Apple Bloom lies curled up on a flimsy bed, underneath a thin blanket with her head resting on a flimsy pillow. The blanket is not enough to shield her little body from the cold wind blowing, and the constant creaking of wood and the tortured groans of the wind make it all the more difficult for her to keep her eyes closed.

“Wake up, Apple Bloom,” whispers the Shadow Foaling. Apple Bloom's eyes remain closed, but her eyelids and ears twitch from the voice. Then a set of fingers gently rake through her hair and a frosty puff of air cools her ear when the voice whispers next to her: “You still have to find me.”

Apple Bloom jerks awake with a sharp gasp and sits upright, eyes wide and heart beating quickly in her chest as she looks at her surroundings. Everything blurs as her eyes dart from one object to the next. All there is, is a bare room with a broken table and walls covered in holes and cobwebs.

A gust of wind blows against Apple Bloom, sending a shiver up her spine and a swarm of what feels like sharp footed spiders running along her body.

Apple Bloom shudders and covers herself with her blanket and looks over her should to see a frozen wasteland covered in snow and gray clouds. In the distance, a silhouette of a girl stands next to a tree, her hand placed against it and her tattered dress fluttering in the wind.

Apple Bloom's heart thumps in her head like a slow drum as she slides off the bed, wincing as her feet burn from the destructive cold covering the rotting floor. She wraps the blanket tightly around her body and approaches the window with shaky steps. Each step she takes makes the wooden boards creak and snap, and the whole time, the silhouette remains still.

A strong gust of wind blows debris past Apple Bloom, and she has to shield her eyes from the splinters and twigs, and when she lowers her hand, the shadow by the tree is gone.

Apple Bloom furrows her brows and leans out the window to scan her surroundings. The mountains in the distance are shrouded by the light gray fog, like a lingering smoke from a recent fire, and all she can see is desolation.

After seeing nothing but a wasteland, Apple Bloom sighs and retreats from the window to sit down on the bed, hoping to get a little bit of warmth. But, when she sits on the bed, the floorboards creak and she turns to the source to see the Shadow Foaling standing in the doorway, giggling.

Apple Bloom shrieks and falls off her bed, kicking up dust and sending a small bit of pain in her rump from her landing, and she scrambles to her feet and tries to back away from the foaling.

The Shadow Foaling giggles again and starts skipping towards Apple Bloom, humming and smiling cheerfully as her bouncing steps kick up small clouds of dust. Apple Bloom tries to find a way out, but when she goes for the window, she sees a stone wall where the window was, and when she looks at the doorway, she sees it is locked shut with chains blocking it.

“Are you coming to find me?” says the Shadow Foaling, now right in front of Apple Bloom's face.

Apple Bloom screams and stumbles back, tripping over herself and falling against the wall. She closes her eyes and seethes from the pain splitting her head, and as she rubs the back of her head she cracks an eye open to see the Shadow Foaling walking towards her.

Her steps are slow, but long-placed and she hums delightfully on the way over. Apple Bloom whimpers and tries to escape by crawling away, but the Shadow Foaling grabs her tail and pulls her back, despite the foaling's screams of protest and her fingers clawing at the floor. When she is in front of the Shadow Foaling, the specter turns her on her back and digs her knee against her neck and uses one of her hands to hold Apple Bloom's shoulder while the other holds her head in place.

Apple Bloom gasps and wheezes for air as her hands uselessly push against the Shadow Foaling's leg. The ghost merely snickers at her pathetic attempts to escape, though, and gently shushes Apple Bloom as her pitch black hand strokes her mane, freezing her hair and scalp. Despite the fear in her, which is evident in her big, gold eyes, Apple Bloom stops struggling and looks at the eye-less face, whimpering and swallowing as her tears freeze on her face.

“When will you find me?” asks the Shadow Foaling.

“Who-Who are you?” says Apple Bloom between her gulps for air.

“Find me and you'll find out,” replies the Shadow Foaling, adding as she leans forward and brushes Apple Bloom's mane again: “But you must hurry. He is coming for the Amulet, and if he finds you how can you find me?”

“Wha-Waht're ya talking about? Who... Who will find me?”

The Shadow Foaling's dark skin rips as her grin grows impossibly wide, exposing even more of her bright white teeth. “You know who. You better hurry, Apple Bloom. He's coming~”

Apple Bloom gasps awake with a damp towel pressed against her forehead, wearing a flimsy white shirt and brown trousers. She jerks upright in a large bed and pressing her back against a wooden headboard, heart racing and lungs short of air as pain and panic weigh down on her. Her whole body is throbbing, especially where she was stabbed, and she can feel the sticky scabs on her back stick to her white shirt, and all around her is an unfamiliar setting. She wrings the blanket covering her and brings it up to her chin as her eyes snap around, trying to figure out where she is. What she sees is a long, room full of empty beds with plenty of windows, and although there are plenty of torches and candles lining the walls, the room still seems darker. There is an earth mare next to her, too.

“It's okay, you're safe,” says the mare.

Apple Bloom stares at the mare, eyes wide in wonder at her beauty. She has a white coat and a pale, pink mane that she has tied in a bun on the back of her head, and kind, but tired, blue eyes. The earth mare is wearing a simple white dress with a red belt, and a white hat with a red heart stitched on it. Though, her white dress is stained with blood and dirt, and her pink mane is frazzled with loose clumps hanging past her eyes. The blood is unsettling to Apple Bloom, especially since she thinks it might be hers.

“My name is Redheart. What's your name?” asks the earth mare.

“I'm A... Honeycrisp.”

“Honeycrisp?”

Apple Bloom nods, and Redheart nods and uses a towel to wipe a tint of red off of her hands.

“You're a long way from home, Honeycrisp. What are you doing out here?” asks Redheart.

Apple Bloom remains silent, instead using her time to lean over one side of her bed, scrunching her brow and leaning over the other side. Both sides do not show her anything and her heart starts beating into a frenzy and her mouth becomes dry with the worst case scenario playing through her mind. Only when she crawls across the bed to check the foot does Redheart place a gently hand on her shoulder and ask her what's wrong.

“Where're mah clothes?” asks Apple Bloom quickly, snapping her teary eyes to Redheart and her hands gripping the end of the of the bed to keep her whole body shaking. It does not work.

“Oh. Oh, those clothes were ruined,” says Redheart. “They were torn and covered in blood. We couldn't clean those things, much less repair them, so I had our seamstress make you a new set.”

Apple Bloom sits on her knees and clutches her ears, shaking her head hard. “Oh, no. No. No. No. No. This ain't good. This ain't-” She looks at Redheart again, sniffling and whimpering and face becoming wet with tears. “Did mah friends make it? Were there other foalings? Did ya see any scary looking trinkets with mah stuff before ya threw it all away?”

Redheart blinks. “Actually, yes. You arrived here being carried by Shining Armor with a group of foalings, but I didn't see anything... scary on you, aside from your injuries. They're all waiting for you outside, actually.”

Apple Bloom furrows her brow in confusion, trying to wrap her head around the idea that the stinky drunk who choked her and held her hostage took her to a hospital after nearly being gutted in a field.

“From the looks of it, Shining Armor managed to perform a small healing spell on you that actually saved your life. Surely you would have bled to death before you got here if he hadn't done it,” replies Redheart.

