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The World Beneath Her Wings | A Stolen Chance | Rainbow screamed. She flailed madly until she fell and hit the ground. Jumping to her hooves, she wildly looked around.
She was standing in her bedroom at home, chest heaving and heart pounding. The bed's blankets sat in a heap around her legs. Outside, the morning sun shone across Ponyville.
The bedroom door burst open and Rarity ran in. "Rainbow, I heard that from clear downstairs! Whatever could be the matter?"
"What happened?!" Rainbow yelled. "Where's Starlight? Where's Twilight?" A realization struck her. She pressed her hoof to her side. It was decidedly flat.
"The foal! How long was I out?!" She grabbed Rarity. "Rarity, where is she? Please tell me she's okay." Tears formed in her eyes. "If something happened to her, I'd--I'd--"
"Rainbow!" Rarity said. "You're not making any sense. Look, the foal's right there."
Rarity put her hoof to Rainbow's side. Feeling it again, Rainbow noticed her sides did curve outwards, but were much smaller than they had been.
"Wh... what?" More vigorous prodding confirmed the presence of a smaller womb.
Rarity pushed Rainbow's hoof away. "Dearie, if you keep doing that, she's going to be born with a dent."
Looking into Rarity's eyes, Rainbow didn't see a hint of anger. "No, there was the Roundhill, and--and that thing with the sparkles, and Twilight and that bright beam... and... did I die?"
Rarity reached up and stroked Rainbow's mane. "It sounds to me like you had a bad dream."
Since she'd noticed, she felt that her belly lacked the weight that had become familiar. "A dream."
She stumbled out of the room in a daze, leaving her confused wife behind. "A dream." The calendar on the wall caught her attention. She flipped the page to the next month. Days that had been crossed off or written on were empty. If the calendar was correct, Rainbow's dream spanned a month and a half.
"No. That wasn't a dream. It couldn't have been." She flipped the page back to what was allegedly the present.
Rainbow hurried downstairs.
"I gotta talk to Twilight." ---
Rainbow pushed open the door to Twilight's map room. Inside, she found Twilight and Starlight looking over some books.
"Twilight!" Rainbow called.
"Oh!" Twilight looked up. "Hello, Rainbow. Is there anything we can help you with?"
Rainbow paused. Looking down, she said, "You don't know."
Twilight tilted her head. "Know what?"
Sitting, Rainbow put her hoof to her head. "About the Roundhill."
"What's a Roundhill?" Starlight asked.
"Something's wrong," Rainbow said. "Something is seriously wrong. There is some real freaky magic stuff going on."
Twilight and Starlight looked at each other. Then Twilight walked up and sat next to Rainbow. "I'm sure we can figure it out. Tell us what happened."
Rainbow took a breath. "You two were investigating some magic weirdness, and found out that it's coming from a place called Round Hill. But turns out Round Hill is a really huge creature that we called the Roundhill. You thought it was dead, like a hundred percent certain. Something about how big it is. But it's not. It's alive, and you woke it up. It killed you, it killed me, and the way those death sparkles were going, it killed everything."
She paused to breathe again. "And then I woke up and now it's a month and a half ago and I'm not as pregnant as I was. And all this is really weird, okay?"
"Round Hill?" Starlight asked. She levitated some scrolls and looked through them. "Round Hill, Round Hill..." she repeated, searching.
Twilight's eyes went to the floor for a moment before she looked back up. "You're saying you died in the future, then went back in time to today?"
"Yeah, something like that."
Standing up, Twilight said, "I'm sorry, Rainbow, but that simply isn't possible."
Rainbow's eyes widened. "What?"
"Time travel like that doesn't exist. You can't wake up as your younger self. Magic doesn't work that way."
Rainbow got to her feet. Again, the lack of weight in her belly was clear as day. "But you two have gone back in time like a dozen times."
"Yes," Twilight said, "Bodily. If you really time traveled, not only would there be a second Rainbow Dash from this time, but you would be another month and a half pregnant." She pointed at Rainbow's side. "And you're clearly not."
Starlight looked up from a scroll. "She's right. You'd be violating several fundamental laws of magic."
"I don't believe this," Rainbow said. "Twilight, please. I'm not making this up. This is some end of the world stuff going on."
Pacing back and forth, Twilight looked at Starlight. "Something does seem strange about this."
Raising a scroll, Starlight announced, "Found it! Round Hill might be the source of the disturbances. It's not very likely, but it's not impossible either."
With a sigh of relief, Rainbow said. "Good. I'm not going completely crazy. That's the place. That's where the Roundhill is."
Twilight hummed in thought, then said, "Assuming that's true, how did she come across this knowledge?"
Starlight scratched her chin. "A magic vision?"
"In a pegasus?" Twilight looked Rainbow over. "It's not unheard of. But visions only last a few moments. There's no way she could have one a month and a half long. Unless..." A book hovered off of the shelf and opened in Twilight's face. "The vision might have only been for a minute or two. Her mind wasn't able to recognize it for what it was, and her imagination filled in the gaps."
Stepping forward, Rainbow said, "So you're saying I'm not smart enough to know magic when it zaps me in the face."
With a forced grin, Twilight said, "It can be very hard to recognize visions, especially for pegasi and earth ponies. If your vision was particularly intense, then you could easily have mistaken it for your own experience. You have fuzzy memories of most of it as a result, I'm sure."
"I remember all of it crystal clear, Twilight." Rainbow's eyebrows dropped.
Starlight walked up to them. "We should hear Rainbow's account of her vision. Tell us what you saw the Roundhill creature doing."
"Yeah, all right." Rainbow closed her eyes and recounted the final moments of her life.
When she finished, she opened her eyes to see Starlight and Twilight taking notes.
Starlight smiled. "I think Rainbow's imagination filled in for more than a little of her vision."
"There are..." Twilight looked at Rainbow. "...a few issues with her account."
"Like the whole thing?" Starlight asked.
"Really?" Rainbow half-shouted.
Twilight's cheeks tinged red. "Explaining the impossibilities in, well, all of it would take quite a long time. But it's clear that something dangerous is at Round Hill, or somewhere like it. We just don't know exactly what."
Rainbow scoffed.
"We should investigate it, whatever it is," Twilight continued. "I'll arrange for a train to Round Hill. Starlight, you should come with me."
Turning to Twilight, Rainbow told her, "You'll need a shovel. Pinkie has one. Bring Applejack to help dig. It's not buried very deep.
"One more thing." Rainbow grabbed Twilight and looked her dead in the eye. "Don't use magic on it."
"Rainbow, we don't know what we might have to--"
"Promise me, Twilight." She shook Twilight's shoulders.
Twilight sighed. "If we find a massive black-shelled dead creature under Round Hill, we will not use any kind of magic on it, okay?"
With a smile, Rainbow said, "Thanks. You just saved the world." She let go and took off out the window.
Above Ponyville, she let herself glide. "What in Equestria is going on? I know what happened. I was there. It wasn't some fuzzy magic vision. I remember."
Rainbow blinked a few times, then rubbed her belly. "Do you remember?"
Looking ahead, she saw Carousel Boutique. "Rarity." Her flight faltered and she hovered in the air. "No, she doesn't remember. That never happened. Not to this Rarity. It was the other Rarity who said all that. Who..."
Rainbow sunk out of the sky, then landed on the ground. "Who I told that I refused to do what she said. Because it's my body. My body in some other future that's lying dead now."
Taking a shaky step forward, she quietly went on. "She yelled at me. I yelled at her. I flew away. And then I died. And she died. That was the last time we ever talked to each other. Before we died. That's how it all ended. I'll never be able to tell that Rarity I'm sorry. I'll never work things out with her, because we died. That's gone."
Rainbow walked, then galloped, then flew to the front door of her home in the boutique. She threw it open to see Rarity inside. Rainbow's vision blurred. She shot forward and wrapped her forelegs around Rarity. Chest heaving, Rainbow cried into Rarity's mane.
"Rainbow?" Rarity said. "What happened with Twilight, dearie? Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Rainbow choked out. "I'm okay. I'm just--I love you, Rarity. I love you so much."
She felt Rarity return the embrace. "I love you too, Rainbow. Now what's been going on with you today?"
Rainbow sniffled. "I'll tell you over breakfast, okay?" ---
Rarity set her fork down. "That's an... interesting story."
After taking a moment to eat another piece of toast, Rainbow asked, "So, do you believe me?"
"Rainbow, dearie, you know I love you and I trust you. But Twilight and Starlight are much better-versed in the ways of magic than either of us are. If they say it can't be true, then..."
Rainbow's face dropped.
Reaching a hoof across the table to meet Rainbow's, Rarity continued, "I'm sorry, but I'm sure they'll figure out what's really going on."
"Yeah." She felt a sensation that had long become familiar. "Oh. Rarity, can you get me up to speed on when exactly I am?" Rainbow pushed back from the table and stood up.
"I'm not sure I understand."
"We did the first round of shopping for the foal, right? But you wanted to stop until I got bigger." She looked at Rarity.
Rarity turned a little red. "I... believe the exact phrase I used was the size of an apple cart."
Tapping her hoof against the ground, Rainbow said, "Yeah, that's it! Has the foal kicked yet?"
"You said you weren't sure." Rarity's eyes went to Rainbow's side.
Rainbow smiled. "I'm sure now. She's kicking."
Rarity gasped and hurried to Rainbow's side, placing her ear against her side. Rainbow felt the fluttering inside again.
"I know you don't believe me," Rainbow said, "but I've had her kicking around in there for a month and a half. I know how it feels. In fact, since she's awake, I want to read to her for a bit."
Pulling away, Rarity looked up at her. "You read to her?"
"Yup." Rainbow straightened up. "Started doing that before that whole thing where I died. This time, I'm getting to that right now. I figure all those words and stuff will turn her into a smart little kid. I got a month and a half of my life back, and I'm using it to make our kid the best foal she can be."
"Oh, that's--" Rarity's eyes darted between Rainbow's face and her belly. "--rather sudden of you. Do you mind if I read to her, too?"
Walking towards the couch, Rainbow said, "Sure thing, babe. We'll trade off. Hey kid, you get to hear your mom read to you, too. That'll be sweet."
Rarity smiled. "And you talk to her now. Also, you're her mother, dearie," she said, looking over a bookshelf.
"I don't care what you call yourself, you are her mother!" The words echoed through Rainbow's mind. The other Rarity had said that. The Rarity that this one became, during the fight that Rainbow hadn't told this Rarity about.
Rainbow's steps faltered. She shook her head. That fight never happened. It was gone, erased from time.
Laying down, she said, "Hey, bring over Daring Do and the Hippogriff's Eye. That's a classic."
Rarity had two books already in her magical grip. "Rainbow, have you only read Daring Do to her?"
"Yeah, why?"
Rarity sighed. "She is going to be born wearing a pith helmet. Perhaps some higher literature is in order." A copy of Threads of Fate drifted in front of Rainbow's nose.
"That one has some pretty big words in it," Rainbow said, adjusting her weight. "I don't think she knows them."
Bringing the book towards Rainbow's side, Rarity said, "She's a fetus, Rainbow. She doesn't know any words."
"Then what's the difference between that and Daring Do?"
Rarity glared at her, then opened the book. "Lightning flashed across the blackened sky..." |
The World Beneath Her Wings | Anticipating the Past | Rainbow Dash walked down the stairs, still shaking the morning grogginess from her head. The smell of pancakes drifting from below reminded her that she was hungry.
Arriving at the table, Rainbow pulled up a chair.
"Good morning, dearie," Rarity said, levitating a heaping plate. "You have excellent timing; I just finished making these."
Mouth watering, Rainbow asked, "They have strawberries?"
"Of course," Rarity said, setting the first helping in front of her.
"I love you so much." She took a bite. Rarity sat down across from her, smiled, and began to eat her own.
It had been several weeks. The foal had grown to the point where it showed prominently again on Rainbow's flanks, with an appetite to match.
Once Rainbow's mouth was full, Rarity looked into her eyes. "Dearie, I'd like to ask you something, and hear me out before you say no."
Through her mouthful, she said, "Mm?"
"Pinkie Pie is throwing the Spring Bloom today. I know you don't like to go to that kind of thing, but I would appreciate it if you came along with me. I get so inspired by the arrangements the ponies come up with, and having you there would make it just a little more special. If you don't want to, I understand, but it would mean a lot to me." Rarity gave her that smile and little tilt of her head she always did when she wanted something.
"Didn't we--" Rainbow swallowed. "Didn't we already have that, like, last--oh right, time travel. It sounds real boring, but if it'll make you happy--wait I remember that! That's where--oh man I am there!" Shoving another pancake into her mouth, she said through her food, "After breakfast."
Sounding substantially less enthused, Rarity said, "Did your vision of the future tell you something I should know about the Bloom?"
"Nah, nah." Swallowing again, Rainbow said, "It's better if it's a surprise. It'll be great, trust me." She returned to her pancakes. ---
The Spring Bloom was originally Applejack's idea. Multitudes of flower seeds were planted as part of Winter Wrap-Up, and the first blooms of the year got gathered up and put on display. Tables had been arranged all across the town square. Flowers of all colors glistened in the morning sunlight, some in pots or trays of dirt, some freshly cut.
Rainbow and Rarity walked past the outer perimeter of flowers. Springing up from behind a bouquet, Pinkie Pie landed in front of the couple.
Somehow, the crown of dark pink flowers on her head remained in place. "Rarity! Rainbow! You came!"
"Wouldn't miss this for the world," Rainbow said.
With a glance at her, Rarity added, "Yes, I like to find inspiration at these."
"But!" Pinkie reared up to show a flower crown hanging from each foreleg. "Everypony has to wear one. It's the rules." She scowled in a way that suggested this was not open to negotiation.
Pinkie tossed both crowns into the air. A ring of small sunflowers landed on Rarity's head, settling neatly around her horn. Rainbow received flowers of a whole bunch of different colors. Pinkie smiled for a second before gasping. "I forgot one! Stay right there!" she shouted before darting away.
Smiling, Rarity turned and looked into Rainbow's eyes.
"What?" Rainbow asked.
"Oh, it's nothing," Rarity answered. "I'm just admiring you. The flowers really bring out your eyes." She took a step, putting her face inches away from Rainbow's.
Rainbow smiled back. "Yours, too." Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against Rarity's.
Their kiss was interrupted by Pinkie's return. Between her teeth, she delicately held a flower crown. It was so tiny, Rainbow would have had trouble fitting it over her ear. It had only four small flowers on it: two next to each other of orange and light blue, and two of white and purple.
Pinkie bounced to Rainbow's right side. Last time, Rainbow had sidestepped away from her. This time, Rainbow opened her wing to present her belly. Pinkie set the tiny crown against Rainbow's bulge and stuck a piece of tape to her fur to hold it on.
"Perfect!" she announced before prancing away.
Rainbow looked back at herself with a smirk. "Looks good on you, kid."
Looking at the miniature crown, Rarity giggled. "Yes, it does. Now if you don't mind, an orchid arrangement is calling to me."
"Sure thing, babe." Rainbow walked in the other direction to help refresh her memory. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Twilight hurrying up towards her.
Twilight's flower crown was a fancy double-layered thing of blues and purples that reminded Rainbow that she didn't know what most of the flowers there were called. "Rainbow!" Twilight called. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Hey, what's up?"
Looking into Rainbow's eyes, Twilight said, "I just wanted to keep you informed. We found the Roundhill creature and did some observations."
Rainbow straightened up. "You didn't use magic on it, did you?! You promised!"
Twilight raised a hoof. "I didn't actually expect to have to keep that promise. But we didn't use any magic on it, just around it. And I can say for certain that your Roundhill is dead."
Sighing, Rainbow said, "You said that last time. It's alive, but at least you didn't wake it up. Of course you didn't. We're all still here."
"I already know something isn't right about all this." Twilight paced back and forth. "Your vision, the creature, things aren't adding up. Your recollection of it is by far the most lengthy and detailed vision I've ever heard about, yet its literal interpretation is impossible, so deciphering its true meaning is proving difficult. But the message is clear: that creature is some kind of danger. We just don't know what."
"I know what," Rainbow grumbled.
Twilight looked at her. "Regardless, its body is under enough dirt to say that it's been undisturbed for tens of thousands of years, maybe longer. I think it's for the best that we let it lie until we figure out how to safely handle it."
"Thanks, Twilight." Rainbow hugged her. "You're the best."
Twilight hugged her back. "It's no trouble at all." She stepped away again. "Pinkie has me judging this year, so I need to get back to the flowers."
Perking up, Rainbow said, "Awesome. Looking forward to that."
Slowly, Twilight replied, "Okay." She walked away, glancing back as she went.
With a spring in her step, Rainbow made her way to a display.
"All right, kid, want to learn some stuff about flowers? I mean, I don't know the names of most of these... and you can't exactly see them from in there." She shook her head. "Whatever. Well, this one is called a rose. It smells nice but you have to be careful picking one up. Getting a thorn stuck between your teeth is the worst..." ---
The sun approached noontime, and Rainbow found it harder and harder to resist eating the flowers instead of merely talking about them. The fact that she had also run out of flower knowledge two hours before did not help. Her belly had been still for about that long, so Rainbow took comfort in the fact that her daughter was as bored as she was.
Rainbow took a few steps towards the same display of daffodils that she had just been at before Pinkie trotted up to her.
"Hey, Rainbow!" She situated herself at Rainbow's side, which was never a good sign.
Turning to look, Rainbow said, "What's up?"
"Can the foal really hear everything that's going on out here?" She leaned in.
Rainbow's ears moved back. "You heard Rarity saying that, didn't you?"
With a gasp, Pinkie said, "How did you know?" She pressed her face against Rainbow's belly. Using a volume more suitable for yelling through rock than flesh, she shouted, "Helloooo foal! I'm Pinkie Pie, your future foalsitter! Can you hear me?"
Rainbow dug her hoof into her ear. "I think my grandkids heard you." From the way it kicked, the foal shared her sentiments.
Hopping back to Rainbow's front, Pinkie said, "I know! I got plenty of books I can read to it! Won't that be fun?"
Last time, Rainbow had said, "Sure, why not, we can have some storytime."
This time, Rainbow said, "Oh, uh, you don't need to do that. Rarity and I have been reading to it plenty."
"Oh, okay. I'll find something else to talk to her about!" Pinkie bounced away.
Rainbow glanced back at her belly. "Daring Do saves the day again."
Looking forward, Rainbow spied Twilight making her way towards the temporary wooden stage. On either side, the stage was flanked by large bushes, and enormous sunflowers grew behind it in a large elevated trench.
"Attention everypony!" Twilight called. "I am pleased to announce today's winners!"
Rainbow gave her full and undivided attention, stifling a chuckle.
Twilight reached the stage, ducking her head under one of the bushes. Her flower crown caught on one of the low-hanging branches. As the other end hooked around Twilight's horn, her head was pulled back. Twilight spun around in an effort to stabilize herself, but her rump smacked into one of the supports of the sunflower trench. Just as Twilight had freed herself and turned again towards the stage, the supports collapsed, sending their contents onto the stage and onto Twilight, completely burying her.
Rainbow Dash burst out laughing.
"Yes!" she shouted, rolling onto her back. "Just like that!"
Emerging from the mess, Twilight's head wore sunflower roots on top of her dirt blanket. A few other ponies laughed, but none as hard as Rainbow.
Rainbow's hooves kicked the air as she struggled to breathe between laughs. "That was... that was so worth the wait! It's even better than I remembered!"
Through blurred vision, Rainbow saw Twilight unearthing herself. "All right, everypony," Twilight said, "that was just a little accident."
Rainbow got to her feet and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I wish you coulda seen that, kid."
"Hopefully without any further interruptions," Twilight said with a quizzical glance towards Rainbow, "I'll announce today's winners."
Rainbow didn't pay any attention to the flowers. She had already won the grand prize. |
The World Beneath Her Wings | Faux Rematch | Rainbow shifted under the bed's covers. Slowly, her mind registered that it was still before sunrise and she therefore should be asleep.
"Rainbow, dearie." It took another moment to realize that Rarity's voice was probably why she had woken up.
"Not now, babe," Rainbow groaned. "The foal still has to..." Unable to come up with a verb, her subconscious simply gave up.
She heard a chuckle. "I'm just letting you know that I'm about to leave for Dodge Junction. I have a special delivery to make for Cherry Jubilee's get-together, and I'm going to get some new gems while I'm there. I'll be back before sundown." Rarity kissed Rainbow's cheek. "Make sure you take care of yourself, okay?"
"Sure thing," Rainbow mumbled. "Love you."
Only vaguely aware of Rarity's hoofsteps, Rainbow drifted back to sleep with the persistent feeling that she was forgetting something.
Hours later, Rainbow awoke to a bright spring morning. She rolled herself out from under the covers, landed on her hooves, and stretched herself out. Another minute later, she remembered that Rarity had left that morning.
And then she remembered something else.
Her eyes went wide. "Rarity!"
Gripping her head in her hooves, she said, "Aw geez, I never told her! I was going to but she'd start asking questions and--" She let go and shook her head. "No. It doesn't matter anymore. I gotta help her. Think, Rainbow. Maybe I still have time. I can take the next train--no no, I'm faster than the train is. I can make it."
She rushed downstairs and grabbed her saddlebags. After tossing them on her back, she filled a few water bottles from the sink and shoved them in. She went through the front door and took off into the sky.
"Come on, kid, let's save your mom."
Rainbow flew as fast as a sustainable pace allowed. Following the train tracks across the country, she made her way towards Dodge Junction and the Badlands beyond.
She took a drink of water before placing the bottle back in her bag. "Just so you're up to speed, here's the plan, kid," she said, keeping her eyes on the ground. "If we get to Rarity before the salamanders do, I tell her what's up and we get out. If I don't see her, then they've gotten her, we take the train home, and Twilight and Starlight bust her out like last time. Either way, those things get nowhere near you. Got it? Got it."
Within a few hours, she had arrived over the Badlands. Her eyes darted across the landscape, looking for signs of her wife. Then she spotted a white shape below, along with three darker ones. She went into a hover high overhead, panting for air. The high sun over the desert didn't help.
"No no no. Okay, okay, plan A. I go back and get them." She looked to the west. "But Rarity's like a mile away from the colony, and there's only three of them. I whooped the butts of four last time." She took another swig of water. "I really need to let her go. I know she's going to be okay."
She took a few more breaths, eyes locked on the creatures kidnapping her wife. "I can't... I can't I can't I can't!" She growled. "I'm sorry, kid."
Rainbow swooped down. She landed on all fours in front of the salamanders. Two lead the way, both in armor. Behind them, Rarity had a black cloth bag over her head, with a rope tied around her head and through her mouth. A third salamander, dressed in fine clothes and holding a staff, held Rarity's leash.
"Hey!" Rainbow shouted. She could feel sweat running down her sides. Blinking a drop out of her eye, she said, "That's my wife!"
Rarity made a muffled noise of shock.
Both guards lowered their spears towards Rainbow. She took a few steps backwards, eyes on the guards. "You better look out, I'm a violent, sex-crazed animal."
The guards advanced. Continuing her walk back, Rainbow went on, "I gotta satisfy my sexual desires on that pony, and I'm going to knock your lights out if you get in my way. That's right, even with foal I just have to get my sex."
Rainbow kept her distance from the guards. She turned around, lowered her head to look underneath herself and raised her tail. "Look at me, I'm waving my goods around like some kind of perverted animal." A shake of her rump added to the effect. "I know what a salamander looks like naked, and I liked what I saw. Because I'm that sex-crazed."
Turning back towards them, Rainbow changed course to the side, tracing a large circle around Rarity and the third salamander. "But don't forget my violence. Punching salamanders gets me horny, and you look really punchable."
The guards still followed without saying a word, spears pointed at her.
"That's right," Rainbow said, looking into their eyes. "First I'm going to dent that armor of yours, then I'm going to sex up that pony."
Glancing to the side, Rainbow saw the third salamander relax and look away.
With a grin, Rainbow said, "Checkmate."
Rainbow swiveled on her hoof, opened her wings, and darted past the guards. The third salamander had barely turned back when Rainbow spun around mid-air and delivered a kick to her chest with both hind hooves, knocking her across the ground. She planted her hind hooves into the ground, wrapped her forelegs around Rarity's chest, and launched herself straight up.
They were well above the clouds before Rainbow leveled off. Rarity squirmed while making a series of unpleasant noises. "Whoa, babe," Rainbow said, "hold still. We're pretty high up and I don't want to drop you. My grip isn't that good right now."
A shallow glide returned them to the ground. The salamanders had become tiny dots in the distance. After fiddling with the knot for a bit, Rainbow managed to untie Rarity's rope and pull the bag off of her head.
"Hey, babe."
Rarity stared at her. "Not to sound ungrateful, but how in Equestria did you know to come out here and rescue me?"
With a smirk, Rainbow answered, "Time travel."
Rarity's eyebrow raised. "And this was the outcome you had in mind."
Rainbow's smile turned into a grimace. "It's... complicated." Glancing past her, she added, "Let's get moving. I don't know if those salamanders are going to come after us." She broke into a trot. "I got water if you're thirsty."
Magically fetching one of the bottles, Rarity took a drink while keeping pace. "What was all that about violence and a sex craze? You've rarely been in the mood for months."
"Salamander thing. They think we're all dumb animals for some reason." She shook her head.
Rarity looked at her. "Did you really present yourself to them?"
Laughing, Rainbow said, "Yeah. It was really funny." She sped up to trot in front of Rarity, looked back at her, and hiked up her tail. "Besides, this looks good. I know you like to see it. I got to make them real jealous of what nobody else can get."
Rarity's eyes went down to Rainbow's rump. She smiled and looked back up. "I can't say I disapprove of the view. Speaking of, how do you know what a salamander looks like naked? I got the impression from my... rather brief conversation that they had a strong nudity taboo."
Grinning ear to ear, Rainbow said, "Time travel." She let her tail drop and moved back to Rarity's side.
"Whatever the case," Rarity said, "I dread to think what they had in mind for me. I'm glad you came."
Rainbow looked towards Dodge Junction in the distance. "Yeah, me too." ---
Rainbow Dash lounged on the couch in Twilight's castle. Outside, the sun dipped below the horizon. Inside, Twilight sat in front of Rainbow jotting on a scroll. Nearby, Rarity indulged herself with a cup of tea.
"So, after you showed the guards your genitalia, for reasons I still don't understand," Twilight said, "you then flew towards Rarity."
With a flick of her tail, Rainbow said, "Yeah, you got it. Then I kicked the fancy-dressed one in the chest, grabbed Rarity, and took off out of there."
"I see. I'll be sure to relay your reports to Princess Celestia." Twilight lowered her scroll.
"Oh yeah, make sure to tell her how rude they are and that they think ponies are mindless animals." Rainbow waved her hoof.
Looking at her, Twilight asked, "What makes you think that?"
"That's what they said! Those jerks."
Twilight looked over the scroll hovering in front of her. "You didn't tell me they said anything."
Pushing the scroll down, Rainbow said, "Not this time, last time."
"You mean in your vision?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Whatever. They tied me up in front of their mayor Kez-lack or whatever his name was. He said a lot of stupid stuff about ponies and then threw me in a cage with Rarity overnight before you and Starlight busted us out."
"Twilight," Rarity said, "If you don't mind, I'm going to head home. I've had a long day." Setting down her tea, she stood up.
"Of course," Twilight said.
"See you at home," Rainbow added before turning back to Twilight.
Watching Rarity leave, Twilight said, "Something has been bothering me about your vision. Things just aren't making sense."
Shifting her weight on the couch, Rainbow said, "Because it wasn't a vision. I went back in time."
"Which we've already established can't be true." Twilight stood and paced around the room. "At first I assumed you only saw a few moments of time and your imagination filled in the rest. But you predicted the source of the disturbances and the existence of the Roundhill. Then the, um, accident at the Spring Bloom and now Rarity's kidnapping? A vision of that span of time and that amount of detail is... just absurd! I'd wonder if you've somehow gained the power to see the future, but that's just as ridiculous, not to mention you've apparently changed at least part of it."
Watching her walk, Rainbow said, "I still don't know anything past when we died, so I get to be normal again pretty soon. Speaking of, you're still not planning on zapping it and waking it up, right?"
"The Roundhill's dead--"
"--which is what you said before it killed you--"
"--but no, we're not going to do anything to it. Especially in light of everything else you foresaw." Twilight stopped and turned to her. "What you remember can't be what would happen, but whatever would is at best neutral and at worst catastrophic, that much I'm sure of."
Rainbow rolled off the couch, landed on her hooves, and stretched. "Close enough. I have a foal coming in a month so there's enough to worry about. I'm getting hungry, so I'm going to head home. Thanks for not destroying ponykind, Twilight."
Walking out into the night, Rainbow took a deep breath.
"Hey, kid," she said. "You, uh, you didn't mind getting up close and personal with the salamanders again, right?"
Her foal remained still. Rainbow figured she was asleep.
Regardless, she continued, "I said that Twilight and Starlight rescued us last time in front of Rarity, didn't I? Why did I have to open my big mouth? Now she knows she could have been saved without me. If she hasn't figured it out by now, it's only a matter of time."
"I got a second chance at this and I blew it!" She stomped her hoof.
Looking ahead at the Boutique, she straightened up. "No use putting this off. I gotta face the music."
Finishing her walk, Rainbow opened the door and found Rarity inside. Rarity turned to look at her. "There you are. Did you work out with Twilight what was going on?"
"As far as she'd let me." Rainbow tried not to wince.
"That's good. I need some time to relax after today. I'm going to take a bath." Rarity turned towards the stairs.
Rainbow's ears drooped back and she lowered her head.
Turning her head around, Rarity said, "Would you like to join me?"
Stiffening up, Rainbow said, "What?"
Rarity smiled and half-closed her eyes. "I would oh so love to show my gratitude towards the brave mare who rescued me from those savage creatures." A flick of her tail punctuated her sentence.
"Oh, uh." Rainbow paused. "I'm not really in the mood."
Rarity's smile faded. "Ah, yes. Of course. I understand."
With a few hurried steps forward, Rainbow said, "I'll take mine after you're done, okay? I could use a little less stress." She took a breath and attempted a smile. "Bad for the foal, you know." ---
Rainbow Dash lay on the downstairs couch, digesting her breakfast. Next to her, Rarity sat on the rug, reading one of her corny romance adventure novels to their child.
The previous day had been filled with Rarity sewing and stitching and draping cloth on mannequins and acting like absolutely nothing was wrong. So far, this day promised the same.
"...and then the handsome young Beef Pastry tore through the vines with his teeth, freeing his beloved Porcelain Dish. Gripping her in his rugged hooves, he looked into her glistening amber orbs, and said--"
"You endangered our foal!" echoed in Rainbow's head.
She gripped the sides of her head in her hooves and shouted, "I can't take this any more!"
Rarity shifted back, dropping the book out of her magic. "Dearie, if you didn't like the book, you could have said so earlier."
Hopping off the couch, Rainbow leaned down to Rarity. "I know you're not stupid, Rarity. Tell me: why aren't you mad at me?!"
Rarity stood up. "About what?"
"I told Twilight that last time she and Starlight rescued you. You know I didn't have to save you. I know I didn't have to save you. But I threw myself and the foal into danger anyways. For nothing! You should be furious!" Rainbow stomped her hoof.
Turning and taking a few steps away, Rarity said, "You told Twilight that you kept your distance from the salamanders while you were taunting them."
"Well, yeah. They had real sharp-looking spears. I didn't want any of that business."
Rarity turned back. "And suppose one of them had charged you. What would you have done?"
After looking down for a second, Rainbow said, "Well, I'm a lot faster than they are, so I would have been able to stay away or fly off."
"So was the foal truly in danger with you guarding her like that?"
With a step backwards, Rainbow said, "This isn't fair."
Rarity magically levitated the book and returned it to the shelf. "Are you truly that upset that you didn't risk our foal? I hope that you don't plan on endangering it on purpose."
Pacing around the room, Rainbow said, "It's just... today's the day. Last time, today's when we fought."
Rarity's eyebrows went up. "Fought? Whatever about?"
Rainbow added stomps to her steps. "Because I messed up big time, really did put the foal in danger, and I still could have gone and gotten help and stayed safe and then we got into a huge argument." She stopped and fell onto her rump. "And then the Roundhill killed us and I'll never be able to talk to that Rarity again. I'll never be able to work things out with her."
Sitting next to her, Rarity said, "Maybe that Rarity had a good reason to be angry, but this Rarity doesn't."
As she looked away, Rainbow said, "I picked a fight with the salamanders. I didn't have to. I was looking for you, I saw a group, and I told them to attack me. I hit them. They hit me." She took a breath. "The salamanders didn't know I was pregnant. Look at how much of me is foal. None of them hit it, but that was dumb luck."
There was a brief silence, broken by Rarity. "I see."
Still avoiding eye contact, Rainbow said, "That's why you were so mad. And why you should be mad now. Because I did that to our foal."
"If you found yourself in that situation once more," Rarity said, "would you do it again?"
Rainbow's wings sprang open. "No! I never should have done it in the first place!"
Rarity sat up straight. "Then I see no reason to be upset. You certainly don't need me to tell you how much you care about the foal's well-being. If anything, you should be... no, never mind."
Looking back at her, Rainbow said, "Should be what? Wait, you think I should be mad at you? Unless you've been using my gut as a punching bag while I'm asleep, I can't think of anything you've done."
This time Rarity looked away. "I wandered out into the wilderness on the edge of Equestria alone, leaving my pregnant wife behind. I was too distracted by a finely-dressed, smooth-talking creature to notice an ambush. Our foal would never have been near the salamanders in the first place if I had just been more cautious. What kind of wife am I if I am so willing to make you a single mother?"
"Fath--" Rainbow stopped herself. She laid her wing across Rarity's back and held her close. "Rarity, I know what you keep saying, but I'm not her mother. I can carry her, I can give birth to her and nurse her, but I can't be her mother. I can't do all that kind and caring mom stuff. Look at me. I can barely take care of her when she's inside me. You think I have a chance once she's born?"
Rarity looked back. "Rainbow, I'm sure you'll do great."
"Well, I'm not. The foal needs you, Rarity. I need you. I know there are ponies out there who can raise a foal on their own." She put a hoof to her chest. "But I'm not one of them. I can't do this alone. I can be her dad. But she needs her mom."
Laying her hoof across Rainbow, Rarity said, "There's nothing wrong with a foal having a cool mother. You can still be her mother, no matter how you act."
Rainbow relaxed her wing's grip. "Maybe, but now I have to know. Why does it matter to you so much that I'm the mom?"
"Well, it's only logical." Rarity's eyes darted back and forth. "She's in your womb."
"No no. It can't just be this." Rainbow prodded her belly. "Why am I Mom?"
Tensing up, Rarity said, "It-it's just... it's just..."
"Just what?"
"I'm jealous!" Rarity shouted into the air.
Rainbow's wing slid off Rarity's back. "What?"
"There! I said it! I'm jealous!" She slumped down.
Replacing her wing, Rainbow asked, "Jealous? Of me?"
"Yes! Something wonderful and miraculous is happening inside you, and I want it inside me instead!" She took a breath. "Seeing you grow larger, knowing that there's a new life in there. I want to put my hoof on my belly and know there's a foal under it. I want to feel it whenever it kicks. I want to look back and see myself bulging outward. I want to feel its weight hanging from me. I even want to give birth to it, no matter how much it'll hurt!
"And I can't." She sniffled. "I can't do any of those things. And then you didn't even care about the miracle you were carrying. You treated it like it was no big deal, like it was a big inconvenience instead of a new life." Wiping her eyes, Rarity continued, "And one day you announced that you did care about it a great deal. I thought things would be better. You finally saw it the way I did. But that only made me feel worse. You experienced what I couldn't and you loved it.
"And every time you say I'm her mother it feels like you're mocking me. You're rubbing it in my face that I'll never bear your child, that I'll never know what it's like to have a life inside me."
"Aw geez, Rarity," Rainbow said, looking over at her, "I had no idea." She held Rarity tight against her side, against her foal. "I can't put the foal inside you. And if it was up to me, if you didn't care either way... well, I don't think I could give this up. But would it make you feel better if I called myself Mom? I mean, I can try being an awesome mom instead."
Rarity leaned into her. "It would mean quite a lot to me."
"Sure. It'd be weird to call you Dad, though." Rainbow paused, then smiled. "I know, you don't have to be Dad. Let's give her two moms instead."
Returning the smile, Rarity said, "That does sound lovely." |
The World Beneath Her Wings | Just a Little Longer | Rainbow Dash hated waiting. It was worse when she had to wait for something without a clue when it would happen. That it was her own body she was waiting on added insult to injury.
At the moment, waiting consisted of lounging on the couch while listening to Rarity sew in the other room. Everything was as ready as it could be. The guest room had been fully converted into a baby's bedroom, all the cabinets and drawers were equipped with safety locks, and everything even vaguely sharp or chokable was secured. The only thing missing was asleep inside Rainbow.
For her part, Rainbow was bored. Rarity had occupied herself with manic sewing, the sounds of which echoed through the house. Rainbow glanced at her bulging belly, taking some satisfaction in the knowledge that it was as large as it'd ever be. With a groan, she rolled off the couch.
Sighing, she said, "Let's find something to do, kid. I could use a distraction."
Rarity was in the room so quickly Rainbow swore she'd teleported. "Did you say contraction? Is it time? Do we need to go to the hospital? I'll pack!" Rarity had packed seven times already.
"No, no, babe. It isn't time. Calm down," Rainbow said with a raise of her hoof. She quickly returned it to the ground. She knew she wouldn't miss all the extra weight throwing her balance off.
"Oh, yes, of course," Rarity said, fiddling with a needle and thread in her magic. "Rainbow, dearie, can you do me a favor and not have the foal until I'm ready for it? Perhaps another two or three months?"
The foal was two days overdue. "Sorry, Rarity." Rainbow shifted her weight. "She might be comfy in there, but I'm ready for her to come out. In fact, I think I've changed my mind. I'd rather you be carrying this right now."
"Yes well, me too, but I'm not and you are so all I can do is wait." Rarity's thread had managed to tangle itself around the needle. "Wait and sew."
"Uh-huh. Hey, I'm going to go for a fly." Rainbow flapped her wings and took to a hover. The extra weight under her wings made itself apparent. She landed slightly harder than she usually did. "Walk. I'm going to go for a walk. Maybe I'll see if Pinkie has some of those brownies I like."
Rarity set down her mess of thread. "Okay, do be careful, dearie." Hugging Rainbow, she said, "If you feel anything, come right back home."
Briefly returning the hug, Rainbow said, "You'll know as soon as I do, babe."
"Oh!" Rarity exclaimed. "What if it's a red earth filly with a bright green mane? I haven't got a thing that matches that!" She hurried back into the other room.
With a smile, Rainbow left the Boutique. Giving a glance back at her bulging sides, she said, "Hope you're not a hideously colored filly. Rarity would have an aneurysm every time she looked at you. Don't worry though, I promise we'll both love you no matter what you look like."
After a minute of silent walking, she looked up. "It's a nice day out here, you know. I made sure of that. Going to have some summer showers in a few days to make up for it, so you'd better be born before the weather team decides to kill me for putting it off for so long. I was a week early, you know. Rarity was three days late. Fashionably so, she says. Guess you're taking more after her. It's all right if you're more like her than me. I like her. But if you get some of my awesomeness, that'd be pretty sweet, too."
Taking a few more steps, she noticed a lack of motion in her belly. "Still asleep? All right, get your rest. You got a really big day soon. Biggest day of your life, really. One of the biggest of mine, too."
Soon, Sugarcube Corner appeared in the distance. "Oof. Anypony ever tell you how heavy you are? How do the mares in Cloudsdale handle this? But I'm not going to be doing this much longer." Rainbow paused. "But you? Everything is going to begin." She looked up. "I'm going to finally get to meet you. Find out what race you are, what colors you are, what kind of person you're going to be, everything. I can't wait."
A brief tremor ran under her hooves.
Rainbow looked down. "Hm?"
Sounds of commotion prompted her to look up again. To the northwest, the horizon turned orange.
Her blood ran cold. "No," she whispered. Within seconds, the orange spread, passing over Ponyville, enveloping the sky and wiping the clouds away. Everything was bathed in its light.
"No no no no!" Rainbow turned back and forth, not knowing what to do. She spotted Twilight's castle in the distance and took off running.
Running soon turned to flying, low across the ground. Rainbow ignored her wings' protests and soon arrived at the castle. She dove through a window and landed in front of Twilight.
Twilight turned. "Rainbow? What's--"
"What did you do?" Rainbow shouted.
Taking a step back, Twilight responded, "What?"
Rainbow pointed a hoof out the window. "The Roundhill! What did you do?"
Twilight flew up and looked out towards the horizon. "Is that what you were talking about with the sky? How in the world--"
In less than a second, Rainbow was at her side, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Twilight. What. Did. You. Do?" A few orange sparkles wafted down outside.
"I haven't done anything to it!" She pulled herself out of Rainbow's grasp. "Look. Calm down. I'm going to go find Starlight, and we're going to get to the bottom of this. Stay here."
"But--"
Twilight looked into her eyes. "Rainbow. Whatever is going on, it can't hurt us. Magic doesn't work that way. I'll be back and we're going to figure out what's going on."
Rainbow looked away. "It doesn't make a difference, I guess."
With a smile, Twilight said, "Trust me, all right?"
Instead of answering, Rainbow glided back to the floor. Twilight had gone out the window and out of sight.
Above, the orange sparkles came down thicker, passing through the ceiling. One landed on Rainbow's back, sending a chill through her body. Then another. And another.
"Twilight?" Rainbow called. She trotted, then ran into the hallway through the thickening orange haze. Before she reached the front door, her legs gave out.
As the strength ebbed from her body, she struggled to breathe.
"No," Rainbow gasped. "Not like this... please... give me... another chance..." ---
Rainbow Dash jerked awake, breathing heavily. She was once again in her bed at home, and the sun shone through a blue sky outside. She rolled out of bed, collecting her thoughts.
Once she was on all four hooves, the weight in her belly asserted itself. Rainbow looked back at it to see it bulging outward as large as it had just been. She didn't quite remember how large she had been a month and a half earlier, but she knew it was smaller than that.
"Wait a second," she said to herself. "How far back did I go?"
With uncertain steps, she made her way to the calendar on the wall in the hallway outside. She soon spotted the most recent crossed-out date.
"A week?" ---
Rainbow opened the door to Twilight's throne room. Twilight looked up from whatever she was reading.
After crossing the distance between them, Rainbow took a breath to collect her thoughts. "It happened again."
"What did?" Twilight asked with a glance at Rainbow's flank. "Is something wrong with the foal?"
"What?" Rainbow shook her head. "No, forget the foal. It's the Roundhill. Somepony woke it up."
Twilight looked out the window. "The Roundhill's dead, Rainbow. Nopony can wake it up. And besides, even if it was," she said, looking back, "nothing like what you said is happening."
Rainbow's hoof met the bridge of her nose. "Not now, a week from now."
"You mean you had another vision?"
"It's not a vision, Twilight!" Rainbow stomped the floor. "It really happened. And... and you!"
Twilight backed up a step. "What?"
"You said it couldn't hurt us! You told me to trust you!" Rainbow leaned into her face. "You told me to trust you and I died."
Raising a hoof, Twilight said, "Calm down, Rainbow. It was only a vision."
"Stop saying that!" Rainbow opened her wings. "I know what happened! It wasn't a vision! I don't know who woke it up, but somepony did and it killed us all. You..."
Rainbow took a step backwards and fell onto her haunches, looking down. She looked back up, pleading with her eyes. "You told me to trust you. But don't you trust me?"
Twilight hesitated, then walked over and sat next to Rainbow. "Of course I trust you. It's just... I mean, it's not--" She paused to take a breath. "All right. This isn't helping. Let's just say that you're right, and we put aside"--Rainbow could hear a twinge of annoyance enter Twilight's voice--"some very fundamental laws of magic that are absolutely crucial to our understanding of reality. You said that somepony, ugh, woke up the dead Roundhill and it exterminated ponykind as a result?"
Rainbow nodded.
"Then the least we should do is find out who. But if we didn't find any documentation of the Roundhill's existence, then I don't see how anypony else could either. Starlight and I only know about it because you told us. You didn't tell anypony nefarious about it, did you?"
Glancing at her, Rainbow said, "Like that mare in the black cape and top hat? Had a handlebar mustache, a skull and crossbones cutie mark, and wanted to end the world? Of course not, Twilight. I mean, Rarity knows. I don't know if she'd tell anypony about it." With a sigh, she added, "She never believed me, either."
Rainbow thought for a moment. "The first time, you and Starlight found it by following some weird magic stuff. Maybe... somepony else did the same thing?"
Briefly looking down, Twilight said, "That's possible, assuming you're right about that being how we found it in your vision--I mean, how you remember it. Starlight and I stopped following the clues once you told us about the Roundhill, so I don't know what steps we'd follow from where we were to it. Maybe--"
A door opened. Through it walked Starlight Glimmer, whose mane and tail were each wrapped in a towel. Water dripped from her sides. She glanced between Rainbow and Twilight.
"What's going on?" Starlight asked.
Rainbow hesitated. Twilight spoke up, "Rainbow's had another, uh, experience with the Roundhill. Like the last one. Apparently somepony is going to cause that disaster she told us about in a week's time."
Starlight rubbed her tail. "So she had another vision?"
With a snort, Rainbow said, "It's not a--"
"I think," Twilight said, raising her hoof, "it's for the best if we take Rainbow at her word until we figure out what's going on. Maybe this other pony has information that'll help solve the mystery. But how in Equestria would we find them? They could be anywhere."
Unwrapping her mane, Starlight said, "We know where they'd be next week, right?"
"Right. So all we have to do is be at the Roundhill at the right time." Twilight paced in a circle. "Then we can talk to them and figure things out."
"And beat the tar out of them for putting me through this," Rainbow added. Inside her, it felt like her foal shared the sentiment.
Twilight either didn't hear her or decided not to respond. "Which leaves us with the question of what to do until then. I'd like to do some research, but I've already exhausted the library, and from what I remember, in Rainbow's vision--experience, neither Canterlot nor the Crystal Empire had anything, either." She scratched her chin. "Rainbow, do you know if I checked the Forbidden Section of the Royal Library?"
Rainbow tilted her head. "There's a Forbidden Section?"
"That answers that. I'd have to ask Celestia permission to look through it, though."
"You're a princess," Starlight said with a smile. "Can't you just walk in?"
Turning to her, Twilight answered, "Well, Celestia banned me from it after the time I accidentally melted all the snow off of Canterlot Mountain when I was nine." She gave a sheepish grin.
Rainbow stifled a laugh.
Twilight cleared her throat. "In any case, I think it's for the best if Rainbow comes along, too. Her recollection can help keep us on the right track."
"Great," Rainbow said. "Travel. Just what my body needs right now." She sighed. "But if it'll help, I'll go. Just let me tell Rarity what's going on. And get something to eat. I'm starving."
Rainbow turned and left the room. In the hallway, she heard Starlight's faint voice saying, "You don't really believe her, do you?"
There was a pause, then Twilight replied, "I don't know what to believe anymore." ---
Rainbow pushed open the door to the boutique. Inside she saw Rarity, who quickly made her way over to her.
"Rainbow, dearie, you up and left without saying a word," she said. Rarity glanced into Rainbow's eyes. "Is everything okay?"
Taking a breath, Rainbow answered, "Remember that month and a half when I died and went back in time? It happened again."
"Another month and a half?"
Rainbow walked inside, letting Rarity close the door behind her. "A week." She lay on the nearest couch and stretched herself out, glad to be off her aching legs.
"If you're from next week, then..." Rarity's voice drifted off and her eyes went to Rainbow's belly.
"Huh?" Rainbow looked at herself. "Oh. No, no I haven't had her yet. She's going to be late."
Rarity set her hoof on Rainbow's side. "Then late or not, I'm sure things are going to work out." The foal returned the gesture, prompting a smile from Rarity.
"Speaking of workouts, I'm being dragged to Canterlot so I can help them figure out more magic stuff. Then I'm going to find the idiot who's going to wake up the Roundhill and show them exactly what I think of their meddling."
Turning away, Rarity said, "Well then, I should pack our things."
Rainbow sat up on the couch. "Huh? 'Our' things?"
"I'm coming with you, of course," Rarity said, looking over her shoulder.
Letting herself settle down again, Rainbow replied, "There's no point in both of us going. You might as well stay here and make cute little outfits or whatever it was you did last week. Did today. Was... going to have done today?" She shook her head. "Whatever. You know what I mean."
Rarity fetched some saddlebags. "You might have the foal while you're there."
"I told you, babe, she isn't coming for at least a week." Her eyes followed the various bits of cloth and sewing implements making their way through the air.
"You've also told me that the future you remember changes. I will not risk missing the birth of our daughter."
Getting to her feet, Rainbow said, "All right, all right. But promise me you'll help beat up whoever is putting us through this."
Rarity gave Rainbow a quick kiss on her cheek. "Naturally." |
The World Beneath Her Wings | Ignorance | The guards outside of Princess Celestia's throne room pushed open the heavy-looking doors. Beyond, Rainbow Dash could see Princesses Celestia and Luna seated on their raised thrones. The late afternoon sun shone through the stained glass windows, adding splashes of color to the white floor.
Twilight walked through the doors, with Rainbow following behind. Rarity had gone to attend to the boutique in Canterlot, but only after Rainbow promised to tell her the moment she felt something. Starlight had already left for the library.
"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said, stepping down from her throne. "It is good to see you again. And Rainbow Dash," she added, with a glance to Rainbow's belly, "I see you are coming along very well."
"Uh, thanks," was the only reply she could think of.
"Unfortunately, Princess," Twilight said, "We have an urgent matter."
Over the next several minutes, Twilight summarized the situation around the Roundhill, with Rainbow adding what she remembered.
"...and something has to be missing from it all, but I can't figure out what," Twilight concluded. "Some of these things simply defy explanation."
"Does it truly?" Luna asked, her first words since the ponies' arrival. She stepped off her throne. "Before us stands a mare who was the subject of a highly experimental spell, one with unknown side effects. Is it so preposterous that her mind may have been affected?"
Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but Celestia cut her off with a raise of her hoof. "Luna," she said, turning to her sister, "do you truly believe that magic designed to conceive a foal affected her in this way? It strains credibility."
"Hmph." Luna turned her head away. "'Tis more plausible than the alternative. Are you so quick to believe that all of our knowledge of magic is false?"
"We know only what the brightest minds of the kingdom have discovered, and many long-standing theories have been upended over the years." Celestia closed her eyes. "I remember some ponies being very proud of theories that were disproven beyond their lifetimes."
Turning away, Luna walked back towards her throne. "Indulge her, then. 'Tis your own folly." She sat down. "And no matter for me."
"I do have to admit," Twilight said, "discovering the truth has been difficult."
"There are certainly things our knowledge of magic can not yet explain," Celestia replied. "And I have no knowledge of any creature like this Roundhill. Perhaps Equestria is indeed in peril. Or perhaps the magic involved has affected your memories, Rainbow. Whatever the truth is, I have faith that you and your friends will find it."
Twilight stepped forward. "Which is why I'm here. I need your permission to enter the Forbidden Section of the library."
Celestia paused, then chuckled. "You are a princess, Twilight. You hardly need my permission to go anywhere."
"But you banned me from there."
Keeping up her smile, Celestia said, "I banned an impulsive filly who stumbled across something she was supposed to be too young to find, and who was a little too reckless with her abilities. That filly is long gone."
Twilight turned red. "O-of course. I'll get to reading right away. Thank you, Princess. Sorry for bothering you."
Celestia nodded. "It's no trouble at all."
Twilight turned and made her way to the door. After one more glance at Luna, Rainbow followed.
"One more thing, Twilight," Celestia said.
"Yes?" Twilight turned back.
"Try not to flood the city again." ---
The towering bookshelves of the library stood out against the light streaming in the windows. Step by step, Rainbow Dash followed Twilight into the main reading area. Ahead of the pair, Starlight approached.
"There you are," she said. "I've been looking all over for the forbidden section, but I can't find anything like that, and some ponies"--she shot a look towards the reference desk--"are being unhelpful and telling me it doesn't exist."
Twilight chuckled. "Of course it's a secret. I'll show you where I found it."
With a glance at the other patrons, Rainbow followed Twilight to a bookshelf against the wall. It looked just like every other shelf in the library.
"Here," Twilight said, "first you need to remove these."
Three books turned purple and levitated off of the shelf. Rainbow read the titles as they went by: An Unabridged History of the Northern Wastes, Ten Thousand and One Ways to Inspect a Brick, and A Detailed Analysis of the Function of Forelock Hair.
"And you found this out on accident?" Starlight asked.
"Yup. Finally, all you have to do is put your hooves here and..." She set her forehooves on a low shelf. The entire lower section of the bookcase slid downwards into the floor, producing only a quiet scraping noise. Behind it was a blank wall. With a flicker of Twilight's magic, the wall opened into a dark chamber beyond.
Rainbow took a step towards it. Twilight moved to block her. "Rainbow," she said, "I think it's better if you stay out here. There's some strange magic in there and I wouldn't want you to get hurt."
Not in the mood to argue, Rainbow instead found a nearby bench to lay on.
"We'll let you know if we need anything," Twilight told her, walking with Starlight into the darkness. The wall swung closed behind them, leaving Rainbow staring at the peeling paint.
She looked at her belly. "That magic can't be as strange as what we've been going through, right?" After a pause, she added, "Well, I guess they have things under control. What do you want to do?" The foal shifted. Rainbow looked around. "I guess I can find some smart-pony book for us to read and make your brain bigger." Looking around, she selected one within hoof's reach. Pulling it off the shelf, she read the title out loud: "Magic Circles for Beginners. You're a beginner, kid, so this'll be perfect."
Setting the book down, she let the pages fall open to the introduction. Rainbow cleared her throat. "While most ponies will never encounter nor need them, magic circles nevertheless are crucial in the study of higher magic. From simple sketches on paper that take only a few hours to elaborate constructions hundreds of feet across requiring months of preparation, these circles enable magic the likes of which Equestria would never otherwise see.
"This work assumes knowledge in set theory, stochastic dynamics, nonlinear differential equations, and a mastery of Riemaneian geometry."
Rainbow blinked a few times before turning the book over to double-check the title. She turned it back to the page, looking down at the first of the book's many diagrams. "The things I do for you, kid." ---
The bell above the front door of the Canterlot Boutique chimed as Rainbow nudged it open. Behind her, the sun dipped below the mountains.
"Rainbow Dash!" Sassy Saddles trotted up to her. "It's been so long since I've seen you! And you look just lovely."
Sassy glanced at Rainbow's belly. "And of course Rarity's told me. When are you due, again?"
"Ugh," was all Rainbow was in the mood to reply with.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"
Rainbow hadn't noticed Rarity's approach until she'd physically bumped Sassy to the side. "Dearie, are you all right? You look absolutely exhausted."
Rainbow finally looked up from the floor. "I guess. I've just been doing a lot of reading, and thinking, then Twilight comes out and starts asking questions I don't know the answer to and--"
A white hoof gently set itself on Rainbow's mouth. "Ssh. Sassy, darling, can you watch the store while Rainbow and I talk in private?"
"Of course."
Rarity led Rainbow to the back room, full of mannequins and half-sewn dresses. Rainbow found a place on the floor to sit.
"Now tell me, what is going on, Rainbow?" Rarity lifted Rainbow's head.
"It's just--" She took a breath. "I decided to start reading to the kid, pass some time, make her smarter, you know? But every book I found was so full of magic mumbo-jumbo. Like, what in Equestria is a complex number? Don't regular numbers get complex enough?
"Then I thought about Twilight and Starlight. They'd find all this stuff simple. And they were back in that secret room. What kind of books were in there? And then there's the Roundhill. That thing is more than even the super-smart books know. More than anypony knows."
She raised a hoof. "All this just makes me realize... how much I don't know. What I don't understand. And in just a few days I'm going to have to go out there and... I don't know, find out who's doing all this and stop them? Whoever's going to wake it up, what do they know?"
Rarity took Rainbow's hoof in hers. "Rainbow, relax. It's not the end of the--What I mean to say is that stressing yourself out over this isn't going to help anypony, least of all her." She looked at Rainbow's side before returning her gaze to her face. "Here, let me make a bath for you. You'll feel better, I promise."
Fifteen minutes later, Rainbow looked over the tub. Rarity had dimmed the lights and lit several candles. The smells of flowers that Rainbow didn't know the names of wafted through the room. A thin layer of suds floated atop the water. Rainbow Dash's baths normally involved dunking herself in the nearest lake, but she couldn't deny that Rarity's were nice, too.
Her generous, caring, and beautiful wife stood by the door. "Take your time, dearie. Don't come out until you've relaxed."
"Thanks, babe." Rainbow paused. "Rarity... do you believe me?"
Rarity's smile faded. "Rainbow, you promised you wouldn't ask me that any more."
Looking back towards the bath, Rainbow said, "Yeah, I'm sorry."
She climbed into the tub, hearing Rarity close the door behind her. She settled in, carefully rolling onto her back under the warm water.
Rainbow took a deep breath and let it out. "She doesn't believe me."
The water in the tub had risen almost to the rim. Rainbow idly wondered why it was so much higher than it used to be. She had a vague recollection of it being something to do with how large she was, but couldn't remember the exact reason.
She looked at her belly, the view warped by the ripples. "At least you don't have to think about any of this. Though sometimes I wish I could ask what this has been like for you. But I guess you won't be much conversation for a few years." Looking up at the ceiling, she added, "If we live that long."
Settling into the water, she let the suds rise almost to her snout. She shifted her wings, feeling the currents drift between her feathers. A small amount of water spilled over the edge of the tub.
"Even if we do find whoever is going to wake up the Roundhill and talk to them or fight them or whatever, what do we do after? Are we supposed to guard it forever? You're going to be born soon. Can I handle it and you? What am I supposed to do?"
Rainbow soaked for a few minutes in silence.
"Maybe Princess Luna's right."
She felt her foal kick.
"Maybe the spell is giving me visions, and my bird brain doesn't get it. Maybe the Roundhill really is dead and my dumb self is misinterpreting some weird symbolism or dream stuff that has nothing to do with it."
Another kick.
"Is that what I'm going to be to you? Your crazy mom, who keeps spouting nonsense about time travel and the end of the world? 'Oh, don't worry, Mom says a big bug is going to kill us every other week. Just ignore my stupid mom.' Just ignore stupid Rainbow Dash."
Taking one more deep breath, she said, "I hope those books are helping. One of us is going to need to be the smart one." ---
Placing one hoof in front of the other, Rainbow climbed the familiar ridge. The last time she'd seen it, the Roundhill had blasted a hole clean through. But that future never happened. Or the vision didn't come to pass. Rainbow wasn't sure which anymore.
Twilight reached the top first. "Well, it looks like how we left it." She opened her wings. "I'm going to go have a look around." She took off effortlessly into the sky. Rainbow remembered being able to do that.
Rainbow opened her wings and lifted herself into the air. With some effort, she flew up the hillside, just beating Starlight to the top. She looked out over the plain ahead. There the Roundhill sat, cozy under its blanket of grass. The same lone tree grew from its side. The green dome over it had been excavated in several places, including one high up to reveal part of the dark blue splotch that Rainbow had forgotten it had.
Starlight made her way down the hill. Rarity walked up and stopped at Rainbow's side. "Oh dear. That is quite large, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Rainbow followed Starlight on foot.
"Well, it'll be over soon at least. We'll find the ruffian causing all this trouble and convince them to stop. Just be sure to stay behind me, dearie. You're hardly in any condition to fight."
The trio soon arrived at the base of the Roundhill. Rainbow picked a spot in what little shade its tree provided and lay on her side. Looking around, she saw only her wife, friends, and the Roundhill itself present.
Twilight landed nearby. "Well, I don't see anypony else around. There isn't any sign of tunneling or anything, either. It's safe to say that we're alone."
"Surprise, surprise," Starlight said, "nopony else has a reason to come here. What a wonderful waste of a week. At least I know how to get into the Forbidden Section if I ever need to again." She turned to leave.
"Now hold on." Twilight moved in front of her. "It's possible that Rainbow's changed the timeline again and whoever's coming will still show up." She absent-mindedly rubbed her horn.
Starlight turned around. "When? In an hour? A day? Ten years? Let's face it, Twilight. The only thing those books have taught us is that there's a single pony in all of Equestria who's even heard of the Roundhill before all this started--" A hoof pointed at Rainbow. "--and she's done nothing but waste our time!"
Twilight rubbed her horn again. "But something is going on... something... ow."
"Is something wrong with your... oh." Starlight's hoof met her own horn. "What is that?"
Twilight winced. "It's getting worse."
"Now that you mention it," Rarity said, "my horn is starting to bother me, though not as bad as you two look."
Rainbow didn't feel anything. She looked between the unicorns. "What? What's going on?"
"Ergh, it's really starting to hurt."
"Twilight? Rarity? Come on, what is it?"
Turning her head back and forth, Twilight said, "Where is it coming from...?"
Her eyes went wide.
"The Roundhill?"
The ground beneath Rainbow jolted. With a rumble, the grass on the side of the Roundhill slid down.
"RAINBOW!" Rarity screamed.
Rainbow Dash looked up just in time for the tree to fill her vision. |
The World Beneath Her Wings | One Last Journey | Rainbow jerked awake. She took deep breaths to steady herself and think. After rolling out of bed, she took slow steps downstairs to find Rarity.
"Good morning, dearie. Oh no, did it happen again?" Rarity moved to met her on the bottom step.
"Rarity." Rainbow thought for a moment. "When are we going to the Roundhill?"
"This afternoon. Why, is something wrong?"
Rainbow walked off the staircase and put her hoof to her face. "This is bad."
Walking next to her, Rarity asked, "What's going on?"
Not stopping on her way to the front door, Rainbow only said, "I gotta find Twilight. She's gotta know what to do. Rarity, you should..." She blinked a few times trying to think. "Something."
Outside, Rainbow walked through Canterlot's morning in a daze. She passed several ponies on the way to the library, ponies who had lived that day twice already and died just as many times.
She looked up at the clouds and could only see an orange wave sweeping them away. She looked down and could only see bodies.
Rainbow shook her head. Twilight would know what to do.
She reached the library sooner than she'd expected, its doors still closed for the morning. The weariness in Rainbow's legs finally caught up to her. She settled down on a bench in front, letting out a deep breath.
Laying on her side and setting her head down, she wished something could take her mind off of things.
Her foal kicked inside her.
She settled on watching ponies go by in their blissful ignorance.
"Rainbow? What are you doing here already?"
Looking to her side, Rainbow saw Twilight and Starlight standing a few feet away. She got to her feet. "Twilight, this is really bad. It happened again. It woke up."
Starlight gave a quick smile. "I'll be inside," she said, walking up the steps towards the opening doors.
Twilight came closer. "Oh! Did you see who did it?"
"It's--" She shook her head. "Nopony did it. It woke itself up, Twilight. That's what happened and, oh geez that must have been it the second time, too. We can't stop it because there's nopony to stop. And it's going to happen again today!"
Twilight grabbed Rainbow's shoulders. "Calm down, okay? Panicking isn't going to help."
Rainbow brushed Twilight's hooves off. "Yeah. Okay, yeah. So what's the plan?"
Looking down, Twilight started, "Well, the creature spontaneously awakening now after thousands of years does strain credibility a bit." Twilight looked up at the scowl that Rainbow barely noticed she was making. "All right, all right. If it's inevitable, then we'll need a way to prevent it from hurting us, but without understanding what it is or how it works... all we can do to it is the best thing we have. We'll use the Elements of Harmony."
"Will they work?"
Twilight smiled. "Of course they will. The Elements, and the friendship that they represent, is the most powerful magic in the world. If they don't work, nothing will." She thought for a moment. "I'll have to ask the girls to come to the Roundhill. Spike should still be in Ponyville, so I'll send him a letter."
"That sounds good. Thanks, Twilight." Rainbow wiped her forehead.
Turning towards the library, Twilight said, "Things will work out. It'll take more than a big bug to take us down."
Rainbow began the walk back home.
About a block away from the library, a fancy-looking cart pulled by two white stallions stopped next to her. Rainbow looked up to see her wife in it.
"Get in."
"Um, Rarity, you really didn't need to--"
Rarity leaned over the edge. "It is very difficult to charter a carriage on short notice in this city, and this is important. Please, get in."
Rainbow got in.
She sat down under the wide white umbrella next to Rarity.
"Onwards, gentlecolts," Rarity called. "Through the park, please."
She turned to Rainbow. "Now, where was I?" She looked into Rainbow's eyes and hesitated. "Right. I've... I've seen you worried, and I've seen you anxious and nervous and all those things. But, Rainbow, for as long as I've known you, I've never seen you afraid. I've spent so much time this last week wrestling with whether I should believe you that I'd completely forgotten how you must feel. Whatever is happening has been scaring you and I haven't helped at all."
"Hey." Rainbow raised a hoof for a second. "It's not your fault that there's nothing you can really do about this. And it's okay if you don't believe me."
Rarity stomped the floor. "It's not okay! You're scared and I've been so confused that I haven't been thinking like I should about--about you, or--" She motioned at Rainbow's belly. "--or about her and instead I'm sitting in a cart raving like a madmare!"
Rainbow wrapped her hooves around Rarity. "It's all right."
"No, it's not."
"Sure it is."
"You're the one dealing with everything. What have I done for you or the foal?"
Pulling back and smiling, Rainbow looked into Rarity's eyes. "Been the amazing mare I still want to spend the rest of my life with?"
Rarity cracked a smile herself. "Even if that's just today?"
"Don't talk like that. Twilight's getting the Elements of Harmony and we're going to do the friendship thing at the Roundhill. Works every time." Rainbow snuggled up next to Rarity and wrapped her wing around her. Rarity leaned into her like she always did. "Then I'll have the kid and the three of us will be a family happily ever after."
Rarity chuckled. "Until the next time the world ends."
"Until the next time. Maybe the kid will be old enough to help."
"Maybe." ---
Rainbow climbed the familiar ridge, the Element of Loyalty hanging from her neck. To her right, Rarity climbed next to her for the first time again. On the left, Twilight wore her little tiara. Her friends walked behind them, with Starlight taking up the rear.
"All right," Applejack's voice said, "so we use the Elements on this Roundhill thing and go home?"
"Yup!" Pinkie Pie answered.
Over the ridge, Rainbow saw the sight she wished she didn't have to. One more time, the Roundhill sat inert under the dirt and grass and the lone tree. Rainbow passed the tree on top of the ridge and made her way down.
"And that'll stop the world from ending?" Applejack went on.
Pinkie said, "Or we'll all die."
Rainbow sighed.
"Pinkie, that ain't funny," Applejack added.
"Let's just focus on this," Twilight said, looking back.
Before long, they had crossed the short distance to the base of the Roundhill. Rainbow adjusted her Element. She glanced towards the sun. There wasn't much time.
"Are we clear on what we're going to do?" Twilight asked. "We hit it with whatever we've got, and play it by ear from there."
"I'll just stand back here and watch," Starlight said, backing up a few steps.
"Um." It was Fluttershy. "What exactly are we expecting?"
"Well," Twilight said, looking at Rainbow. "For the world not to end, I suppose."
Fluttershy walked up to the Roundhill's black side. "Then, is this really okay? Aren't we attacking a creature in its sleep?"
Rainbow's hoof met her face. "Fluttershy, this isn't the time for--"
"What Rainbow means to say," Twilight interrupted, "is that the Elements of Harmony are a force of friendship, of good. They don't hurt creatures. The worst they've ever done is contain evil, but they've never outright harmed anything."
Fluttershy paused. "At least let me try something." She rubbed up against the side of the Roundhill. "Mister Roundhill, you don't really want to hurt anypony or the world, do you? I'm sure you're just misunderstood. Are you cranky? Can I get you anything to eat? What do you eat?"
She waited in silence. "Okay, if you don't want to talk, that's fine, too." Fluttershy slowly walked away.
Rarity spoke up, "You said that the Elements don't harm creatures. Does that include our foal?"
Rainbow and Twilight both looked at her.
"Back before we conceived, you said that any magic could harm the foal. And I can speak from experience when I say that using the Elements of Harmony has quite the effect on a mare's body. There is a foal inside Rainbow's body right now. Will she be okay?"
Twilight paused. "No pony's ever used the Elements while pregnant." She paused. "But that's right, the foal is overdue. She's completely physically developed and is ready for the world's magic. And like I just said, the Elements don't do harm. She'll be just fine!"
Rainbow took a breath, then let it out. She turned to the Roundhill. "We doing this, then?"
"No time like the present," Twilight said. "Everypony ready?"
Rainbow got into position, next to Rarity. She concentrated on how she wouldn't let any weird time stuff or a big black shelled thing ruin the future of ponykind. How her friends were always there to help. How the love of her life was there for her.
She floated into the air, feeling the power swell.
Ponykind would survive this, just as they'd survived everything else. Nothing could stop the power of friendship. Everything was going to be all right.
The brilliant rainbow arced through the air and struck the Roundhill.
Rainbow floated back to the ground.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then the ground shook. Rainbow was the first to back up, quickly followed by the others when the dirt and grass slid off.
"No no no!" Rainbow shouted.
The sky turned orange.
"D-do it again!" Twilight yelled.
Rainbow thought very hard about how friendship was supposed to solve these kinds of problems, about how things had to work out, and about how this couldn't be how ponykind ended.
Once again, the rainbow hit the Roundhill, striking the energy field that had materialized around it.
In response, the field made a crackling noise and several white spots appeared on it, aimed at the ponies.
It only took a second for Rainbow to recognize them. "RUN!"
She turned and ran. She didn't know where and she didn't know how it would help.
Several loud cracks accompanied the flashes of heat behind her. There were distant booms.
Rainbow lost her footing and fell to the ground, ending up on her back. The Roundhill aimed another crackling spot of light at her. All she could do was wonder whether it would hurt.
Then the light faded.
"W... what?" Rainbow stood on shaking legs. "Why didn't you... Why are you sparing me? Do you know what's going on? Do you know me? How can you even know who I am? This is the first time you've seen me. Unless..."
Orange sparkles drifted down from above.
"Unless..."
Her strength began to fade. She collapsed once again.
She gasped her last breath.
"...you're going back, too." ---
"Or we'll all die."
"Pinkie, that ain't funny."
Rainbow stumbled a few steps at the top of the ridge. She sat down, letting the others walk by.
"Rainbow?" Rarity had stopped, too.
"Rarity..." She searched for words. "Can you stay here?"
With the slightest head tilt, she asked, "Don't we all need to be there?"
"No. No, we don't." She took her Element off, looked at it in her hoof for a second, and set it down in the grass. "Just stay here for a bit. It's... I just think you should."
Rarity looked at Rainbow's face. "All right."
Standing up, Rainbow continued down the ridge towards the Roundhill and the others. By the time she caught up, they were at its base.
Twilight turned around. "Where's your Element? Why isn't Rarity here?"
"It doesn't matter, Twilight. The Elements didn't work." Rainbow looked down.
Applejack raised her voice. "Are you kidding me? We get a letter telling us we have to be here in a jiffy or the world ends, and only now you tell us we didn't have to come?"
"How can the Elements not work?" Twilight asked. "How can friendship not work?"
"I don't know!" Rainbow yelled. "Why do you think I know anything about what's going on? This, all of this! The Elements didn't do anything, okay?" She quietly added, "You said that if the Elements don't work, nothing will."
Twilight paced back and forth. "This can't be right. Things aren't supposed to be this way."
Rainbow walked to stand next to the Roundhill's shell. "Supposed to? I'm not supposed to be going back in time. I'm not supposed to die like this. I'm supposed...
"I'm supposed to be a mother right now. I should be holding my daughter in my hooves, or letting her ride on my back. I should be worrying about whether she has enough diapers, instead of thinking about how she'll never be born."
"But that's all been taken away from me. Away from all of us. Because... because...."
She turned to the Roundhill.
"Because of this thing!"
She closed her eyes and punched the Roundhill as hard as she could before setting her forehead against it.
The others gasped.
Rainbow opened her eyes. "What?"
Fluttershy spoke up. "Rainbow, look."
Raising her head, Rainbow looked at the shell. On it was a glow a few feet across, with the dark imprint of her forehead. She pulled her hoof back, again leaving a dark hoofprint on a patch of light. As she watched, both glows quickly faded away.
Starlight said, "If it reacts to her, then it can't be completely dead. And if she's right about that, then..." She looked up at the mass of the hill, then backed away. "Then..."
Twilight finished the sentence: "Then we're in trouble. Why didn't you tell us it did that?" She set her own hoof against the Roundhill to no effect.
"I never touched it before!" Rainbow paused. "I never touched it before. A month ago, I could have touched it and showed you. You would have believed me from the start. Did you know that it knows about me somehow? I found that out. And I'm pretty sure it goes back in time, too. Maybe if you knew that a month ago you could have figured something out. But now it's too late. It's going to wake up at any moment now. And we're all going to die. We're all going to die because I didn't touch it."
"Rainbow, I'm sure there's something--"
She turned to Twilight. "No. There's nothing. We're out of time. I don't like it either, but I know when I've lost. When we've lost. It's over."
Rainbow went on, "Do you know, out of all the times I've died, what I haven't done? I haven't been there with my wife. That's something that I can change. If you want to try whatever magic you can think of, go right ahead. It can't make things worse. Goodbye."
She turned and walked back towards the ridge. Behind her, Twilight and Starlight started talking. They sounded upset, but Rainbow didn't care anymore. Fluttershy made a sound like she wanted to follow, but Applejack said something to stop her.
Rainbow arrived at the ridge and lay down next to Rarity.
"I saw the glowing," Rarity said.
"Yeah."
"So it's all true?"
"Yeah."
Rarity looked up. "It's such a nice day. It's hard to believe it's all about to end."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Rarity's hoof set itself on Rainbow's. "You have nothing to apologize for. You did everything you could."
They lay in silence, side by side.
"I could have gotten a C-section," Rainbow said. "We'd at least know what race she was going to be. Or I could have asked a doctor to feel around her and tell."
"I... suppose that can't be helped now."
Rainbow lay her wing across Rarity's back. "If I'd agreed to have the foal a month earlier, she'd have been born by now."
"You didn't know."
Another minute of silence.
"You know, Rarity, this all was nice while it lasted. I'm glad that we at least had this."
"Me too. Will it hurt?"
"No." Rainbow chuckled. "You get used to it after the first few times."
Before long, the ground shook, the sky turned orange, and Rainbow Dash and Rarity spent their final moments side by side. ---
Rainbow's eyes opened. She was laying next to Rarity.
"Did it?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah. And actually, I got a very big, very dumb idea."
Rainbow stood up.
Rarity propped herself up on her forehooves. "Rainbow?"
"The one thing that's done anything." She stood in front of Rarity. "Rarity, all this, all my time with you, I want you to know I haven't regretted a second. And I'm glad I got to spend some of that time more than once."
Rarity started to look worried. "Rainbow..."
Raising a hoof to quiet her, Rainbow continued, "I'm sure I haven't been the greatest wife, but I don't care. I don't care what we've gone through, because it was with the only thing that has ever truly mattered to me. Because it was with you."
She took a breath. "And I wouldn't change any of it. Not a single thing." She smiled. "Not for the world."
With a hoof under Rarity's chin, she said, "I want, no, I need one thing from you. Please. Don't do anything stupid. No matter what. Leave that part to me."
Rainbow kissed her, then smiled.
"I love you."
"Rainbow?"
Before she could think about what she was doing, Rainbow Dash turned and took off straight up.
"Rainbow!"
