A Nightmare's Legends Returns

The thestral looked at Scythe's scythe..."That's a big scythe..." He pointed out, pointing at it. "Alright, let me start by an apology. I'm sorry pretty mare for taking you away from your band of misfits." He let out a little chuckle and sat back in the cage. "Alright, I'm Commander Nightberg. Kinda like an iceberg, but for the night, hehe. Yes I do move far to fast for a normal thestral, but there be a reason for that. I was commander for one of Nightmare's squads, but...I'm not anymore...The...spell, I believe it is, that bounded me to that monsters every command was somehow...broken. I'm as free as any pony on Celestia's side of this war. Nightmare marked me as a traitor and I ran. I took my helmet and ran from her castle. I knew that is I went to Celestia I wouldn't be trusted. Not many thestrals are trusted now a days." He gestured to the cage he was in. "Point proven. I'm apart of a small group here in the Everfree that is on neither side of this war."

Ruby looked at the thestral, Shard, and Vision, trying to decide what to do. She saw that Shard was alone and she was still worried for her, but she also saw that Vision needed help holding his cage together...Why must life be uneasy to chose... Because Life is not living for. She shook he head and walked over to Shard, figuring Vision had it handled if the thestral go free. "Shard? Are you alright?" She asked, concern clear in her voice.

"So?" Vision asked nopony in particular, but his enquiry was directed towards the group. "Should I release him, or what? Do you all believe what he's saying?"

At first, Shard responded with a quick harsh inhale as she was somewhat startled by the unexpected sound of her name that in ways that terrified her all the more sounded almost unfamiliar. "N-no, it's bad. It's really, really bad. I- I can.... I can feel it clawing it's way forward. It's never been like this before, this aggressive and... Ruby," Shard said looking over to Ruby, her mouth in a quivering frown and the spread markings of corruption continuing to peek out from from behind her glasses. "I'm scared," she said, the stoic nature of her voice all but gone for the first time since this adventure began, though all of this was still said in whisper as she didn't want the others to overhear.

Then she looked over as Vision asked his question and seemingly for the first time noticed the thestral trapped in the goo. "D-do whatever thee wishes, I care not," she said with the stoic tone trying and partially succeeding to return to her voice. "How much further do we wish to move before setting up camp," she asked in return though. The want to keep moving was clear, but so was an increasing wish to rest for at least a short time, possibly to try and reign in some control.

"As I mentioned before.." Scythe begins and places his scythe on his back. "I can create a portal leading to the other side of the forest, big enough for all of us." He offered, worryingly looking at Shard and then Ruby. He didn't really trust the captured thestral at all, and he slightly doubted anyone from the group trusted him in the first place.

"P-please do, thine self would appreciate a rest if we'd get the chance to take one," Shard said trying to keep her voice from shaking. "An-and maybe the rest would appreciate the chance to clear the air with the newcomers to our group," she continued still keeping her head down.

Ruby, and by now it seemed the group as a whole didn't seem to be having much luck at all, between whatever internal issues they were suffering from and what they had to deal with externally. Harun still felt the most unremarkable and useless, but he hoped he generated some level of dependability. If he had been with his section of guards they might have been through the forrest by now, see as they were all stable and trustworthy. They lacked the flexibility and ability the current group had though, nor would they be as interesting. 

"There's no sense in rushing forward when we aren't ready. Though a little extra distance would afford us some rest, and I do think we could all benefit from a little circle time right now."  

Ruby looked at Shard, a very sad expression on her face. He looked over her shoulder at the group. "We should set up camp soon. It's been a long....I can't really say day considering no can tell the time by the sun so I'm just gonna say dusk. I think we all need to take a break from all of this. Clear our minds."

"Yeah! Some circle time would sound like a great idea, hehe. But anyway, back to business. I know for a fact that you all don't trust me, but I'll make you all a deal. Let me go if you don't trust me and I wont bother you, or you can let me tag along with all of you and keep you safe in the Everfree." The thestral said, laying down in the cage. He opened his little pouch and took out a pen and a piece of paper. He began to write something on it before putting the pen away. "Aye, red mare. Here's a piece of paper for ya." He slid the paper across the floor of the cage towards Ruby.

Ruby took the paper in her magic and shoved it into her saddlebags. "Harun has a good point. I don't think we a ready to even go to Nightmare's castle yet. Circle time and set up camp." She stopped walking and turned to the group. "It gives us a chance to get to know each other better." She smiled at them all, keeping a watchful eye on Shard.