“When ya said Shining Armor, didja mean a unicorn that reeked of alcohol and looked like he spent the night in the mud?” asks Apple Bloom.

Redheart sighs. “Unfortunately yes. That seems to be his new style, though, and there is no point in trying to change him, you can trust me on that.”

Apple Bloom sniffs and slumps in her seat, rubbing her neck slowly. “At least he was kind enough t' take me here.”

“That is true. Do you want me to send in your friends?”

Apple Bloom nods silently and Redheart goes to the door. She pokes her head out and tells the ones waiting on the other side that they can come in. Barely two seconds pass before she is almost knocked to the ground by a swarm of foalings, all cheering and rushing to Apple Bloom's bedside as fast as their little legs will allow. They are each carrying their weapons in a grossly mishandled way and with even less carelessness they toss them in a pile by Apple Bloom's bed and surround her with collective smiles.

Twist hops on Apple Bloom's bed and squeezes her in a loving embrace fueled by joyous relief, and despite the pain Apple Bloom is getting from the hug, she still giggles and awkwardly returns it. The others crowd around her, all talking over each other and asking how she is feeling and if she needs anything from them. Apple Bloom's cheeks and ears flush as a nervous smile spreads, and she gently frees herself from Twist, thus allowing her to breathe. As this happens, she barely sees Redheart leave the room, and once the earth pony is out and the door is sealed, she takes a deep breath and sulks in her seat.

“I'm glad you guys are alright,” says Apple Bloom, smiling thinly at all of them. “I don't know what I would've done if somethin' were t' happen to y'all.”

“We would've been brutally butchered alive if it weren't for Sprinkles!” says Button Mash excitedly. “You should have seen him! He was like swish swish stab stab stab swoosh swish swoosh stab stab swish swoosh swish swish stab swoshy-swish stab swoosh!”

The whole time Button Mash flails his arm like a sword, and with how he flings it around with the sporadic movements, Apple Bloom is glad that he is not holding a real sword. Especially when he smacks Pipsqueak's face with his arm hard enough to send him to the floor.

“Hey, watch it!” growls Pipsqueak as he rubs his face and stands up using the bed for support.

Button Mash cringes. “Sorry.”

Scootaloo snickers at that display. “Aw, toughen up, Pipsqueak, its not like getting punched in the face hurts too much.”

“Look, guys I hate to break this up, but I need to know: Did one of you take the Amulet while I was... er... resting?” asks Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle and the other foalings exchange looks, then they look at Apple Bloom with various levels of confusion.

“What amulet?” asks Sweetie Belle, her eyebrow cocked in question.

Apple Bloom's coat drains of color and her ears droop and her eyes grow wide as her mouth clamps shut. With Sweetie Belle's words, she realizes that she spilled the beans and now if Sombra's agents don't kill her, then Twilight will. The only consolation she has of the blunder is that Twist pulls out the blood stained bundle that the Amulet is wrapped in and reveals its Gothic design to everyone.

“This is the amulet,” says Twist quietly. She looks down while the other foalings crowd around each other for a better look, all mesmerized by its dark beauty. “After you got hurt, me and Sprinkles didn't know if you were gonna make it, so I took it for safe keeping.”

A faint whisper flows through Apple Bloom's ears. She can't make out the words, and since no one else is reacting, she guesses that she is the only one who hears it.

Apple Bloom holds out her hand. “Give it to me, Twist.”

Twist nods, obediently rewraps the Amulet and returns it to Apple Bloom, who quickly stuffs it in her pocket and deflates with a loud sigh. After that, Apple Bloom offers a small, toothless smile towards her awkward friend.

“Thank you for watching it, Twist,” says Apple Bloom. “But I'm here, now, so ya don't have t' burden yourself with it, anymore.”

“That's cute and all, but is that amulet thing the reason why we got killers going after us?” asks Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom lowers her eyes, nodding. “Yeah, I wasn't supposed to let you guys know, but now that I spilled the beans, ya might as well hear the whole thing 'bout the Amulet.”

Shining Armor watches from the comfort of an old couch as Redheart exits the room where Apple Bloom and the other foalings are. The excited and relieved voices of the foalings brings a small smile to his face, but he does not go inside, for he wants them to enjoy their own company for just a few more minutes before they leave into the Wild. Besides, he has his attention on Redheart.

The white mare is mostly as he remembers her to be. Her steps are heavy with determination and her eyes have that drive for selfless service. Though, with all the years gone between them, the glow she once had has dimmed considerably and that smile has been replaced by a permanent, tired frown. Or maybe she is still upset about him waltzing into her sanctuary, covering in blood and screaming at the top of his lungs for help in the middle of the night. Either that, or she still has not forgiven him for what he did. He knows his apologies didn't do much the last time except make their partings worse.

“Thank you for helping us, Redheart,” says Shining Armor with a small smile and his voice congested due to the bandages around his broken muzzle. It really makes everything stuffy and uncomfortable, and he is promising himself a great celebration when his face is fully healed.

Redheart, however, dismisses his words with an aggravated huff and tosses the bloody towel in a star studded hamper. It barely makes it in and she turns to Shining Armor, arms folded across her chest and her gaze hardening on him as she leans against the wall. This, in turn, makes the Banished Prince just a little uneasy. If he has learned anything over the years of his fantastic life, it is that a mare, when angry, can invoke quite a bit of pain.

“So, do you mind telling me why you came up here with a broken muzzle, pierced shoulder, and a half dead foaling?” asks Redheart.

“Well, you're sure polite today,” grumbles Shining Armor, thinking about how her tone is a clear indicator of his unforgiven status.

Redheart's expression darkens and Shining Armor stares back at her, discretely searching for anything that she can stab or bludgeon him to death with. Not that he can blame her, for he would probably do the same if he were in her place. Much to his relief, though, he does not see anything like that around, but there are always fingers. And feet. And teeth. Especially teeth.

“Look, some guy stabbed me and that foaling and broke my nose, and so I killed him. The end,” says Shining Armor as casually as he can.

“The fact that you said that so calmly is a cause for concern, Shining,” remarks Redheart, her frown shifting from annoyance to worry.

“Do you want me to break down in tears when I talk about killing others? Because if that's what you're looking for, you'll be waiting for a very long time.” Shining Armor gingerly sips his alcoholic beverage to keep the canteen from pressing too much against his bandage, much to the returning annoyance of the nurse. After he is done, he reclines in his seat and props his feet up on the small table, barely missing a basket nearly devoid of fruit. “Besides, why should I feel sorry for defending myself or others? That is just stupid.”

Redheart's jaw drops. “No, Shining, you are saying that you killed somepony as if you just saw a bird roost in a tree! That is why I am concerned! Why do you even have foalings with you?”

“How should I know? They just came out of nowhere and one of them got stabbed and I killed the guy that stabbed her. There really is nothing more to the story than that, so drop it.”

“Fine, I will go with that, but that does not change that you killed somepony when you didn't have to! A life is a life, Shining!”

Shining Armor calmly takes another sip of his drink. “Uh huh.”

“You can't just go around killing people-”

“Just like you can't go around stabbing foalings and breaking noses.”

“And not expect some form of retribution!”

“As proven not too long ago.”

“You could have just knocked him out, or let the guards handle the situation!”