Her wings protested with every flap of the weight they had to bear. Rainbow kept looking up. "Sorry I have to take you with me, kid. Believe me, if there was another way I'd be doing it. But I've seen what happens when I do nothing."
She pushed through the cloud layer. "Last lesson from your mom: Sometimes you have to do things for the good of everypony else. For the good of your friends, for the good of those you love. Equestria's a really great place. I wish you could have seen it."
Rainbow heard a distant rumbling and the grass below shifted.
"Looks like it's now or never. Nice knowing you, kid."
She turned and dove. Flapping as hard as she could, she streaked downwards. She punched down through the clouds towards the now-exposed black shell.
Holding both forehooves ahead of her, she felt the pressure wave ahead build. The Roundhill rushed up towards her.
Everything was color.
Everything was black. |
The World Beneath Her Wings | A Weak Grasp | Rainbow Dash existed. Or at least she was pretty sure she existed.
Her mind took stock of what it could sense. Her eyes were closed and she was laying on her side. She could hear a light breeze blowing past.
She decided that opening her eyes would help figure things out. Eventually, she tried.
Rainbow saw somewhat smooth rocks and dust. She raised her head then tried to stand up.
Having successfully gotten to her feet, she looked around. The rocky plains and occasional hills extended as far as she could see. Everything was bare, with no sign of life, nor any sign there had ever been life. In the distance, a steep, perfectly straight ridge stretched from horizon to horizon. In another direction, distant mountains stood. Above, what looked like a white rainbow arched all the way across a pale, cloudless blue sky.
"Where--"
She stopped, surprised that her voice made a sound. Upon further thought, she had no idea why that surprised her.
Rainbow tried again. "Where am I?"
She took a step forward. Something felt off. It almost felt like her body wasn't her own. Rainbow raised a hoof. It certainly looked like hers. She looked at her back. Her body was light blue, with two wings and a cloud-and-lightning bolt cutie mark. Nothing looked different or out of place. She noticed that her belly still bulged outwards.
"Oh. You're here too, kid?" Rainbow looked forward. "Together forever, right?"
She took a few more steps. "I haven't gone back. So I guess this is it. Wherever this is. Is Rarity here?"
"Rarity?" she called. There was only silence.
"Just me, then."
Rainbow walked.
She didn't know how long she had walked before the sound of shifting rocks caught her attention. Curious, Rainbow moved in the direction of the noise. It took longer than she'd guessed to find its source.
At her feet was a black shelled creature about the size of her head. At one end it had a dark blue splotch.
Rainbow gasped. "It's you."
The miniature Roundhill moved across the rocky terrain on dozens of tiny legs.
Peering at it, she said, "You know, I was wondering about that part. You're just a big roly-poly, aren't you?" She paused to think. "So was the time travel you, or was that something else?"
The Roundhill carried on in silence. Rainbow walked alongside it. "I should be angry. I should be furious at what you've done. I should be screaming, crying, kicking. You took everything from us. You've destroyed the entire world. But..." She looked away. "That won't bring anypony back, will it? I just... I just want to know why."
The Roundhill continued to move towards the ridge. Rainbow felt she had no choice but to follow it. She noticed that it didn't push rocks out of the way as much as it cut through them, splitting them like they were made of cheese and leaving a flat furrow in its wake.
Before long, it reached the base of the ridge. Instead of climbing over, it set to digging through, again moving the solid stone with ease. Rainbow dug with her hoof, but the rock didn't yield to her.
Looking through the tunnel the Roundhill was steadily boring, Rainbow said, "I can't fit through that. How am I supposed to follow you?" She didn't get any answer.
Instead, she backed up and opened her wings. She flapped, but no wind met them.
"Of course." Looking up, Rainbow searched for a way to climb. The side of the ridge was composed almost entirely of boulders, but she thought she saw a usable path.
She carefully placed her hooves to make her way up, suddenly missing the grassy ridge near the big Roundhill. The path got narrow about a third of the way up, and her belly swayed, threatening to throw her off balance. Rainbow managed to keep her footing, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
Slowly and carefully, she eventually reached the top. Ahead of her stretched a plain that looked like the rocks had been cut flat, and beyond it another ridge just like the one she had climbed, itself stretching both directions into the distance.
Rainbow looked down. It was even steeper. She didn't know what would happen if she fell and she didn't want to find out.
"You know, kid, this would be a lot easier if you could walk."
She found the rocks on this side of the ridge not as loose, which helped immensely. With care, Rainbow descended the ridge, eventually reaching the bottom.
Thankful to be on level ground again, she looked around for the Roundhill or its tunnel. She spotted a black shape some distance away and made her way towards it.
Before long, she met the Roundhill once again by another small tunnel, this one leading downward at an angle. Rainbow sat down by the entrance before easing herself onto her side. Her legs didn't hurt at all from the trip, but she wanted to all the same.
The Roundhill sat motionless, facing her for a moment before turning and disappearing into the tunnel.
Rainbow leaned her head over to call into the tunnel. "I hope you don't want me to follow you down there, because I don't see any caves around here."
She laid her head down again. "What am I even doing? Is this going to be the rest of eternity? Chasing the Roundhill around?"
Some time later, the Roundhill returned, dragging a flat, white, curved object behind it. Rainbow took a second to recognize it.
"Oh. That's why you came to Equestria?" She smiled. "That's funny. I've been trying to do the same thing. At least until..." She waved her hoof. "Well, you know that part."
The Roundhill set the eggshell on Rainbow's bulging belly.
Rainbow smiled. "Something like that, yeah." She looked up at the sky. "Equestria's a great place, you know. I hope you and your kids enjoy it as much as I did."
When she looked down, the Roundhill had gone back down the tunnel, soon returning with another piece of shell to set on her belly.
After several minutes' work, it had retrieved enough shell to cover Rainbow's foal entirely. After it placed the last piece, it stopped next to Rainbow's chest. Rainbow decided to stroke it. "Does your kind ever meet your parents? You were the only one in the world, right? I'm not sure how that works. My parents were... a little much, but I know they cared about me. And I care about my foal. Does any creature care about you?"
The Roundhill pressed itself up against her. She continued to pet it. "There's so much I don't know. About the world, about magic, about you. I can't imagine what you don't know. But that's okay. Everything's going to be okay. This is Equestria. Everything always works out."
The sky above Rainbow faded, but she didn't care. The horizon faded. Reality came undone around them. But it was okay. Everything was going to work out. ---
It was dark. Rainbow was falling.
Before she could notice anything else, Rainbow hit the ground. Landing on her back, she tumbled down a steep, soft slope. Unable to stop herself, she could only roll over and over downhill, feeling small branches cut her skin.
Eventually the ground leveled out and she stopped, flopping on her side. Rainbow groaned.
She felt sore all over. Her muscles burned. It felt as if she'd sprinted across Equestria. She tried to lift her head, but she had no strength to do it.
Ahead of her, the shell of the full-sized Roundhill glinted in an orange light.
Rainbow looked up. In the black sky, orange sparkles shone above her. She grimaced and waited for them to fall to earth.
The sparkles did not fall. Instead, one turned white, then another nearby, then a third. More patches of the sky turned from orange sparkles to white stars shining in the night sky. The orange light of the moon soon turned white as well. Before long, the sky was clear of any trace of the Roundhill's influence.
Turning her attention to the ground, Rainbow saw much of the grass was dead. But she also saw some green shoots remaining.
She gave them a breathless laugh. "I think... I think I did it."
The Roundhill sat exposed but silent.
Rainbow tried to move but her muscles yelled at her to stop. Instead, she looked at the massive dark shape ahead of her.
"Okay, question one... am I the last pony in Equestria? Because if anything happened to Rarity I'm going to crawl back into whatever that was and stomp you flat."
Rainbow took a deep breath. She couldn't move, but she was alive. As she thought about it, she'd been sore before. It always went away eventually. And she supposed that what she did counted as an extreme activity. All she had to do was wait it out.
Something inside her contracted.
Her eyes went wide. "Now? Kid, your sense of timing needs--ergh. Come on, stop that."
After a short while the contraction stopped.
"Okay. I gotta find somewhere." She put her forehooves under herself and pushed. Her chest rose about a foot before she slipped and hit the grass again.
"Right here. Right here's good." She panted.
She tried to remember what to do. There was going to be a nurse in a hospital walking her through it. A few minutes later, she contracted again.
There was something about pushing. Rainbow tried to push, but she had no strength to push with. She could only grit her teeth.
"Hey, kid," she forced out, "remember what I said? I promised you I wouldn't scream. And I'm not. You're not going to hear me scream." As if on cue, she held back a cry of pain.
The contraction again stopped. Rainbow took deep, painful breaths.
"It's going to happen," she panted. "I'm going to do this."
Rainbow could only wait for her next contraction. Whatever it was in her body controlling them had decided to ignore the fact that it barely had the strength to contract with. She was going to have the foal or die trying.
She tried to push the possibility from her mind. She knew that some mares died in childbirth. But she refused to let that be her fate after everything that had happened.
More contractions followed, each as painful as the last, each a reminder she was still alive.
"Come on... come on... that the best you got?" Rainbow licked her lips. "So many things have tried to kill me. One thing succeeded a few times. But a foal... a foal isn't going to do it ARGH."
She'd lost count of the contractions. All she knew was that the moon had moved a noticeable distance since she'd fallen from the Roundhill, which sat impassive to her suffering.
"Hit me again, let's go. I can take it. I can--" The contraction came harder than any before. Something in her subconscious clicked. Rainbow pushed. She pushed and pushed with everything she had left. It felt like she was being split in two.
All she could do was push.
Then she was still. Her heart pounded and her chest heaved. Sweat ran down her face.
Something was supposed to be happening.
Rainbow tried to relax, but something was wrong.
Something very important was supposed to be happening.
She searched her addled mind for what she was forgetting.
Something absolutely critical was supposed to be happening.
Rainbow gasped and looked towards her rear. There in the moonlight was a small pale blue figure, lying motionless.
"No." She propped herself up on her elbows with strength she didn't have.
"No no no no." Frantically, inch by inch, she dragged her front end around.
"Please no, please no. You gotta..."
A trembling hoof reached for the body. Just before it touched, Rainbow heard the tiniest gasp.
Loud crying pierced the air.
Rainbow let out her breath and flopped back to her side. Then slowly, more deliberately, she shifted her front end to meet the newborn filly.
Scooping up her daughter, Rainbow held her close. "Shhh. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. Nothing's going to happen to you. Mommy's here. Mommy's going to keep you safe." The filly's crying faded, wrapped in the weak hooves of her mother. "So, what kinda pony is my kid?"
Rainbow held her out and looked her over. "Hah, knew it. I was going to say something... but I forgot what in all the commotion." She paused. "You are kinda cute, though."
She held her child close once again. "By the way, my name's Rainbow Dash, but you can call me Mom. Nice to finally meet you." A wing shuffled its way over the foal. "Here, your other mom likes it when I do this. Let's just stay here for a bit, okay?"
There was a voice in the distance. It took Rainbow a moment to realize her daughter wasn't talking to her. Another voice joined it. They were getting closer.
"It came from this way." She knew the voice, but couldn't quite recall who it belonged to.
"I'm just glad that orange sparkling stuff stopped when it did. Any longer and I'd've been a goner. I'm still a little woozy from it."
"It was the most concentrated near the Roundhill, so it's safe to assume the majority of the damage was localized to this area."
"Where was it? Y'all heard it too, right?"
"It has to be around here some--Rainbow! She's over here!"
Rainbow soon found multiple ponies standing over her. One particularly beautiful one pushed the others out of the way.
"Are you okay? What was that sound? What happened?"
Rainbow smiled. "Hey, babe..."
She opened her wing.
"It's a unicorn." |
The World Beneath Her Wings | Worth the Wait | Rainbow Dash glided through the air. Below her, the shell of the Roundhill glistened in the sun. Around the creature, the dirt had been dug all the way down to the bedrock. By ponies who weren't new mothers, she noted. After other ponies had polished the rock to a sheen, some very smart unicorns had drawn up a really big magic circle around the Roundhill.
A lot of those smart unicorns were standing on the circle, with a princess in each quarter. Some of them darted to and fro relaying messages.
One much smaller unicorn also darted to and fro between the legs of the adults. In the sky, Rainbow waited silently for the filly to make the tactical error of moving into the open. She saw her chance, swooped down, and deftly scooped up Tempo Reprise, spinning and throwing her into the air.
Rainbow did a half loop and caught her giggling daughter on her chest. She looked into those pretty rose-colored eyes and couldn't help but giggle back. She ran her hoof through Tempo's dark purple mane, mussing up the orange stripe running through it.
"Rainbow, could you come down here?" Rarity called from below.
A quick flick of her wings brought Rainbow and Tempo to her wife. "What's up, babe? Besides Tempo." She tossed her foal a few inches before catching her again.
Rarity batted her eyes. "Dearie, not to be a bother, but can you keep a little more control over our unicorn foal near the magically sensitive, world-destroying alien? Just as a minor precaution?"
"She'll be fine," Rainbow said. "Besides, the two of us and the Roundhill are buddies now." She flew to the shell. "Us and it are like this." She put her hoof on her heart, then on the Roundhill, which gave the familiar glow in response. Tempo watched her mother, then put her own hoof on her guts before sticking it out. Rainbow let her touch the shell, which glowed in response to her, too.
"See? Best friends. It won't do anything to us."
The noise Rarity made did not exude confidence. "Really, I hardly see why either of you need to be here in the first place. At least we could have left Tempo with Pinkie."
Nearby, Princess Twilight spoke up. "Because we still don't know the full extent of its capabilities or sensitivities. We suspect that Rainbow's and Tempo's presence will have a calming effect on it, giving us the best possible chance of safely moving it."
Rainbow flew to her. "I just said that, Twilight."
Tempo spotted her favorite toy sticking out of Rarity's saddlebags and struggled in Rainbow's grasp towards it. Rainbow moved close enough for Tempo to grab the plush hourglass, then set her down.
"Besides," Rainbow said, watching a purple and orange tail vanish under the crowd, "we can't miss this. If we're going to zap Tempo's godmother to another planet, we have to be there to say goodbye."
"Ah, yes," Rarity replied, "of course. We absolutely must say goodbye to--" She looked away. "--Tempo's godmother."
Touching down next to Rarity, Rainbow put her wing over her. "Come on, babe. This is the last time we're going to see it." She looked up at the black shell. "And to be honest, despite what I said, I'm going to feel better once it's gone."
"Speaking of looking, maybe you should go look for your foal." Rarity smiled.
Rainbow returned the smile. "My foal now, huh? My cute, smart, precious, only foal?"
"I have told you already, I am perfectly satisfied with just one child." Rarity turned to her. "Which you should go find before she gets herself into trouble."
Taking off, Rainbow said, "I'll go make sure she's not destroying the world or anything."
It took no time at all to spot the dark blue shape moving past the other unicorns and move in. Seconds later, both foal and toy were safely in Rainbow's hooves and on their way back to Rarity.
"Rainbow," Rarity said as she approached. "Twilight said we're about ready to begin, so why don't you take her to a safe distance?"
"Sounds good to me. Come on, kid, let's find a nice place to watch." She looked at the Roundhill and quietly added, "See you later. And..." She lifted Tempo for a moment. "Good luck."
A short flight brought them to the ridge, the same ridge that they had climbed so many times before. Rainbow set Tempo down, catching her with a wing and sitting down before she could run off.
"Hey, kid. I had quite the experience with that thing, and I don't know how much of that you shared. All the bookworm ponies still don't know what was going on." She looked down to see big rose eyes looking back at her, their owner giving her rapt attention. Rainbow smiled at her foal. "Though maybe you'll be the one to figure it out, huh? That'd be pretty great."
She squeezed her daughter tight. "You got a whole life ahead of you, kid. I'm glad I got to make that happen. Oh hey, looks like the show's about to start."
Ahead, dozens of horns had lit up. The three princesses that Rainbow could see shone brightest of all. White fire traced its way around the magic circle. Rainbow couldn't help but look down to make sure that Tempo was watching. When she looked up, spirals of pure white had risen from the circle, swirling with energy. They danced around each other and into each other, soon forming into a single column surrounding the Roundhill.
Even at their distance, Rainbow could hear the power building. "Come on, buddy," she whispered, "just stay asleep for a few more seconds and it'll all be better. You're going somewhere safe, I promise."
"Oh!" She reached down and picked up Tempo, propping up one of her forehooves. "Byebye, Roundhill! Tempo, can you say byebye? Say byebye!"
Tempo looked into the light. "Byebye!"
With an immense whoosh, the column of light shot into the heavens, arcing slightly as it went into the distance above. Gaps appeared at the base of the column, spreading and climbing. Seconds later, the light was gone, revealing ponies surrounding a large empty space.
Rainbow let out a breath. "And that's that." She gave Tempo a big hug, which the filly returned. "Rarity and the others did a good job, didn't they? Big load off my mind, for sure." She bopped Tempo's nose. "Now I only have you to deal with."
Tempo blew a raspberry in response.
Rainbow set her down and turned her around. "Look, Rarity's coming!"
Tiny hooves took off down the ridge towards her. Rainbow leisurely glided behind.
With all the might of a year-old filly, Tempo lept into her mother's waiting hooves. Rainbow returned the plush hourglass to Rarity's saddlebags and gave her a kiss to go with it.
A blue glow enveloped their daughter and deposited her on Rarity's back. "I think that went quite well," Rarity said. "It was rather brighter than I expected; I'm going to be seeing spots for the rest of the day."
Rainbow chuckled. "Any excuse to make me watch the kid more. I get it."
Walking towards the ridge, Rarity replied, "With everything you've done for her and Equestria's sake, I'm willing to sacrifice a little responsibility out of the goodness of my heart."
With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow answered, "Your generosity knows no bounds, babe. But you know what? I don't even mind that much."
She looked towards the horizon.
"Because I'm feeling pretty good about the future right now." |
Restart | pre | Monday morning, we were up at rooster crow to get ready for our train trip to Canterlot. After breakfast, I packed my good clothes into a small trunk, my immediate necessities (phone, charger, and toiletries) packed into a set of saddlebags Twilight gave me and was ready to head to the train station.
The trains came as a bit of a surprise to me. Steam driven wood or coal burners, with about six to eight cars at most behind the locomotive. I marveled at how they could even BUILD such things, let alone operate them. I could remember one time going to Washington from New York Penn Station when I was seven, taking the Metroliner. A conductor asked me if I wanted to see the control cab. What little boy wouldn't, right? I have never forgotten the sight of the tracks running ahead of us, tapering down to a point on the horizon, while a readout on the control panel said we were doing seventy-nine miles an hour. Thrilling, isn't it?
It turns out all of my friends were going, the six plus Starlight and Spike. It seems they are all thought of highly in the upper echelons, and on occasion go to Canterlot to either meet the Princesses or the nobles. The trip was spent listening to their adventures. I, for one, found them fascinating to hear. I asked about the Elements of Harmony, and got a full explanation from Twilight, followed by better explanations from the rest of what each of the Elements did. "Well, I hope to show traits of all the Elements, because I find them all sensible," I said to the group.
"I know you're very generous with yourself, offering to help all of us at our jobs, and teaching at the school," Rarity said.
"Ah lahk your honesty in how you work with others, explaining or not explaining about your world as need be," Applejack declared.
"Hey, I can't fault your loyalty to us!" Rainbow Dash said from where she hovered.
"You're fun enough to laugh at yourself, whenever you do something we find silly, and not feel bad!" Pinkie Pie added.
"I saw how kind you were to the animals. They all liked you, except Angel. He's a hard case," Fluttershy said in her soft voice.
"I know you're making great progress in magic!" Twilight said with a smile.
"Thank you, ladies, for saying so," I said, blushing enough so that I felt I could light a match by putting it to my ear. "I just hope I can impress the movers, shakers, and powers that be."
"You've impressed Princess Luna, which caught Princess Celestia's interest, and she does want to meet you, both with us and by yourself," Twilight reported.
"Now, let me hope I don't catch hoof-in-mouth disease," I managed to say in reply. "which is making enough faux to get a pas out of town."
The ladies laughed at that, especially Pinkie. "That's what I meant!" she managed to get out between giggles, pointing at me. "You're laughing at yourself!"
It took me a moment before I could reach into my saddlebag and pull out my phone. Once I could, I called up the music player and selected one song in particular. "Ah, Pinkie, but can you do the same?" I asked as I started the song. "This applies to you, maybe..." as the opening notes to "She's a Must to Avoid" played.
When the song ended, she sat there stonily, giving me a look that would have scared a stone statue. Fortunately, I'm not a stone statue. We held the glare for maybe half a minute, enough so that the others were getting nervous, before Pinkie and I fell into each other's hooves, laughing hard enough to shake the windows of the train car. "Gotcha, Pinkie!" I manage to choke out before laughing again. The others laughed as Pinkie and I did, seeing we were not hating each other.
"Have y'all picked out music for any of us yet, Tristan?" Applejack asked once we calmed down.
"Not yet, Applejack. I have not got a good enough grasp of each and every one of you yet to make a good choice. I have options in mind, but I have not yet made a decision. Time will tell." I told her.
Applejack nodded. "Fair enough," she said almost under her breath, which I took as a sign of approval.
It was not too much later that we arrived at Canterlot. Like any tourist, I stared out the window at the magnificent stone buildings clinging to the mountain, topped by Celestia's castle, as the train slowly made its way through the points to the station. "I like what I see here. Not like the cities I'm familiar with," I said almost to myself. "No cars. Gonna have to get used to that."
"Never really caught on here," Twilight said. "I've seen cars on that trip I went on, but they were a bit nasty."
"Burning gasoline does that. Diesel fuel is worse. We're working on other methods, but they have not approached gasoline's availability and range of travel yet. They will get there, in time," I explained to her as the train came to a halt. "I miss my little car. Served my needs and fuel-efficient."
"Well, here, we get out and walk to the castle. That's where we will be staying for the next few days," Twilight said.
I stopped and just stared at Twilight. "You didn't mention that..." I squeaked.
"Oh, yes. I've had a suite there for a long time, ever since I was Princess Celestia's personal student in magic. Now that I'm a princess too, I was able to ask for a suite of rooms for us. You'll like it. Just ignore the guards unless you need one," she said.
"Me, staying in a castle? I really hope I don't stick my foot in my mouth..." I muttered as I made sure I had left nothing behind in the train car before departing the carriage. Old habits die hard, especially when I had left my phone on a plane fifteen years before.
"Hey, we got faith in you, Tristan!" Rainbow Dash said from her usual hover. "You won't make a bigger fool of yourself than you normally do!"
I looked up at the pegasus from the door of the carriage. "But, Dash, I have such a good example to follow, you!" I called up to her.
Some of the ladies let out giggles, I could not say which ones. I did hear Applejack say quietly, "Ooh, burn..."
Dash smiled a little, a tight little smile that promised imminent mayhem at my expense. "You can't claim victory yet, Tristan!"
"I won't. That's your job, to proclaim me the winner." I said as I left the train carriage. Our luggage was being off-loaded from the boxcar by a team of porters wearing nice livery into a wagon being pulled by two earth ponies, who were looking at the loading with critical eyes.
"Let's get a move on! Lunch will be at the castle, and our audience is at the end of Day Court. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry!" Twilight said from the edge of the platform.
"So am I! I know they have some tasty rubies here!" Spike said from her side. Even though I knew the dragon consumed gemstones, hearing him say so always left me a little confused. With those two in the lead, we trooped off, destination Canterlot Castle.
My hooves clopping on the cobblestoned streets of the city sounded a lot different than when I walked around Ponyville, but then again, this IS the big city. Comparing what I have seen of New York City and Boston in my trips there for baseball games, Canterlot had them beat. No cars on the streets, just ponies going about their business, the occasional wagon or cart adding variety to the scene. Advertising was present, but it was not as 'in your face' as ads are back on Earth. We passed one shop that proclaimed itself as the True Brew Cafe, which caught my attention. I made a note to try to stop there while we were in the city. Something about the place just seemed attractive to me, and my curiosity was stoked.
Twilight saw my attention was diverted. "That's a good little coffee shop. I've been in there more than once. Want to stop for coffee?"
"Coffee sounds like a good idea. Do we have time to?" I asked, still nervous about staying in a castle like it was a Motel Six.
"We'll make time," Twilight declared. She asked the luggage wagon pullers if they would like some coffee, and they both agreed it would not be a bad idea. None of the ladies objected, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all saying the baker here is one of the best in Canterlot. Thus agreed, we all trooped in, the porters finding a place to park the wagon before getting out of harness.
Half an hour later, we all trooped out of the cafe, everypony feeling refreshed. I found Frothy's double strength coffee, with cream and sugar, an excellent alertness aide, and the cherry pie defied my ability to describe properly. Pinkie Pie said it was 'too fancy for parties', but I could tell she found it up to her standards. She didn't fool anyone, but nobody called her out on it, not even me. Thus fortified, we made our way to Canterlot Castle, and our meeting with the Princesses. To the others, it was routine. To me, it was anything BUT routine, my nervous jitters having been replaced by a caffeine near overload. At least I wasn't nervous anymore. That came later. |
Restart | Chapter 10- Mark of Honor | At the castle, for a time I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the place. The style of decor, the ponies scurrying about, the stained-glass windows, the loose rug on the marble floor that I found which sent me skidding into a wall, giving my head and horn a serious bonk...
I woke up in a well-appointed room, in a comfortable bed, the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window spreading color onto my bed, the clear piece of glass that sent a sunbeam right into my face, and the scream of pain from my abused eyes that just HAD to have been heard in Ponyville!
I could hear a door banging open and some hoofbeats on the floor before I heard Twilight's voice. "Tristan! Calm down! I'm right here. Let me help!" I heard, her voice cutting through my pain.
I finally ran out of breath from the pained scream and just breathed for about half a minute. "Okay, Twilight. Go do the hoo doo that you do so well!" I managed to say about the same way Harvey Korman did in 'Blazing Saddles'. It was only a few seconds later that the pain in my eyes faded to a dull ache, but the pain in my head was still there, right at the base of my horn.
"Thank you, Twilight." I said as sanity returned to me. "Just two questions, if I may. One, who left the curtains open and two, got any aspirin?" I asked plaintively. "I have such a headache..."
Another voice made its presence known. "I left the curtains open, so I could see enough to treat your injuries when you were brought in," said a deep voice with more than a little superciliousness in it. "As for your headache, give me a moment."
I felt the tingle of a spell go over my head, and the kettle drum banging at the base of my horn changed quickly into a tambourine with a slow beat. "Thank you, whoever you are. Is it safe to open my eyes now?"
I heard some hooves go and shut the curtains, the heat on my face fading. "It is now, Tristan," I heard Rarity say. I opened my eyes to see Twilight by the side of the bed, next to her was another unicorn, a large white one with a red striped mane and a white and green horn. "I'm Doctor Makeswell, the lead physician of the castle staff. Feeling better, Mister Tristan?"
"Much better, Doctor, for which I give you my deepest thanks. Now, where are my dark glasses?" I said as I sat up.
Twilight levitated my backup pair from my saddlebags. "You broke the good pair when your head hit the wall," she explained. "Ready to wake up? It's almost time for our audience."
"Almost time? How much time do we have?" I asked with a little alarm. Okay, near-panic would be a better descriptor.
"An hour. Time enough to get cleaned up and dressed before heading to the throne room," Twilight told me, backing up so I could get out of bed.
"Good. I want a shower before getting dressed. Doctor Makeswell, may me meet again socially, not professionally. Thank you for your help," I said as I got up.
"You are welcome, Mister Tristan. Do be careful in the castle, the floors are slippery," he told me as I walked by him.
"I shall do so, Doctor. Once is twice too often," I said before getting to the bathroom door. I opened it in a hurry and went in, only to find that it was not the bathroom, it was a closet. Carefully, I used my glow to open the door up and backed out with as much dignity as I could muster, Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow Dash trying not to laugh. Dash did manage to keep quiet, but the little loops she was doing told me she was laughing hard. I moved four feet to my left and opened that door. Fortunately, it WAS the bathroom that time.
I emerged twenty minutes later to find my number-two clothes laid out on the bed, which showed no trace of having been occupied by me earlier. I dressed and made my way through the third door in the room, which led to a living room like place where the ladies were waiting, along with Princess Luna. They were chatting amongst each other like they were old friends, which they were. I stopped short and let out a short gasp of surprise, which got everypony's attention.
"Feeling better, Tristan?" Luna asked me, looking genuinely concerned. "Your scream would have woken me up, had I not already been awake."
I carefully lowered myself to the carpeted floor in a full prostration. "I am, Your Highness, thanks to the efforts of Princess Twilight and Doctor Makeswell," I said, nose uplifted from the carpet, but only about half an inch.
"Please rise, Tristan. Such actions are only necessary during formal appearances, not behind closed doors," Luna said gently.
"I was not certain of that, Your Highness. Besides, I felt it right to get some practice in," I said as I struggled to my hooves, the carpet having a deep pile and my legs had gone into uncomfortable positions.
"Also, in private, it is allowable to simply address me as 'Luna'. After all, we have met twice already, even if just in your dreams," she said with a small teasing smile.
"Okay, Luna. Just don't moon me, and we can become good friends," I said in a breezy tone, settling my hat back in place, which brought a wider smile to Luna's face.
"But, it's my position to moon everypony in Equestria," she riposted quickly.
"Just for that, I won't call you 'Crater-Butt', then!" I fired back with. Fluttershy looked shocked, Applejack looked startled, Rarity was looking away, Rainbow Dash was doing tight loops in the air, Twilight was smiling, Luna looked pleased, and Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be seen. Starlight had left us when we got to the castle, saying she had something that needed doing.
"I'm glad you are not intimidated by me, Tristan. Many ponies are," Luna said, approaching me with a wing out for a hug.
I hugged back with warmth. She felt just like her dream self did. "You, I'm not intimidated about, thanks to our night time conferences. Now, your sister, on the other hoof..." I said, trailing off.
"Yes, do not take such liberties with her until she grants permission, and use decorum. I know you know what the rules will be."
"Yes, I do, Luna. Now, shall we get going? I don't want to be late for my own funer... AUDIENCE!" I quickly amended.
Twilight and most of the others laughed. "Don't worry, Tristan. It won't hurt at all," she told me.
"Yeah, and neither does brain surgery. Between the two, I think I would rather have the surgery," I quipped back.
"Let us be off, then, before Tristan has a nervous breakdown," Luna said. She took the lead, guiding us out of the suite and down, my apprehension increasing with every step I took. I mean, I was going to meet with the top Princess of the land, she who has reigned for over a thousand years. I wasn't this nervous when I shook the hand of a United States Senator who was touring the base a few years back. No, this was like being called to a White House conference with the President without being told why he wants to see you.
We stopped at a double wide door, flanked by armed guards. I was not a medieval recreationist, but I am a passionate gamer as well as being a fan of Forged in Fire, so I easily recognized the weapons the guards had at the ready, if not in particular, at least in general. I could also tell the edges and points were very sharp. These guards meant business.
Luna excused herself, saying that she needed to be inside before we entered. Twilight arranged us in a wedge-like formation, with me behind her, and the other five surrounding the two of us. The doors slowly opened, and Twilight led us into the throne room.
At the end of the room, Celestia sat on her throne, her white fur shining in the light. I was glad for my dark glasses. We approached the throne, stopping about ten feet away. I knew there were nobles and such around the room, Luna sitting beside her sister, but slightly below and behind Celestia. I could not care less about the nobles, I just didn't want to make a mistake.
"Princess Celestia, allow me to present to you a new arrival to Equestria, Tristan. He comes from a distant place, brought here by some unknown reason," Twilight announced.
"So he does. Tristan do step forward," Celestia said pleasantly. I did so, getting a bit ahead of Twilight before going into a full bow.
Why is it just then that silly things happen? My hooves slid on the slick polished marble of the floor, the carpet stopping about where I had stopped earlier, and I fell flat, my nose and lower jaw bouncing quite painfully off the floor. I'm certain I saw a flock of brightly colored birds circling my head.
"It appears you have a lot to learn, Tristan. Walking and standing should take precedence," Celestia said in tones that did not constitute a rebuke.
"Walking and standing I can do, Your Highness. Slippery marble floors are something I have not encountered yet. No practice time," I managed to say as I unsteadily stood back up, still with those damn birds circling. I tried to banish them to Fluttershy, but they persisted in tormenting me.
"Princess Twilight, I invite you and your friends, both old and new, to a private dinner in twenty minutes, in the dining room," Celestia said as she stood up. "This session of Day Court has concluded! Night Court will be in session in two hours!" she announced before leaving the... whatever you call the raised floor thrones sit on.
"Tristan? Are you all right?" Twilight asked once Celestia had turned away from the crowd.
"I don't know. I feel like I should be practicing bird calls, but I don't know any birds," I mumbled, definitely feeling woozy. Getting kayoed twice in one day is a record not worth setting.
Twilight cast a healing spell on me, making the pain and confusion fade. "I've done more healing in the past week and a half than I have done in a year. Are you normally this clumsy or do you practice it?" she asked once the spell was cast and I could think straight.
"It's an acquired talent, Princess Twilight. One of the few skills I have not mastered is skating, on wheels or blades. I need to figure out how to walk and stand on slick surfaces," I said.
"You don't have any problems at Friendship Castle, and they have smooth floors!" Twilight objected.
"I'm comfortable there, not here!" I snapped back. Apparently, that satisfied Twilight and the others, because they remained quiet as Twilight led the way to the dining room.
In the dining room, I was especially glad for my shades, because the room was lit up bright. Celestia sat at one end of the table, Luna at the other. I was bid to sit at Celestia's right hoof. Trying to hide my apprehension, I did as I was bid.
"There is no need to worry, Tristan. I want to hear what you think about Equestria," she said to me as I looked at my plate. Not glumly, I was trying to figure out just what was ON the plate.
"Princess, I have to say this much about Equestria. If I had known how to get here two decades ago, I would have. Now, I'm glad I'm here, and I hope to become a valuable, productive member of Ponyville society. These ladies have shown me nothing but kindness. I want to return it," I told the Princess. A glance at Applejack showed her nodding at my words. Heck, it was all true.
"What job did you do in your previous world, Tristan?"
"I was a lead supply clerk, essentially coordinating all supply center activity for the base. It was an interesting job, but all the challenge had left it after twenty-four years at the same place. I keep my mind occupied by looking into anything that caught my interest."
"What does catch your interest?"
"Now, learning about Equestria, learning magic, and learning how to thank my friends. They helped me, I should return the kindness with kindness," I said with all sincerity.
Celestia smiled warmly at me, then looked around the table, at my friends. "They are a very diverse group of ponies, Tristan. How could you ever keep up with them?" Celestia asked.
I thought for a moment before replying. "Princess, when I was seven years old, I read a book my older brother left lying around. I saw a line in that book that struck a chord in me. I memorized it and have never forgotten it.
"It reads, 'A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.'
"I'm about three-quarters through the list. When I came here, I was pondering the last item on the list. My death would not have been gallant, I can assure you of that.
"As diverse as they are, I'm sure I have a chance of keeping up, given time," I concluded, taking a drink of whatever was there to be had.
"What's left to be done?" Celestia asked. "Other than die gallantly, of course."
"Okay, planning an invasion is not anything I have been called on to do. Same with butcher a hog. I've never gone from squeal to table, all my butchering was after the fact, in the kitchen. I've steered a ship, but not command. Designing a building I MIGHT be able to do, if I keep it simple. Writing a sonnet, fuhgeddaboudit!" I concluded in my best Bronx honk, causing a ripple of laughter around the table, Celestia and Luna included.
When I joined the laughter, I felt a warmth on my flanks, and a flash of light suffused the room. When the flare faded, I noticed everypony in the room staring at me. "What you all looking at?" I asked.
Rarity was sitting on my right and was looking at my flank openly. "My little pony, you have just gained your cutie mark," Celestia said.
I got up and turned, so I could look at what had appeared there. Moving the tail of my cream-colored jacket aside, I beheld a grayish-silver mark where before there was only dark blue fur. I stared at it as well, trying to figure out what it was. Pinkie Pie was the first to figure it out.
She bounded up to me and engulfed me in a big enthusiastic hug. "It's a JACK, silly! Like in the game!" she squealed as she damn near hugged the breath out of me as her party cannon fired, showering the table (and everypony) with confetti.
"As in 'jack of all trades', Tristan," Twilight said. "It fits you."
"Huh- I'd like to see him fly!" Rainbow Dash snorted.
"Is that a challenge, Dash? I can fly, but not like you. I need to build something first, but with it, I can fly." I told the blue pegasus, looking right at her.
"You do that, and that would be so awesome!" Dash cheered.
"It is. I hope I can build the wing right," I said, still looking at my mark.
"I have no doubt that you can, once you set your mind to it, Tristan," Twilight said from her place at the table.
"Nor do I have any doubts," Celestia added. "Shall we finish dinner? There is still the noble's reception tonight, and I will need to fortify myself before. So should the rest of you."
"Good idea, Princess," I added, lending my support for the idea as I sat back down at the table and dug in with a new enthusiasm. I'm still not quite sure just what it was I was eating, but it tasted a lot better now than it did ten minutes before! |
Restart | Chapter 11- Let's go to the party! | After dinner, we trooped back upstairs to our suites, to dress for the reception, and in my case, take another shower. I needed it to clear my head after all the recent events, and, I'm not afraid to admit, to stand in front of a mirror for a few minutes, just admiring my brand-new cutie mark. Jack of all trades, eh? I admit to versatility, but all trades? Not now, but eventually, I'm sure.
When I came out to the living room area, all the ladies were there, waiting for me. They all admired the silver outfit I was wearing, and more importantly, HOW I wore it. "Tristan, to enter the party, you should escort one of us inside the ballroom. Who would you prefer?" Twilight asked.
"Honestly, I would pick all of you to do so. Seeing as it can only be one, and this is a noble's party, it should be Princess Twilight, if only to impress the nobles. I just want it said that I favor you all equally, and I refuse to pick one over another," I said with dignity. "That is something you ladies should fight over. I'll abide by your decision."
Truly, all the ladies looked spectacular, wearing gowns I am positive Rarity had designed and made. I could say something nice about each of them, but they all shone in their own inner and outer beauty. Makes me glad I'm wearing dark glasses!
Applejack was the first to speak. "Tristan, you sure do speak honestly. Ah can feel it. You're finding something to lahk in all of us, an' you don't want to hurt our feelins."
All the ladies relaxed at Applejack's words. After all, if you can't trust the words of the Element of Honesty, who CAN you trust? I'd pick Applejack over Prestone any day of the week.
Twilight clopped her hooves together. "Now that THAT is settled, let's be on our way. Sooner there, sooner done, and we can go back to being ourselves," she said before taking a deep breath, then letting it out with a sigh. "Let's do this."
Together, we left the suite and made our way to the ballroom where the party is taking place, Twilight leading the way. I took great pains to tread carefully on the slick marble, not wanting to slip a third time and crack my noggin. One more good knock and there would be scrambled brains all over the place. Definitely something to avoid.
At the doors to the ballroom, Twilight spoke to the door pony, a pegasus whom I took to be of advanced years. She opened the doors and announced our arrival in a startlingly penetrating, yet not overly loud voice, "Princess Twilight Sparkle and her entourage!"
Every noble's head turned at the announcement, looking our way. The variety of haute couture staring at me was intimidating- for about ten milliseconds. I looked back at them coolly, putting myself at least one stratum above the highest in the room. Hey, I was escorting a princess, right?
Several nobles broke themselves away from whatever conversation knots they were in and made their way to us, while we headed to a serving table and were served drinks or nibbles. One white-furred dandyish unicorn was the first to arrive. Placing himself in front of me, the overdressed dandy announced, "I am Prince Blueblood, direct descendant of Princess Platinum and nephew to Princess Celestia. Why should we even allow a blank flank outsider such as you into our august presence?" he half-asked, half-demanded.
I caught Rarity rolling her eyes in disgust. I looked right at this Blueblood. "First of all, my name is Tristan. Second, I am not a blank flank, I achieved my cutie mark not more than an hour ago in the presence of Princess Celestia herself. Third, while I may be an outsider, having only arrived in Equestria not two weeks ago, I am positive I can have more of a beneficial impact on Equestria than you could ever hope to attain," I said in my most composed tones of voice, focusing hard on having no accent at all. "I may not be of such distinguished ancestry as you may be, but I know I can achieve honors honestly, on my own efforts, not on the coattails of my ancestors, and I intend on proving those words with actions, Prince Blueblood. Can you do the same?"
Blueblood met my stare for a moment before muttering a reply. "Jumped-up commoner..."
"Commoner I may be, in your eyes, but common I am most definitely not, Prince Blueblood. Would you like to get aboard on the ground floor of my attempts to make Equestria a better place, or do you declare yourself in opposition?" I challenged, keeping myself calm and unruffled. Had I been a pegasus, I'm sure my wings would be outstretched stiffly in frustration. Good thing I'm a unicorn. I kept my horn from lighting up in annoyance.
"I hardly think one such as you could have anything to offer Equestria," Blueblood snorted.
"Would you care to wager on that? Say fifty thousand bits?" I countered.
That made Blueblood blink in surprise. "Fifty thousand bits? Where could you possibly come up with fifty thousand bits?"
"Never you mind that, Prince Blueblood. I will wager with you, that within one year of this date, I will have made a positive effect on Equestria in a noticeable way that cannot be denied by you or anypony else. Do you accept or decline the wager?"
By this time, I had attracted the attention of everypony in the ballroom, attendee and servitor alike. It was so quiet, I could hear my heartbeat in the background as Blueblood looked a bit apprehensive under the combined stares of the nobility present. Gathering himself, he looked at me. "I accept your wager, Mister Tristan. You have one year from this date to have a positive effect on Equestrian society. Fifty thousand bits to the winner."
I then glanced at Princess Twilight, who had moved closer to me during the verbal exchange. "Princess Twilight, do you bear witness to this wager?" I asked formally.
"I do so bear witness, as do the Elements of Harmony. One year, fifty thousand bits," she said as the rest of the Elements nodded in agreement, even Pinkie Pie. I must admit to a little surprise that she was handling this formal affair without disruption. I had thought her incapable of doing so.
"The wager is on, Prince Blueblood. Do not stand in my way, or else you will be trampled, and it would be unseeming for a noble to be trampled. I won't stand still for that," I declared, getting approving looks from many of the nobles. I then turned away from Blueblood, paying attention to the drinks arrayed on the serving table. "Just what do you recommend, Princess?"
Twilight's horn lit up as she lifted two glasses. "I'm quite partial to this wine, Tristan. I hope you like it."
I took the wineglass in my glow and sipped. I knew it was wine, and it was quite tasty, but, being practically a teetotaler for the past twenty-plus years, I could not make heads nor tails of it. I gave up drinking after one night of liberty where I had to be brought back to the ship in a blind drunk and waking up on the floor of the library with a hangover that I still do not want to remember over two and a half decades later. I could hear Blueblood sputter some before stomping off.
For about the next hour, I schmoozed with curious nobles, many of whom at least tried to be polite with me. I met politeness with politeness, snobbery with snobbery. Any pony who tried to intimidate me, I countered in my own way, with my own confidence. At least one of the Elements stayed by my side, rotating in and out.
Rarity then brought an earth pony up to meet me, an older black and tan stallion dressed neatly, but not flamboyantly, as many of the nobles were. "Tristan, darling, I would like you to meet Lord Topspin, owner of Topspin Productions, the leading record maker in Canterlot. I'm sure the two of you will have much to discuss."
"From what Miss Rarity has told me, indeed we do, Mister Tristan," the earth pony said in a marvelous deep voice which reminded me of James Earl Jones doing Darth Vader. We then launched into a discussion of how records were made and managed to get an invitation to his production facility the next afternoon, Rarity agreeing to be my guide to finding the place. Topspin was keenly interested in my music files, but I did not bring my phone to the party, it being secure up in my room. He did ask for a sample performance of a song, and I asked Pinkie Pie if she wanted to help me do the song I had played for her.
"Sure, Tristan! It was fun! Let's do it!" she agreed, and together, we did 'She's a Must to Avoid'. Where she got the musicians to accompany us, I can't say. It was just Pinkie being Pinkie. We did attract a lot of attention, most favorable, with Blueblood and a small clique of his giving us disapproving looks.
Topspin and many of the other nobles gave us polite applause when we were done. "If that's a sample, Mister Tristan, I cannot wait to hear the rest!"
"Clear a lot of time, Lord Topspin, because I have quite a bit to listen to!"
Fortunately, the rest of the evening at the party went rather smoothly, with only a couple of small bumps happening when some of Blueblood's clique tried to get under my fur. I kept up my normal behavior, meaning I gave what I got, whether they liked it or not. Also, Pinkie Pie somehow got her party cannon into the ballroom, set it off, then called for a pie fight, the winner being the one with the least splatters on their clothes. Rarity and I took the opportunity to duck out before the artillery barrage started. From what I heard the next morning at breakfast, that was my best move of the evening. I had the feeling that Pinkie would not be able to restrain herself all night long...
After breakfast, Twilight decided to take me on a tour of the castle, saying that I would enjoy it. When I pointed out my track record with the marble floors, Twilight said she had something for that, giving me shoes for my hooves that were shod in a rubberlike substance, stopping any sliding problem. Once I got them on my hooves, out we went. Rarity said she will meet me at the castle front gates at one, because now she was going to check her boutique here in Canterlot while she had the chance. The only other one to go with us was Applejack, everypony else finding something else to occupy their time while here in Canterlot.
The tour was as spectacular as Twilight promised, the castle living up to its grandeur. I met some of the more important ponies in Her Highness' government, ones who were not at the party the night before. They were good folk, with only a little stuffiness in their shirts, especially the Prime Minister, a smaller gray unicorn whose mane looked like every brush that approached it had run away in terror before doing its job. A good fellow, he is.
The only flaw in the tour happened when we were up in a turret, enjoying the view. A throw rug at the door to the parapet was not secured in place, and guess who went for a slide? You guessed it, me. I was glad for my sleep the night before, which had allowed me to recover from yesterday's knocks.
"Tristan, will you please watch your step!" Twilight scolded when I returned to consciousness.
"Don't blame me, Twilight, I didn't put the rug there!" I protested.
"I'm going to have to teach you some healing spells, so you can take care of yourself!" Twilight huffed, leading us not to the steps down, but an elevator platform in that tower. "I don't want you to trip on the way down, Tristan," she snorted, Applejack holding back a smile.
Lunch, fortunately, gave me time to recover from my knock, and promptly at one, I was outside waiting for Rarity. As we walked to Topspin Productions, she told me about how well her boutique was doing here in Canterlot, and did I happen to see today's copy of Equestria Today? When I admitted I had not, she promptly steered me to a newsstand.
There, on page one, above the fold, was a photograph of me, in my silver getup, at the party, followed by an article about my presence there. I never noticed the reporters nor the photographers. The article was surprisingly detailed, saying accurately that I was not from Equestria, but from someplace else, and detailing my wager with Blueblood, whom I gathered was not in good standing with the author of the article.
"There's a lot of speculation on what your benefit to Equestria will be, Tristan," Rarity told me
"They can speculate, it's up to me to make my words real. May Lord Topspin agree with me."
The studio and factory surprised me for being higher tech than I expected, but it would work. I pulled out the phone and held it up to a microphone in the studio while a master record was cut from it. We then took that master and ran it through a copy-making machine before playing the record. We both agreed that the fidelity was more than adequate for the job. I agreed to write down a list of songs and a description of the lyrics (if any) to submit to him. He will have a contract drawn up that will split the gross proceedings of sales of the records sixty-forty, sixty for Topspin, forty for me. I insisted on that because I knew Topspin is taking the initial costs onto his company. With Rarity overseeing the negotiations, I had no doubt that it would be to our mutual benefit. We then spent the rest of the afternoon listening to some selections, debating if we would make copies or not. About half of my music I rejected for copying, because the references were all human world related, and had no suitable base reference here.
Lord Topspin was kind enough to give me two hundred bits in advance, out of his own purse. "So you can entertain your friend properly," he told me when I protested. I shrugged and accepted the gift in the spirit intended. As we left the building, I asked Rarity if she knew a good restaurant. She did and took me about ten blocks away to a place that reminded me of Arabia or Turkey, of all things.
Service was prompt, the food excellent, the prices reasonable, and the hostess friendly. We had a most excellent dinner and made our way back to the castle after dark. "Thank you for a wonderful dinner, Tristan," Rarity told me as we walked up to the castle gates.
"Rarity, it was indeed my pleasure. I know we will be here at least one more night, and I'm glad I had the chance. I like being with you, and I want to be able to do so with the rest of the ladies. Fair is fair, after all. Once I get the income, I will be able to do so," I told her in reply.
"Your generosity in taking me to dinner shows you do have sparkling qualities. I, for one, am glad to see such. I'm just not used to it coming TO me, instead of from me," she said gently as we passed the gates.
"I suggest you be ready for it, because I'm going to show such generosity to you and the others." |
Restart | Chapter 12- Defense Training | Next morning, after breakfast, Twilight made an announcement. "Tristan, today, you are going to be training with the Royal Guard, for lessons in self-defense, both physical and magical. Today will be an introductory lesson, and a senior instructor will meet with you in Ponyville daily for training until you can pass his requirements."
I was a bit surprised. "Twilight, what brought this about?" I asked.
"Rumor has made it to somepony that Blueblood and his friends are not happy with you and aim to make you lose your wager. What tactics they will stoop to, I don't want to think about. I want you to be prepared in case none of us are near enough to help," she told me.
"I see your point," I replied. "While I will never shun the pleasure of your or anypony's company, you all do have lives to lead, and I treasure my independence. So, I shall willingly undergo this training to my instructor's satisfaction," I paused then to look at Twilight, "as well as your satisfaction, Princess. Let me begin my training. Sooner started, sooner finished, sooner our lives will return to what we call normal."
Twilight and Rainbow Dash led me to the parade grounds, where we were met by a dark green unicorn with a light tan mane and tail, gray hooves, a white horn and an expression on his face that reminded me of my company commander back in boot camp. I had nightmares about him for years. There was also enough gold on his... call it a uniform, but it could also be armor, like I said I'm not a recreationist, just a gamer, to make me think this fellow is an officer. "Tristan, this is Lieutenant Accurate Strike, senior instructor in the Solar Guard," Twilight said, performing introductions. "He will be your instructor in personal defense."
Accurate Strike looked me over as if I was a three-day-old fish. I looked back at him (and a little up as well, he's a big unicorn, but not as big as Bulk Biceps back in Ponyville) with a level gaze, not giving in to his intimidation. "I am sure Lieutenant Strike will instruct me to the standards desired by you and Princess Celestia," I said in a plain voice, no tricks or accents in use. "But, will he train me to MY standards? That is the question, and I hope it will be so. I regret the necessity, but I can see the value."
"Your basic honesty shines through. Applejack will be proud. Now, I will leave you three to start instruction, and I will see you at lunch," Twilight said.
"Three of us?" I asked with a touch of surprise.
"Heck, yeah! There are more than a few moves I can teach you, Tristan!" Rainbow Dash said from where she hovered.
"If you can teach, Dash, then I will learn," I said, looking up at Dash. The whole time, Accurate Strike was appraising me, trying for intimidation, like any D.I. would do. However, I am not an impressionable teenager, I am a middle-aged adult with nearly thirty years of government service, both in the military and out. I let him look while I returned the compliment.
Once Twilight took her leave and was out of sight, Strike said his first words. "You have been in the military before, yes?" His voice is deep yet penetrating. I could imagine what he would be like in battle, or worse yet, training.
"Yes, I have, Lieutenant. Four years enlistment, then twenty-four years in government service, attaining a high rank there. Intimidation is not going to work on me, I have little to gain from being intimidated. I am going into this reluctantly, but I do realize the necessity, and whatever you are willing to teach, I am willing to learn. Shall we begin?" I said to the lieutenant. Rainbow Dash was paying attention, in her own way.
"Yes, we shall begin. First part of the day, we will concentrate on the physical training. After lunch, the magical. I have heard you are a quick study. Prove it." Strike declared.
What followed was one of the worst four-hour segments of time I have ever experienced, topping the football game in the pouring rain where I went home muddy, soaked, and with more bruises than I could count. Strike demonstrated many moves on me, both grappling and more important, how to break grapples. Dash was there to teach me how to break grapples from a pegasus, which is completely different from a unicorn or an earth pony. I must have acquitted myself well, because Strike never complained about my performance. To be honest, he didn't compliment me, either. Dash, however, did have some complaints, because of what I did to her on some of her flying attacks. One time I did a quick double-buck combination that not only got her off my back, it sent her flying across the parade grounds. Strike's only response was an ear flick and a quirked eyebrow.
By lunch, I was battered, sore, and grimy from being thrown to the ground more times than I could accurately count. "Be back here in two hours, and we will begin the magic part of the training," Strike told me bluntly.
I did the best salute I could muster. "Aye aye, sir." I said before I stumbled inside the palace, my body one big bruise. Rainbow Dash flew alongside me.
"Tristan, you were awesome out there! You sure you have not trained in fighting?" she asked as I stumbled inside, heading for the lift to the suite level.
"That is correct, Dash. I have not. However, when at sea, I had plenty of time to think, and I came to a conclusion. If someone decides to fight or harm me, fight back. Fight back hard. They get one chance to win. If they fail, bring the fight to an end fast. If it means killing someone, do so and regret the necessity later. Stupidity is its own reward," I said, fighting back groans. I did not want to appear weak before my friend. I sagged against the lift wall, after telling the operator which floor.
"Tristan, I cannot fault what you say," she said, landing on the floor and putting a wing around my barrel. "It can't be easy for you to even think that."
"It's not, Dash. It's very hard, but, during a fight, there is no time for self-doubt. You go for the win, because losing may mean your life." I tapped my head. "Inside here is a fight I hope to win, but I don't know how. I do know going home WILL reawaken it, so I have to do the best I can here. Now that I have a target on my back, I will do whatever I can to stay here. You are my friend and I thank you for letting me ramble," I said as the lift stopped and the door opened.
Rainbow Dash helped me down the hall to the suite, into the bathroom, and started drawing a hot bath. "You get in and soak. I'll go get your lunch and bring it here. Don't you dare fall asleep, okay?" she cautioned.
"I won't, Dash. I hurt too much. Bet you can't have lunch here before the tub is ready," I managed to say with a weak smile.
"You're on!" she said eagerly before vanishing.
While I waited for Dash to return, I took a brush and got the worst of the grass and leaves out of my mane, tail and coat. As I brushed, Fluttershy came in, with a medical kit. "Tristan, let me check you over some," the shy yellow pegasus asked.
"Please do so, Fluttershy. Any treatment is welcome." She proceeded to check me over, looking critically for any cuts or lumps. Finding none, she took a bottle of what I took to be mineral salts and poured them into the tub as it filled. "This will help with the bruising. It works well on my animal friends."
"Fluttershy, you have my thanks. I regret the need of the training, but I can see the need as well. Thank you for your support," I said as the bath neared its fill line, steam coming off the water's surface.
She turned away from me, blushing a little at my compliment. "You need it, Tristan. I'm happy I can help," she said just as Rainbow Dash flew back in with lunch on a tray, shutting off the water to the tub just below the marks.
"Pay up, Tristan!" she said as she set the tray down. The tray had legs on it, so it could hang on to the tub and I can eat while soaking. "Thanks for coming up, Fluttershy."
"Glad to help." Fluttershy whispered as I slowly got in to the tub. It was hot, all right, but bearable, if only just. I made myself comfortable on a bench and looked at the tray.
"There's a lot more on the tray than I want, Dash," I said.
"Hey, I brought mine, too. Now, how you gonna pay up?" she asked, grabbing a sandwich.
"What would you like? A night out for dinner here in Canterlot?" I asked as I chose a sandwich myself. Despite being bruised and battered, I was hungry.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Naah. Every place here in Canterlot is so fancified, there's no fun in it. All the good places are coffee shops and Donut Joe's, and they are not good for dinner."
"Well, then, how about sitting with me at dinner at my right hoof? I know I would like that."
The pegasus gave me a long look, considering my words. "Okay! We'll do that. But, when we get back to Ponyville, I'll take dinner at the hayburger stand!"
"Dash, you got a deal!" I said, raising a hoof up for a hoofbump, which was returned with a big grin. That hoofbump sent waves of pain down my foreleg, but I did my best to hide it.
We sat there and chatted as I soaked, the pain gradually leaving my muscles, talking about the training session. She liked my double buck combination, saying it was something she had not thought of. Somewhen in that time, Fluttershy had went on her way, and I didn't notice until later. I asked Dash about it, and she told me that it's Fluttershy's way to do that. I stopped worrying about it then but vowed silently to thank Fluttershy MY way.
After getting out of the tub, I got dry and made my way back to the parade ground, thanking Rainbow Dash for her time. Not seeing Accurate Strike there meant I must have been early, so, I sat down and began thinking. What CAN I do with what I knew now to defend myself?
I don't know how long it was before Accurate Strike broke my reverie. "Early, I see."
"I hate to be late, Lieutenant. What do you have for me this afternoon?" I asked.
Until sundown, Accurate Strike taught me some offensive and defensive spells. I soon found out why we were training out on the parade ground instead of indoors, because horn blasts are potent, as are shields. We did a bit of landscape rearranging that afternoon, all intentional, of course.
When he called a halt to our training, he looked at me with something approaching pride, but not quite. "You are an apt student with battle magic. Now, the next step is to learn how to cast them fast, because any opponent worthy of the name is not going to allow you any time to gather mana," he told me.
"I take it that speed casting will be tomorrow's lesson?" I asked.
"Tonight, you will find a book on your bed. I suggest you read it before morning drills. You are mine for a full day tomorrow, then in Ponyville, two hours in the afternoon four days a week until I'm satisfied you won't get yourself killed in the first seconds of combat," he said to me.
"Fair enough," I said as I gathered mana. "Maybe then, I can consider you a friend?"
For the first time, Accurate Strike broke his stern drill master persona and smiled. "You can now but wait until we get to Ponyville before we actually show it. If I'm spotted like that here in Canterlot, there goes my reputation."
"Point made, Lieutenant. Let's make it so."
At dinner that night, which was shared with the Princesses, I made sure to sit between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, showing them honor in my own way. I was asked about my day, and I replied honestly about how rough the training is. I did ask Twilight about an idea I had, a way to teleport my phone to me, and more importantly, send it back to a secure place when I was done with it, to prevent theft.
Twilight, Luna and Celestia all pondered the question, but it was Pinkie Pie who spoke up first. "I have a way you can do that! I can show you, but you'll have to Pinkie Promise to never tell ANYPONY!"
I nodded in agreement. "Okay, Pinkie. I Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony what you teach me."
She gave me a frowny face. "You gotta DO it, too!"
"Do what?" I asked. All six from Ponyville then demonstrated what a Pinkie Promise entailed.
"Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cupcake in my EYE!" I said, doing the gestures before the final one, which I wound up doing just a bit too enthusiastically. I woke up to Pinkie Pie standing over me.
"Silly Tristan! You didn't have to promise THAT hard!" she laughed.
"Yeah, Sugarcube. When you make a promise, you REALLY promise!" Applejack added.
"Well, I say what I mean and mean what I say," I said, getting back up before rubbing my forehead. Twilight rolled her eyes and went to get up, but I waved her down. "No, Twilight, I'll keep this one for a while. It will teach me to be more careful."
"Hey! I noticed that all during combat practice, you didn't slip, stumble or fall the whole time!" Rainbow Dash said suddenly. "Only when things are not threatening do you knock yourself out!"
"Praise whatever for small favors, if my life here goes that way," I said as I sat back up. "I can live with it, if it doesn't kill me first."
"That, my little pony, is what we are trying to prevent." Princess Celestia said from her place at the table.
After dinner, I retired to my room and did my assigned reading and drills for a couple of hours before Pinkie showed up and demonstrated how to hide and retrieve my phone from a hiding place. It took practice, the clock chiming ten before Pinkie declared herself satisfied. "Fortunately, your phone is small. I'm not going to show you what I do with my party cannon, so don't ask!" she told me when we were done.
"I won't, Pinkie. Thank you for what you have showed me this evening. I promised I won't tell, and so I won't," I told her in tones which satisfied her. (What, you think I'm going to describe her methods here? Nope- I Pinkie Promised, so there!) |
Restart | Chapter 13- Return to Ponyville | Wednesday was like Tuesday, only this time Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight joined me on the parade ground. "This morning, I am going to see how you handle yourself against more than one attacker," Accurate Strike told me. "That's why the Elements are here. Do your best."
At first, I thought to 'pull my punches', because I did not want to hurt my friends. I soon learned that THAT was a bad idea, because one, they are real tough ladies in a scrum and two, they weren't pulling their punches! I learned a lot that day, mainly that I had a surprisingly high capacity for pain. Let it be said that the ladies and Accurate Strike all got their share of lumps as well.
Before dinner, as we were soaking our aches away in a medicated hot tub, Applejack turned to me and said, "Tristan, you fight like a cornered rat, only nastier."
I looked back at the earth pony, who had her hat off and her main untied. "Years ago, I promised myself that I would not START a fight, but I will do anything in my power to FINISH a fight. People who knew me knew that fact and took pains to make sure I was not around fights."
"Why would they do that?" Twilight asked.
"It's because of how I ended fights. If I came upon a brawl, I would wade in and separate the combatants as best I could. Now, if anyone took a swing at me, I would convince them of their stupidity, usually by sending the offender on a flight, without a license," I answered.
"How could you send them on a flight?" Rainbow Dash asked, her wings spread on top of the steaming water, feeling the bruising I had delivered unto her.
"By either giving them a hip toss or picking them up bodily and throwing them either onto a table, the ground, the water, or once, through a window. I had taken some unarmed combat courses while serving in the military, so I could become a better security guard. I achieved a decent level of skill, and have not let myself forget it," I told her, with no trace of pride in my voice. I take no pleasure in hurting anyone, even if they rightfully deserved the pain.
"No wonder why ahm hurtin' as much as I am, Tristan," Applejack said with a groan behind the words. "You sure know how to land a blow."
"I second that," Twilight added. Rainbow Dash just sank beneath the surface for a moment before resurfacing.
At dinner, I sat between Rainbow Dash and Applejack, with Twilight across from me. By then, much of our pain had subsided, and we were all feeling much more civil. Twilight stood to speak.
"Tomorrow, we will leave Canterlot for Ponyville on the after-lunch train. In the morning, Tristan and Rarity must see Lord Topspin for some contract work. Accurate Strike will meet us at the train, with his equipment. Until Tristan passes his requirements, Strike will be the commander of the Ponyville detachment of the Solar Guard," she said, looking right at me when she did.
I let out a groan that was only half play acting. "Do you have a hot tub at your castle, Twilight?" I asked.
"There's one at the spa. You're going to need it and a massage every day after training," she warned. By her voice, I was either going to enjoy the experience or regret it. The odds were in the coin flip range, for sure.
"Rarity, what's the deal with Lord Topspin?" I asked.
"Tomorrow, we are going to sign the contract with Topspin Productions, and you are going to record ten songs for reproduction. Depending on sales, we are to head back to Canterlot once a month, to record ten more each time," she told me.
"I'll select a variety tonight before I go to bed. That way, we can find out what will and won't sell well, and to what demographics."
"You know something about sales?" Rarity asked, surprised.
I nodded. "Some. Just what I picked up in study. Not like I ever did much with it."
On the train ride back to Ponyville, I told the assembled group (which included Spike, Starlight, and Accurate Strike) about which songs I had recorded, how many promotional copies I had with me, and what I intended to do with them. A set to the school, a set for the Mayor (I had offered a set to Pinkie, but she turned them down. She suggested my gifting a set to the Mayor, instead), and two sets to be kept in the library, one to be left alone and the other set to be loaned out. The rest will be promotional issues, which I will use to decide who will sell my records in Ponyville and elsewhere.
"You're not going to forget dinner at the hayburger stand tonight, are you?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Not at all. Anypony who wishes to dine there tonight, it will be on me!" I declared. Everyone agreed to that, even Spike.
"Hey, if it gets me out of cooking tonight, I'm all for it!" Spike declared, to everypony's laughter. I was glad for Princess Celestia's gift of ten thousand bits, to help me get settled. I had every plan to remain at Friendship Castle for the time being, saving my bits until Accurate Strike said I was fit to be on my own.
We arrived in Ponyville mid-afternoon. The only ponies waiting for us were the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they being Applejack's sister Apple Bloom, Rarity's sister Sweetie Belle, and Rainbow Dash's not-sister Scootaloo. I never did figure out the relationship between Dash and Scootaloo, and I never thought it polite to ask. The girls rushed up to me, talking a mile a minute each about ideas to help me get my cutie mark.
I smiled at the fillies. "Ladies, calm down," I told them. "Apparently, news travels slowly here." I turned, presenting my flank to them.
They all squealed and mobbed me with hugs. I fell to the platform, trying to hug them all back at once. I think I succeeded, but I'm not sure. "Easy, girls!" I pleaded. They did back off and let me stand again.
"But, what does that mean?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Silly! It means he's a Jack of all trades!" Pinkie Pie said with a laugh. All three fillies took the news well, I think.
"Does that mean you can do EVERYTHING, Mister Tristan?" Scootaloo asked.
"No, not everything, Scootaloo. It means that if I apply myself, I can get things done, but maybe not in the 'proper' style. It shows that I'm versatile, willing to learn anything," I explained. "It's something anypony can do, if they are willing to try."
"Can you show us how?" Sweetie Belle asked.
I rubbed my chin at the question. "I can do the best I can. It's not going to be easy, and it's not going to be fast, but I'll try," I promised.
The three fillies gathered around me for a more sedate hug. "We're willing to learn!" Apple Bloom said. The words touched my heart in a way I have seldom felt before. It is a good feeling to have, and I made a silent promise to myself to treasure that feeling, and to prove myself worthy of it every damned day I drew breath.
"Shall we all meet at the hayburger stand in an hour?" I called out. "That will give us all time to check our homes before dinner." Getting unanimous agreement, we all went our separate ways. I made sure to give Spike a hoof in pulling the luggage cart. In fact, I had him ride the cart while I pulled it. Sure, I knew he could, but I like the little dragon and want to show him some kindness as well.
Dinner at the burger stand was a slightly chaotic affair, what with all of us, plus the Crusaders. Chaotic, but fun. "Yes, your word IS good, Tristan," Rainbow Dash said, holding a half-eaten hayburger in one hoof. "Not to mention tasty!"
"I promised you dinner here, and so I deliver," I told her after having some potatoes. Turning to Twilight, I asked her, "So, what is the Plan of the Day for tomorrow, Twilight?"
"Other than your training with Accurate Strike behind the castle two hours before dinner, your day is open, Tristan. I have a lot of backlog to catch up on, and I know you want to do some deliveries and searching. The weekend will be open, too. We'll start more magic lessons on Monday," Twilight said.
I sighed in relief, finding out my days were open. "Thank you, Twilight. If you need a hoof in your work, ask. I'm willing to help you, too."
"If I need you, I will say so. Thank you for your offer."
Friday morning, I woke up feeling better than I have felt in a while. Maybe it was the day without the rough training, I'm not sure. After a long shower and breakfast, I loaded up a cart Spike had dug up for me to use, loaded up my saddlebags and headed out on my rounds.
My first stop is a discount shop, because I needed a new pair of sunglasses, having broken my good pair in Canterlot. I bought two spare pair of glasses, as well as two more hats of a plain design. I treasure the hat Rarity had given me but seeing as I had planned on doing some hard work, I did not want to get the hat messed up.
My second stop is the school, having timed matters so I would be there during morning recess. After greeting the foals, I went inside to gift Miss Cheerilee the pre-release records I had brought from Canterlot. I told her of our tentative release schedule, along with a promise to deliver records before they hit the stores. I also described the code on the label, a green stripe meaning anyone can listen, yellow stripe saying parents should proof the records before letting kids listen, and a red stripe meaning adults only. I did promise that red stripes will be rare.
After getting through the herd of foals with a promise to drop by next week sometime for another 'music lesson', my next stop is Swift Stitch, the tailor. He is also a cobbler, and I wanted boots for my hooves for working in mud. Plus, getting the insides of my hooves dirty felt repulsive to me.
Next up, lunch. I avoided the hayburger stand and went to Sugarcube Corner, where I refreshed myself with several large oatmeal cookies and some milk, getting Mrs. Cake and the twins to smile at my words and actions.
After lunch came the stop that I was sweating. There is only one store that sold record players in Ponyville, and it was owned and operated by Filthy Rich, the wealthiest stallion in town, and the father of Diamond Tiara. I found him at the store, in his office, and I started my presentation.
When I had made my pitch, I asked to play a demo record or two. He stopped me by waving a hoof. "Mister Tristan, Diamond Tiara has been going on for the past week about your music and regaling us with the four songs you played at the school. What I want to know is, how do I go about getting your music to sell?" he asked.
Not showing the sigh of relief I let slowly out through my nostrils, I gazed at the wealthy pony, collecting my wits. "Mister Rich, do you deal with Topspin Productions in Canterlot?"
Mister Rich's face fell into a frown. "I know of them, but Topspin and I do not get along very well. I will agree to sell your records in my shops, but I insist you, or an agent you choose, be the intermediary between Topspin and myself. We have not got along for a long time."
I nodded in agreement. "What I need to know from you is how many records you should need. If I remember right, you have more than one store, correct?" I asked. At his nod, I went on. "This is going to be a challenge. I do not know the extent of your chain of stores, which means I have nothing to base estimates on. I would like to help you, but right now, I don't have the information to do a proper job."
Filthy Rich blinked, not having considered that. It seemed like he did not remember, or even realize, that I had only appeared in Equestria only a short time before, and honestly did not know conditions here. "If information is what you need, information you shall get," he told me. Said information was provided, over the next hour. His holdings were more extensive than I had realized.
"If you have all this wealth, why are you living here in Ponyville instead of a place like Canterlot or Manehattan?" I asked.
"I like it here, Mister Tristan. That's the best way to say it. If I'm happy here, why go elsewhere? Besides, I hate moving. Traveling is fine. Moving is not," he told me.
"I can live with that. What I have now are just samples, which I am willing to leave with you. I will get with my contract pony and have one drawn up for your approval. When you do, I will notify Topspin of the contract, and you can start sales. Deal?"
Filthy Rich bumped hooves with me. "Deal. Now, just which of these did you play at the school? I want to hear the 'real' versions, not hers. I love Diamond Tiara, but her singing voice is not perfect. Yet," he said after a short pause. I showed him, and I left, feeling much relieved that I had survived the encounter, looking like I would profit from it.
Naturally, my next stop was the Carousel Boutique, and my business pony, Rarity. I gave her a thumbnail explanation of my talk with Filthy Rich and asked her for her input. She referred me to an attorney here in Ponyville, one Legal Terms, and ask her for her help. "Honestly, darling, I use her for my business contracts. She's so much better at it than I am," she told me.
"You did very well indeed with Topspin," I said.
"Yes, but that was just doing the initial deal. Legal Terms is so much better at the details than I am. Topspin used his attorneys to draw up the contract," Rarity said as she sewed something that looked nice on her sewing machine.
"I'm off to see Legal Terms now, Rarity. See you again soon!" I said before heading out.
Legal Terms turned out to be a middle-aged pink and green earth pony mare, with a cutie mark of three brown quill pens in a black inkwell. When I explained to her who sent me and what I was looking for, she readily agreed to not only draw up the contract, but to act as an intermediary between Filthy Rich and Lord Topspin. For a consideration, of course. That took about a half hour of haggling to set up, but we made it, and I had her include that in the contract, so I would not forget.
My last stop this Friday is at the clock shop. I wanted a watch, because one of the hardest things for me to do is tell time. Here, especially, what with the sun and the moon acting like jack-in-the-boxes, it really messes up my miserable excuse of a time sense.
I walked in to the clock shop and started looking at the wares. Time Turner was not there, but there was a 'be back soon' sign on the front showcase, so I killed time (pun intended) looking at the watches.
There were fob watches, pocket watches, and watches on straps that looked like they would easily strap on to a foreleg. I admired one watch that was set in a leather sleeve, with a flap that covered the watch when I was not looking at it. It did look familiar to me, but for the life of me, I could not place WHERE I saw it.
"Find something interesting, Tristan?" Time Turner said from behind the counter. I must have sprung a good three feet up before landing.
"I didn't hear you walk up!" I managed to say after coming down. "You scared the daylights out of me!"
"In your case, avoiding daylight would be a good thing, hmm?" he replied with a hint of a mocking tone, but not a vicious mocking.
"You do have a point. I would like to buy this watch here," I said, tapping the display case.
"Ah, that one. I made that to honor an old friend, whom I have not seen in too long a time. He wore one a lot like this. One hundred bits, including repair warranty if needed," Time Turner told me, opening the display case and removing the watch. He flipped up the leather flap and checked the watch against some other clocks in the shop while I dug out the hundred bits. "Oh, it's self-winding, too. One less thing to remember in the morning, yes?"
"Indeed. Does it have an alarm setting?" I asked.
"Indeed, it does," he told me before showing me how to set and activate it, and more important, how to shut it off! "You're not going to be able to ignore this alarm!"
I took the watch and slid it up over my left forehoof. I twisted it around some to get it comfortable and practiced flicking the cover open and shut. That was when I noticed that the leather band had no buckles on it. It had slipped on over my hoof without any problems.
Time Turner noticed my curiosity. "Oh, that. Just a simple enchantment I hired a friend to put on watchbands. It won't come off unless you WANT it off."
"That's good to hear. How durable is it?" I asked.
"It will hold up during your training session which starts in about fifteen minutes. I would shake a leg if you don't want to be late," he cautioned.
"Yes, you're right, thank you! Best be off, then!" I said as I went to leave.
"At least you're not learning Venusian Aikido. That's a little rough," Time Turner said as I cleared the door frame. I got exactly six paces before stopping dead in my tracks. I turned to go back in, but the door had a sign on it that said 'closed for the day' on it, a sign I KNEW was not on there when I walked out.
"Venusian Aikido. Where have I heard THAT before?" I muttered to myself as I hitched myself up to my cart and headed back to Twilight's palace, and my training session with Accurate Strike. "I'm sure I've heard of it..." I muttered, thinking about a tall white-haired man in a ruffled shirt and a smoking jacket, whose name escaped my mind at the moment. |
Restart | Chapter 14- Time Marches On... | Matters went very well indeed for the next couple of months as summer turned into fall. I was doing well in my lessons, well enough so that both Twilight Sparkle and Accurate Strike were pleased with my progress. I was not yet up to teleporting when it came to magic, but Twilight was sure it would not be long before she judged me ready to learn. Accurate Strike was proud of my progress in hoof to hoof combat and had begun teaching me battle magic as well as armed combat. I already knew how to wield a quarterstaff and a tonfa, and once I had proved to him my knowledge, he moved me up to swords and knives.
Where I really impressed him was with my skill in throwing knives. Crossbows did not work well, but I was able to plant a throwing knife in a one-inch target at a range of fifty yards more than nine times out of ten. That ratio improved when I brought up senbons, and had a batch made by a local smith. Took a while to hammer out the flaws in my initial plans, but once they were made properly, Accurate Strike commissioned a batch for the Ponyville Guard and had me teach the guard on how to use them.
The record deal went gangbusters right from the start, my initial ten songs setting records (yes, pun intended. I don't suffer from paronomasia, but I'll admit it is a near thing) for sales, as well as sparking increased demand for record players. Shortly after the second release, Filthy Rich stopped me in the market and told me that his record player sales had tripled in the past month, thanks to the demand for my music. Lord Topspin was happy as well, giving me a ten-thousand-bit bonus when I went to Canterlot for the third session.