"I thank thees, tis... appreciated," she said finally slipping back into the stoic almost cold tone she usually had. Actually grateful that the suggestion for a moments rest had gone over well, Shard wandered over to a nearby tree over looking something that was too small to be a pond yet too big to be a puddle and promptly laid down next to it. She stared into her reflection for a while before removing her glasses, and then continued to watcher her reflection.

To her surprise, a small crystal rose out of the ground practically on it's own. For a moment she looked at the almost shining mineral with disdain before ripping it from the ground and hurling it into the water. Then she collapsed back onto the ground and continued to watch her reflection. If anypony came over to her, she would be quick to put back on the glasses, even though they no longer hid all the markings.

Vision turned his fatigued gaze to Harun. "Hey, Harun. Got any hoofcuffs? Anything to restrain this guy, really. After all," he glared at the thestral, "There's no way I'm going to release you. You already know our position. Either we trust you or we don't, but you're not getting out of here."

Scythe sighed as his offer was completely ignored - again. He instead charged his power and created a huge portal next to him. He looked exhausted when he was finished creating a portal. "There..." he panted. "It leads to the other side of this forest, but that's as far as I can take all of you. We don't want to stay in this position afterall, the enemy probably knows our position thanks to all the yelling and fighting."

Rain trots back out of the forest edge smiling, covered in small cuts and what looks like drool, smiling broadly as a timberwolf bounces around him, "Say hi to Sliver!" He exclaimed only to be jumped on again, frantically giggling as the wolf licked his face.

Hearing that the portal was ready, Shard stood up to put her glasses back on and adjusted her mane in the reflection of the water to better cover up the magical scaring. She was taking her first steps to the opening when Rain showed up with the timberwolf.

At first, Shard had almost full intentions of either letting the spear at her side pierce the beast or calling up another crystal spike to impale it, but after a shake of her head to clear her mind of the crueler thoughts, Shard just looked at it and it's affectionate displays with her bored expression.

"Silver?" Shard said questioningly trying to see what warranted such a name for a creature made of sticks, wood, and a little magic. "And how are you not getting splinters?" she asked Rain with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah...Hoofcuffs...That will totally work on me. Trust me or don't trust me. I gave that little red mare information that will be useful to you and that's all I did. I didn't hurt any of you and I'm not one of Nightmare's soldiers." The thestral said, rolling his eyes and looked towards Rain and the timberwolf. "Luna's starry mane! You tamed a timberwolf?! HOW?! Those things are impossible to calm down!" The thestral got up and glared at the timberwolf. The timberwolf glared back, growling a little bit.

"Ooh! A timberwolf!" Ruby said, trotting over to Silver and looking at it. "Rain...How did you even tame this timberwolf?" She look a glance at the portal Scythe made, but looked back to the timberwolf. She had never truly learned how they pieced themselves back together. Maybe this was her chance now.

"I didn't plan for the fact I might be taking prisoners..." Harun said, feeling his pockets for something useful to use as a restraint, A quick feel through revealed nothing though, so he shrugged and shook his head. "Nothing I'm sorry to say."

He looked as Rain returned with the  timberwolf as they were apparently called. He hadn't heard of the strange woodland creatures up until now. The wild one seemed to be dangerous enough beasts that he would make a point to avoid them. His stare seemed to glean the most out of the group's with curiosity. He wanted to ask a little about them, but at the same time thought of the consequences that could have on his standing with the group. He had to at least keep up the appearance of knowing what he was doing. Harun did move to the portal, but wasn't going to be the first to go through it. He kept a cautionary distance and gaze like it was something he was unsure or scared of, which he was.

Slightly insulted he replied, "Sliver, not silver, and of course I'm getting splinters! I'll just have flask pull them out later, I'm having to much fun!" He chuckled and rolled around, landing on top of the wolf, "Got'cha now!" The wolf whined slightly wiggling, to which Rain shook his head. The wolf tried a intimidating growl, to which Rain's smile only grew, as he shook his head once more

...

