Silver returned an hour later with two large bowls of stir-fried vegetables, and a smaller platter of fried meat. He set one of the bowls in front of Xarame, and took his own a short distance away so she wouldn't have to smell the steaks. "Did you find anything interesting?"
Xarame looked up from her book and smiled. "Thank you for the food. And yes, a few things." She pushed the tome away and looked at the notes she'd been taking. "If, as we suspect, this being is what remains of the dark magic dispelled from the Princess, then it cannot be harmed by conventional means. Attempting to do so will only injure the host. Other than sending it to the moon, our only options are to try and dissipate or trap it's life force." She slid her notes over to Silver and tucked into the vegetables, forgetting for a moment that she had written them in her own language.
Silver looked over the notes and nodded. "If it comes down to it, we may have to destroy the host. A corrupted manticore is a threat to everypony." He thought for a moment. "The metal from the forge. You said it can channel dark magic. What effect would it have on a creature made of dark magic?"
Xarame looked troubled. "Star Metal is not be trifled with. It is more than just a material, it is a corrupting force; it is no coincidence that Nightmare Moon forged her armour with it. It holds the potential for great power, but I do not believe we should use it if there is any other option."
Silver shrugged. "No need for unnecessary risks. If it's that dangerous, we'll leave it be for now." He began thinking out loud. "We can't exploit the weaknesses of the host. Manticores don't have weaknesses. We can kill the host, but that won't destroy the creature. Without a Unicorn, our magical options are limited." He drew one of his knives. "Can you make a paralysis poison to soak my blades? Something to take the host out of the picture without killing it."
Xarame nodded and dug through her pack, producing three bottles. "Paralysis, frenzy, and calming." She explained, pointing to each bottle respectively. "They will do you more good than me, I feel." She paused a moment in thought. "There is an incantation, a ritual that used to be performed by those working with dark magic to shield themselves. It would not protect us from direct attacks, but it should prevent the being from using us as hosts." She pulled the ancient tome back to her and searched through it with purpose. "Ah, here it is. There are... requirements..."
Silver slipped the bottles into his pack and nodded. "Whatever you need." He motioned towards the sleeping Timberwolf in the corner. "We need to include her. Believe me when I tell you that she's far more dangerous than any Manticore, should she turn on us."
"That would seem wise," Xarame agreed, nodding in agreement. "Thankfully, I do not believe the same could be said of my feathered friend." She looked at the Babel bird and chuckled, before coughing and looking back to the book. "Unfortunately, this means we will have to make use of the Star Metal; can you return to the forge and try to find a sharp piece? We will also need thirteen candles." She said, looking up at Silver.
Silver nodded and headed down to the forge. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for: a simple Star Metal dagger, its wooden hilt long since rotted away. It would have been made for practice, by a pony trying to get a feel for the strange metal. The candles were harder to find. Any left from the Princesses reign would have been eaten by rats centuries earlier. After a long search, he eventually returned to the library empty-hoofed. Holly was waiting for him outside the door, holding a box of candles in her mouth. "Where did you...? Never mind, let's just go in."
"Ah, good, you have returned!" Xarame said, smiling at the duo as they entered, but her eyes betrayed the fact that she was less than happy about the situation. She had pushed back the tables in the room to clear a large space at the centre, and drawn on the floor in chalk was a large spiral; twelve points radiating out from one central one. "We should do this before we retire for the night, lest the creature attempt to take us in our sleep," She knelt down next to Holly. "May I please have the candles?"
Holly released her grip on the candles and yawned. Silver examined the dagger further, before giving it to Xarame. The Star Metal was interesting. He'd seen it before, but never knew what it was until now. "What next?"
"Thank you." Xarame took the blade gingerly and laid it on the table, before picking up the candles and starting to arrange them on the thirteen points. "Well," She said, as she worked, "Now comes the unpleasant part." She stood back up and looked at Silver. "Most ponies consider dark magic to be evil, and they may be correct in that. It is incredibly powerful, but it requires sacrifice, and this ritual is no different; we must each offer a portion of our lifeblood to the stars, for they are the true source of dark power, and are not known for their charity. We will not need much, just a few drops, but we all must sacrifice." She looked pointedly at Holly, and then back to Silver. "I hope she trusts you enough for this."
"Timberwolves don't bleed. I hope sap will work." Holly approached the Zebra calmly and held up a ligneous paw. Silver stood beside her with his foreleg stripped of armor. "Dark magic is a tool like any other. It's no more good or evil than a hammer or a blade."
Xarame smiled wanly. "Quite true. Rather it is the masters and holders of the magic that are malicious and cruel." She found a small bowl, and checked the blade; even after all these years, it was still razor sharp. She made a small cut and collected a little blood from Silver and sap from Holly, before applying a healing poultice and binding their wounds. After making her own addition to the bowl, she placed it at the centre of the spiral, and stood at the eighth candle, before motioning to Holly and Silver to join her. Once they were all in position, she recited the words. It was an ancient tongue, older even than Zebraki, and guttural. As she spoke, the candles ignited, one by one, working their way to the centre. When they reached the bowl, the flames seemed to jump, and in a flash, the bowl was empty and the candles extinguished. (I couldn't find any information on the Zebra language, so I've decided to dub it Zebraki, just to streamline things a bit.)
Silver and Holly remained where they were, unsure of whether or not the spell was complete. "Was that it? That wasn't as unpleasant as I'd expected."
Xarame nodded. "I am glad to hear it. As I said, practitioners of black magic would use it routinely, so they had both the time and the inclination to make the process as easy as possible. I am not certain how long the effect will last however; we may need to perform it again before this is over." She left the spiral as it was, and headed to a small antechamber with her bags; it had obviously been a private reading room at some point, but it had a fireplace and only one entrance, so she thought it would make good sleeping quarters for them.
Holly curled up next to the door and fell asleep. Silver, long accustomed to sleeping under the stars, lay down on a small balcony. They'd need a good night's sleep. Their hunt began in earnest tomorrow.
"Tell me, if I have the right; how long have you served our Princess of Night?" Xarame asked quietly from her makeshift bed by the fireplace; she'd managed to get a small, smokeless fire going, and her Babel Bird had perched on the ledge for the night. It was not a particularly cold night by Equestrian standards, but she was used to warmer climes. She looked over at the balcony, to see if Silver was still awake.
"All my life," Silver replied. He enjoyed the cool night air of the Everfree. He'd always thought of the forest as home. He was born there, and he'd probably die there.
"That was not the answer I was looking to find; but there it is, so never mind." Xarame said, sleepily. She got the impression her new companion wasn't a great one for talking, but she was okay with that; it had been a long day and she was tired. She curled up under her blanket next to the fire, and reflected on the strange events of the last few hours.