In Ponyville, I kept my promises to the ladies, spending Saturdays helping each of them in rotation, the only exception being Rainbow Dash, because obviously, I'm unable to shove clouds around like she could, or fly. We found other ways to be together, thus keeping a promise to her.
I learned from each of the ladies in turn, Rarity showing me how to run the sewing machine competently, but utterly refusing my help in design, saying that I had no taste at all when it came to attire. I did not dispute her words, because I knew she was right. However, she did let me assemble her designs, to her satisfaction.
Applejack taught me about farming, and I made myself useful to her and her family, helping at Sweet Apple Acres once I learned how to do more around the farm than cause ruin. Apple bucking, however, was RIGHT OUT. After the third broken hoof, it was decided that I should find something else to be good at while working at the farm. I did not argue with Applejack or Big Mac.
Pinkie Pie taught me baking and decorating, which did take a while to learn. I never gave up, and it was not long before I could make and bake a cake from scratch that pleased Pinkie Pie. She looked forward to my occasional 'help at the bakery' trips. So did I. However, I did not partake of vanilla cupcakes for a long time. I found the chocolate fudge to be better. Good thing I didn't put on any weight, a bane of mine since I was young.
Fluttershy taught me a lot about medicine and veterinary care. I knew basic first aid, ever since Cub Scouts, but she taught me far more than I had known. I learned how to be empathic with the animals, getting them to relax while being treated, that they had nothing to fear from me. Fluttershy declared I had passed her basic test by tending a skunk with an injured paw, and not get sprayed. The animals liked me. All but one. Need I name which one? Little snot of a rabbit....
My time with Twilight, when not taking magic lessons, taught me how to organize a library. I was highly organized to begin with, being a stores keeper, but she showed me methods I never would have thought about. She appreciated my assistance, as did Spike, who always had trouble putting books on the higher shelves. Spike knew to call on me if he needed help. Same with Owlowiscius. I just had trouble understanding him. Not that I could give a hoot...
Rainbow Dash, like I said, was a problem on how to help. Fortunately, we found something. She taught me how to chillax, and she found chillaxing with me really settled her down. We found some games we enjoyed together and took it from there. She, however, did not appreciate it when I beat her in bowling. Somehow, I never got around to mentioning the shelf of bowling trophies I had accumulated since high school. I learned to tone it down once I figured out how to throw a fingerless ball accurately.
The school was fun, as well. I learned enough about teaching, and Miss Cheerilee's method of lesson planning, to be able to substitute for her as needed, if available to do so. Getting certified for that was an experience, one that ranks right up there with being in a Damage Control trainer with all the water pipes on. In winter. Using river water. NOT fun, but doable. That Chancellor Neighsay was a tough stallion to convince...
One project that I wanted to do some ground breaking on was the design of radio. Here, I was sure we could build crystal radio receivers, but making a transmitter proved to be a challenge. I had ideas, Twilight had ideas, but we were having trouble on making it work. That was our 'if and when' project, meaning we nibbled at it if and when we had time. She liked the idea in principle, it was making it work that was proving a pain in the rump.
I should mention that I still retained the habit of finding slick spots on the floor, going on a fast slip and having a nice fall. Almost in desperation, Twilight not only taught me some healing spells, but also gave me a charm (which I kept tucked in the flap of my watch) to speed my recovery in case I knocked myself senseless. I could not be called a klutz, but I always found the bad spots on the floor. Doctor Pacer at the clinic gave me a frequent visitor discount card, because I was there at least once every couple of weeks for treatment. I also carried a first aid kit in my saddlebags, both in the big set and the smaller, more casual set. In three months, I replaced the kit twice. |
Restart | Chapter 15- The Onset of Trouble | It was on my fourth trip to Canterlot that the first signs of trouble started rising. This trip, Accurate Strike came along with me, because he wanted to visit the Solar Guard headquarters to talk about senbons, which are becoming popular with the Guard in Ponyville. I had an arrangement to take the train up one day, spend the night at the Castle in company with the Princesses, then head to Topspin Productions to make the records, a chore which would take all day to do. I would then spend another night at the Castle before training home to Ponyville the next morning.
The train trip to Canterlot went without a hitch, as did the first night at the Castle, arriving early enough to chat with the Princesses before catching some sleep. They liked my slightly irreverent tone with them, never going to disrespect, but treating them like I treated everypony else, with just a touch more respect. I would never call them anything but 'Princess' for Celestia and 'Luna' for Luna, but only when we were chatting alone.
The next morning, after breakfast, I'm walking to Topspin Productions when I encountered a crowd of ponies in my path. Skirting the crowd, I spotted four ponies fighting, two of which were City Guard trying to break up the other two. I gave it a glance as I made my way past.
Suddenly, it felt like the Jolly Green Giant's flashbulb went off in front of my face. Yes, I was wearing my hat and shades, but still, the intensity of the light caused so much pain to my eyes, I screamed loud enough to shred something in my throat before I passed out.
I woke up to darkness as well as an ache in my head that wasn't severe, but a real annoyance. My throat felt like I was gargling used razor blades, and I became aware of some unusual twinges along my barrel. I let out a grunt of surprise as I came to, which was followed by a voice I knew too well. "Mister Tristan, how do you feel?"
"Doctor Makeswell? Where am I?" I managed to rasp.
"You are back at Canterlot Castle. You were rather viciously attacked when you were near Topspin Productions. First, some pony cast a flash spell, not in front of you, but on your sunglasses directly. After that, you were beaten rather severely before two of the Solar Guard spotted the commotion and investigated. Most of the perpetrators escaped, but one was captured and is being questioned now," I was told before I felt a straw in my mouth. "Have some of this."
I sipped, and whatever was in that drink did wonders on my throat. I sipped again, and the razor blades vanished. "Why is it dark in here?" I asked.
"I have your eyes covered right now. They will need to remain covered until tomorrow morning at the least before I remove the bandages. Your eyes were severely burned by the flash attack. They will heal, but you need some time yet," the doctor said, sounding as if he was delivering a pronouncement from On High. I thought 'thank you very much, Major Winchester', as his bedside manner has yet to improve.
"Where are my saddlebags?" I asked.
"From what I have heard, they were found nearby, having been torn off your body. The contents were scattered about. That accounts for the cuts and scrapes on your barrel and legs. They are healing, not to worry."
"When it comes to healing, you are one of the few ponies I trust to do it right, Doctor Makeswell. I may not like you personally, but professionally, you have my respect," I told him.
"Thank you for saying so, Tristan. For now, get some more rest. Princess Celestia will be up soon. She will be able to answer many of your unspoken questions."
"Before you go, what time is it?" I asked.
"Fifteen minutes until five. You have been unconscious for over nine hours. I kept you that way to promote healing. Feel free to yell later, when you can see me, so you can aim your picturesque language in the proper direction. If you need anything, your guard will bring it to you," Makeswell told me.
"My guard?" I asked.
That's when I heard Accurate Strike speak. "I will be here until you get the bandages removed. You need anything, say so."
"Why are you here, Strike?"
I felt him sit down next to the bed, leaning up against it. "I thought you would prefer having a friend here with you. It's no problem. Just relax," he told me, taking my hoof in his glow.
"Thank you for being here. Have you let Twilight and the rest know?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. Princess Celestia sent her a message shortly after you were brought in. They arrived here via teleport and have been searching for the ponies behind your beating. Princess Celestia personally questioned the one we captured," he said in a tone of voice that said I really should not press farther now.
"Any reporters?"
"One photographer happened to be nearby when she saw the flash. She did manage to take some photos of the crowd. I don't know anything more."
"This is going to get ugly. Anything I could have done different? I had no warning at all..."
Strike sighed. "Sometimes, even fools get lucky," he said.
When he said that, a cold chill ran down my body, from my horn down to my tail. "Fools. I'm going to suggest the known compatriots of a certain pony I have become acquainted with should be questioned."
"Blueblood?" Strike said. "Somepony thought of that hours ago. I have not heard any results yet."
I groaned and laid back on the bed. "I hate it when I'm right."
Strike stayed with me, holding my hoof, talking to me for some time before I heard a door open. I could feel Strike stand, then I heard a voice, one of the most wonderful voices I know. "Do sit down, Lieutenant. I won't be long."
"Princess Celestia, please forgive me for not bowing to you. Then again, I'm not entirely certain which way you are, so I think I should be given a waiver in this case," I said in a calm voice, aimed almost precisely opposite to where I am sure she is.
Celestia laughed in a demure fashion. "Keep that up, Tristan. Your good humor despite all that happens is refreshing," she told me as she took a place next to the bed.
"Do I dare ask about the results of your investigations?"
"You may ask, but I doubt you would like the results," she said flatly. Immediately, I started sweating some. "I hate it when I'm right," we said simultaneously.
"The one assaulter that was captured did not know much, only that he was paid a hundred bits by somepony to, and I use his words, 'mess you up some'. No, he did not know who it was who gave him the money. He knew who you are, and he said he did not cast the spell on you. That we believe, because he is an earth pony. The flash was his cue to move in, along with several others," Celestia told me.
"What are Twilight and the others doing?" I asked.
"Looking for the unicorn who cast the spell. Every spell can be traced, it's just that tracking down the caster, if the searcher does not know the caster, can be difficult, especially in a city composed primarily of unicorns," Celestia said to me.
I did not say anything for a moment or so. "I have some ideas on that score, but I will wait for a more appropriate time. How about tracing Blueblood's associates?"
"That will take some time, especially because we have no connection to any of them," Celestia told me before adding a word. "Yet."
"Princess, thank you for the report. May I ask that when Princess Twilight or any of the others report in, that I be informed?" I asked.
"But of course, Tristan. Now, get some more rest. It speeds healing. Besides, you look ridiculous with that hood on over your bandages," Celestia said with a slight giggle.
"I'm gonna moiderize Makeswell for this..." I said, pointing to the head wrap, which not only increased Celestia's giggles, it sparked Accurate Strike into laughing as well. My opinions on Makeswell, both personal and professional, were well known.
"Word will be sent when Twilight Sparkle reports back in, Tristan. I'll tell Luna before I retire for the night."
"Sleep well, Princess. May I hope for the same," I replied, bowing slightly from my position, deliberately aiming away from Celestia.
"May your attitude never change, Tristan. It is so refreshing to me," Celestia said before departing.
When I heard the door shut, I relaxed, and Strike started to laugh. "Just how do you get away with such things with Princess Celestia?" he asked when he stopped laughing.
"I treat her like I would treat anypony else, Strike," I told him, relaxing back into the bed. "She may be awesome, but she does not overawe me. I respect her, not worship her, and she knows it. That's how I can do what I do with her."
"I envy you, Tristan."
We chatted for a while longer, then he fed me a light dinner. I found that trying to use telekinesis with my lights out requires a lot more practice than I had on the subject. After some more talk, I dozed off. I woke up when somepony shook me. "Tristan, wake up," I heard.
"Twilight? What time is it?" I mumbled.
"Almost midnight. You wanted a report when we were done?" Twilight told me.
I came fully awake and turned my face in her direction. "Good news, bad news, or just news?"
"We got a reading on the unicorn who cast the flash spell on you, and we've been looking. We followed a lead, got a name, but we can't find her."
"Her? Who is she?" I asked.
"Her name is Obsidian Sands. She has a tenuous connection with another unicorn of our acquaintance..." Twilight trailed off bitterly.
"Is that a fact?" I asked. "Why can you not find her?"
"We think she skipped town right after the attack. It is known she can't teleport yet, so she must have caught a train," Twilight told me.
"Or walked or caught an airship flight or chariot out. If Blueblood is behind this, he could have had her spirited away right after, to deny evidence. What I want to know is, what are they after?" I asked.
"I think that should be obvious, Tristan. Your phone, which contains all your music. He thought you had it in your bags, while you carry it someplace else, a place only you and one other can access," Twilight replied, a little irritation creeping into her voice.
"Yes, and if you don't want something heard..." I said, waiting for Twilight's follow-up, which arrived right on cue.
"...don't say it." I taught her that phrase, and she took it to heart, along with a bunch of other odd turns of phrase I will mention when I damn well feel like doing so, thank you.
"Twilight, get some sleep, and we can follow up tomorrow."
"What do you mean 'we', Kemosabe? You are staying right here until Doctor Makeswell says you can leave, and not one second before!" Twilight snapped back at me, using a line I used on her more than once. It stings when it gets turned around.
My face fell into a frown. "If you insist, Princess. I will stay here, and Accurate Strike will make sure of that. Right, Strike?" I asked.
"Got that right, Tristan. You are not leaving this suite until I get the go-ahead from the doctor."
"Well, then, how about you help me up and guide me to the john? I gotta go!" I snapped.
"I'll leave you two to that chore. I'm going to bed. Good night, Tristan," Twilight said, definitely cranky and tired. I wished her a good night as she walked out, not quite slamming the door. Strike helped me do my business.
"She's upset, all right," Strike said as he led me back to bed.
"She is and she's not going to let me forget it anytime soon. I'll appeal to her logic later. Right now, she needs sleep, and so do you. I'll just lie here and fake it."
Accurate Strike used his glow to get me up and settled into bed. "Fake it? You are going to sleep, not fake it!" he told me firmly.
"Strike, I just woke up! There is no way I'm going to..." I remember protesting before a wave of sleepiness the size of the wave that hit Sumatra on Boxing Day some years back rolled over me and I passed out. I didn't know then that Strike also had passed Field Medic training and knew some general anesthesia spells. Just when you think you know a pony...
I did not wake up until noon, when Doctor Makeswell was removing the bandages. I could not be sure if he was holding my head up or twisting my head OFF. I let out a squawk of protest, and he told me in his oh-so-cultured way, "I suggest you hold still, Mister Tristan. I'm working to restore your sight. That is worth any small discomfort along the way, yes?"
I could only let out some chokes and gasps until I felt the bandaging come off, and his grip on my head relaxed. "Now, keep your eyes closed," he commanded in a doctor voice. I heard the curtains closing, then felt something get tossed over me, like a heavy quilt.
"Open your eyes," Makeswell commanded. Slowly, I did, blinking furiously to get the gunk out that had built up there. I became aware of a dim glow, which grew brighter until I could make out Makeswell's head under the blanket with me, his horn glowing. "Do you see me now?"
"Yes, I do. Whatever you did worked, for which you have my thanks." I told him with as much sincerity as I could muster up.
"I'm going to require you to wear dark over-glasses for the next few days, to allow your eyes a chance to heal some more. It's that or staying in the dark for two more days. Which would you prefer?" Makeswell asked in his snootiest tones.
"Wearing the dark over-glasses, of course. Can they be warded so no more flash spells on the lenses?" I asked.
Makeswell snorted. "Goes to show you have some sense. These are warded like that, and once your eyes heal, bring me your other glasses so I can treat them as well. They are going to have to get more creative next time!"
"I apologize for cutting into your social circuit time, Doctor," I told him with a little acerbity. "I'll try not to let it happen again."
"Good to see you are returning to the disturbed state you call normal, Tristan," he replied in similar tones. "Shut your eyes, I will remove the blanket and fit the over-glasses on you. Then you may look around."
"Sounds like a plan, Doctor," I said as I complied with his orders. We have a love-hate relationship, as I said earlier. We share respect of each other skills, but personally, we can't stand each other, and do not hide that fact. The blanket was removed, and I felt something slip over my head and settle into place.
When told, I opened my eyes. I could see perfectly through the over-glasses, but the light I saw was dimmer than I knew it should have been, but without the darkening tinted lenses would give. "A little different, yes?" Makeswell said.
"I should say so," I commented as I got out of bed and headed to a mirror. At first glance, I could not see anything over my eyes, then I realized there were clear half-globes attached to a strap the same color as my fur, rendering it almost unnoticeable. The protective lenses were almost invisible at first glance.
I nodded at my image, impressed. "Not bad at all, Makeswell. I can hardly tell they are there."
"That is the point, yes? Credit me with a little bit of sense."
"I will, for now. I'm still waiting on the check for the rest of your sense."
Makeswell let out a snort. "It's a good thing we respect each other, Tristan, or I might get a bit upset with you."
"With your professional demeanor? I highly doubt you ever get upset with a patient while you are treating them," I said back to him.
"It's when I'm NOT treating you that you should worry, Tristan."
"Why do you think we never meet socially unless someone is around? I'm not going to give you a chance!" I laughed.
Makeswell smiled at that line. "I never think you're dumb, Tristan. You just think different than I do. Must be why the Princesses like you so much."
"I've said this before, I treat them with respect, not awe. They are wonderful ladies I am honored to call my friends. Maybe someday we can reach that stage, you and me," I said, turning to look at Makeswell.
"In your dreams," he snorted.
"That's where I practice, Makeswell. Thank you for the glasses, and rest assured I will wear them until you can treat the other sets," I told the bigger unicorn. With the lenses, only brightness was dimmed, not the colors.
"You are quite welcome, Tristan. Do try to be careful, will you? This time, you had a good reason to need treatment. Other times, not so much," he said snootily before departing.
"You let him have the last word?" Strike asked.
"This time, he earned it. Now, shall we go and raid the Royal Kitchens?" I said, making my slightly wobbly way out of the room. Being in bed for over a day, it takes a few minutes to get steady again on your feet. Well, it does for me...
Over lunch, we got an update on the search for Obsidian Sands, which essentially boiled down to she had skipped town without leaving a trail. The news was irritating, but not unexpected. I know of ways to skip town without leaving traces, it all depends on the amount of effort one wants to put into it. After lunch, Strike and I went out, first to replace my casual saddlebags, in dark blue this time instead of red, then off to Topspin's for a reschedule.
Topspin was glad I had recovered from the attack and asked where my trademark sunglasses are. I told him I am wearing what the doctor gave me, and I will wear them until he says I could go back to normal.
We rescheduled our session for the next day, but I wanted to record some tracks not for general release, but to make some for a specific pony, a friend named Vinyl Scratch. They were not tunes I would release to the public, but some tracks I knew she would enjoy, having played them for her and getting her enthusiastic approval. I think it was her throwing herself at my hooves and begging, but I'm not sure. I also had two tracks cut for her roomie, Octavia. I did not have much classical that was not organ, but I found what I had and printed them off.
With Strike by my side, walking through the city became far less worrisome. Strike wore his undress uniform, which pretty much announced the fact 'do not mess with this pony, you may not live to regret it'. Strike got a good laugh when I told him my thoughts. "Not too far from the truth," he said.
That night, I dined with the Princesses, Strike, Twilight and the ladies. They did not have much to report, having looked for the ponies pictured in the few photos from the scene of the attack but coming up completely empty-hoofed. Obsidian Sands also vanished like a will-o-the-wisp. I announced that my next recording session is rescheduled for the next day, and that I would keep up my routine. "After all, if I let our opposition dictate my patterns, they win. No, I'm going to be me, no matter what." I declared.
"It is to be hoped you make some changes in your routine, so as not to be predictable," Luna said in cautionary tones.
"I shall endeavor to be predictably unpredictable, Princess. Let them make the next move. Every attempt leaves more clues to trace the perpetrators," I said.
"With Captain Accurate Strike as your personal guard, you will be much safer," Celestia declared.
Strike looked like he had been slapped across the face. "Princess, I'm just a lieutenant," he said.
"No longer. You are now a captain, in charge of Tristan's security. You may draft whatever resources you think are necessary to safeguard Tristan. He and his music are positive forces for change, and we wish to keep it that way," Celestia said, looking to her fellow alicorns in the room and getting slow nods of confirmation.
"So, you are going from the Terror Trainer to my personal demon, eh?" I quipped. "I'll struggle to cope with the load."
Strike mock-glared across the table. "Got that right, you independent cuss! I'll shackle you right proper!" he called back.
I started humming a tune as I ate some more of the dinner. "Just what is that tune?" Rarity asked. She has the best musical sense of the six.
"A song entitled 'Shackles and Chains', Rarity. Remind me and I will play it for you sometime. I just thought the title appropriate," I told her casually, to laughter around the table.
"Now will be a good time, Tristan," Celestia suggested.
"Be right back. Pardon me," I said, leaving the table and going to where nopony could see me. Then and only then did I retrieve my phone, as per my promise to Pinkie that nopony would ever see me do so, until she said I had the trick down well enough to do so in front of witnesses. A small price to pay for the knowledge.
When I came out, I announced, "The title is appropriate, but the song is about a bad love affair," before playing the song. When it ended, Celestia told us, "There is SOME appropriateness, Tristan. Only, it is not Accurate Strike, it is our suspected opponents who are trying to shackle and chain you."
"Point made, Princess. It's a habit of mine, that being certain situations will remind me of song titles, even though the lyrics do not match the situations," I said in reply.
"It's not a bad habit," Applejack said. "Have you decided which songs you are going to do for us?"
"I'm being very careful on that, Applejack. I want the song to be a true representation of my feelings for you all. I only have a selection of five hundred eighty-five songs on my playlist, so I have to winnow with care. The title may be right, but the song may be wrong," I said in all sincerity.
"I liked some of what you were singing while working at Sweet Apple Acres," was her answer.
"Me, too, when you were with the animals," Fluttershy piped up.
"Fluttershy, the song I have in mind for you is not one I have recorded, all I can do is try to remember it as much as I can. It has been years since I last heard it," I said. "If somehow, I can get my memory enhanced, and learn to write music, I could try to write it out and have someone perform it."
I saw a glance fly around the table. I knew then I was in for something. "Tristan, I think I have something in mind. When I get back to Ponyville, I will research the spell," Twilight said.
"Now I know I'm in for it..." I muttered, to laughter from the group. |
Restart | Chapter 16- Guard Force | Bright and early the next day, Accurate Strike and I went to Topspin's place and did our ten selections for the month, leaving with a set of samples and a check for more bits than I expected. "A bonus for high sales, and with Hearthswarming coming, sales can only go higher," the earth pony told me when he gave me the check. I thanked him profusely, thinking what I could do with the unexpected dividend. I stowed the check, folding and tucking it under the protective cover of my phone before putting them away.
Strike and I expected to train home to Ponyville the next day, but Princess Luna had a surprise waiting for us. Our bags were already packed, and we were told that she had arranged for an air chariot ride back to Ponyville, pulled by two of her strongest Lunar Guard thestrals, and accompanied by two more. Now, I knew of thestrals, but I don't know any very well. This was going to change tonight.
We were told the four have been assigned to Accurate Strike to be part of my guard force, along with four from the Solar Guard. The troops will be staying at the Ponyville Barracks until better accommodations were found. "The Princesses consider you a valuable commodity, Tristan," the leader of the group, Lieutenant Black Sky, told us. "We were willing to accept the posting, because we like what we have heard so far of your music."
"That's right! It really opens up something inside me!" said one of the chariot pullers, Inky Spot. She is a younger thestral, only recently attached to the Lunar Guard. She had a good voice, and I told her so. I think she blushed, but at night, who can tell?
"We were all picked because we have some musical talent, Tristan," Black Sky said. "We may not be professionals, but we know what we are doing. The Solar Guard ponies will also have some talent. One idea that has been floated is touring Equestria as a live band, performing some of your music, while checking for trouble."
"Who posited that idea?" I asked.
"The Princesses, who else?" Black Sky replied.
I turned in my seat and looked at Accurate Strike. "Ever get the feeling you're being manipulated, Strike?" I asked him.
"Breaks of the business and the price of fame, Tristan."
The next day was busy for me, what with meeting the rest of the guard force, four more ponies from the Solar Guard (two pegasi, a unicorn and an earth pony), getting to know the thestrals better, and deciding with Captain Strike on how best to use the force to protect me. That lasted from rooster crow to sometime before lunch, when the thestrals caught some sleep until sunset. Lunchtime, I ran the records over to Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, because I knew Vinyl would want to use them that night at her show. A quick stop at the hamburger stand, then to the school to drop off their records, say hello to the kids, and reassure them that I will recover. Do you know what it is like to be gang-hugged by a whole class of eager colts and fillies? I know now...
Afternoon was spent with Twilight, Strike and I going over plans with her, and seeing if she had some other ideas on how to use the guard force. While I knew the earth pony, a stallion called Low Note, was a good musician, we found out that he could also write music. That sparked an idea in my head, to have him do sheet music of the phone songs. Another income stream, yes?
That evening, I met with the entire guard force again, this time to hash out earlier ideas. Low Note was willing to write out the music, but we limited that to only the records in production. Otherwise, he would need possession of the phone, and there was absolutely no way I was going to let it out of my hooves, nor reveal the secret of where it was hidden.
I brought in a record player and a stack of records, and we all sat around in the barracks, listening to the music and debating on just how we would form a cover band. I told them all that I felt uncomfortable being the lead singer, but that I would try my best. Black Sky convinced me that we could pull it off, once they learned the music and decided on their roles. That evening also convinced me that all of them could be trusted, to a point. While Accurate Strike knew that I hid the phone through some sort of Pinkie Pie magic, not even he knew HOW it was done or WHERE it is at any given time. His idea, not mine.
I worked hard on getting along with my guard force, because my life may possibly depend on these ponies. I deliberately left details on HOW I was to be warded up to Accurate Strike. The less I knew about how, the less I could possibly give the game away. While I knew them, and they knew me, how they worked was something I asked not to know. To that end, I started training on how to ignore them in public when they were on duty. The only known guard is Captain Strike, the rest I officially ignored. Well, tried to, at least.
Makeswell himself came out to Ponyville a few days later, to give me an examination. He pronounced my eyes had fully recovered from the flash attack and brought me several pairs of new reinforced sunglasses to wear. I accepted them with good grace while asking if I could keep the pair I had, because they worked so well. Mister pompous doctor took me at my word and let me keep the pair he had first made. Hey, they matched my fur, and they were comfortable. |
Restart | Chapter 17- Hearthswarming | As time went on, getting closer to Hearthswarming, not only did my fame and fortune increase, the weather grew colder. Living in Connecticut for almost thirty years, on the coast, I was used to snow, but the cold was freakish to me. It's always warmer near the coast, the water not cooling as much as the land. Ponyville, even with all its attractions, was NOT on the coast. I took to wearing sweaters, a scarf and knee-high boots along with my hat and saddlebags when I went outside. The guards were more accustomed to the cold, especially the pegasi and thestrals. The one unicorn member of the guard force, Silver Strings, suffered as much as I did, being originally from Manehattan.
One thing we did is put a band together. The thestrals were all accomplished musicians, the others slightly less so. Low Note kept himself occupied making sheet music of the already transcribed records, earning me even more bits, which I must hasten to add I did share with my guard force. We practiced several nights a week, getting comfortable with each other and the music.
We all decided to make our debut on the day before Hearthswarming, in Town Hall. That last week was a rush for all of us, working hard on rehearsals as well as shopping. All the guard force but Accurate Strike will have Hearthswarming and the next two days off, to be with their families. Let me tell you, shopping was a real pain in the tail end, but I got mine done with a day to spare.
The performance, I am happy to say, went over better than anypony ever expected. We did ten songs in total, and the applause was warm enough to warm a windigo's heart, if they had any. We were swarmed over by adoring townsfolk, under the watchful eye of my guardians. Fortunately, nothing untoward happened in the town hall, and we all made it to our respective homes afterward without incident.
Hearthswarming Day, I exchanged gifts with my friends, safely inside the castle. Everypony was appreciative of their gifts, while I liked the small gifts I was given. Twilight, however, saved the biggest surprise for last. I was aware of some construction near the castle, but I had paid it little heed. Construction is going on all over Ponyville, and this was just another build, or so I thought.
Spike brought over to me a brightly wrapped small box, with a card that read 'To Tristan, from all of us at Friendship Castle'. Intrigued, I carefully opened the box, not wanting to ruin the beautiful wrapping. Inside I found a folded paper and a set of keys. "Keys? You bought me a new car?" I joked.
"Read the paper, Tristan! It's awesome!" Rainbow Dash called out, trying not to do loops in the air.
I unfolded the paper, to read the deed to a house here in Ponyville, transferring title of said house to me until 'such time as I decide to relinquish ownership'. "A house? Where?" I said with a squawk of surprise.
"It's the gray one at the edge of the palace green, Tristan!" Pinkie Pie squealed in excitement as she bounced around the room.
"The one I have seen being built for the past however long?" I asked, feeling a little shell-shocked.
"Oh, yes, Tristan! We all helped in building it. Shall we go over to see it?" Rarity suggested.
I had to let out a bit of a laugh. "Twilight, I didn't know you were this eager to get rid of me!"
Twilight laughed at that line. "No, Tristan, it's that I know that you have had a yearning for both privacy as well as independence. Now, you have a house of your own to live in. Peace, quiet, and room enough for you, Accurate Strike, and part of your guard force, if necessary. So, shall we go see?"
"Yes, let us go and see," I said with a gallant bow and gesture, which led to a skid and fall. This time, I did not knock myself out, just rattled my brains some. We all dressed for the cold and tromped through the snow that had fallen overnight to the little gray house on the west side of the castle. MY little gray home to the west.
With a bit of a shiver, enough to make the keys jingle, I unlocked the front door and led the way in. My first sight is the kitchen, built to an open plan, and fully stocked with appliances and, after a cabinet check, food. The oven was warm, too, because Spike had slipped over earlier to prepare the traditional Hearthswarming feast. The furnishings on the main floor were sparse, yet the decor was fabulous, led, as I had surmised, by Rarity. There was also a large closet and a bath on the main floor.
Upstairs we found a master suite for me (bedroom, bath and den), a smaller one for Accurate Strike (with his gear already inside), two smaller bedrooms and a shared bath for them, as well as access to the attic, which a look showed to be well-insulated. Fireplaces were common in the bedrooms as well as the main room, well stocked with wood, ready to be lit.
The real surprise was downstairs. In addition to several small rooms, one of which contained a hot tub big enough for four ponies, there is a large room that contained the band's instruments, along with a note signed by all the members of the guard force, wishing me a Happy Hearthswarming and we would meet again in a few days. I sent an accusatory glare at Accurate Strike. "Going behind my back, eh?" I snarled, but with a grin tickling the corners of my mouth.
"Well, if I can't go behind your back, who can?" Strike replied. "It's my job, remember?"
I first hugged Strike, then went around and gave everypony else a warm hug and a chaste kiss, for Hearthswarming, except Spike, of course. "You're all grade-A stinkers, but, by all that's holy, you're MY kind of stinkers!" I said to them when I was done, my voice breaking some in sheer joy.
"Tomorrow, Twilight or I will run you through the security measures we have installed here. Today is a holiday and let us treat it as such. Deal?" Strike said after the hug fest.
"Deal," I agreed, nodding. Such joy should not be dampened by threats, at least not right away.
"Let's go upstairs and have something to eat, okay?" Spike suggested. We did, the main floor having more than enough room for the ten of us, and a most convivial time was had by all. After dinner, Strike and I collected my belongings from the castle and settled in at the house. There is a sense of pride of moving in to your own home, something I have never really done before, instead moving into new apartments every four or five years. Besides, housing prices in Connecticut are steep, and I, well, was too damn cheap to want to spring for a house.
The next day, early in the morning, Strike and I went through the security measures that I had to know about. There is a small maze of secret passages in the house, hidden between the walls, which led to all floors of the house and the attic. There is a spell, attuned to myself and Strike, that upon utterance of a key phrase, will allow us, and anypony with us, into the passages. These fed into an underground passage to Twilight's castle and escape. I chose for my pass phrase a line from an old story I had read years before, that had stuck with me, that no pony in Equestria should be able to figure out. 'Hid the Bell with a Blot, she did' was the phrase.
In my den is a large safe, with a combination being a spell Strike taught me. That safe is an open one, being patently obvious. The INobvious safe is elsewhere, disguised as something else. Smaller, but much more secure. "I wish we didn't have to take these precautions," I said to Strike after the full tour.
"Same here, but, better to have them and not need them, rather than the other way round," was his reply. I could only nod in agreement.
We did that chore in the early morning, because later in the day, visitors will come. A Ponyville tradition with new houses is to have the local version of the Welcome Wagon come around, along with reporters. I did not want to try to hide much from the residents of Ponyville, because in the months since my arrival, they have been so hospitable to me, truly good neighbors.
Neighbors and reporters queued up after breakfast, and went on most of the day. Every student at the school dropped by, with cards and gifts, along with other neighbors and friends. I had my picture taken so many times, I was glad for my dark glasses!
Later in the day, I had reporters come by from the nearby cities, Canterlot, Manehattan, Baltimare, Trottingham and Hoofington, to be precise. Somehow, I managed to keep my patience with repetitive questions. I don't know how, but I did.
The last interview, held just after dinner, is with the Hoofington contingent. I settled in for the questioning and photo op, when at the flash of the camera, I felt a spell taking effect, one I was unfamiliar with. The spell knocked me out before I could ward myself.
I woke up to find the two reporters (an earth pony writer and a unicorn photographer) bound and gagged, with Twilight, Starlight, Strike and Spike surrounding them. "What the hell happened?" I asked when I could.
"These two had a stun spell rigged to the flashbulb, one the reporter was warded from. They started tearing apart the house, looking for your music box. Fortunately, there are some alarms I have not mentioned to you, which brought Twilight and friends running here when the alarm went off. I felt the stun spell go off from upstairs, and I met the unicorn on the stairs. He didn't get far after that," Strike told me.
"While I teleported in here, saw you stunned, and the reporter frisking you thoroughly," Starlight Glimmer said. "I gave her a knockout spell of my own while she looked at me in stunned surprise."
"What do you plan on doing with them?" I asked, shaking my head to clear it of the stun shock.
"First, send a letter to the Princesses. Next, question them. Thoroughly. I'm sure Princess Celestia will take an interest in the proceedings," Twilight said with a hint of bitterness.
I had an idea come to mind. "How about sending a telegram to the Hoofington Post, to see if these two are actually reporters? They showed me their credentials, but I would not know a real set from a fake one." I suggested.
"Good idea. Once we get these two into a cell, I'll do that," Twilight told me.
"Separate cells, in case they get any ideas," Strike added.
"I can do that. You're the security specialist, not me," Twilight said before disappearing with the two perpetrators.
Starlight then asked, "Are you going to be all right, Tristan?"
I nodded. "I should be, with Accurate Strike here. Better flip over the welcome mat. I doubt I will want to do any more interviews tonight."
"Mind if I stay here and fix you something?" Spike asked. "I don't think you want to cook any more today."
"An offer gratefully accepted, Spike. We have a lot of edible housewarming gifts, so go see what you can do with them. We trust you." I told the little dragon, who grinned wide as he raced to the kitchen.
"Want to stick about for afters, Starlight?" I asked.
"That would be a good idea. I know Strike will want to go interview the reporters, and I think you would not want to be alone," was her reply. I nodded in agreement as I walked over to the liquor cabinet, the one in the main room, not the one in my den.
"Would you like a cider, Starlight? I will have a slug of the Eyrish meself. Strike, I'll save you a slug. You might need it after the questioning," I told my friend. Strike just nodded as he put on a scarf and a hat before heading out.
"I'll take an Eyrish, Tristan." Starlight told me. I broke out a bottle of Eyrish whiskey and two glasses, pouring two shots with a rather shaky glow.
"To our combined health, Starlight," I toasted before tossing down the shot in one gulp. Yes, I quit drinking a long time ago, but now, I needed one! Starlight and Spike stayed with me in the house through dinner and after, until Strike and Twilight returned with the news.
It turns out the two were not reporters, but were connected to Brandywine Records, a production company in Hoofington who was losing sales to Topspin, whom I had given exclusive rights to. Exhaustive questioning could not pin Prince Blueblood directly to this, it appearing that this came from the two overhearing Brandywine complaining about poor sales compared to Topspin. Yes, Blueblood had ties to Brandywine, but so did a lot of other high-ranking ponies. Inquiries were ongoing to find out when and if Brandywine and Blueblood had met since my arrival. After the discussion, and Twilight and company's return to the castle, Strike and I had a chat, where I downed two more shots of Eyrish, neat. He did not argue and helped me to bed afterwards.
When I woke up, I found that Strike had set out everything needed to make my favorite breakfast, pancakes and eggs with toast. I hasten to add he did not MAKE breakfast, that being my job. Strike has the cooking skills of a paralyzed newt. I made enough for both of us before pulling on the dinner bell rope, Strike being upstairs while I cooked.
"Feeling better now?" he asked when he got downstairs.
"I'm still scared. We can't think of everything." I said as he sat down.
"No, we can't. We just have to be better than the rest when it comes to defense to their offense. Your music box is valuable to those who want it," he told me as he buttered his toast.
When he said that, an idea hit me between the eyes with the force of a solar flare. "When you get that look on your face, I feel the urge to get to minimum safe distance. Yakyakistan should be about right," Strike said in a worried tone.
"I'm going to need Twilight on this, but I do have an idea. What if we made duplicates of the phone, duplicates that can be tracked if stolen? After all, there are some things about it I have not told anypony, like how to activate it. You have to enter a code, and if you enter the wrong code five times, it wipes the phone clean," I told my security captain.
"So, if they get their hooves on it, they can't use it. It will only deny you access to the recordings."
"That it would. Fortunately, I have backups, I think. I need to ask somepony a few questions before I can truly relax," I said, finishing my breakfast.
"Who, if I may ask?"
"Time Turner. When he gave me the charger, he said he had taken a copy of my playlists. How he did that, I don't know. I'm just telling you what he said to me."
"Who else knows this?" Strike asked.
"Other than Time Turner, myself, Twilight, Starlight, and now you, nopony. Like I say, the chances of a secret being blown is the square of the number of ponies that know it," I told my friend.
"You do have a point. Let's finish, clean up and go pay Time Turner a visit. If we can settle that question, it would make us all rest easier."
We did just that, cleaning up after ourselves before heading to the clock shop, bundling up against the cold. I knew damn well that the weather here is on a schedule, and Rainbow Dash does a very good job in the Ponyville area, but does it have to be so damned nose hurting COLD!
At the clock shop, which was open for business, Time Turner readily answered my questions. Yes, he has a copy of all my files, and he would be willing to provide me a copy IF AND ONLY IF it was necessary before I ran out of songs. He knew about the attempted theft last night, how he knew he didn't explain, and made me an offer.
"I like you and your music. I find it relaxing. Let me make a gift to you, copies of your phone that will look and act like the real thing but will send out a distress call if it is handled by anyone but you or those you designate to carry one. Will four be sufficient?" he asked.
Accurate Strike and I both stared at Time Turner, our mouths hanging open in shock. "how did you know that?" Strike managed to croak out. "We just came up with the idea twenty minutes ago!"
"Oh, I thought of it while I was making the power supply. I've just been waiting for you to say something. A little bit slow off the mark, eh?" Time Turner said with a rather charming smile, which did nothing for me other than increasing the certainty that I knew him from SOMEWHERE.
Dumbly, I just nodded as he turned and reached into the cabinet behind him. He pulled out a smallish box and set it on the counter. "There will be a bit of a delay before an alarm is sent. Differentiation by intention and all that," he said as he wrapped the box up in stout brown paper. "No charge for this. Call it a timely Hearthswarming gift, okay? Now, head home and settle down. We are all on your side here in Ponyville, Tristan. No sense giving yourself an ulcer about what you cannot control, right? Besides, I don't have any Pepto-Bismol. Go on, see you later! Allons-y!" he said as he ushered us out of the clock shop, shutting the door firmly, the box finding itself in my saddlebag.
"Just what is this Pepto-Bismol he mentioned?" Strike asked me as we headed home.
"A medication back from my home, that is good for soothing upset stomachs," I said absently before stopping dead in my tracks, eyes wide, pupils pinpoints. I turned to look at the clock shop, blinking.
"Tristan? Are you all right?" Strike asked.
"How did he know?" I whispered. "I forgot to ask him how he knew my passcode..."
"Let's go home. You look like you need another shot and a hot soak." Numbly, I let him lead me home. Fortunately, we did not have many visitors that day. I made it through the visits, my mind gradually losing its shock account balance.
The guard force started returning that evening, the night crew flying in after sunset. All of them stopped by the house before heading to the barracks. They were all in on the secret of the building and were pleased to find out my reaction to finding it the way it is.
The next day, I kept myself busy by going through the house and finding out what I needed to get to truly make my house a home. I went through the Hearthswarming gifts, using some for house decor, but noting what I still wanted to get, like chairs, pads, and a warmer blanket for my bed! I'm not used to using fireplaces that burned wood, and the house lacks central heating, dammit! That kept me busy in the morning, and in the afternoon, I went shopping, the bane of any male's existence.
Thanks to some incredible good fortune, Silver Strings had returned early that morning, and volunteered to go shopping with me. I didn't mind, she was a pleasant enough mare, and she really knew how to play guitar, bass and harp. She has been teaching me bass, but progress is slow on it. Not because I was inept at it, we just did not have that much time to practice.
Out we went, picking up this, that, and the other thing and either having it delivered to the house or carrying it ourselves. Shopping with her was indeed pleasant, she filling me in on her home leave, spending Hearthswarming with her parents and sisters in Manehattan. The only thing she hated about returning to Ponyville was the blasted cold!
Rather than cook dinner, or make Silver Strings eat at the mess hall, I asked her and Strike if they wanted dinner at the hayburger stand. Not that I felt particularly lazy, I wanted to get warm! Strike likes the house a bit cooler than I do, and he hadn't really stoked the fires while I was out. So, after getting the fireplaces going, we went to dine. Strike brought Strings up to speed on what had happened the day before, and she showed her shock at the news. "I'm going to have to come up with some sort of protective charm for you, Tristan. We can't be around you all the time, and the fools will never stop trying!" she snapped.
"Chill down, Strings. It all worked out, thanks to forethought on Strike's part. Think you can come up with a charm against paralysis or stunning?" I asked.
She just gave me a disgusted look as Strike told me, "Tristan, Silver Strings is merely one of the best unicorn mages in the Solar Guard. While not as good as Princess Twilight, if she says she can make a charm for you, I assure you she can."
I had the grace to look sheepish, especially with a fry hanging out of my mouth. I slurped it up before speaking. "I apologize, Strings. I did not know. I have been encouraged not to go into your backgrounds, just accept what I see and find out about you."
Silver String's frown turned to a smile. "I accept your apology, Tristan. Your unfailing manners led me to take the job and stay with it. I like you a lot, and I know I can trust your word in matters," she told me.
"Thank you, Strings," I said before taking a bite out of my hayburger. These things are addictive! |
Restart | Chapter 18- Command Performance | We spent mornings in rehearsals down in the basement, that being the best time for all to be awake and ready. Twilight, Starlight and Strike came up with a way to 'record' my memories on a crystal and play it back for Low Note to 'hear' and transcribe. It also came with a memory booster, so I can remember the complete songs, not just fragments. It was useful, but it gave both me and Low Note headaches while using it, so we kept its use to a minimum. I did recover the one song I wanted to do for Fluttershy, the 'Talk to the Animals' song from 'Doctor Doolittle'. We practiced that song about an hour a day until we got it down to my satisfaction.
Low Note also kept busy writing music, cranking out about two songs a week. He also taught me how to read the music properly, how to see the page, yet only notice what I needed to notice, ignoring the rest. I wish I had a music teacher like him back in junior high- I may have stayed with instruments, rather than relegating it to a hobby.
After Hearthswarming, all of us were invited to Canterlot Castle for what can best be described as a Command Performance. The princesses wanted to hear our music live, not off a record. We timed the trip to combine it with a stop at Topspin Productions, not only to drop off the monthly ten, but to do the 'Talk to the Animals' song for Fluttershy. Setting up was tedious, and it did take much of the afternoon to record, what with Topspin being a perfectionist, but that's why he is tops in the music field. We got the song done and pressed, but only a dozen copies. I did not feel ready to release this yet, and this is special, my gift to Fluttershy.
That evening, at the castle, I presented Fluttershy with the recording. I have never seen the little pegasus more excited in my days in Equestria than when I put the record in her hooves. Her reaction to the first play was beyond description. If pure ecstasy could be personified, I saw it right there. I never saw a thestral blush before, but all four in the band did at Fluttershy's thank you.
Next day, I walked to Topspin's with Strike and Low Note as escorts to do the ten per month obligation. We were unmolested, but there were a couple of nasty looks from some potential ne'er-do-wells, which we noted down, but did nothing about. Looks were just fine. Thoughts are just fine. Actions can have consequences.
The Command Performance is being held in the Castle, with a number of notables attending, including Blueblood and his clique. We really had no way to keep them out, because nothing could be proven to implicate any of them. The band had spent much of the day doing setups while I was at the studio, so we could be ready for the after dinner show.
The performance was all we had hoped it to be, doing fifteen songs live and in pony. The applause was thunderous after every song, the Princesses radiating approval from their box seat. In this case, yes, ALL the Princesses were there, including Princess Cadance, whom I have heard about, but never met. Didn't have any cause to go to the Crystal Empire.
Once the show was done, we all cleaned up and changed before heading out to mix and mingle. When somepony tried to thank me, I deflected the praise to the band. After all, without them, I would not be worth much on my own, right?
Blueblood worked his way over to me late in the party. "Your music does have its attractions, but I still intend that you will lose the bet," he said haughtily.
"Gee, I don't know, Blueblood, it looks like you're way behind already. Do take a look at the sales figures being recorded at the First Canterlot Bank and tell me I'm not having a positive effect on society," I told him, not backing down from his stare.
"I am not responsible for the foolishness of the common pony, Tristan. You can be assured of losing, because I always win." Blueblood sniffed.
"Not this time, dandy," I said to his face before turning and walking away, leaving him spluttering.
I had not gone ten paces when I heard, "Nice move, Tristan. Put him in his place, yes?" It was a voice I was not familiar with. Turning to look, I saw Princess Cadance there looking at me, smiling. How did I know it was Princess Cadance? Simple- it was an alicorn I had not seen before. Knowing there are only four alicorns, and I was friends with three, that sort of narrowed the field. Her regalia closed the deal.
"I do try, Princess. I try to get along with every pony I meet, but he seems determined to put me down beneath his hooves. I refuse to allow it. Can you blame me?" I said in reply, bowing slightly.
"Not in the slightest, Tristan. My compliments to you and your band. Such music was unknown until you came along. I have all your music that has made it to the Crystal Empire so far," she said to me.
"Well, while here in Canterlot, you can catch up with what you don't have. Want an autographed copy?" I asked her, combining eagerness, innocence, and admiration all at once, or so I hoped.
"That would be delightful! Which song will it be?"
"I don't know, Princess. I have yet to pull one out of a box. I have to get the whole band to sign it before me, because without them, I will be nothing," I said gallantly.
"As you desire, Tristan. Also, you will be nothing without a special somepony in your life. You have one near you. Don't ignore her. I will be leaving in an hour. Will you have the record by then?"
"Yes, Princess. It should not take that long," I told her before moving out of the ballroom, going to where I knew the Princesses kept the records, Inky Spot trailing me.
"I wonder what Princess Cadance meant about a special somepony," she said to me as I dug up a record.
I shrugged. "Damned if I know. Who would want to hook up to somepony like me? I'm always under a microscope, as well as being in somepony's crosshairs. Nopony would be that foolish," I said, heading out of the storage room.
Inky Spot let out a small giggle as we walked back to the ballroom. "I would not be that sure, Tristan..."
"Why do you say that, Inky?"
"Well, she IS the Alicorn of Love..." she said as we got back to the ballroom. I gathered the band to autograph the record's dust jacket, and we, as a group, presented the disc to Princess Cadance, who accepted the gift in a matter befitting a Princess. I noticed her gaze lingered on Silver Strings and I.
"My blessings be on you all for your fine music," she said to us, tucking the record under a wing. We all bowed to her, then the formality vanished and we chatted for a while, not with a princess, but with a fan. A refreshing change, for all involved.
It was not until we got back to our suite of rooms when Strike approached me, his phone copy in his glow. "Plan A is in effect," he said bluntly.
"Do you know who lifted it?" I asked, checking my pockets. Sure enough, my decoy phone is missing.
'That's your job," Strike told me. "You know how to work it, not me."
I took his dummy in my glow and put in the access code, which, I hasten to add, is NOT the real access code. The display lit up, and I called up the data for Decoy One. It showed when the phone was taken, where it currently is, and the status of traps, currently quiescent. I tried the camera function, but all I saw was black, and the audio did not tell us much of anything, either. "Captain Strike, I need first a map of the Castle, then of Canterlot. After that, assemble the band. Alert the Solar and Lunar guards. Once the trap has been sprung, we shall pounce."
"Yes, sir!" he said, saluting before heading out. Brave pony, he is, galloping inside the castle. If I tried that, I would be wall pizza at the first turn. I paid attention to the screen. It showed slow movement, like it is being carried by a walking pony. I had vector description of its location, but Google Maps never made it out to Canterlot, so I have to wait on paper maps of the area. While I comprehended navigation, I'm not what you call practiced at it. I was a stores keeper, not a quartermaster!
When Accurate Strike returned with the maps and a representative of the Solar and Lunar Guards, the rest of my guardians had gathered with me in the sitting area of the suite. Vectorex, the other female thestral in my group, took the maps and dummy phone two, putting them on the coffee table. She looked back and forth for half a minute, then pointed to the city map. "There it is. What you would call the high-rent district of Canterlot. Nobles live there, nobles high up the list," she reported.
"Someone like Prince Blue balls?" I asked.
Vectorex pointed to another part of the map. "No, he lives over here. Once it stops, we can get a better fix."
The captain of the Lunar Guard, a senior thestral named Bold Stroke, looked at the map and at the phone. "I can have a detachment shadowing any movement and report in to me," she said in her commanding voice, which got my attention, for sure. How could a female thestral have such a voice?
I nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. They have not tried anything with it, so we're safe for now. Once they input the wrong code, they are in a rude surprise," I said.
"What sort of rude surprise?" Bold Stroke asked.
"The device will detonate, spreading a quantity of fluorescent dye over everypony and everything within twelve feet. INDELIBLE fluorescent dye. The only way to remove it is with a counter spell that I don't know. The Princesses do."
Bold Stroke chuckled, something that made the thestral members of the band look at her in surprise. "Oh, I like that! That is so sneaky!"
"I have to give credit to the inventor. I like it too," I said as I watched the vector numbers change on dummy two. Looking back and forth from the map to the dummy, I started to figure out where dummy one is. Does not help much when you're not familiar with the city OR vectors in a strange place. Bold Stroke left to issue orders. I really must get with Twilight and work some more on my radio idea...
Within forty-five minutes, we had surveillance in place, a squad of thestrals circling in the darkness over the heads of a small knot of ponies walking along a prosperous boulevard. The knot was seen entering an upscale apartment dwelling, where they took station on neighboring rooftops, watching all sides.
In our command center, a dozen ponies were trying to watch a four and half inch screen. Never comfortable. Then again, I never like being in a crowd. I was watching when a light glowed on the screen of dummy two, which told us we had an image. Hurriedly, I activated the video feature.
We all saw a group of ponies, mostly unicorns with an earth pony in the mix. The picture only lasted a few seconds before it turned off, the last sight being of a unicorn who I knew but could not put a name to. "Bold Stroke, alert your troops, the trap has been sprung. Look for fluorescent pink ponies trying to make an escape. Also do what you need to do to get inside and find out which room they tripped the phone at," I said, but the thestral commander had started acting before I finished, taking off and out to do the deeds herself.
"Who wants to come with me to let Princess Luna know what's been going on?" I asked sarcastically. Just as I expected, everypony in my guard force said they would. Good ponies, all of them. "Well, let's go secure an audience, shall we?"
We went into the throne room in wedge formation, with myself at the point, Silver Strings and Accurate Strike behind me, the rest of the day crew behind them, and the thestral contingent bringing up the rear. We got Luna's attention very quickly. When told to, I gave the full report, as I knew it up to the time of Bold Stroke's departure. "You have done well, Tristan, you and yours. Allowing the malefactors to steal what they thought was your music box and trapping it. Very smart of you," she said from the throne dais.
"Don't thank me, Your Highness. I didn't build the thing. You know who did," I said with a polite bow.
Luna nodded, having caught my subtext not to mention just who DID set this all up, namely Time Turner. We were not alone in the throne room, and who knows who is on Blueblood's team? "That I do, Tristan. I will order that thou beist informed of the capture shortly after I find out the details. I know it has been a long day for thee, so go and get some sleep, both you and your loyal followers." When she used the Royal Canterlot voice pattern, I knew it would be senseless to argue.
I bowed, deeper this time. "By your command." I droned in my best Cylon voice, which drew some shocked gasps from the Night Court courtiers, but a smile came to Luna's eyes but not mouth.
"Thou art dismissed," Luna concluded. In a choreographed move, all ten of us pivoted in place, and we inverted the triangle as we walked out, to put me back in the lead of the formation. Hell, yes, we like to show off! Especially to an appreciative audience! Even my missing the door handles to the throne room, leading me to walk into the doors, did not spoil the effect one bit. I hope nopony noticed the combined glows of Strike and Strings keeping me upright as we marched out of the room. I didn't regain consciousness until the second flight of steps. Good thing with my shades on, nopony can tell if my eyes are open or shut. I was put to bed once in the suite and was told in no uncertain terms to get some sleep, that Strike will take reports from The Princess. For once, I did not argue.
In the morning, I found out who all got splattered with pink dye. A total of seven nobles, all part of Blueblood's clique, along with Blueblood himself and the earth pony who was carrying the decoy after somepony light-hoofed it from me during the party. Questioning lasted through the night, but confessions were not exactly forthcoming. Neither Princess Celestia or Princess Luna decided to remove the dye just then, telling the ones foolish enough to be near that they should come back in a week, because the counteragent to the dye would have arrived by then. Celestia is not malicious, she is stern. Luna, I'm told, did not stop laughing for a good five minutes after the perps were released. Celestia just smiled.
Ten days after the command performance, word arrived via D-mail that the pickpocket had finally been identified, the clique breaking down and confessing when told the 'shampoo' to remove the pink dye ran into sudden unexpected delays. That noble I knew was a fan of my music, but I did not know she was a member of Blueblood's clique. Goes to show, innocence can hide a lot of things.
I also received an unexpected item in the mail from Canterlot, a letter from Blueblood. To sum up what he said, he admitted I was right, that I have been a force for positive change in Equestria, enclosing a check for fifty thousand bits. Mind you, the admission was couched in a whole lot of noble look-down-your-nose-ese, and some words I had to go to Twilight to figure out what they meant. Apparently Blueblood and I share a common trait, using obscure words and languages to cover up our true feelings. I did send him a nice letter back, thanking him for his donation, and asked if we could meet socially on my next trip to Canterlot. That was three weeks ago, and I'm still waiting for a response. I know Derpy isn't that slow in delivering mail! I have an intact copy of the main Canterlot paper secure in my safe, with a picture of a pink Blueblood placed right in the middle of page one above the fold, in full color. The negative publicity and ridicule is still going on, for all I know. The bits I donated to the Ponyville school, to get updated materials and building repairs. For three days, every foal I encountered hugged me, some more than once. |
Restart | Chapter 19- Crystal Empire | As winter went on (and on and on and on, in my opinion), it turns out the band found itself in demand, and so, we did some investigating (mainly asking Topspin) on how to set up a tour. We kept the idea small, only seven cities, the shows three days apart to allow for travel time and rest. As a warmup, we decided to do a show right here in Ponyville. With a heartfelt assurance from Rainbow Dash that the weather would be fair, if a little cool, we set up the show to be held outdoors, so all who wished to attend could do so. No tickets were sold, either, because this was for our neighbors.
The band and I deliberated for hours on exactly what songs we wanted to do. After four hours of bickering, I just threw up my hooves and cried out, "Okay! Every pony here, choose TWO songs YOU want to do, and we'll call it right there!" That ended the bickering.
The Ponyville show was all we had hoped for, every pony in the band, myself included, jelled in perfectly, and for those two hours, we were one with our music. The crowd loved it, said crowd being enhanced by ponies training in to see us perform. It was such a joy to perform, live on stage, for my friends and neighbors that I had to be dragged offstage by Low Note. No, that was NOT planned, by the way. Where he got that big stage hook, I have no idea. More than likely Pinkie Pie, but he has not told me.
Setting up the tour took a bit of deliberation and a lot of telegraph time between us and Topspin's chosen show manager, Encore Act. Before he arrived in Ponyville to settle in, he worked from Canterlot. We decided on shows in Manehattan, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Canterlot, Las Pegasus and Hoofington. Our first stop, however, was not up to any argument. I selected the Crystal Empire, over Encore Act's objections. He stopped objecting when I hinted that I just might fire him if he pissed me off enough.
When I told Twilight that I intended the Crystal Empire to be our first stop on tour, she let out a happy squeal before hugging me and saying that she intended to tag along, at least through the first show. I met Princess Cadance, but I had yet to meet Twilight's brother and niece. In fact, all of the ladies would travel with us to that show, and Spike.
A problem we had is that we had not selected a name for the band yet. At the Command Performance, we were billed as 'Tristan's Troop', but none of us really liked it. Despite Rainbow Dash's suggestion of 'The Awesomes', we settled on 'Tristan and The Wonders' instead. That pleased everypony.
Encore Act arrived three days before setting out for the Crystal Empire. He is a unicorn, as I expected, but his fur pattern reminded me of a circus ringmaster's outfit, as did his choice of coat and hat. He is a literal buzzsaw of activity, going here, there and everywhere, getting to know us, Ponyville, our gear, and I suspect every railroad tie between Ponyville and the Crystal Empire. Hell, I got exhausted just watching him go! I did find out that he IS a good pony to know, he being dedicated to his job and image. I also found out he is Topspin's nephew, which explained why he backed down so fast when I threatened to go over his head.
He stayed in a guest room at my house, not that he slept much. I did find that once he arrived, all the annoyances of handling the tour vanished and matters flowed as smooth as my hooves skidding on a marble floor. I did get to like him, and him me. We just ignored all of each other's annoying traits.
Training to the Crystal Empire took hours, our gear in one boxcar and all of us in a coach. Encore Act slept the whole way to the Crystal Empire. "So, this is when he sleeps," Silver Strings said to me two hours out of Ponyville.
"Smart of him. Nothing for him to do on a train, yes?" I replied.
"I see your point," she said. Silver Strings and I have been growing closer together since the Command Performance, finding more and more to like about each other. Hey, she's good to be around.
Everypony spent the trip to the Crystal Empire chatting, napping, or reading. I brought the phone and power pack out and played some 'unreleased tunes', ones I have been debating on releasing. I made sure to hide it at the stops, though. Several hours of that helped me decide my next two releases.
One thing I did not like about going to the Empire was the weather. The Empire is way north, and it is so cold that way, it made Ponyville at Hearthswarming seem like Miami Beach in July. I was assured by everypony aboard that inside the Crystal Empire, it is quite warm and pleasant. I'll believe that when I see it. I hate cold weather...
When we approached the Empire, I did see the snow give way suddenly to green fields and croplands. I mean suddenly, like there was an invisible wall up that said 'Snow, you stay on THAT side!'. I just shook my head. Just an example of magic I had yet to comprehend.
As the station came into view, Twilight started bouncing with glee. "There they are! It's been so long since I've seen them!" she squealed. I know she was referring to her brother and niece. Her enthusiasm is infectious, so by the time we pulled up to the platform, we were all excited.
The noise caused Encore Act to wake up from his nap. With a yawn and a stretch, he asked, "What's all the noise about? Are we there yet?"
"We're here." Inky Spot told him.
Twilight and the ladies charged out of the coach the instant the train stopped, Twilight beelining for her niece, which she hugged warmly, spinning her around several times before putting her down and greeting her brother. The rest of us left the coach more sedately, half of us going to the boxcar to start unloading our gear, putting the instruments in a waiting wagon.
Once the family reunion went from blissful excitement to something more sedate, I approached the group, greeting the Princess first before saying hello to the others. "You like the record we gave you in Canterlot?" I asked. In reply, Flurry Heart started squealing the opening bars to the record I had given her mother, "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop" by Little Anthony and the Imperials. After a short laugh, I had to add, "Well, we have at least ONE fan up here!"
"That you do, Tristan!" Prince Shining Armor told me. "It's her favorite song."
"Can't you tell?" Princess Cadance added with a warm smile.
We walked into the main town of the Crystal Empire, with me carrying Flurry Heart on my back, singing 'Shimmy Shimmy' together. Everypony saw how thrilled the little alicorn filly is, and how happy she is as well. Definitely warmed my heart. Speaking of warm, I did have my sweater and scarf on. I managed to get the scarf off, but Flurry Heart refused to budge from her spot, so I had to sweat my way to the castle. So, she's a kid. Let her be happy.
Flurry Heart would not get off me until we got to the castle, where I hurriedly removed my sweater and wrung it out. Stowing it in a saddlebag, I followed the rest inside and up to our suite. I only made it about half way there before I once again found a loose rug and went headlong into a wall, coldcocking myself again. I have the damndest luck with throw rugs....
After my revival, we were led to the hall where the concert is to be held. Encore Act immediately began directing where and how the instruments were to be placed, taking charge like the manager he is purported to be. The rest of us headed to dinner. Any attempts at good conversation was interrupted by an eager little filly, so the dinner became a song fest. Good thing the Wonders are almost as good a cappella as we are with instruments.
It was not until Flurry Heart was put to bed that we were all able to relax. "Tristan, I've seen the way you have with foals. Flurry Heart just adores you," Twilight said.
I shrugged and said in my usual manner, "It's all up to the kids. Here, I have managed to find more than a few above-average ones."
"She likes you, and so do we," Shining Armor told me, pouring me a drink. Unfortunately, nothing potent, because otherwise my healer-on-hooves would yell at me.
"The only question being, how can you keep her calm during the concert?" I asked after sipping.
"Early bedtime and sleep spells," Shining Armor said in tones so dry, dust flew.
"That will work," I agreed.
"I just dread what will happen when those tricks stop working," Shining Armor said as he sipped his drink.
"Can't help you there, Shining. Out of my wheelhouse for now," I told him. Foals, I can handle. LITTLE foals, I would have to drop back fifteen yards and punt, something I don't like doing.
The next day, the morning was taken up in rehearsals, while the afternoon was for resting before the show that evening. I accepted an offer from Prince Shining Armor to tour the city, with Spike and Flurry Heart in tow. I was suitably impressed by the sights, including the Crystal Heart. I got the stories involved with the Heart, along with the story behind the thrice (or more) life-size story of the statue of Spike, which the little dragon took pride in telling. What was story and what was embellishment, I was not clear on from the start, but I didn't care. It pleased the little dragon, and his smile told me enough. Hey, I like the little guy a lot, and he me, especially when I joined his O&O game on occasion. Having been a passionate gamer for decades, I was able to show Spike some tricks to make his game better.
Shining Armor and I did reserve an hour before dinner for some sparring, just one-on-one instruction. I learned some good maneuvers in that hour, and he learned just how ruthless I can be when cornered. I did apologize for the hoofprints in his fur, which he took in good grace. "Where did you learn that?" he asked me when he got his breath back.
"When it comes down to me or thee, I'm going to do my damndest to make sure it is thee, not me, who goes down. Besides, I got a black belt in crazy!" I told him after helping him up.
"I noticed. Those last few seconds, I could not read you at all. That kick came as a complete surprise."
"Hey, if I don't know what the hell I'm doing, how could you ever figure it out?" I replied.
"Point made," Shining puffed, rubbing his side gently. "I think you cracked something in there."
"Sorry."
The show that night went over as well as the one in Ponyville did, with the band and the audience connecting on some visceral level that brought max enjoyment to all involved. It was the after party where things went a bit sour.
The after party is held in the courtyard of the castle, to allow ponies in who could not be at the show, which was a packed house. There is a magic crystal set up which acted as a loudspeaker system, sending the audio out to the public listening area, and from what I was finding out at the after party, the ponies did enjoy the music. Most of them, that is.
I was schmoozing with the populace, signing autographs and deflecting praise to the band members when I became aware of a disturbance by the courtyard entrance. A mass of crystal ponies were there, swinging weapons, chanting something I could not make out initially. I saw Low Note go down from a hit, as did Black Sky. The mob was gunning for the band members. I made an apology to the pony I was with at the time and waded in, determined to protect my friends.
It was not easy, making my way through a crowd of panicked ponies. The chanting I made out to be anti-new music, determined to stamp out the evil it represented. The city Guard was closing in from behind, while my band members did their best to defend themselves. The thestrals and pegasi took wing, and the unicorns waded in, defending our fallen.
I watched Silver Strings lift a pony that was ready to stomp on Low Note's head and toss it into a knot of three others, scattering them like tenpins. Accurate Strike is standing over Black Sky, two senbons at the ready. I launched two myself and headed for Black Sky.
I think four or five of the mob broke off and came my way as I went in, brandishing weapons. I charged at them, and when they set up to repel the charge, I gave an adrenaline-charged leap over the mob, twisting as I did to hit them all with a stun blast. I landed hard on the ground and took aim at another bunch of miscreants. I then felt something hard impact my head, and everything faded to black, shot with stars of all different colors. "Rabbit sees stars..." was my last coherent thought.
I came to in what looked like the ward out of M*A*S*H, ponies on cots while doctors worked on another pony under some lights at the far end of the room. I could feel something wrapped around my head, and one eye was bandaged, my glasses nowhere to be found, my performing shirt in tatters.
I groaned, and Rarity came into my field of vision, looking very worried. "Tristan, can you hear me?" she said to me.
"Yes, I can, Rarity. What happened?" I managed to ask, my voice slurred because some of the bandages wrapped under my jaw.
"A mob of uncultured music haters decided to crash the party. Of the band members, Low Note and Black Sky are bad off. You took a hit from Vectorex as she was taking out someone charging you with a knife," she reported, taking a hoof in her glow.
"She has a hard hoof," I groaned.
"Not a hoof, a battle baton. The pony she was swinging at ducked, causing her to hit you. You needed surgery to get glass out of your eye. Twilight took care of you herself before going to help Low Note."
"Everypony else okay?"
"Minor. Cuts, scrapes, bumps and bruises. Rainbow Dash carried you out of the combat zone herself, while I helped Silver Strings with Low Note. He's heavy, even for an earth pony," Rarity told me.
"I'm thinking this is just a bad dream, and I'm going to wake up to find every pony hale and healthy," I grumbled.
"That's not the worst of it, Tristan. It's who was attacking you that is bad."
I looked up at Rarity with my unbandaged eye. "Okay, I'll bite. Who attacked us, other than deranged music critics?"
"Changelings." I heard Rarity say before I passed back out. I knew about changelings, but last I heard, they were on our side. I had listened to Spike's and Starlight's stories about how Chrysalis was defeated, but this is a little beyond the pale. |
Restart | Chapter 20- Change-Ling-Ting-Tong | When I woke up again, I was in a real hospital room, but not a private one. I could see Black Sky in the next bed out of my right eye, my head still bandaged and covering my left eye. I tried to move my head, but the pain told me that was a bad idea. At my groan of pain, Encore Act came into my field of view. "Hey, Tristan," he said quietly. I knew it could not be good news, because he, like Pinkie Pie, tends to talk in exclamation points.
"Encore... how is everypony?" I managed to croak. He brought a cup and straw to my mouth and I sipped some liquid ambrosia. Okay, it is just water, but my throat thought otherwise.
"Black Sky is doing better than you are. Low Note is not. Not only was he severely beaten, he was drained by an overeager changeling. It's still touch and go for him," he told me.
I shut my eye and grieved for a few seconds- Low Note is not only a member of my Guard Force, he is also a good friend. I'm sure a tear or two leaked out, because Encore Act went on. "He's being looked after by the best. Let's not lose hope."
"Where is he?" I asked. Gently, he took my head in his glow and turned me to the left. Low Note came into view, bandaged up, asleep or unconscious, looking, well, to be frank, bad.
"Princess Twilight has gone to speak with King Thorax, to find out what is going on with these changelings," Encore told me as he rolled my head back.
"Has anypony interrogated the prisoners?"
"As far as I know, none of the survivors are talking. Out of an initial twenty-five, six were killed in the ruckus. You got one of them, by the way."
"How does anyone know that?" I asked, my eyebrow rising.
"You left a senbon in its eye. Nice toss, by the way," Encore said with a twitch of a grin.
I frowned. "I regret the necessity of the deed. Where's Strike and the others?"
"Strike, I believe, is with Prince Shining Armor. As to the others, I would presume sleeping. It is four in the morning," he told me. When I tried to tell him something, he was quick to add, "I got my three hours already. How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit in the side of the head with Vectorex's battle baton. What about the tour?"
Now, a little life came back to Encore's eyes. "I've cancelled the next stop, in Baltimare. We'll pick it up at the end. The next two stops have been alerted to possible changes, in Fillydelphia and Manehattan. All depends on how the recovery goes."
"I knew I could count on you to get affairs done properly..." I sighed before dozing off again.
I woke to find Twilight and Spike next to my bed, along with somepony I didn't recognize. Since when did a pony have... antlers? "Good, he's waking up" Twilight said.
"How long this time?" I slurred, my mind and eyes not on speaking terms with me or my skull, which throbbed to the rhythm of Teen Beat. It was still dark on the left, too.
"It's been about twelve hours since you last woke, Tristan. Your skull took a serious whack. Another session with a healer should set that to rights, along with your eye," Twilight reported.
"How the others?" I asked, meaning the other two injuries to the Wonder's members.
"Black Sky should be out of here in a few hours more. Low Note is well on the road to recovery, and should not be too much behind Black Sky," Twilight told me.
"How that happen?" Last I saw of Low Note, he looked horrible.
"That's where Thorax here comes in. He was able to replace the emotional energies drained by the rogue changeling."
I flopped my right forehoof limply in Thorax's direction. "Pardon my not rising. Don't know which way is down. Thank you for Low Note." I managed to get out before Spike held up a glass of water and a straw. I needed that.
"No need to, Tristan," Thorax said. He has such a nice voice. "We know now where those rogue changelings are from, and what they were wanting."
I looked at Thorax with my good eye. "Rogue? How?"
"They are not from my hive, but that of the former queen, Chrysalis. She is trying to re-establish a hive and sent harvesters here to gather love energy. Your music generates a lot of love and good feelings, and they were attracted to it. They attacked so they could cover emotional harvesting with fighting. The survivors have been dealt with," Thorax said, sounding both angry and apologetic at the same time. That, or my head was still not quite wired up right.
"Thorax is a good friend of mine, and he wants to make up for the attack. We're just trying to figure out how he can do so," Spike said from where he was holding my glass of water.
'Spike is right, Tristan," Twilight added. "Thorax is a friend, and he's ashamed of the attack on the Wonders. He's also a fan of your music releases."
"You are?" I grunted.
Thorax nodded, a faint smile dancing on his face. "Yes. I have most of your releases. They spread good cheer among those who listen, which makes my hive happy and content. Something we did not know we were missing."
"Thorax, will there be a chance for us to talk once I get out of this bed and can see with two eyes again? I will be happy to talk music with you, once I can remember which are the better songs to talk about," I managed to get out.
"Looks like you need a dose of Jeremiah Peabody's pills, Tristan," Thorax said, the smile on his face becoming a little more genuine.
"You have that one, eh? I've liked it since I was a foal," I managed to say.
"It is funny. I can be contacted through Twilight. I intend to remain in the Crystal Empire for a few days still. We can talk more when you are released," Thorax told me.
"Plans like a sound to me, Kingie," I said before I passed out again.
When I next woke up, I could tell it was bright daylight outside, but somepony took care to make sure it did not shine in my face. Opening my eyes, I found myself in possession of binocular vision again, somepony was by my side, and I was hungry enough to eat a timber wolf, splinters and all. Without mustard or pepper, but with salt. I was craving salt. "whuh?" I grunted.
Silver Strings' face came into my field of vision. I knew it was her, because of her royal blue horn and silvery face. Her eyes lit up when she saw my eyes open. "Hello, Tristan! Feeling any better?" she asked before giving me a gentle kiss on the cheek. On the right side.
The kiss did indeed make me feel a lot better. I knew she cared about me, but with that kiss, I KNEW it, someplace deep inside of me. "If I'm not feeling better after that kiss, maybe I'll need a second dose of medicine," I said with a weak smile.
Silver String's laugh was like music to my ears. She delivered a second dose of medicine before taking a hoof of mine in her glow. "At least that weak excuse of a mind you have is waking up!"
"Hey, I've taken so many knocks to the head, I'm surprised I still have two intact bones touching each other up there! Be kind to a battered pony and get me something to eat, okay?" I asked, with a bright smile on my face and a seismic rumble from my guts.
"I'll get you something light, but first I'll get a doctor in here to unhook you from your lines so you can walk to breakfast like a pony should!" Silver Strings laughed at me before giving me another high-voltage kiss and departing to find a doctor. That's when I noticed that I have an I.V. line going into my left arm, and another line... down there... ho boy. Glad I was asleep when THAT was installed. May the removal not be as painful as I have heard it can be.
Strings returned in less than a minute with a local doctor, a crystal pony who freed me from the tyranny of the bed- painlessly. Fortunately for my modesty, Strings left the room while the catheter was removed. The doctor gave me a quick examination, finishing before Strings returned with Twilight, Cadance and Thorax. "You're looking better!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Feeling that way, too. How are Black Sky and Low Note doing?" I asked as I carefully got out of bed. I knew moving fast would cause dizziness, and I did not need that now. I was like that in the days before I... I froze in place, a look of horror coming across my face, which everypony picked up on.
"Tristan? What is wrong?" Princess Cadance asked.
"I think I should have my head examined..." I breathed cautiously. "I think IT is making its presence known."
"It? What is IT?" Thorax asked.
"A glioblastoma, also known as cancer of the brain. Incurable and with a survival rate of a year or so. I'm feeling now like I felt before I went to the hospital before I came here," I said slowly, Silver Strings moving close, sitting on the bed so I could lean against her. She felt so nice to lean against.
"I can take a look, if you would like, Tristan," Princess Cadance said. "With Twilight's help, of course."
"Please do, Princess. This time, I want to be wrong. Please, let me be wrong. I don't mind being wrong every now and again," I started to rant, but Strings calmed me down by taking my hoof in hers and leaning against me.
"Easy, Tristan. Let them look. I'm here with you," she said in my ear, which DID calm me a lot. I just nodded in agreement before looking at Thorax, Cadance and Twilight.
A combined pink and purple glow surrounded my head and penetrated it. I could feel slight tuggings inside my skull. Not something I am used to, but I know it was the combined magics looking around. My own magic accepted the combined glows and helped it along. This lasted for a long two minutes (well, it felt like that to ME) before fading.
The two princesses then looked at each other, faces twitching as they seemingly thought at each other. Soon, the concerned looks faded to that of relief. "Do I dare hope?" I asked.
"You can dare to hope, Tristan," Cadance said. "What we found in there is that your balance centers are still recovering from the knock, and we could not find any cancer in there. There are some structures we don't know about, but we are just princesses, not doctors."
I slumped against Silver Strings, much relieved. "Okay, that is something that can be dealt with. Now, if we are to talk, may we do so after breakfast?"
Twilight smiled at my words. "Of course, we can, Tristan! Strings, help him up so he can go eat."
Silver Strings got me to my hooves, and I made my wobbly way to a room that had breakfast foods on it. I sat down at one end and grabbed the one thing I needed most first- a mug of coffee. Mixing in cream and sugar, I took a long sip, getting the caffeine into my system and letting the wondrous stuff work its magic. I then looked at Thorax. "Okay, Your Loftiness, you have hardly said a thing. You have something on your mind that involves more than your antlers. So, out with it."
Thorax looked at Twilight with a little confusion evident. "Is this normal for him?" he asked.
"It's a sign that he is awake, aware and alert. He has reasons to be suspicious, but he is open to making you his friend, if you can take it. I'm used to it. You should hear how he talks to Princess Luna in private moments," Twilight advised.
Cadance chipped in her two bits worth. "Something about calling her 'Crater-Butt'."