*LIIIIIIIICCCCKKK*

"EWWW!!!" He stumbled backwards half his face covered in slobber. Wiping it off he smiled, "I don't tame them, I've never been attacked by one, hey YOU try having the heart of a water elemental bound to you! Nature kind of loves you after something like that. Guess this was my gift huh?" And with that him and Sliver were ready at the portal, the wolf giving mean glances at the caged Thestral, "er... Speaking of which, who the heck are you?" A slowly large forming ice spear hovering behind him with a bored yet curious expression on his own. The blade seemed a bit different from his usual crafts, the head of the spear had many razor sharp edges, pulling it out of a poor bastard would cause more damage than pushing it into them.

"This is my death spear, look at somepony here the wrong way, see how fast I have a bat shish kabob, bedamned Celestia's orders." With that he awaited an answer, his method obviously used, keep the "prisoner" in check by showing off a large decorative blade that would break if even thrown seemed like a good tactic.

Vision heard the timberwolf over to his side, out of his line of sight, but he didn't dare to turn his head lest he lose what little concentration he was able to invest in making the cage.

He was, however, able to roll his eyes. "Fine. Ruby, he gave you this supposedly valuable information, right? What is it? Good enough to let him go?"

The thestral looked at the spear. "How about, once I get out of this cage, we have a hoof to hoof fight. No killing, just pinning the pony down. I want to see what you ponies can do to a thestral." He said, looked at Vision. "Valuable information? I never really said valuable. I said it'd be useful. Might be useful, depends on what you want to do with thestrals." He took out another piece of paper and his pen again, writing more on it. He put the pen away and folded the paper into a paper airplane. He threw the plane out the cage and made it fly somewhere into the trees. "You all best get moving. Hehe."

Ruby let out a sigh and took the crumpled piece of paper out of her bag. She quickly read through it, her eyes widening. He mind quickly pieced together some information to see if what the thestral wrote was true. "Aye...Vision...Let him go." She said, putting the piece of paper back in her saddlebags. "But you, are not coming with us. Once Vision let you go, you better sure as far away from here as possible." She looked at the portal Scythe created and hopped through it without another word.

Vision looked at Ruby, then back at the thestral. "You're lucky I trust her judgement." His glow around his horn finally died out, leaving the cage to dissolve into nothingness.

He massaged his aching head. "Go. And... Don't come back." He spared the thestral a final glance before going through the portal himself.

Walking through the portal the timberwolf pounced on the Thestral, growled and jumped off, in a side voice he smiled, "Guess I win."

Shard gave the portal one last distrusting look before letting out a sigh and proceeding through.

Harun still wasn't exactly at ease with the idea at going through the portal, but his fate was only going to be as bad as everyone else that had stepped through. Not wanting to be left behind, he stepped through the portal, forcing himself to relax as many muscles as he could, front to rear, putting a lot of effort in loosening his neck. It was hard to feel stress when you were loose, or maybe that was just him being weird...

Scythe grinned as he watched everyone go through his portal. He then looked back at the thestral. "And if you know what's good for you, you better not come back." As he said that, his blue scythe glowed red slightly, only for a moment, before turning back to dark-blue glow. Scythe turned back at his portal and jumped through, portal immediately closing behind him.

When each jumped through the portal, they appeared in a clearing, still within the Everfree forest. The end of the forest, however, was only a good three hundred meters away. As Scythe jumped through the portal, it closed immediately with a dim orange flash. "Okay, we should stay safe for now." He said, looking at everyone in the group. 'Darn that timberwolf... if it tries to attack me, I swear I'm going to slice it up...' he thought to himself.

The thestral growled slightly at the unfairness that Rain had done. He let out a sigh and sat down in front of the portal, watching each of the ponies walk through. "I wish you all best of luck...You'll need it." He said silently to himself, praying to Celestia they don't die on their journey. He got up and walked off of the path and into the trees.

Ruby looked around their immediate area. "Yeah...We should take a break here. It seems like a nice place to stop and rest." She said, sitting down on the grass. She had a lot on her mind and one of those things was what the thestral had written on that piece of paper that was now in her saddlebags. He speaks no lie and tells the truth...Yet we still don't believe him. How would anyone believe a thestral... "You don't..." She said, just barely above a whisper. Trust is a dangerous thing. Never trust anyone...Not even yourself. No duh...Never...

"Good idea." Vision mumbled. "We all need a rest, I think." He trotted over to a free patch of grass and lay down, closing his eyes and drifting peacefully off to sleep.

Shard followed suit, but only to a point. While she did lay down, she didn't go to sleep and instead just watched and listened to what the others were doing. Maybe she could get a few hints on how socializing worked in this newer time.