Shining Armor scoffs a mean spirited laugh. “You're right, Redheart. How could I have been so stupid? I'll tell you what, next time I find a thug attacking a helpless person in the wilderness I'll just ask them to stay put while I grab the guard from the next town over to take care of the problem. While I'm at it, I'll even take the poor, beat up sap down the river to the biggest city I can find instead of taking them to the nearest place of treatment.”

Redheart's jaw drops and she releases an annoyed, high pitch whine. “What? Shining, don't twist my words so you can mock them!”

“I didn't twist anything. You're just terrible at logic. Besides, did you honestly think I would carry a half dead foaling with me all the way to you with my face broken if I was in Breeze where a doctor lives?”

Redheart is silent and Shining Armor expels a loud sigh before taking another swig of his drink.

“I guess you did,” says Shining Armor as he screws the canteen's lid back on. He then pulls out a pouch, dumps out five gold coins in his palm and sets them on the table. “And before our conversation goes any further, here's the payment for the foaling and my face and shoulder. Once she is good enough to walk, I will take her and her band of merry midgets off your hands and you'll never see my face again.”

Redheart snorts and snatches the coins. “Good.” After inspecting the the coins, she looks at Shining Armor, frowning questionably. “Why did you give me six gold? The treatments were five combined.”

Shining Armor holds up his canteen and shakes it, creating a sloshing noise of the little remaining alcohol splashing in its inside. “I need a refill. And I'm expecting my change back, too.”

Rainbow Dash and her company of six soldiers land in the middle of a courtyard paved with cobblestone and lined with thick, green trees and brightly colored flowers. On one side is group of picnic tables, where a cluster of shocked earth ponies stare at the dark armored pegasi. On the other end is a blacksmith shop, complete with the sweaty, overweight stallion working tirelessly at beating away on the superheated metal. That is, until he notices the group of soldiers briskly walking towards the large, wooden door that leads to the infirmary, conveniently placed in their path.

Rainbow Dash can feel a smile creeping on her muzzle as she cracks her knuckles, thinking about how easy the job will be. It certainly will not be anything to brag about at parties, but all she has to do is throw in a few extra details. Maybe some evil spirits or a gang of mercenaries to spice things up at the next feast.

Along the way to the infirmary, Rainbow Dash passes a fountain with a marble statue towering over it. The water is clear, the fountain containing it is simple with only a crossing sun and moon as its carving, and the statue is of an alicorn mare in a flowing robe. Her head is bowed, her flat mane reaches just past her shoulders, and cupped in her hands is an inkwell with quill pen inside. The water comes from the inkwell and cascades off her hands, where it crashes in the water below to make a melody that puts weary travelers at ease.

Or those who seek comfort, anyway.

For travelers like Rainbow Dash and her company, there is no rest for them until they reclaim what was stolen from them.

Once Rainbow Dash reaches the door, she pushes it open with both of her hands and coolly struts inside a lobby as the door groans open to signal her arrival. The ponies inside are at varying degrees of ill health. Some are so fatigued they can barely sit without falling over, others are wearing cheap bandages and homemade splints, and very few actually appear to be in good health, but are choosing to spend their time sitting in an infirmary lobby instead of doing something productive. Though, whatever their conditions may be, they all look at the group of pegasi with the great majority paling in fright and the remaining few appearing to be curious. Some of the ones that rightfully show fear move as far away from their path as possible while the confused look at each other before staring back at the uninvited guests.

“Listen up, all of you!” barks Rainbow Dash as she slowly walks down the main aisle of the lobby. “I am looking for a group of foalings that stole weapons from the Hurricane Clan!”

To make her display better, she eyes every patient sinisterly, and each step she and her soldiers take make a threatening ruckus of metal shifting and grinding against each other. She keeps her hand on the hilt of one of her blades, drumming it in anticipation as her ears flick to the many sickly coughs and moans in the lobby, just waiting for that one person to do something stupid.

“One of them is probably injured, or dead, I don't care which, but they would be with at least five others,” continues Rainbow Dash. “If you hide these thieves from us, or do not cooperate with us in any way, I will personally burn this place down.”

One of her soldiers, a gamboge stallion with light blue eyes and a dark blue mane, leans over to her, whispering: “Isn't that going a bit overboard?”

Rainbow Dash holds up her fist and speaks harshly without looking at him. “Quiet, Flash.” She picks up her pace and grabs the shirt of a random, taller earth pony with black eye, a bluish gray coat and a dark gray mane with a trio of four leaf clovers as a pendant on his necklace. “You! Have you seen any foalings around here?”

The stallion grins, revealing some missing teeth. “No, but I saw somepony taller than you.”

“This is a monastery, how do you not have alcohol?” inquires Shining Armor.

“Yes, we're a monastery, a place of spiritual retreat and revival of the flesh and soul! A place for the sick and needy! We don't carry what you want! The closest we have is ceremonial wine, which is not for sale,” answers Redheart.

Shining Armor frowns and holds out his hand expectantly. “Then give me my gold back.”

Redheart throws the gold coin back at Shining Armor, and he catches it with one hand. Before he can put it away, a certain bluish gray stallion flies through the door and rolls across the floor, carrying with him splinters of its remains.

Redheart shrieks and jumps back, and Shining Armor leaps to his feet, jumps over the table and slides in front of the nurse with his broken blade drawn. Seconds later, a blue pegasus mare with a rainbow mane clad in dark armor stomps in, adjusting the gauntlet on her forearm and scowling fiercely.

Upon seeing the mare, Shining Armor motions Redheart to get further back and steps in front of the door leading to where the foalings are staying.

“And just what are you doing here, Maiden Dash?” sneers Shining Armor.

Rainbow Dash squints her eyes at Shining Armor, having to tilt her head up in the process, and after she realizes who she is talking to, she scoffs and finishes fixing her gauntlet. “Well, if it isn't the Banished Prince of Unicornia. I thought you'd gone and drank yourself to death by now.”

“I have a high alcohol tolerance. But what are you doing here, Colored Witch? Are you here to sack another settlement in the name of your father? Or do you just feel like wreaking havoc to stave your boredom?”

Rainbow Dash snorts and stomps forward, stepping on the stallion she threw along the way, getting a pained grunt from him when she digs her metal boot in his back.

“Actually, I'm here to reclaim weapons taken by some foalings,” she says.

Shining Armor seethes mockingly. “Ooh, well, hate to tell you this, but there aren't any foalings here, so fly off and tell that barbaric father of yours to choke on a fish bone!”

Rainbow Dash growls and grabs the hilt of one of her blades. “You think you're some big, tough guy for insulting my father!”

“Bigger and tougher than you, shorty!”

Rainbow Dash's eye twitches, her growl grows louder and her teeth grind together as her hands grip both blades, all while her soldiers pour in behind her. They all have their hands on their weapons, ready to draw at a moment's notice, with a couple guarding the door and the other four taking a corner of the room, keeping an eye on Shining Armor and Redheart.

“Chose your next words carefully, horned freak,” says Rainbow Dash through her teeth.

Shining Armor flicks his eyes to Redheart, then braces himself as he rolls his injured shoulder and charges his horn.

“Redheart, get in the room and lock yourself inside. Things might get-”

The door creaks open and Sweetie Belle pokes her head out. “Hey, what's going on out here?”