Thorax then looked at me. "You call Princess Luna Crater Butt?" he asked, amazed.
"When we're among friends, yes. Never in public. So, speak your piece, Antler Attic." I said while buttering still hot hotcakes.
"I would like to put a changeling with your troupe, Tristan. She does know music, and will be able to let you know whenever one of Chrysalis' drones comes near," he told me, his manner going from amazed to professional. "The Princesses approve, as does your troupe. I'm looking for your blessing to do so."
I had a forkful of hotcakes and eggs while I thought. "You say The Wonders approve. Is it unanimous?"
"Encore Act resisted a bit, but Accurate Strike argued him down. Low Note is solidly in favor, as is Black Sky," Silver Strings told me. "Yes, it is unanimous. You are our leader, so your vote overrides all of us, Tristan. What do you say?"
I drained my coffee mug and grabbed a glass of orange juice in my glow. "The only thing I can say is when will she be here, Thorax? We plan on leaving for our next stop soon, if my time sense is right," I said out loud before looking at Strings. "Where in Tartarus is my watch?"
"In safe keeping, Tristan. Don't worry about it."
"I'm not worried, just how did you get it off my arm? Time Turner said the spell on it would not allow it to come off unless I allowed it!" I exclaimed.
Silver Strings just gave me a long, slow Look. I then remembered that she is a formidable magician in her own right, good enough to be respected by the Solar Guard. "Forget I asked..." I muttered before I drained the orange juice and went back to the eggs and hotcakes before they grew cold. I hate cold eggs about as much as I hate cold toast.
"I can have my agent here within an hour or two at most, Tristan. You'll like her. She will travel with you as a changeling, to prove to the audiences that changelings like your music as well as they do," Thorax told me, with Cadance's and Twilight's nods of agreement.
"Okay, I'm in. Once I get my act together, I will be happy to chat with her, and see how I can fit her in to the group. Strings, that's your job, once I talk to her," I announced.
Silver Strings kissed my cheek, to my embarrassment and Cadance's look of approval. "Of course, Tristan," she said while my ears heated up to just short of ignition temperature.
The three nobles took their leave, allowing me to finish my breakfast, which for me was double normal size. Feeling much more human (okay, you know what I mean...) I allowed Silver Strings to lead me to the band. The reception I received is a lot more than I was expecting, unexpected but welcome. I immediately sought out Low Note and Black Sky, to check on them. Imagine my relief when I found them alive, well, and largely recovered from their injuries. I then looked for Vectorex.
Fixing a baleful stare on her, I slowly approached the thestral. "You..." I growled.
"What about me, Tristan?" Vectorex countered, not backing off one inch.
"You... have a very hard baton! See Accurate Strike for more training. You MISSED your target and hit ME!" I snapped at her, my 'rage' building, pointing at my head. "You're buying me another set of shades!"
She reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a set, almost identical to the one I was wearing when she clocked me. "Already did. I was waiting for you to get off your fat ass and get them!" she fired back.
I took the proffered glasses in my glow and put them on. I then moved up nose to nose with Vectorex. "You still have to undergo punishment!" I barked before launching into a tickle attack using my glow.
Vectorex fell to the floor, helplessly giggling under the tickle attack until I stopped. "You still need refresher training. I'll get with Captain Strike later!" I told Vectorex, helping her up to her hooves.
"Understood, Tristan!" she said before hugging me. "Welcome back."
I got with Accurate Strike and Encore Act a bit later, catching up with and finalizing plans. The Baltimare stop was rescheduled to be the last stop of the tour, instead of the second. Leaving on the morning train tomorrow would have us in Fillydelphia the day after, well in time for the next show. Silver Strings stayed with me the whole time. I didn't mind her presence, not at all.
Our meeting was interrupted by the arrival of a changeling, one that has a black carapace with bright orange highlights as well as orange eyes. "Mister Tristan? I am Harmonium, your new team member," she announced. She has a very pleasant voice.
I got up, walked to her and gave her a welcoming hug. The changeling looked surprised at my action, but soon relaxed into the hug. "Hello, Harmonium. Welcome to Tristan and the Wonders. I'm Tristan. With me are Silver Strings, Accurate Strike and Encore Act. Nice to have you with us. Shall we go meet the rest?" I said to her.
"Of course! I would like that a lot!" Harmonium replied.
I took Harmonium out to meet the rest, Silver Strings at my side. The band, as I hoped, accepted her, even Low Note and Black Sky showed no holding back in their welcomes. Since everypony was present, we gave Harmonium an 'audition', testing her musical knowledge, as well as her knowledge of OUR music. Not only did she pass, she passed well enough to understudy just about every pony in the band, myself included, but only on our published stuff. With happier hearts, we packed up for our next show while welcoming our new member. So, she's a changeling. So bloody effing what? She's a good pony and will help prevent a repeat of what happened here in the Crystal Empire. |
Restart | Chapter 21- What we did when the Storm King dropped in... | The rest of our initial tour went as well as we could ask for, attracting big friendly crowds at every show. Harmonium did attract attention, but I defused a lot of potential anger by saying, in interviews before each show, that she is part of the Wonders specifically to ward off any potential instances like what happened in the Crystal Empire. She did, in fact, point out some hidden changelings trying to mooch off us, changelings of Chrysalis' hive. They were run off before they could do any damage. That happened twice, in Manehattan and Las Pegasus.
Post-tour, we returned to Ponyville for some well-deserved rest. It was our home and being home felt good after weeks of travel. Encore Act, Accurate Strike and Harmonium accompanied me to Canterlot for my monthly drop off with Topspin, and to get a report on our tour proceeds. We left Topspin's that evening dazzled by the proceeds and weighted down by our cut of the first four shows. I'm glad for the First Canterlot Bank and their checks. That amount of bits would have made swaybacks out of ALL of us!
At the castle that evening, Princess Celestia informed us of a Friendship Festival that is in the works, with Twilight Sparkle organizing, and asked us if we would like to participate. I showed no hesitation in accepting the offer and encountered no resistance when I suggested we appear without pay, any bits we would have been paid going to a charity of Twilight's choice. Friendship Festival, you see. Twilight is my friend, and I'm always big in helping friends. What surprised me the most is that Encore Act supported my decision. He's always out to get as many bits as he could get, for himself and Topspin Productions, but not this time.
When Tempest Shadow appeared and petrified the Princesses, we were backstage getting ready for our appearance. A message from Twilight reached us, saying to get back to Ponyville by any means possible and protect the town from Tempest's minions. We only hesitated long enough to determine just how we would get back to Ponyville, the decision being to go on hoof, abandoning the bigger instruments. Instruments could be replaced easily. Ponies are harder to come by.
We decided to split into two groups. The thestrals and one pegasus formed one group, under Black Sky's leadership, while I took the rest, keeping the other pegasus in case aerial recon was called for. Getting back to our suite, we packed our bags and in the immortal words of Colonel Sherman T. Potter, we BUGGED OUT! (Apologies were made to Harmonium when I could, explaining the term in enough detail that she didn't take offense.)
Accurate Strike, being a Solar Guard officer, knew the secret ins and outs of Canterlot Castle, as did Black Sky. The thestral contingent found a place to hide out until nightfall, while Accurate Strike led us to a hidden exit. From there, he led us to a good place to hide until it grew dark. We took the time to divest ourselves of our show attire, and I switched my shades for my favorite spare pair, the photograys Doctor Makeswell had given me months before. Less obvious, and the wards built into them would keep me from being blinded by a flash attack. So, it's my well-known Achilles heel. I deal with it.
All told, it took us two days to get to Ponyville, using the railroad tracks as a guide, travelling by night and remaining as inconspicuous as possible the whole time. The airborne contingent made the trip in one night, as expected, and spread the word throughout the town as to what happened in Canterlot.
Once we arrived, I brought Mayor Mare to my house for consultations. After some talk, it was decided to shelter the foals in a safe place while the adults defended the town, if needed. I came up with a good place to hide the foals, the underground passageway between my house and Friendship Castle. Accurate Strike is to work with the Mayor arranging defenses while I kept the foals safe.
Accurate Strike gathered the town's ponies at Friendship Castle, deciding it is the most defensible building in case of trouble. I led the foals along with several adults (Miss Cheerilee, Granny Smith and Nurse Redheart, among others) into the passageway, with camping equipment and enough food for several days. We went through the castle entrance, the house entrance being a little too hard to pass about thirty-five ponies through easily. Harmonium stayed with the foals, while Silver Strings and I interfaced with the surface, bringing in supplies as needed. I put Encore Act in charge of logistics, which he took to like I hoped he would, thereby getting one worry off my mind.
The only building that stayed occupied above ground the whole time we were in hiding was the telegraph office, in case any messages came in. We felt it was worth the risk, by maintaining an illusion that life here in Ponyville is going on as normal, while the Storm King did his thing in Canterlot. Sure, one overflight would dispel the illusion, but we guessed that the Storm King would be busy in Canterlot, which had far more unicorns in it than Ponyville did.
We hid by day and scavenged by night, each scavenging team being escorted by several Guard ponies, both Ponyville Guard and the Wonders. I spent a lot of time with the foals, along with Silver Strings, keeping them occupied and entertained. Miss Cheerilee taught lessons, Granny Smith told stories, and Harmonium, Silver Strings and I alternated stories and music. All told, we kept the foals calm, which reduced the worries of the parents, so they could function.
We stayed that way until we got word via telegraph of the Storm King's defeat. Once that came in, I sent a squad of pegasi to Canterlot to confirm the report. Our response was Twilight's arrival via teleport back at the castle for a detailed accounting, which was given. We were invited back to Canterlot for the resumption of the Friendship Festival, which we all agreed to, fortunately starting the next day, allowing for the trains to resume.
The Friendship Festival was a smash hit for us, the good feelings generated being enough to saturate Harmonium despite her best efforts not to. Having Ponyville's foals along, with their parents, with backstage passes, all train fares paid by me, may have had something to do with Harmonium's nausea and bloating, but she waved off my apologies. "The foals loved it. It's worth the discomfort," she told us. |
Restart | Chapter 22- The immediate post-King time | Right after the Storm King's defeat, life was busy in Canterlot, rebuilding from and erasing any trace of the 'recent unpleasantness', as many of the look-down-your-nose contingent called it. Tristan and the Wonders stayed in Canterlot for a month, doing free concerts four nights a week at regional parks around the city. We said that this would be our assistance to the rebuilding effort, because we took no pay from anyone, and only a nominal entry fee, which was turned over to the management of whatever park we performed in, to defray maintenance costs. The parks were packed for every performance.
On our off days, we all could be found at Topspin Productions, doing music that I did not have on the phone play lists, but were pulled out of my head and Low Note had written down. Seeing as we stayed in Canterlot for a month, we built up a sizable backlog of masters for later printing up. Topspin was quite pleased at the results, as were we. Once home from Canterlot, we had no intention of leaving Ponyville for a while. A long while, if I had any say in the matter. I'm just the boss pony of the group, nopony ever tells me anything.
Back in Ponyville, I declared a three-week holiday for the whole group, telling everypony to go home for some rest and recreation, there would be adequate security for me, so long as I stayed around Ponyville and the Mane Six. Accurate Strike put up an argument, and I argued back. Vehemently. When he helped me up from the grass, he admitted I had a point. I admitted to a headache and a need to go soak in the hot tub, with Fluttershy's bath salts, until my bruises faded, and the ache went away. Strike left me a detailed list of instructions, which I found when I dried off. He had the taken the first train to Canterlot.
By the next day, everypony had left for their vacations, except one. Silver Strings stayed with me, saying that I needed at least one body guard. Heck, she could guard my body as much as she wanted! I had a sneaky feeling in the back of my head that this was a setup by Princess Cadance, but if it was, I had no objections. We had fallen in love with each other, and it is a wondrous love to behold. Or so everypony in town told us, because we were seldom seen apart. The ladies noticed, and they were all pleased at the sight, and one, who I will not mention out loud (*coughRainbowDashcough*) who would not stop the good-natured teasing, not even when I threatened to use her as a skeet target. Not much of a threat when it was just me. When it was me and Silver Strings, it was a different story. We worked well together, Strings and me.
There was one chore Silver Strings nagged me to do while we were on holiday, and two weeks in, we went to Canterlot to have the matter attended to. That matter is having my head examined closely by specialist doctors, to check once and for all if the glioblastoma was still there or not. Two days of getting examined by one doctor after another led to one conclusion. They were not sure if it was there or not, my brain structure having some anomalies that confused the doctors. I always knew I was abnormal...
A side purpose of that trip to Canterlot was for Silver Strings to visit a magical research lab. All my talk about radio had given her some ideas she wanted to check out, but the only suitable lab in Ponyville belonged to Twilight Sparkle, and there was NO way Silver Strings was going to go in there unescorted, after warnings hoofed out by both Twilight and Spike.
What she came up with is essentially a two-way radio-like headset, with a talk switch being engaged by an ear twitch. Being a first attempt, it is a 'party-line' arrangement, what one says, all hear. It took practice to learn how to work the thing, but I have to say it's better than what we had before, which is nothing. Strings has an idea for a multi-channel radio, but at her stage of understanding, only a unicorn or alicorn could use it, magic talent being needed to change the channel.
To test the range of the headset, we called upon a friend who could go a long way in a little time, Rainbow Dash. When we returned to Ponyville with a dozen of the headsets, we asked her to try one out, seeing how far she could go before losing signal. She made it from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire without losing signal strength, according to my ears. Declaring the invention 'Awesome!', she asked when she could get one. Silver Strings answered honestly that she would have to talk to Twilight Sparkle first, to use her lab to impress the crystals needed to make it work, and she could make one specific to the ladies, without crossing into our network.
Her main problem was getting Twilight's attention long enough to get what she needed from the lab, so she could work. Twilight and her friends were all abuzz about starting a school to teach friendship. I supported the idea, but I was not sure if I could do more than spot-fill in teaching, what with the success of the music. We would be doing more tours, and I just was uncertain of how much time I would have to devote to the school. Besides, as Miss Cheerilee's substitute, I was really pinched for time.
Good thing Twilight supported my radio idea and let Silver Strings get all she needed to set up her own magic lab in a room we had excavated off the basement. Silver's skill in spellcrafting, coupled with my own knowledge that such things were possible, led to the design and building of multiple-circuit radios, or as I took to calling them, magirads. Problem being, it takes a unicorn to fully utilize the multi-channels, because it took a spell to shift 'frequencies. We also worked on wall models, which, at our stage of development, would need an operator to put calls through, a unicorn operator. Designing the plug and hole board for phone connecting is a real bitch and a half, let me tell you! I just knew it was possible, not how to build one!
Our next tour as Tristan and the Wonders was a long one, taking thirty days to do eleven cities, not counting Ponyville. It is fun to tour, but damn, it's exhausting! We had little trouble with changelings disrupting the affairs, but we knew there were changelings in the audience, taking in the ambience. No sign of Chrysalis or her ilk, though. This tour was deliberately planned to go in a direction AWAY from her rumored location.
We kept that up for a while, a month tour, followed by an extended time off phase. We needed the break after the grind of the tour. Our popularity soared with each tour, along with sales. That's why we could take long breaks- we could afford it. It also allowed us to be real ponies when not on tour, integrating with Ponyville as more than just musicians and guard ponies. |
Restart | Chapter 23- Matri-moany | On our third vacation break, Silver Strings completely broadsided me with a proposal. Yes, THAT sort of proposal, meaning getting married. She could tell I was surprised by it, and while I responded positively to the offer, (down, boy!) she could tell my hesitation. "Let me handle all the details of the wedding, Tristan. You keep on doing what you do best," she told me.
I could only nod in agreement at the time, my mind completely cross-circuiting at the idea of marrying Silver Strings. It was not something I had even considered. Sure, she is my best friend, and maybe even my 'special somepony', but marrying her? Making her my wife? My brain put up an argument, which I handled in the best way I could. Excusing myself, I made my way to Twilight's School of Friendship, then completing construction.
I managed to corner Twilight for a while, convincing her to have lunch with me. I confessed to her Silver String's proposal. She squealed in delight, hugged me tightly (alicorn strength...) and offered me all the support I needed. "You know, she's right for you, Tristan. Cadance told me so a while back," she told me once she settled down- and let go of me.
I took a cautious breath or two before replying, checking to see if I had any broken ribs. Fortunately, I didn't. "Cadance, eh? Now I know what she meant when she told me about needing a special somepony," I said quietly. Alicorn of Love, yes. Whyinhell did she have to put ME in her crosshairs?
"You really do, Tristan. I've noticed how close you and Silver Strings have been getting these last few months. Once you marry, then Accurate Strike could move on to another post, if he wants to," twilight told me.
"Somehow, I don't think he will, Twilight. He likes it here and likes being my chief bodyguard. So far, several attempts on me have been repelled, and he's hinted that there are more I don't know about. I deliberately did not push him for details."
"But he is also your best friend here, right?" Twilight asked.
"My best stallion friend, yes. As for best friend overall, it must be Silver Strings. We do get along together, in the house and out, in the lab, on the road, and wherever. I'm just surprised she moved first," I said, reflecting on Silver's and my relationship.
"Nothing surprising to me, Tristan. You are a wonderful pony, but you get so focused on what you are doing, you hardly ever think of yourself. It's a failing I'm familiar with," she said, her dazzling smile and bright eyes taking any sting out of her words.
"I'm sure you are, Twilight. How goes the school?" I asked. For the next fifteen minutes, I got a complete rundown about her school, getting students from all over Equestria, including the sea ponies she found while on the run from the Storm King. I let her run on while I had lunch, paying attention to her words.
"A yak?" I said at one point.
"Yes! A yak. Yona is a nice girl. You'll like her. Ever consider joining the faculty?" twilight asked
I shook my head. "While I am certified to do so, I like what I'm doing too much to do what you want as a full-time job. A substitute, or a guest lecturer, I'm okay with. Touring does take a lot of time, and Ponyville is home to me now. I want to help my home town be a better place to be," I told her.
My turn down did not damp her enthusiasm. "I understand, Tristan. If you weren't such a good friend, I would not have asked in the first place. You, of all ponies, truly understand what friendship is, and I do want you to teach some of what you have learned to more than just ponies."
"Understood, Twilight," I said, disposing of my lunch trash. "I must go now, before I get a call from Silver Strings asking where the hell I went," tapping the magirad headset I wore.
"Tristan, you're always welcome here. Oh, how is the wall mounted magirad idea coming?" she asked.
I rolled my eyes some. "Designing a switchboard using the mishmash here of magic and technology is giving me a pain behind the horn, but we're making progress. I'm just glad for one thing on this idea- no wires between the houses," I told her.
"Yeah, the pegasi would not like that. You have a great day, Tristan. My best to everypony!" I could only agree with her, say that I would before leaving, and headed out.
Trotting back to the house, I looked around the village, truly looking at it for the first time in a while. Today, it seemed brighter and better than before. If this is what it means to be truly in love, well then, I'm all in favor. It is a wonderful feeling, something I have never truly felt before. For some reason, I found myself tap-dancing (well, almost- you know what I mean) to the tune of 'My Old Bam-Boo' from Mary Poppins. I should curse my parents for getting me hooked on old musicals, but no, I'm not the type. Townsfolk saw my joy as I headed home, and the smiles and waves I got in return made my prancing about worthwhile.
Of course, just as I got to the front door of the house, my hoof skidded on the welcome mat as I was doing the closing buck and wing, and my nose impacted the door rather forcefully. I woke up to find myself on the sofa, Silver Strings and Vectorex standing over me, giving me The Eye. I smiled up at them, and they just kept on giving me The Eye. Finally, I gave in. "Sorry..." I said in a small voice.
"You, stallion of mine, really should learn how to knock on the front door without knocking yourself out," Silver Strings said in a cold voice.
"What she said, boss," Vectorex added in similar tones.
"You can stop trying to intimidate me, ladies. You know it does not work for long. My good mood stops for no pony or even loose door mats," I told them, the smile coming back to my face as I got up.
Vectorex then made an observation. "Dark fur goes a long way in hiding bruises and black eyes."
Silver Strings backed up the statement. "It does, but not completely, if you know how to look."
"I'm not that bad, am I, lovely?" I asked Silver.
She pointed to the kitchen. "Get to work on the dishes, and I'll forgive you. This time."
I did the dishes, singing an old Beatles tune, 'If I Fell', one I had not released or even brought up. It just came to mind. I heard Vectorex say to Silver Strings, "You got him well trained and you're not even married yet. How do you do it?"
"Native talent and a pliable student. He takes training well," was her reply. I countered with another song, 'You Talk Too Much', by Joe Jones, another dredged from my memory. That resulted in laughter from the two ladies.
The wedding was scheduled for after the next tour, a ten-gig routing that would end in the Crystal Empire. We had made no announcement of our engagement, but somehow, news of it spread. Why is it that the only thing faster than light is gossip? By the time we got to the last stop on the tour, I had to hire another boxcar to haul along all the wedding presents we were given. My announcement that many of the gifts were going to be donated to charity did not stop the deluge from well-meaning fans.
After the last show, Silver Strings and I had a private audience with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. There, she gave us her personal blessing on our marriage, adding "See, Tristan? I told you that you would be much better off with your special somepony."
"Cadance, I have to admit you were right. My history with love and romance never turned out sweet, just mildly sour, so I stopped trying. It took this wonderful mare, and coming here, to turn matters about," I told the Alicorn of Love.
"It was love at first sight for me, but I could also feel his shyness and hesitation. I just waited for the right moment to propose. Thank you for hinting when that moment should be, Princess," Silver Strings added.
I gave the Princess a long Look. "Did anypony ever tell you that you are a skilled puppet master, Princess?" I asked in tones which mixed humor, admiration and sarcasm.
Cadance let out a long laugh, got between Silver Strings and I and gave us a long wing hug. "Many, Tristan. Don't ever change. You know how to put us alicorns in our place and we appreciate it."
"That's because I was not born here and have never been fully indoctrinated to consider an alicorn to be a top ruler. Respect, yes, but worship? No, alicorns are ponies too, and they deserve to be considered as such. Don't undermine their authority, but don't consider them so far above you can't tell them when they are being foolish. Also, don't consider yourself so far above them that they can do no right. I can be just as wrong as you. Just remember, two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left."
Silver Strings just stared at me while Cadance started giggling, backing out of the hug as the giggles built more to laughter. "How did you do that?" she asked me.
I gave my fiancee a blank look. "Damned if I know, but it worked."
"No fair breaking an alicorn, Tris," she said as Cadance's laughter built.
"I'll put her back together. Now, where did I put the alicorn glue?" I asked, searching my saddlebags. That earned me a playful look from Strings as Cadance rolled on the floor, laughing harder. "Oh, dear, I left it in my other pants."
"You don't wear pants, Tris."
"No wonder I can't find it." |
Restart | Chapter 24- Wedding Daze | As the wedding day neared, I became more and more agitated, jumpy and nervous. I mean, this is going to be a day bigger than my getting the government job, bigger than my honorable discharge, bigger than my rather painful arrival in Equestria! It took the combined efforts of my stallion friends to keep me from flipping my lid. The week before the wedding, Silver Strings moved out of the house and into Friendship Castle, just for the week, mind you. That helped settle my nerves.
Invitations were printed up and sent out long before the wedding, to allow for RSVP's. That would suggest to us where to hold the ceremony. Our response led to holding the wedding out in the open air, on the parade ground in Ponyville behind Friendship Castle. All the Princesses would be there, as well as many friends we had made on our tours. Silver Strings' family would be there, as would the families of the Guard Force members.
Ponyville got itself ready for the onslaught of visitors in its own style, residents opening their houses to board visitors, the trains having additional runs to keep up with the demand and setting up tents for overflows as needed. Any questions as to why I wanted to hold the wedding here?
We (Silver Strings and I) had a long talk as to who we wanted as celebrant for the wedding. The discussion went back and forth between us before we stumbled upon one who we could both agree on. We sent her a letter, and she replied that she would be happy to. Princess Cadance is a very good sort. All the Princesses were invited, of course, and all said they would attend, so we scheduled the wedding for the late afternoon, so Princess Luna could attend and not miss much sleep.
Pinkie Pie, of course, we put in charge of the wedding party after the ceremony. She said leave everything to her, and so we did. We expected it to be over the top, Pinkie Pie not being known for her restraint.
There was one detail that I had to take care of, and that involved the assistance of Fluttershy, to extract a promise from Discord not to disrupt the ceremony. Discord and I have been aware of each other since shortly after I arrived. I have not discussed his pranks on me for good reason, that being I want to forget as many of them as I possibly can. He does respect me for my skills as a role-playing game master, having told me more than once at a game that he likes my style of running a game. I taught him the pleasures of being surprised and pleased at the unexpected in a game, because I was prone to go off on tangents. Big Mac and Spike liked the tangents, too. Nice thing about running games here in Equestria is that I could use all my old tricks on a new audience.
Discord agreed not to be too disruptive at the wedding. I can't be sure if it was my pleading and groveling at his feet or Fluttershy's Stare that caused him to agree. He gave his word, and I accepted it. I also told him that if he broke his word, I would have Fluttershy and Silver Strings deal with him. Discord's not really a BAD draconequus, just capricious. Once you understand that, he's more tolerable to be with.
Plans moved forward throughout Ponyville that week before the wedding. Rarity outdid herself, making Silver Strings' gown and my suit. Never in my life have I worn a suit and tie that did not make me feel like I was choking until I put on the one she had made. Applejack and her family helped set up the little stage and seating area, Fluttershy trained up a flock of songbirds, Pinkie Pie was going full bore gonzo inside Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash trained her Wonderbolts team to do a flyover, slaloming between buildings so as to pass over the wedding party at the right altitude, and Twilight, while not being the celebrant, was indeed the organizer and planner for the affair, and she outdid herself that week. Not a thing went wrong that I could see. Then again, I was being carefully herded about by Low Note, Accurate Strike, and the other stallions of my guard force. My uncommon klutziness surged that week, finding myself doing all sorts of slips, trips, skips and impacts. They decided, for my own safety, I should spend the last day and a half before the wedding in the safest place in Ponyville- the hospital, under care of both Doctor Horse and Doctor Pacer. It worked in that I was able to show up at my wedding unmarred, unmussed and unruffled. What was not obvious in the sunlight of the ceremony was that Accurate Strike was supporting me the whole way from the hospital to the green, because my knees were in full sponge rubber mode.
I slowly walked to my spot, my Best Stallion by my side. Looking over the crowd, I saw thousands of ponies waiting there, the Princesses up front along with some of the band. The rest of the band I knew were helping Silver Strings, along with the Ladies, except for Twilight. I waited, practicing relaxing mantras. "Easy, Tristan. You'll make it. Only a few minutes more," Strike whispered in my ear.
"Yeah, I know, Strike. It's not that easy being here. I've never done this before," I whispered back.
"You'll never have to do this again. Think on that."
"What, me think? At this time? I can't, I'm deep in panic..." I managed to say.
I heard an organ start to play, and I saw at the back of the crowd the approach of the ladies. Silver Strings was resplendent in a silver metallic gown which glittered in the sunlight. The mares of the band were all clad in dresses that matched their fur, and the ladies were just plain stunning, even Rainbow Dash.
Slowly, they marched up the aisle, the flower fillies doing their job. The ring bearer was in position, holding the pillow with the matching rings. Princess Cadance took her position when Silver Strings reached the podium.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of this stallion and this mare," I remember hearing before all the sounds just faded to a meaningless drone and the sight of Princess Cadance got fuzzy along the edges. The next thing I remember clearly is being asked if I wanted Silver Strings to be my wife. I think I said, 'I do', but I can't swear to it.
I clearly heard Silver Strings say her 'I do', then I was told to put the ring on her horn as she put one on mine. Shakily, I got the ring up. As we slid the rings on, from somewhere we heard a loud brass band start up and someone singing '... he slips it on her horn and the choir begins to sing! Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor on The Bedpost Overnight?' quite loud, clearly audible throughout all Ponyville.
Back behind the seated audience, I could see said brass band and Discord, dressed in a tuxedo that changed color every second or two. I looked at him, he looked at me, the band stopped, and he said "What? Were you expecting 'A Lover's Concerto'?"
All my nervousness fell away as I just lost it, laughing like I have never laughed before, as did everypony else up on the stage and quite a few down in the seating area. I laughed until I was blue in the face (yeah, like THAT is very hard...) before shouting out, "Thank you, Discord!" He bowed, gestured with a walking stick that wasn't there a second before, and vanished, along with the brass band.
After that, the party started in earnest. Pinkie Pie outdid herself with the party, everypony had fun, and the food was just excellent. All too soon, it was time to end the party. That was a good thing, because all the dancing we did tired me out. We managed to get into the house, leaning on each other, loudly thanking the crowd for turning out. Instead of going UP to the master bedroom, we went DOWNstairs to one of the spare bedrooms, which was much quieter. I refuse to fully describe our wedding night, but I will say Isolde was born about a year later. Draw your own conclusions, folks. Details are MINE!
Fifteen years.
Fifteen years since the wedding. We can't believe where all the time has gone. We still live in the same house, added to because of Isolde, Silver Wire and Satin Blush. Isolde is fourteen, Silver Wire my ten-year-old colt, and Satin Blush my little pink filly of five years.
I still tour with The Wonders, but only twice a year. The records are pressed and out and are still selling well. Where I'm really raking in the bits are from the magirad patents and the telephone company. Phone service is in place between and within the major cities and spreading through the rural areas. Thank goodness Silver Strings figured out a means to dial a specific number without needing a unicorn to make the connection. That switchboard idea was giving me nightmares!
I was once offered a chance to head home, no questions asked. I thought for about a femtosecond before declining Discord's offer. I'm so much happier here as a father, inventor, musician and teacher than I ever was back there, an aging civil servant with a glioblastoma in his brain.
Yes, teacher. I substitute at the Ponyville school, and guest lecture at Twilight Sparkle's School of Friendship. I can get along with anypony, even Maud Pie. We talk rockology every once in a while. Still have not got her to smile, but I'm in no hurry. I'm just as willing to learn from her than I am from anypony else.
Excuse me, the phone is ringing. Wonder who needs me now. At least it's not a loud bell. "Station calling, go ahead... Yes, Fluttershy, I should be ready in about five minutes... Yes, I will reserve you tickets for the next show run, and you can ride with us. Isolde is willing to fill in for you. Okay, Fluttershy. Dinner tomorrow? Good! I'll tell Strings to set another plate for you. Okay, bye!"
Sorry about that, Joe. I don't have much time left on the chip, so let me reiterate the instructions to you. You're the executor of my estate there, because you're the only one I trusted with my passcodes. My instructions boil down to this- take what you would like and donate the rest. I don't care who or what you donate it to, just get rid of the stuff. Of course, tell nobody about what you've heard on this phone. In fact, the smart thing to do is download it to your desktop and chuck the phone out in the Thames or the Sound.
There is absolutely no way I am going to go back to Earth, even if I could. Glioblastoma will lead to a miserable life. I don't want that, especially after all the news coverage about Senator McCain a couple months back for you, a long time for me.
Discord has promised me that this phone will be put back in the car, in the door pocket where I usually leave it. How he twists time, I have no mortal idea, Joe. Then again, he IS inexplicable. I'm just glad I can call him a friend. He suggested I leave this testament to you, as a form of closing the door and locking it. My life here is too good to walk away from, especially when it leads to certain death.
Okay, Joe. I trust you to get everything done seeing as I am going to be declared 'missing and presumed dead'. Hell, dead is what I would have been, had I not come here. I wish you could meet my wife and kids. You'll like them. Be well and have a good life.
I sighed as I shut off the phone's record function after a very lengthy dictation. I checked it over one last time, making sure nothing had decayed or deteriorated (which I knew full well it hadn't) and that the files were intact.
Taking out a sheet of paper and a pencil, I wrote on it, 'Joe Abraxos' on one side and 10974 on the other side. I then took the phone and tucked it into the paper after folding it. "Okay, Discord. All's ready for you." I called out.
Discord appeared in the office, holding a cup of tea. "Took you long enough to call, Tristan. I decided to brew some tea while I was waiting," he told me as he sipped from the cup.
"Just being thorough, Discord. Now, when you go to where and when I was before I came here, go to the little blue car that should be no more than a hundred feet away. Open the door on the driver's side and slip this into the pocket at the bottom of the door. With luck, my missing an appointment will be enough to start a search for me," I told him, hoofing over my phone.
"No need to worry, Tristan. It will be put in the right place, at the right time. You'll have the tickets, yes?"
"Of course. My word has always been good. You know that. Besides, Fluttershy just called me. She knows, too," I told the draconequus.
"Good! She will enjoy her birthday present from me. Now, to go put this here it should go," he told me before disappearing, his teacup remaining exactly in place where he had left it, steaming gently, hovering in midair with no visible means of support. Fifteen seconds later, Discord returned, dripping wet, leaving water on the rug as he retrieved his tea. "You could have told me it was raining!"
"Gotcha!" |
The Stories about Ruby Heart, The Balloon Mare | pre | "Hi, boys..."
Balbir charged at her, roaring. With the insane speed, she sidestepped at the last moment, turned around and extended her trunk to his crotch...
"Got your balls!" she giggled.
Balbir emitted a surprisingly high-pitched shriek and fell on his chest.
"Two down, four more to go," said pink heifer looking at other elephants. "Come on, boys, I know you want me"
Ednit moved towards her, swaying heavily. His eyes turned vacant, his enormous dick slid out of his dock and swelled heavily.
"I can't control myself!" mumbled Dhiraj. "I... must... hump her now!"
With these words, he joined Ednit.
"What is happening, father?" Shushma said. "What is wrong with them?"
Aghad could barely stand. The heavenly smell tickled his nostrils, clouding his mind. The smell of female in heat, magnified hundredfold by some vile spell.
"Shushma!" he spoke, trying to hold himself together. "Run as fast as you can! Forget about us! Save yourself!"
"What? Father, I cannot!"
"You must, girl! For your own good! It is an order! Don't let... it... catch you..."
He roared, as his will gave away and his legs began to move toward the monster.
His vacant eyes watched his two best soldier humping the pink heifer. Dhiraj took her from behind and Ednit put his dick into her willing mouth. He watch in awe how she pleasured both at the same time, moaning seductively. Both elephants came together and their semen created a ripple under her skin, distorting her form.
"The liquid inside her... it is cum!" realized Aghad.
She grew larger as the elephant unloaded their balls inside her.
Dhiraj and Ednit moaned, falling unconscious.
"Ah, it's so refreshing!" monster said. "Their seed carry much power!"
She approached Aghad.
"So, you are their leader. Submit to me, your new master, Slonyasha!"
"N-no," Aghad whispered.
"Yes, yes, you have a strong will! I like you. You deserve a special treatment. Let me introduce you to my companion... Oh, silly me, it seems you already know each other. However, we should deepen your relationships..."
Aghad gasped as the enormous obsidian-black dick emerged from her underbelly. For a moment, he saw something at its tip, something that looked like distorted stallion's muzzle. A shiver came down his spine. It was that archaeologist!
"And now, a happy reunion!"
Slonyasha walked around Aghad, put her forelegs on his back and...
Aghad wriggled with pain, as the thick shaft invaded his rectum. Its inexorably firm tip moved apart his insides, making a way for itself. He groaned as Slonyasha pulled it and then pushed again with more force, getting into rhythm. Her wicked instrument pummelled his entrails like a hammer, but the pleasure offset pain. Aghad closed his eyes. He will endure it. He must. For his daughter...
"You stay away of my father!" he heard a scream. Foolish girl...
Slonyasha fell off his back, carrying him on the ground with her. Next moment the monster freed her leg from Aghad's body and got up, but Shushma hit her again with the log she held in her trunk. With the angry roar, heifer mauled monster's head, flattening it.
Shushma dropped her log and approached Aghad.
"Can you walk, father? Come on; lean on me, old bull! We must get out of here, before..."
She gasped. Her hind legs trembled as the long pink trunk stuck to her girl parts.
"I'm afraid, I'm not that fragile, young one," giggled Slonyasha, restoring her form in one flowing motion. "M-m, the sweet nectar of a virgin womb, how long since I tasted it!"
Shushma shivered, feeling something long and wet rummaging through her vagina. That sensation paralysed her, rooting her trembling legs at place.
"Your name, Shushma, mean "fragrant". Ah, yes, you live up to your name!"
"No!" said Aghad, trying to get up. "Leave her! Take me instead!"
"You have no use for me now, old one," said monster in cold tone, "she, on the other leg... I have great plans for you. Come on, girl, let us... how do you, mortals, call it? Ah, yes, let us pop your cherry"
With the loud smack, Slonyasha pulled her trunk off Shushma's pussy and mounted her. Heifer cried, as the obsidian-black dick begun its unstoppable onslaught to the deepest parts of her womb.
"Ah, it's too big! You hurting me!"
"Don't speak nonsense, dear," Slonyasha laughed. "My dick is enchanted and can penetrate anything"
Shushma screamed feeling her vulva stretching unnaturally, accommodating to enormous cock's girth. The strange unspeakable pleasure sedated the intense pain of this process and clouded her mind, leaving her craving for more. Finally, cock's tip reached the end of her womb, but Slonyasha did not stop and pushed further.
"What... are... you... doing?" whispered Shushma dropping tears of pain and embarrassment.
"Just upping your capacity limits, darling. You are big girl, but I need you bigger".
With these words, she pull her cock a little back and then trusted it forward like a battering ram. Heifer screamed, feeling her womb expanding and all entrails shuffling to make way for it.
"Yes, yes!" Slonyasha screamed ecstatically. "You are perfect!"
She started to move faster, striking poor heifer like a jackhammer. Shushma felt messed; it is as if a giant blender mixed up all her insides. However, the pleasure wave dimmed everything.
"And now, a final act! Release!"
Slonyasha made the last thrust and stopped. Heifer gasped, feeling warm stream hitting her mutilated insides. It kept coming and coming, filling her.
"I don't want to spill my sacred seed on the ground, dear. You'll be its keeper," laughed goddess, touching Shushma's belly with her trunk.
Heifer felt a spasm; her vulva embraced the dick tightly, not allowing a drop out.
Slonyasha kept feeling her. Shushma panicked, seeing her sides expanding like she was pregnant.
"Please stop!" heifer cried. "You... hurting me!"
"It's only the beginning..." giggled goddess, upping the stream's intensity
Shushma screamed as the pressure became unbearable. Her legs gave up and she fell on her strained belly. Another tide of pain and pleasure stroke her, driving her mad.
"Yes, yes, I think that will be enough... What?"
Slonyasha voice trembled.
"No!" she gasped. "Stop it, you useless prick! My godly essence is not yours to use!"
Shushma was almost unconscious, but she still noticed her mutilator started to look... smaller. Slonyasha was deflating and her cock became stone hard, as if it sucking the goddess dry to fuel its enormous balls.
Strange, but heifer felt better. The cock was still pumping up her womb, but somehow it became bearable.
Goddess emitted a high-pitched shriek and her voice suddenly stopped...
Only thing that was left from Slonyasha's body detached from a monster cock and fell on the ground. Stream of cum stopped, but Shushma's vulva still held black dick tight. She closed her eyes.
Silence.
Aghad stood up. His insides ached; each step was painful, but he must walk. He must help his daughter.
He gritted his teeth when he saw Shushma. That wicked monstrosity turned her body into amorphous sloshing heap of flesh. Moreover, this accursed black dick still stuck inside her! He must get it off...
Aghad held the thing with his trunk and started pulling it. Shushma's body began to wobble like a jelly, responding to her father's efforts, but black cock held tight inside her.
"Whoa, I have a wildest dream..."
It was Chahel's voice.
"I mean, a beautiful pink heifer approached me and... By the high Brahmin golden horns! What is going on here?"
"Chahel!" Aghad yelled. "Come here! I need your help"
Elephant approached, looking around and cursing.
"Fiery bowels of Tartarus! Is it... Is it Shushma? What happened to her?"
"Later, soldier! We need to pull this accursed thing out of her!"
"Yes, chief! Right on!"
Unconscious heifer moaned, when two elephants gripped the obsidian dong. They put all their force...
They pulled it off.
A smelly stream of cum burst from Shushma's pussy, staining Aghad and Chahel. It continued to erupt for the whole minute, flooding everything around.
At last it stopped.
Disgusted Aghad shoved black dick out of his way. Shushma looked bad. Sure, much of her fill spilled out, but her sides still was broad like she was pregnant with two calves, no less.
"Please, daughter, wake up!" Aghad said, touching her muzzle.
She moaned again, opening her eyes.
"Father... Father... I..."
"Hush, Shushma. Lay down for a bit. It's over now".
"No, father, I... feel better now. It's hard to breathe, but I think I'll manage..."
"Shushma, dear," Aghad sighed, "I know you always want to keep your cool and authority, but it's not the time. You are suffering. So drop the act and let your father help you. No one will judge"
Heifer froze for a moment. Then streams of tears ran from her eyes. Aghad hug her as she sobbed.
"Yes, my little girl. Don't hold it"
Chahel managed to woke up others. They stood together, shaken, confused. They didn't even had the look of seasoned ex-soldiers anymore. Aghad helped Shushma to get up. Heifer stood unevenly, her belly wobbled from side to side.
"What was that thing, boss?" asked Ednit.
"I don't really know. It seems that archaeologist unearthed something there and summoned an ancient curse of some sort..."
"Hey, what is that?" Chahel pointed at something pink, laying in the puddle of cum. "I think I saw it before".
He took a closer look. Shiny pink doll looked like a filly.
"It's... that stallion's sex toy. I wanted to steal it to embarrass him even more, but he always carry her around"
"We need to destroy this cursed thing!" roared Balbir and charged.
"Stop!" yelled Aghad, but elephant didn't listen.
Balbir stomped the toy, but it only sprung out of his legs with the loud rubbery squeak. He grunted and stomped it again, splashing spilled cum around.
"Stop it you fool!" shouted Shushma, noticing that the black dick started to swell.
"I got it!" yelled Balbir, putting his leg on the toy. "Die, you wretched thing!"
POP!
Doll popped, turning into rags.
A tremor shook the ground, almost knocking elephants off their feet. Black cock raised its tip upward and swollen, increasing in size. With thundering racket, it emitted a fountain of cum and sudden wind spilled it around.
"We must leave now!" shouted Aghad. "Drop everything and move your flanks! Double time!"
They stampeded through the jungle without looking back...
Now they were here, at the clearing, trying to catch their breath.
"What should we do now, boss?"
"I don't know," answered Aghad. "Maybe that was sign. We should drop our criminal ways and begin new lives. Have fair trades, just to be as far as possible from all this crap"
"You are right boss. As always" nodded Chahel.
"Sure, got enough already," spoke Dhiraj. "Time to lay low"
"I got a place where I can settle down" Balbir sighed.
"So, I guess it's the end, guys?" Ednit said. "Are we parting ways now?"
"I guess, that would be better for all of us," replied Aghad. "What about you, my daughter? Should we see a doctor?"
"No father," heifer answered. "We need no doctors. They will ask questions and I don't want to remember this horror again. I will return to mother. Female tribe will give me any help I need"
"So be it. I will accompany you, just to be sure. Soldiers, dismiss. Farewell to you all".
Shushma winced, feeling a strange spasm in her oversized belly.
"What is wrong, dear?" Aghad noticed it.
"Nothing. No, it's really nothing".
Her father was silent for a while and then asked again.
"Daughter, say, were you in heat, when... it happened?"
"No, father, I was not"
"Good, good".
Shushma sighed.
She lied.
Count Dorkaru of Meadlands was in the bad mood.
"Where is these thrice-cursed elephants?" he shouted.
"Don't worry," answered Cork Helm Esq., hunter and hired gun extraordinaire. "We will track our package eventually"
Count grunted. This jungle is so... wet and noisy for his tastes. The Meadlands, a place where his family estate stand, is much tidier and calmer. Why did he even came here? Sir Cork Helm can retrieve the package by himself. However, good esquire was not proficient in apprehending the antiquary value of items and that devious savages could easily deceive him. Especially now, when Sinesian empire artisans flooded the market with masterfully forged fakes.
"I think I found something, sir!" a pegasus scout landed near them. "It seems they set up a camp at the nearby clearing".
"As I said, you worry too much, count," smiled Cork Helm.
"However, sir," continued scout, "I must warn you. Something is odd there. There is signs of battle, but no elephants around"
"Darn it!" count cursed. "Why is everything so complicated?"
"Don't worry, my friend," laughed esquire. "If they up to some fishy business, I'll teach them a lesson or two about fairness of trade. Free of charge, of course".
He took his oversized arquebus, spread his wings and took off the ground. Esquire hovered in the air and put his weapon's telescopic sight to his eye. After a minute of quiet observations, he landed.
"Hm, it is sure interesting enough. I didn't saw aggressive monsters or ambush set-ups. However, the camp surely look abandoned. Moreover, they dropped all the goods".
"So what, can we go and check it out?"
"Sure! Whatever scared them off is long gone now".
They approached the abandoned camp.
"What. The. Heck?" said count.
The ground was wet and sticky. The smell was horrible. In addition, that strange totem in the middle looked wicked.
Count examined it. A big phallic shaft, made from obsidian or something like it. Strange pink filly was impaled on it; the totem pierced her all the way through, from anus to mouth.
"This sex doll is surely heavy duty one", noticed Cork Helm.
"Why did someone put such... thing on this... relic? Yuck, is it stained with... what I think it is?"
"Yes", esquire sniffed and made a wry face.
"Why? Why deface this piece of ancient art?"
"Elephants, my dear friend. They are savages. Or... maybe it's some kind of ritual?"
"We packed everything sir!" said one of hired carriers.
"Yes, good. We need to package another thing though. This totem surely worth a fortune. Just took this... thing off it and threw away. I do not want to see this dirty smelly horror"
Wry from disgust, carriers pulled the doll off the phallic totem and threw her out.
Cork Helm looked up.
"Strange, the storm is not scheduled for today"
Suddenly a lightning stroke totem's tip, sending shockwave that knocked ponies off their feet. A tremor rumbled, shattering the ground. Howling wind began to swirl around.
"What the heck is going on?" yelled count Dorkaru, trying to put a magical shield on himself.
"I have a guess!" answered esquire. "Return that doll to the totem"
"Yuck, I don't want to touch it!"
"It's too dangerous to approach the totem! You are the only unicorn here, so you can use your magic! Do it now or we are all screwed!"
Dorkaru sighed and concentrated. He reached for the doll with his magic and picked her up.
As he levitated it to the totem, he noticed an unknown magical tension inside his holding aura. The doll started to change, expand and morphed. He gasped.
The doll took a form of a tall slender alicorn, just like... Princess Celestia. Even her muzzle and mane changed to emulate her divine look.
"What are you waiting for?" yelled Cork Helm, trying to hold himself on a ground.
Count didn't listen. He pull the doll closer.
It was a long time since he first saw the Princess of the Sun, but he remembered it like this happened yesterday. Count Dorkaru was absolutely stunned by her godly forms and fell in love like a colt. He understood that such mare can't be his, so he looked for somepony like her. He met lot of tall unicorns, even tried some Saddle Arabian mares, but was not satisfied...
Now, his dream is floating before him. Well yes, she is pink, not white, but some scholars have these theories about Princess' original colors...
Count forgot about everything. He put a doll before himself and mounted her.
He considered himself an "experienced" stallion, but doll's pussy gave him many surprises. It gently embraced his dick, massaging it with rubbery spikes. A hundreds of small suction cups kissed his shaft, giving unspeakable delight. He moved back and forth, upping the tempo and doll's love holes started to produce moan-like sounds. Such pleasure! Screw everything! He must have her for himself!
He cummed hard, pumping his load inside the doll and fell on his side, breathing heavily.
Only now count noticed that the storm is gone, tremors ceased and everypony is watching him.
"Er... it worked!" said Dorkaru, trying to justify himself.
"What. Was. That," asked shocked esquire.
"Well... I figured up... this doll is somehow attuned to the totem and is used for some... sexual ritual... and yes, to save us I... invented a makeshift equivalent... of some sort..."
"I don't want to know anything about it..." Cork Helm shook his head. "Let's pack what remain whole and get the heck out of here"
"Of course, but the totem must be taken too. Now that we knew it's magical, I can sell it to some of my... scientifically advanced neighbors like Dr. Frankenwurst or Professor Lightning Stroke"
"What if it activates again?"
"Well, it's good that I know how to stop it. Pack up and go, I'm eager to run... some tests on this rubbery mare..." |
Lunar Pirate | pre | ____________
The blue alicorn propped the mop up against the ship's mast, lying the water bucket down next to it.
Luna had no idea how long she'd been working, but she felt... Different. The sun was high in the sky, the ocean was a glorious blue, and...
She wasn't afraid anymore. In fact, she felt... Happy.
Luna smiled. It had been at least a thousand years before she'd done any physical labor. Even though it was a dream, she felt fantastic.
"Took you long enough." Luna heard a new voice above her. She looked up and saw... A rainbow? No. A mane? A rainbow mane.
The alicorn was surprised. Obviously, whoever was dreaming this world knew Celestia and at least a few of the Elements of Harmony well enough to know their faces in great detail, by heart. Ponies tended not to have a character's face in such a condition unless they knew them personally.
But, since nopony in the dream knew it was a dream except for her, she decided to play along. Luna would not reveal herself until she knew whose dream it was.
"And who might you be?" she asked the rainbow-maned pegasus, still looking up.
"I," the mare began, putting a hoof to her chest, "am Rainbow Dash!" She dropped down from the mast's ladder to Luna's level. "And you
must be the "cabin-pony" everyone has been talking about."
Luna glanced at the ocean, almost blinding herself with the sun's reflection. "Not much to talk about; I just got here and I cleaned a massive wooden floor with the purpose of a toilet."
Dash circled the alicorn, as if she were a lion stalking prey. "There's plenty to talk about!" The pegasus nodded her head as she listed them off. "Where you might have come from, why you're here..." She paused her circle in front of the mare, blinked, and stuck a hoof out to her. "... And who you might be?" The last part was phrased as a question.
Luna raised a brow.
Rainbow laughed, putting her hoof back on the floor. "Don't worry about being here. We may be pirates, but we're the friendliest bunch you'll find out on the seas!" She nodded to some of the other crewmates. Luna followed her direction, finding a few scattered groups of ponies laughing to themselves like friends.
Like friends. Luna smiled slightly. Friendship was the Elements of Harmony's forte. Which meant that it was highly likely that this dream was either coming from one of them or Celestia.
Bingo. She thought.
The pegasus cleared her throat. "Let's try again." She offered her hoof to Luna again. "I'm Rainbow Dash, the Sun's Wrath's lookout!" The mare smiled genuinely.
The swabbie cautiously lifted her own hoof to meet the other. "Luna." They shook hooves. "The Sun's Wrath's new cabin-pony." Dash laughed at her.
"Rainbow Dash, we have no time to be lollygagging." Twilight approached from behind her friend. "And the swabbie has work to get done."
The pegasus turned to face the unicorn. "I'm just giving Luna here a warmer welcome than what you and Cap have given her!"
Twilight's horn glowed. "She is a stowaway." The mare lifted the mop from the mast and shoved it into Luna's grasp. "And she has a job to do." The unicorn said angrily.
"Correction," Rainbow Dash took the mop from the alicorn and laid it back on the post. "She had a job to do."
"And that means?" Twilight questioned. "Are you going to do her job for her?"
Dash giggled. "I could have done it much faster, but..." She nodded toward the deck.
"What is that supposed to mean-" Twilight turned around. "Oh."
Within the hour that had passed since Luna had officially joined the crew, she had already cleaned the entire upper-deck spotless. Dash
hopped her forelegs onto her friend's back, leaning her weight into the unicorn. "You should have seen her, Twilight." The mare slipped off of her friend and began prancing around, as if dancing. "She was twirling and hopping and spinning and laughing like a giddy house-maid in a mansion of dirt!"
Luna's eyes widened. Did she really do that? Did she really have that much fun? She smiled, then chuckled. I guess I did.
"Wipe that grin off your face!" Twilight ordered. Luna looked into the mare's eyes. She wondered if Twilight was this much of a jerk in real-life. The only things she'd heard of her from Celestia or around the castle was about how perfect everything always needed to be. Other than the Nightmare Night she'd spent with the unicorn a year or so ago, she hadn't really talked with the mare. Luna promised to herself that, when she woke up, she would try and spend some time with the young princess. If it was her dream, maybe her attitude would change in her next dream.
"There's more than one deck on the ship, so get to it!" Twilight commanded Luna. "And you," she pointed at the pegasus, "have a job as well!"
"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow dashed back up the mast to the Crow's Nest.
Luna grabbed her mop and bucket with her magic and approached the broken hatch to the lower floors.
"Hey, Luna!" The alicorn looked back at the first-mate, who had a serious look on her face now, rather than an angry one. "I was mostly trying to get rid of Dash; Captain asked to see you once you finished this deck."
Luna nodded and started heading for the door, then stopped and shrugged, lifting her tools a little higher. "What should I do with these?" She asked with the gesture.
"Just set them by the wall; get to it later." Luna reluctantly released her mop and bucket and approached the door to the Captain's cabin. When she reached it, she paused outside to take a breath.
Luna had been a princess for most of her life. The only greater authority she knew was Celestia, who felt compelled as a sister to treat her nicely.
Technically, Celestia was still her superior, but even still, it felt like she was a poor girl heading into a job interview. Like one mistake could toss her onto the streets to be killed.
Except in this case, the road was a large blue ocean full of chills and sharks.
Luna cleared her throat, straightened her back, and calmed her breathing. In the past couple of years, she'd been to enough gatherings to know how to make a decent impression. At least, she hoped she had. She slid the door open with her magic and stepped inside.
The cabin wasn't aesthetically amazing, but the windows in the back of the room cast an awesome glow, taking light from the sun reflecting off of the ocean's waves. A table lay in the center of the room, and on some of the walls were art pieces that Luna assumed to have been stolen.
Celestia sat in a swivel-chair on the other side of the desk, her seat stuck in-place on the floor in order to prevent sliding. Celestia was facing the opposite direction of Luna, toward the windows. Her mane shone brightly as though it were a light source within itself.
Luna swallowed and said, "You asked for me, Captain?"
"That I did, young one." The alicorn swiveled to face Luna.
Compared to an old hag like you at least, I'm young, Luna thought sarcastically, smiling inwardly.
"I didn't expect you to finish the job so quickly, however." Celestia leaned over her desk.
"I like to pay my debts, ma'am." Luna stated flatly, crossing her forelegs.
"That's good!" Celestia fell back into her seat. "I like having debts paid!" The captain spun back to face the sea. "So, what do I call you, Swabbie?"
Luna shifted a little, unsure if "Luna" was an appropriate name for a captain to know her by.
Celestia sensed the hesitation and stood up from her seat. "I may seem like a hard-driving jerkbag of a captain sometimes," She turned to face Luna again, "But in truth, I care about each member of this ship's crew individually as much as I do the ship itself." The white mare stepped
out of her chair and approached the young princess. "So, please, indulge me in the name of one I hope to one day refer to as friend?" The alicorn was almost face-to-face with her underling.
The swabbie broke under pressure. "Luna." She stated shakily. "My name is Luna." Even when she was nice, her sister was threatening in her size and demeanor. She felt this way in reality sometimes too.
Celestia smiled. "Luna?" she repeated. The mare whose name hung in the air nodded. "Short and sweet." The captain backed away, her grin donning her face. "Well, Luna: welcome to The Sun's Wrath, of which Twilight is likely to have informed you of our reputation."
Not sure that it is the real reputation or what you think is your reputation. Luna thought. However, she couldn't hold back her
own smile. "Thank you, Captain." She swallowed. A smile didn't dissipate nervousness.
"Aye." Celestia responded, returning to her seat facing the ocean. "Now, get back to work. This ship isn't going to clean itself." Luna turned to leave, but Celestia kept talking. "And when you're done, which is apparently likely to be soon, come see me or Twilight and we'll have more jobs for you." She looked at Luna over her shoulder. "It'll probably be easier too."
Luna copied her sister by doing a stereotypical, "Aye-aye, Cap'n!" She threw in the extra accent as part of the joke.
"Never speak that phrase, nor speak in that manner ever again or I will throw you overboard myself."
"Aye." The mare swallowed. Obviously, just like the real Celestia, she did not like sarcasm in the slightest. Luna headed for the exit. In all
honesty, she was ready to get back to cleaning. She opened the door, blinked, and found the ceiling.
Wait, what?
Luna sat up in her bed, looking around the whole room, trying to decipher what had just happened. Then she figured it out.
She woke up.
The mare groaned in anger and agony as she fell back onto the mattress. |
Lonely Winter Nights | pre | "Oh," Fluttershy spoke, softening her expression and giving Dash a sympathetic smile, "Don't worry, I stayed awake and watched her all night. She slept peacefully, and I think she looks a lot better this morning, don't you?"
Dash spent a few moments looking over at Scootaloo to see that she indeed looked better, before she realized what Fluttershy had said. Glancing to the side and out of the closed window, she saw that the sun had indeed risen. It was morning already.
"Heh...Um," Dash mumbled, "Thanks, Fluttershy. Yeah, she does look better. Do...you think she's gonna be okay now?"
Fluttershy smiled. "Well, I'm pretty sure. The doctor is stopping by in an hour or so, and he'll tell you for certain."
Dash could feel a little trickle of relief start to make its way through her body, slowly but surely fighting against the painful buildup of anxiety within her. "That's good. I-I mean, no. That's great!"
Fluttershy nodded. "Let her sleep some more, but if she wakes up then get her some warm water to drink and make sure she stays in bed. I'm going to go out and get some food."
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "I have food..."
The yellow pegasus gave her a smile that would have been condescending if her name hadn't been 'Fluttershy'. "Rainbow Dash, she's malnourished. She needs healthy food like fruit and sugars, especially since she just battled hypothermia. No offense, um...but Rammen Noodles and potato chips aren't very helpful right now.
Rainbow Dash glanced over her shoulder in the general direction of her kitchen. "Oh, uh...Yeah. I guess you're right."
Fluttershy stepped forward and gave her friend a quick hug. "I'll be back soon."
"O-okay..."
"Don't worry, Dash. She looks a lot better already."
"Yeah, I know...It's just..."
The two shared a moment of silence, and then Fluttershy smiled gently and said goodbye. She trotted out the front door, leaving Dash alone with Scootaloo.
She trotted over to the bedside once more. Dash could hear her stomach growling and demanding food, but she ignored it. She could see daylight beginning to stream in through the window, despite the cloud cover, but she dared not open the window. It was far too cold outside. Rainbow Dash thrived in the cold, being a pegasus, but right now it was her mortal enemy. The cold had nearly killed her sister.
Dash bit her tongue and forced away those negative thoughts. Scootaloo wasn't dead; she was lying there in bed and would probably wake up any minute. She had to tell herself that Scootaloo was fine, she had made it through the night, and she was going to get better.
The pegasus sighed for the umpteenth time, laying her head on its side on the bed. The clock on the opposite wall told her that it was 7am. She was supposed to be on weather duty in an hour, but she didn't care. Not even a weather emergency could drag her away from Scootaloo's side right now.
As she lay there, all of the unanswered questions from last night ran through her head. There was still so much that she didn't know. So much she didn't understand. There was an overwhelming sensation of being left in the dark, and it made the whole stressful situation all the more worse.
"Mnnn..."
Dash's ears perked up like a rabbit's the moment they picked up on the tiny sound. She raised her head and turned towards Scootaloo's sleeping form. Her eyes widened as she saw the filly moving.
"Mnnnghh..." Scootaloo moaned as she gently tossed around, squirming beneath the blankets. After a moment she blearily opened her eyes, looking as if it was a chore to simply hold them open. "Uggghhh..." she moaned again.
"S...Scootaloo...?" Dash whispered.
The filly tried to sit up, but her head bobbed forward as if it were too heavy. Instead, she continued blearily blinking her eyes and glancing around.
Dash brought her forehooves up onto the edge of the bed and leaned forward. "...Sis?"
Scootaloo looked like a pony with the worst case of 'morning' ever in history, but she did lazily roll her head in Dash's direction and look at her.
"Sis...? Are you okay?"
"R..." Scootaloo spoke, her voice raspy and weak, "Rainbow...Dash?"
A relieved smile appeared on the older pegasus' face. "Yeah...Yeah, it's me sis. Are you okay?"
"Urgh..." Her tired eyes scanned her surroundings. "What...? I..."
"Scootaloo..." Dash spoke, repeating herself once more, "Are you okay? How do you feel?"
"Thirsty..." Scootaloo rasped.
Dash jolted upright suddenly. "Oh! Right! Warm water. Right, right, just hang tight. Okay, squirt? Don't get up."
"Mmkay..."
Dash quickly made her way to the kitchen and filled up a small glass with warm water from the tap. She brought it back into the bedroom and then carefully used her hooves to bring the glass up to Scootaloo's lips. The filly struggled to sit up slightly so she wouldn't choke, and slowly gulped down the water. Afterwards, she groaned as if she had drank something nasty.
"C'mon, sis," Dash urged the filly, "One more gulp, okay? You need to warm up and get hydrated."
Scootaloo moaned, but then said, "Mkay..."
Dash repeated the action once more, and when she moved back this time the glass was only a quarter full. Scootaloo let out another quiet moan, but Dash could hear that her voice sounded less scratchy now.
"Atta girl...That'll make you feel better," Dash spoke. She then leaned forward on the bed and pulled the covers back up to Scootaloo's barrel so that they were properly covering her once more. The filly fidgeted a little, but then smiled weakly as warmth began to envelop her.
Dash was struggling to keep her emotions in check. Scootaloo was awake and looking a lot better than last night. Her worst fears seemed to have abated. She felt so relieved that she wanted to just break down and cry again, but Dash knew that wouldn't be helpful right now.
"Mmm..." Scootaloo snuggled herself into the covers, and then opened her eyes fully. Finally, it looked like she was seeing the world through lucid eyes. She looked a little groggy still, as if she had woken up from a dream. She turned and eyed Rainbow Dash, then glanced around the room. "Where am I...?" she murmured.
Dash smiled warmly, feeling her heart beating with joy as she watched. "You're in my house, sis," she spoke gently, "You've been sleeping here with me."
She could see the filly's eyes light up as she processed this information. "R-really...?" she asked in quiet disbelief, "Sleepover at your place?"
Dash blinked. Not quite the correct answer, but she decided to nod anyway.
"Gosh...I don't even remember..." Scootaloo's words trailed off into nothing, but after a moment of silence she smiled again. It was a genuine smile, one Dash had seen many times before. Scootaloo did love sleepovers at her place so much. It had seemed impossible for the filly to be sad while within these walls.
Dash knew why now.
Scootaloo shivered slightly. "S'cold..." she muttered, "It musta been really cold last night, huh?"
"Yeah," Dash spoke, "Do you want another blanket? I think I've got more somewhere around here...."
Scootaloo shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Dash asked, having already gotten to her hooves. She was ready to do whatever it was her little sister needed her to do.
The filly gave her a grateful smile and nodded. "Yeah, sis. I'm fine."
Dash stood there for a moment. Scootaloo's words bounced around in her head. She was fine, wasn't she? Thank the heavens above, Scootaloo was just fine. She had said it herself. There was a few seconds of silence, and then the tears started to well up in Dash's eyes. A massive torrent of emotions suddenly broke through her weakly built dam and quickly overcame her. Without a second thought, Dash hopped onto the bed next to Scootaloo and leaned in to give her sister a tight, loving hug.
Scootaloo gasped in shock, not having expected the sudden embrace. Dash had both of her hooves around her, while keeping the blanket between them for her warmth. Dash also had her wings brought in close to complete embrace, and she had her head buried into the pillow next to the filly's head. The older pegasus shivered and silently cried as she clenched her sister as tightly as she dared. She felt a fear in her heart that if she let go, Scootaloo would be gone.
"D...Dash...?" Scootaloo asked in a confused, innocent tone.
"I love you, sis!" Dash exclaimed.
"I...I love you too, sis..." Scootaloo replied softly, still fairly confused.
Dash sniffled, letting the tears fall. "Y-you scared me...You scared me so much..."
"I did...?"
She simply kept on holding the filly tightly, the sound of her sobs filling the room. "I thought...I was gonna lose you..."
There was silence for a couple minutes except for Dash's sobbing. She shivered as she held onto the filly, images of dropping her and watching her fall through the air assaulted her mind. She didn't want to let go.
"Dash..."
She knew she had to, though. So, she reluctantly released Scootaloo from the embrace and shuffled back to sit on her haunches in the middle of the bed. She sat facing Scootaloo directly. Her red tear-filled eyes reflected in the filly's own. Though she was relieved that Scootaloo was okay, she strangely felt just as sad as the previous night.
The young filly's expression had changed. Dash could tell that she had started to figure things out.
"Sis, I almost lost you..." Dash said again, "You..." She closed her eyes and shuddered. "You were so cold...You wouldn't wake up...They said it was hypothermia and I thought for sure you were gonna d-" Dash cut herself off and sobbed a few times.
Scootaloo was silent for a few moments, and then she spoke in a low, sad tone. "So...You found me out there...?"
Dash blinked away the tears and just stared at her.
Scootaloo sighed, a little shiver passing through her body as well. "I...really thought I could handle it." She glanced away, closed her eyes and shook her head. "I...didn't want you to know...But I guess..."
"Sis...!"
Jumping slightly, Scootaloo turned to look at Dash again.
"...Why?"
She tilted her head. "Huh?"
Dash could feel another onslaught of emotions barely being held at bay. "Why...?" she repeated, "Why didn't you tell me? Why...didn't you ask for help?"
A dark look appeared on the filly's face and she glanced down, as if her greatest shame in life had been revealed. "I'm sorry, Dash..." she muttered, "I'm sorry that I'm such a...such a..."
"Scootaloo!" Dash interjected, a few stray tears running down her cheeks, "I nearly lost you last night and right now I'm just happy that you're alive. I don't really care about who did what, or who's sorry about this or that..." She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them to look directly into Scootaloo's. "I just have to know, sis..." She sobbed. "W-why...?"
Scootaloo glanced away, a quivering frown on her lips. Dash could see that she was now on the verge of crying too and felt a pang of guilt in her heart. However, she knew that the two of them needed to get whatever this was out there. She told herself that it could only help them both in the long run.
"Because..." she spoke in a quiet voice, "B-because I'm pathetic..."
Dash blanched. "What?!"
"I...I didn't want you to see how pathetic my life had become..."
She didn't know how to react. Dash simply sat there for a moment, looking at the little filly in disbelief. "I don't..." she started to say, but the words died on her lips.
Scootaloo heaved a heavy sigh and continued to glance away, not meeting Rainbow Dash's eyes. "Three years ago, I ran away from that place in Manehatten. I decided I never wanted to go back and I don't want to remember it."
'That place'. Rainbow Dash frowned. "So..." she spoke softly, approaching the topic lightly, "So, your...parents are-?"
"Dead."
Dash gulped, suppressing a shudder. She silently waited for Scootaloo to go on.
"And..." she spoke, while trying to hold back tears of her own, "And I came all the way to Ponyville...I figured this was where I could start over...And...a-as soon as I got here...the first- The very first pony I met..."
Recognition suddenly flooded Dash's mind. "...was me," she finished.
Scootaloo nodded. "You were so welcoming, and just so awesome..." The uplifting memory seemed to be bringing up her spirits a little. "You started talking about all the awesome things you could do, and all the ways you were making Ponyville more awesome..."
Dash scratched the back of her neck and chuckled awkwardly. "I guess I was a little too boastful back then, huh?"
"But...before you left, you started talking about me..." Scootaloo continued, "You said I looked pretty strong and had potential. You told me to keep going and follow my dreams. You...y-you told me to never ever give up."
"Yeah..." Dash murmured, "I remember that..."
Scootaloo blinked, tears starting to run down her cheeks. "Dash, I...I-I didn't give up. I promise I didn't...but you saw everything. You saw where I live and how much stuff I can call my own. I tried my hardest and still I almost died today!"
"I...Scootaloo..." Dash could feel her heart starting to break in two.
"I didn't want you to see that, because I wanted to make my life better first. Once I got off the streets, I wanted to show you that. It would've been an accomplishment! But it...never happened..."
"Sis..." Dash breathed, a strange mix of emotions churning in her belly, "Am I...getting this right? You've been living down in that alley...since you got here?"
Scootaloo sobbed and then nodded.
Dash was floored. "...That was three years ago!"
She nodded again.
The older pegasus simply turned her head towards the window, staring out at the icy cold world that was outside. Her brain tried to process the idea of Scootaloo being homeless for that long, but the puzzle pieces simply didn't fit together. "I...Sis, that's crazy..." she murmured as she returned her gaze to the filly.
Scootaloo met her gaze for a moment, then her head drooped down in shame. "I...I had to t-take apples...an' stuff..."
"Huh? You mean, like, from the market?"
She nodded slowly. "I...Dash, I only took wh-what I needed. Just one apple every two days, and maybe something else somewhere. If they caught me, I told them I was being dared and I gave it back and didn't eat anything that day, but...I'm sorry, Dash. I know stealing is wrong. I...I didn't want to. Please, please...D-don't be mad at me..."
"Sis, n-no..." Dash murmured, crawling forward a little bit on the bed, "I'm not mad at you. You're right. Stealing is wrong, but you did it because you had to. You stole, but you weren't a bad pony? Right?"
"I..."
"You weren't. I know you, Scoots. You're not a bad pony."
"...I guess."
Dash still had a troubled look on her face. "I'm just glad you're safe now..." she murmured, "I mean...How did you...?"
Scootaloo had caught her briefly glancing out the window again. "How did I survive the last three winters?"
Rainbow Dash simply nodded.
"Well..." Scootaloo said as she fiddled with her front hooves, a half-smile on her lips, "It got pretty cold pretty fast, so I knew I had to do something. Luckily, I found this house down on Trotson Lane. It was owned by this family, and I think they were like kinda rich...?
"The thing is, they all went to go live somewhere else during the winter. I overheard them say that they spend their winters in Hoovaii, where it's warmer. So...the house was empty and nopony was using it."
Dash's eyes widened as the truth was revealed. "Ohh..."
"I found a way in the back...The house was totally empty, y'know. They took everything with them, and there was no food. So while they were gone, I spent my nights there. Then, when they came back home, I went back to my...box."
Dash felt a twang on her heartstrings as she was reminded of where Scootaloo had been living.
"I never stole anything. I just slept in the house when they weren't there. It wasn't even that warm, because I couldn't light a fire and risk burning the house down...But then, last summer, they sold the house. They moved to Hoovaii for good, and now another family lives there. They didn't leave like the last family did for the winter, so I...Well, that option was gone."
"Wow...Well, couldn't you find another house or something?" Dash couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Scootaloo shook her head. "Winter came and all I had was my box...But..." She let out a half-hearted chuckle, "I convinced myself that I could handle it. It was like you were always telling me. Pegasi are tough and we're built for the cold. We fly through snowstorms and hurricanes. I figured it wasn't gonna be fun, but I could handle it..."
Dash watched as Scootaloo shivered and hugged herself, no doubt awful memories were running through her head.
"But I couldn't do it, Dash...I'm weak. I failed at everything else and now I failed at this too...I'm sorry Dash, but I'm just pathetic..."
"Hey...Hey! Hey, hey! Stop that!" Dash cut in, "What're you saying?"
Scootaloo was crying again. "I tried to follow my dreams and never quit and not give up, Dash, but I couldn't do it! I can't do it! I'm never gonna get off the streets because I'm just not good enough..."
Dash stared in silence for a moment, listening and trying to come to grips with everything the filly had told her. She felt a heartbreak unlike any she had ever felt before. To hear what Scootaloo had been through, for years no less, and to hear her woeful cries now. It felt like a buck in the gut.
"Sis...You're not-"
"No, Dash..." Scootaloo whined, cutting in, "Don't pretend...You've always told me to be strong and accomplish my goals and...a-and stuff like that."
"Scoots-"
"I never wanted you to see me fail this hard! Ever! I...I wish you hadn't found me!"
"Scootaloo Dash! Listen!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
The filly fell silent and stared at her, mouth open slightly and eyes wide.
Dash took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "Sis..." she began, speaking calmly, "I am upset with you, and yes you did screw up pretty bad...but it is not because you are pathetic or a failure. Okay? I don't want to hear you put yourself down like that. Not after all of this. Even if you were the most pathetic pony on the planet, which you are definitely not, it wouldn't matter to me because that pathetic pony would have still been my sister, and I still would've almost...lost her."
Dash placed a hoof upon her heart and gave the filly a hard look. "It hurts. It hurts me right here, sis...I mean, it hurts so bad that you didn't tell me...or anypony! Yeah, I'm upset with you...but it's because you kept this whole thing a secret. I just can't believe...I've known you for three years, sis...and all that time I was loafing around in this house like the lazy jerk I am, you were out there...all alone...cold and starving..."
Tears were welling up in both of their eyes. Dash could see the regretful look in Scootaloo's expression, but the filly didn't speak up yet.
"Even when we first met, I really liked you. I thought you were cool and fun. Then we became best friends...and then I decided to take you under my wing and call you my sister...and still you kept this from me? You didn't think during that whole time to ask me for help?"
Scootaloo sniffled. "S-sis..." she spoke softly, "I...I wanted to be like you. You're so strong, a-and you don't give up...and you make your dreams come true all on your own!"
Dash looked at the filly for a moment, then leaned back and sighed. "Sis, listen... Most of the things I do in my life, yeah I do it on my own. I strive for my own accomplishments, and I try to show off what I can do. I've told you this and I'm sure it's stuck in your brain: to never give up and try your best. Right?"
Scootaloo nodded.
"Well..." Dash continued, "Life is really hard, and it gets crazy. The sad truth is, Scoots, that sometimes your best just isn't good enough." She saw the filly glance down in disappointment and so quickly continued. "That's when you ask for help.
"I ask for help all the time, Scoots. There's a lot that I'm proud of, but I'm not Superpony. I can't do everything! When life gets too tough and I can't do it on my own, that's when my friends are there to help me out. I never give up, because asking for help is not giving up. Instead, you just make the accomplishment together. Remember when I wanted to practice that new flying trick and I wanted to perfect it by being launched off a seesaw? Perhaps I coulda rigged up a big rock and a rope or something, but I could never lift a big enough boulder that high, and I would probably just get hurt. So I asked Applejack for help."
She paused for a moment. "The results of that 'help' were a little...Well anyway, you get my point."
Scootaloo glanced down and sniffled. "I just wanted to prove that I'm not useless..."
"'Useless'?!" Dash replied, flabbergasted, "Are you kidding me? Don't you realize how awesome you are?"
The filly gave her a confused look.
"While you might have done it for totally the wrong reasons and didn't have to do it at all...Scoots, you spent three years on the streets. You found ways to survive, and you found ways to get through the harsh winters. Even though things didn't get better, you kept on fighting. You fought back against the world and told it that you wanted to live!
"I'm still upset that it happened...but you survived through living in a box, little food, and cold winters, and up until last night you did it without anypony's help. Scootaloo..." Dash paused and put on a warm smile. "That's incredible. You should feel very proud of an accomplishment like that... Only a strong, smart, not useless pony could have done what you did." Dash chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Heck...I couldn't have done that..."
Scootaloo's eyes had grown wide. "R...Really?" she murmured almost silently, "You really think that...?"
"Absolutely."
"But...But I-"
"Sis, forget about what your goal was. Think about what you did. Living on the streets is dangerous, but you stayed strong. You survived! You're still sitting here with me, Scoots." Dash's expression melted into an affectionate smile. "I'm so proud of you, squirt. You might even be stronger than me."
"I...I am...?"
"You're not useless. Never say that."
