground below, which was obscured from the paladins vision by another mountain. The bolt’s of magic were not in reality small at all, but where the projectile of the MK7 Arcana Recoilless Gun, and each one carried the power of an average unicorn’s entire spell reserve.

Cheerilee hasted her pace to catch up with her cloaked guide. The two didn’t travel much farther before they reached the mouth of a small room carved into the wall of the tunnel. Onyx motioned for Cheerilee to enter, which she did, only to find the room empty. It was just a singular curved wall and ceiling carved into the granite. The Paladin turned in confusion to her guide who had yet to enter.

“Is it hidden?”

Onyx shook his head, “No, the blade is not within this room.”

“Then why did you take me here?”

“Because, you need to train if you wish to win the coming fight.”

“I don’t need to train, I need to fight, my comrades are putting their lives on the line out there. I can’t afford to spend valuable time in here, training! I’m leaving, I’ll find the Angel’s Blade on my own.”

“I was not lying to you, the blade truly does reside within these mountains. As for your training, well more of a test, all I ask is that you successfully leave this room.”

“So, I’m going to have to fight you or whatever?”

“No, I will make no effort to stop you leaving physically.”

Cheerilee gave an annoyed huff and began to walk out the exit, but she was immediately halted and brought face first into the ground. Her body felt as if it was thousands of pounds heavier. After a moment of labored breathing, the weight lifted slightly.

“Please back up, I would hate for you to just get recaught in it when I extend the field again.”

Cheerilee took a few steps back, “Thats not fair...Wait, so there is a secret way out?”

“Absolutely not, I fully intend that you exit the way you entered.”

Cheerilee gave the space in front of her a warning glare before running at jumping over the space. She was once again rewarded with a swift trip to the ground. As she walked back out of the field after Onyx shifted it she growled in frustration.

“It’s impossible. I’m not a unicorn, I can’t just dispel the bucking thing.”

“Cheerilee, you are familiar with Equestrian innate magical theory, correct?”

“Yes. All three races contain innate magic, Unicorns having the most, Earth ponies the least, yadayadayah.”

Onyx shook his head, “You are incorrect. Unicorns have the greatest potential to manipulate magic, but, not including the Element of magic, unicorns have the weakest internal magic. They rely on the currents of magic flowing around them to cast their spells. Pegasi are the next weakest, or strongest. They have innate magic that allows them to fly and makes them unnaturally light, but they to have to rely on outside magic when shaping weather. That leaves us with earth ponies,” Onyx Loadstone swept the hood off of his head, revealing much to Cheerilee’s surprise, that he was not a unicorn, but an earth pony like her. “Earth ponies have the greatest internal magic, it makes us hardy and strong. Surely you have heard tales of great warriors reaching the edge of their strength but being able to fight on? This is our magic.”

Cheerilee looked around at the cave walls in confusion, “But how are you able to cast spells then?”

“Perhaps you have heard a turn of phrase singing to the Earth? It originated with old farmers who would sing to their crops while they worked, this would weave their own magic into the plants and help them grow. I, like them simply sing to the Earth, the only difference is that for me, the Earth sings back.”

“So if you just wanted to give me a lesson on magic, why did you lock me in here?”

“The lesson you must learn is not by speech, I want you to find your inner strength. Only with it, will you be able to protect the kingdom in this coming war.”

Author's Notes:

Thank you all for continue to read. the story is beginning to spiral down, or more accurately beginning to spiral up to its conclusion. A special thanks to Womboman666 and RoyalInBlue for editing. Feel free to drop a fave or a comment. Please let me know how I have done so far, or if there is anything I can do to improve.