Shining Armor glares at the unicorn foaling with his eyes burning pure, righteous flames of rage and his whole face scrunches up in a horrible snarl that makes his face darken from its wrinkles.

“Are you an idiot!” screams Shining Armor.

Sweetie Belle squeaks shamefully and moves to close the door, but she barely moves inches when the short pegasus grins and flies forward in a burst of a rainbow colored streak. The force of the passing wind knocks Shining Armor and Redheart to the ground, and he watches helplessly as the white foaling shrieks in fright and pain from being tackled by the brutal pegasus.

Shining Armor scrambles to his feet, and with a bright light from his horn and his palm slamming against the floor, the pegasi that advance are blasted off of their feet by a telekinetic blast. Some hit the wall, one flies out of the room, and another that got really close, spins in the air and lands on his stomach on the table, completely shattering it.

After that, Shining Armor hops to his feet and puts up a shield that covers Redheart and prevents the soldiers from advancing. He then runs in the room where Apple Bloom is, sword at the ready, only to see Rainbow Dash lying on the ground, swearing up a storm as the foalings beat her with chairs and stools. Or, in Scootaloo's case, a shovel for scooping ashes out of the fireplace.

The stolen weapons are laying not to far from them, unused for some reason, but Shining Armor is silently happy that Maiden Dash had not been stabbed to death by foalings. That would lead to a genocide of their little race and the complete razing of this region for sure.

With the war cries, screams of pain, and impacts of crude weapons against armor and flesh, Shining Armor's eyes flick around to search for Apple Bloom, and spots her safe and sound. The Amulet Bearer is sitting behind her bed, with her big, orange eyes barely peering over the sheets with Twist next to her protectively. A sigh of relief leaves Shining Armor, glad that she hasn't been injured again, and seeing her safe, the exiled unicorn turns his attention to the other foalings and their assault on Rainbow Dash.

Shining Armor winces when Button Mash clambers on the mare's back and tugs her leg back as far as it can go while Pipsqueak hits her the back of her head with his stool. Her sharp cry worsens when Pipsqueak climbs on her back and attacks her wings, with his feet digging into her flesh and bone to hold one of her wings down and his hands wringing the other wing as hard as he can.

“Hold her down!” orders Scootaloo over the colorful mare's agonizing screams and begs of mercy.

“You runts are so-” Rainbow Dash is interrupted when Scootaloo hits her in the face with the little shovel. “OW! By Faust, you are evil foalings!”

“Silence, fiend!” snaps Sweetie Belle, stomping on the warrior's hand right after.

Rainbow Dash howls in pain and thrashes more violently on the ground, but with the onslaught of shovel whacks, wing-pins and leg holds, she can only do just that. Thrash and hope mercy is granted to her.

As the scene carries on, Shining Armor's wince molds to a devious smile, and he looks over his shoulder to see the pegasi soldiers trying with futile efforts to break his shield. Seeing that comforting sight, he takes a breath and sits in front of Rainbow Dash, really wishing he had an apple that he can eat in front of her, but he settles with just himself.

“Okay, foalings, you can stop,” says Shining Armor, now gently kneading his shoulder.

They stop after a few more whacks and tugs, but when they are done, Rainbow Dash is lying on the ground, twitching and covered in rectangular shaped ash spots all over her face and body. He can tell she is in pain by the tears in her eyes and how she is trying to mask her pain with a defiant snarl, despite her tiny whimpers.

“Well, Maiden Dash, you seem to be at a problem,” begins Shining Armor coolly. “You are trapped in here, outnumbered, beaten by foalings and now at our mercy. Your honor and reputation is basically dead, now. Like mine.”

Tears roll down Rainbow Dash's cheeks as she growls at Shining Armor and digs her fingers into the floorboards to make an attempt to crawl to him. But a quick whack to the back of her head by a chair from Sweetie Belle makes her stop and get a taste of dirt and wood.

“Son of a whore!” curses Rainbow Dash painfully, sniffing up blood that leaks out of her nose.

“Wait. Maiden Dash? As in Rainbow Dash?” asks Scootaloo whimsically. She looks at the captured soldier with a sparkling glow of joy in her eyes and a broad, toothy smile growing. “Are you really Rainbow Dash?”

“How many other pegasi have rainbow manes?” sneers Rainbow Dash through gritted teeth.

“Anyway~” continues Shining Armor before the question can be answered, “the outcome can be one of two things. You can either submit and let us walk out of here with the weapons, or you can be defiant, in which case I will have that crazy one-” He points at Scootaloo “-beat you to death with that little shovel.”

“She'll do it, too,” adds Sweetie Belle.

“What? No I won't!” blurts Scootaloo.

Shining Armor narrows his eyes at her, really wishing she will be cooperative just this once and not ruin his bluff.

“She killed a guy with a teacup!” continues Scootaloo with an ecstatic squeal. “I can't kill somepony that amazing! Especially with an ash shovel!”

A proud smile tugs on Rainbow Dash lips as she looks at the pegasus foaling. “You heard about that, huh?”

“Who cares!” yells Sweetie Belle. “Did you forget that she attacked me and that she licked the blood of her teacup victim off of herself!” Rainbow Dash's eyes widen with shock as Sweetie Belle leans over her and adds in a menacing tone: “She's too dangerous to live.”

After hearing that, the rainbow pegasus squirms under the foalings, causing them to spring back into assaulting her with more ferocity that leads her to yelling out in agony.

“Owowow! Wait! Wait! Wait!” cries Rainbow Dash quickly, grunting in pain when Pipsqueak really puts the pressure down on her wings. “I don't know who told you I licked blood off of myself, but that is a lie! That is a boldfaced lie!”

“That's not what that one guy said!” counters Button Mash.

“And who is this 'one guy' you speak of? I'm going to kill him for tarnishing my name!”

“I can't remember. I think it began with an 'X'.”

“Maybe it was a 'Z'. They sound the same,” says Pipsqueak.

“No they don't!” snaps Sweetie Belle.

Pipsqueak glares at Sweetie Belle. “Yes they do!”

Rainbow Dash groans and slams her face against the hardwood floor. It is at that moment that Apple Bloom suddenly winces and slides to the floor, clutching her side and grinding her teeth in pain. Redheart and Shining Armor are quick to see this, and they rush to Apple Bloom's side while Twist grips her friend's shoulder and tries to get her to look at her. The agonizing whines of the injured foaling is enough to make everyone stop and look at her, too.

“Apple Bloom, what's wrong?” asks Twist worryingly.

“I don't know,” whimpers Apple Bloom, her eyes shut and head bowed as her hand clutches her side.

“Redheart, what's going on with her?” says Shining Armor, now gripping Apple Bloom's shoulder.

“I don't know,” says Redheart. “Honeycrisp, I need you to describe the pain. Can you do that?”

Apple Bloom's eyes suddenly open, and she stares straight ahead at the wall, panting and shivering with her eyes glistening and reddening from tears. She then pushes herself up against the wall as tight as she can go, and then curls up on the floor sobbing and shaking more violently than before while she grips the Amulet closer to her chest.

“Hey, what's going on over there? Is she giving birth or something?” asks Rainbow Dash.

“Quiet, fiend!” snaps Sweetie Bell.