"I..." Scootaloo was staring off at nothing, deep in thought. "I did...make it pretty far, didn't I...?"
"Of course you did. You're my sister, after all.
Scootaloo turned and gave her an odd, wide-eyed look. She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"...What?" Dash asked, tilting her head.
"Y-you..." Scootaloo mumbled, "Earlier...You called me...'Scootaloo Dash'..."
Dash smiled warmly. "Well, yeah. We're sisters, right? It only makes sense."
Now, Scootaloo had a faraway look in her eyes. "Sis...I- Wow...I don't even..."
"Heh...D'ya like it?"
Scootaloo nodded. "Y-yeah...Dash, it means so much to me..."
"Well, I would be happy to call you that."
Her eyes refocused, and Scootaloo looked deep into Dash's rose-coloured eyes. "Because...You're my sister..."
Dash nodded. "And you're my sister. I care about you, and I want to keep you safe...and I love you, Scootaloo. I love you as if we've been sisters our whole lives. I want to be there for you when you fall to pick you back up. I want to give you a hug when you get your Cutie Mark."
Scootaloo was silent for a moment, and then spoke softly. "I love you too, Dash..." Tears quickly started to stream from her eyes as her face twisted up in emotional pain. "Sis...!" she whined, "You're my sister, and I-" However, she couldn't get any more words out before she burst into tears.
Dash simply crawled forward so that she could hug and console the crying filly. "Shh..." she soothed, "Don't worry..."
There was anguish in Scootaloo's cries. There was the sense of pent up emotions that hadn't been allowed out for a long, long time. Dash could tell that Scootaloo felt remorseful about the mistakes she had made, but mostly it felt like the filly was finally just sharing a good cry with somepony else about what she had gone through. Dash felt as if she couldn't hug the little pony tightly enough.
"It's okay..." she whispered, "It's okay, sis...I'm here now. I know everything now, and I'm going to make it better. I promise."
Scootaloo made a few attempts to talk, but simply couldn't. All she could do for the next few minutes was cry and clutch the warm, fuzzy body of her big sister as tightly as she could.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that..." Dash whispered softly, "I'm sorry I didn't know."
"I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you!" Scootaloo cried out. She hiccupped and then said, "I'm sorry I was so stupid! I should've told you from the first day! I should've known that I couldn't- I...Or at least when this winter..."
"Shhhhh..." Dash tried to calm the frantic filly down, "It's okay now. It's all in the past. Right now you're in a warm house with nice warm blankets. Fluttershy will be back any minute with fresh food, and the doctor will be here to make sure you're all right."
Scootaloo's cries were finally dying down. When Dash moved away and looked down at her, she could see a small smile forming on the filly's lips.
"You're with me right now. That's all that matters, right?"
"I-I love you, Dash..." Scootaloo murmured, now crying happy tears, "Thank you for saving my life. Without you, I...It woulda just been me buried under the snow with only-" Suddenly she gasped. "My scooter! Oh no!"
Dash held up her hooves. "Don't worry, squirt. I picked up your scooter. It's at Fluttershy's place."
That was enough to make the filly visibly relax. "Oh...Okay, thank you so much. I...Um, well...That's all I have..."
Dash nodded solemnly. "Don't think about any of that right now, okay? The bottom line is that you made a bad decision and you're never gonna make that bad decision again, right? So right now, just relax and try to warm up. You can stay in my bed as long as you want. Do you want some more warm water?"
Suddenly, Scootaloo was wide-eyed once again. "What??"
"Huh?" Dash replied in confusion, "What's the matter?"
"This...This is your bed?"
Dash gave her a blank look for a moment, and then laughed as she saw the filly really take in her surroundings and realize that she was not in the tiny guest room. "Yeah, squirt. This's my room."
There was a beautiful, childlike wonder in Scootaloo's eyes. She looked at her surroundings like she was seeing the inside of a celebrity's house. "W-wow..." she murmured. Dash was really glad to see this side of her, especially now. It was nice to see that, despite all she had been through, Scootaloo was still capable of acting like a kid.
"You never let me in here before..." Scootaloo murmured, looking at all of her Wonderbolts memorabilia.
"I didn't...?" Dash remarked.
"This is so cool...! I-" Something seemed to suddenly occur to the filly, and a frown washed over her face. "Are you sure you want me here? I...I think I can get up and walk. I'll go to the other room if you w-"
"Hey, hey! No, no, no...Who do you think put you in that bed?"
Scootaloo became a little bashful. "You...I guess?"
"My bed's the best in the house, and best for miles around! I should know! I crafted it myself out of the finest, fluffiest clouds. You feel free to rest there all you want, sis. Right now, I just care about making sure you're okay."
The young filly glanced around, still seeming a little unsure, but started to snuggle herself back down beneath the covers. Dash could see the expression of warm bliss slowly appear in her expression. "I...do like it..." she murmured, "But are you sure...?"
"Squirt, I'm not gonna let you not rest in that bed until you're all better."
After a short pause, Scootaloo flashed the older pegasus a grateful smile. "Th-thanks, Dash...You're the best."
"All right, all right...Just relax, okay?"
Scootaloo sneezed.
A little giggle escaped from Dash's lips. "See? A debilitating illness like that only deserves the rejuvenating modern comforts of Rainbow Dash's bed!"
The filly gave her a look in response to her joking. The two then heard knocking coming from the front door.
"That's probably Fluttershy. Let's get you some food."
"Food...? I, um..."
"You don't feel hungry?" Dash asked, "You haven't been eating right, Scoots. We'll just get the food in your tummy and I promise you'll feel better afterwards. Okay?"
"Okay...Hey, sis?"
Dash was halfway out the bedroom door, but paused and looked back. "Yeah?"
"Can...Can you call me that one more time?"
For a moment Dash didn't understand, but when she did it made her smile. "I'm just gonna go answer the door. I'll be right back...Scootaloo Dash." She caught a glimpse of the heartfelt smile on the filly's face before heading to the front door.
"Hi, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said, slightly muffled with a bag of groceries in her mouth, "The doctor just got here too."
"Greetings," Dr. Wing replied from behind her, "Is miss Scootaloo doing any better?"
Dash could only smile as she bade for the two to enter. Both of them seemed to notice her happier demeanour, and took it as a sign of good things. Dash could hear their happy exclamations as they entered the bedroom and greeted the filly that was now awake.
Rainbow Dash took a moment to get herself some food and water while Fluttershy fed Scootaloo and the doctor looked her over. She hadn't eaten since early the previous evening and hadn't even noticed how starving she was.
"Your body temperature looks much better. You had a close call, but it looks like you're getting better."
"Here, sweetie. I know your stomach feels weird, but have some apple. It'll make you feel better."
"It looks like you're making a good recovery, young miss. Make sure you stay warm for the next few days."
"My goodness, Scootaloo. You've got such a big smile, after all you've been through."
"I'm just so happy my sister's here! She saved my life and I love her so much!!"
A single tear of joy slowly ran down Dash's cheek, and she smiled softly. "I love you too..." she whispered. She would finish off her food before rejoining the others in her room, but even simply knowing that Scootaloo was safe and secure only a doorway away made her feel so warm and contented inside.
Crisis had been averted, past mistakes were promised by both to never be made again, and Scootaloo would recover. Rainbow Dash could honestly say that she had never been more thankful before in her whole life. ...
Three days later... ...
"Mornin', squirt!" Dash said, stepping into her bedroom.
Scootaloo was roused from her slumber, turning over onto her back and yawning loudly. After blinking open her slightly bleary eyes, the wintertime sunrise and Dash's presence were enough to quickly wake her up. "Good morning, sis!!" she chirped excitedly.
"Wow," Dash marvelled, "You look like you're almost all better!" It was the truth. Scootaloo looked much more energetic and healthy than before. Her eyes shone bright with enthusiasm and didn't carry any visible signs of stress or illness. The filly's coat even looked a brighter, more vibrant shade of orange. She still looked a little underweight, but that was changing over time.
"I feel great!" she proclaimed, "I think I'm totally over this thing now!" She proved her point by shoving off the blankets. Dash's bedroom was still kept warm for the sake of the filly, but Scootaloo didn't seem to notice any more. She quickly hopped off of the bed and casually strolled past Dash and into the living room.
"Are you sure you're totally okay?" Dash asked, wanting to make sure, "You don't want to get it again. You're not too cold?"
"It's chilly," she commented, "but, y'know, normal winter chilly."
Dash trotted over and swiftly picked up the filly to give her a warm hug. Scootaloo giggled and squirmed in the embrace. "That's good to hear," Dash said, "See? I knew you were strong. Better already!"
"Heehee, yeah!"
She then pulled away from the hug and held Scootaloo in front of her at eye level. "But you tell me if anything's still wrong, okay? And you're gonna take it easy for a few more days, right?"
Scootaloo smiled, reaching one of her little hooves forward to gently boop Rainbow Dash on the muzzle. "I will, sis. I promise."
"Good," Dash said with a smile, and deposited the filly back on the ground.
"What's for breakfast?"
"I think I still got one of everything that Fluttershy got. You want an orange? You said you liked those."
"And those wheat bar things? Those were actually pretty good."
Dash retrieved the two items and moved over to the dining room table. "I'll take your word for it. 'Health bars' never did it for me..."
Scootlaoo laughed and quickly dug into her food.
"And remind me to ask Fluttershy when you can eat junk food again," Dash quipped, elbowing the filly in the side.
"Heh heh..." Scootaloo chuckled with her mouth full of orange.
The two remained quiet for a moment as Scootaloo finished her breakfast. Every time Dash looked over at the filly, she could see more and more that the filly was mostly over her hypothermia scare and was building her strength back up.
It was now snowing outside, though it was certainly not as frigid as that one fateful night. Scootaloo had been confined indoors just to make sure she wouldn't exacerbate her condition, and probably would be for a couple more days just to be on the safe side, but it was supposed to snow all week. Dash could happily envision taking the little filly out to enjoy all of the various, wonderful snowy pastimes.
"Have a good sleep?" Dash asked once Scootaloo had finished eating.
"Mhm..." she said with a nod, gulping down the last bite of orange. "Your bed is really comfy."
Dash chuckled. "Why d'you think I sleep there?"
Scootaloo's smile faded and she gave Dash a bashful look. "Um...You can have it back now...if you want..."
"Nah, squirt! You sleep there until you feel better. The big fluffy cushions and blankets will do you good. I'm fine in the other room."
"You shouldn't have to sleep in there in your own house. I'll g-"
"Scoots, don't worry about it! You're more important right now. I want you to get better, okay?"
She glanced down for a moment, then smiled briefly. After a few moments, her smile vanished again. "Um...R-right..." she murmured. There was another pause, with Scootaloo just looking down at nothing, and then she muttered something else. "But...What about...?"
"Huh?" Dash asked, not even sure she had heard the words properly.
"What about when I'm better...?"
Dash tilted her head. "What about when you're better? Is there something you wanna do?"
"Um, well I dunno...I just mean, 'cus..." She looked down and scuffed the floor with her hoof. "I-It's just that...Well...Even though I was sick, staying here with you these last few days has been the best time of my life...I...I..."
Dash started to realize where this questioning was going, and had her hoof raised to pre-emptively answer. Instead, a series of loud knocks resounded on the door over top of the filly's question, but Dash had still heard it.
"Where do I go?"
The older pegasus glanced over her shoulder at the door, still with her hoof held up. "Just hang on a quick moment, squirt. This is probably important." She glanced back, saw the filly nod uncertainly, and then trotted over to the door.
She opened it up, seeing a brightly smiling Derpy Hooves on the other side in full uniform. She had a thick-enveloped letter in her mouth and was holding it out to her. Dash took it from her and Derpy said, "Good morning, Rainbow Dash! Mail call!"
Dash looked down at the envelope in her hooves, recognizing where it had come from. Using her teeth, she quickly tore it open. While others in her position may have felt fear and uncertainty in the deepest pits of their stomach, Dash didn't feel any of that. After all, she already knew what was inside. Reading the envelope's contents only confirmed that she was right.
"I'll talk to you later, Derpy," she said, bidding the other pegasus farewell, "I gotta talk to my sis."
Derpy nodded, waved, and then took to the air and flew away.
Dash trotted back inside, seeing that the filly hadn't moved an inch. Though, she was looking up at her with anxiety-ridden eyes. The older pegasus flashed her a smile, though it faltered quickly. "Scoots, you are cold. I can see you shivering."
Scootaloo huddled herself up a little and nodded demurely.
"Here," Dash said, placing the opened letter on the table and motioning to one of the chairs, "Come sit here and I'll get you a blanket."
"Mkay...Thanks sis..."
Dash smiled warmly as she trotted over to the closet. "You're welcome, sis."
With blanket in hoof, she turned and trotted back over to the table. Before she even got there, she saw that Scootaloo had slid the letter towards herself and was glancing over it. As Dash laid the blanket across Scootaloo's back, she watched in amusement as the filly swiftly picked up the piece of paper and held it up so she could read it more closely. Dash simply stood behind and read over her shoulder.
"Bureau of Family Affairs" "Adoption Application Form" "Foal's Name: Scootaloo" Dash's signature and hoofprint were at the bottom, and at the top there was a big red stamp over top of the form that read "Approved"
Scootaloo's hooves were shaking, and the letter dropped to the table. She slowly turned around and looked up at Rainbow Dash, stars dancing in her quivering eyes. Her mouth hung open slightly, not even trying to form words. Dash couldn't have stopped smiling if she wanted to.
"'Where do you go?' Sis, you don't have to go anywhere. You're home now."
The next thing she knew, Rainbow Dash was tackled to the ground as Scootaloo suddenly leapt from the chair and latched onto her in the tightest hug ever. Dash laughed mirthfully as she lay on her back, the filly clutching her in a loving embrace and loudly crying tears of joy.
"Hey...Hey, c'mon now sis...You're still a little sick, remember?"
"Oh my gosh...!" Scootaloo exclaimed. She sat herself up with her hooves planted on Dash's chest, looking down at her big sister with awestruck eyes. "I...Really??"
Dash snickered. "Yes, really."
"It's...It's not a joke?"
"Hey, c'mon squirt. Not even Pinkie Pie would pull a prank like that."
Scootaloo simply sat there for a moment, a few more happy tears rolling down her cheeks. "I just don't know what to say. I didn't expect it! I always kinda thought and wondered, but I never thought it would..."
Dash sat herself up and gave Scootaloo a hug that was more comfortable for both of them. "It was the only thing to do, really. There wasn't another option," she spoke, "I'm just sorry I didn't do it sooner, Scoots. I coulda had you off the streets so much sooner."
Scootaloo shook her head. "No, that's my fault!"
"No, it's my fault!"
"Dash!"
The two laughed for a bit. Dash realized that sitting here, hugging her little sister like this felt better than she thought it would have. It felt more than just 'right'. It felt like something that had been missing before. She squeezed the little orange filly lovingly, and in that moment she felt so vulnerable to Dash. She reached over and grabbed the blanket, then draped it over Scootaloo's back and wrapped it around the both of them. They both smiled blissfully from the warmth.
"So, um..." Scootaloo murmured, and Dash could feel her trembling from excitement, "So...I can stay...here?"
Dash smirked. "Well you can always go stay at city hall if you want."
Scootaloo giggled. "Seriously, Dash. I...I get to stay here? In this house?"
"Of course! Duh! I'm even gonna build a cloud staircase for you. It's gonna be epic!"
Dash could see the unbridled gratitude in the filly's face. She could imagine what was going through her young mind. Scootaloo was probably thinking about never having to spend another night out in the cold, hiding away in the grime. She was likely looking back on all of those sleepovers and trying to imagine one that would last forever.
"Scootaloo..." Dash spoke softly, "We can both apologize forever and ever about how we handled things, but it doesn't matter. You're here now, still alive and kicking, and I'm gonna put an end to all of the crappy things in your life. Sound good?"
The filly nodded enthusiastically, a few tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm proud of you for being so strong, but at the same time I'm gonna make sure you never go through anything like that again, okay? This house is your house for as long as you want."
Scootaloo sniffled. "Thanks sis..."
"And...Well, I hope I can replace the other thing you were missing too..."
The filly gave her a confused look. "Wha?"
"A family, Scootaloo. I'm not offering you a stay at the Rainbow Dash Resort...I didn't just do that..." She pointed to the adoption papers. "...for legal reasons. I just...want you to know that you don't have to be alone any more. I want you to join my family...I want you to be Scootaloo Dash."
"I would love that, sis...I would love that so much!"
Dash smiled and gave her another quick hug. "Let's just agree to put the past behind us, okay? This is a fresh new start."
"You got it, sis!"
Moving back from the hug, Dash tousled her mane. "Remind me to thank Mayor Mare for getting this through so quickly."
Scootaloo was still just smiling like the happiest pony in the world. "So...This means we're really, truly sisters now?" The way she was looking right now, Dash could easily imagine cartoon-style stars appearing in the little filly's awestruck eyes.
Dash chuckled. "Well, uh...Technically, according to the law I'm your mom..."
Scootaloo's expression changed in a flash. "Huh??"
"Well, more like I'm your 'parental guardian', which...is basically a mom. Turns out you can't just adopt a sister."
The filly blinked. "Oh...I, uh..."
Dash snickered and tousled her mane again. "But that's just what the papers at city hall say. It doesn't matter. You and I will be sisters, because that's what we both want, right?"
Scootaloo's smile returned. "Right!"
"Then that's what we'll be."
Giggling, Scootaloo said, "I'm glad for that. It's kinda, really weird to think of you as my mom..."
Dash blew a raspberry. "You think it's weird for you? I never thought I'd be a parent! Especially at this age!"
The two shared a hearty laugh at the unusual technicality of the law. After they stopped, a brief moment of silence passed between the two.
"Dash...?"
"Yeah, sis?"
Scootaloo closed her eyes and leaned in for one more hug, this one much more gentle and affectionate. "I love you."
There it was again; that 'weak' and 'vulnerable' side of Rainbow Dash that had made her cry so much on that horrible night. The part of her that went against everything she had put together as the image of 'Rainbow Dash' throughout her entire life. She wasn't ashamed of it in the least.
"I love you too, sis." |
The Great Changeling Shipping Experiment | pre | "That will be ten bits, sir."
Twilight glared at him, but didn't say anything as Discord paid.
"Here, my fair lady," said Discord as he handed her the popcorn.
She caught it in her magic aura.
"...Thank you."
Discord swept another bow to her, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. "Anytime, my fair lady."
Twilight didn't notice, but throughout the movie, Discord edged closer and closer to her seat. As Sunset Harmony finally kissed Heart's Flight, Discord leaned closer and closer to her.
"I love you, Sunset Harmony," said Heart's Flight on the screen.
"I love you... my heart's flight."
And then, ever so gently, Discord kissed Twilight.
*****************************
Roughly, she shoved him away.
"What were you thinking? Assuming you can, anyway! What possible thing could I have done to make you think I am at all interested-"
Twilight saw the seemingly, maybe even sincerely, sorrowful Discord.
Twilight blinked, and then, not knowing what was coming over her, kissed him back.
*****************************
OhmygoshwhatwasIthinkingI'mkissingDiscord! Why am I kissing Discord? This makes no sense!
Discord gave her a smile. Literally. He plucked a smile from thin air, and handed it to her.
"Until next time," he said, before vanishing into a puff of golden smoke.
Twilight just stood there, holding the smile in her hoof, not knowing what to think.
He used mind control magic on me. Yes, that has to be it. It just has to be.
Twilight caught the smile in her magic, standing firmly for a second, then slumped back into her seat.
Then why am I blushing? |
The Great Changeling Shipping Experiment | Fluttershy: Running From the Shipyard | In a cottage at the edge of Ponyville, a yellow pegasus and a white rabbit were staring at a book.
"I-I have to... date somepony?"
Angel glared at Fluttershy, tapping his paw on the page.
"I-I have to date everypony?" she squeaked.
Angel grinned, nodding.
What Fluttershy then said was so inaudible, so high-pitched, that it could only be translated as "eep."
Angel flashed his paws furiously at the mare, glaring at her in between gestures.
Fluttershy slowly peeked open one eye, looked at the gestures, and then shut it again, one wing twitching in utter fright.
"You... invited ponies to a party here?"
Angel nodded, and stepped over to bar the doorway.
A streak of yellow and pink was all that he saw before he heard the window clatter.
Fluttershy streaked along the path at a speed that was halfway passable, noting the sheer numbers of the ponies coming down it.
There were buff stallions and smooth Romareos, pretty pegasi, gorgeous high fashion mares and a few down-to-earth Apples. How had Angel invited all these ponies? Fluttershy's teeth began to clatter against each other, and then began to grind. There were too many ponies. Way too many ponies.
Fluttershy darted forwards again, whirling her wings like she was caught in a tornado, or perhaps trying to make one. She glanced franticly behind her, head darting back and forth. The world blurred around her, and she couldn't quite keep an eye on where she was going.
*WHOMP*
"Oh no, I'm so sorry! Let me help you up," said an earth pony mare. Her orange mane curled cutely around her shoulders, and her pale yellow coat shone in the sun. Three carrots adorned her flank. She reached a hoof down to help the dazed pegasus mare up.
"I-I'm really sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going. I-I'm really sorry! Please don't be mad at me..."
The earth pony mare grinned. "How could I be mad at such a pretty mare? Come on, let me buy you something at Sugarcube Corner to make it up to you."
"It was my fault, really... you don't have to do that..." Fluttershy murmured, blushing slightly.
"I'm fine, really! My name is Golden Harvest, by the way. What's yours?"
"I'm Fluttershy..."
Golden Harvest sighed inwardly. Would this mare hide and squeak and stutter the whole date? If everypony in this dating sim was so shy, she'd be giving that company a bad review, that was for sure. Still, either they'd decided to include the Elements or the Elements had joined multiplayer, and she did need the dating practice...
"Soooo... you're the vet, right?"
Fluttershy popped her head up above the table, her former bubble of shyness seemingly popped.
"Oh, I'm not technically a vet, I never could deal with the big schools, but I do enjoy taking care of animals! It's just that I mostly take care of the wild ones..." Fluttershy trailed off, looking away uncomfortably.
Golden Harvest tapped her hooves together. "You... like animals, then?" She almost facehoofed at the sheer stupidity of her question.
"Oh, yes, very much!" The yellow pegasus didn't seem to mind the comment's awkwardness, but shrank down the moment after she responded."
"Hehe, sorry for being such a boring date. A mare like you doesn't deserve all these uncomfortable silences, and since I was treating you..."
"Oh, no! You're not boring at all! I'm sorry for being so quiet... date?" As the word snapped into focus in Fluttershy's mind, her pupils seemed to shrink. "D-date?"
"Er... sorry? I- I thought you knew it was a date..." Argh! Now she'd think she was being blamed! "I- I should have been more obvious, what kind of ice cream do you want?" This time Golden Harvest couldn't hold back the facehoof, no matter how hard she tried. Why must she be plagued with horrible dating skill?
Fluttershy blushed and turned her eyes towards the ground, avoiding the gaze of her... date. She flicked her eyes upwards just slightly, and let out a squeak as goldenrod-colored hooves gently wrapped her into a hug.
The yellow mare tensed in Golden Harvest's hooves and jerked backwards, shivering slightly.
"Hello?"
Golden Harvest knelt down beside the trembling mare, resisting the urge to put a hoof on her shoulder. I've traumatized her enough today, she thought bitterly, resisting the urge to cry at ruining yet another date. She was charming, sweet, kind... why did it always go wrong?
"Excuse me," said Mrs. Cake. "Are you ready to give me your orders?"
Golden Harvest couldn't keep the misery out of her face anymore. The dam behind her eyes broke, and out poured a torrent of tears.
Mrs. Cake sighed. "Oh, honey, don't worry. How about I get you two a little hot chocolate? On the house, of course."
Golden Harvest looked at Fluttershy. "I... I'm sorry. I should have been more thoughtful about what you would be comfortable with. You're a really nice mare, and I ruined this. Not you. Don't blame yourself. I understand if you don't want to be my marefriend or even my friend, and... I'm sorry."
Fluttershy made a slight squeaky noise and looked up at Golden Harvest. "Um... it's okay. You seem like a really nice pony too... and I don't think that it would be nice for me to just walk out now," Fluttershy murmured, before awkwardly patting Golden Harvest's shoulder.
Golden Harvest, to her credit, did not hug Fluttershy, but instead wrapped one of her hooves around one of Fluttershy's.
Fluttershy blushed, and smiled a little bit. "Um... I think our hot chocolate is ready."
Golden Harvest smiled warmly back. "I think that would be perfect. Let's turn this day around."
Fluttershy didn't really know what to say back, so she just grinned awkwardly and moved a little closer to her new friend.
The hot chocolate tasted delicious. |
The Great Changeling Shipping Experiment | Chrysalis: Logging In | Chrysalis, contrary to popular belief, was not hiding out in some dank cave, nor infiltrating Canterlot in another foolish attempt to gain power. She was greedy and occasionally power-drunk, not stupid. They sometimes amounted to the same thing, but if ponies had also learned to harness the power of love she wasn't going to go try to take them over again.
No, Chrysalis was not in a cave, sewer, back alley, brothel, or whatever all those paranoid ponies were constantly insisting. She was in a comfortably middle-class apartment reserved in the name Crystalline Chroma, who happened to be the CEO of Crystal Chaos Studios. Her right-hand mare was a mare named Screwball, who used to be called a Discord worshipper. Whatever she was, half-changeling or half-dragon or full-blooded crazy mare, she was excellent at adding the randomity necessary for a game to keep its audience. And, yes, they had created two real games. They were both excellent profit and a source of fans, which while did not give a huge amount of love gave enough to keep her alive. But Chrysalis was not reformed, not by any means. And if she could gain more power and achieve her goals, why, that would just be an added bonus.
The changeling queen flipped her mane out of her eyes, and pushed on a pair of white-and-green goggles. With a swirl, a white bodysuit patterned with emeralds of varying shades of green fitted itself onto her pony form,
The unicorn mare seemed quite ordinary, if attractive, with a white coat and a shimmery clean purple mane. Her cutie mark was a prism with light coming in on one end and a rainbow shining out on the other.
Not bad, "Crystalline" thought. Now I just need a plausible excuse to be in my own game...
"Wow! It's Crystalline! She must have put herself in as a bonus! Or maybe she's actually here! Squee!" A mare, probably teen-aged, had decided to squee over Chrysalis.
Oh, just leave me alone. You're nothing but a pathetic little pony fanfilly, she growled inwardly. Outwardly, she said, "Well, I do need to check up on these things, sweetheart." Ugh. Just pretending to like them... she keeps me alive, she keeps me alive...
"Ms. Chroma, can I have an autograph? I loved Fall of the Crystal Empire! And Knights of Chaos was really awesome too!"
Oh, she can talk without squeeing. Trying desperately to keep the venom out of her voice, she replied, "Alright. Here you go." An autograph signed "To my biggest fan. -Crystalline," appeared out of thin air. She had used the same signature she always did- it's not like they really were special.
"Squeeeeeeee!"
Ugh.
I wish they'd stay away from me... maybe I should reconsider this plan. Or at least have a viable plan B this time.
With a sigh, the disguised changeling queen trotted over to a park bench to meet her AI assistant, who was also her portal to the outside world.
Of course her portal, Data Web, was already set up and ready to go.
"Hello, Mistress!" chirped a cheery voice from a green mare with a darker emerald green mane.
"Ah, Data Web. Ready to venture the wide, wide world of VRquestria?" She cringed inwardly, wondering how she'd manage to keep the facade up for the week or two she planned on being in the virtual Ponyville.
"Always ready, Mistress!"
Together they seemed an eccentric developer/CEO and a joking assistant. How easily appearances can deceive... How do all those ponies deal with not being changelings? |
The Great Changeling Shipping Experiment | Rainbow Dash: Paperwork Blues Part One | "Ugh, this is lame. I thought this 'VRquestria' stuff would have, action, or adventure, or something other than boring, normal, everyday life. I mean, I'm not even a Wonderbolt! What gives, Crystal Chaos? I mean, with a name like that-"
With all of her complaining, Rainbow Dash failed to notice that the cloud she had flopped herself down upon was right over the doorway into Ponyville City Hall, and when she remembered it was supposed to rain today, well, she also didn't notice all of the paperwork for the last month, or the beige earth pony carrying it.
Mayor Average Mare stepped out of the doorway, grunting slightly under the weight of the paperwork she was carrying, and was subsequently drenched.
Wait, I thought I told Rainbow Dash that the rain for today was called off, based on the fact that all the various paperwork is being delivered today. Wait, the paperwork!
Mayor Mare quickly darted her head back to where she had been balancing the paperwork, and almost screamed in horror when she saw that the water was quickly seeping into the towering pile.
"AIEEEEEE!"
Okay, maybe not almost.
Ponyfeathers! I totally forgot the rain had been called off! And that was all of last month's paperwork! For the entire town, which includes the weather service! And now it's all ruined!
A look of horror slowly crossed Rainbow's face.
Including... my paycheck. No paperwork, no bits. No bits, no new, radically awesome, super cool, amazing Wonderbolts Official Training Gear!
Her eyes narrowed with steely resolve.
I have to fix this.
Ever so slowly, a plan formed in the cyan pegasus's mind.
"Alright. Twilight, since she's just settled back into Ponyville after her Princessifying, has been getting the copies of the paperwork. Derpy's got the note, and while she's occasionally late, she always gets it there eventually. Now all I have to do is make up the extra hassle to Mayor Mare."
"Rainbow? Sorry to interrupt your monologue, but I only have Mayor Mare's paperwork. I don't have the paperwork for Cloudsdale Weather, the AIs, the random ponies that used to be portals, the damages caused by the self-regenerating cake pony, or the paperwork for the three drunk changelings that wandered in the day before we got our goggles, or-"
Twilight's list of paperworks she didn't have was interrupted by a blue hoof.
"Yeah, I get it, you're missing a ton of paperwork. Stick a hoof in it."
Twilight pulled her mouth away from Rainbow Dash's hoof with a loud pop. "You already did."
Dash facehoofed. "Eurgh, I know that, that's why I said it!"
"Also, it's called a Coronation. Not a 'Princessifying' or whatever you called it."
"Same difference. Anyway, you got any idea as to how to fix this?"
"Well, you could just go apologize to her..."
Mayor Mare sighed. Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork. With extra added paperwork. It was even on her cutie mark, which she had gotten by fixing a teacher's end-of-the year paperwork and preventing her from being fired. No, there was no escaping the paperwork, no matter what she tried.
Ordinary Mare, Celestia's second-greatest spy, flattened herself against the green, goopy floor.
"I know you're in there," hissed a raspy voice. "Why don't you come out and play?"
"I'll stay here, thanks," the spy cooly retorted. After all, an abandoned cocoon wasn't the worst place to hide from a Changeling-
The beige earth pony was roused from her memory of her mother's tales of spydom by a loud knock at a door.
Somepony else with more paperwork, like as not. If only I'd disguised myself as Pencil Lead instead to plead her case, instead of just fixing her paperwork, maybe I would have been a spy, like my mother wanted. At least spies get their paperwork done by somepony else, though like as not I'd be the one doing it for all of them. Or get assigned to steal paperwork, or destroy it, or something.
No, Average Mare knew that the paperwork would always haunt her, no matter what.
The knocking came again, more insistently this time.
Mayor Mare sighed, and plodded slowly over to the door, taking care to avoid the various piles of paperwork, bills, and other miscellaneous pieces of paper lying about. Pulling the door open, she fixed the pony standing there with a hopefully neutral and not Oh-My-Celestia-ALL-THE-PAPERWORK expression. "Yes?" she asked the cyan pegasus standing there.
"I... I'm sorry I ruined all of your paperwork. Twi's got Ponyville's, at least, so at least that's something, right?" Dash fixed her with a nervous grin.
Mayor Mare's eyes narrowed. "Well, it is something, but it's a lot less than I would have had done if somepony hadn't activated a raincloud right above it."
Dash looked down, fidgeting with her hooves. "I... yeah. I guess I just... forgot the rain was cancelled."
"You... forgot."
"Er... yup?"
"You forgot that the rain had been cancelled on Paperwork Day."
"Yeah, and I'm really sorry! Mistakes happen, right?"
"Mistakes."
Mayor Mare fought the urge to facehoof.
"Well, it was!" Rainbow Dash protested. "I'd never drop a rainstorm on all your paperwork on purpose, you know!"
"An entire month's paperwork quite literally down the drain, and-" Mayor Mare stopped.
For once, I have an excuse for the paperwork being late. Maybe, just maybe, I can take a day off for once and let Fine Print handle the paperwork.
She turned her attention back to the cyan mare looking at her with a sheepish grin.
"Well, I suppose mistakes do happen, and I'm sure that your boss is going to give you enough rotten hay about this without me adding more to the pile, and it is almost lunchtime, so shall we discuss how you're going to fix this over dandelion sandwiches?"
Rainbow Dash gave her a determined nod. "I'll do anything I can to fix this mess." Even if it does mean I have to do paperwork. |
Twilight Sparkle: The Princess of Friendship With Benefits | pre | "Um, if we're gonna do this, can we get started please?" came Spike's voice from behind Twilight.
"Oh? Is someone a little eager to get started?" said Luna. "Well then, follow me, little drake. I'll give you what you want and then some."
She went over to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him along with her to the left side of their rather large bed.
"Well, we can't let them start without us, can we Twilight?" said Celestia, doing much the same thing to her that her sister did to Spike, albeit in a more relaxed manner.
All four individuals were naked within moments , staring each other up and down, each admiring the other's body.
Twilight decided to voice her opinion. "Wow, Celestia. You're so beautiful."
"Thank you so much Twilight. I must say, you're rather stunning yourself. Gorgeous. I'd expect nothing less from my most treasured student and friend."
With the pleasantries out of the way, there was nothing left but to get started. Celestia turned over until she lay on top of Twilight, and then hoisted herself up to look her in the eye as they got started. "You ready?"
She was. She was oh so ready. She had been ready for this moment for a long time. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't wondered what it would be like to have sex with Celestia one day. She imagined the feeling to be glorious. She could already see that the solar princess had a body befitting her status, and she could only wonder how it would feel to touch it, to have it pressed against her own, to caress it, to taste it. It was a grand feeling to know that she would be getting her chance today.
Spike on the other hand, was in complete and utter shock. He had no idea Luna was so attractive. He had never seen her as a woman before. He had always seen her as a princess. As a figure far above his own status in society. But seeing her now, like this, naked and exposed before him. It was almost too much to handle. He must have been spacing out, because Luna spoke up.
"Spike? is something the matter? Do you not find me attractive? Would you prefer to join Twilight and my sister? I am perfectly content to watch you know."
Spike snapped out of his daze to see her looking up at him with a worried expression.
"Oh, no! Not at all, princess! It's just...I can't believe this is happening."
Luna thought for a moment. "Yes. I suppose it is a bit overwhelming. It's not everyday one gets to bed a princess. Here, how about this then?" She turned over and bent down, lifting her ass high into the air. "Doggy style. you may have your way with me however you wish from behind until you feel up to the challenge of taming a princess head on."
She looked back over her shoulder and winked at him.
Twilight had begun breathing heavily. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt very hot. She thought it was her powers reacting again, but when she asked Celestia about it, she said it wasn't. She had made a test out of it and said that if Twilight could figure it out within five minutes, then she would get a special present from her former teacher.
Twilight was currently in the process of trying to earn that kiss by coming up with as many scenarios as she could.
'If it's not my powers, i could just be horny. But no. It wouldn't have gotten this bad this quick. I'm about to burst just sitting her staring at her body. Is she doing it? But how? Is it a part of her magic? What spell could she have that does something like this?'
Celestia could see that her student was getting close to the answer, and she would have let her get it on her own, but she had her needs too. She wanted to fuck just as bad as Luna did, even if she did hide it well. She decided to tell her.
"It's natural Twilight."
Twilight was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of Celestia's answer.
"What?"
Celestia continued. "It's a natural reaction to my magic. I can stimulate the hormones in such a way as to cause this to happen. You're feeling this good because i'm bringing it about."
Twilight's eyes widened. So that was it! And she was so close, too. "Well, I guess I'm not getting my present after all, huh, Celestia?"
"Who said that?"
"What? But you said-"
"I said I would give it to you as a present. I didn't say I wouldn't give it to you if you couldn't answer in time."
Twilight thought for a moment, then smirked. "You just want to have sex, don't you?"
"Badly."
"Well, give me my present and lets get started."
"You got it."
And with that, Celestia's horn lit up. But when it stopped shinning, Twilight didn't see anything. "Celestia?"
"It's there. Just look down."
And so she did. And what she saw, made her jaw drop. She had a cock. A big one at that. nine whole inches of rock hard stallion meat stuck out from in between her legs like a steel pole.
"Now, let's get started." came Celestia's voice, and Twilight could see that she was already working on fitting the thing all the way inside her bountiful ass.
Spike felt great. Here he was, in Canterlot of all places, fucking the living daylights, or rather, nightlights, out of a moaning and thrashing Princess Luna. Her womanhood squeezed him like a vice and his thrusts were already becoming few and far between as he was driven closer and closer to his climax by Luna's royal pussy.
Luna fared no better. Spike's dick was long, thick, and hard. And by Harmony did he know how to use it. He pounded in and out of her like a piston. Back and forth, back and forth, and still he kept going. It had only been five minutes and she had cum twice. Of course she wouldn't tell him that until he finally got the courage to turn her around and face her while they fucked. He was a bit rough, but that was okay. She liked it that way. Made it more intimate, more intense. She figured if a man didn't love her enough to fuck her like she was his, then he didn't love her at all. He was growing tired. She could tell from how his thrusts became slower, and less frequent. She didn't mind this much either. Slower meant more powerful, and her hips were bucking like a bull at a rodeo. Oh great she was starting to sound like that apple obsessed earth pony. What was her name again? She couldn't remember. She didn't think it would matter too much, because with how Spike was laying into her, she doubted she would remember much of anything afterwards. Then she heard him say it.
"I'm...cumming!"
Finally the moment she had been waiting for. "Yes! It's okay, Spike. You can cum inside. Cum all you like, just fill me up!"
And with that, the little dragon came, spilling his fluids deep into Luna's dripping hole.
He pulled out and watched as it poured out of her like a river or a waterfall.
When everything was said and done, Luna looked back at Spike. "Will you face me for round two?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Spike replied happily.
Twilight nearly cried in pleasure. Celestia felt so good. She couldn't get enough. It was like fucking a furnace. Celestia's ass was so warm and cozy inside that if it wasn't for the endurance spell Celestia put on her, not only would she have long since came, she would have fallen asleep as well. It just felt so damn good. Twilight was having a hard time remaining conscious as it was. Add in the fact that Celestia kept squeezing her cock as tightly as she could, and the fact that she kept bouncing up and down and swaying her hips, and Twilight had just about had it.
Celestia herself was having a blast. It had been so long since she and her sister had had sex that she though she couldn't tell the difference between a dick and a doorknob anymore. Twilight's cock felt just like the real thing. Oh wait, right now, it was the real thing. And the way she pumped it in and out of her made her shake and shiver in pleasure. She relished in the idea of being the one to cause Twilight to cum. She wanted to give her as much pleasure as possible. Make this a moment she would never forget. And so she began squeezing Twilight's cock with her ass, trying to make it so she would give in and cum. Let herself feel the pleasure. Of course, she couldn't forget her own pleasure, and so she began bouncing up and down on her cock, making Twilight ram her as hard as she could, and as deep inside as she could go.
Twilight couldn't take it anymore. She was almost at her limit when Celestia said,
"Twilight. Are you doing okay? You look a little...dazed."
"I'm fine, Celestia. In fact, I think i'm about to cum."
"Go ahead then, Twilight! Let it all out inside me! Paint my pussy as white as my skin."
"You got it, Princess!"
And with that, she came, flooding Celestia's already dripping hole with spurt after spurt after pleasure filled spurt of hot sticky cum.
After each individual person had had their fun, they switched partners. It continued this way for a while, with them trying every position they could think of with the help of the princesses, of course.
When they were all done and satisfied, Twilight and Spike left the castle, promising to return if they ever so felt the urge to have another round.
"Kinda makes me sad though." Spike said.
"What does, Spike?" Twilight said, looking over at him.
"Your condition means that you have to go and find some other guy to have sex with before any of it can stop. I thought we'd...you know, just be the two of us."
Twilight looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Aww, Spike. You're so sweet. Don't worry. You'll always my number one lover."
"That's what i'm afraid of."
"What do you mean Spike?"
"I don't want to be just a number to you."
Twilight stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him, a serious expression on her face. "I would never make you out to be just a number Spike. Do you know how long we've known each other? It doesn't matter who I have sex with, or whether or not we're together. You will always be the first one I think about." She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're my friend Spike. You're my friend, you're my assistant, and now, you're my lover. You took my first time, you little foal. Of course I love you."
Spike almost cried. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
Twilight smirked and turned around. "Besides, Neither one of us get to say that. We just had sex. With each of the princesses. Separately. right in front of each other."
That one fact made Spike's eyes widen in realization. They both laughed the entire way to her castle. |
Twilight Sparkle: The Princess of Friendship With Benefits | Friendship and Loyalty/Rainbow Dash | The next morning, Twilight woke up feeling great. She felt well rested, energized and happy. She got up out of bed and walked around her room, trying to use at least a little of that energy before she started her day. She didn't want to be jumping for joy every five minutes after all. Even still she couldn't get rid of the smile on her face.
She assumed it to be a reaction caused by her evolving magic, but it didn't feel like it. Her magical reactions did not come without a few negative side effects, and right now, she felt none.
Then she remembered the four way she and spike had shared with the princesses. 'That must be why it's not affecting me right now.'
With at least some of her boundless energy spent, she made her way to the bathroom to complete the daily routine. That done, she made her way downstairs to find Spike, as usual, making her favorite breakfast once again.
"Good morning, Spike!" she said to him as she walked over to the table and sat down.
"Good morning, Twilight. Any plans for today?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"Oh no reason. It just seems like you're super happy today. I thought you had something fun planned." Spike said, clarifying his question for her.
"Oh, no. It's nothing like that. I just feel really good for some reason."
"Is it your magic, like before?"
"No. And that's what I thought at first too. I think that the effects of the magic evolution were prevented because of what we did at the princesses' place."
"You mean the four way fuck fest?" Spike said, laughing out loud at his little joke.
"Yes, I do..." Twilight said, blushing, but joining him in his laughter with her own, albeit a little quieter, enjoyment.
"I think I'll take a walk out in the town. See what's going on, you know?" Twilight suddenly said, prompting Spike to respond with,
"Well, we haven't actually been outside since this whole thing started, so I think that would be a good idea."
"Great! Then after breakfast i'll go."
Spike noticed the "I" in that sentence. "You're not taking me with you, this time?"
"Nope. I just want to go out and see how things are. Maybe see my friends along the way. Who knows...I might see Rarity~."
Twilight mentioned Rarity. She knew this would get him all flustered and wanted to see what his reaction would be.
"Okay. Tell her I said hi then." She had just missed it, but just before she was about to give up on seeing a cute reaction from her dragon lover, she saw his claws start tapping the floor. He 'was' flustered.
Twilight would have to think about including Rarity in their 'playtime.' She knew Spike would love it.
They ate breakfast in silence and then Twilight got up to go put on some proper clothing. She couldn't head out in nothing but her underwear after all. Although she believed Spike wouldn't mind, which caused her to giggle, right in front of him.
"Hey, What's so funny?"
"Oh nothing." She decided to tease him some more. She walked over to him and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Spikey-Wikey!"
Spike blushed as she removed her hands and she watched as he pouted like a child. He was so cute.
"Well, I'll be off then."
"See you later."
She kissed Spike's cheek and left the castle, walking into town and looking at all the food stalls and their vendors.
'Maybe i'll get something for Spike while i'm out, to make up for all the teasing.' she thought.
She was just about to find a stall and do just that when she heard a voice from behind her.
"Hi twilight!"
"Ahhh!" she stiffened.
Twilight turned around to see none other than one of her seven best friends, Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow! What did you sneak up on me like that for?" she yelled at her friend.
Rainbow was taken aback "...I'm sorry, Twi. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I just, came down from a cloud I was napping on and saw you, and I wanted to say hi."
Twilight's expression softened. "Oh, Rainbow i'm sorry. And I yelled at you for it too."
"It's cool. Anyway, you wanna race me?"
"Race you? Why?"
"No reason. I just need something to do to get rid of this sleepy feeling. You know, stretch my wings and all that. But, if you're busy then I can ask Applejack."
"No rainbow. It's fine. I'll race you. Anything for a friend. Not to mention it'll give me something to do other than just walk around ponyville. And, i'll have fun, too!"
"That's the spirit!" said Rainbow. "Now come on. I know just the place."
After that, they flew their way over to Cloudsdale. Specifically, the Wonderbolts academy.
"Here we go. This place has the perfect track for us!" Rainbow said, smiling as she flapped her wings.
Twilight looked around at the long track in front of them. "Um...Rainbow? Don't you think the wonderbolts academy track is a little too...big, for us?"
Rainbow looked at her and facehoofed. "No, Twilight. We'll be flying in the race. Why else would I bring us all the way up to Cloudsdale?"
Twilight thought about it, then facehoofed herself. " Oh, right! What is wrong with me today?"
Twilight felt her mind get cloudy, her stomach start churning, and her nethers were once again burning, however low, with a small hint of desire. Her magic was affecting her body again.
'Oh no! I have to find a way to hide this from Rainbow! I can't let her find out about my magic. Not now. Not like this!'
"Um, Twilight?"
Twilight was broken out of her thoughts by the voice of Rainbow Dash. "Are you okay?"
Twilight looked up to see her inches away from her face. She stepped back from her. "Yes! Yes, i'm fine. Perfectly fine. Let's start the race."
Rainbow didn't quite buy it. "Are you sure you wanna race me? You don't have to if you don't want to, ya know?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Let's go."
"Okay, If this is what you want."
Once they were at the starting line, A feat made possible by Rainbow Dash, who asked Spitfire to set up a race course in exchange for them getting a chance to watch Princess Twilight in the race, they made sure they were completely ready and got into position. Spitfire, who was given the job of counting the race down, stood in between the two.
"Racers! Take your positions!" She gave them time to right themselves. Time which Twilight gratefully used to take a deep, highly needed, breath.
"Ready...set...go!"
And off they went, into the air and off into the distance, zig-zagging through hoops and clouds, hurdling over poles, and diving into a stop at the end.
Or at least one of them did. Twilight, while on the way down in her dive to the end, gave in to the feeling her wings gave her as she flew and crashed into a cloud a few feet away from the ending platform.
Rainbow Dash immediately helped her up and took her off the course, heading down to the field. Some of the other Wonderbolts offered to help, but she shooed them off and stayed with Twilight as the rest of them left for the academy.
Twilight was dazed as she got up off the ground and stood, wobbling a bit before she fully got her bearings, or at least enough to be able to lock eyes with Rainbow Dash, who was in her face once more.
"I knew something was up with you."
Twilight managed to shake off her daze and give Rainbow an answer. "No, Rainbow wait, you don't understand."
"Why did you tell me you were fine, when you clearly weren't?"
Rainbow had stopped flying, and was now on the ground, walking towards Twilight.
Twilight tried to answer. "Rainbow please. It was nothing. It was just a wrong turn."
"No, it wasn't. You know how I know? Because you were right there with me when the finish line showed up. Why are trying to hide something from me?"
Twilight considered her for a moment. "Fine. I'll tell you. But I can't tell you here."
"Fine. Then why don't we go to my house?"
"Your house?"
"Yeah. your house isn't that far away, but this is Cloudsdale. My house is literally as close as you can get to the wonderbolts academy. Come on, i'll show you."
With that they both made their way to Rainbow's place.
Once one the front steps, Rainbow opened the doors to her rather large home and looked back at Twilight. "See, I told you we'd be here in a flash."
With that they went inside and sat down upon the couches in her home.
"Now tell me what's up."
"Alright fine." said Twilight. She sighed in defeat before she began.
"I have this...strange illness."
"What? You're sick Twilight? Why didn't you say something sooner?! I could've-"
"It's not that kind of illness, Rainbow! In fact, It's not an illness at all. I thought it was at first, but I went to see Celestia, and she told me that it's just my magic."
"Your magic?"
"Yes. She told me that my magic was evolving, and that until it was done, I would get some strange side effects."
"Side effects like what happened outside?"
"Yes."
"But, do you know what they are? What exactly happened out there."
"I...I came."
Rainbow was silent for a while. She looked Twilight right in the eyes. She stared so long that it made Twilight uncomfortable. "Um....Rainbow...?"
"You what?"
Twilight nearly fell over. "You didn't understand what I said? I...guess I 'll say it again. But only once more."
She took a deep breath, and spoke. "I crashed into that cloud...because...I came."
Rainbow understood this time, she could see it in her face. She waited for her response. And was surprised to get laughing.
"Wait, wait wait! Let me get this straight. You made all that fuss, looked super nervous the entire time, started the race, kept up with me, the fastest pegasus in all of equestria, but then you lost and crashed because you came in mid-air?!"
Twilight blushed and looked away. "Yes..."
It took a while for Rainbow to compose herself. But when she did she said, "You must really love flying."
"Rainbow, this is not time for jokes!" came Twilight's voice.
Rainbow laughed again. "Sorry Twilight. It's just...I can't believe it. I love flying. It's literally who I am. But i've never had an orgasm while flying before. How did it feel?"
"It felt amazing, but that's not the point!" Twilight yelled, getting yet another chuckle from her friend.
"relax, Twi. I won't judge you. You know ive always got your back."
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry."
"Its fine. So, do your powers affect anything else?"
"Yes. I usually feel dizzy, and my stomach hurts, and my chest, too. But there are good things too. Sometimes I feel really good. But no matter what other effects it has, there always seems to be one that sticks."
"What is it?" Rainbow asked.
"Whenever I get like this i'm always horny. The reason why that happened during the race was because my magic was sending pleasure to my wings."
Rainbow seemed to think about that one for a while, but then she said,
"Alright, I get that."
Twilight was shocked. "Y-you do?"
"Yes."
Then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, Twilight."
"Yes?"
"You said whenever you get like this, you're always horny right?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Yes, good. Wait what?!"
Rainbow stood up, and walked over to Twilight. "It's good that that's one of the side effects. Because I think It's affecting me too."
Twilight thought about this for a moment. Too bad it was that exact moment that Rainbow chose to strip naked and climb onto the couch next to her, causing her to look up and see her in all her pegasus glory.
"Yaaahhh! Rainbow what are you doing?!"
Rainbow came closer to Twilight, getting into a crawling position and causing Twilight to have to move back, as she crawled on top of her.
"you have to help me Twilight. I think it may be affecting me as well."
Twilight had to think. Yes, this was actually happening. Her best friend Rainbow was currently naked in front of her, and making sexual advances toward her. The very thought brought a slight blush to her face and she had a fleeting thought to not resist.
Rainbow Dash was pretty. Hell, she was gorgeous, sexy even. And even more so with her clothes off. Would it really be so bad to let this happen? Its not like she didn't like Rainbow Dash. On the contrary, she loved her just as much as she loved her other friends. So If she were to just let Rainbow Dash have her way with her then...
'No! I have to help her! If my magic is affecting my friends, then I have to stop it. But the only way to stop it is...is...'
Oh no. She had to have sex with Rainbow.
"Rainbow...there is a way to help you, but I don't think you'll like it." she said, looking back at her friend and trying her hardest not to stare at the two mounds upon her chest as they jiggled and bounced.
"Well, let's just see if i'll like it or not. What is it?"
"We...have to have sex."
Rainbow stopped her advances for a moment and thought. "I...don't see a problem with that." She smiled.
Twilight on the other hand, did not. "What? But aren't you embarrassed at all?"
"Why would I be? It's with you after all."
Did Twilight hear her right? Was there a chance that...Rainbow Dash, liked her?
"What's the matter? Are 'you' embarrassed Twilight?"
"N-no...I...I..."
"It's alright. I understand completely. Just follow me."
With that, Rainbow brought Twilight up to her room, and laid her on the bed.
"You know Twilight. I should forgive you for not telling me. And I do. You know why?"
Twilight tried to sit up on the bed, but before she could, Rainbow Dash was on top of her, looking her straight in the eye.
"No...why...?" Twilight said, a slight nervous tremble in her voice as Rainbow held her hands down.
Rainbow brought herself down upon Twilight's body, brought her mouth near her her right ear, and said, in a naughty whisper so unlike her usual self that Twilight had to wonder if she was the same Rainbow Dash she knew,
"Because I lied." She licked Twilight's ear, causing a shiver of pleasure to run up her spine. She moaned involuntarily.
Twilight's eyes widened just as Rainbow Dash sat up, prompting Twilight to do the same.
"I was never affected by your magic."
Twilight was stunned into silence. She couldn't believe her ears. "But then, why-"
Twilight was cut off by the sound of clothes being ripped off. She looked down and noticed that all her clothes were gone. But just as she was about to look up at Rainbow Dash again, she felt a light pressure on her wrists, and she was pinned to the bed again, by none other than Rainbow Dash.
"Don't you get it yet?" She whispered into Twilight's ear just before lifting her head up and planting a deep kiss on her lips.
Twilight didn't get it. Not until this. She was still a bit nervous. But all that evaporated as she continued to kiss Rainbow Dash, Who broke the kiss, leaving behind a trail of saliva to show their previous connection.
Twilight looked up at Rainbow's face, to see that she was smiling. But also, crying.
"I love you, you egghead."
She continued to cry, and Twilight continued to watch her, silently. Allowing her friend to voice her grief was the best she could do for her now.
Only when she was done did Twilight move. Holding her friend close to her, she said, "Oh, Rainbow..."
When Rainbow finally managed to pull herself together, she wiped her eyes, sniffed, and grabbed Twilight's arms again, pushing her down to the bed.
"You've always been there for me, Twilight. And now, I'm going to be there for you. Here with you. Just the two of us."
She then lowered her hands and began to gaze and grope at Twilight's body. Her arms her sides, her breasts, her stomach, her hips, her legs her feet. She touched and teased Twilight all over, and then returned to plant another kiss on her lips before coming down to her exposed pussy.
"You're so sexy Twilight..." whispered Rainbow as she licked and sucked on her friend's lower lips, savoring her taste and smell. She then moved even lower and began to lick the soles of her friend's feet. She came back up again, only to plunge her fingers into Twilight's snatch, pulling in and out, in and out.
On the flip side, Twilight was enjoying her friend's ministrations. Rainbow Dash's strange fetish for body worship only seemed to arouse her more. She found herself breathing heavily, and viewing rainbow's many actions through half lidded eyes. She moaned and whimpered as Rainbow Dash began fingering her. She couldn't believe how good she was at this. She could already feel herself reaching climax.
Rainbow Dash came back up for another kiss, but continued thrusting away at Twilight with her fingers. She brought herself down upon Twilight once more and moaned as she felt their nipples press against each other.
Soon, Twilight couldn't take anymore. "Oh no! Rainbow, I'm...cumming!"
And with that she climaxed, releasing her fluids onto Rainbow's fingers. Rainbow brought them to her mouth and licked them clean, enjoying the taste of her lover's arousal.
"You taste good, Twi."
"And so do you, Rainbow."
"Huh?.. Ahhhh....!"
Rainbow looked down from her reverie to find that Twilight had begun her own licking, choosing to bury her tongue inside her friend's pussy at that very moment, causing her to moan in pleasure.
Twilight continued her assault on Rainbow's womanhood, and all she could do was give her a helping hand, using her hands to force her friend's tongue further still inside of her.
She couldn't get enough of this pleasure, and the best part was, it was coming from Twilight. The girl she loved with all her heart and soul. Who knew sex could even be this amazing!
Within seconds she was bucking her hips, falling into a rhythm with her lover's furious tongue lashings.
She came in ten seconds flat and covered Twilight's face in her arousal.
Twilight herself didn't seem to mind too much, as she simply smiled and used to magic to clean up shop before opening her eyes to look at her friend, who smiled back.
"You feel better now?"
"Yep" Rainbow said, planting one last kiss on Twilight's lips.
"Thank you for understanding, Rainbow." Twilight said as she lay back on her lover's bed.
"No problem. I'll always be here for you, Princess."
Twilight opened her eyes at that. None of her friends ever called her princess, even if she was one.
She looked over at Rainbow and Could've sworn she saw just a hint of purple flash in her cutie mark before it disappeared. |
Twilight Sparkle: The Princess of Friendship With Benefits | Friendship and Kindness/ Fluttershy/Flutterbat | After their first round, Twilight and Rainbow spent the entire morning together. Twilight was now well aware of Rainbow's love for her, and the same could be said for Twilight's feelings for her. Twilight on the other hand still couldn't believe that Rainbow, the girl who ate, slept, and breathed everything awesome, would, let alone could, fall head over heels in love with a girl who was the complete opposite of her.
Rainbow was a headstrong girl with a lovely figure, a love for sports and a passion for speed and flying, whereas Twilight, while no pushover in the body department, preferred literary pursuits and had a passion for knowledge. This being the case, she found it hard to believe that something like this could even be possible. And yet, here it was, right in front of her. In the form of a morning spent in the company of the one whose feelings she had no doubt returned in full only moments before.
With that thought in mind, she found herself wondering about her other friends. Would they share the same feelings for her as Rainbow?
She looked back at her speedy friend and smiled. 'I'd be the luckiest girl alive if that were true.'
A few minutes later she heard stirring, and watched as Rainbow slowly opened her eyes, finally awake. After their little adventure earlier, Rainbow had opted to take a nap, a sentiment shared by Twilight, who had joined her, only to wake up a whole hour earlier than she had.
Twilight was surprised that Rainbow could sleep for so long. But, given her job, she assumed it was necessary. Being a wonderbolt had to take a lot out of you, after all.
Rainbow yawned, sitting up. "Morning, Twi."
"Morning, sleepyhead." came her reply. She smiled at her. "How was your nap?"
"Five more minutes and it would've been perfect."
Twilight giggled. "Oh you silly girl. So! What are you gonna do? Got any plans for today?"
Rainbow looked over at Twilight., her eyes half-lidded. "Does sleeping another four hours count as a plan?"
Twilight giggled again. "You know it doesn't, Rainbow."
To the slight surprise of Twilight, Rainbow smirked. Then she leaned over and laid her head on Twilight's lap, causing her to give a light blush.
"Then why can't I just spend the rest of the day with you?"
Twilight thought about this. "But, but I..."
Rainbow turned her head to look up at Twilight from in her lap. "Come on Twi. You know you want to~"
To an extent, this was true. She did want to. The idea of staying here, being with Rainbow, did appeal to her. But she had promised.
"What about Spike? Don't you think he'd be worried if his caretaker left him?"
"What about Spike?" came Rainbow's reply. "I'm sure he can take care of himself for at least a day."
And then, Rainbow sat up and turned toward Twilight, replacing her head with her hands as she placed them in Twilight's lap, crawling ever closer to her. When she was sure she was close enough, she grabbed Twilight's shoulders and sat in her lap, hugging her body close to her and whispering in her ear.
"I want to be with you, Twi. Don't you want to be with me?"
Twilight felt slight guilt at the look on Rainbow's face. She had to say something. She grabbed Rainbow's shoulders and gently pushed her upright.
"Yes I do. And I promise I will be. We'll always be together, Rainbow. You know that. We're best friends. And now, you're my lover. I have to go. But we'll see each other again. After all, We all live in the same town!"
Rainbow seemed to take this news well. At once, her mood brightened and she grinned up at Twilight.
"Right? How could I forget that?"
She sniffed a bit and got up out of bed. Walking around to pick up all the clothes that had found their way to the floor during their many explorations in sex.
Turns out, Rainbow was just as much of a virgin as Twilight had been only days before.
"I guess i'll see you around, huh?" Rainbow said, turning to give another bright smile to her friend. "You'd better keep your promise. Come see me every now and then, okay? We can get naughty all over again."
At that, Twilight laughed out loud. "Alright Rainbow. Don't worry. I'll keep my promise. See you later."
And with that, Twilight made her way out of her friend's home, and back down to the market to continue her original mission of finding a present for Spike. She was sure that by now he would have long since gotten over the teasing earlier this morning, so she decided that she would get him a 'thank you' present instead of an 'i'm sorry' one.
As she made her way through the town shops once again, she spotted a gem shop not too far off from where she was standing.
Knowing that Spike was a dragon, and that dragons ate gems, she decided to get him some, just as a way to show her appreciation for everything he had ever done for her over the years.
She made her way over to the gem shop and browsed over the colorful assortment of precious items before her. As she did so, the woman at the counter noticed she was there and gave a cheerful greeting.
"Well, hello, there, miss! What can I get for you today?"
"I came to buy gems. I'm getting them as a present."
"Oh! Got a special somepony now do ya? That's wonderful."
"Yes it is. It really is." Twilight said, thinking of just how wonderful Spike was to her.
"Tell you what. You tell me how many you came to buy, and i'll give you a special discount just for the occasion!"
"Really? Thank you so much."
"No need to thank me, dear. Just go show that stallion how much you love him. And tell him hi for me."
"I will! Give me five of them!"
"You got it! Now let's see here..." The saleswoman thought, trying to see if she could remember the prices well enough. When she found it, she shouted, "Ah-ha!" and looked back at her customer.
"Five gems, right?"
"Yes ma'am."
"That's around four bits, but i'll drop it to two just for you. Here you are, dear." The woman placed the gems in a bag and slid them over to her on the counter.
Twilight took them up in her magic and paid the fee, leaving the shop with a, "Thank you!" to the clerk as she left.
On her way back to the castle, she spotted Fluttershy at one of the stalls, and decided to go say hi.
She walked over to the cream skinned girl and tapped her on her shoulder.
The timid girl gave a quiet, "eep!" of fear and turned around to see who had touched her. When she saw Twilight, she relaxed.
"Oh, it's just you Twilight. I thought it might've been a monster, or a burglar, or a-"
"Relax Fluttershy. Do you really think a burglar would try to steal something in broad daylight?"
Fluttershy thought on this a moment. "No, I suppose not."
"Exactly, so there's nothing wrong. Hey, Fluttershy, what are you at the market for?"
"Well, Twilight, you know me. I've got to feed my animals. I should be asking you that. I rarely see you come out to the market for anything."
"Yeah. I usually send Spike to do it. But this time, I wanted to let him stay home. That, and I wanted to just get out of the castle for a while. It's just so boring in there sometimes, you know? Even Spike said we didn't really get out much."
"Oh really? It must be true if you both agreed so easily."
"What do you mean by that, Fluttershy?" said Twilight confused. "Do you think we don't get along?"
"No, that's not what I meant at all. It's just..I thought that since you both said something about it, then there must be some truth to it right?"
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Twilight said after a bit of silence between them. "Hey, do you want to come with me to the castle? I'm planning a surprise for Spike."
"What kind of surprise is it?"
"It's this!" And with that she lifted the bag, opening it up to show the contents.
"Gems! Oh, Spike's going to be so happy!"
"You think so?"
"Oh yes I do. Dragons love gems!"
"That they do, Fluttershy. That they do." said Twilight, a smirk on her face. "And i'm sure he'd love it if you came along. So how about it? Want to come to the castle?"
"You're inviting me, really?" Fluttershy said excitedly.
"Of course I am, you're my best friend, Fluttershy. Why wouldn't I invite you?"
"Oh I don't know. Maybe you thought I would just ruin everything with how timid I am."
"Nonsense, Fluttershy. Of course you can come!"
"Well, in that case, I'd love to come!"
And with that, they walked back to the castle, side by side. Twilight noticed that with each step , Fluttershy got a little closer to her. In fact, just before they had made it all the way to the castle, their wings were touching and Fluttershy had bumped into her twice.
Twilight opened the door to her castle, a smile on her face as she said, "Come on in!"
Once inside, the two of them looked around. Well, Fluttershy did. Where Fluttershy was taking in the castle for the umpteenth time in a row, Twilight was looking for Spike. Every few minutes, she would call out for him.
"Wow. No matter how many times I come here, It's always so beautiful!" Fluttershy said as she stared in awe at all the crystal around her.
"I suppose that's fair. It is made of crystal after all. Spike and I have gotten so used to this place its like a second home."
Fluttershy took note of the 'second' in that sentence, and her cheerful expression, fell.
"I-i'm sorry Twilight. I brought up bad memories didn't I?"
Twilight turned to her. "Oh, no, did I say something weird? I'm such a scatterbrain sometimes."
"You don't have to hide it, Twilight. I can tell." came Fluttershy's voice. Rather than high and timid, it was kind and gentle. Twilight couldn't help thinking back to when Fluttershy had gotten the element of kindness. Back then, she truly embodied the element through and through, which is why it chose her in the first place. And now, even all these years later, she still did. It was very comforting to know her friend hadn't changed from the mare she was all those years ago. Although, there was a slight change in her that she was proud to see. She was less timid.
Twilight stopped reminiscing and answered her, trying to reassure her that everything was fine and that she was okay.
"It's fine, Fluttershy, I swear. It's not that big a problem. I'm fine. See?" Twilight smiled, but Fluttershy didn't buy it.
"You're upset Twilight. I can see it in your face. Stop trying to hold it in, and just let go."
Fluttershy got up, walked over to Twilight, and hugged her close. "I know you miss your tree home. It held so many memories. From all the books you read there, to all the knowledge you gained. All the friendship lessons you've learned. All the letters to and from Princess Celestia. Not to mention the memories. All our fun times together."
Twilight, in the middle of all of this, had buried her face in Fluttershy's chest. It was only when she finished speaking did she look up.
"What are you talking about? That's not what i'm thinking about at-"
But she couldn't hide it. Even as she said this, she began tearing up, and buried her face back in Fluttershy's chest, unable to bear the weight of her words. She had indeed stirred up memories from back then. They were horrible, terrible memories sure, but there were some good ones in there as well. It was these, these good times, that hurt her the most. She would never have those again. Not for as long as she lived. And that would be a very long time.
She finally looked back up at Fluttershy."All those memories. Gone! All because of Tirek and his stupid quest for power!"
Fluttershy simply stroked her hair. "I know, Twilight. I know."
After she had finished crying, Twilight let go of her friend and continued walking down the hallways, resuming her calls for Spike.
"Spike! Hey, Spike, are you there? If you are, answer me!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Twilight relax! I'm right here!" She heard his voice coming from down the hall, and saw him as he entered the hallway they were now on.
"Where's the fire, huh?" He smiled at his own joke.
"Where were you? We've been looking for you everywhere!" said Twilight, a slight pout on her face.
"Whoa there. Sorry, Twi. I just went to go and get you something. Rather, make you something."
Twilight's expression softened at this. "Aw, Spike..." She kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much. I've got something for you too. Isn't that right, Fluttershy?"
At the mention of her name, Fluttershy gave a start and looked around frantically.
Twilight sighed. "Fluttershy, the present."
"Oh! Yes!"
Spike just looked confused. "Present?"
Twilight smirked. "Just follow me okay?"
"Alright. If you say so. Lead the way."
"Thank you, Spike."
And with that they left. Fluttershy however, could not get what she just saw out of her head. 'Did Twilight...just kiss Spike? Does this mean what I think it means? But wait! He's her assistant, and it was just a kiss on the cheek. Ohhh, but still...I'm gonna have a hard time getting my feelings across if that's the- Wait! What am I thinking? I don't have feelings for Twilight! We're just friends. Aren't we? ohhh...'
Fluttershy put her head down, she was really confused about this.
Twilight noticed this, but chose not to say anything at the moment.
Once they were inside the dining room, where Twilight had left the bag of gems on the table, they all st down, and waited.
"Okay, Spike. It's time to open your present."
Spike got up and stretched. "Alright then. Let's see what this thing is, shall we?"
He tore open the bag to reveal the gems. He almost started Crying. "Twilight, you didn't!"
"Oh, but I did. I know that you haven't been getting to eat proper dragon food, and I wanted to get you a little something to show you just how much I appreciate you."
"Oh, thank you, Twilight! I love you!" He walked over and kissed her deeply. A kiss which Twilight returned in kind.
Fluttershy, having been witness to this at least twice now, was blushing furiously.
The two of them on the other hand, were lost in each other and didn't notice her embarrassment until Twilight opened her eyes and looked over at her.
She broke the kiss, looking back at her and saying, "S-sorry about that, Fluttershy. It must be weird seeing that."
"Oh no not at all!" came her quick reply. "It's just, I never expected you two to get together is all."
"I didn't either at first." said Spike. "But when it happened, I was beyond glad it did."
"ahhh...I see..." Fluttershy said in understanding. She smiled in happiness at her friends' own. But there was also something else. A slight ache in her heart.
'What...what is this feeling?'
"Anyway," Twilight's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "So, Spike, what did you get me? You said you made it?"
"Yep! But you're gonna have to wait until Tonight to see it."
"Oh? And what does that mean?" she said, giving him a seductive look.
"You'll know soon enough. Trust me. It's great."
"I can't wait to see it then."
Twilight stopped her flirting to look over at Fluttershy, who, upon noticing that she was being watched, hid her face behind her hair and put her head down, trying to hide her embarrassment again.
Twilight let go of Spike and walked over to her. She put a hand on her cheek. This caused her to look up at her friend. "Fluttershy...i'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."
Fluttershy quickly straightened herself up, stood up, and said, "No, that's not it at all, I swear! I...I..." She couldn't finish. She simply sat back down and held her head down, a frown on her face.
Twilight noticed that same look in her eyes. She looked at Spike and he nodded. She knew what she had to do.
"Hey, Fluttershy?"
She looked up from her hands, which had been planted on her face for a while to hide her shame.
"Why don't you come upstairs with me?" She grabbed her arm and motioned for her to follow.
The two made their way upstairs to her room. Once there, they closed the door behind them. Only, Fluttershy didn't notice that Twilight had locked it.
"T-twilight? Why did you bring me to your room?" Fluttershy said with a slightly shaking voice.
"Fluttershy, I know you like me." Twilight said surprising Fluttershy.
"What? H-how?"
"How did I know?" Twilight walked around Fluttershy until she was in front of her, then turned to face her. She bent over slightly so that she was inches away from her face. She smiled sweetly at her.
Fluttershy could only blush and stare wide eyed at her as she said,
"Fluttershy, It's obvious. Every time you see me with Spike, it makes you really upset, doesn't it?"
Fluttershy only nodded.
"You don't have to hide it. You helped me get over my problem, and now it's my turn to help you. So tell me what's wrong."
Fluttershy took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and spoke. "It's just that...everytime I see the two of you, my chest gets all tight, and I don't know why. Or at least, I thought I didn't."
"What do you mean, Fluttershy?"
"I...I was jealous. Jealous that Spike had you when I didn't. It made me feel terrible, and at first I didn't know why, but...but I do now. You were right Twilight. I do like you. I really like you. I really really like you. I don't know why it took me this long to realize it. I guess i've been burying my feelings and ignoring them. But..when I saw you with Spike. They must've resurfaced. All this time...All this time we've been friends. All the things you've done for me. All the times you helped me. I could never repay them, no matter how hard I try. You're my friend, Twilight, but...I want us to be more than that. More than just friends."
Twilight smiled. Here was the truth.
"M-my heart aches for you, Twilight. It really does. And the more I see you two together, the more I wish it was me with you instead."
Fluttershy hung her head. "Does that make me a bad person?"
Twilight lifted her chin with a finger. "No, It doesn't, Fluttershy. You have a person you like. that's all there is to it. this feeling is very normal. And to be honest Fluttershy...
She let her words trail off before she planted a deep kiss on Fluttershy's lips. One which, after some time, she returned, gripping Twilight's shirt to deepen the kiss further.
They continued to kiss, fluttershy groping and grabbing and just plain gripping at as much of Twliight's body as she could reach until they reached the bed, falling onto it with Twilight on top.
When they finally broke the kiss, Fluttershy asked. "But, but what about Spike?"
"Oh, him? He's right over there." Twilight pointed to the top left corner of the room, prompting Fluttershy to look there and see none other than Spike himself, standing there, watching them.
"Uh...Twilight, What's going on?"
"About that. I noticed you had feelings for me when you first saw me and spike together. And so we thought, that we could give you what you wanted. But of course, Spike is with me, so he was included as well."
Fluttershy's eyes widened as Twilight continued.
"There's something affecting my body Fluttershy. My magic is growing stronger and it's making me have these urges. Not that i didn't have them even before this happened."
Fluttershy was confused. All this was actually happening, and Twilight had desired her all along?
"I need to have sex to make them stop, and so we thought you could help."
Fluttershy was starting to understand.
"Of course, that's not to say I don't like you. See?"
Twilight removed her clothes, all of them, and showed Fluttershy her arousal.
"I got this way just from being this close to you. I've always wanted to do this, but like you, i've been hiding away my feelings. Burying them."
Twilight kissed her again. "How about we both stop lying to ourselves and just let it all out."
"No wait, Twilight, I- mmm...!"
Twilight had planted yet another kiss on her lips as she began to remove her clothes.
Despite her obvious chance to stop her, Fluttershy did not move. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't deny what she wanted, and she wanted this. Really bad.
She pushed through her embarrassment long enough to say just one thing. "Please be gentle, okay?"
"Of course." was all Twilight said as she removed the final piece of Fluttershy's clothing. Her panties.
Twilight looked her up and down. Fluttershy's breasts were as big, if not bigger than hers, and she had a rather plump body type. She had thick thighs and her ass...
Twilight slipped her hands under Fluttershy's legs and up to her ass cheeks. They felt soft and warm, and her hands sunk in just a bit.
She licked her lips. "Perfect."
Twilight began her onslaught, groping Fluttershy and teasing her nipples. This caused Fluttershy to moan and whimper slightly. But Twilight wasn't done. She brought her hand down to her friend's snatch and her mouth down to her breasts, licking and sucking on her other nipple. She also used her hand to finger FLuttershy's hole.
All the stimulation caused Fluttershy to lose her composure, as she began moaning lewdly and thrashing about, bucking her hips and falling into a rhythm with Twilight's fingers.
"Ahhh! Ohhh! Twilight, please don't stop! It feels so good!"
Twilight was happy to oblige and continued her movements. She loved the reactions she got from pleasing Fluttershy, she was so cute. All the faces she made, the moaning, the thrashing. It was like she'd never been touched before.
Twilight had to voice this thought. "Um...fluttershy? Have you never pleasured yourself before?"
Fluttershy blushed, but answered none the less. "N-no...I've always...kept myself pure, just for you, Twilight."
Twilight's eyes widened. 'She's been...waiting for this day for so long, and I never realized. She was waiting...for me. Well, Fluttershy, you don't have to wait anymore. I'll give you what you wanted. What you've always wanted.'
She lowered herself to face fluttershy's snatch. She admired it for a moment before licking it and burying her tongue deep inside. She began swirling her tongue around inside.
Fluttershy on the other hand, had lost all sense of resistance with that one lick. She was now bucking her hips more and more and gripping Twilight's head with her hands. She was close. Twilight could tell. But, just before she could cum, everything stopped.
Twilight looked up from her position, and saw that Fluttershy had her eyes closed. When she reopened them, their usual blue, had been replaced with red. Flutterbat had come out to play.
Removing Twilight's head from her snatch, she switched positions. Now she was the one on top.
"Twilight...Sparkle." she said in a low whisper. Her voice was similar to Fluttershy's, only with more...authority.
She eyed the princess' naked form up and down, leaning in to kiss her deeply. Once she broke the kiss, she said, "Allow me to repay this kindness with some of my own."
She then kissed her again and eyed her body once more. She began to grope her. Her grip was soft, yet wild. Gentle, yet aggressive.
She was going slowly, but it was clear that she still held a strong desire to fuck, Twilight.