Pipsqueak hops off of Rainbow Dash and runs to Apple Bloom, sliding in front of her and gently stroking her mane.

“Apple Bloom, what's wrong?” asks Pipsqueak,

“He's here,” whispers Apple Bloom, her voice quivering and cracking as she rocks herself. “He's here. He's going to kill me. He's going to- I don't wanna die!”

Pipsqueak hugs Apple Bloom close and lets her cry in his shoulder as Shining Armor gets up, his face wrecked and when he gets close to her, he hears a ghostly whisper in his ear.

“Surrender me,” orders the voice.

Shining Armor stiffens and grips his blade until his knuckles feel like they are going to crack, and Apple Bloom creams in pain and hugs Pipsqueak tighter as she wails in his grip.

“Isn't there anything you can do?” asks Pipsqueak in a panic to Redheart.

Redheart shakes her head. “All my medicine is outside the shield!”

“I can feel his blade! It feels like its going through me again!” sobs Apple Bloom.

The Banished Prince's worried expression shifts to a grim look, and he marches over to Rainbow Dash and ushers the remaining foalings away, then he helps her to her feet. She sniffles and wipes blood from her face, then casts a very hateful look at Sweetie Belle, but she does not get to say anything for Shining Armor speaks first.

“Maiden Dash, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to get Redheart and these foalings out of here to Armonia as fast as you can,” says Shining Armor.

Rainbow Dash sneers. “Now why would I do that? You guys stole from my clan, completely humiliated me, and now you want me to help? No. Not going to happen.”

Shining Armor takes a heavy step forward, grabs the pegasus' wrist and pins it against her chest as he slams her against the wall, getting a yell from Redheart for him to stop, but he ignores her. Rainbow Dash's hand shoots down to grab one of her blades, but he grabs that hand to and slides it up and over her head, then presses her as hard as he can against the wall so that their muzzles nearly touch.

She grunts and squirms, and tries kicking free, but with her small build and her current position, she does little except annoy the unicorn. She only stops when Shining Armor pulls her back, then slams her against the wall again, getting a sharp cry of pain from her and leaving her trembling and looking at him with beady, terrified eyes.

“Listen her, Colored Witch,” snarls Shining Armor, getting really close to her face so that she has to look away unless they want to lock muzzles. “You can hate me and my family and every living thing in this world for all I care. You can even take those weapons. I don't care! All I care about is that those foalings get to Armonia safely. I can guarantee you that if those foalings die, your father, your pathetic civilization, all of it will burn!”

“Why don't you just take them yourself and give me the weapons?” says Rainbow Dash, grunting and writhing under his strength in a futile effort to free herself.

“Your weapons cannot hurt what is coming. Mine can. I need to stop them before they hurt anypony else.” Shining Armor looks at the group behind him, and seeing their terrified expressions, he sighs, releases Rainbow Dash and steps back, letting her fall to the floor and suck in air. “I will cover you, and if you do this, if you get Redheart and those foalings to Queen Celestia swiftly and safely, then I will be in your debt, and I guarantee you that the Queen will compensate you accordingly.”

Rainbow Dash huffs and glares at Shining Armor, her hand tenderly rubbing her neck. “Do I have your word of this debt and reward?”

“You do.”

Rainbow Dash searches Shining Armor's face, and he meets her harsh gaze with one of his own. A moment later she looks at the foalings and Redheart, being sure to give Sweetie Belle an especially evil look, which she returns in kind. Another few seconds pass before she nods and extends her hand.

“It is settled, then. I'm sure I'll think of something for you when we meet again,” says Rainbow Dash, now sporting a mischievous grin.

Despite hating the grin and all the evil it holds, Shining Armor still takes the Colored Witch's hand and shakes it crisply.

“I'm sure you will,” he says as he cautiously lowers the magical shield.

Without taking her hand off of Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash adds: “Oh, there is one more thing I need to add before I go.”

Shining Armor does not even get a chance to form a word in his thoughts when a metal boot suddenly flies up straight into his gonads. His eyes bulge and his fur and mane stand from a very, very, very painful, hammer against peanut devastation against his manhood, and he clutching the mare's shoulder for support, coughing and swearing. He feels like he is going to puke from the sheer pain, and Rainbow Dash shoves him off of her shoulder, making for a very hard landing on the floor that feels like pillows compared to what he is suffering through at the moment.

As he lies on the ground, squeezing his gonads and curled up in the fetal position, trying not to cry, Rainbow Dash kneels next to him and flashes a toothy grin of an unpleasant nature at him.

“That was for my humiliation and for trying to protect those thieves,” she says. She pats Shining Armor on the cheek and adds: “But don't worry, I gave you my word about your friends, so I'll get them to the Queen safely. Have fun fighting the spooky guys.”

“You wench,” moans Shining Armor.

Rainbow Dash snickers and stands up, adjusts her gauntlets and steps forward to eye the group of foalings and Redheart. All the mini-ponies have huddled by the nurse, who is trying to hug them all and she is staring at the pegasus, failing miserably to look fearless. It is actually the complete opposite, and when the other pegasi soldiers rush in, they either aim their blades at Shining Armor, who is just now getting back up, or they rush to their commander's side.

“Leave him,” orders Rainbow Dash. The soldiers immediately step away from Shining Armor, and she points at the bundle of weapons on the floor. “Big Shot. Buddy. Take those weapons back to my sister immediately and let her know that I will arrive later. The rest of you are coming with me.”

“Any specific time of your return, ma'am?” asks one of the designated ponies as they pick up the weapons.

Rainbow Dash smirks and walks closer to her new package of terrified ponies until she is towering above them. “No, but also tell my father that I'll be in Armonia and that I will be getting us some awesome gifts from the alicorns very soon.”

Starswirl and Medallion approach a walled off monastery that has a red cross with hearts in its corners painted above the entrance. Compared to most settlements with walls, this one is small, much like Breeze's. It is only big enough to allow one single horse drawn carriage in at a time, and the gate is pathetic. It reminds Starswirl of someone taking a door to a commoner's home, painting it in pretty colors, then putting it up and calling it a gate. Though, when he sees the 'Come One, Come All' above the entrance, he deducts that the lack of security is due mostly to that silly statement.

“Starswirl, your hand is still shaking,” says Medallion.

Starswirl curls his hand into a fist, but it does not stop the shakes. “I'll be fine.”

“It's been shaking the whole trip over.”

“I'll be fine.”

Medallion hums. “What will we do if we encounter the one with the Blessed Blade?”

“Leave him to me. I will distract him while you get the Amulet. He cannot be two places at once and as long as we keep him away from the Bearer, she will have no way to protect herself.”

“You are going to fight the one that killed seven of us with your shaking hand?”

“If it comes to it, yes.”

“Perhaps I should engage him myself. My hand is still steady, unlike yours.”

“But you are nowhere near as good as me, even with my disadvantage, so the plan remains the same.”

The two Windigos reach the front of the Monastery and Starswirl places his hand against the door while Medallion sprouts an ice blade.

“Tonight, we reclaim the Amulet for our king,” says Starswirl.

He pushes the gate open and the tortured groan of old wood and metal echo over the Sanctuary courtyard. When the door is fully open, he spots an empty courtyard with only a decorative fountain making soothing splashes, but other than that, not a soul is to be found.