A fact shown when she began to lower herself upon Twilight, planting yet another kiss on her lips.
'Jeez. She must really love kisses.' Thought Twilight as Flutterbat began to grind upon her snatch, letting out breathy moans and little whimpers as she did so. Twilight joined her soon, unable to hold back anymore as she moaned as well, thrashing about just like how Fluttershy had moments before.
Twilight noticed that she preferred being close to her partners, because she had yet to rise from her place pressed against her body.
Twilight didn't mind though. In fact, she relished in the thought of being this close to one of her friends. It brought a feeling upon her that if she was still the emotionally blind filly she had been back at Celestia's school, she wouldn't have recognized as love.
Flutterbat planted yet more kisses upon her as she stood up, grabbing Twilight by her legs and positioning her own so that she stood sideways over her friend.
She then began to grind her dripping pussy against Twilight's own, causing Twilight to all but lose her mind as she let out a loud, lewd, unrestricted moan of pleasure.
"N-no...fluttershy, stop it... It's too much."
"I will not." came her reply. "Not until I have repaid your kindness with pleasures beyond your imagination!"
And so, the alter ego of Fluttershy made good on her word, grinding and grinding until she brought her lover to climax.
Twilight was out of it. The pleasure was too much, She had cum so hard it felt as though she might pass out. And it had only stopped when flutterbat had planted another kiss on her lips. But this kiss was different. This kiss..had magic. All the love, all the feelings Fluttershy kept locked up inside, churning and boiling inside her heart, flowed into Twilight from this one kiss. All the fantasies, the blushing, the longing looks and lustful dreams. she knew it all now.
And it was with that kiss, that their night ended, and they all fell asleep for the night. |
Twilight Sparkle: The Princess of Friendship With Benefits | Friendship and Generosity/Rarity | After her night with Fluttershy, Twilight woke up in her bed. Or at least she thought it was her bed. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something felt...off. Not in a bad way. Just...different.
She sat up and looked around. She wasn't hot. In fact, it was set at a very comfortable temperature in her room thanks to that thermocontrol spell she cast a week ago, so that couldn't be it. Her magic wasn't acting up again, and hasn't been for the longest time, thanks to her friends, so that isn't it either. There was only one thing left to check, and that was...wait. Where was spike?
The last place she remembered seeing him was propped up against the wall, watching her and Fluttershy have sex.
She turned her head to look there, thinking that he had fallen asleep in the corner, and was surprised to see that he wasn't there.
'Oh no...where could he be?' She looked around again. Then, when she finally looked down, preparing to give up and wait until he decided to show up himself like last time, she saw him.
She turned her head to her side and there he was, softly snoring away in bed with her. She smiled. 'There you are' She kissed his cheek. But that still left one question.
'If everything is fine, what is this strange feeling I keep getting?' And then she looked down again, and she knew.
"My bed sheets! They're-"
"Bout time you noticed." said a voice to her left. She turned to see Spike smiling at her. "I've been waiting all day just to surprise you with this."
"This was my surprise?"
"Yep. Brand new bed personalized sheets."
Twilight looked down one last time to examine them. The sheets had her cutie mark sown into them from purple cloth.
She was stunned. "Oh wow, Spike. Thank you."
"Thank Rarity. She's the one who put it all together. I just gave her the idea."
"The fact that you even thought to make me this is enough, Spike."
"I always think about you, Twi."
"And that's why I love you." She kissed him full on the lips this time. A kiss that was returned in kind from her dragon lover.
"And look here." He pointed to the center of the sheets, where a big purple star adorned the center of the bed. But, in the center of the star was...
"A green gem!"
"Yep. Now you can have a little piece of me with you every time you lay in bed."
"Aww..."
They kissed again, Twilight too happy to do anything else. But then she got an idea. "Wait. You said Rarity made these right?"
"Yep! Why?"
"I need to thank her for this. And I think I know how~" Twilight gave a naughty smile. One which Spike noticed.
"Oh no...You're not having sex with Rarity without inviting me. You know how I used to be about her."
"Of course, Spike. I would never let you miss out on the chance to finally get what you've always wanted." Twilight looked back at him and smiled as she said this.
"Good."
"But first, breakfast! Spike!" Twilight jumped out of bed, surprising the drake as he hadn't been expecting her sudden movement.
"Huh? What? Oh right! On it, Twi!"
The dragon got up quickly, following his lover downstairs to the dining room and taking his place in the kitchen to make them both breakfast.
"You know, Spike," came Twilight's voice, as she stood up, making her way towards him. "I could help you out in the kitchen." She put her arms around his waist and nibbled his ear, causing him to blush. "You don't have to do all the work by yourself." She let her hands roam across his shirt, resting on his chest. "I just know it must be tiring."
Spike's face was flushed as he turned as far as her position behind him would allow him to and said, "No, it's fine Twilight. It's not tiring at all. I love cooking for us. For you."
"Oh, I get it." Twilight said, letting go of him and backing away, putting her hands to her face and sniffling. "You don't need me anymore."
Spike was shocked. How could Twilight think that? "No, Twi. That's not it, I...!"
"You don't want to be with me anymore. I know. Ever since you met Ember, all you've been thinking about was her. You haven't had time for me anymore. You never have had any time for me. It's all been about her, hasn't it?"
"Twilight, please! Listen to me. That's not it, I swea-"
Boop.
Spike scrunched up his nose at the sudden feeling. "Uh, Twi. What's going on?"
"Relax, Spike. It was just a little teasing." She smiled.
Spike sighed. "You really had me worried there for a second, you know?"
"I'm sorry, Spike. You're just so cute sometimes that I can't resist."
"Well, please try harder."
"Besides," Twilight suddenly said, causing Spike to go silent again. "I meant it. The cooking. I really want to help. I know you're my assistant, Spike, but... You work for me everyday nonstop without any complaints. You organize the library, you take my letters, you cook for me. I mean, just this morning you got me new bed sheets. I feel like i'm taking advantage of your kindness to me."
Spike stared at her, tears threatening to fall from his face. "Twilight, no...I really don't mind helping you. that's what an assistant does after all. "
"But that's exactly the point Spike! I've been treating you like an assistant, and not like a friend. Like...a lover"
"Aww, Twilight...fine. If you want to help me, you can help me. It''d be wrong of me not to let you repay me if you really want to."
"Really? I can do it?"
"Yep. Go right ahead." Spike nodded. "But Twilight," At the sound of her name, she looked up. "don't forget. I owe you more than I could ever repay. You raised me ever since I was a little dragon. I am who I am, because of you."
"Aww, Spike." She walked up to him. At this point, he had stopped his cooking and had turned around. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You little foal. I should be saying that to you." She got closer, so that her mouth was right next to his ear.
"Don't you know? You were my first friend." She moved back from his ear and kissed him deeply. A kiss which he returned in full.
But, as they broke the kiss, a certain smell wafted towards Spike's nostrils. "Twilight, what is that?"
She could smell it too. "I don't know, Spike. Maybe it's..."
"Oh no, don't tell me!" He turned around and saw, in the pan, burning...
"My cooking!" He fell to his knees, and in his most dramatic voice screamed, "Noooo!"
After Spike threw away and then remade their breakfast, with Twilight's help of course, They both ate in a comfortable silence.
When they were finished, Twilight stood up and stretched, a smile on her face. Spike noticed this and spoke up.
"Well, someone's in a good mood this morning."
"Of course I am, Spike. Did you forget what were going to do?"
Spike sighed, a smiled coming to his face as well. "Oh right. Rarity's 'thank you gift'." Spike stood up as well. "Well, I'm ready. Are you?"
"You know it."
With that, they made their way to the fashionista's home, naughty deeds in mind.
Once at Rarity's home, the two knocked and waited. After a moment, they heard footsteps on the other side of the door, and soon, the door opened to reveal Rarity in all her glory.
"Oh! Twilight! Spike. What are you two doing here this early? Come in, come in!"
And so, in they walked, led by Rarity, who closed the door when they were all inside, turning back to them to ask.
"To whatever do I owe the pleasure, darlings? Surely, you didn't come over this early just to visit little old me? Did you?"
"Actually, Rarity." Twilight spoke up. "That's exactly why we came. Well, that and...we wanted to thank you for the sheets you made for me. Thank you so much for helping Spike make them for me."
"Oh nonsense. Think nothing of it. You know i'd be happy to make anything for my friends."
Twilight could've sworn she heard her say, "Especially for you." Under her breath.
Twilight thought that now would be a perfect time to execute their plan. "Say, Rarity-"
"Oh my gosh! Now where are my manners. I forgot to make tea for everyone. Twilight you should've told me you were coming. That way I could've been prepared!"
With that she shot off towards her kitchen, leaving Twilight with a wide eyed expression as well as a gaping mouth, which spike was happy to close for her.
"Okaaaay. That was awkward."
"Tell me about it." said Spike. "She didn't even look at me."
Twilight gave him a playful glare and nudged his arm. "Cheater."
"Slutty Princess."
"Hey!"
"Sorry."
"Well, it's true. I suppose i have become a bit...loose, these days."
"A bit?"
She glared at him for real this time.
"Aww, come on. I said I was sorry, geez!"
"I forgive you Spike. It was only a joke after all." She kissed his cheek.
Spike sighed in relief just as Rarity came back with the tea. Setting the tray down on the table, she sat down on the table next to Twilight.
Twilight took note of the fact that she had opted to sit really close to her. She tried to enact her plan again.
"Hey, Rarity?"
"Yes, dear?" She turned to them, a smile on her face
"Since you helped us out like that, Spike and I were thinking...maybe we could...give you something in return?"
"Oh there's no need for that. I did that because you're my friends, not because I expected anything in return."
"We know and we thank you so much, but it'll only be fair for me to give you something in return for your efforts."
"Well, I suppose if you must insist. What exactly did you have in mind, darling?"
"Let's go up to your room and i'll show you. If that's alright with you of course."
"Darling of course it is! Follow me. I'll take you right up."
With that, they all made their way up to her room, Rarity closing the door behind them. She turned to face them. "Now, what was it you had in mind dea- Oh my Celestia, what are you both doing?!"
Rarity turned around to find that both Twilight and Spike were stripping naked in her room. Twilight answered her question.
"Oh? Did we not tell you? Our thank you to you...is sex."
Rarity stood for a moment transfixed. shocked by what she had just seen, and the words she had just heard. Then, once that was done, she fainted.
"Uh Oh." said Spike. "I think we came on a little too strongly."
A few moments later, Rarity woke up to find herself back on her couch, looking up at her ceiling. "Ugh, my head."
"Rarity, you're awake!" said a voice she couldn't quite recognize yet. That is until she saw Twilight's face come into view above her.
"Ahhh! Twilight! You....you and Spike, you were...naked." Twilight could see where this was going, and decided to stop it before it got out of hand.
She held Rarity's hand, and looked her dead in the eyes. " Don't pass out again, Rarity. Stay with us. Come on."
A few moments later, Rarity was sitting up on her couch, looking into the eyes of both of her friends.
"What were you two thinking, Springing that on me like that. Of all the things to do!"
Twilight spoke up. "Rarity, we're sorry we made you faint, but we wanted to see what you would say to a round with us."
"Well, I never. You could've just asked instead you know. Although, such a question is, a little..."
"Exactly." This time it was Spike who spoke up. "That's why we did it the way we did, so that you wouldn't have to feel so embarrassed."
"Really? Did you really believe that randomly stripping in front of me out of the blue 'wouldn't' make me faint?"
The two hung their heads. Then Rarity said,
"Still, I must admit. If I fainted it wasn't out of embarrassment."
This shocked the two of them. Mostly Spike, who said, "Wait. What?!"
"That's right, you heard me. I didn't faint because I was embarrassed that I saw you. I fainted because I was...overwhelmed."
"Overwhelmed? Why?" Twilight had a confused look on her face as she said this.
"Well, the truth is, I...I..." Rarity closed her eyes. 'Well, this isn't exactly how I imagined confessing my feelings but...Oh well.'
"I like you, Twilight."
All was silent. Not a sound was made. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Until Twilight said, "You like me?"
"That what I said. I Rarity, like you, Twilight Sparkle. And I mean as more than a friend. Obviously."
Twilight looked at her friend in slight shock. All she could say was, "When?"
"Since a very, very long time ago." Rarity said, crossing her arms and giving a glare of determination. If the truth was getting out. Better now than never.
"Twilight, I've loved you for so long that I can't even recall when it began. It had just been so long that I had believed you would never return my feelings, let alone realize I possessed any for you. And so I settled with simply being one of your good friends, and helping you whenever you needed it. I figured that if I could at least be of use to you, then my love would eventually be noticed."
The two sat and listened as Rarity told them about her secret love.
"Rarity, I never knew you felt this way about me."
Rarity sighed. "No, I suppose not, what with me being such a coward that I couldn't even tell you. You must think i'm terrible."
Twilight got up and walking over to her friend, cupping her face in her hands and staring into her eyes. Theses sudden actions caused them both to blush.
"Rarity, no... You're a wonderful person, as well as a wonderful friend. I just wish I could've realized sooner."
Rarity said, "I wish you had as well. It would have made this much less embarrassing."
"Well then, let me make it up to you. What do you say we head back upstairs and do this the right way."
"What? Twlight!"
Twilight backed away. "No?"
Rarity smiled a naughty smile and kissed her on the lips. "I never said hat, now did I?"
With that, the three were back upstairs, clothing removed and pushed to the side in favor of their own naked bodies.
Rarity was suddenly in deep thought, until she said, "Hold on, Darling. If we're going to be doing this, I think this requires something a bit more fitting."
"Fitting? What do you mean, Rarity?" Twilight said, confused.
She giggled at the question. "Oh you'll see."
With that she left the room, lelaving Twilight and Spike to stand there waiting.
It was a few moments before she came back. And Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. Rarity had come back wearing a french maid uniform.
"There we are! I feel so much better."
Spike spoke up. "Uh..Rarity? Is that a...?"
"Yes it is Spike dear. I made it just for such an occasion. Now..." She looked up at Twilight. "I've always wanted to be of service to you. Now I can do it properly. Isn't that right, Princess? Or, would you prefer I called you Mistress?"
Twilight didn't know how to respond. She stood in shock. Utter disbelief. Here she was, standing in front of Rarity, the same girl who just put on a maid uniform and subjected herself to Twilight's every whim and desire without a second thought.
"What's wrong Princess. Don't you have any orders for your servant?"
Twilight couldn't believe her ears, but she had to say something. "Sorry. I'm just not used to being called that."
"I did say that I could call you mistress. Would you prefer that name?"
Strangely, she did. "Yes, please call me that for now."
"As you wish mistress. Would the master and mistress like to begin, or would you prefer I pick something for myself? I could pleasure myself as you both watch if that is what you desire."
Spike couldn't stop himself. "I'd love to see that."
"Very well, master. As you wish." And with those words, Rarity, or at least a girl who looked like her, sat down on the floor and began to masturbate in front of them. And as much as Twilight couldn't believe it, she was getting turned on. She decided to ignore the absurdity of it and just go with the flow.
And so it was with this thought, that just before Rarity could let out her third moan, Twilight said, "Wait!"
Rarity stopped and stood up. "Yes Mistress?"
"Please...crawl onto the bed and lay on your back, Rarity. I have an idea."
"Of course, Mistress." She did as she was told, crawling up onto the bed and laying down on her back upon her pillow.
"Like this?"
"Yes. Just like that."
Meanwhile, Spike was pouting, upset that Twilight had stopped him.
"And now, I do this." Twilight said as she got on top of Rarity and smiled at her, laying a kiss on her lips taht took with it all her inhibitions. "And then...Spike! It's your turn."
At the mention of his name, Spike turned around, only to be greeted with a sight that made his mouth water and his cock throb with excitement.
"Come and fuck one of us!" Twilight said, winking at Spike before turning back to Rarity. She began to fondle her breasts, which were of a surprisingly small size. Twilight always pictured her as having bigger breasts.
As she continued teasing Rarity, sucking on and pinching her breasts, she heard shuffling behind her that meant Spike must be ready to do his job.
She planted one last kiss on Rarity's lips before she felt her womanhood stretch open, being pulled apart by Spike's thick cock. It had been so long since she had it, that she had forgotten how good he felt. An how good he made her feel.
By him simply putting it in, she was bombarded with unrelenting waves of pleasure. Pleasure which she let be known as a loud, lewd moan escaped her lips. She was loving it.
She didn't resist, she didn't fight back, she just let wave after wave of sensation pulse through her body, filling her with thoughts of him, and of thoughts of her.
She looked back down at Rarity, who had a smile on her face despite the deep blush painted there.
"Is my mistress happy?"
Twilight smiled back. "Yes I am, Rarity. I'm very happy. And i'm about to make you very happy as well."
With that, she went back to sucking on her breasts, trying her best to focus with Spike's cock still ramming her pussy.
She began to grind herself against Rarity, much like how Flutterbat had done to her. However, whereas Flutterbat seemed to have a more motherly way when it came to sex, Rarity seemed to be more submissive in nature, something else she didn't expect from her.
Twilight paused her actions for a moment to allow Spike's cock to ravish her some more. She really couldn't hold out much longer with him pounding her as hard as he could like that.
'It would be unfair if I got to cum and Rarity didn't. I could finger her. She'd probably really enjoy that. but, considering she's like this...'
Twilight placed a finger near Rarity's pussy and thrust it in, causing her to gasp in slight shock, but as she began pumping it in and out, shock soon turned to pleasure, as a smile formed on Rarity's face.
"Rarity, listen to me."
"Yes, Mistress?"
"I could let you cum. In fact, I plan on it. However, you have to earn it. You have to beg for it."
Rarity wasted no time in doing exactly what she was told, and, Twilight noted, she did it with a smile on her face, as if this was what she'd always wanted.
"Ohh, yes, Mistress! Please let me cum! I'll do anything!"
"Hmmm...Anything?"
"Yes, mistress! Anything!"
"Well then, kiss me."
"Yes mistress!"
And so Rarity and Twilight kissed. It was a long, deep, and passionate kiss that told of countless years of unrequited love. Of heartbreak and sadness. Of trial and now, of triumph as Rarity finally got what she wanted all her life.
Twilight could feel it coming. It was like a rushing waterfall, threatening to overflow. She deepened her kiss with Rarity and sped up the movements on her crotch, wanting her to cum with her.
She allowed herself to feel everything. Every pulse of his veins, every thrust of his hips, every single solitary inch of his cock as it pounded ruthlessly in and out of her, throbbing and throbbing until finally, she came.
Rarity soon followed, and then Spike. Their desires satisfied for the time being. Or at least they would've been, had it not been Rarity's turn to receive Spike's cock.
Rarity had one requeest to make before Spike began his onslaught. "Please be gentle master. I'm a virgin after all."
"Alright then. I understand. Here goes." said Spike as he slowly pushed inside of her, feeling every inch of her spread open to allow him entry into her hole.
When he finally got all the way inside, he began moving, starting out with slow, easy thrusts, then working his way up to a full strength pounding session.
Rarity on the other hand, was in heaven. Her virgin status was now officially gone, and she had Spike to thank for it. Not to mention how good he felt inside of her. She could feel him as he pulsed and throbbed, pushed in and out, ravaged her womanhood over and over. The entire time she had a blush on her face as Spike fulfilled his dream of fucking his dream girl.
It didn't take long for Rarity to reach her limit, due to her being a virgin, but she did pass out. The pleasure had been too much, and she was down for the count, sleeping in mere seconds after cumming.
Spike however, was still going, and while she could feel him inside her, she was too tuckered out to show it, despite how good it still felt. Spike gave in and came, his sensitive cock spraying her with love juices as he let it all out inside of her.
With the deed done, Twilight decided to keep rarity company, and stayed over at her place for the night. They all fell asleep that night with happy smiles, but none was more excited than Rarity, who had finally lived her dream. |
Twilight Sparkle: The Princess of Friendship With Benefits | Friendship and Honesty/AppleJack | Twilight woke up to find herself sharing a bed with two of her closest friends in the entire world, Spike to her right, and Rarity to her left. She was happy about it.
She kissed Spike's forehead and turned around to kiss Rarity on the lips. What she wasn't expecting however, was for Rarity to deepen the kiss, gripping onto her arms and pulling her in further.
"Mmmm..." Twilight moaned into the kiss as she returned the favor before finally being released from Rarity's hold. She pulled back and looked down at her friend, seeing a naughty grin spread across her face as she opened her eyes.
"Good morning, Mistress."
Twilight chuckled. "Rarity, you don't have to call me that anymore. We're not having sex right now."
"I know, but, Is it not proper for a maid to greet her mistress in the morning?" She sat up and kissed twilight again. Just a light peck this time "And...I kind of like it."
She fixed Twilight with a look that was a cross between worried and sultry. "But I will remain professional in public. As a lady should of course. I just thought you should know how much I enjoyed serving you last night."
`"I enjoyed it too, Rare. Now, go put on some proper clothes. You don't want to appear rude, do you?"
"Is that an order, Princess?" Rarity smiled mischievously, giving her a naughty look as she rose from her bed.
"Rarity!" twilight smiled and rose up as well gently pushing her friend's shoulder.
"But, seriously. Please go put some clothes on." Twilight blushed, looking over Rarity's body. She really was sexy. "It's embarrassing."
"Oh...alright then, dear. I'll put some on." She walked away, swaying her hips from side to side, well aware that Twilight was staring at her rump. She spoke under her breath while giving twilight one last lustful look.
"I wanted to get you to ravage me more."
While Rarity made her way over to the shower, Twilight looked over at Spike to see him sleeping away the day. She almost didn't want to wake him, but she knew they couldn't stay here. They had to get back to the castle.
She got up and went over to his side of the bed. But before she could shake him awake, she had a sudden thought.
'That look in Rarity's eyes. Her eyes aren't normally purple are they? Of course not what am I saying? But then, what was that flash of purple I saw in her eyes when she looked back at me?'
She put a hand to her chin. 'Ive seen this happen before. It was with Rainbow Dash after we got done having sex, and with Fluttershy after she reverted out of her transformed state. What is going on? Is my magic doing something to them? I should tell them about it. But I need to be sure first.'
While she was lost in her thoughts, she never realized Spike had woken up. So when he said, "Hey, Twi? What's wrong?" she nearly flew out of a window.
"Oh, its nothing spike." She took a moment to look into his eyes. His eyes did not have that slight purple flash in them that Rarity's had.
'Is he not affected? But how?'
"Are you sure?" came Spike's voice. "You look kind of out of it."
"I'm fine, Spike. I promise." She bent down to give him a proper kiss on the lips. One which he returned "We have to go, Spike."
"Huh? But i'm so tired, and we just had sex, couldn't we stay a little while longer?"
"No, Spike." She began to pet his head. "I'm sorry, but we have to go. We've already stayed here longer than we should have."
"What do you mean, 'longer than we should have'? We haven't even been here a full day yet."
"I suppose you're right but...what about the castle? Shouldn't we go back home?"
Spike thought on that a moment before saying, "You've got a point there, Twi. We can't leave the castle empty for too long. The guards might get suspicious."
Twilight giggled. "We don't have palace guards, Spike."
"Oh, right."
With that , he got up and stretched. "Yeah, lets go. I need to stretch my legs anyway. Hey, where's Rarity?"
"No doubt she's in the shower."
Spike stiffened "Th-the shower?"
Twilight sighed and smiled. "Yes, Spike. She's in the shower."
"Can we-"
"No, Spike, we cannot stay just so you can see Rarity naked." She gave him a playful glare. "Besides, didn't you just get finished having sex with her? You've already seen her naked."
"No i didn't. She was in a maid uniform. And besides. This is different."
"How? How in the history of Equestria is it different?" Twilight gave a genuinely confused look.
"Screwing her is one thing, but being able to see that body of hers first hand is a whole other thing entirely."
"You saw it before we fucked, Spike. You should be satisfied!"
"I know, Twi, I know. It's just, I really want to see this. I promise we can leave afterwards."
Twilight sighed, and gave in. "Oh, fine. I'll let you see her. Besides, I kinda want to get a look at her, too."
"See? You can't resist either!"
"Spike!" Twilight smiled even as she pushed him.
"And whatever has you two in such a fit?"
They both stopped, and slowly turned there heads to see Rarity, out of the shower and in a towel.
Twilight spoke up. "I thought I told you to put some clothes on."
"I'm sorry dear. I heard you two out here, and couldn't help myself. Whatever where you talking about?"
"Spike wants to see you naked."
"Well why didn't you say so, darling?!" Come, come. Eyes up here."
Twilight stood in slight shock as the prim and proper girl shamelessly dropped her towel in front of them both, showing off her body.
Twilight had to admit. Beyond all the indecency bells ringing in her ears for Rarity's sake, she had a pretty nice body. Her breasts weren't all that big, but her shapely ass and thick thighs more than made up for it.
Twilight looked to her right to see Spike drooling over the sight. She smiled and gave his cheek a slight pinch, letting him know that he was being rude and reminding him of his promise
"Oh, sorry, Twi. We have to go now? Okay." He straightened up, stretching again before walking off, Twilight right beside him.
Rarity looked at them and said, "Leaving so soon? Are you sure you don't want to stay for tea?"
"No. We have to get back to the castle. Can't leave it unguarded too long."
"Didn't princess Celestia offer to pick ponies to be your guard?"
"Well, yes, but..."
The conversation continued out of the door, leaving Rarity alone with her thoughts. "Well, I never!" she huffed, but then proceeded to follow them downstairs.
Once they were all down, Twilight and Spike were just about to leave when Rarity came up to them.
"What is it, Rare?"
"Oh it's nothing. Just seeing you off as you leave. But...there is one tiny little thing."
Twilight spoke up. "Tell me. It's fine. You can tell me anything."
"Oh, darling it's nothing like that. It's just. Could I perhaps have...a goodbye kiss?"
Twilight smiled, giving her friend a look that was a cross between happy and embarrassed. "Oh, Rarity..."
She walked up to her and cupped her chin in her hand, bringing her head up so their eyes could meet. She then leaned in and kissed her deeply and passionately, holding onto her and bringing their bodies closer.
When they separated, the only evidence of their kiss was a line of saliva connecting their lips, which soon broke as their lips parted.
"Goodbye."
With that, they both left the boutique and made their way through town and back to the castle.
The next morning, Twilight awoke to find that Spike was not in bed. Thinking he had gotten up early to start breakfast, she got up out of bed and did her own preparations, starting with the daily routine and then a bath. she put on clothes and made her way downstairs to see Spike right where she thought he'd be. Hard at work in the kitchen and already halfway done with the food.
"Hey, spike?"
"Yeah?"
"I think we need to see the princesses again."
"Is it you magic, or are you just going over for another 'visit'?"
Twilight laughed. "Oh, stop it already. It's my magic. I think it's making my friends act strange."
"Strange how?"
"Well, after we all had sex, each one of them would say something weird."
"Weird how?"
"Rainbow Dash made a pledge to always protect me, even though we both knew that goes without saying. Fluttershy promised to do anything I asked, and Rarity, with that kiss...it was like she was begging me for it. None of my friends have ever acted like this."
"Yeah. We might need to see Celestia after all."
"Alright then. I just needed to know if you think it's a good idea."
"It's a great idea. We need to make sure nothing bad happens to them."
"Right. But we also need to figure out if it affects all of my friends first."
"You want to see AppleJack, then?"
"Yeah. Let's do that. I'll tell her the truth and see if she can help."
"Help you fuck, you mean?"
"spike, stop it!" she blushed "What's gotten into you today?"
"S-sorry, Twilight. I guess I'm just a little pent up is all."
"But how, you just had sex."
"I know but..seeing Rarity like that, and then remembering what you have to do, is just making me kinda..."
"I understand, Spike. You can help me with Apple Jack then. How's that?"
"Perfect." He could already feel his body calming down.
As they both made their way toward Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight couldn't help but wonder what exactly AJ's reaction would be to what she was about to tell her. Would she be okay with it? Would she not believe her?
Stop. She couldn't think like that. She had to believe that AJ would help.
She knocked on the door of the Apple Family's barn and waited patiently for her friend to appear.
When she did, and Twilight saw the door open to reveal her, She felt a slight relief.
'She's home. Maybe she'll be okay with it. It is AJ after all.'
She made her way towards the door, and AJ looked up at her. "Twilight!"
She ran up to Twilight and hugged her tightly burying her face in her chest. Twilight on the other hand was confused.
"Uh...AJ, are you alright?"
The orange colored girl suddenly recoiled back. After taking stock of the situation, she realized what had happened and slowly edged away.
"Ehehe...sorry, Twi. I just got kind o' excited when I saw ya. Couldn't help myself. So, what'd ya come here for? Got somethin' ya wanna talk about?"
"I do actually." said Twilight. "You see..."
And with that, Twilight told AJ everything that had happened from start to finish, leaving out no details. All there with Spike as a witness.
"So, yer tellin' me that your magic is growing, and that that's causing ya to have some sorta super sex drive?"
"Well, when you put it like that , it's embarrassing but yes. That is what is happening."
"And yer saying Celestia told you that you have to have sex with multiple ponies, preferably us, to get rid of it?"
"Well, not specifically you, but yes, that is what she said."
"So you chose us on your own then? Geez, Twi, i'm...i'm honored!"
"Please don't make it sound like a good thing! Having sex with my friends over and over is getting kind of weird now. I mean, half the time, I can't tell if we're in love or if we're just fucking."
"Of course ya'll are in love, Twi. You really think we'd all have sex with you if we didn't love you? Yeah, you're our friend, but you're also much more than that. You're the one who brought us all together. You're the one who completes us. Elements of harmony and all that. Do you really think we would use you for sex like some toy?"
Twilight took in her words. She was right. They had been in love with her. It wasn't just her magic making them say that. She had begun to think that their feelings for her were fake, created by her magic, but now she could see the truth. Looking back on all the things they'd done together, it only made sense for there to be real feelings involved. but if her magic wasn't making her friends her lovers, then what was it doing?
Twilight also noticed something. "Wait. AppleJack. You keep saying we. What do you mean by that?"
"Aw, shucks, Twi. You went and pointed it out." AJ visibly blushed.
"Pointed what out. Please tell me."
"I...i love ya, too, Twi. I always have. Ever since ya first defeated nightmare moon. Ever since then I always thought you were a good pony, the way you lead us, the way you stood up against her, and stood up for what you believed in. Ever since then you've proved that you were strong, that you cared for us and for all of Equestria. Every time we defeated an enemy, I would fall more and more in love with you. Your strength inspired me to keep going and become just as strong a girl as you were. Especially since I had just gone through a horrible time."
"Oh, AJ. Your parents..."
"Yup."
"But why did you never tell me this?"
AJ perked up at that, and gave a statement that Twilight thought would never come out of her mouth. "You never asked."
Twilight was floored. "That's the reason?"
"Yup."
"So, you'd be willing to help?"
"Of course, i'll help ya, Twi! Just...lemme go and get something real quick."
"What is it?"
"Oh don't worry." AJ said as she stood up and walked away. "Just a little something I've been saving for this day."
A moment later, AJ came back with a rope and a...a...a ball gag of all things!?
"AJ, what are you-"
She was cut off by a hand up from AppleJack. "Today, I'm at your mercy, Sugar cube."
"Are you comfortable AJ? It isn't itching or anything is it?"
"Nope. I'm just fine. Now hurry and finish stringing me up so we can get started."
"Right! Here goes nothing!"
With that she yanked the rope into place and tied it, locking AJ in place. They had spent time tying her up and hanging her from one of her apple trees.
"I'm surprised, AJ. What made you want to do this of all things?"
"It's just a little fantasy I've always had. I told you. I fell in love with your strength, and how good of a person you were. So naturally I fantasized about you using that strength to fuck me silly."
Hearing all of that caused Twilight to blush furiously. "B-but AppleJack, I'd never hurt you."
"And you're not hurting me. This is bondage, not bdsm. Although I wouldn't mind much if ya spanked me."
"Sp-spank you? Really?"
"Yep. Like the naughty girl I am. But that comes later. Spike! It's your turn!"
Spike made his way behind Apple Jack. Twilight, seeing that she was ready to get started, moved in front of her.
She looked up at Spike. "Remember Spike. Be gentle. She's a virgin."
"I got you, Twi."
And with that, it began.
Spike positioned his cock so that he was prepared to thrust inside of her when the time came, and when Twilight counted to three, he began to gently push inside of her, moving every so often to help her ignore the slight pain he knew this was causing her.
Twilight on the other hand, had no such troubles to contend with, as her half of the job consisted of getting AJ to lick her pussy, a job the country farmer was more than happy to do as she licked and sucked hungrily at her friend's folds, burying her tongue as deep as she could inside of her.
Twilight was simply holding her there, allowing AJ to show her how much she loved her while moaning uncontrollably from all the pleasure she was recieving.
"Mmmm...AJ, lick me more."
She complied without a word, speeding up her licks and getting more forceful with her tongue. She wanted twilight to remember this. To remember how good she made her feel.
Twilight was going to remember it alright. In fact, she would never forget it for as long as her immortal life allowed.
Spike on the other hand was having a ball, and would never forget this for a totally different reason. He had long since gotten past her hymen and was now all the way inside of her, trusting as hard as he could. He was loving the feeling of her warm, wet insides as they clenched and released around his cock over and over, causing him to let out slight moans of pleasure.
AppleJack herself was in heaven. Not only was she getting fucked by both Twilight and Spike at the same time, but she's able to pleasure the girl she loves the most in the world. She smiled inwardly as she brought her hips closer to spike, backing up on him to give him more of a chance to have her pussy for himself.
She could feel her own pleasure rising as he pounded in and out of her. And she closed her eyes as she felt her pussy clamp down hard on his cock and squeeze, milking him for all he had as well as coating him in her juices.
Spike had just about had it. One more thrust and he was down for the count. He had no idea how right he was until AJ's pussy clamped down on him and caused him to climax, filling her womb to the brim with white cum.
He pulled out and watched as Twilight came around the same time he did, coating Aj's face in the stuff. Of course, he had been so focused on Aj that he didn't see her focusing on him just before she climaxed.
Twilight had to wonder what was going on with Spike. He was pounding away at her harder than he'd ever done her. Now, she wasn't jealous. She just found it weird. Spike was so intense she could feel the force of his thrusts on her end as well. She watched him for a moment and saw that he looked like he was straining more than usual with his thrusting. Then he opened his eyes and she saw why.
'So he was affected. It looks like it made him even more horny than it made me? But why now? Why not when it first happened?'
She could feel herself reaching her own climax and decided to finish as well, taking the time to bury AJ's face in her crotch long enough for her to deliver a spurt of cum that covered her face and ran down her chin and got into her mouth. Aj thought it tasted like grapes.
After their little escapade in the forest, all three participants were tired. Twilight looked over to Spike. It seemed he was fine, but what if something like that happened again? Would it be enough to just have one round like they just did? Twilight had no idea, but she knew something had to be done before this got out of hand. She had one last friend to go and see, and then she would visit Celestia and find out what was happening. That was a promise. |
Twilight Sparkle: The Princess of Friendship With Benefits | Friendship and Laughter/Pinkie Pie | Twilight woke up to find that the feeling her magic gave her was gone again. She was grateful that Aj decided to help her with her magic problem. She had been so lost in the thought of sex recently that she had been simply fucking her friends, instead of making love to them. Now that she understood that her friends all did this out of love, she was going to make sure to show that love right back, by making sure that her magic doesn't cause them to lose themselves.
She got out of bed and looked around, spotting Spike sleeping soundly on his side of the bed. She went over to him and kissed him on the lips, effectively waking him up and causing him to say, "Morning, Twilight. What's up?"
"Morning, Spike. Nothing much really. I just wanted to see if you wanted to take a trip over to Sugar Cube Corner for breakfast."
"Twi, Sugar Cube Corner's a sweets shop. you don't go there for breakfast. You go there for cavities."
Twilight giggled at her lover's half asleep humor. "Ahahaha! Very funny, Spike. They serve hay pancakes too, you know. They even have a gem flavored one~."
Spike snorted at her attempt to coax him out of bed with gems. She knew he loved them, and that he'd do nearly anything to get them.
The key word being nearly anything.
"Sorry, Twi, but no matter how much I love you, or gems, nothing is gonna stop me from getting my last five minutes of sleep."
Twilight sighed in defeat. "Awww, fine."
"Don't be down, Twi. I never said we couldn't go. In fact, I'd love to go. Seeing Pinkie Pie in the morning somehow sounds like a good way to start the day. I just need my rest first."
Twilight sighed again, this time smiling afterward. She understood what Spike wanted. He just wanted a bit more sleep. Was that really too much to ask? Especially when dealing with Pinkie Pie. "Oh...alright. Guess i'll go wait downstairs then. Don't keep me waiting too long, you sexy drake you!"
Twilight paused just for a bit to see a rose tint make it's way onto Spike's face. He was blushing. How cute.
But now she had to get downstairs. She was about to do something very important, and she needed to be prepared, both mentally, and physically.
Then again, Pinkie wasn't exactly something you could prepare for. For all she knew, the pink mare could already know what her plans are, and is just sitting at the counter, patiently waiting for her to come and fall right into her trap.
The thought caused Twilight to shiver in fear. Or was it...anticipation? Nope, definitely fear. Celestia knows the kind of mind that mare has.
As she sat at the table, patiently waiting for Spike to finally wake up proper, Twilight found herself unable to stop thinking about what she was about to do.
She knew she had to do it. She knew it was for a greater purpose, but for the life of her, she just couldn't find the strength to be okay with it.
Not that she had a problem with the thought of sleeping with her friends. Apple Jack had seen to that pesky little thought yesterday, and assured her that they would likely all be okay with it.
Still, it wasn't the thought of being rejected that weighed so heavily on her mind. It was what might happen if she did indeed go through with her plan.
Would Pinkie end up like all the others? Influenced, in whatever small way, by her magic? Would she end up acting strange like all the others?
If so, then she most certainly had to check with Celestia, but only after she made sure that her hypothesis was indeed correct.
And if she does turn out to be influenced, which was a small possibility, at least she could get one last good lay out of it before she went to see her mentor on the matter.
It was during this train of thought that Twilight heard a voice to her right say,
"Alright, then. Let's go, Twi! Off to Pinkie's!"
Or at least that's what they would have said if she hadn't nearly jumped out of her skin in fright at the sound.
Instead, it ended up sounding a bit more like, "Alright then, Twi! Let's g-"
"Ahhhh! Who's that? Who's there? Don't...Don't come any closer!"
But when she saw Spike, she calmed down. "Oh. Spike. It's just you. I thought I was gonna have to resort to firing off random magic spells!"
"Geez, Twi! I didn't mean to scare you that bad. Sorry..."
"It's okay, Spike. You ready to go?"
"You know it! To PInkie's!"
Twilight giggled, but joined the dragon in his antics. "To Pinkie's!"
By the time the pair had made it to Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight had managed to work herself into a fit all over again.
"What's wrong, Twi? You've been here for five minutes and you still won't open the door. Are you afraid of Pinkie for some reason?" Spike said, staring down at her.
Twilight looked over at him, stopping the biting of her fingernails in favor of explaining what the problem was.
"I'll tell you everything later, I promise. Let's just get breakfast okay?"
Spike looked at her. It was obvious something was wrong, he just didn't know what. However, instead of pressing her about it, he decided to take her at her word and just go with it for now.
"Alright. If you say so. But i'm hungry, and I want my gem pancakes, so if you're not gonna open the door then..."
He reached his hand out to open the door. To Twilight, it was as if he was opening the doors of Tartarus itself. And Tartarus held a lot of questions. What if she really was influenced, and something even worse happened to her than the others? What if because of her random nature, her magic affected her differently, and she got it worse than they did. There were so many possibilities with this that she just couldn't bear to consider even one of them.
But now the door was open, and she was walking in. It would do no good to worry over it now. Now was the time for food.
She stepped in front of the counter.
"Oh! Hiya, Twilight! What can I get'cha?"
Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself down before saying, "I'll have two strawberry hay pancakes, please."
"Comin' right up! Um...is everything okay? You look kinda...tense."
Twilight immediately collected herself again. "No, i'm fine, Pinkie, I swear. I've just...got a lot on my mind is all."
Pinkie seemed to think about this for a moment, putting a hand to her chin.
"Mmm...alright. If you say so, Twilight!" She turned to the drake. "And what would you like to order, Spike?"
"Two gem pancakes, Please. Extra rainbow Syrup."
"You got it! Will that be all?"
"Yep!" the dragon answered.
"Good! 'Cuz it's been a slow day, and I really wanted to talk to someone."
"So why did you wanna talk to us?" Twilight asked as she chewed on a hay pancake.
"Yeah. Is something the matter with you?" SPike said as he chewed on his gem pancake. Twilight could hear the crunch of the valuable stones as he ate.
"Oh, that? I wasn't upset or anything, I just wanted to talk to you guys! I haven't seen you in a while, and I thought it would be great to catch up."
Pinkie, who had decided, and had permission from the Cakes, to take a break and hang with her friends, was eating a veritable mountain of chocolate chip hay muffins. She was allowed to do this whenever she wanted as long as she paid, and made sure to keep up with the orders. Customers have been known to find a seat and shout their orders out loud on several occasions because Pinkie was never at the register when her friends were over.
And today being a slow day was yet another perfect excuse.
"Hey, Twilight!" She said, looking directly at her friend with a wide grin.
"Y-yes, Pinkie?"
"Make sure to come back some time around eight, okay? I have a surprise for you."
"Um...O-okay?" Twilight was slightly confused. Whatever this surprise was, it had to be wonderful to make Pinkie smile like that.
With that, the two ate in a comfortable silence, simply waving their goodbyes as they left to tend to matters for the rest of the day.
The few hours between ten a.m. and eight p.m. were of little concern to Twilight Sparkle, as she had spent the entire time reviewing notes, restocking shelves, and helping the odd pony out with checking out books.
The old library that served as her home was the only library in ponyville at the time, so she decided to designate a room as the new library, and continue from there.
After that, she spent her time reorganizing that same library, and then getting some well deserved rest afterwards.
Spike had insisted on it, even at her insistence that she wasn't tired. Her not being tired consisted of disheveled hair, bags under her eyes, sluggish movements, and barely being able to see straight. So...not so good.
Fortunately, it wasted enough time for her to be able to go see Pinkie at the allotted time, fully rested and ready for whatever she had to throw at her. She made her way to Sugar Cube Corner, and was five minutes early as well.
'No use being late for my own surprise. Whatever that may be.' She thought, as she opened the door and walked inside, the bright lights a nice change from the slightly creepy darkness outside.
However, things got really creepy, when she heard the door close behind her, only to look behind her and find that Pinkie was no where in sight.
"P-Pinkie? Wh-where are you?"
She listened out for the Pink Pony's response. Even her happy laughter would be good enough right now.
Unfortunately, she wasn't too careful with what she wished for.
She jumped at the sound of an echo of child-like laughter coming from what she thought was...all around her...
She looked around more frantically, this time moving around as well, hoping to find the pink pony behind the counter, lying in wait to prank her good and proper.
Unfortunately, when she got behind the counter, she did not see Pinkie Pie anywhere. This disturbed her. Where was she?
Her terror was heightened even more when she heard the laughter in her ears once again, higher this time.
"Pinkie, where are you? If this is a prank, then it isn't funny anymore. Please come out. Don't hide anymore."
Instead, all she got in response was more laughter. But this seemed to be coming from a certain direction. Her ears followed the sound all the way to a lolipop, standing up on its own on top of the counter.
Her fear momentarily forgotten, she grew curious at the thought of how exactly a lolipop could stand on its own.
'That shouldn't be possible...' in her curiosity, she lifted a hand up and grabbed the lolipop, trying to remove it from the counter.
She instead heard a mechanical whirring sound as the wall to her right slid open to reveal a secret passage way.
Yet more laughter sounded. Clearer this time. It was coming from there.
She made her way down, and when she finally, finally made it to the bottom...
The lights flickered on, and what she saw, made her jaw drop.
There was Pinkie, naked, and covered head to toe in sweets. Her hair was down as if she were sad, but the wide grin on her face told otherwise.
Twilight didn't know whether to be shocked, appalled, turned on, or all three.
She was...leaning toward the third option.
Pinkie's body was quite a sight. Her entire body was covered in chocolate. Sprinkles cascaded down her frame like a sweet, colorful shower, resting on her breasts in a manner that made her look even more delicious. Her nipples were covered in whipped cream and strawberries. Whipped cream which she was currently smearing all over herself while giving Twilight a naughty look. It was all so...delectable.
The sprinkles ran further down her form, framing her pussy, which was also filled with whipped cream. How she managed to do that was beyond the purple mare right now, But she didn't care.
Right in front of her was a treat that she would gladly forsake any study session to partake in. Not to mention the cherry on top of this sexy pink sundae...
There was a cake on her stomach. Vanilla with pink frosting. The words "I Love You" were written in cursive across the top.
Twilight was so busy staring that she didn't hear what Pinkie had said.
"I-I'm sorry, What was that?"
"I said, 'It took you long enough to get here, silly!' I've been waiting ever since 7:30 like this."
Twilight was still stunned. But by the fact that she had waited like that for a full thirty minutes. "Pinkie? What is all this?"
"Well what does it look like, silly filly? I'm confessing to you! The only way I know how!"
Twilight was still utterly flabbergasted. "Well now, um...I don't even know what to say, Pinkie, um...Thank you, I-"
"Shhh..." Pinkie shushed her. "Just come on over here."
Twilight did so without a second thought, then realized she was overreacting, and proceeded to calm down. She stood near the bed she had been laying on now.
"Come closer." Pinkie said. Twilight obeyed.
"Closer..." Pinkie said again. Twilight obeyed.
With that, Pinkie lifted her head just a little, and whispered in her ear. "Let's have our own little party okay? Just the two of us..." She blew into her ear, causing Twilight to blush furiously.
And so, the flood gates were opened. Twilight placed the cake aside, stripping naked and positioning herself just in front of her pink friend's cream filled pussy.
Eagerly, she began to lick and suck and tease at her snatch, greedily lapping up the whipped cream and whatever juices that just so happened to leak out while she was doing that.
She had to admit. Even separate from the main confection, the whipped cream was delicious. However, considering the main confection was now Pinkie herself, it made it all the more tasty.
The whipped cream proved to be quite a challenge. It was pretty deep in there, and as such, She had to pretty much bury her face in her friend's crotch to lick it all up. But the moans of pleasure from above her told her that that was just what Pinkie wanted.
Twilight continued to lap up the juices, even long after the cream was all gone. She sucked and licked her all over, making sure to leave no trace of it.
Then she began to lick the chocolate off her legs.
Simply getting to feel such shapely, toned legs was enough to ignite her desire to continue. Pinkie truly was a sexy mare.
The chocolate however, was quite a difficult matter indeed. She had to lay herself upon her leg, effectively getting it all over herself as well in her mission. But the deed was done in a matter of moments, leaving both legs clean of their contents, and Twilight wetter than a rainstorm.
She was all too happy to lay herself upon Pinkie's body, if only to suck like a newborn upon her strawberry tipped breasts. She took extreme pleasure in this, gently sucking and teasing at her breasts while grinding her marehood upon her sprinkle covered snatch.
This action was enough to send them both into a frenzy of moans of pleasure. They fell into a rhythm, each of them pushing back and forth harder and harder against the other in an attempt to maximize the pleasure received.
This would have been enough to send them both over the edge, but just before they could both reach climax, Twilight stopped.
"What's wrong Twilight?" Pinkie asked, a look of concern on her face.
Twilight was panting heavily, the blush never leaving her face. "I haven't finished enjoying my surprise yet. You're still covered in sweets. And i'm gonna eat you up. Every." She licked up a bit of chocolate on her stomach. "Last." She licked a bit of whipped cream out of her navel. "Bit." She came up to kiss Pinkie full on the lips. It was a deep, passionate kiss, full of both lust and love alike.
And it was with that, that their love-making continued. Returning to the rhythm they had before, Twilight and Pinkie Pie soon reached climax, both girls screaming each other's name as loudly as they could.
It would be a miracle if no one heard them with how loudly they screamed.
And so it was that Pinkie and Twilight emerged from her party cave, having had more than just a party, and having become closer than ever in the process. How they continued from here, neither of them knew. But they did know one thing.
They loved each other, and that was how it was going to be from here on out. |
Twilight Sparkle: The Princess of Friendship With Benefits | Answers | Something was wrong. Something was really wrong. Something was certainly, most definitely, absolutely wrong.
Twilight couldn't believe it. It had happened again!
Last night, when she was leaving Sugar Cube Corner, walking hand in hand with Pinkie Pie, one of her six best friends and now one of her six lovers, when all of a sudden, out of absolutely nowhere, Pinkie pulled her to the side, kissed her with the burning passion of a thousand cupcakes, and said,
'I love you, my little sweetie pie.'
Now, normally, this would not be a problem. They're lovers after all. This is normal. At least it would be if not for the fact that when Twilight saw her eyes, they too flashed purple for a single second.
She was affected, too. They all were. All of her friends were affected by magic. Her magic. This was her fault. And she would wait no longer.
No more waiting. No more tests. No more experiments. She had to do this now.
She looked over to see Spike fast asleep. There was no time to wake him. She would come back and get him from the castle. Right now however, she needed answers.
She got out of bed, and rushed to finish her daily routine. Once that was done, she got dressed, brushed her hair, and went downstairs to make breakfast, remembering to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake her dragon lover.
She went into the kitchen and made her own rose and cherry sandwiches, the only thing she even dared to savor the taste of while she was in such a hurry.
However, immediately after that, she walked out of the door of her castle, and made her way over to the only pony she knew would be awake this early in the morning.
'Apple Jack, here I come.'
As she made her way into the orchard, power walking past the several dozens of trees that made up its contents, she almost didn't notice the slight appearance of movement just on the edge of her vision.
She stopped abruptly, looking around quickly for whatever it was she believed she saw.
"Apple Jack, is that you?" she asked, turning towards the direction she thought her friend was in.
"I'm over here, Twi!" came AJ's voice. Twilight continued walking for a while before coming upon her friend standing on top of a step stool in order to help her pick apples. She picked one and threw it into the basket at her feet before turning to address her friend properly.
"Howdy there, Twilight!"
Twilight turned to her and smiled. "Hi, Aj. How are you? I...don't mean to intrude but, um..."
"Why I'm fit as a fiddle, thank ya fer askin'. What'd ya come all the way out here so early for? Did ya wanna have another session? Sorry, but, I'm kinda busy right now. Big Mac and I need to pick all these apples so we can sell em at the market tomorrow. We got quite a batch this year, and granny wants to show 'em off."
Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Um...no, AJ, sorry. I didn't come for another round. As delightful as that sounds I actually came to tell you something. Something important."
Apple Jack stopped what she was doing, got down off her step stool, set an apple she had picked into the basket at her feet again, and walked over to Twilight, a serious expression on her face. "I'm listening."
Twilight cleared her throat. "I...may have done something to you. Not on purpose, but still, I may have done something, And it might be really bad."
"Whoa there, Twilight." Apple Jack said, trying to help her friend keep her composure. "What exactly did ya do?"
"Well, you see..." Twilight began, "I have this condition. It's a little...complicated."
AJ placed her hands on Twilight's shoulders. "Relax now, Twi. I'm sure it's fine. Just...tell me what it is."
"Alright then. A few days ago some really strange things started happening to me. First, I got a feeling of weakness out of nowhere, only to have it replaced with a pressure that kept me from getting up, then a sense of invigoration and happiness unlike anything I've ever experienced."
Apple Jack nodded. "And? What else happened?"
Twilight continued. "Even though my condition changed every now and then, there was always one thing that stayed the same. I was always horny. It didn't matter when it was, where I was, or what I was doing. I was always, always horny."
Apple Jack nodded again. "And what did you do about it?"
"Well, I went to see Princess Celestia about it, and she told me that it was normal. That I was only going through a special alicorn right of passage called magical evolution. My magic was evolving, and because of the type of thing I rule over as princess, that being friendship, I would be affected accordingly."
"And how has it affected you?" Apple Jack asked, curious as to how this 'evolution' could be affecting her friend, and how it could make her so sad when it sounded like a good thing.
"Well, aside from what I told you, because i'm the princess of friendship, my magic is making me feel a much stronger connection to my friends. Specifically, in the sexual department."
Now Aj understood. "So you're saying, your magic's evolving, and it's making you want to have sex with us."
"That's right." Twilight responded. "And according to the princess the only way to keep my magic from going wild and affecting me in a bad way, is for me to have sex. Not that I've been having sex with you only to keep myself in check. I really do love you all, but-"
Apple Jack put a finger to her lips, effectively shushing her. "Now hold on, Twilight. No one's accusing ya of anythin'."
"But I-"
"And no one's doubtin' ya either. Just...tell me what goin' on."
"Well, i'm afraid that my magic is already affecting you guys!"
Aj considered Twilight's words for a moment before looking down at herself and focusing on her body. "Well, I don't look or feel any different."
"It's not gonna show up so easily. it affects your personalities in a very small and subtle way. It's almost unnoticeable."
"Then how are we gonna find out if I'm affected?"
"It's quite simple actually. Apple Jack, lie to me."
Suddenly, AJ's eyes flashed purple before winking out, and she said, "I'd never lie to you, Twilight. I love you."
AJ shook her head to clear it before saying, "Whoa, what was that?"
"That... was my magic." was all Twilight said in response.
"That was it? Well then, that was weird." Aj said, clutching her head. "I feel a bit dizzy"
"Oh no! Aj are you alright?!" Twilight said, grabbing AJ and holding her steady.
"Relax, Twi. It's nothing. It's not the magic. I''m probably just tired. I did start work at five in the morning after all."
Twilight chuckled at her actions. "Oh, right."
They both chuckled for a bit before returning to the matter at hand.
"So, that was the magic?" AJ asked.
"Yep." Twilight answered. "It makes you say and possibly do, weird things.
"Why is it weird though? I may have been affected, but I knew that that was what I wanted to say. I think the magic just made me-"
"TELL THE TRUTH!" they both said at once.
"AJ, I think that's it!" Twilight said.
"The magic doesn't make us do and say weird things." Aj said, her hand on her chin in thought.
"It makes us more attuned to our particular element!" Twilight finished the thought process for the both of them.
"Wait. What do you mean, Twi?"
"Don't you get it, AJ? Rainbow Dash actively stating and showing her loyalty during sex, Fluttershy declaring her devotion to caring for me, Rarity practically begging to service me and be generous, Pinkie randomly kissing me out of nowhere, you refusing to lie to me?!"
"Isn't that stuff we would do normally anyway?" Aj asked, confused.
"Technically, yes. But it's not about that. All of this is stuff that goes without saying. I already know that you would all do that for me, because we're friends. The magic doesn't affect us in what we do. It just makes it easier for the defining parts of our personality to show! We have to tell the others!"
Apple Jack nodded and looked over to her brother. "Big Mac, can you take over for a while?"
The muscular man nodded his head, giving a silent 'okay', before walking off.
AJ looked at Twilight. "So...what was that about Pinkie kissing you out of nowhere?"
Twilight blushed and looked away. "Um..."
"So, lemme get this straight." Rainbow Dash said as she looked at Twilight, a single eyebrow raised. "You're saying that for the past week or more, you've been having sex with us to stop your magic from going out of control as it got stronger?"
Twilight nodded, her expression one of seriousness despite the blush in her cheeks. This was too important to be embarrassed about. "That's right, Rainbow."
Rainbow nodded back. "And now you think that your magic might be affecting us too. Making the core parts of our personality more obvious at the worst of times?"
Twilight nodded again, her expression one of sorrow now. "Please, don't be mad. I really do love you all. It's just that, with all this going on, it's hard to tell which part of you is my doing, and which part of you is...well, you." She looked away, not daring to meet her friend's eyes.
Pinkie walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Twilight and AJ had long since gotten the girls together and explained the situation. Now it was just a matter of figuring out how to stop it. "Don't worry Twilight. We're not mad at you. You chose us as your partners, even for something like this. We'd be happy to help you with anything you asked for. Because even without your magic affects, that doesn't change the fact that we love you with all our hearts."
Twilight looked up at Pinkie, the most recent edition to what was effectively a herd now. Wow, that thought was scary. She had a herd now.
Well, at least it was one filled with all her friends. She would always have their support. That, she knew.
"Thank you, Pinkie."
"No problem!" The party mare giggled and stepped back.
Then Rarity spoke up. "That's all well and good, darling, but how exactly are we supposed to find a solution to all of this?"
"That's easy, actually." Twilight said, perking up and smiling. "We'll ask the princess!"
"Wha- ah! The princess?! Twilight it's 8:00 a.m.! There's no way the princess is even awake right now, much less in the mood to aid us in such a matter as this!"
Rarity, do ya really think the princess would mind the time if Twilight showed up with a problem? She'd probably drop everything she was doing and rush to help her, no matter the cost. Even if that cost is her sleep."
Rarity looked around and sighed. "I...suppose you have a point."
"Then it's settled. We need to go and see Celestia as soon as possible," Twilight said, smiling in determination.
"Oh, Twilight, by the way," Fluttershy finally made her voice known after all this time. "where's Spike?"
Twilight's eyes widened when she realized what her friend had said. "Uh Oh."
A purple flash of light could be seen winking into existence, only to vanish less than a second later, revealing Twilight Sparkle and all her friends. She immediately called out to him.
"Spike!" She looked back to her friends. "Wait here, girls. I'll go get him."
With that, she made her way up the stairs to their shared room, knocking on the door, just in case.
"Spike? Are you in there?"
She waited for a while to see whether or not he was there. After a while, she sighed and resolved to try again, but before she could get in a decent breath of air to speak louder, she watched as Spike opened the door.
"T-Twilight? Is that you?"
The purple mare twiddled her thumbs and looked away. "Y-yeah, it's me."
"Where were you?! I've been out looking for you for two and a half hours!" Spike whisper-yelled, as he was too tired to speak any higher.
"I know, Spike. And i'm so, so sorry. It's just, something important happened and I didn't feel like I had time to wake you up, and I...ohhh..." Twilight closed her eyes and looked down, not daring to look into Spike's own emerald orbs.
"I know you didn't mean it, Twi. It's just...I was so worried about you. Even if it was important, you could've told me. I don't care if i'm asleep or whatever. If something happens, I want you to tell me. I am your number one assistant after all." He grinned, showing off several sharp fangs. "That is, unless you don't consider me important enough to be included in the group's business?" He winked at her.
Twilight was shocked. Why would he even say something like that? But when she saw the look on his face, she chuckled. "Ahahaha! Oh, shut it, Spike. You know that's not true. Now stop being a drama queen and come downstairs. We have to go see Princess Celestia."
"Oh? What about?" Spike asked, curious.
"I'll explain on the way. We have to go as soon as possible." Twilight answered, not even stopping to face him as she made her way downstairs toward the door.
"If you say so." Spike remarked as he followed his lover down the stairs.
Once they were all together, Twilight activated a transport spell, and they made their way through the ether and onto the front steps of Canterlot Castle. The time was now. They would get their answers.
Spike was absolutely stunned. He may have heard Celestia say that Twilight's magic might go out of control, but he never heard her say it would affect others. Especially not all of their friends. It had even affected him, according to Twilight, although he had yet to feel it's effects. Perhaps that was because of his dragon blood? He didn't know. All he did know, was that Twilight needed help. And the only place they could get it now would be from Princess Celestia.
As he made his way through the halls of the castle, walking a little ways behind the group, he found himself wondering just what Celestia would do to help them. Would she have to do some ancient ritual that required them to go on a quest? Maybe an old spell back from when they lived in the castle of the two sister's? Or even an experimental spell with unknown side effects?
That one made him laugh. There was no way Celestia would do something like that to Twilight. Especially when she knew there may be consequences even she couldn't deal with. That, and the very thought of it was so ridiculous it seemed like nothing more than one big joke.
He was brought out of his thoughts by two words from Twilight. "We're here!"
He looked up to see two large ornate doors, decorated with the symbol of the sun. They were there all right. Right in front of the throne room of the royal castle. No matter how many times he saw this place, it would never get old. Behind those doors, doing whatever she did when they were gone, was Celestia, probably asleep on her throne, now that he thought about how early it was.
He watched as Twilight opened the door to her former teacher's domain and entered inside.
"Princess? Princess Celestia?" Twilight called out to her mentor as she looked around the room. It was dark, save for the light of the early sun.
"Princess?" Twilight called out once more. This time, she got an answer.
"I've been waiting for you, Twilight. How nice of you to come to me so early. What is it I can help you with?"
Twilight jumped at the sound of Celestia's voice right next to her ear, her hot breath on her neck. This was made worse when her mentor's voice was slightly distorted, and she no longer knew where her friends were.
"C-Celestia?"
Suddenly, the room was illuminated by a bright glow, and all was revealed. All being Celestia laughing her flank off while rolling on the floor at Twilight''s reaction.
"Ahahahahaha! Priceless! You should've seen your face!" She yelled in the midst of her laughter.
Twilight deadpanned and looked around, seeing that her friends hadn't even moved from their spot in the doorway.
"Uh, Twi? What just happened?" asked AJ, looking slightly confused.
"One of Celestia's pranks, i presume?" Twilight said, giving her former mentor another deadpan expression.
She simply kept laughing, if only for a moment. She soon straightened up and righted herself. "Ahem. Yes, well, you simply must forgive me Twilight. I have no idea where this playful streak of mine even comes from. I'm sorry."
Twilight's expression soon changed into a smile. "it's fine. I don't really mind it all that much. It's actually nice to see you act so carefree, what with the stress of ruling and all."
Celestia smiled as well. "Oh, you know me too well, Twilight. So, what brings you here to me so early. Surely it isn't just to scold me for my admittedly childish actions?"
Twilight's expression hardened as she scrunched up her face in thought. "Hmm...Oh yes! Well, you see..."
"I see. I had a feeling this would happen." Celestia said as she sat upon her throne, her head resting in one of her hands.
"You knew?" Twilight asked, shocked.
"It was only a feeling. But to think it would come true is just...well..."
"So what's happening to us? If you know, then tell us." Rainbow Dash said, getting slightly impatient.
"Dashie! Don't rush the princess!" Pinkie said, pulling Dash to the back of the group.
Celestia giggled. "Oh, no. It's quite alright, Pinkie.I suppose I should get on with it. It's all pretty simple really. There's really nothing all that big to it. It's just a common deduction."
"A common deduction?" Twilight parroted.
"That's right. You are a unicorn whose special talent is magic itself. Add being an alicorn princess, and the fact that you're going through magical evolution, and it's only natural that some of your magic would leak out." Celestia explained.
"Well, then how do we stop it?" Twilight asked.
"Stop it? Why in equestria would you want to stop it?"
"It's affecting my friends." was all Twilight answered with.
"Ah, I see. Well then, in that case, the answer to this, is also quite simple."
"So then what is it?" Rainbow Dash interjected again.
"Dashie, quit it!" Pinkie pulled her back again.
"You can't stop magical evolution, but you can heal those it has affected." Celestia responded, finally getting off of her throne and walking over to them.
"So you can help them go back to normal?" Twilight asked, excited that her friends would be okay.
"Yes. I have only to remove the excess magic from their bodies and put it back into you. But..." Celestia trailed off.
"But?" Apple Jack spoke up.
"But that's only if you all want to be rid of Twilight's magic." Celestia finally said.
Twilight gulped. This was it. Celestia had made the ultimatum known,, now they had to choose. Live with Twilight's magic, or get rid of it and go on with their lives as normal.
Twilight looked back at all of her friends. "So, girls, what do you say? Will you get rid of it?"
They all seemed to think on this a moment. But then a moment stretched into minutes, and the minutes went on and on. All in all half an hour had passed before they made their decisions. And Apple Jack was the first to speak.
"Well, I don't really see a problem with it."
Rainbow Dash was next. "Yeah, me neither."
"I for one find it quite enjoyable to be more open about my desires." Rarity said, a smile crossing her features.
"Ooh, Ooh, what she said. What she said!" Pinkie remarked, pointing at Rarity.
"Pinkie darling it's not nice to point fingers." Rarity said, scolding her.
"Aww, alright then!" Pinkie said, perking up and jumping up and down.
"I...don't want to...get rid of it...either...If...that's okay." Fluttershy said, twiddling her thumbs and looking away.
Twilight was absolutely shocked. "Come on, girls! What are you saying?! This is not a good thing. Are you really sure you wanna spend your lives with my magic causing you to do and say all kinds of things? Think of your daily lives!"
"Now, listen here, Sugar Cube." Apple Jack steppe in front of her. "We don't care one bit about what other's think of us. Besides, according to you, the magic only affects us when we're around you, so that's not much of a problem. And there's one tiny little detail you seem to be forgetting about, Twi."
"Little detail? What could I possibly be forgetting?" Twilight asked, looking confused.
"Ever since this whole thing happened, we've been closer than ever. We're all lovers now, not just friends. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're all happy with that." AJ smiled, winking at her friend.
"Ohhh...girls..." Twilight started tearing up. She really had such wonderful friends.
"The spell didn't change us. In fact, I think it brought us closer to out true selves, so living with it seems like a fair trade off after what it's done for us."
Twilight could only smile in response.
In the background, Celestia stood there smiling. Seeing such a wonderful sight as this was what she lived for. It's the reason she loved her little ponies so much in the first place. Seeing such a sight reminded her that life did indeed have it's good moments, and that you can always make the best out of the bad ones. She walked over to Twilight and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Well, it looks like your friends have made their decision. Now it is up to you."
Twilight didn't look up at her mentor, but she knew she had to be smiling. She looked back at AJ.
"So what do you say?" AJ reaches out her hand for a handshake. "Keep it?"
Twilight looked at her for a moment, then down to her outstretched hand. After a moment she lifted her own hand and accepted the handshake.
"Keep it!"
Aj brought her into a hug, which all of her friends soon joined. "We'll always be the best of friends, spell or not."
Twilight shook her head. "No, AJ, we're not friends anymore. Don't you remember? We're more than that! We're lovers!"
AJ scratched the back of her head and looked away sheepishly. "Oh, that's right. We're lovers now. Well girls, what do ya say we head back to Sugar Cube Corner for some cupcakes!" She raised a fist into the air.
All of her friends followed suit, screaming, "Yeah!" |
Sea Dreams | pre | After a quiet round, the poker table surged with lighthearted bickering once again.
"So, what are you offering?"
"Collaboration, really. You just so happen to be the perfect pony to help her on the path. We've painted a wide enough picture to see that there's a lot buried in her thoughts. But it's not all 'within reach', so to speak."
"She was in a war," Sea Swirl stated flatly. "She saw things nopony should've had to go through. Of course she has a lot on her mind."
"We know. But how she acts now is just her hiding. And it's not healthy."
Sea Swirl tilted her head. "She's been getting along fine. She just met Applejack the other day, and here they are putting Rainbow Dash down as a team." She frowned. "If she's pretending to be the pony she's not, then she's doing an impeccable job."
"Well..." Snowheart tapped her forehooves together, and leaned back into her cushions. "Yes. She's stonewalled, a mare of sheer will. And that's what worries us."
"Meaning?"
"She needs to find a way to be on her own. She relies on others to give her purpose, and follows orders to the letter. That's why we have her and Screw Loose in this living space. They're both a short trot away from assisted-living for the rest of their lives, do you understand?"
"Assisted living?" Sea Swirl blinked, and allowed her eyebrows to curl with open worry. "But... I thought she was getting better?"
"She is getting better. But she needs a push more than ever. If we could figure out where her trauma lies..."
"She's not traumatized."
Snowheart took a moment to relax her withers. "She actively represses her memories. If she never gets the word to face them, then she'll never accept it as a part of who she is."
"Then maybe this is her second chance. Look at her right now. I see a pony who fits right in."
"And I see a mare who's content to keep her fight to herself."
Sea Swirl turned to Snowheart. The nurse was watching Reckless, her face stretched by no small display of pain.
"All I ask is that you talk to her a little more about her history. But not about the land she claimed to live in, because we've exhausted our options there. She needs help working through who she believes she is."
"Who does she think she is?"
"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't be sharing our worries with you." Snowheart stopped briefly, then lowered her head. "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable."
Sea Swirl took a deep breath. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I really hope you're wrong."
"Don't be. That's more than fair." Snowheart put on a tight, throat-locked laugh. "I would love to be wrong about this diagnosis. But it's a situation we're not properly equipped to deal with. Something better dealt with between friends."
"I can't make any promises. Not ones I can keep."
"And I can't force you to do anything. Again, I'm only asking that you think about it." The nurse ran her hoof along the inside of her foreleg. "So please, give it some thought."
Sea Swirl didn't manage a real reply--she nodded, and that was that. Snowheart was a good mare, and her heart was definitely in the right place: Reckless did need a friend to help her. She just needed the right kind.
The mares watched as the table's argument came to a finality. The table was set upright, the hooves were dealt, and the blinds were paid.
Below her sea of blankets, Screw Loose kicked away, whining slightly in some foreign dream.
Sea Swirl quietly excused herself from Snowheart, and moved to comfort the nightmare-addled mare. She knew those dreams. Evidently, Reckless did, too.
As Sea Swirl's hoof smoothed over Screwy's covered back, she whispered soothing nothings. She tried to make them meaningful, to be more than cooled words. In a few spare moments, the kicks wound down. For the moment, the nightmares peeled back to puppy-dog dreams.
Sea Swirl leaned back, her rump placed square against the floor, and silently watched over her friend. She wished she had the strength to do more; she needed the same kind that kept Reckless brave in the face of so much hardship... and trauma. Sea Swirl's gaze wandered back to the game.
Maybe, all she had to do was ask. |
Sea Dreams | 5 - On The Farm | "Now, sugarcube, can I trust you with this?"
Applejack hefted the hammer up. She wasn't gripping it, but as it lay in her hoof, she could tell the mare in front of her was more than ready to lay her open mouth on the hammer. Bits of saliva drooled down from Screw Loose's gaping maw; it wasn't much, but it was enough to unnerve Applejack a tad.
All the farmer mare could do was remember Screwy's story.
Sighing, she pushed her hoof forward. When Screwy's tight mouth-grip wrapped around the hammer's handle, the circular sashay of the mare's tail doubled in vigor.
"Alright," Applejack said tentatively. "Just like I showed you a second ago, y'hear?" Once more, she leaned down, hefted her own hammer, and reached for one of the boards in the pile of wooden planks. Plonking it before her, she flipped it until it was nail-side up. A quick clean motion had the nail plucked from the board. She stepped back, and set the hammer back down. "Just like that. No fuss at all." Applejack gestured with an open hoof. "Go on, give it a try."
Screwy, still wagging, continued as if unbidden. Just as Applejack was beginning to question her own patience, the dog-hearted mare stepped forward and pawed out a board.
For some reason, Applejack felt her heart racing. "Nice and easy..."
Screwy nosed the board to face her.
"Nice..."
She reached down, unclenched her jaw, and wrapped her teeth around the hammer.
Applejack took a breath.
With a stretch of her surprisingly muscular neck, Screwy wedged the nail in the claw of her hammer. She set her hoof down on the board for support.
"And easy..."
The whole of Screwy's body locked itself in place, and with a firm tug, her head popped upwards. She flexed in a strange disjointed way of stretching, before eagerly presenting the hammer to Applejack. Low and behold, the hammer came with company: the nail had been pried clean.
"Well I'll be." Applejack pushed at the edge of her stetson. "You really had me going there."
The moment Screwy opened her mouth to start panting, the hammer fell, nail and all. It landed with a soft thud in the dirt between them. It at least wasn't too coated in saliva, but the dirt that clung to it wasn't exactly the grip Applejack was hoping to have turned back to her.
Picking the damp tool with a hoof instead, Applejack nodded. "I'll go through a few more with you, sugarcube. We'll have a good set of withers on you, yet."
Screwy gave a joyful yip, and Applejack replied with an awkwardly slanted smile.
Big Mac wasn't a stallion of many words.
Neither was Reckless.
There were many different kinds of apples grown on Sweet Apple Acres. This particular section of the orchard had a later harvest cycle than most of the farm. Despite being a small part of their annual growth, there was still plenty of work to be done.
But they'd done so much already, to the point that Big Mac couldn't help but find himself enjoying a break. He certainly wasn't planning on straining himself again... Although, if he did, he had it well ingrained by now that this new mare would certainly be the big pony the Ponyville Apples could rely on to get the job done.
So here he sat, plied with his back to an apple tree, straw in mouth, and eyes cast over the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres.
The view beside him wasn't too bad, either.
For the longest time, Big Mac had fancied himself a pony predisposed to the littler ones. He'd always been ahead of the curve in his growth, and a good part of his actions came down to ensuring the ones smaller than him were safe and well. He was no stranger to bearing the weight of the world on his withers, if only for a moment.
It was plain for Big Mac to see, then, that Reckless carried similar burdens.
There were pains buried beneath the surface for both of them, and for the first time in a long time, Big Mac felt the urge to reach out to somepony beyond those closest in his care.
This mare may well have been family.
And while she was remarkably quiet, she could just as easily be wordy when her interest was piqued. She was even closer to his heart than he first realized: not just in actions, but in words. That left him wanting to know more about the mare he'd certainly be working with for the foreseeable future.
It was awkward, then, that the stallion of few words had to be the one to say something.
"So," he started, his drawl thick with disuse. "Ponyville?"
Reckless' reply was immediate, almost as if she'd been waiting for him. "Here some time." She stretched, arching her neck toward the noon-day sun. "You live Ponyville long, yes?"
"Eeyup."
She was silent again. His eyes traced her. Waiting.
The hard-working workhorse was tempting him into speaking something fierce.
"You know princess?"
Big Mac blinked.
"Sun princess, not moon sib," Reckless elaborated, this time shaking out her front fetlocks. "She nice mare. Moon mare, too."
"Eeyup."
"She help me find friend. Family. Send me Ponyville, give me work."
"The princess gave us Apples the land. You could say she gave me work, too."
Reckless paused at the remark, then turned to face Big Mac. The white blaze striping down between her eyes was a bit sooty with dirt, but it didn't dissuade her smile. "You like work, yes?"
Big Mac's lips twitched into a tiny smile, and he nodded firmly toward the leaves of the tree overhead. "Eeyup."
"Can tell. Work so hard." For a moment, Big Mac felt the horse's eyes rolling over him. Reckless rolled her withers, then looked away. "You know best part?"
"...Nope."
"Can tell you not want me. Is good to work with stallion who not want foal."
Big Mac's eyes widened, half-expecting a laugh to leave the mare. But no such grace erupted. With each second, the silence somehow grew worse. His lack of a proper reply sent his mind reeling toward the edge.
"Ee-eyup." He winced, and turned away; he'd failed to hide the stutter.
"Maybe when work slow, we do different fun."
Big Mac began to sweat like the air wasn't the cool autumn it was.
The boards creaked beneath Sea Swirl.
"Seems like somepony's a bit nervous."
The rocking chair mare creaked just as much.
"I guess," Sea Swirl replied noncommittally.
"You guess?" the older mare hooted. "Well now, I haven't seen a filly more nervous in all my time in Ponyville! You're as nervous as a groundhog around their shadow!"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Only for so long as you keep teetering on my porch, filly."
Sea Swirl stopped doing just that. Her hooves thud against the wood. "Thank you."
"Aw hay, no need to thank me. Just remember that you've got four good hooves, and they were made for trotting! Keep yourself grounded, that's what I say."
Earth pony wisdom was something Sea Swirl found herself more and more attuned with. "Grounded. Got it. But really, thank you, Granny Smith."
"Now what did I just say, filly?"
"...Sorry."
"I'm just pulling your tail." Granny Smith sighed pleasantly, and continued bobbing in her chair. "If'n somepony oughta be sorry, it ought to be me."
"Why?"