Starswirl motions Medallion to break off, and he silently obeys, only for him to curse in a foreign tongue and barely block a broken blade from slicing his head off. He is then kicked in the gut and he stumbles back into Starswirl, who also loses his footing, and both barely have a chance to dodge another swipe. The broken blade comes close enough that Starswirl can feel the air slice in front of his nose.

He rolls out of the way of another swipe and when he gets back on his feet, his heart is racing and his breathing is ragged. Medallion is not to far away from him, and both sprout their weapons and aim it at their attacker, who is glaring at them with pain corrupting his features, his muzzle bandaged and the blood of their brothers staining his attire.

Despite his eyes narrowing, Starswirl's lips curve into a toothy smile and he coils himself for a launch, eager for a rematch. “We meet again, my heir.”

Shining Armor growls from a mix of his shoulder's throbbing pain and the boiling anger inside. He knows for a fact that he slaughtered a whole group of them, and now two more Windigos have caught up to them.

“How many of you are there?” says Shining Armor.

The Windigo who had the audacity to call Shining Armor his heir steps forward. “Our numbers are not your concern. All you need to know is that you are outnumbered and outmatched.”

Shining Armor forces a laugh that only serves to make his pain and anxiety more apparent, and he still slides his foot back to stabilize himself and he brings both of his hands to his blade's handle. “Outmatched? Really? I already killed ten of you, and I won't mind killing two more!”

“There was nine of us, and you may have killed seven, but my companion and I still stand!” The Windigo steps forward, his arms outstretched with his free hand becoming encased in icy claws and his eyes glowing blue from behind the shadow of his hood to illuminate his smile. “Now, I have an advantage. I know your tricks and you are injured. You are probably here to stall us until the Bearer escapes, but fate will unite the Amulet with the King one way or the other!”

Shining Armor's eyes narrow, and despite his best efforts, he can't keep his lips from twitching or the beads of sweat from trickling down his neck. His shoulder and muzzle throb like separate hearts wanting to pop out of his skin, and the gleaming claws and blades of the Windigos is not making him feel any better about this.

“Fate, huh?” chuckles Shining Armor, taking another step back and his eyes darting between the cloaked demons. “Do you want to test your fate, today?”

“Why not?” says the Windigo with the claws.

The clawed Windigo lunges forward and Shining Armor yells and charges, as well. Metal and ice collide in a show of shaving reflecting light, making an appearance of sparks, and both push against each other, trying to outdo the other and coming muzzle to muzzle. With as close as Shining Armor is, he can make out the Windigo's features underneath his hood. He can see the toothy smile, the glow in his eyes and the wrinkles on his rotten skin, all just begging for a taste of blood.

The Windigo pushes forward and Shining Armor grunts from ripping pain in his shoulder and is forced to take a step back.

“What's the matter, heir? Is your shoulder hurting?” taunts the Windigo.

Shining Armor leaps to the side unexpectedly, which causes the Windigo to stumble forward, but when he goes for a stab, the ice claws push the blade down and he gets a boot to the gut. The Banished Prince backs up, clutching his gut and coughing explosively from the air kicked out of him.

The Windigo turns and runs towards Shining Armor again, and he barely blocks the oncoming blow. The demon goes in for another swing, and he rolls underneath, kicks out its footing, and after it falls on its back he clambers on top of it and brings his hand down on its face. Only, instead of making its head explode like he wanted, the Windigo grabs his hand with its clawed hand and twists it away.

“Not going to work this time!” snarls the Windigo.

A sharp pain pierces Shining Armor's side, and his eyes snap with a wet, painful grunt. Blood begins pooling in his throat and he feels more of it seep out of him. Within seconds, his hands start trembling and his breathing becomes heavy as his vision pulsates into a haze. Soon, his fingers loosen and he drops his broken sword and the Windigo pushes him off unceremoniously. The unicorn flops to the cold ground, wheezing with his hand pressed against his injury, and he stares up at the Windigo when it towers above him, its blade and the blood coating it gleaming in the retreating sun.

His mind tries to think of something, anything to get him out of this terrible event, but all he can do is worry about what awaits him on the other side and hope that Rainbow Dash kept his word. Most importantly, he hopes that he at least bought enough time for Apple Bloom to escape.

Shining Armor blacks out for a moment with a slow blink, but when his eyes open just as slowly, he sees that the Windigo is still standing above him. His blood is still sliding off of the blade in gory drops, and he lifts his eyes to the light in the sky, silently apologizing to Twilight and Apple Bloom, for he knows that death has come for him.

“Last time you won, but today, victory is mine,” says the Windigo.

Rainbow Dash smacks the back of her hand against her palm rapidly as Redheart hurries to gather the supplies in her medicine shop.

“Come on! Hurry, hurry, hurry! We gotta go! Move it, prissy!” orders Rainbow Dash, having to yell over the frantic clanking and Apple Bloom's whimpering. The constant whimpering and terrified muttering from the foaling is not helping her mood, either, and when she snaps to the said foaling, she is curled up and being rocked by Pipsqueak, which is an odd sight considering his lacking stature. “Little Pip, tell her shut up or I'll gag her!”

“The name is Pipsqueak,” says the small foaling. “And she's terrified and in pain. How can you not see that?”

Rainbow Dash flinches for a moment, then sneers and points at herself with her thumb. “I can see just fine!” she says defensively. “Just tell her to shut up or else I will gag her!”

“We need blankets, now!” says Redheart as she hurries past Rainbow Dash, carrying a travel pack stuffed with medical supplies and food. The other foalings are behind her, each carrying something extra, such as more food, utensils, and a cooking set in Button Mash's case.

Rainbow Dash slaps her palm right in the middle of her face, groaning irritably. “We don't need blankets! We need to leave!”

“But we will get cold,” says Sweetie Belle.

Rainbow Dash points at the demented unicorn foaling. “Don't talk to me.”

“He's close. I can feel him,” whimpers Apple Bloom.

“That's it. You're getting gagged!”

Rainbow Dash yanks out the first towel she can find, which came from a dirty hamper, but before she can stuff it in Apple Bloom's mouth, she hears one of her soldiers ordering someone to stop. Apple Bloom tenses and wraps her arms around Pipsqueak even tighter, choking him in the process, and she shakes and sniffles as she stares at the doorway.

“He's here,” whispers Apple Bloom eerily.

Rainbow Dash frowns and marches towards the doorway, quickening her pace and drawing both of her blades when the soldiers are shouting at the person to stop. When she opens the door, she sees a black cloaked figure with sharp boots and gloves marching down the hallway and being approached by two of her soldiers. They have their weapons drawn, but with them being in the cramped hall, there is no way for them to use their gift of flight against the newcomer.

One of her soldiers, whom she realizes is Flash Sentry steps closer.

“I said stop!” barks Flash Sentry.

He is quickly stabbed by an ice blade and then thrown against the wall hard enough to bend the wood in, leaving a pony sized indent of splinters in his wake when he slumps to the floor. The other soldier yells and swings his blade, but the cloaked killer, dodges, slices off his hands, then cuts off his head and kicks the headless body to the floor.

Rainbow Dash swears and looks over her shoulder at Redheart and the group of foalings.

“Lock the door. Take the foalings out the window and get out of here right now!” orders Rainbow Dash.