"When you said you wanted to help, I should've known that you wanted help, too."
Sea Swirl glanced back at Granny.
Spread out before them, the sprawling landscape of Sweet Apple Acres was a cozy sight to behold. Nearby, the sound of the coop and barn elicited sharp plucks along Sea Swirl's ears, though she'd since become accustomed to them after all her time on the porch.
She'd initially stopped by to see how her friends were faring, but she'd had yet to see anypony else beside Granny Smith: Applejack and Screwy were definitely close by, but out of the way; Big Mac and Reckless were no doubt at work in the orchard; and the scarce Applebloom was off to the Ponyville Schoolhouse.
That left Sea Swirl to house chores with Granny Smith. Her use of telekinesis was a surprisingly welcome allowance, given that Granny had insisted on doing a great many things by hoof--Sea Swirl wasn't entirely sure jars could be 'jarred' by 'magical jarring'--but it had been an easy way for Sea Swirl to find comfort in doing something useful.
"What do you think I need help with?"
"Shucks, don't go putting it like that, filly." Granny Smith slowed in her rocking. There was an audible smack as she wet her lips. "You want a family, don't you?"
"I... I'm sorry, but I don't see--"
"It's a yes or no."
"...Yes."
Granny Smith sighed. "I hope you'll take this kindly, then, when I say that you've got yourself a happy troupe."
Sea Swirl trot over, and seated herself rump-first beside Granny Smith. "But we have monsters in us."
"What? Monsters? No, no. No monsters, filly, just nightmares. Everypony has nightmares."
"Then how are we supposed to face them?"
Granny Smith slowed to a stop, Sea Swirl took every movement in.
"It starts with finding yourself a family."
"And then?"
Granny leaned in conspiratorially, her chair and body creaking again. "Being a mite bit selfish."
Sea Swirl tilted her head at the mare, her face contorting with confusion. "Selfish? Selfish how? And how's that supposed to help?"
"Well, you're already working on doing right by them, aren't you, filly?" When Sea Swirl found no way to reply, Granny Smith hummed, and hewed on. "Now, I think you should show your friends your talents... and enjoy it, to boot. And I won't lie, it won't be easy. But it'll be well worth it."
For the tender quiet that passed over them, Sea Swirl raised a hoof, and laid it on one of Granny's resting forelegs. "Thank you for your advice, Granny Smith... I think I know where to go next."
"O'course! You're welcome back anytime, filly."
"I think I'll take you up on that offer more often than you think." |
Sea Dreams | 6 - A Warmer Winter | "Reckless?"
Thunk. "Sea Swirl."
"You never told me you didn't like dogs."
Ka-thunk. "No."
The pause stretched, broken only by another hollow thunk of firewood in the fireplace. Reckless slowly reached to the metal stand aside the stoked flames, her long and muscled neck bulging on display for her friends across the way. With the fire iron clenched in her sturdy mouth vice, Reckless continued to tend to the ever-warmed hearth. Her voice was silent, and to be completely fair, Sea Swirl knew she shouldn't have asked.
"Sorry, I don't mean to dredge up any bad memories." Sea Swirl turned her eyes away. Her hooves had long since found purchase grooming along the resting form of Screwy. She smoothed out the tuckered mare's blanket, and placed a gentle scratch between her ears with the tip of her hoof.
After another moment, the fire iron clinked. "Not what mean."
"But Granny Smith told me about the way you've been acting around Winona."
"Winona?" Reckless tried the name. She shook her head and started making her way over to her own couch. Her eyes stayed glued ahead. "No, no. Like dogs, now." She paused in thought. "You... maybe we talk."
Sea Swirl didn't exactly like the warhorse's demeanor--it worried her to see her speak without eye contact--but she still relished in the small satisfaction that came from hearing those words. "I'd really like that, Reckless."
The couch aside creaked as Reckless settled in. Screwy fussed slightly in her dreams, but the moment passed. The crackling of the fire took control of the space.
Sea Swirl wasn't one for fire, but she watched the lapping flames in the reflections of Reckless' eyes; Reckless would always be there, but it was a blessing like no other to see Morning Flame.
"But no need make doc talk. Know story already. Trauma, they say. Disorder. No... I know orders."
Sea Swirl shuddered. "How do you... know?"
"Doc not think I listen. But I hear all." Reckless' ear flicked. "Pony not know war. Maybe different choice, work more. Maybe find... new marine."
"Would you really want that?"
"Would be happy. But happy here." Reckless breathed heavily, then turned to look at Sea Swirl.
Those eyes... it was enough to make Sea Swirl's breath hitch.
The hurt finally shone through.
"No like carry soldier, Sea Swirl. Blood, no blood, it not matter. But carry soldier, because carry soldier my purpose. Why I here. If not fight, who fight? Who carry you?"
"...But who carries you when you need help most, Reckless?"
The ex-sergeant's eyes softened. "I carry. If was good marine, would not be alone."
"You..." Sea Swirl paused, then sharply inhaled. "You could teach me to think the way you do. I wouldn't mind being your voice, if you'll be my eyes and ears."
"How mean?"
Sea Swirl slowed in her ministrations, causing Screwy to let loose a low groan. When she replied, she turned her hoof in slow circles across the blankets. "I don't want you to carry that weight all on your own. You may have had the company of others when you were in the 'Marines', but you didn't have a way to tell them you needed relief. They just had to know. But now, now you can tell somepony. And I want to be that somepony."
Reckless' upper lip curled and twitched the longer she looked at Sea Swirl.
Sea Swirl stared right back. "I mean it, Reckless. I really do want to help you, because you already help me. So please, let's sit down, and really make sure we're doing this together."
The warhorse puffed from her nostrils.
"Please?"
Outside the defrosting window pane, ponies in the snow passed. They hurried along with bright smiles, all while more snow stuck close to the yarns and thread across their backs. Screwy's ears perked at the sound of their laughter, but she didn't open her eyes, or budge an extra inch.
"Okay."
"Thank you."
Sea Swirl leaned back, but she patiently awaited the next words out of Reckless' mouth. The warhorse was slow to start, but the thoughts in her head were the kind that kept the princesses awake at night.
"Many marine. So many, many, marine. Not know them, then. They find me. Take me. Then, no more race. But... still train. Different train. Step for war. Hoofcamp. Step for marine. Doc. Gunny. Lieutenant. Race for them." Reckless seemed to lose her speed somewhat.
Sea Swirl briefly stepped back in. "But what happened to your family? Your old family, I mean. Surely that hurt?"
"Family?" Reckless paused, and then much to Sea Swirl's surprise, made a very pony motion: she rubbed at her jaw with the back of her fetlock. Her lower lip flapped loosely, save for when she spoke again. "Yes... not happy. But necessary. Had to leave, fight. Go so family live."
That was better than nothing. "Did you ever see them again?"
"No."
"I'm sorry."
"It okay," she breathed deep, and topped it with a snort. "He knew he would not see me." Reckless turned her head down. "But still happier to train war."
"You didn't have a choice, did you?"
"No choice. Only owner make choice." Reckless' hoof tapped against her couch. She looked up to meet Sea Swirl's watchful gaze. "Was good owner. Feed me. Name me. Teach me... Love me."
Sea Swirl swallowed thickly. Love, but... "Your family... h-he owned you?"
"Better owner than no owner. Korea not so safe, then. Even when go, not so safe. Hard time everywhere. Hard life for all man. But luck give me and him chance for better life, even if mean... lose family."
"For a new one," Sea Swirl corrected.
"For new one, yes."
Sea Swirl didn't think it so bad, until she realized that Reckless had likely been sold off to her new family. "I... see."
She realized then, that understanding her friend's world was going to be a life-altering journey. Her preconceptions of the way things were just wouldn't hold water to the wounded warhorse.
"You see?" Reckless' ears flopped as she looked about the living room. "See what?"
"I meant that I understand what you mean. You both did what you had to."
"Yes. We serve. Fight for what matter."
"...Friends?" Sea Swirl hazarded a guess.
Reckless smiled, and firmly nodded. "Friends."
Holding onto friendship was important in a world that saw war. That didn't mean it wasn't as important, here. But Sea Swirl could tell that this was a tenuous path for Reckless, and it needed to be followed.
But she had to move slowly. Steadily. Uphill.
Sea Swirl returned the smile, and gently replied. "I'm glad we're friends, Reckless." |
Sea Dreams | 7 - Her Sea Power | "Ponies not know better."
"Because they can't know exactly what you're thinking."
"Yes. I no help, too. Don't say what think. No word... best word, most time."
"It's a really good practice to speak up and vent, Reckless."
"That why you here. We here."
"Of course."
Ponyville was quiet today. Sea Swirl rather liked it that way. There were so many exciting days and moments in the town: earth ponies definitely knew how to have fun, and the constant wave of new arrivals made sure every interaction was a memorable one.
Of all those episodes, Sea Swirl was glad to have settled into life with Reckless and Screwy.
"It's nice to be out of the way, don't you think? To settle back, and just do... nothing."
"Yes. But retirement not so close, Sea Swirl."
"I just moreso meant taking a break, Reckless."
"No room for break in war. Always fight."
"Then it's a good thing there's no war here, right?"
"Only war of heart. Hearts."
Sea Swirl felt the immediate twist of pain. "Reckless..."
"No," the warhorse suddenly broke. Her brown eyes gleamed as she laid her sights on Sea Swirl. "Your heart hurt most. You much help, yes. We friend. You best friend. But friend can hurt. I fear..." Reckless paused. She lowered her gaze, licked her lips, then tilted back up again. Her whisper was sharp. "Will hurt your heart when try fix mine."
The ocean-hearted mare, for as tumultuous a life she lived in her mind, didn't fight back. "Okay." She flexed her fetlock, and brushed against the head of Screwy, sprawled out across the floor before her. "I'm sorry."
Reckless' forelegs slid across the living room carpet. She laid herself flat and turned away. "No. No sorry. This just life. Life I live, now."
For a moment, they both clung to their own respective carpets. Sea Swirl felt herself tempted to slide down and join Screwy in her curled up dreams, but that would leave Reckless out of the equation. A peek now and she could see her warhorse friend sulking, her mane just poking out above the coffee table. Below, her head pressed deeper into her fetlocks. The weight of everything was bound to leave an imprint in the carpet; she was tiring herself out pushing into the floor. Was it some kind of comfort? If it was, it wasn't nearly enough. Reckless wouldn't be satisfied until she lived in a different world.
Sea Swirl wished she could give it to her. It was a dream.
But dreams weren't fulfilled without motion.
If she wanted Reckless to live in a better world, she needed to act.
So, she didn't reply. She let the warhorse tire herself in that isolated, desperate bid for comfort. If she wanted to say something more meaningful, she needed to think. Reckless was not a thinking mare. She was smart, brilliant, almost certainly a trained tactician... but she didn't have the same experience Sea Swirl did in workings of the heart, and dreams. Yes, Reckless was a simple-minded mare, but she didn't understand just how big her heart was.
"Reckless..."
Above the coffee table, the rounded ends of Reckless' ears twitched.
"You're a good mare. I really think you should know that."
She heard a breath from below.
Sea Swirl leveraged herself forward. "And you're a good marine. That never stopped mattering."
Reckless shifted her legs, but didn't raise herself. Her face remained in her fetlocks.
"You're such a strong fighter, but you also have a strong heart. You fight for the purpose of helping, protecting, saving others. You work so very hard not for the sake of the reward, but for the sake of lives. You've spent so long fighting without mind for life, but you know you can have it. You deserve it. Everypony deserves a good life, and you are owed one no less or more than others. You remember so clearly the details of others, of the steps you need to take to keep them on the path. You draw them out with you, leave them safe, and dive right back into the fight. Your fight."
Reckless raised her head. Her eyes and ears were narrowed right at Sea Swirl.
"You don't have to fight alone. You never did. And you never have to." Sea Swirl rested her hoof against Screwy's form, and wound a slow circle. "I know what it's like to feel like you're at the end of the world. For you, it was the end of the war. For me, it was the whirlpool's edge."
"Whirlpool?" Reckless tried the unfamiliar word.
Her ploy to distract Reckless having worked, Sea Swirl nodded. "Whirlpool. It was a vortex, actually. I should've seen it was bad while on the ship..." Sea Swirl trailed off with a little smile. She was getting ahead of herself.
Reckless swallowed. "Don't like ships."
"I don't like 'em too much, either. But I love the sea."
Slowly, Sea Swirl's smile shrank. Not afraid, nor sad. Serious.
"But when I was a filly, for a while there, I feared the mean 'ole blue."
Rapt with attention, Reckless leaned her head against the coffee table. Screwy's tail traced a path against the carpet, and her ears peaked. The eyes of her friends were on her.
And for the first time in a long time, Sea Swirl felt ready to share her story.
"Stepping into the water of the sea for the first time is kind of like traveling to a different world. All these new sensations on your hooves, the water clinging and tasting like no lake you've been in before? Yeah, when my parents and I lived by the Celestial Sea, I wanted to spend my whole life in those waters."
"Every time, it was like I got a little further and further. Then, it turned out I was getting further. I wasn't a filly like the others, with lots of siblings to rein me in, I just had parents willing to be there for me. But I swam out, and the waves crashed in, and I just... I wanted to keep going."
"I dove under those waves, and the world just expanded. All those little shells and wash-ashores I'd see? Well, they lived and breathed in the blue beneath. And I really wanted to stay there. But I held my breath, kept my eyes open, and bobbed straight to the surface. Kicked my way back to the beach and my parents. And went home."
"And there, with my mom still drying me, I asked to see the sea."
"It wasn't a cruise, just a little accompanying voyage out with my uncle on his fishing trawler. And it turned into a whole series of little trips. My parents are unicorns, but my uncle... he's an earth pony. It made my mind go crazy whenever I was with him, because I'd always be asking him about all the earth pony ways. But well, Uncle Cerulean had a lot of tales about the sea. He's more sea pony than earth pony, really. I loved him for it, and still do. He was stood like me, glimpsing into a different world."
"His view didn't exactly rub off on me, though. Oh of course, I listened to Uncle Cerulean. How could I not? He had such a way of telling tales. Such a way of living life. Lonely, but filled with knowledge of the wonders of all the world's details. From little facts about the fish he caught, all the way to meetings with foreign warships. He was a well-lived pony, well-caught in the life he lived, but rather than feeling trapped and withheld, he enjoyed living with the boundaries of his world."
"Little me didn't want to be like that. I wanted to be an explorer. I wanted to go past the barrier between our worlds. I wanted to step aboard those warships, to follow the fish home, to find new lives... to dive into the deep blue."
"I was stood up on the edge of Uncle Cer's ship. I peeked down into the white wake of the whirlpool. It was fascinating. Like a portal into a different world."
"So I climbed the railing, took a deep breath, and I jumped."
"...I didn't expect the sea to punch the life out of me." Sea Swirl closed her eyes. Coolness pooled in around her ears. She shivered. "It was so quick. Slipped and pulled away from the surface, like the sands so far below had snatched me with feral grains. My eyes were open the whole time, but my bubbled breath just blocked my whole view, and the panic in my heart blinded any thinking I could do. So the whirlpool, that mean vortex, he took me and pulled me as far as I'd ever been from the world I knew."
"I'd only had a taste of the sea from looking in. I'd not had so much time to explore, I'd only dreamed I'd enjoy exploring. But after a bit longer, it let me up, and I was left to look around. And all I saw was a fathomless void. Nothing to see, nothing to latch onto. It was all nothing. Open blue, and the darkness grasping me from below. And then I realized I was sinking. Just sinking. So I tried to swim, to pull myself up, and the vortex dragged me back down. I was stuck there, Reckless. I thought with my little heart, my little mind, 'this is it.'"
"I did give up, there. My life ended."
"I couldn't remember much of what happened next. Experience, now, tells me that I blacked out. But then, I woke up. Woke up to a new life."
Sea Swirl flexed her fetlocks again. She loosened the tightness of her shut eyes, and smiled. "I remember waking up to the feeling in my hooves. It was so sleek. Not slimy, but... smooth. Not like bubbles bursting against my coat, but like a cool brush easing against me. I opened my eyes back up, and there it was. A dolphin. My hero."
"I was so excited, then. I'd only seen them distantly when I was stood in the shallows, and here I was in the deep blue. I wasn't alone anymore. I hooked my hooves so quick around that dolphin, and he lifted me up with a few good clicks. And then there was another. And another. And soon enough, a whole pod of the most beautiful heroes the world had to offer were there for me. I clung so close to them, because they were all I had in the void of the deep blue."
"I was back on the surface so quick. These fascinating creatures I'd never met... they saved me. A minute later, I was stood up on deck, Uncle Cer holding onto me, and my hooves over the railing again to yell my lungs off at dolphins. They gave me the chance to do so. To scream my thanks and love for them. In that moment, all the fears I had... quieted. They called back up to me, and I felt like I was where I belonged. It wasn't the world I lived in that mattered, then. It was about the ones who I shared it with."
Sea Swirl opened her eyes. She looked around the living room. Reckless and Screwy were still with her. Their eyes locked right on her, ears perked high. They listened to her story just as she'd listened to many before.
And so she went on, taking them with her.
"I got my cutie mark on the ship, at the edge of two worlds. I was told I had a purpose, and maybe a talent. I didn't know what it was, there. And while all the stories I've heard and lived through have taught me a lot, I'm still not there. But I know that if I cling to the heroes I have, here, I can stay in this world a little longer, and maybe, just maybe, find that feeling. That purpose beyond life."
She smiled so gently. "And so I hope--I really hope, and always will hope--if we keep close, our worlds will intertwine, we'll realize our dreams, and we won't ever fear living a purposeless life alone." |
Sea Dreams | 8 - Smoking Sentimental Cigarettes | Thunk.
Big Mac's ears folded back. He glanced down the way he'd come. The board on the stairs creaked back into place, and he gave a mighty sigh of relief.
"Which room?" Reckless' voice was as bold as ever.
"To the right," Big Mac replied.
His nerves were on the fritz. As Reckless nudged muzzle-first into the rightmost room, Big Mac took a moment to breathe. He flexed his front fetlocks and closed his eyes. Again, he reassured himself; the wintry farmhouse was empty.
Granny was dozing on the porch, Applebloom was still at school, and Applejack--and Screw Loose--were hard at work by the coop.
Big Mac grit his teeth for a moment. Then, he relaxed, allowing his withers and jaw to loosen in one motion.
Tentatively, he followed the warhorse into his bedroom.
He was prideful of the place, no doubt. He kept his side of the Apple family home clean and organized to a degree that rivaled that of Applejack: it had been a long-running competition between the brother and sister, although the fire had dimmed slightly since their early Ponyville years. Regardless, everything was just as it should have been. There were no prying eyes or nosy sisters, just a cleanly pressed bed, an arranged display of family history, and a well-toned warhorse.
Big Mac snorted as he pulled the door shut. The door bounced off its broken latch, and he snorted again.
Reckless had pulled ahead to peer at the top of his dresser. Owing to Big Mac's lack of clothes, he'd spent the years transforming it into a vessel for the Apple family's history. Each drawer, starting from the top left to the bottom right, was its own chronological piece on an era of the family. A nice little project of his that he was more than happy to share.
It was a little disappointing to Big Mac, then, when Reckless quickly moved on.
The sorrel mare met the open window with full force. A breeze rumbled softly through the drawn curtains, and straight across his visitor's visage. Big Mac's own experience with short styled manes left him well-aware that Reckless wasn't accustomed to her grown out mane. A majority of it pooled past her ears and down her neck, but just enough of the tan-orange spilled out as a sharp wedge. She snorted, gave her head a shake, and turned around to face Big Mac.
"You want the window shut?"
Reckless' resting look slid up to a small smile, and her eyes brightened. "It okay. Fun when high up. Good air." She glanced around the rest of his room, then shifted to him. "Also fun when inside place where should not."
Big Mac swallowed. "That might be what I'm afraid of."
"Afraid? You brave soldier, yes?"
"...Nope."
"Ha." Reckless raised a hoof and prodded at Big Mac's neck. Without his yoke, her touch was tender. "You funny." With that, she moved past him again.
Big Mac took a breath to clear his head, then returned with Reckless to his dresser. Much to his embarrassment--which was thankfully spared from Reckless' awareness--he was happy to have her take proper interest in the converted wardrobe.
Reckless pulled at one drawer with her mouth, then peeked in. "You have many things! All yours?"
"Eeyup." He paused, gave his dresser a stern look, then shook his head. "...Nope."
"Huh?" Reckless tilted her head, but her newly formed squint stayed honed on the dresser. "What yours?"
"Bits and pieces," Big Mac drawled. He came up alongside Reckless, and brushed past her to reach in with his own mouth. The small book came up easily. Stepping back, he held a hoof out, and put the book down. "I have a room in the cellar for developing photographs."
Reckless blinked. "Developing... photographs?" The words were new to her tongue.
Big Mac settled himself on his haunches. "Making pictures."
"Ah! Picture!" Reckless gave an eager nod. She nosed the drawer shut, and quickly sat on the floor with him.
"Eeyup." After sparing a smile for her enthusiasm, Big Mac cracked open the photo album. "When we were little, Granny used to do it, but I took over those kinds of chores the day I pulled my first plow."
This particular album was at the mid-point of the dresser. The lanky forms of both Big Mac and Applejack peered up at him. Sometimes, it felt like those teenage years had never ended. Time had pushed them on, but while the albums further down in the dresser captured more of that passage, the photos layered, here, never seemed to age. The glimpses of then--not so different from now--were still fond to Big Mac. The real heart of this album, however, came from the foalhood achievements of one precious little apple, a plethora of moments in time, forever captured on film...
"You are like war reporter, yes? Not war reporter..." In a rare display, Reckless appeared to genuinely search for the Equestrian word. "Family historian! Historian. Yes."
Big Mac found the analogy pleasantly apt; he'd never thought of it that way. He smiled. "Eeyup."
Reckless gently placed a hoof against the album. "You sire? Father?"
"Nope. Applebloom is my sister."
"No. Not Bloom. You."
Warmth flushed around Big Mac's face. "N-nope."
"Why?"
His words wobbled out of him. "Well... I've been on this farm all my life. Applejack's lived out east in Manehattan, and Granny lived on the roads until the Apples 'fore us settled Ponyville. I guess I haven't put together the time or place for it."
Reckless seemed satisfied by that, but the questions came on. "Where your sire? Dam?"
And instantly, Big Mac's colors drained away from him. "Uh..." He chewed over his lip, and glanced back to the door of his room.
In his weakening hoof, the book began to fall.
Reckless' voice was soft. "Gone?"
"...Gone."
Remarkably, the warhorse closed the book with the back of her fetlock. "I see." She rested her hoof against his, and held it there all the way, even as he lowered it and the book to the floor. There, Reckless joined him in holding it to the boards. "Sorry."
Big Mac nodded numbly. He met her eyes, opened his mouth, but the words didn't come out. He didn't have many to begin with.
But Reckless was a mare who spoke without words. She knew. "Mine too."
Big Mac had come around to knowing a few strings of Reckless' life--or rather, her life before Ponyville--but she'd hardly ever spoken to him about it directly. Most of his knowledge came from the pieces fed to him by Applebloom. His little sister was expressly fascinated by the warhorse. She'd never really been one for history, but it was clear Reckless' existence was a good motivator. It'd never really come up as a factor, but now it was: her existence here was a lonely arrival. Nopony from her past had come with her, just the memories.
"It okay. This good." She pat the book, then grazed his fetlock with her own. "You remember. Picture can remember, too."
Big Mac just gave a silent, appreciative nod.
Reckless nodded back. "You show more?"
Looking up at the dresser, Big Mac's mind roamed. What else could he show her right now? Something to take his mind off things, preferably.
Thinking better of himself, he shook his head. No, it was better that he show Reckless more of what he never showed ponies. She was exactly the mare he needed to express himself to. A mare just like Applejack: a pony who knew what it was like to hold all the pain inside.
Thankfully, Reckless was clearly on a similar chain of thought. "Dam and sire picture?"
He could, but those were downstairs. And as for other histories now past, the rest of their things were all about... Applejack had pa's hat and ma's guitar. What did that leave Big Mac? His pa's yoke, which was down at the barn, and...
...There was one thing here right now.
"...Nope."
He stood slowly, bringing the photo album with him. He pulled the drawer back out, and returned the album to its place. He hovered his hoof over the lower drawers one by one, passing, and passing. Not this one... or the next.
His hoof came to rest on the bottom left drawer.
"My pa left me something." Something to take care of just as much as his sisters.
Big Mac opened the drawer, and slowly before the seated warhorse, retrieved his trinkets from the past.
It was all as he'd left it: the smoking pipe was smooth and bitter in scent; the thoroughly dried paper wad of tobacco that came with it moreso; and the matchbook and well-worn sandpaper beside them still missing three sticks.
"You smoke?"
Big Mac glanced at her. "You know what this is?"
"Most Marine smoke. Some have pipe."
"Well." Big Mac wished he had a piece of straw to hew over right about now. His mouth made the motion, and he shifted his imaginary grass tip to the other side. "I did. Once." He looked back at the pipe. "A lot of ponies don't know about these."
Big Mac packed the goods together in the crook of his hoof and carried it over to the window-facing bedside. He settled down with his back to the edge of the mattress and frame, and Reckless joined him.
Big Mac lifted the pipe up, and offered it to her. "Here."
Reckless managed to balance it; with her hoof perfectly still, it spun in a slow, graceful circle. "Most pony not smoke?"
"Not so much. I got this pipe from my pa. He got it from his pa before him. And his before him." After watching for a moment, he held his hoof out again, and Reckless passed the pipe back. "It's a family tradition. We grow a crop of tobacco together, and smoke it for good luck. Back when ponies smoked more, Apples used it as a blessing for good trade."
"Marine give cigarette. Taste funny."
"You smoked?"
"Ate. Never smoked."
"...Would you like to?"
Reckless puffed through her nostrils. But it was an amiable sound. "Okay."
As Big Mac set to work preparing the pipe, Reckless' eyes were on him. He managed to stuff the pipe easily enough, and the well-aged tobacco smelled a lot better than he remembered. It was still bitter, but not quite as acrid as when he'd smoked it last. Beside him, reddish-brown ears wavered at every flickering motion. They came to a crest as he plied a sulfur-smelling match from its place. With the sandpaper in hoof, he slid up against the match. It burst quietly into light.
Big Mac glanced at the window. The breeze had eased up, now, but it was still there.
Carefully, he brought the lit match to the pipe clenched in his teeth.
One. Two. Three.
Puffing, the smoke came briskly. Big Mac didn't cough or swelter. He moved to pass it to Reckless, but instead of the pose he'd expected, she had leaned forward: her forelegs were straightened out, and flush with the floor. She opened her mouth slightly, and looked right at him.
As Reckless placed her lips over the pipe, Big Mac held it for her.
One. Two. Three. Four... Five.
Reckless pulled back with a fit of coughs. Smoke pooled out from her nostrils and mouth. It clashed against the white blaze striping down the bridge of her muzzle. Big Mac, who had been in the same position many years ago, placed the pipe in his own mouth, and leaned over to make sure she was alright--just like pa had done for him.
Reckless smiled through the thin wisps of curling smoke, and then stomped lightly with a foreleg. "Again."
Big Mac obliged, leaning in again. Her second toke went far more smoothly, and he pulled it away from her at the beck of a tail-flick against him.
They repeated this several times as the pipe continued to burn. The breeze was good against them while they leaned against the bed and shared in the aged pipe and smoke. As Big Mac relaxed, he became more aware of the closing distance between him and Reckless. He wasn't sure who'd started moving first, but in the end, they were both responsible.
At a certain point, Reckless nodded him off, and he was left to finish the pipe. He wasn't smoking it alone, though; the warmth of the pipe was joined by the hairs of Reckless' coat. She burrowed into the crook of his neck, leaning over and across the side of his withers. Yet, there was no ache in his forelegs, or frozen anxiety. He simply smoked, shifting the pipe from one side of his mouth to the next, all while they shared a view of the clear sky beyond the window.
Reckless was thick in the neck like him. In a funny sort of way, it was a nice change of pace from the neck hugs he'd share with Applejack and Applebloom. He'd done well to protect them for this long, but with Reckless against him like this, well... he felt safe, too. While that thought would have embarrassed him ten minutes ago, right now, it was just the way things were. And Big Mac was more than happy to let it keep going.
"Granny!"
The frozen anxiety flared in a fiery instant. Reckless' ears twitched against him, but the muscles in her neck showed no effort to move. With her against his withers, he felt locked in place.
The meager hoofsteps--the same ones he hadn't heard coming--hurriedly trudged away. Big Mac really wished that was the end of the story. He really wished it was.
It was too good to hope that this was just about the smoking; his sister wouldn't know a thing about it. But there was one thing that little sisters knew how to communicate well...
"Sergeant Reckless is Big Mac's special somepony!"
The magnitude of horror that swelled into Big Mac at those words was rivaled by a single whispered word.
"Mine." |
Sea Dreams | Incoming, Incoming, Incoming | The sun broiled in through the window.
"Incoming."
An awful wave of rolling thunder rattled through the floorboards. It was chaotic to the core: the tremors shifted up from the floorboards, leapt high to the walls, where it threatened to displace every loose piece it could. But it didn't. It hungered voraciously for the discomfort in the home, and just that.
A wispy whimper aired through the rattling living room.
"Shh, it's okay," Sea Swirl cooed.
Screwy wrapped her tail around hers, but she continued to whimper.
Sea Swirl closed her eyes and pulled Screwy even closer.
The tremors stopped. Briefly.
Reckless spoke. But it was the same warning she'd been repeating for as long as they'd been here.
"Incoming."
The world shook again.
And the moon took hold of the sky. |
Sea Dreams | 9 - Chased With Serenity | "It was almost hard to believe it was over as quick as it'd come. You'd almost think it was an hour-long, episodic nightmare. That it wasn't real. And we would wake up, eventually."
"But it was very real."
"Mm. It dug up... a lot for me and my friends. Things that going back to sleep can't make you forget. That was probably even more real."
"I'm sorry it keeps happening."
"It's okay. I'm working through it, this time. We're working through it. Together."
"That's good. I'm glad you've made some friends here in Ponyville, Sea Swirl."
"Me too, Sparkler. I really don't think I could get here without them."
"You know how much I've always prided myself on my plans. But no matter how much planning you do, without others to back you up, best laid plans can fall right through. It's much the same for dealing with the kind of life you've lived."
"...I'm still really happy you're here, Sparkler."
"You always needed more than me. I'm just one grumpy, organization-savvy pony."
"But you never let me fall right through. Me, the worst laid pony."
"I'd never considered that angle." Sparkler smiled, then bowed her neck down to Sea Swirl. "But I could never let the sea drown in her own sadness."
Sea Swirl met her neck hug in kind.
"I might be a semi-permanent Ponyville mare, now, but that doesn't mean I'm a semi-permanent friend. Do you remember why I recommended Ponyville to you in the first place?"
"Of course I do, Sparkler."
"Then you know just as well that there's no better time to get out and make some more friends."
"This is just your way of telling me you're busy again."
"Oh, come on, Sisi, when you put it like that..."
Sea Swirl giggled. "I'm joking, Sparkler."
"Aw, you've got a little joking side to you, now? That's not the Sea Swirl I know! You're either snippy and sarcastic, or all morose."
"Well, you have to act, if you want to live in a different world."
"Wise words."
They both stood. The breeze stroked gently across their backs, carrying the sound of a town in rest and recuperation: hammers thudding, carts wheeling, laden hooves plodding. It was a peace, at least. There was purpose, and there was the aura of hope for a better future. A bounce back to the state Ponyville had looped itself back to time, and time again. The state of a village over a hundred years in the making, ready to make, and make again.
"Sparkler. A year or two ago, when you first brought up Ponyville... I wasn't really sure it was the best idea."
"And today?"
"I don't think there's ever been a place to stand to make me as hopeful as I am right now."
"I wish I could really show you just how glad I am to hear that, Sea Swirl."
"You taking time to find me after everything that just happened was enough trust earned."
Sea Swirl pulled Sparkler into another hug. Her Canterlot visitor came without fuss.
"You're gonna make me cry, you silly, silly sea pony."
"It's good for you," Sea Swirl whispered back.
When they separated, Sparkler wiped at the corners of her eyes with a fetlock. She laughed lightly. "Next time, I'll be sure to add more time for you. I've got a lot of organizing to help out with, still."
"I promise I won't keep you for so long, next time."
"You didn't, and you wouldn't, Sisi. What else are friends for? As long as we're together, we may as well have all the time in the world."
It hurt Sea Swirl, then, to watch her friend start to go. A thousand paths crossed her mind: ways to continue their mutual exchange, to continue to invest in each other in that moment. She'd let her go, once, even though it was at Sparkler's suggestion, and even ended up being one of the most positive seeds for growth in Sea Swirl's life. At yet another seemingly crucial moment, did she want to--?
"Sea Swirl?"
She blinked at her friend standing there, not even twenty hooves away, leering back with a smug grin.
"If you're just going to be moping around the rest of the day, then at least come mope around town with me."
Yes... She could put off the anxiety waiting just around the corner.
For now, things were good.
"Who that pony was?"
"That would be the pony from the neighboring farm: Miss Carrot Top."
"Carrot house?"
Big Mac nudged Reckless. He grinned at her glance. "Eeyup."
Applejack laughed. "Okay, slight correction: that would be the carrot mare, with the carrot house."
Distantly, a great chattering whine and retort sounded from the Sweet Apple Acres' farmhouse. The three ponies at present paused to listen, all ears raised high, and hairs on end.
"Granny not happy," Reckless bellyached, lowering her head and scuffing the earth.
"Maybe. I don't rightly believe she's too upset, by the sound of things." By compare, Applejack squinted off, at the farmhouse, head high. "Are you afraid of Granny, Reckless?"
"No. I just respect much."
"I see..." Applejack turned back to Reckless and Big Mac, and found herself pausing. She squinted at the two of them.
Both of them were low to the dirt, now. She'd always seen a bit of similarity in some of their behaviors, especially with Reckless and Screw Loose spending more and more time on the farm. But more curiously, Big Mac was... whispering to her.
When Reckless let out an honest to earth giggle, and--without obvious smoke and mirrors--bashfully bumped against Big Mac, with her ears tweaking themselves back to a relaxed state, Applejack let a brow raise high.
"You got something funny to share with me too, Big Macintosh?"
The big red stallion rose sharp and quick. "...Nope."
Reckless rose slow and proud, a warm tinge across her next words. "Your brother... share funny words."
"Oh, really?" Applejack knew when there was more truth to be found. But she levied her suspicions on the one pony present that she could really doubt; Reckless was anything but a privy sort. She stared at Big Mac. "And just how long were you planning on keeping that between you and Miss Reckless?"
Big Mac, hewing on his straw, managed to keep the red in his face at a normal level. "...A while."
"Is this something I need to send you to Granny for?"
Surprisingly, Big Mac's brows furrowed. "Well, it'd make more sense to go to Granny." He steadied his stance. "If she were in charge of paying out bits for labor and the like."
"What?"
"I've been thinking."
Oh boy. Applejack tugged on her stetson. "Aw, hay. You? Thinking? What's it in your head this time, Big Mac?"
"Well, 'specially after all this 'Discord' business, I think the mares we have working on the farm 'ought to be paid a fair bit for their work."
"When Sea Swirl introduced them to us, she was asking us a favor."
"And right now, they've been doing us a favor." Big Mac shifted, adjusting himself to put himself right before Applejack. "Do you think rejamming, reboarding, and rebucking on Sweet Apple Acres is doing them any favors in Ponyville? I know you were mighty occupied, but be real honest, Applejack. Did we Apples take it the hardest?"
"Well..." Applejack glanced around at the orchard. It took less than a moment for her to settle, because the truth was long standing. "I reckon not."
"We... not have much." Reckless stepped up, easing Big Mac out of the way. Her voice was soft, but not too reserved. "Ponyville take good care, yes. Hospital, best. But Sea Swirl work much. Lately, not so. Would help for..." She turned to Big Mac. "How you say?"
Big Mac's eyes didn't stray from Applejack. "A fair pay."
"Not want ask. But Big Mac say should."
"I don't..." Applejack sighed and shook her head. "Big Mac, just what are you planning to do with this poor mare?"
"Planning nothing. Maybe I just want my own friend to stand for."
The two siblings stared one another down. ...
"Fine. I'll... work something in for them." Applejack chewed over her bottom lip. She leaned back. "Honest work deserves honest pay."
"Eeyup."
Reckless bowed her head gracefully. "Thank, Applejack."
"Don't thank me, sugarcube. Thank Big Macintosh, here."
"I have."
Applejack decided that she'd done enough thinking in the last five minutes, and there was no room to consider those two words.
"Phew. Okay, let's get back to it, you two. Twilight and the rest of us might've untopsy-turvy'd things, but there's plenty more to set right."
Screw Loose was having the best time ever.
Yesterday, arguably, had been the worst time ever.
But no, today... Oh yes! Today was definitely the best time ever!
"Move yer caboose, Applebloom!"
The filly in question, stopped briefly to giggle back. "I'm trying, Granny, I'm trying! Screwy's just too good!"
Running circles around her camp-stove and pot with ladle in mouth, Screw Loose soaked in the extra joy from hearing others around her. It always felt good to not feel alone. It felt even better when they were doing things! And even better when it was the same thing!
"I reckon we might just keep Screw Loose on the farm, and have you come visit from time to time!"
"Granny!" Applebloom whined from around her own ladle. "Don't say that!"
A moment later, Screw Loose heard the familiar 'pat-pat-pat-pat' of paws behind her. She didn't dare open her mouth to greet the fun friend that was Winona. But Winona barked twice, and joined her in their little run around.
Round and round they went, never sickening, never tiring. Just having fun.
This was the life for Screw Loose. Good company, and good fun. A good time.
Even as she finally did slow, cantering away to rest in front of Granny Smith, she earned a good brush of her mane, and a cooing compliment by the old mare.
Sometimes, especially in times now long past, it'd been hard to understand what her hoof-walking friends were saying to her. But ever since she'd come to the fun place--the "farm"--she could hardly stop herself from thinking all the time about every little detail. With Granny Smith, and certain things Applejack brought her, work could be fun! And with her bestest friends Winona and Applebloom, they could just be fun! There was hardly a moment on the farm where Screw Loose didn't see herself having a good time.
That was probably why the worst time of every day was leaving the farm.
It wasn't that it wasn't fun with just Sea Swirl and Reckless; together, they all understood each other, and knew just how to make each other feel better! But to Screw Loose, deep down, it felt like she lacked... something. She could feel it in the way they looked at and spoke to her sometimes, when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Never bad, but always worried. Screw Loose didn't like being a disappointment. She wanted to be a good...
Granny Smith leaned forward again in her chair, and once more brushed the sitting Screw Loose. "Aren't you just the sweetest little pony?"
Sea Swirl didn't thump her tail. Nor did she bark for joy. Instead, she smiled, and leaned into the goodness.
Yes, a good, sweet little pony. That was something worth striving for.
And if it made her friends happier for her to be that way, then it was something to definitely accept looking into. |
After Death, Creation | pre | When we landed the TARDIS shifted its internal gravity so that I would up falling out the door. What the-? HEY! Wooooaahhhh!!!
I landed facedown in snow. The door slammed shut behind me. I sat up, shivered, and saw that the Chameleon Circuit had turned the TARDIS exterior into a boulder that bore an uncanny resemblance to Tom. I tried to find the door but couldn't. Open up! I only got silence.
Right, I take it there's something here I'm supposed to see? A faint chime of "Yes." Alrighty then.
I stepped out, shivered again, and conjured up a scarf. I was in a Time Lord body, and I liked it cold, but even I drew the line at "blizzard."
I grumbled and tried and failed to see more than 3 feet in front of me. Point me, I snarled, casting a simple direction spell to see where I was supposed to go. A faint blue line appeared in front of me, stretching forward into the snow. I followed it, trying to keep my face from freezing.
I finally came to what looked like a city in a bubble. Oh, it's the Crystal Empire. I hope they have hot chocolate. Bloody thing couldn't have set me down inside the city?!
I was surprised to find the entry to the city wasn't guarded. Huh. Guess they just let ponies walk in. Either that or I'll be on the business end of several spears in a minute... I said wearily. I stepped through, the snow on my coat melting away instantly. I let out a blissful sigh at the sudden warmth. Only I could see it, but the "Point me" spell led further into the city and around a few side streets.
Not sure what to expect, I was surprised when it suddenly stopped. I was on a small hill overlooking a park. Well, "overlooking" wasn't the right term, my view was blocked by bushes. "What I am supposed to see here?" I made sure my voice was normal.
I was startled by music, a synth song I hadn't heard before. About a minute into the song, a voice said, "You still dance like the Prince!" before laughing hysterically.
"Oh yeah?" came the reply. "Let's see you do better, your Highness." After 30 seconds the second voice said, "Wow, I had no idea you could break dance. I'm impressed. Thanks. Would you excuse me?"
"What's up?"
I know that voice, I thought, but why?
"An old friend of mine just dropped into town and I want to take him to lunch. I'll be home in time for dinner."
The voices parted ways. I parted the bushes to try and see who the amazing dancer was. All I got a glimpse of was a grey flank with a black tail. Darn it. I could have sworn I'd met that stallion somewhere. Probably saw him on the show. Maybe I should follow and-
I jumped as a voice said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, it would lead to all sorts of complications and possibly blow a hole in the universe. Time travel's funny that way."
I turned and saw Maroon Flask, grinning at me. "Hello gorgeous," he said teasingly, "Listen, we've got to stop meeting like this!"
I tried to slow down my hearts. "I really don't make any noise when I walk," I muttered. I'd heard that my whole life, and it turned out to be true.
Maroon shrugged. "Sorry. Mind if we grab a burger? I seem to recall I hadn't eaten that day..."
I nodded. He led me through the city to a diner that smelled amazing. Once we got to the counter, he quickly rattled off, "Two triple-bacon burgers and an order of garlic fries."
We sat down in a booth and tore into our food. "Mmm, this is amazing!" I said around a mouthful of food.
"Yeah, ponies are surprisingly good at preparing meat in this universe. It's not made from anything sapient," Maroon said quickly. "You don't have to worry about cupcakes made of pegasus, but pigs, chickens, and fish are all good sources of meat. Since they're ponies it's sustainably harvested and everything."
"Who were you ... who was I having a dance fight with?"
"Just someone I helped out," Maroon said with a grin. "I refuse to spoil any more than that. We're good friends, which will surprise me. Are you going to eat that?" I drew the plate back and hissed at him. "I just thought I should ask..."
As Maroon walked me back to the gate of the Empire he said, "So, not everything is the way that I expected it to turn out, but I give me my word that it turns out for the best. Oh. I need to learn to lie at some point. Just saying. Best of luck!"
I headed back to the TARDIS; pretty sure I'd left frozen chunks of my tail behind. Right, I growled, No more surprises. The TARDIS chimed in a way that seemed apologetic.
When the doors opened back up on Gallopfrey I was met by the President and three of the Citadel Guard, all of whom were glaring murderously at me. "Whoops."
"YOU STOLE A TARDIS!!!" the President shouted, spit flying from his mouth.
"Borrowed, borrowed a TARDIS, which I immediately brought back! I didn't change anything, I just watched!"
The President jabbed a hoof into my chest. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE KIND OF REPERCUSSIONS YOU COULD HAVE CAUSED?!!! YOU COULD HAVE ALTERED THE ENTIRE TIMESTREAM!!!" He sighed, somehow calming himself down instantly. "As soon as you left, I checked, and by some inane miracle, you didn't alter the future."
"Inane miracles are sort of what I do," I said apologetically.
"Silence," he hissed. I quickly shut up. "I will be reporting your activities to the Council, to the Oracle, and to the Guard. You will not be allowed within 40 feet of a TARDIS until I deem it safe for you to travel. But before anyone else chews you out..." he passed me a scroll and pen. "I want a detailed report of everything you saw. Congratulations, you're the first of us to travel so far into the future. Keep in mind that doesn't mean you're in any less trouble... I'll. Be. Watching."
I nodded, took the pen, and headed to the temple to begin my homework. I sighed. "Well, I'm grounded for the next year. Totally worth it," I said with a happy grin. |
After Death, Creation | "You're next of kin to Chaos..." | There are two versions of why I left Gallopfrey a year later, and both are true. In one version, I had seen life was slowly beginning to flourish in the rest of the universe, I knew the Time Lords didn't need me holding their hooves anymore, and I wanted to create my "final project." In the other version, the Time Lords politely kicked me off the planet before I caused any more trouble. Like I said, two sides, same story.
In the end, it didn't really matter, and I wasn't upset enough to hold a grudge. I moved on to finally making Equestria proper.
I found a quiet spot in a medium-sized spiral galaxy and decided that this was as good a place as any. Creating planets was easier now, things do improve with practice. The basic foundation only took a day, before I added a small moon and sun that orbited the planet a bit like 2 electrons. The orbit was complicated, but stable, I couldn't figure out why the Princesses had been required to raise the sun and moon in the show, here they happened automatically.
I added oceans and shaped continents. The next day I was filling the planet with basic life; fish, ferns, etc. when I felt a huge sneeze welling up, which was unusual because I didn't have a body at that moment. I sneezed loudly enough to shake the planet and heard a cracking sound. I watched in a mix of fascination and alarm as time on the planet sped up. Like watching a time lapse video, life evolved on its own at an astonishing speed, culminating in various species of giant lizards that roamed the land, sky, and sea. The temporal stress finally caught up, and all of them collapsed into piles of bones which were buried under layers of earth and rock. All of this happened in less than an hour. So ... if you ever want to know what killed off the dinosaurs, ... I did. By sneezing hard enough to fracture time.
Whoops...
Luckily that was the only effect, 100 million years squeezed into an hour. It was only on Equis, so it could have been worse. The planet could have cracked in half or something.
I sighed and got back to work. I was able to recall the maps of Equis I'd seen on the internet and decided to just stick with it. Mostly. I was already plagiarizing. The maps I'd seen were pretty basic, and I'd heard references to real-world countries in fanfictions, so I added a few more continents in the right places and hoped for the best. It had gotten me through so far.
Once the land and seas were done, I moved onto life. To made it made more sense to start with basic life such as plants, then move on to non-sapient animals, and finally sapient, dominate species. There was a lot of life on Equis, more than on Gallopfrey, that's for sure. Plants weren't too hard, and common animals were OK, since most of them were based on Earth animals. Spiders were fine, but Flyders? No. Way. Next were fantastic beasts and monsters. I'd loved mythology since I was about 9, so creating a world that had almost all the beasts I'd loved was exciting. Finally, I created the staggering number of sapient species.
OK ... I had a mental checklist, but I was pretty sure I'd forgotten things. In no particular order ... Yaks, Minotaurs, Breezies, Zebras, Ahuizotls, Centaurs, Gargoyles, Chimeras, Gryphons, Catfolk, Kirins, Houndfolk, Jackalfolk, Seaponies, Hippogryphs, Dragons, Deer, Buffalo, ... I think that's it... Maybe goats?
I knew I hadn't made Draconequui since I wasn't sure of Discord's origins yet, I was saving Windigos for only if I had to use them, and while I hadn't directly created Changelings, I'd planted a tree they would spring from, like in the MLP comics. I also hadn't made cows sapient, since that was a little weird to me. I still saw them as food, if I'm honest. I sat back and looked at the planet and all the work I'd put into it. I'd done it! I'd created Equis!
AND ON THE TWELFTH DAY, HE RETURNED TO HIS CASTLE AND COLLAPSED IN EXHAUSTION.
I wanted to explore every aspect of the new world I created, but ... it would need to have existed for more than a week. I figured 50 years should give everybody enough time to figure out their places, and hopefully not be eaten. After ten I peeked. My creations were not faring well. I sighed and located the largest gathering of ponies, since they were the most numerous species.
I manifested in a beam of light appearing as a spider pony on a whim to set me apart from everypony else and passed them a burning torch. In Truly Ancient Ponish, I said, Look, I'm probably going to get in trouble for this, but this is a truly useful tool. Don't let the wolves eat you, and don't eat your meat raw anymore. Here's how you make it, I said, demonstrating how to make fire out of rocks, do you see how it works? They nodded. Here, let me show you how to cook and flavor meat and vegetables...
I spent twenty years with the tribe, showing them the basics of civilization: how to cook, primitive medicine, how to write, making homes out of mud and straw, the wheel, making basic laws, bartering, making basic tools, the basics of farming, all of it. Once they'd stopped hitting each other over the head with rocks, I moved on to the rest of the races, appearing to each of them as a member of their species. More or less. I will admit a prejudice to favoring ponies, but I wanted ALL of my "Children" to succeed. Within 150 years Equis was out of the Stone Age into the Bronze Age.
Alexis manifested on my shoulder. "Has anybody EVER told you that patience is a virtue?"
I didn't want them to die! I grumbled. Anyway, since you're my conscience, you should know I can't not interfere.
Alexis sighed wearily. "At this rate they'll have Starships in a hundred years..."
"That'd be awesome!" said Apep with an excited grin. Alexis shot him a dirty look.
Just out of curiosity ... what happened to my old conscience? The goth kid with the yellow eyes. I liked him.
"He's probably on a beach somewhere," Alexis said with a shrug.
"You don't like us?" Apep said giving me brokenhearted puppy-dog eyes.
I'm getting used to you, which for me means "Yes." Apep did a victory fist-pump. Oy, vey, you two are worse than I am!
Although I'd technically kickstarted civilization, there hadn't been too much genuine interaction with the races of Equis. Language hadn't really been developed yet, when I spoke, they understood the meaning, not the words. It had mostly been me showing them how to do things.
The first conversation I had that stood out to me took place about 900 years later in what would come to be known as Ancient Anugypt. I was watching the Pyramids being built. Here, they magically levitated the stones into place, although it took a minimum of seven casters per stone. I was disguised as a grey Catfolk. I'm a cat person, it was made for me.
I wandered the streets until I came to a dusty temple with various creatures entering and exiting. Over the door was a depiction of a black spider. With a feeling of Dejà vu and Rejà vu (from Discworld, literally means "I am going to be here again." Normally experienced in the case of temporal loops.) I entered the temple. A lower priest held out a small box and said, "A small contribution is appreciated." I placed a few coins in the box. He looked in. "Not that small," he growled. Never tick off an anthropomorphic jackal if you look like one of their enemies.
"Sorry," I said, placing the rest of my money in. "Don't we pay taxes to keep the temples in business?"
He sighed wearily. "We're not a full theocracy, and have you ever tried to get funds out of a government?"
"I've heard it's a nightmare."
"You have no idea."
"Whose temple is this?" Yep, definite dejà vu.
"The Weaver," he replied smoothly. "The great Spider who wove the universe together. In the Beginning he fashioned the thread of creation from his own mind and created an intricate Web binding all things together. Each of us are connected one to the other by the strands of the Web. He once appeared to the Ponyfolk as a cross between them and his true form and gave them the secrets of civilization before giving them to the rest of the creatures of this world."
He pulled me further into the temple and there was a polished black stone statue of a giant spider hovering over the world protectively. The map of the known world was very accurate, for the amount of information available then, it was even a globe! The end of the right foremost leg was a cherry red. I quickly hid my paw.
"Is the Weaver ... benevolent? Malevolent?"
"Mostly benevolent, as far as we can tell."
"That's good." Huh. So, they see me as a giant spider. I guess it could be worse. They could see me as a Gibbering Mouther or something, I thought, shuddering at the image. Funny how the things you love can scar you ...
I asked, "Could I pay for this statue? Not to take it home with me, just to reimburse the cost. It's good workmanship, I might commission something from the artist, if you can give me their name."
The priest raised a skeptic eyebrow. "You didn't want to donate more than ₻3, and you're somehow able to pay for 2 statues from the kingdom's finest artist?"
"Money isn't that much of a problem, I just don't carry it around with me very often."
He gave a snort. "Velaz, in the stonemason's guild. He's the current Master, we were lucky to get something from him. You are ... very strange..."
"So I've been told. Thank you."
True to my word, the next day I dropped by the temple again to pay them for the cost of the statue. I nearly fainted when I got the papyrus with the cost, but payed anyway. I was curious to see what other work Velaz did, so I dropped by his workshop. Even with being able to make it rain money I didn't want to pay quite that much for a statue, but, luckily, he had small lower quality amulets that were more reasonably priced. I got an amulet with the image of the Weaver said to protect the wearer from evil.
I appeared in the middle of the desert and sighed, holding up the amulet. I'm not comfortable with being seen like this, I muttered, I'm not what they think I am! I mean ... strange voices inhabiting Voids distributing superpowers is no basis for a claim to Godhood. Genuine Supreme Power has to be granted by a God to a mortal who's earned it, not some out of body encounter! If I went around saying, "I AM YOUR GOD, BOW TO ME!" just because some smug hallucination bumped my stats up, they'd turn me back into a human!
The wind whipped up around me, and there was the sound of laughter. 'Smug hallucination,' eh? You're lucky I like you, or I might be offended. I could turn you back into a human, life and death aren't static, but I'm enjoying this too much.
I glanced all around to find the source of the voice, but there was only the sky, wind, and sand. Where are you?
Everywhere. I could hear the shrug in the tone of voice.
Who are you?
That's mine to know and yours to find out. Best of luck! I'm going to need some more popcorn... You're very ... amewsing ... I could picture the sadistic grin of joy that only comes from a bad pun. You're going to be clawsome, kitten. Trust me, I know...
Whatever it was, it was gone again, but ... I felt strangely comforted.
I sighed and went back to wandering the world.
43 years later I walked into my Castle and slammed the door closed. I was covered in something that looked like thick ink and breathing heavily. I dropped something to the floor, where it clattered metallically. I gave a demented laugh. I knew I forgot something ... God, they were worse than I could have imagined ...
In my other hand I was holding a large can. You are NEVER getting out of there, I snarled at it. I'm putting you somewhere where no one will ever find you, and where there's nothing you could use as food. You're not going in some temple for an adventurer to find in a thousand years. ... You're going to STARVE!!! I screamed.
Once I'd made sure it was safely locked away, Alexis and Apep popped onto my shoulders, looking nervous.
"You OK, boss?" Apep asked.
I'M GREAT! WHY WOULDN'T I BE?!!!
"Because you just k-"
"Shut up!" Alexis hissed. He looked at me. "You did what you had to do," he said softly.
Oh, that makes it so much better. If you use the words "greater good," I will swat you.
"You can't undo it, so try to make peace with yourself."
"What he said," Apep said. "You didn't listen to me too much, so that's good. What?" he said, catching Alexis's expression, "He'd have gone too far."
I need a shower. Preferably starting at my marrow and working out.
It took me almost three years to stop having nightmares.
One day I was wandering the largest city in what would become Equestria when I saw a large gathering of ponies. It was before dawn. Everypony was chattering excitedly. On a large stage in the center of town was a group of 7 unicorns. Their horns suddenly lit up and to my shock the sun raised. I hadn't been paying attention to the sun and moon's orbit. When I inquired later, unicorns had been raising the sun and the moon for about ten years. The assembled ponies cheered wildly.
My mouth practically opened itself as I said, "Uh ... you do know the sun and moon can raise themselves, right?"
The crowd went deathly silent as they all swiveled around to look at me. Finally, a pony near the back shouted. "Blasphemy!"
"Heretic!" shouted a mare.
Oh, for my sake, I muttered, disappearing quickly.
Safe in the desert, I grumbled, You keep forcing the sun and moon up every day, soon they won't be able to raise themselves, and you'll have to do it forever. But if that allows you to keep your image as the Master Race, don't let me stop you. I just created them. Jerks.
I sighed. Guess we'll need some Alicorns in a couple of centuries...
I was a market in pre-Equestria. Ponies were trading, but ...
"Stay away from my daughter, Dirt Pony!" A pegasus snapped.
"I wasn't anywhere near her, Featherfur!" the earth pony replied.
I sighed. Ah, racism. How I haven't missed you, I thought wearily. The Three Tribes all distrusted each other at best, with each claiming that the other two were hogging the best of what they had for themselves. I was trying to buy ingredients for one of my favorite soups. I'd made the mistake of looking like a Zebra. Ponies and Zebras weren't used to each other, which at this point in history meant they loathed me on sight. I'd been to six stalls looking for onions, and they were mysteriously out, or didn't serve my kind at that stall.
I was getting ready to break. It wouldn't take much. The unicorn running the vegetable stall I was trying glared at me. "Do you even have magic? You aren't an Equestrian."
My teeth were hurting from grinding together so much. "Yes, just a different kind. What on Equis does that have to do with buying potatoes?"
"What are you planning to do with them?"
"Make soup. What are you expecting me to do with potatoes, witchcraft?"
"I wouldn't put it past you," he said distrustfully. "That'll be 25 klek."
"Twenty-five?!! That's highway robbery!"
"You're right," he said with a nasty grin. "Forty."
It took all of what little self-control I had to not blow his stall to Kingdom Come and place a hex on his entire posterity. "Done," I said, giving him the money. "Thank you."
As I was heading out of the market, an earth pony snarled at a unicorn, "Get out of my face you spell-slinger!"
THAT'S IT!!!! I screamed, thunder rumbling and lightning flashing. If I have to turn each and every one of you into ice pops to get your heads out of your butts so be it! I hoped you packed your mittens kids! WINTER IS COMING! I cackled before running away.
The assembled ponies stared at each other in confusion.
I visited the Frozen North and ... well ... I'd been saving Windigos for if I had to use them, but I'd figured I might have at some point. They were basically my misanthropy given not-quite-physical form. They fed on hate, so there was less hate in the world if they ate it, and they could only be free to run rampart if the three tribes collectively hated each other. Single ponies or groups weren't enough to free them.
Fly my minions!!! I said in my best wicked witch voice. They scattered to feed and to freeze.
"You do know you just doomed the entire planet, right?" Alexis asked.
Only until they realize they're all the same species and that other species aren't monsters either, I grumbled. If it gets too out of hand, I'll just undo it. Frankly they need this.
"And if they don't put aside their differences, invent Hearths' Warming, and found Equestria?"
Then this whole thing will have been a flop and I will likely end up being a celestial file-clerk for the next few quadrillion years. I dread to think what They do if you fail your first universe.
"'They,' capital T, huh? I can't picture Them doing anything too horrific to you," Alexis said encouragingly.
"You know, Dante's Inferno type stuff," Apep said lazily, floating on his back with his paws behind his head. "You did just cause an event that could potentially cause ponies to freeze and/or starve to death in a perma-blizzard just to "Get their heads out of their butts"," he said in a perfect impression of me. "I'd hate to have that on my conscience. Luckily, I'm the Other One," he said with a nasty grin at Alexis.
It honestly worries me when you two agree, and it happens fairly often. The duo shrugged.
Apep looked thoughtful. "Anyway, this only deals with racism in Equestria, one soon-to-be nation. How are you going to 'fix' it for the rest of the world?" he asked witheringly, finger-quoting the word fix. "Plagues of locusts? Oceans of blood? Disney Channel original movies?" he snarled, his fur bristling.
"I don't think things are that dire," Alexis said mildly. "The rest of the world is better for some reason."
"Hmph," Apep grumbled.
I sighed. You're right. I screwed up. ... But ... I think this is the only way.
"You don't need any more lives on your hooves," Alexis said.
"Or paws, or whatever," Apep put in.
Right. Well ... All I can now do is watch and see how bad it gets.
It took months for the three tribes of ponies to come together. By "come together," I mean they sent representatives to scream at each other. It was actually lucky that the Windigos got them, or there might have been all-out war. I hadn't expected the representatives to be as bad as they were. Yes, I spied on the whole affair as a shadow in the cave or on the wall. I wasn't going to let something this big go unobserved. The first Hearth's Warming was honestly beautiful.
By one of those inane miracles that kept cropping up for reasons I didn't know, no one actually died in the blizzard. It had only lasted for three months, but still. That had been incredibly lucky. Crops were destroyed, but the pegasi shared their food stores with the other races, and unicorns cast spells to speed up the production of crops.
There was peace and Harmony in the land at last. Life was good for all creatures in the new nation of Equestria.
Too good, after a while.
With an enraged shout, Gusty the Great used the Bewitching Bell to cast Grogar off a cliff. He looked down. Nothing. Without the Bell, Grogar was powerless, and could no longer be a threat. He walked away to find a place to hide the Bell, where no one could find it.
In the shadows at the bottom of the canyon, Grogar dusted himself off. "Ingrates. I add a little strife and darkness to their lives to toughen them up, and all they do is complain. I wonder how history will regard me. 'Father of Monsters' has a nice ring to it. Shame about the Bell, though. ... Well, I'm sure someone will find a use for it." He grinned wickedly. "After all, evil artifacts are half the fun of any game..." Grogar dissolved into shadows, and then faded into legend.
Grogar the Terrible's three-year reign was regarded as one of the worst periods in Equestrian history. Under his rule, darkness covered the land and monsters roamed freely. I'd never seen my little ponies as united as when they overthrew him. That act firmly cemented the three tribes' unity. Before Grogar, there had been so much peace and prosperity that ponies had become slothful and arrogant. With something to strive against, they found that they were stronger than they had thought. They found that each of them had something to contribute to each other.
After Grogar, the good times returned, but without the problems of too much prosperity. It was ... gratifying. Now that Equestria was safely ticking along, I decided to travel the rest of the world and see what trouble I could get into how I could help there.
I'd had an almost supernatural talent for being in the right place at the right time when I was alive, but now ... It was like I was somehow drawn to where I needed to be. I'd feel a gentle tugging in my mind ... or in my soul, possibly, that told me where to teleport to when. It wasn't anything bad, and it had come in handy. Or hoofy, whatever the word was.
This time, I was in the Amanezon jungle, staring at a pyramid temple surrounded by a large village. I was invisible, I usually was until I figured out why I was here. Do people build temples to touch the sky? I mused quietly. No one could hear me.
A feeling of "Get to the second-to-top floor NOW" practically screamed in me. I quickly went in.
To my shock and growing horror, there was a panicking grey earth pony stallion tied to a sacrificial table. A priest wearing a feathered headdress was saying, "Be calm, your soul shall be with the Weaver, and your power shall add to our own. Truly better than the life you were living."
He raised the knife. It quickly plunged in, blood spurting out. I covered my mouth in horror at what I'd just witnessed. I would never be able to forget it, either.
Oh ... my god. He'd just KILLED someone in MY name.
The priest turned to one of his assistants. "Get rid of it," he said quietly.
Not, "Give him a funeral." Not even, "Dispose of his body." Get. Rid. Of. IT.
As the assistants began their work, they were surprised to find the earth shaking. The priest grinned. "The Weaver is pleased with our offering today."
Outside the temple, the villagers were shocked to see a storm with red lightning appear out of nowhere as the ground shook violently Funnily enough, the only thing the lightning struck was the temple.
The high priest headed into his chambers, removing his headdress and placing it on a pedestal. He heard a slight skittering sound overhead and looked up. He didn't even have time to scream before the spider three times his size sprang and started to bind him. It left his head free before it attached him, upside-down, to the ceiling and clambered down the wall onto the floor, glaring at him malevolently.
"HELP!!! HELP!!!!" he screamed.
I locked the door and put up a silencing charm, I said, gnashing my chelicera angrily. It's just you and me. I walked over to him and glared with four of my eyes, my back legs twitching slightly.
"You - you can talk?" he asked in shock.
Don't you recognize your god? I said mockingly, holding up the claws on my foremost right leg. They were a cherry red.
"Y-you're the Weaver?" he croaked.
I am. I'm here to break a social rule and discuss religion. Namely the mockery of religion you've set up in my name.
"But, I-"
SILENCE!!! I bellowed, my voice shaking the room. I have never, ever asked for sacrifice. For you to sacrifice your fellow creatures to me is an abomination. Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to untie you and let you go. You are going to visit every temple in your nation and tell them to stop the sacrifice of any living thing to me. You are going to tell them that if they want to worship me, the best way is to do good deeds to help others. Understand? He nodded. Good. When I untie you, you should probably run.
"Why?"
Because in 136 seconds, this temple isn't going to be here, and I'd hate for you to B̸̹̩̋͂͌Ř̵̝̚Ȩ̸̙͍̽̕͝A̷̧̤͛K̵͈͍̯̓̊̕ ̸͙̊̅̓Ỵ̷͚͂͌O̸̱̽̿Ǘ̷̡͎͑͠R̵̩̃ ̸̭͐N̷̜͆É̷̛͖͘Ç̷̓K̸͈͇̏ in the fall. Pray to anyone who will listen that we do not meet again.
I untied him. He ran faster than I'd seen anyone who wasn't an Olympian athlete run.
I crawled to a large cage built into the wall of another room on this floor. Inside it were an earth pony, a unicorn, and a pegasus. They'd cut the horn off the unicorn and the wings off the pegasus to prevent escape. The three screamed when they saw me, which was fair, I was a bloody giant spider.
I'm here to rescue you, I said, pulling the bars off the cage. They were shocked to see the unicorn regrow his horn and the pegasus regrow his wings. Stay close to me, only one of you can fly. They exchanged a confused look and quickly followed as the temple began to shake uncontrollably.
One last hellish bolt of lightning that looked like an upside-down volcano eruption hit the temple, and the entire structure turned into salt and spiders, starting at the top and working its way down. The villagers and the priests who'd all made it out were shocked to see a giant spider protectively cradling three ponies in the center of the mess.
I clicked my mouth. An image of a red right hoofprint made of light and the hieroglyphics for "Be Kind," appeared in the air above where the temple had stood, looking like angry Northern Lights. They'd remain there for a week.
Where do you live? I asked.
"The village two day's walk south of here," the earth pony replied, looking mildly stunned.
Good, I know it. Follow me guys! I said to the three ponies and the thousands of spiders surrounding us.
I walked the whole with through the jungle with them to safely deliver them home. The spiders followed us, scattering off into the jungle in small groups. At one point just for fun, I did a synchronized dance with the other spiders.
After most creatures picturing me as a giant spider, and the incident where "god" in the guise of a giant spider freed three ponies, spiders wound up becoming my sacred animal. Those three ponies certainly spread the tale far and wide.
I didn't mind spiders anymore, but now that I'd accepted them as a symbol, the little varmints would flock to me, asking for hugz and saying they bringed me a fly. Could have been worse.
I was just hanging out in a small city, watching a blacksmith busy at work. He'd asked if I wanted to buy anything, I told him no, but decided to pay him just to watch. It was honestly sort of hypnotic.
My ear swiveled as I heard a familiar wheezing groan. "What kind of idiot flies a TARDIS with the parking brake on?!" I muttered.
If I'd been drinking something, I would have done a spit-take when Doctor Hooves trotted in front of me. He glanced at me and his eyes traveled to my right forehoof. "Great whickering stallions!" he exclaimed. He rushed over. "It's so nice to-"
I put a finger to his lips. "It's obvious that you know me, but from my perspective I've never met you before, Lord of Time."
The Doctor chuckled. "Oh. Right. I forget you do things in the right order." He cleared his throat. "Sorry about that, random stranger!"
"That might be overdoing it. ... Are we ... friends? In my future."
He thought about it, then nodded.
I smiled. "That's good to know. I look forward to getting to know you properly."
The Doctor stuck his tongue out, tasting the local time. "Well, you've got a long wait."
"That's fine, I can-" My eyes widened in horror as I spotted something behind him. "Would you mind slowly turning around, and not blinking? No matter what you do?"
He turned around, "Why what-?" He stared at the statue of a pegasus that was bearing its fangs at him.
I grabbed a hammer from the blacksmith and ignored his objections. I walked over to the Angel. I think you have a hivemind, so take a memo from me. I swung the hammer over its head and hit it with all my strength. The statue shattered, before it crumbled to dust.
The Doctor stared in shock. "It was quantum locked! That should have broken the hammer. Or shattered the planet."
"I have anger issues," I said, swinging the hammer over my wither. "Going clubbing helps, but the people around me tend to get hammered." The Doctor winced at the horrible puns. "I KNOW I didn't create those things. I guess I'll have to make a grand tour of the universe and hunt them down. Or, you know, snap my fingers..." I sighed with an eye roll. "Really prefer not to do that, but there is no way I am letting Weeping Angels loose in my universe," I said. I passed the blacksmith his hammer. "Thanks. Sorry. Do I need to replace it?"
His mouth was hanging open and he shook his head wordlessly after inspecting it. "G'day then. Do you want to meet up later?" I asked the Doctor.
He smiled. "Much later, but you'll run into me from time to time. We won't meet for the first time for several times. Best of luck!" He headed back to his TARDIS.
I chuckled. I then grabbed the blacksmith's face and squealed, "HE'S REAL!!!", fanboying out of my mind.
The blacksmith wondered if he should call the police, before I disappeared. He stared at the hammer in his hoof in shock. "That's the last time I mix cider and carrot juice before bed," he said, hanging a "Closed" sign on his door before he went home and had a nervous collapse.
After a few years I noticed the ponies were starting to get fat and lazy again. The world was a little too perfect. Too sunny. Too cheerful. Too bland.
I sighed. Welp. Only one thing for this, I guess...
I headed back to my demiplane and tried to remember how I'd made it. Most of it had been unconsciously, but ...
I found a good spot for another dimension, and created a seething, boiling soup of pure chaos. Nothing was stable here. Nothing was expected. I wasn't sure what to do next, until I had a brilliant, horrible idea.
I pulled my soul out of my body. I was disappointed it looked human, if I'm going to be honest. I glanced at its hands. I reached out and broke off its right hand.
I then let out an unholy screech of pain that curdled the air around me before I fell down and wound up in the fetal position, whimpering.
When I could talk again, I screamed, HOW THE [redacted] DID [redacted] VOLDEMORT [redacted] DO THAT, SIX [redacted] TIMES?!!!!
"In fairness a Horcrux is a little more refined then what you just did," Alexis said.
I glanced at my soul. That should heal. In a few years, I muttered. I pulled the rest of my soul into my body and stared at the fragment I was holding.
I held it out to the air around it, and magically pulled pure chaos magic into it. I concentrated and a body formed around the soul fragment, as it stretched and grew to fit.
When I was done, a long, furry, noodle-shaped body was hovering in the air in front of me. It cracked open a pair of yellow and red eyes. He looked at his hands in wonder as he turned them over, wondering why they didn't match.
"Wh-" His voice was hoarse; he hadn't used it before. He licked his lips with a long, forked tongue and tried again. "What am I?"
You are Discord. A powerful Spirit and the embodiment of Chaos itself.
"What are you?"
My mind raced with answers, before I laughed and said, I guess ... I guess I'm your father.
Discord held out his eagle's talons as an offer to shake my hand. As I did, a loud farting sound came out from my hand. Discord chuckled and held out his talons to reveal he'd summoned up a whoopie cushion.
I laughed too. That's my boy! |
After Death, Creation | "That must have been one heck of a year..." | Content Warning: Teenage Discord gets "The Talk," but nothing explicit is discussed. Also, all cannon characters are horrifically OOC.
Enjoy!
"Can we go somewhere today?" Discord pleaded.
You just have to stay a few more days, and then we can go anywhere, you pick! I replied, writing as I spoke.
"But why can't I leave the house?"
You can leave the house, just not the dimension. You can shape the dimension in any way you want, so, you could create an outside to tide you over. The reason you need to stay here is that you were created here, and you need to absorb the energy from this place. This is the most chaotic place in the universe, you need to soak up the chaos so you can use it. You'll also have to return here periodically when you grow older, about once every 50-100 years, just for a day.
"But why?"
You're mostly made of magic, if you don't soak up chaos magic on a regular long-term basis, you'll fade away. I know it doesn't seem fair now, but once we're outside, you'll see.
Discord had formed as a young adult, with a full vocabulary, but he still had a very childlike way of seeing the world. That's dangerous when you look like a kid, if you look grown, and if you look like a monster.... I was worried that's what ponies would see him as. He had so much potential, for good or for ill.
He looked slightly different than on the show. His mane and eyebrows were black, and his eyebrows were less bushy. He was missing his goatee; it hadn't grown in yet. If I had to guess, I'd say he looked about eighteen.
A demigod (I didn't know what other term to use) who had unspeakable power at his fingertips and didn't understand the basics of the world around him was a time bomb. I was hoping I could prepare him for whatever came. I knew that on the show Discord was a bit of a raging narcissist, but I think it was because he was really very insecure. I'd be damned if my son hated himself. Although it would also be better if he saw "mortals" as more than playthings. It was going to be an interesting road ahead.
"I'm bored!" Discord whined pitifully.
I sighed and closed my journal. What do you want to do?
"Anything but just float around!"
I nodded and pulled a piano out of thin air. Right! I'm going to teach you how to play piano!
"Why piano?"
I shrugged. Because once you master the basics, you can then recombine them into ever new and exciting forms. You can play the same song thousands of different ways, and even turn pure chaos into music. ... Not that I've gotten that far. I can play, but I'm not exactly a concert pianist or a composer. I have a feeling you're going to quickly outpace me, I deadpanned. I grinned wickedly. We can start with that, or with knitting ...
"Piano's fine!" Discord said.
I chuckled. Someday I'll teach you the stallionly art of knitting! And it will be glorious! But ... for now...
I was only half surprised when Discord picked up the piano supernaturally quickly. By the end of a lengthy afternoon he was plunking out basic pieces, although I'd never heard "Hot Cross Buns" played on the piano sound so metal.
Discord sighed. "That was amusing, but it's so ... orderly. It's all math," he said glumly.
Math can be ... satisfying...
Discord snorted. "But it can never be chaotic. Not unless somehow things change enough for two plus two to equal fish," he said, fish raining down in the room before disappearing.
Nicely done! I complimented.
He grinned eagerly, drinking up the praise.
Does something have to be chaotic to be worthy of your attention?
He stared at me in confusion. "I am chaos, you said so yourself!"
Yes, you are. But that doesn't have to be all that you are.
"I don't understand," he said, looking at me in confusion.
No. One day, I hope. You're still young, I forget that. I hummed quietly as I thought. Would you like to watch a movie?
"Can it be about humans?" Discord asked with a grin.
I don't have any other kind. Well ... I do, but... I chuckled. Yes.
True to my word, Discord was soon able to leave the house in the Chaos Realm. He glanced back at it. Like I said, that place is yours to do with what you will. Maybe if you redesign it, you could even live there.
"Maybe," Discord replied. "Could I live with you while I figure things out?"
I beamed. I'd be flattered! I'll make up a room for you to decorate any way you want. I've got a lot I'll think you'll enjoy. When or if you come back here, you could always make your very own Chaosville, I said with a grin. It could be amazing. Keep in mind that if you reach 2,500 and you're still living in my basement, I'm kicking you out into the harsh, unforgiving world...
Joke, I said, noticing Discord's expression. I'll explain it.
I'd never really considered what I'd be like as a parent before. Discord didn't change much physically, but his mind grew sharper and more cunning every month. He had a fascination with humans, I'm not sure why. Perhaps because I used to be one, or just the novelty of another universe.
Having someone else hanging around my castle was nice, and Discord certainly made things never dull...
"What are you writing?" he asked, peering over my shoulder.
It's my journal, I said as I held it up. I write about my day, my thoughts & feelings, what I hope to accomplish ... and you, I said with a grin. I've got notes on how much you're progressing and how proud I am of you.
"Really?" Discord swiped my journal and squinted at it. "What alien language is this?!"
I sighed. It's cursive, smart mouth. I'd been very surprised. On the show, Ponish looked like either a set of wavy lines, or a strange cross of English and Russian. Here, it was just written as English. A small section of the journal was in Circular Gallopfreyan for practice, but the majority was in English or Ponish, depending on your native language. Do you mind pawing that back? Most of it is private, I said in a growl.
"Sure," Discord said casually. "If you want to be private, who am I to stop you?"