Redheart nods and Button Mash runs over to the window and pushes its shutters open while Rainbow Dash slams the door shut. After hearing the lock click, she turns around, adjusts her grip and stands behind her last two soldiers. She can hear them shake in their armor, but still they advance. Even if the advancement is inching forward.

Rainbow Dash keeps a brave face, though, despite her heart racing and her mouth going draw from seeing two of her soldiers lying dead on the ground.

“I came for the Amulet,” says the cloaked figure.

“And I came for your head,” retorts Rainbow Dash.

The figure in black stops and motions them forward with two fingers. “Then come and get it.”

“Go!” barks Rainbow Dash.

The two soldiers reluctantly charge forward with her trailing behind. If not for the hallway's skinny width, she would have bolted pass them and take on the creep head on herself. But with no room to maneuver, she is stuck behind them.

The first soldier swings, but his attacked is blocked, and the second soldier tries to stab the intruder, but his blade slides off of its body harmlessly, only cutting its cloak.

The figure chuckles and backhands the soldier that tried to stab him, then it kicks the first one into the wall, stabs the second soldier through the heart and slashes the first one in the neck. Both crumble to the ground, dead and covering the floor in a large puddle of blood.

Rainbow Dash stares, jaw dropped and eyes wide in disbelief at what she just saw. When the demon cackles, she grits her teeth and her vision goes blood red as her knuckles crack from how hard she is gripping her weapons.

“Your turn, my pretty,” says the killer.

Rainbow Dash screams, her voice cracking and tears of rage and sorrow clouding her red vision as she launches herself towards that thing. There is a sonic boom that blows out the door shielding Redheart and the foalings, and in her wake is a rainbow trail, but as quickly as it arrives, it fades.

The cloaked demon does not have enough time to put up its hands before the mare tackles him in the chest. They both fly straight down the hall and break through the shutters on the other side, with the Windigo taking the brunt of the damage. After going through the window, the two bounce and roll over each other and hit a pile of empty crates near the blacksmith workshop, shattering most of them upon impact.

Rainbow Dash is quick to recover and scoop up her blades, and with a ferocious yell she swings her weapons at the Windigo. It grabs her wrists and they spin in a circle, trying to get the upper hand while growling viciously and pushing back and forth against each other. Due to her smaller size, she is forced to look up, and even then she can barely see the pale muzzle and blue eyes underneath the dark hood.

The Windigo suddenly brings up his foot and kicks the top of Rainbow Dash's leg with a loud crack, getting a howl of pain from her. It then pulls her arms away in a terrifying burst of energy and twists her wrists with another wave of cracks and a scream of pain from the mare as she drops her weapons. The demon quickly releases its grip on her rams its palm against her collarbone, sending her sailing away and landing hard on her back. Her head cracks against the rocky ground, sending a flash of pain throughout her skull and a warmth trickling down the back of her and neck.

Rainbow Dash groans and shifts to her side, and she tries to get up, but a metal boot kicks her in the side, knocking the air out of her. Blood dribbles past her lips and she is in mid cough when the Windigo delivers another kick to her side that pushes out a cry of pain and sends her flopping on her back. Then the sharp, metal boot slams down on her chest and starts presses down on her.

Rainbow Dash gasps and gags and tries to push the Windigo off, but her pain and its strength is too much. In seconds time she can hear and feel her armor bending as well as her bones threatening to snap from the pressure. Then her eyes snap up when she notices a flicker of movement and barely claps her hands together in time to stop the monster's ice blade from stabbing her in the face.

Rainbow Dash grunts and grinds her teeth, trying with all her might to keep the blade from impaling her face. The weapon slowly saws through her gloves, ripping into her skin and coating it, her palms and sleeves in crimson. The pain burns and her eyes water, but she still keeps the weapon up. Though, her arms start to feel wobbly and she screams as cracks appear on her bones. She tries to kick the Windigo off, but her kicks are awkward and useless and only brings the blade closer. Right as the tip touches her muzzle, she is hyperventilating, tears flow down her cheeks and her heart is a blur as a dozen prayers a second race through her mind, begging Faust to spare her of death.

The blade digs into her nose, and she cries in pain from the cold weapon cutting open her nose and from her ribs getting crushed. But, her prayers are answered by a red hot blade bursting from the back of the monster's heart.

The Windigo stiffens and looks down, choking on blood as its black cloak catches on fire. When the blade is yanked out, a jet of blood erupts from its wound and Rainbow Dash throws its off, coughing and wheezing for air as Redheart runs to her side while Flash Sentry starts relentlessly stabbing the Windigo. The stench of burnt flesh and cloth stings Rainbow Dash's nose, and the Windigo barely makes a sound or much of a twitch as Flash Sentry continues stabbing it with the heated blade, grunting and yelling with every stab until the whole body is aflame and a final stab goes into its head.

With the blade firmly in the Windigo's skull, Flash Sentry steps back and falls on his rump, panting and shaking and his bloody hand clutching the wound on his side that has coated his entire side and most of his leg in red.

Redheart appears next to Rainbow Dasg with the foalings poking their heads around the corner, and helps Rainbow Dash up. A part of her is mad that they are still there, but she is also grateful that Redheart stayed since now she can patch up her and Flash.

“Are you okay?” asks Rainbow Dash, having to use Redheart as a crutch so she can approach her fellow soldier, who is staring at the smoking body.

Flash Sentry swallows and winces when he shifts in his spot. “I am now. Is there more?”

“There's more,” says Apple Bloom shakily, getting the attention of everyone near her. “I can feel them.”

Rainbow Dash pulls away from Redheart and hobbles towards her weapons, seething in pain from the splintering feeling in her hands and legs as she kneels down and picks them up.

“Great,” huffs Rainbow Dash. “We can't stay here. I gave my word I would take all of you to Armonia in one piece.” She looks at Redheart and tilts her head to Flash. “Give him some of your healing potions, and Flash, you chug it faster than as fast as you can. After that, we're moving.”

“But what about Sprinkles?” asks Apple Bloom.

Rainbow Dash frowns at the foaling responsible for her current nightmare. “Who?”

“She means Shining Armor,” says Redheart while giving Flash a bottle of healing potion.

“Oh.” Rainbow Dash shrugs and ushers the foalings to move, her expression becoming more grim and determined with every painful step taken. “I'm sure he's fine. Now, let's get out of here. I already lost a lot of good soldiers today and I don't want their deaths to be in vain.”

Starswirl kneels in front of Shining Armor with his clawed hand placed gently on his shoulder. His heir is close to death, he can seen it plainly, but he murdered his own blood for the Amulet. No more. No less.

“You fought well. You were truly a great opponent,” says Starswirl softly. “If Faust permits it, may you enjoy the halls of Paradise before it falls.”

In response, Shining Armor grunts wetly and wheezes in a mix of anger and despair as his blood covers his body and face.

Starwirl leans over his dying heir so he can feel his weak breaths and his blood go on his cloak. “Rest now, my heir, for soon the dream you are entering will end.”

And those are the last words he says before Shining Armor's eyes close and his body goes completely limp.

Starswirl stands up a moment later and looks at Shining Armor. He is motionless, cold and his blood continues to flow onto the cobblestone, outlining the edges of the brick in sticky red. However, he does not feel any satisfaction. Instead, all he feels is a terrible weight surrounding him, crushing every part of him, and he looks down to see his hand trembling. He stares at his fingers, watching as they quiver and claw at the air worthlessly without his command. In an attempt to quell their movements, he grabs his wrist tightly. It works for the most part, for his fingers stop, but he still feels the shakes trying to loosen his grip.

Sighing, he looks at Shining Armor's broken sword and forces a smile to himself as he thinks of the praises Sombra will give him when he delivers a holy weapon to him as a trophy.

The Windigo kneels down and gently grips its hilt, only for a blinding flash of light to suddenly appear and a searing pain to burn through his flesh and bone, all the way up his arm and into his eyes. He shrieks in agony and drops the weapons, recoiling and stumbling until he falls in the pool of water he used to slay Shining Armor. But he cannot see anything except for brightness, and he feels a terrible heat going over his whole body that makes him feel like he is being burned from the inside out.

Starswirl hears the water boiling around him and feels the steam clinging to his cloak and pale skin, weighing him down with the scolding liquid. He thrashes in the water, crying out in agony, and trips and falls out of the pool, cracking his face against the stone floor.

The pain is real, and he clutches his throbbing face as his heart pounds in his chest and his other hand claws the floor, drawing blood from the ripping skin. In a fit of panic, he pushes himself up, blade scraping and breaking against the floor and he staggers backwards, breathing ragged and his cries of agony echoing in the courtyard.

His eyes are on fire. Every little dot of flame is like a hot needle poking at his eyes, and no matter how hard he squeezes and how hard he grips his face, the pain does not get better. It gets worse. He hears chatter and screams of confusion, and falls against a wall, sliding to the ground.

Starswirl's fingers are damp from the steam rising from his eyes, and his fingers feel thick scabs covering his eyes. The chatters gets louder and he pushes himself up, clawing at the scabs to get them off as he flops and thrashes on the ground like a fish tossed on dry land.

“No! No! No!”

With tears now flowing down his cheeks from his sealed eyes, Starswirl manages to stand up and run blindly out of the courtyard. He trips over himself and falls a couple of times, but he does not let that keep him long. And when someone throws something wet and slimy at the back of his head, sneering at him, he runs faster. He hears a mare wailing, too.

He has to get away.

He has to get away from the sword.

He has to get away from the Sanctuary and the barrage of vicious taunts and junk being thrown at him.

When he gets outside, he feels the gravel of the road crunching under his boots, but the moment of relief does not last long because his foot gets caught in a root and he takes a plunge down a hill.

With no vision to guide him, all he can do is yell, grunt, curse and take the beating of his body rolling down the muddy slope and take the pain of bouncing off of trees and random rocks. Before landing on his face in a muddy pit filled with damp leaves, he has a free fall of nearly ten feet that leaves him feeling sick. The impact after knocks the air out of him, and with only a pitch black canvas as his sight, he has no idea if he passes out or stays awake. All he knows is that his whole body aches and he just wants to lay there for the time being.

There he lays, motionless and afraid. His eyes are still throbbing and sealed by the scaly scabs, and just shifting his head sends a prickle of pain throughout his neck. However, he pushes the pain aside when he hears footsteps approaching him.

“Starswirl, son of Bismuth, you have fallen far,” says a female, her voice harsh like an angry mother.

Starswirl's growl turns into a groan as he forces himself on his knees. “Who are you?”

“You do not remember my voice?”

“Should I?”

The female sighs sadly and walks closer. “I am very disappointed in you, Starswirl.”

Starswirl extends his broken blade to the direction of the voice, stopping the footsteps. “Where is my vision?”

Silence.

“Tell me what happened to my eyes!”

“The Blessed Blade did not like you.”

Starswirl roars furiously and swings his arm wildly, hearing some branches snap and some birds fleeing, but he does not get the satisfaction of his blade slicing flesh.

“Have you forgotten why you traveled this path?” asks the female.

“Knowledge! I wanted knowledge that only Sombra could give me! Now, return my sight and fight me, you wench!” snarls Starswirl.

He takes another blind swing and feels his broken weapon get stuck in the trunk of a tree after a thump. He tries pulling it out, but it is stuck in there really good, and he resorts to madly patting at the tree to find a good grip before pressing his palm and feet against it. He then grinds his teeth and grunts as he strains his muscles to their limit to pull out the blade. His grunt turns to a scream, and with an enraged yell, he manages to free himself and fall flat on his back, but with nothing but darkness as his companion, it is all a sick, confusing feeling of spinning in a void and the abrupt stop that follows.

He feels the mud and wet leaves clinging to him, and he pants as he stares at what he thinks is straight up, struggling to see anything other than the darkness.

“You mean you wanted a power not meant for you to bring back your son?” asks the mare, her voice right next to him.

Starswirl rolls to his knees and looks in the general direction of the voice, but still sees a never ending plane of darkness. Now his ice weapon is melting and his fingers tremble from the biting cold. He has forgotten how cold felt, but now that he is feeling it again, he has quickly developed a loathing for it. But he cannot leave his weapon, for the one who blinded him is near. He can hear her steps crunching the sticks and her voice circling all around him, taunting him like the fiend she is.

“Out of all your years of servitude, all the lifetimes you wandered, watching the world change and forsaking what you had left, where are you now?” continues the mare, now next to his other ear and her ghostly hand running along his shoulders.

Starswirl roars and takes another aimless swing in the dark, hearing the air slice before him, but feeling nothing at the other end. Now his fingers start to feel numb and shivers run up and down his arm and spine.

“I was close! I felt the Amulet! It can get me my son back if I give it to Sombra!” he shouts defiantly, his teeth chattering from the cold.

“Medallion has perished, as have your other false friends for the lies of the Amulet, but fate has spared you once again. Do not waste the mercy granted upon you,” says the mare sternly, sounding like she is in front of him this time.

“But what about my son?”

Nothing. Not even a rustle of leaves in the wind to grant him an answer.

However, his vision starts gradually returning with the falling of the flakes of scab, and the first thing he sees is a puff of his frozen breath. The rest of his vision returns quickly.

At first, the forest is a haze of dark colors with bright blotches in between, and with each passing beat of his heart and each ragged breath he takes, the trees become sharper. The trees, in all of their beauty of dark green and moss covered trunks, dot the mulch covered forest, and Starswirl rapidly turns in circles, breathing heavier and his heart beating faster as he searches for any sign of the mare that spoke to him. His hood is down, so his pale blue skin is exposed and his wiry, white hair turns every which way it can from his fast spins, but when he sees nothing, he stops and sulks.

He ejects his frozen blade from his arm, where it stabs the ground from its fall, and then he collapses on his knees, splashing his cloak in more mud and wet mulch. His fingers dig into the ground and his ragged breathing shakes his whole body as he lifts his teary eyes to the sky, staring at the orange light and the rose colored sky from the retreating sun. With the weight of his servitude crushing the hollowness he has left, he feels himself breaking like a clay pot under a stone. With the silence continuing and the sun abandoning him with no answer, he grinds his teeth and slams his ripped hands on the ground as hard as he can, screaming as loud as he can with his eyes burning with tears.

“What about my son!”

Author's Notes:

Bleeeeehhhh....