I sighed.
One afternoon Discord was in a slump. Anything I can do? He shook his head, barely lifting his neck. We could knit. Or watch a movie. Or travel somewhere in the universe!
"No," Discord said.
Well, there's only one thing for it. I conjured up something thin and rectangular and passed it under Discord's nose a few times.
He sniffed and licked his lips. "What is that?"
Chocolate. Otherwise known as the food of the gods. They're barely inventing it in South Mareica, but after a while, it will be this good. I broke off a sizeable chunk. Try it. It's pretty good for bad moods. It's also Dementor repellant, so you can't beat that!
Discord bit into the chocolate bar. Stars literally appeared in his eyes as he broke into a huge grin. "THIS IS AMAZING!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the halls.
I nodded. Chocolate is a wonderful, wonderful thing! You can even have chocolate milk.
"Chocolate milk is a thing?!!" Discord asked in amazement.
Yep! I pulled a glass of chocolate milk out of thin air and passed it to him. He quickly drained it. He then bit down on the glass. I still winced when he did that, even though I knew I wouldn't have to rush him to the hospital or anything.
"WOW!" Discord shouted.
I chuckled. You're never having milk the regular way again, are you? Discord shook his head. Well, that's not very healthy ... but ... you should be fine. You're not exactly normal.
"Thank chaos," Discord muttered.
Amen.
"I've been meaning to ask, why is your paw, hand, or hoof always red?"
I chuckled again. It's from a song back on earth.
"What song?"
I grinned and the song started playing. I sang along, enjoying myself.
Because of that song, there's a Trope called "Red Right Hand," where some evil characters have some sort of physical deformity that serves as a "tell" their nature. So ... whoever or whatever brought me here back at the beginning of time knew that trope, knew that I knew that trope, and knew that I would find it funny. It's annoying that there's nothing I can do about it. Not even glamour spells work, I huffed, scratching at my right paws. Still, it's probably handy for others to have a way to always recognize me.
"Did you palm that joke out of a second-hand joke book?" Discord said with a sharp-toothed grin.
Well, you nailed that one. If you got my sense of humor, you'll probably be a knucklehead. Not a lot of people like puns, so they might stay outside a certain radius of you, just to keep a certain distal away from the fallout.
Discord clapped his paw and talons over his ears. "That's enough puns for now!" he shouted.
Sorry, I always overdo it.
When Discord was 14, he came into the O&O room to find me feeding Chester. "I've never known; what's this room for?"
A game I love that hasn't been invented yet. It's going to be very popular with the geeks of the world. I hope, anyway. I snapped my fingers as I remembered something. I have something to show you actually! I think you'll like it. I took the Dash action and grabbed the exquisitely painted miniature of Discord as Captain Wuzz that had appeared with the room. I held it in my hooves to surprise Discord.
"Forget it!" Discord scoffed. He turned and walked out of the room. "I'm too awesome to play some nerdy pony game."
I looked at the figurine and felt my heart break a bit. I snarled, and said, Someday, Discord ... Someday you and I will be adventuring companions in the greatest game known to geekdom, and when you least expect it ... I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!
Around a mouthful of food, Chester said, "You know, you should have more of an audience for these dramatic proclamations of yours."
I sighed. Shut up and eat your sushi...
One day as I was happily making an afghan, Discord came into my room with a puzzled expression. "Uh, ... Dad?"
Yes?
"Where do babies come from?"
Ajfesak.
"What?"
I cleared my throat. Sorry. I haven't been looking forward to this. Let's head to the living room. Once Discord was comfortably seated and I was very uncomfortably standing I said, ... There are ... other ... uh, pairings we'll discuss, but if you specifically want a baby... I squirmed slightly. Sorry, I don't enjoy talking about this. Anyway, when a mare and a stallion decide they want to have a child... ...
And that's the miracle of childbirth, I said, concluding the PowerPoint I'd put together. "Be Prepared," right?
Discord had his hands folded in his lap, and was a bit aroused, but wasn't acting on it. He looked very thoughtful. "How do two stallions, uh..."
I sighed. Well, the stallions both have a prostate, which is kind of, uh, ... sensitive, although there are other... I facepalmed. I did NOT want to do this, but I owed him "The Talk," in all its completeness. I inhaled deeply. Do you mind if I sit down?
I managed to tell Discord how two stallions had sex, and I answered his questions on how two mares would have sex, although I told him I only knew the basics of that, and he should probably ask someone else for a more complete answer.
I sighed. I glanced at him. Just out of curiosity as your father, who are you attracted to? Mares? Stallions? Both?
Discord thought about it. "Yes...?" he said uncertainly. "Does it even matter if they're a mare or a stallion? Or both? Or neither? As long as I like them and they like me, and are willing, I don't really care what bits they've got."
Ah. Well, I can't force a label on you, but it sounds like you might be Pansexual, you're attracted to everyone equally, and don't care about binary gender. I've got a book on sexual orientations in the library if you'd like to research what you think you are.
Discord nodded slowly. "That sounds right, but the book would help." He looked at me. "So, who do you like?"
I said, I don't like anybody that way, and I'm fine with that. I still got an awesome son! I said as I ruffled his mane. And it was nice to not have to dance the horizontal tango to do so. I've been reliably informed that sex is very enjoyable, I just don't want to find out. You would probably enjoy it. I glanced at him as a thought struck me. I told you to practice safe sex, right?
Discord rolled his eyes. "Just twelve times."
Well, let's make it thirteen. I'm honestly not sure if you even can get an STD since you're not mortal, but your partner can, and I don't want you getting someone pregnant unless you're seriously ready for that level of commitment. If you'll excuse me, I need to go crawl out of my skin. I'll see you tonight!
When Discord was 18, he came into my room looking thoughtful. What's up?
"I met two very strange fillies today..."
Really? Strange fillies sound right up your alley. Do you know their names?
"Celestia and Luna." My pencil snapped in my paw. "Do you ... know them?" Discord asked, catching my expression.
Not personally, no. I thought quickly. Do you mind if I tag along the next time you visit them? They won't even know that I'm there ...
"Why...?"
I'd like to meet your friends!
Discord scoffed. "What makes you think we're friends?"
You haven't exactly gotten to know anypony before. And ... you're smitten... I said with a grin.
"'Smitten?'" Discord asked in shock. "What do you mean, 'Smitten?!'"
Just the expression on your face. Do you mind telling me about them?
"Well, they're both daughters of one of the noble families in Canterlot," Discord said with an eye roll, "but they're not stuck up like the rest of those ponies. Luna's a bit shy, but she's very sweet." He laughed. "After talking with you so long, it's strange to speak to ponies in Thees and Thous."
I died several centuries after that, we had contractions then.
"I call Celestia 'Kay-Kay,'" Discord said with an impish grin.
Why?
"When she first met me, she was a bit scared of me, so when I asked her her name, she stuttered K-K before she managed to get out Celestia." Ah.
"She's got a great sense of humor!"
Well, I look forward to meeting her. The next time I see her, this time I just want to observe.
Discord raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to spy on all my friends?"
I chuckled. No, just your first ones.
Discord was gracious enough to humor me and let me follow him the next time the Sisters met with him. I'd always been good at hiding in plain sight, but with the use of magic, not even Discord would have been able to see me if he was looking right at me.
The three were meeting in a garden, and Discord broke into a broad grin upon seeing them. He'd said "fillies," but I'd forgotten there wasn't a female equivalent of "colt." They were only a few years younger than him. Celestia was a white unicorn mare with a light pink mane, while Luna was a dark blue with a lighter blue mane. I noticed that neither of them had their cutie marks yet, which was unusual given their age. I didn't want to spy on their whole meeting, my son deserved his privacy, but...
I saw the way Discord looked when he snuck glances at Celestia, and the way he went out of his way to make her laugh. I was happy, but ...
I sighed, a light breeze stirring the trees. If you break his hearts, I will NEVER forgive you... I left them to it after that.
The next time they met, I joined them in the flesh this time. I was "dressed" in the Draconequus form I'd used when I met with the Lord President of Gallopfrey, a sort of Wemic Bugbear looking thing with horns and eyes that only showed space, my three right paws the usual red. I'd added a blood-red goatee out of nostalgia.
Greetings, I said, shaking both Sister's hooves at the same time. I am Discord's father. And thou art?
"We are Luna, and this is our sister Celestia," Luna replied. "What is they name?"
I mulled it over. As I was thinking, a spider crawled up to me, and I picked it up, turning it over and over in my paws.
"Thou art not afraid?" Luna asked in a puzzled tone.
Hmm? Oh. No. This type of spider is harmless, and I find them rather pleasant to look at. I have many names, so thou may call me what thou wilt, it makes no difference to me, so long as it is not offensive.
"Arachnos," Luna said with a grin.
I laughed. Very well. To thee I shall be Arachnos. I grinned impishly and shifted into my spiderpony form. A more fitting form for the name, yes? Art thou afraid of me like this?
Luna shook her head. Celestia looked uncertain, before she also shook her head.
Good. Know that I could never harm thee. I think I should leave thee with my son, he enjoys thy company more than mine... I said with a grin. I vanished.
Discord gave a nervous laugh. "He's ... really very nice when you get to know him..."
"Why doth he enjoy spiders?"
"Oh, he's the Weaver..."
"Thy father created the world?!" Luna asked in shock.
"A bit more than that..." Discord said with a grin.
Discord came into my office one afternoon holding up a mirror and frowning.
What's wrong, oh vain one? I teased.
Discord ignored that, but pointed at his eyebrows and said, "I'm going grey in my eyebrows!" Oh.
Discord nodded. "I'm 24! Who goes grey at 24?!!"
I chuckled. It's rare, but it happens. It's only in your eyebrows, your mane still looks fine. Your eyebrows are a bit bushier too. Maybe you should grow a beard.
"What?"
I shrugged. Well, it'll make you look more distinguished. Help you get into clubs, if you do it right. I know you're a party animal. Lord knows you didn't get that from me...
"You're my only parent."
Yes, but you're your own person. You're not a carbon copy of me, thank God. You don't have to, but I always thought goatees were cool. An absurdly long one is pretty you.
Discord scoffed. "Maybe when I'm older."
If you want to, not if I want you to.
"I'll think about it."
I nodded. ... Do you ... want dinner? We haven't eaten together in a while.
"Pizza?" Discord asked with an excited grin.
Well, you certainly hold a pizza my heart!
Discord facepawed and groaned. "Dad ... your puns stopped being funny when I was 13."
I sighed. Fair enough. Any particular toppings?
"Chocolate pieces, anchovies, sausage, onions, jalapenos, pineapple, and whipped cream," Discord rattled off in one breath.
I raised an eyebrow. You do have taste buds, right?
"Yes...?" Discord replied uncertainly.
Just wanted to triple check. I snapped on a chef's outfit. One Discord special, coming right up!
It didn't come as much of a surprise to me when Celestia and Luna became Alicorns, after being able to raise the sun and moon on their own. The fact that they were quickly "elected" rulers of Equestria didn't surprise me, although I knew they would come to be fair rulers. I hoped so, anyway. When I say they were "elected" I mean that the aristocracy elected them, the common pony didn't have a choice, although the fact that they were now Alicorns and generally beloved helped sway most ponies' hearts.
The Sisters had invited me to their coronation "after-party" of sorts, a gathering of nobility in Canterlot. I nursed a glass of juice and bitterly glanced around the room. Discord had also been invited as a personal friend of the Sisters, and while he was much more outgoing than I was, he was being not-so-subtly shunned by these brownnosers. I hated seeing him being treated this way. I knew no good would come of it.
A voice interrupted my dark thoughts. "Cheer up, Arachnos, 'tis a happy day for us. Do you not think so?"
I saw Luna glowing radiantly and laughed. She could always cheer me up. "Aye, I am glad for thee. I am not overly fond of the rest of these leeches, though," I said, pointing at the ponies around the room. "They treat my son as though he were a monster or a mere beast. ... I hope they do not come to regret it, from either of us. I do not treat things as a joke the way my son does. I pity you that you will have to deal with these cultured pirates," I said with a grin. "Don't let them dim your light, fair moon." Luna blushed.
Luna spotted Celestia walking over and called, "Sister! Join us for a moment?"
Celestia nodded. "I'm glad you could be here," she said.
I nodded. "Thank you for inviting me to such a proud moment."
"We are friends," Celestia said warmly.
"I hope so," I replied. "I have a gift for you two, to mark the occasion." Seeing their grins made me laugh. "I think you will enjoy this one." I glanced around to make sure nopony was watching, snapped my fingers, and ...
Watch where you step, this forest can be dangerous, but...
Standing in front of us was a small castle. It wasn't anything big or overly grand, but it was still a castle. You could almost smell the fresh paint, so to speak. Fluttering from the top of a spire was a long flag that read, "Moony and Kay-Kay."
I made this for you. ... It's ... a place where you can get away from it all. Though you will have to go back to the real world sooner rather than later sadly. But it is a place where tax forms and nobles and checklists cannot find you, even if it is just for half an hour. I handed them a key, the top of which was shaped like a half moon and half sun. This is enchanted to bring you here as well as unlock the door. I hope you have fun figuring out how to activate it, I said with a grin. I made this forest a long time ago as a place outside of normal pony magic, so ponies are usually afraid to enter it. It unsettles them. I thought it would be a good place to hide a private retreat. I usually come here to visit the monsters and see how they are.
I was startled by the sudden hugs around my waist, letting out a yelp at the unexpected contact. When they were done, I gently pushed them away and brought one of my paws up to scratch at the back of my neck in embarrassment. I know ponies are affectionate, but in future please ask before you touch me, even if it is just a hug. I hate being touched without my permission.
"We apologize," Celestia said.
You had no way of knowing, it is nothing to worry about. Now why don't you two go explore, there is much to see. I have already seen it, when I built it, but you two have not.
The two ran off and searched every crack and crevice of the castle. When they were done, I said, Right, I think I should get you back before you are missed too much. A quick snap of my fingers and we were back at the party.
A voice called, "Princess!" A tall grey stallion trotted up to us. His mane was salt-and-pepper, and his beard was well trimmed, but exactly how many unicorns wear that outfit outside of a convention?
"Starswirl!" Celestia cried joyfully, giving him a hug.
"Celestia!" the mage replied, rubbing her mane. "Luna, you look well, as always."
"Thank you," Luna said.
"Princess of the Day, and Princess of the Night. I am so proud of you two!"
"We were rather surprised when we managed to raise the moon for the first time," Luna admitted with a slightly shy grin.
Starswirl spotted me. "I do not believe we have met ... Mr.?"
"Arachnos."
Starswirl raised an eyebrow. "That is an unusual name."
I grinned. "I have an affinity for spiders, and I have many names. Luna suggested the name, and I liked it enough to adopt it."
"How do you know their Highnesses?"
"My son is a friend of theirs, and they were kind enough to invite me here tonight."
"Your son?"
I pointed at Discord, who was busy juggling plates, to either the nobles' enjoyment or slight horror.
Celestia's eyes widened. "Excuse us, we should go keep him out of trouble. Come, Luna." They quickly trotted off.
"Discord is your son?!" Starswirl asked with shock.
I sighed. "He is honestly very nice if you take the time to get to know him. He just craves attention, is a bit of a showoff, and unfortunately got my sense of humor. I wish ponies wouldn't treat him like some sort of freak, they may come to regret that."
"Who is his mother?"
I grinned. "I take the term 'single parent' to another level. I am his only parent, though it was not a traditional birth." Seeing Starswirl's confused expression, I said, "I am pony shaped at the moment, but I am not a pony."
"Ah," Starswirl said. "You are a Draconequus as well?"
"When it suits me. I have read your work thus far. It is frankly brilliant. You are quite possibly the greatest mage in Equestria." Starswirl beamed. "You also have the ego to match," I said in a warning tone. "Just because you are usually the smartest person in the room does not mean you should not listen to the others there. I have seen others go down that road, it only leads to a bitter, lonely life."
Starswirl slowly nodded, though he seemed confused by my words. "You understand magical theory?"
"Of course," I said with a grin. "Although lately I have found that I enjoy potion making. For me, there is something satisfying about brewing a potion for hours or even days to create an effect, rather than simply snapping my fingers. I still do that quite a lot, of course," I said with a shrug. "Some of the ingredients are very hard to come by. I even invent potions in my spare time! ... I have a lot of that..." My voice trailed off. I glanced around the room. "I should probably leave. It was nice to meet you." Starswirl nodded. I walked over to Discord. "I'm going to go, please stay as long as you want." He nodded.
With that I sighed and disappeared.
I'd gotten the feeling I was supposed to be somewhere again, this time I was in the Frozen North. I wasn't being pulled towards the Crystal Empire, but the icy waste surrounding it. I liked it cold, so I managed to get used to it quicker than when I'd "borrowed" a TARDIS. I was still grateful for scarves. I finally came to where I had been drawn to and looked around. Nothing but perma-blizzard. I then glanced down. At my hooves was what I thought had been a frozen grey rock. It wasn't.
Oh, lord! You poor thing! I picked the foal up and looked around. He was nearly dead, but there was a faint heartbeat. Who the buck would leave a foal in this cold?! I snarled. I breathed on the ice and snow encasing him, and it melted away. He started shivering uncontrollably. His form flickered for a second, and I nearly dropped him. What had shown was only vaguely pony shaped. I glanced at the foal closer. Thick dark grey fur, wavy black mane and tail ... probably green eyes if he opened them. Oh. I ... I thought ... Where did you come from, Little Shadow? There haven't been ...
I sighed. Well, I can't leave you here. Maybe ... maybe you'll be different. Maybe you'll be better than the rest. I pushed down some of my most hated memories. I wonder how nature and nurture would apply in this case? I ... I have to give you a chance. I screwed my eyes shut. Damnit. I know I'll regret that, but that's just who I am. They probably knew that. Are you a trap, Little Shadow? For me, or for the ponies?
Obviously, the foal didn't answer. I carefully placed him on my back and conjured a blanket over him. Well, the closest place to take you is... I snorted in amusement. Let's go then.
If I galloped through the snow, I would have thrown him off my back, and teleportation can wreak havoc if you're in poor condition. I didn't want to know what it would do to someone who had nearly frozen to death. I settled for a brisk trot.
Not knowing what else to do, I spoke to the unconscious foal on my back. Not to cast a shadow on your day, but I think you were starting to crystalize back there. ... You know, you could end up being incredibly talented at magic, you might end up being a dark horse in the world of wizardry. Of quartz, there's more to life than magical academia and crystals. Fate can be a shady thing. Sometimes the difference between a king and pauper is just in the cards. I fear you might be unhappy.
I thought he was waking up by the way his front legs tightened forcibly around my neck, but he was still asleep. For a weakened foal, he had a grip like a vice. I pulled him off. I'm guessing by the fact you just tried to strangle me in your sleep you didn't enjoy those jokes. It's a shame, if you had we could have ruled like father and pun. He let out a slight whimper of pain, possibly from the biting cold, possibly from that joke. I sighed. All right, all right, I'll stop. Everybody's a critic, I sighed.
Finally, after what felt like four hours of struggling through the snow, my goal was in sight. The Crystal Empire.
I stopped by the barrier and looked at my cargo, unsure if I should continue. Only one way to find out. I stepped through. To my relief he was unharmed. I quickly wound my way through the streets until I found the Crystal Heart Foal Center. I walked in, unsure of what to do next. Luckily a mare quickly spotted me, and more importantly, my passenger.
"Oh, heavens!" She rushed over.
"I found this one in the frozen wastes. He was almost dead. I do not know how he got there, but I do not think he has any family. I am ... glad I could bring him somewhere safe. This is a good place for him to have a chance at a life."
She quickly nodded. "We will take excellent care of him. Thank you, Mr. ...?"
"Nos. Arach Nos. It was lucky I was there. I think I should go."
Her eyes widened. "You do not wish to see him wake?!"
I quickly shook my head. "It is for the best that he not see me. He has not woken yet, and I prefer to leave before he does. Please take the best care of him, he has not had the best start in life."
She nodded. "I swear."
I left. The foal's new guardian and caretaker took him to an empty room and began to warm him up by degrees as she made a soup for when he woke up. Moments later, he stirred. She quickly brought the soup over to him. "Hello, little one. What is your name?"
He was groggy, it took him a minute to form the word. "Sombra. My name is Sombra." ...
I stood in the blizzard, unsure of what to feel. I'd just saved Sombra's life, when I could have snuffed it out like a candle. It would have been easy. Six months before, I had attended a party in honor of the birth of the King of the Centaurs and the Queen of the Gargoyle's son Scorpan. His older brother Tirek hadn't spoken to me, he'd just given me a sullen death glare. Starswirl didn't know it, but during his travels throughout Equestria and beyond, he'd accidentally allowed the Changelings to be born from the tree they sprang from, and they were slowly growing in power. A choir of Sirens had been spotted near the eastern border of Equestria, and within a few years they would be giving birth to daughters. Discord had moved out of my castle and built a small home in the chaos dimension I'd formed him from and formed for him. He was growing distant from me, but Celestia had written me and told me she was worried. His pranks were growing more malicious than funny.
Somewhere in the cosmic clockwork, a timer had begun to slowly count down...
Starswirl the Bearded as he was now known was busy polishing a mirror, eyeing his reflection critically.
"I see you have made some friends," I said approvingly from behind him.
He jumped in surprise. "WHO ARE YOU?! HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?!!"
I sighed and shifted forms. I am Arachnos. I walked, I said with a grin.
"Oh." Starswirl glanced at me, whipped around to look in the mirror, and glanced at me again. "You are not in the mirror," he said in a slightly accusing tone.
'Mirrors are never to be trusted,' I quoted with a grin. I ... do not enjoy something that is not me looking at me through a copy of my face. Returning to the reason I came here, you are a protector of Equestria, I said with a warm smile. They call you "The Pillars of Equestria." I am happy for you, you were alone too often, even in your travels.
Starswirl chuckled. "Perhaps, yes, though it is hard to think with them yammering on. I enjoy their company. I am thinking of perhaps taking on an apprentice someday!" he said proudly. "Surely there must be a foal in Equestria who can live up to my expectations."
I thought about it. No doubt, but ... remember that he will also have a great deal to contribute.
Starswirl waved a hoof airily. "Of, course, of course." I was not remotely convinced. "I sent a trio of particularly nasty sirens through there," he said, pointing at the mirror. "I wonder what's on the other side?"
Hell, in all its hormone-driven agony, I replied coolly. I'm not sure they deserved such a fate. Not that there is much I can do about it now. Perhaps one day they will return, perhaps better than they were, perhaps worse. Time will tell. Good luck finding a young mind to mold, treat it with care, jealousy can do ugly things.
With that, I was gone.
I was surprised when Discord unexpectedly dropped by one day. Not because it was unannounced, but simply because he came to visit, he hadn't done that in years. I was even more shocked to see that he was crying miserably and seemed like someone had scooped out his soul with an ice-cream spoon.
Before he collapsed onto the flagstone, I rushed over and grabbed him. WHAT HAPPENED?! He mumbled something. What?
"CELESTIA SAYS I'M A MONSTER!!!!" Discord roared. "There! HAPPY?!!! Just because she can't take a joke?! After everything I've done for her, I play one prank too many on her STUPID ponies, and I'm a monster?! I OUGHTA-!" He then collapsed, crying into my fur.
Having six arms is useful if you need to give someone a hug. He simply hung limply in my arms, water trickling down my chest and onto the tile floor. When he was done, I rubbed his mane, and softly said, Want me to kill her? He looked up at me in shock. The corner of my mouth turned up. We can just put a stuffed marionette on the throne and feed it cake all day as it makes boring proclamations in that stupid snooty tone she uses when she's being official. No one will know the difference.
Discord chuckled. "No ... I don't think so."
Good, because I wouldn't do that, I just wanted to make you laugh for a bit. Don't go plotting revenge just yet, she may come to her senses and apologize. I doubt it, since she's as stubborn as you are, but it's a faint possibility.
"Hey!" Discord snapped.
As one of the more stubborn beings in creation, I can get away with calling you stubborn. Just ... leave things be for now. Maybe stay away from Equestria for the time being. Discord looked unhappy, but he nodded. Trust me, it's for the best. Now, why don't we find some way to cheer ourselves up?
Just because you're expecting something horrible to happen and have very good details about it, doesn't make it any less horrible to go through.
The Year of Hell, as I would come to think of it, ran thus:
In the early part of January, the dark mage Sombra swiftly and mercilessly overtook the Crystal Empire. I heard stories of what he'd done to the previous ruler, each more horrible than the last. He'd first turned her to stone in public for all her former subjects to witness, and then he shattered her, before scattering the pieces of her stony corpse as dust, so that it could never be put back together. From late January to early March, he ruled his subjects as a slaver, forcing them to dig deeper into the earth for larger and more powerful crystals to fuel some sort of project. His subjects' lives were a nightmare whether they were awake or asleep. Finally, word reached the Two Sisters in Canterlot, and they dealt swift and terrible justice to him. He sealed the Empire away with himself in a final moment of spite, not to return for over a thousand years.
I wondered why I'd saved him. ...
In late March the Changeling Swarm laid siege to the city of Trot, draining all of the citizens of their love, fatally. Celestia and Luna once again intervened, and sealed the Changelings inside a volcano, after weakening them considerably. Even after being freed from their prison, the Changelings would need decades to return to their full strength, and would only act from the shadows...
Ponies praised Celestia and her sun for the light they brought to these dark times, while giving Luna a curt, "Thank you." ...
In April, the Centaur Prince Tirek attempted to drain Equestria of its magic, but he was swiftly beaten back by the Two Sisters and sealed inside of Tartarus. The Prince's brother Scorpan fled from home into the wide deserts surrounding his kingdom, and Tirek's parents disowned their son for his crimes. ...
In May, a new threat arose, and many feared the return of Sombra, as an Alicorn of Shadow grew in power to do battle with the Pillars of Equestria. Or, so the legends would say. No one would know who he really had been.
I stood inside the still-smoking stones that made up Ponehenge, and slowly clapped.
Ah, yes. Brilliantly done. You especially, Starswirl. I only told you ten times to listen, but no, you just had to let it get this far out of hand. Hmph. For being a genius, you can be almost as stupid as I can. Hopefully someone will come along and knock some sense into your head the next time you see the sun. ...
I'm sorry, Stygian. You don't deserve the way you'll be remembered.
I sighed. Screw it. I disappeared again. ...
For the next two months, Equestria breathed a little easier. There hadn't been a terrifying attack again. Maybe things were getting better! Maybe things were going back to normal! Maybe-
I came home to find Discord in my hall. Discord's body language became more feral the angrier he got, and right now he would have scared off a pack of wolves just by walking next to the forest.
What's wrong?
"I read your journal," he hissed, holding up a slim red volume.
My eyes widened. Oh, buck. Discord, please understand-
He cut me off. "I knew you'd have some excuse! I thought, maybe, just maybe I could be happy. Or find someone to care about me. But..." he opened to a marked page and held it out. "I'm your 'favorite villain?!!' I exist so the damn ponies can have a force to balance against?!"
Discord, please, if I can-
"I thought it was bad enough when your precious little ponies treated me like a pariah just for looking different. I thought it was bad enough when Sunbutt declared me a monster. But after all that, to come back here and find that the only reason I exist is because my bucking father wanted me to be a monster... well." He paused. "I GUESS THAT MEANS I SHOULD BE ONE!!!"
Before I could react, he'd snapped his fingers. He'd used all of his power at once. Which meant if he took me by surprise, even I was screwed.
To my surprise, he hadn't hurt me, he'd just cast me out of my house and to Equis. I was near the border of Equestria, but ...
There was a shimmering barrier that cut off the outside world. My eyes widened. Oh, crap. I slammed into it. It didn't hurt, but ...
I quickly tried teleporting anywhere into Equestria. I couldn't.
Discord thought I loved Equestrians more than him, so he'd claimed Equestria as his. The huge burst of power he'd used was to seal me outside my creation. Given enough time, I could force my way in, but that would most likely punch a hole in the planet, and he knew that I knew that. I was furious, but I actually laughed. Looks like you're related to me after all. Maybe I should send you to law school. No, I don't want to be that cruel...
Whatever you do to them, you'll pay for. I hope you know that. Not by my hand, but by someone's.
At that point, all I could do was watch. ...
Discord's reign of chaos lasted from late Summer to almost the end of the year. I always thought it had lasted years, but he packed as much nastiness as he could into six months.
When it was over, I visited his statue in the Canterlot Gardens. I stroked his cheek. He honestly looked like he was singing or just laughing at the best joke in the world. That just made it worse.
I'm sorry. This path? The one you read about? That wasn't what I wanted for you. This isn't what I want for you. It's true, I created you to add challenge and variety to the lives of ponies, to keep them on their "toes" and unsure of what could be around the corner. To keep them sharp, and remind them that life, with all its dullness, all its sorrow, all its joy, and all its chaos, is beautiful. I wanted you to be a trickster, not a monster. You chose this path, and you chose where it has led you. I could get you out of there, but not without changing the way Harmony works, or worse, changing who you are at your core. I will not do either of those things. You must hate me. I ... can't blame you. When you get out of there, try thinking about what you could have done differently. I hugged him. I couldn't feel his fur, only cold unchanging stone, and he couldn't feel me at all. I love you, I whispered. I then did what I always do. I ran away. ...
It was almost the end of the year, when the days are shortest, and the nights are at their longest and their coldest.
Celestia was in a room of the Castle, sobbing quietly.
It feels like you can't go on, doesn't it? I asked quietly. You didn't lose someone you love; you lost a part of yourself. And no matter what you do, you will never be whole again.
"What do you know about loss?!" Celestia shouted. "I have buried my parents, watched as my friends and family have grown old without me, and now I have banished my sister to the moon. I will never see her again!"
I lost a son, I said quietly. You broke his heart, but I did not help him as I should have. Celestia, they are lost, not dead. What is lost can be found again, given time. Celestia looked at me. Write this in your history books and take comfort in it: "On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal." That is my gift to you, a prophecy of her return.
"That ... thing is not my sister," Celestia said. "And Discord deserved what he got."
He deserved to be punished for his crimes, yes. And he has been. I must live with that, as must you. But you deny you were his friend?
"I could never be friends with something like him."
I sighed. Celestia, you are a wise and benevolent ruler, and a damn good one, but if you believe that Discord did not consider you a friend, and that Nightmare Moon is not your sister, then, frankly ... you are an idiot.
Celestia raised a hoof as if to strike me before she brought it down. Taking a shaky breath, she said, "Answer me two questions."
Gladly.
"Could you have prevented this year? And could you undo it?"
... Yes. But that does not mean I would have, or that I will. If I could undo every mistake, there would be no point in mistakes, or in free will. What happens to us, happens, that is the way of things.
"It doesn't have to be," Celestia said quietly.
Yes, it does. Believe me when I say it is for the best that I leave things as they stand.
"GET OUT!!!" Celestia screamed in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
As you wish. When you want to talk again, call me, and I will come.
After that conversation, I went home and cried myself to sleep. I didn't wake for a month. |
After Death, Creation | I'll see you in a thousand years, kid. | It had been a few months, but after all Hell broke loose on multiple occasions, I didn't want to interact with anything. I didn't want to exist, but I didn't have a choice. I kept blaming myself. Everything in my castle reminded me of Discord. I hadn't even thought of what to do with his house, I should probably lock it up.
My castle didn't synch up with normal time, I could spend a week here, and only an hour would have passed in the outside world, but I didn't want to experience the reverse of the outside world passing me by in a moment. Even if I did want to sleep forever, I knew I would get sick of that.
I was curled up in bed, anyway, not even bothering to breathe. Apep and Alexis were trying to get my attention, but I just ignored them. They both knew better than to touch me, but I hadn't known they had magic. I found myself levitating down the hall, still laying down with my blanket wrapped around me. We headed into the kitchen and I was gently tipped into a sitting position and placed on a chair, before Apep wrapped my blanket around me like a burrito. Alexis walked into the room with my phone and a small portable speaker. He plugged the phone in and pulled up a song in my files that always cheered me up, putting it on loop.
A tarantula crawled up the counter and started batting its head against my hand like a cat. I started to gently pet it.
I wasn't paying attention, but Alexis had put on a frilly pink apron that read, "KISS THE COOK," and was busy getting ingredients out of the fridge. Apep walked behind him and wrapped his arms and wings around him, giving him a peck on the back of his neck before nuzzling into his fur. "Hon, I need to make us lunch," Alexis said, gently pushing Apep away.
I blinked, not sure if I'd heard right. "Hon?!" Are you two a couple now?
The two wolves walked over, holding paws, both with a sheepish smile. To my surprise, Apep was blushing. "Uh, well," he started to say...
"Eeyup!" Alexis said.
I grinned. Mazel tov!
"You're not Jewish," Apep said.
I sighed. Congratulations then. I was kind of hoping you two would wind up together, what gave it the final push?
They looked at each other and in unison said, "Who else is going to date him?"
I guffawed. Alexis then said, "In seriousness, we found out we're not that different, and we get along very well, we obviously have a lot of the same interests, and we ... don't have a lot of other options," he said, rubbing the back of his head with a paw as his wings fluffed slightly. "It doesn't weird you out, does it?"
I took a sip of hot chocolate I materialized and said, "My conscience is dating my id. What's weird about that? Don't tell Sigmund though, I'm still flipping him off..." Apep snickered.
About the third time Starcourt played I started playing along like there was a keyboard on the counter in front of me.
"Glad you're feeling better," Alexis said with a small smile. "I was worried you were going to hide in your room forever."
I would have gotten bored of sulking. Eventually. In a decade or two, so might as well start to snap out of it now. ...
I - I don't think Discord would want me to spend the whole thousand years curled up in bed feeling sorry for myself. At least, I hope he wouldn't once he gets over this hissy fit, I sighed, screwing my eyes shut. God, I'm a horrible father. I have to wait a thousand years. No more than that, he didn't show up for a few seasons. I - that's a long time to not see him.
"You're over six thousand years old at this point," Alexis said with a smile. He was frying something. "Shadow of My Life, would you cut some tomatoes, onions, and avocado?"
"Sure," Apep said as he quickly dashed over.
I facepalmed. Oh, god, you're doing pet names now?
The two snickered. "Yes, we shall be as nauseatingly adorable as we can," Apep said, booping his nose against Alexis's. It really was adorable
I take it back. I hope you get a drawn-out, messy divorce. I realized something. Uh, is he the best one to handle the sharp objects? He is my id.
"I'm not going to use it on anyone!" Apep snapped looking affronted. I sighed in relief. "I'd just talk you into using it on someone," he said smugly. I groaned.
What are you two making us?
"Smell and tell me," Alexis said with a grin.
I did. Onion, tomato, avocado, lettuce, toasted bread... I licked my lips as I started to drool. Baaacooonnn, I moaned happily. You're making us B.L.A.T.s? I asked with a grin.
Alexis set a plate down. "Eat hearty. You need something to eat. It's been a few weeks."
I was messily tearing into my sandwich. I don't need to eat, I pointed out.
"Nice try, but that isn't go to fly with me," Alexis said.
Apep grabbed Alexis and licked his face, getting grease and onion smell on it, his wings flaring out. "Babe, I love you. Never stop cooking for me."
If you two keep this up, I might walk in front of another car, I groaned as I ate.
"You might find someone too," Alexis said.
NEVER! I shouted. I sighed. Sorry, I don't want to think about it. Any suggestions as to what I should do for the next thousand years?
"You could get a job..."
As what? The only degree I have is in annoying people.
"Yes, but it is a Ph.D.!" Apep said with a smirk.
Ha, ha, ha.
"You'll find some way to occupy your time," Alexis said. "Why don't you go visit Aleyebraxus? I'm sure she'd like to hear from you."
I'm not sure the Gallopfreyans would appreciate an unannounced visit...
Alexis picked up a newspaper and lightly whapped me a few times over the head with it. "GO! VISIT! YOUR! FRIENDS! I WILL DRAG YOU THERE BY YOUR TAIL IF I HAVE TO!!!"
I put my paws over my head defensively, too late. All right! All right! I blinked. Where the heck did you get a newspaper?! They haven't even been invented yet!
Alexis blinked. "Good question." He glanced at the paper. "Huh. It's the Canterlot Sun, almost a thousand years from now."
What?! ... Any news I should be aware of?
Alexis glanced at the headline. "Yeah, don't buy Betamax."
I already knew that.
"And the Grand Galloping Gala is sea themed that year."
I'm sure that will be of great use to me at that point. I rubbed my muzzle. I'm somehow winding up with newspapers from the future, I don't want to know what that could do.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Apep said with a grin. "I just found that same day's paper." He held it out. The headline read, "QUESADILLA UPRISING!" and a blurry photo showed a gigantic mutant cheese quesadilla consuming a horrified pony. "You're finding papers from multiple futures, not the future." I sighed in relief. Apep grinned. "If we're going back to Gallopfrey, and if they can't see us coming ... can we say hi to the Lord President?"
I grinned back.
We both glanced at Alexis. He shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it. Try not to get too dangerous."
And that is how after I spent a good day catching up, the Lord President of Gallopfrey retired to his chambers, only to find them overflowing with Furbies. "Weyan'a!!!!" he shouted in rage. The Furbies quickly disappeared. The President rubbed his muzzle. "How in the world did a being with that many screws loose manage to create an entire universe?" The only response he got was a rain of screws in his bedroom.
I knew that this had Bad Idea written all over it in multiple languages, in all capitals, then highlighted, and underlined twice, but ... I still cared. I felt like it was my fault. Maybe it was.
Equis looked peaceful from the moon. Small. And very, very far away.
She knew I'd arrived almost as soon as I set foot on her new home, judging by the fact that thirty seconds later she tried to take my head off with a blast of magic.
"You dare show your face here?!"
I sighed. I warned your sister. And you. You can't say I didn't. Hello, fair moon.
Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You call me that now? When I am like this?!"
I shrugged. To me, you will always be the Fair Sister, and the moon is still your domain. You are going through a heck of a goth phase, though, I said with a grin.
"The moon is my prison, not my domain. You sided with Little Miss Sunshine. You are as guilty as she is. When I am freed from here, you will pay with the rest of them."
I didn't side with anyone, Nightmare. I'm on my side, not Celestia's. Not yours, not Discord's.
Her eyes narrowed. "Can you leave this place?"
I nodded. I can't take you with me, though. You are a separate creature, and the Elements won't let you back into Equestria yet.
She chuckled darkly. "Oh, that is all I needed to know. I don't have to be a separate creature at all. Not once I'm in that useless head of yours..."
My eyes widened. You really DON'T WANT TO - too late, the next thing I saw was Nightmare Moon heading into my head. ...
Nightmare Moon chuckled. Oh, this was too easy...
"I don't think that foal's as powerful as he says, or he certainly could have kept me out of-" her eyes widened. "Stars..." she breathed as she looked around her.
Nightmare Moon was no stranger to entering the minds of other creatures, that had been her job when she was that weak-willed Princess, but this...
Thunder rumbled overhead, and she shivered. Stretching in all directions as far as she could see was a featureless, frozen waste. The sky overhead was obscured by churning jet-black clouds, fingers of red lightning darting down to hit at the horizon. The entire place felt sullenly hostile to anything that dared try to live in it.
She was shocked. Most minds, asleep or awake were full of thoughts that were shown as creatures of some sort. They could represent people known to the dreamer, memories, or their fears, hopes, ... just about anything. Here ... nothing. Just the freezing wind, and a feeling she was trespassing.
She flapped her wings a few times, and took to the air, trying to find something, anything to focus on and conquer, so that she could get off the rock she'd been chained to.
The landscape ahead changed slightly, and she touched down. Icy ground met blackened earth, cracks of reddish-orange lava showing through. The ground was still cold, snow whirling around her, not even melting as it hit the melted rock.
Nightmare Moon was surprised, this time there was something besides the ground and sky. A trio of statues in a brownish-grey rock. She hadn't seen creatures like this before, they looked a bit like Minotaurs, but without muzzles and horns. They also didn't have hooves, instead they had five-fingered hands. They were wearing odd clothes and covering their eyes with their hands. She didn't know what these things were, but they weren't alive. If they were, she would have been able to tell right away. She supposed they were just scenery.
She kept walking, surprised to find the lava icy under her hooves. After an interminable time, the landscape changed again, this time to an ashen waste. The permanent snow/thunderstorm continued. To Nightmare Moon's surprise, she spotted light in the distance. Flying towards it, she saw what she thought was a sculpture. It was a large metal triangle 3 times her size, but only the outline. Floating in the center of the space was a white orb, with light shining from it. She touched down in front of it, and it swiveled around to look at her. It was a giant eyeball with an electric blue iris. It seemed to be staring into her soul, and it was marking the parts it didn't approve of for future use.
That was the last straw. This place was too creepy, and the emptiness was getting to her. She quickly got out.
I was panting heavily. Nightmare Moon grinned. "You were fighting me? I didn't even feel you."
I shook my head. Not you. Everything that lives in my head, to keep you alive, in one piece, and sane. It wasn't easy. You're welcome. Now, you messed with my mind, allow me to return in kind. GO TO SLEEP. She fought me, but she quickly collapsed.
I sighed. I was mad at her, but ...
I considered this an extreme form of violation without permission, but I "walked" into her mind. I wanted to help, if I could.
To my surprise, the world inside her head almost perfectly matched the world outside her head at the moment. I was once again on the moon, Equis hanging overhead. This time, it was glowing almost painfully bright. There was no sun in sight.
"You dare enter my mind?" Nightmare Moon shouted.
I sighed. Guess we're both hypocrites. Nice mind you've got here, more peaceful than mine. You're not attacking me... I noted with interest.
"I don't believe I would have any power over you, even in my mind."
Doesn't make you any less impressive.
"I AM THE MASTER OF FEAR!!!" Nightmare Moon shouted. "You should be on your knees, begging me for your life!"
My head tilted to the side as I over-processed something. 'Master' of Fear? I glanced at her. Nightmare Moon had Mistress of the Night and Feme Fatale vibes in spades. It must have just been a slip of the tongue. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. There's a stallion who earned that title before you, and he's slightly more qualified.
"Sombra?! HAH! He's nothing. We defeated him, remember?"
With the help of your sister and the elements.
Nightmare Moon bared her teeth. "You've seen me in combat. I can match any stallion easily. I am better than many of our warriors. Do you really think I couldn't have taken him alone?"
You could have, I have no doubt. But you both would have died, pointlessly.
"What do you want, Arachnos? To lock me in a nightmare? To punish me for being a 'Bad Girl?'" she simpered with doe eyes.
I gave a laugh. Drop the sweet girl act. It won't work.
Nightmare Moon chuckled. "I didn't think so. So, what will you do, oh Mighty One?"
I sighed. You know those dreams where you wake up, go about your day, and you think you're awake but you're still dreaming? Then you wake up again, only you haven't?
"Of course," Nightmare Moon scoffed. "Why?"
You're going to have quite a lot of those.
Nightmare Moon woke up, surprised to find herself in her quarters in Canterlot. She sighed in relief. She'd thought she was back on the moon. She still had troubling dreams about those dark days. She stretched and glanced out the window, admiring the permanent night sky, the picture of her sister's screaming face on the moon. She donned her armor and set out to conquer a new day. She grinned in satisfaction as she saw her loyal subjects waiting for her orders and her ability to lead. Equestria flourished under her guiding hoof. She was needed, no, wanted. This day was going to be perfect.
I sighed. Nightmare Moon, no, I still thought of her as Luna, looked peaceful, breathing deeply, a serene smile on her face.
Was that cruel of me?
Alexis shrugged. "You did trap her in a never-ending dream for the next thousand years, but ... they're the best dreams she could have. Beats sitting on this rock going crazy."
"Still probably qualifies as an act of evil, even if you had good intentions," Apep said. "You know what they say about those..." I nodded. Apep shuddered. "Watching you fight your inner demons, I'm glad I wasn't a voice in your head when you were with your father. That guy is scary as all get out."
Not my most cherished memories, no. Anyway, he doesn't deserve that title, even "glorified sperm donor" sounds too invested. I just happen to unfortunately share 50% of his D.N.A. His other kids aren't happy to have that "honor" either. Let's go get something warm to drink, it's too cold in my mind.
I glanced at Luna's sleeping form. Feeling theatrical, like always, I bent down and whispered, Goodnight, sweet Prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! It seemed fitting.
Celestia knew this was foolish, the Everfree had had a reputation of danger and unspecified certain death even when she was a filly. She had no idea why Arachnos would create a slice of the world that went against the rest of the world's natural rules, or why he seemed to find a dark chaotic wood full of monsters peaceful. She often felt she didn't know him at all, but ... he seemed to care for her. He'd built her a castle so that she could get away from it all, just because he thought she'd like it.
That was where she was heading, the Castle of the Two Sisters as it came to be known had been all but destroyed when she and Luna fought, and she hadn't returned. It had been too painful, but she wanted to see what could be salvaged.
She crept into the ruined main hall. Her eyes closed in pain. Everything was the same as it had been 50 years ago. The same pieces of rubble in the same places. Perhaps she shouldn't have come, it -
"It creeps in dusty places..." "None come here but the dust and the broken dreams" "So tall!" "Old, sad..." "Foolish one..." "Is it lost?" "Can we eat it?" "No eating, not the pony-folk." "Window! It is the one in the window!"
Celestia had excellent hearing and could tell that there were voices coming from the walls and ceiling above her. "Hel- Hello?" she called nervously. The voices were high and whispery and didn't sound like anything she'd heard before. Her horn lit up and the shadows vanished. She screamed.
Star Spiders. HUNDREDS of them! They recoiled from the sudden light. One dangled in front of her on its thread, looking at her carefully. "Beautiful..." it whispered.
Celestia blinked in surprise. "You ... you talk?!!"
Laughter came from all around her. "We always talk, ponies just don't listen. You must have needed to hear someone here..."
"What are you doing here?"
"We watch for Master. All eyes, watching, waiting... We keep the castle until we are no longer needed. When the ponies return, Master will find new homes for us, until then we tell who visits this place..."
"I ... do not believe I will return here for some time. You can stay here. I need to check some things, is that all right?"
"Our webs, your stones. What need have you for our permission?"
"Th-thank you."
"Beware, Sun Sister. As a dream can become a Nightmare, so a dawn can become a Daybreak. Keep your friends close..." They scuttled away, back into the dark and quiet corners to keep their vigil.
Celestia breathed out slowly. She still wasn't ... overly fond of spiders, but her castle's new occupants seemed decent.
The first thing she did was check that the Elements were safe. Satisfied that they were, she began gathering some of the personal possessions she'd left behind that were still salvageable after a battle between two demigoddesses and 50 years wear and tear. She stepped outside the castle; the forest seemed almost peaceful. She chuckled. "Well, that could have gone much worse."
The loud growling nearby informed her that she'd just tempted fate. She turned and saw a massive Timberwolf with glowing purple eyes. It was covered in fungal growths, and its jaws were foaming. Celestia didn't need to be an expert to see it was sick. She tried backing away slowly. It sprang. She kicked it in the head, breaking off the lower half of its muzzle. She turned and ran.
She then tripped on an exposed root and tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap. She glanced up and saw the Timberwolf looming over her, its head regenerated. Celestia hadn't aged in some time, but common sense suggested she wouldn't survive being torn to shreds. She opened her mouth to scream, her horn lighting up, when a massive shape dropped onto the Timberwolf.
This time she did scream, it was a gigantic wolf spider, three times as big as Celestia. The Timberwolf struggled and snapped at the spider, but the spider bit down heavily and began pumping in venom. The wood at the bite turned an ashen grey, which quickly spread throughout the Timberwolf's body. It fell down and twitched a few times, letting out one last raspy breath as the lights in its eyes flickered out.
The spider walked over to Celestia. She fired a beam of magic at it ... which bounced off harmlessly. The spider sighed.
I did just save your life, I snapped. A little appreciation would be nice, rather than having my hair singed off.
"Arachnos?!" Celestia asked in shock.
Do you know any other giant spiders this dashing? I shifted back into my pony form to put her more at ease. Are you all right? If it bit you, I need to give you medical attention immediately instead of bantering.
Celestia shook her head. "I mostly injured my pride and got quite scared." She gestured at the Timberwolf. "What's wrong with it?"
I grinned. Nice to see you're still as sharp as ever. The Everfree is sick. To use a metaphor, it's attacking its white blood cells, which in most lifeforms means cancer.
"White blood cells?"
I sighed. Ah, yes, I forget we're still in Ye Darke Olde Dayes. Your body is made up of trillions and trillions of units called cells too small to see. There are many different types of cells that specialize in serving every function your body needs. In your blood are white blood cells, which fight infections and diseases. If your body is attacking them, it means something is quite wrong with you. Timberwolves aren't dumb dogs, they serve as an extension of the Everfree itself, and guard it from harm. The Everfree is turning them into that, I pointed at the wolf, even if it is unintentionally. Try and picture how sick that means the forest is.
Celestia put the advanced medical knowledge to the side for a moment as she looked at the wolf. "Do you know what's wrong with it specifically?"
I gave a twisted grin. I know exactly what's wrong with it, but every time I try to cure it, it fights back. When's the last time you saw a Timberwolf covered in mushrooms? Timberwolves call it "Heartrot." If you're even suspected of having it, you're exiled from the pack, instantly. It's a type of Cordyceps that affects only Timberwolves. It grows into your wood and replaces your tissues with itself, slowly, painfully taking you over. It doesn't stop once you're dead, that's just the beginning. It then puppets your infected corpse around looking for other Timberwolves to infect. It's a horrific way to die, and Timberwolves should be immune to it! I snarled. For Timberwolves to be affected by something like this, the whole forest would have to be rotting, and it isn't! I groaned, feeling rage bubble up again. I'd been working on this for over a year, and I still hadn't figured out what was wrong, even after interviewing every kind of creature in the Everfree. It wasn't fair of me to yell at Celestia for something that wasn't her fault, though.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
I let out a slow breath, trying to simmer down. The Everfree doesn't respond to Pony magic. Thank you for the offer though, it is very appreciated. I can fix this; I just need more time. There is something, actually. I don't hold political power, never enjoyed the stuff, glad to be rid of it. When you get back, write a law to quarantine the whole Everfree. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out. She nodded. I grinned, showing off rows of sharp teeth. May I walk you to the border?
Celestia quickly nodded. "Please."
Once she was safely back in Equestria proper, I said, It was nice to see you again. I wish it had been under better circumstances. I- My eyes widened. OH MY GOD!!!! I whinnied in terror. I leapt straight into the air and landed in Celestia's arms. There was a hissing sound from where I'd been looking.
"WHAT?!" Celestia shouted, trying not to buckle under my weight.
IT'S A GOOSE!!! I screamed hysterically.
Celestia looked. There was indeed a goose. "Is it a monster goose from the forest?"
I shook my head, refusing to break eye contact with the fiend. No, it's just a regular goose.
"That's it?!!"
You don't understand. Geese are manifestations of pure evil from the nethermost realms of the Abyss, intent on destroying all that is non-Goose. You can't reason with them, you can't bargain with them, and they will never stop hunting you until you are dead. The goose hissed menacingly and spread its wings, preparing to charge. Celestia rolled her eyes and fired a few shots of magic at it, all but one of which hit. The goose turned around and ran off, honking angrily. You ... you saved me! I said in shock.
Celestia dropped me like a sack of potatoes. "You're all-powerful and you're afraid of geese?" she teased.
"Afraid" doesn't cover it. Thank you for that.
Celestia was laughing hysterically, more at the day she'd just had than my seemingly unfounded fear. I wasn't upset. When she calmed down, she said, "I'm glad to see you again as well. I ... I've missed you. What have you been up to these past fifty years?"
I shrugged standing up. I don't change much. I've made a few hundred afghans, wandered the world, explored the universe, watched my little ponies grow.
"Are you the one who puts a scarf on Discord's statue every winter?"
I nodded. I ... don't want him to be cold. I know he can't feel the cold when he's in there, I know it's stupid, I just...
"It makes sense. Did you also put up all those enchantments?" I nodded again. "I've never seen a statue that clean, or a statue that magically repels pigeons. What are those things they turn into if they land on him?"
Hacky sacks, I said with a grin. Much more useful and entertaining than pigeons.
"Yes, the guards have invented a game using them. You try and keep them off the ground as long as possible while kicking them back and forth."
Exactly the point, I said with a pleased nod. I still enjoy making and inventing potions, perhaps I'll write a book one day.
"I'd read it," Celestia said with a smile. "I'm thinking of starting a school for the brightest and best in Equestria, what do you think?"
I think that is an excellent idea! You would do well at that, you have a very maternal instinct. Would you teach there?
Celestia's face fell. "I don't think I would have the time." Oh.
Celestia grinned. "Would you teach there?"
Ha! No. I have no experience with children, and I'm not fit to teach them. What would I even teach?
"You've lived through all of history, that qualifies you. You're well-versed in magic of many kinds, and you know more about the natural world than most Earth Ponies."
Don't butter me up, Kay-Kay, you couldn't afford my salary. I was grinning as I said it. I believe I've kept the head of state long enough. What were you even doing sneaking into the Everfree?
"I wanted to recover some of my belongings from the Castle, I - Oh, no, I lost them!"
When you were being chased by the Timberwolf? She nodded. I suppose you would lose everything while fleeing for your life. Oh, except for this, I held out a suitcase. It had all of the belongings she'd taken. I grinned wolfishly.
"How did you-?"
For being so graceful, you're quite loud while running cross-country in terror. I followed and picked these up. Now get, I believe I entrusted a country to you, and I'd hate for something to happen to it. Till we meet again! I set the suitcase down and disappeared, leaving a Cheshire Cat grin hanging behind for a few seconds.
Celestia simply shook her head with an amused grin before heading back to Canterlot.
Two nights later Celestia was woken by light fireworks outside her window. She rubbed her eyes and glanced down to see a certain liontaur Draconequus beaming up at her. Glowing red written words spelled out "I DID IT!"
"Get up here before the guards find you!" Celestia hissed. She blinked and I was gone.
"Could you spare some hot chocolate?" I asked from behind her, shivering. My voice was quiet and in a more mortal tone.
"Do you even sleep?" Celestia asked, glancing at a nearby clock tower.
"I ... try to avoid it. I enjoy it too much, and I get locked in bad dreams. I figured out what's wrong with the Everfree! The Tree of Harmony was glit - not working. I think Discord did something to it when he took over, to help keep his power working. I fixed it! It'll take a while, but the Everfree will heal! No more mushroom-zombie wolves! You should still keep ponies out, the Everfree wasn't supposed to have ponies in it anyway, I-"
"Is this worth waking me up for?"
I blinked. "I thought you'd be happy I figured it out."
"Not at three in the morning."
I realized my mistake. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I suppose I'll have to get rid of this celebration cake then," I sighed as I held it out.
Celestia smirked. "Do you always carry cake with you?"
"Not always. It's chocolate," I said with an evil grin.
"You're a vile tempter, Arachnos," Celestia said grimly. "You do know this goes straight to my hips, right?" I'd never had a poker face, so when something accidentally crossed my face, Celestia shouted, "DON'T YOU EVEN!"
I was laughing hysterically. "Quiet! You're going to wake the whole castle! I don't want to go to prison!" After a few snickers I said, "You have a nice figure, I wouldn't worry about it. Are you going to eat this with me or not?"
Celestia nodded. We spent the rest of the morning joking and catching up. As the sun streamed into the room, Celestia said, "So, you've forgiven me?"
I shrugged. "Eh, fifty years is a little longer than I can hold a grudge. Well, most grudges. I do expect you to apologize to my son, you hurt him a lot more than you hurt me. You were hurting too, of course." I sighed. "Everybody hurts. I hate it. I am sorry. About your parents. I never expressed my sympathies at their passing. I only met them a few times, but they were some of the good ones."
Celestia nodded. "That they were. Why don't you like the nobility?"
I snorted. "I was raised on the other end of the scale, and don't like those who look down on others. Having money and huge tracts of land doesn't make you a better person, just a richer one. Anyway, everyone's blood is blue until it's on the outside." Except Changelings, I thought with a snort. They're genuinely blue-blooded!
Celestia smirked. "Be grateful you don't-" she blinked. "When did the sun come up?!"
"Seven thirty-two, right on time," I said with a proud grin. "I'm eternally grateful for your punctuality. It's refreshing. I enjoyed that; I haven't raised the sun in a long time. Mind you, I designed the bloody thing to raise itself. Don't get me started."
Celestia started to panic. "What time is it?!!!"
"A little after 8. There's a rather flustered cute stallion on the other side of your door wondering if it's rude to wake you this late. I should leave you be, sorry if I've thrown off your schedule. See you later!"
I disappeared, and the guard walked into the room. Celestia glanced at him, puzzled. "Cute stallion?"
Some years later I was walking through a seedy district of Mareis. Not intentionally, I'd simply been in Prance for the food. The mares stretched out seductively or leaning against walls and doors dressed to kill informed me as to what kind of business district I was in. There was even the occasional stallion to my surprise. My face was burning, and I mostly stared at the ground. I then crashed into someone.
"Good evening sir!" an older mare called in Prench. "Might I interest you in some company this evening?"
I dusted myself off. "No, thank you, I just wish to go home," I replied. One of the benefits of being bloody ancient was that I spoke almost every language on Equis. Although languages evolved as well, and I could sound remarkably out of date between visits to other countries.
I glared up at her. "Please, sir, I am no common peddler of flesh. I create a living image of your deepest desire. There is no investment, no drawbacks, simply a night of pleasure."
"I am not interested in your enchantments, please let me be."
She put a hoof on my chest. I drew my lips back in a snarl. She lowered her hoof. "Please sir," she begged. "The image costs nothing, only the use of!"
I sighed. "Fine. Create an image for me, but don't expect me to pay for it."
She smiled, nodded, and concentrated, her horn glowing. To my surprise, something did appear.
My eyes widened. Hers opened, and an expression of shock took over her face as she saw my ideal companion for a night of sinfully indulgent pleasure. "Oh, WOW!" I said in amazement, starting to drool. "Look at the size! Look at those curves! Look at the piping! LOOK AT THE CHOCOLATE WORK!"
Standing in front of me in all its delightful, decadent glory was a peanut butter and chocolate cake the size of a large stallion. It was shaped ... like a cake. It had some of the most intricate decoration I'd seen outside of Pinterest. It was truly glorious.
I handed the shocked Madame a large sack of coins. "Shut up and take my money," I sighed in defeat.
"Oh, I see! There is a pony inside the cake, yes?"
My head tilted to the side in confusion. "Why would I want to eat a pony? They don't taste good, it's like licking a carpet. Anyway, that's cannibalism for you."
"I mean there is a pony waiting to pop out and surprise you for a night of pleasure."
"Noooo... it's just a cake. Cake is sacred. I don't want a 'night of pleasure' with a pony, but I'll take cake any day!"
She sighed and made the cake more tangible.
I grinned wickedly, attached a rope to the cake and began to drag it to my lair. "You're all mine now..." I whispered lovingly.
The Madame stared in shock as I walked away. "Who on Equis would prefer cake to sex?" she asked.
Maybe it was because I'd been "alive" for so long, but the thousand years didn't feel as long as it normally did. I kept as busy as I could; making blankets for charities for lost foals, traveling the world, and then traveling the universe, helping where I could. Just taking life one day at a time, really. I worked as a law clerk for about 50 years in an old firm. I enjoyed it, although it was pretty stressful. Towards the end of the millennium I got a job in retail, because shouldn't every Millennial carry on that tradition? I was fired at the end of my first week, but I'd been surprised I'd lasted that long. I was always polite and respectful, but I couldn't take crap from customers. I wasn't planning on being in that job very long, I'd done it to say I had done it, and because I was bored and wanted a change.
The first few centuries were very boring, honestly. The only upside was that I could tell Ponies were heading out of the Dark Ages and helping lead the way for other creatures, which was good, because otherwise I would have hit them upside the head.
It was actually fascinating to watch new technologies being discovered. I let off fireworks in the city where it happened when the printing press was invented, because now books could be mass-manufactured for the general public.
Art improved as well, surprisingly quickly. Shading, perspective, anatomy, color, all the elements that made a picture better that had been drastically improved during the Renaissance on Earth also made leaps and bounds here.
I got to see a Shakespur play in person, during his lifetime. That was an amazing experience. It was a truly great love story. They all died, tragically. Teenagers, am I right?
There was one particular event that stuck out the most in ye bade olde dayes. I'd been minding my own business when glowing runes in a circle appeared around me. Wind started blowing through the room, and I felt like I was being pulled somewhere against my will.
What in the world?!
The next thing I knew I was sucked through the ether and landed in what looked like a wizard's laboratory. In his basement.
That wasn't what I was focusing on. I was in my leotaur Draconequus form, and I could see in 360 degrees, at varying angles. I could also feel wings, which I hadn't had before. I was in sensory overload, so I closed my eyes. And closed my eyes again. After a bit of experimentation, I finally figured out what had happened. Sprouting from my back were four large feathery wings. The feathers were black and white, and ...
They had eyes!!! My wings had eyes! I wasn't sure how many eyes there were but built in between the coverts of each wing were large eyes with black sclera and glowing blue irises.
I opened my main eyes again and took a few deep breaths, trying to get used to my new range of sight. I tried snapping the wings away, but they wouldn't vanish.
Huh. That's ... new. I would get eldritch angel wings instead of the normal kind, I grumbled. It's not like I earned them! Anyway, I didn't hear any bells ringing... I've got three pairs of arms and four wings now. I must have really weird back muscles...
I then finally noticed my surroundings. I was inside what looked like a summoning circle, and shackles made of glowing blue light kept each pair of arms together. OK...
"Heh. Heh. Hee, hee, hee, ah-ha-ha-ha AHHAAHAAHAAHAA!!!!"
Ho, ho, I added.
A wizened unicorn stallion stepped into the light. He was certainly dressed like a wizard. "You're him, aren't you?" he asked with a slightly crazed smile that scared me.
Who?
"Arachnos! The Weaver! Creator of Reality!"
Uh ... yes? I did NOT like where this was heading.
The grin grew more wicked and terrifying. "Excellent. My name is Midas, I am this kingdom's greatest mage. I've read extensively on you. You may find this hard to believe, but I have bound you firmly to this spot. You cannot leave without my permission. Go ahead, try it." I found that I was in fact sealed to that spot, no matter how much I struggled against the magic or tried to go around it.
How are you doing this?
"Research. Now, I'll be happy to let you go, in return for your granting me one wish."
You're crazy, I snarled.
"I'm DYING!!!" he shouted. "I have days left. I was lucky to haul my decaying body down here and complete the ritual without collapsing."
What are you dying of?
"Cancer," he spat. "I didn't know I had it until it was too late. Now I have less than a week, the healer thinks."
Death is part of life, I died, so will you. So will everyone.
"I HAVE BOUND THE CREATOR OF LIFE IN MY BASEMENT! WHAT RIGHT HAS DEATH OVER ME??!!!"
I sighed. I could simply wait here until you're dead, I certainly have time.
Midas grinned nastily. "If I don't let you out of there while I'm alive, you'll stay there forever. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
I growled. Fine. If it is in my power, I'll grant your blasted wish. What service may I do you?
Midas actually brightened up like he'd just heard he was actually getting a Hearths' Warming present this year. He cleared his throat. "I wish to live forever, and to rise above all others as the brightest star in Equis."
I grinned, showing off too many teeth. Technically, that's a run-on wish, but I can do that...
The shackles dropped of my wrists and I rubbed the feeling back into them. I bowed hammily. Your wish is my command! I snapped my fingers.
Midas was surprised to find himself floating in space, not anywhere near a planet. "What's happening?"
Your wish!
The years began to reverse themselves for Midas, his white hair shortening and turning back to its former electric blue color. His scrawny body bulked up with muscle and the skin under his fur became less wrinkled as his fur became a muted blue. The changes were internal as well, and within a minute Midas was no longer a dying elder, but a stallion in his prime.
He kicked his legs in joy, tumbling over before he managed to right himself. "Ha-ha! YES!!! YOUNG!!!" He stopped, and his body spasmed slightly. His tongue lolled out as a burst of pleasure worked through him. "Nnggh! Feels ... SO good! Feels warm..." He glanced at me. "What are you doing? Why do I feel so good?"
I grinned wickedly, my new wings unfurling and spreading out. You wished to live forever as the brightest star in Equis. I'm giving you exactly what you asked for.
"What?! Ngggh..." he panted happily. "I ... No! NO!!!" he shouted as he realized what I meant.
Too late, even I can't undo it now. You obviously never heard to be careful what you wish for.
"PLEASE! STOP THIS!!! Uhhh-hmmm... Nggh... Don't stop!" he moaned in ecstasy as wave after wave of pleasure shot through him.
Cracks appeared in his body and bright light shone through them. I closed all of my eyes and fought back a memory of the last time I'd seen something like that. I could still smell the snow and the blood that wasn't quite blood.
I opened my eyes and saw that it was almost time. I teleported over a thousand miles away and put on a pair of sunglasses. A distant speck erupted, and soon a white star that was almost close enough to touch appeared, pulsing gently.
I sighed. He couldn't hear me, but... That was very foolish of you. Don't worry, I'll make sure your tale is passed down through the ages. Stories live forever, after all, and that's what you wanted.
I teleported back to his basement lab and explored the building. He was the only occupant, and it was miles away from the nearest village. Good.
I collected all of his work and notes, placed them neatly in a pile on the floor, and carefully burned his house to the ground. I watched the blaze from a nearby forest. The irises in the eyes on my wings were glowing red. My teeth were drawn back, and I was running claws along the trees, leaving deep cracks. NO ONE will bind me again! I snarled. I then disappeared.
Not that I was obsessively counting down to when Discord would be free, (I would have counted to the day or even the second if I knew it), but I had a rough idea of when things might start leading to the show. If that even happened, since I was about 70% sure this was an alternate universe, although it had followed the script so far.
One century to go! In terms of science and technology, Equis as a whole was at about 1900. The year as measured on Equis was 1,238 A.H. (After Hearths' Warming). I remembered that cars would be in the future from my TARDIS trip. I was surprised that they chose to use biodiesel instead of oil made of recycled dinosaurs, but that would help keep pollution down, so that was good. Hopefully I wouldn't have to whack the atmosphere back into shape in a century. The telephone had also been invented, although mail was still preferred, and Celestia still sent dragon-fire mail rather than calling. I could understand why.
I considered learning how to drive, had flashbacks of my death, and decided to stick to walking, public transport, and teleportation. Yeah, I was still afraid of cars. At least I couldn't die a second time. I'd rather not discuss how I discovered that, it's embarrassing.
I had a house in the hills of San Franciscolt, with a bedroom for me, a larger bedroom for Alexis and Apep to share, a decent kitchen, and a craft room/library in the attic. I didn't need a house, I had my realm, but ... it was nice to have something in one of my favorite spots in the world that stayed there. I used it as a summer home to hit the beach. I'd built the house a few hundred years ago, when San Franciscolt wasn't quite a city yet. All I'd had to do was buy a plot of land, which was easy enough. The house was known as "Spider House," and even though it was in good shape, everyone in San Franciscolt knew it was haunted. The reasons for both should be obvious. I had to remember not to stay in one "alias" for more than a few decades, but that wasn't too hard.
I was rather surprised that San Franciscolt was like San Francisco in yet another way, it was the starting point of the gay rights movement. This version of Equestria wasn't quite a Reversed Gender Roles universe, but mares tended to hold more political office, and "coltcuddlers" weren't exactly welcomed historically.
I wasn't political enough to attend a protest, but I supported where I could in town council meetings and the like. When ponies realized that the stallions were serious, I dropped by Celestia's castle. Unexpectedly, of course, like always.
Celestia was startled by my sudden appearance, but luckily, she wasn't in the middle of an important meeting or in the bath. "Oh, Arachnos, I-" She glanced at my wings. "Those are new..." Celestia hadn't seen me since before the incident with Midas, although a few years before she had invited me to Hearths' Warming dinner. We had goose. I wasn't amused, but it tasted fantastic.
I shrugged. I can't get rid of them in this form. I understand they can scare other people.
"What can I do for you?"
Are you aware of the movements in San Franciscolt and across the country of coltcuddlers demanding equal rights with straight stallions? Mostly they want protection from discrimination and violence.
She nodded. "I have heard yes. Why?"
I'd like you to write laws granting that protection, as a favor to me and to them. Please, it's important to me. I haven't asked for very many favors. I know this will earn you political backlash, but I think it's the right choice.
Celestia looked at me. "Are you a -?"
Coltcuddler? I asked with a grin. No, but people tend to think I am. I used to be offended, now I just find it funny. I'm asking because I think discrimination against anyone is wrong, and if we can make laws to help prevent it, we should.
Celestia nodded. "I can see your point; I'll see what I can do. It won't be overnight; you have to understand that."
I do. Changing laws can be a lengthy process. There are other groups besides coltcuddlers and fillyfriends I'd like protected as well; it's quite a broad spectrum. May I discuss it with you? If you're not busy at the moment.
Celestia grinned. "I'm always busy, you know that, but yes. I can spare about an hour for lunch. Would you like some?"
Thank you, that's very kind of you.
The laws didn't change overnight, and Celestia did face massive backlash for the laws I'd helped to create, but she agreed that it was the right thing to do and stood by her principles.
Three years later, I was watching the first ever gay pride parade in San Franciscolt. Almost everyone was buzzing with excitement, I was happy to have helped make this possible.
There was a slight downside. In order to be considered indecent on Equis, you had to be wearing clothes that exposed you a bit. Not all clothes were provocative, but some were, and a few of the outfits making their way down the street made me chuckle and avert my eyes. I'd forgotten leather harnesses were a thing.
It was going well until I heard a voice from the sidewalk shout, "FILTH! ABOMINATIONS! PERVERTS OF NATURE! THE WEAVER WILL NOT STAND FOR YOUR DEVIANCE! HE WILL CONDEMN YOU ALL!!!"
I glanced at the source of the shouting and found an older stallion struggling to get through a small police blockade, practically foaming at the mouth. Now, prejudice is just built into some people, and there was nothing I could do about it, but you use MY name to do something like that? That pushed a few of my buttons.
A shadow in the shape of a spider appeared on the sun, a beam of light snapped on and centered itself on the bigot, and a voice spake: Actually, I have no issue whatsoever with this. I do have an issue with what you are doing and would very much appreciate it if you STOPPED RIGHT NOW. Oh, and I know what you did Tuesday.
The stallion whimpered and ran away. I didn't have the slightest idea what he'd done Tuesday, but everyone does something wrong every day, his just appeared to be pretty bad. I grinned toothily and dispensed with the special effects.
The parade had paused and everypony was staring in shock. The parade then erupted into cheers and several ponies threw their hats into the air. I chuckled. "You're welcome," I muttered.
One afternoon years later I was in a science museum in Manehatten and saw a crowd eagerly looking at a presentation a stallion in a lab coat was in the middle of. I joined the back of the crowd. An enormous rectangular machine was behind him, covered in flashing lights, with what looked l like giant tape recorders built into it. A feed of paper was coming out of a small slot.
"Yes, this marvel of science is capable of mathematical operations at speeds much faster, and answers much more accurate than ponies are capable of doing on their own! Because it computes numbers so well, my colleagues and I call it a "computer!" he said proudly. The crowd oohed and awed appreciatively.
I raised a hoof. "Uh, yes?" he said uncertainly.
"Do you have a rough estimate of when we can expect the internet?" I asked.
He blinked. "The what now?"
"Sorry. Something I'm both looking forward to and dreading. Congratulations, by the way, you've helped advance science in leaps and bounds, and started to help society in ways you can't picture yet."
"Um, thank you," he said uncertainly.
I walked away, contemplating what the future would bring.
I'd been minding my business when I could feel a magical anomaly opening in Manehatten. I quickly got there and noticed a vortex of storm clouds centered over what appeared to be a portal opening above a skyscraper. Gigantic tentacles were starting to emerge from the portal. Ponies were fleeing the building in terror and crowds were staring in shock. I sighed wearily and ran into the building. I pressed the "Up" elevator button. The elevator dinged open to reveal not the inside of a car, but the inside of a sharp-toothed mouth with a tongue that lolled out. The elevator let out a low growling sound.
Uh, no thanks, I'll get the next one, I said, frantically pressing the button. The doors shut.
I headed towards the stairs. I opened the door to spot a charred skeleton as flames roared towards the door. I slammed the door shut.
BLOODY ELDER GODS! I roared. I headed out of the building, shapeshifted into a giant spider, and headed up the outside of the building. Think they can just kick a door open into a universe and take over, I grumbled. Well not today Jack!
After a few minutes I made it to the roof, grateful spiders are fast. I was surprised to see a blue phone box parked in a corner. I shapeshifted back into a pony.
"Oh! Weyan'a!" came a voice. I spotted Doctor Whooves.
What's up, doc? I asked with a grin.
"Some sort of eldritch being is breaking into our universe," he said.
I can see that. We both waited, the tentacles dangling further down.
"It's funny," the Doctor said.
What is?
He laughed. "We seem to get together mostly when the world's about to end."
You'd know better than me. Anyway, who else are you going to call?
The being finally spoke. LE͚̝͌͌SSE̪̽R̫̯̍͡ ̻͗F̣̍Ĺ͎̙̕Ȩ̰̓͠SH̫̄E͗͢S,̣͌̏͢ Ý͈̈́ͅÖ͔̹͐U̧͎͆͛R͓̞̓̕ T͕̖̓̿Ḯ̟̜͘M͈̾E͎̍ ̦̙̔̄I̖̋S̮̐ ̤̊OV̡̠͆̚E̛̮͎̽Ṟ͐.̡̿ ͇̃T̩̹͐͠H̨͋E̤͐ ̝̈́AG̣̞̓̔Ě̮ ̉ͅȎ̢F̥͂-̰̿
OI! SQUIDFACE! I shouted. The being stopped, shocked that someone would dare interrupt it. I made this universe, and I've put way too much work into it for you to break in and trash the place like some kind of eldritch frat boy! People have died because of you! SO GET THE HELL OFF MY PROPERTY!!!
The being paused. A̜͋Ŗ͓̎̅E̟͌ ̱̝̾̚YŐ̧͙̓Ų̽ Ä́͢͞ͅ ͉̄G͈͑Ǒ̮͜͠D?̧̠̍̈ ̖̋ it asked in a mocking tone.
I don't know where the surge of confidence came from, but I knew that I could wipe the floor with this jerk, especially if he actually came through.
YES! I shouted.
The nearest tentacle reached down and touched my head. There was the sound of horrified eldritch screaming, the tentacles quickly pulled back into the portal, the portal snapped shut, and life returned to normal.
The Doctor stared at me in shock. "What did you do?!!"
I showed him how "eager" some creatures are to meet beings with gigantic tentacles, I said grimly. Pretty sure I scarred him for life.
"What? I - Oh!" the Doctor said, blushing.
Eeyup. Mind you, anybody who would actually do that is a sucker.
The Doctor winced at the pun. He pointed to the crowds below. "You know, there are creatures down there who are some of the nicest people you could ever meet who would happily grind you into dog food while still alive for a pun that bad."
I considered it. Really? Wow. That's ruff.
The Doctor charged towards me screaming at the top of his lungs, tackled me, and we both tumbled off the tallest building in Manehatten. My day was looking up! It's not every day one of my friends falls for me.
There wasn't long to go before the thousand years were up, about thirty years. I wasn't sure of the Mane Six's exact ages, but I knew they were in their early to mid-twenties when the show started.
I followed Twilight's family, actually managing to be subtle for once in my life. Shining Armor was a bright and happy baby, but I didn't know how much older he was than Twilight. At least five years.
There was something unusual that happened before Twilight's birth was due. I once again got the feeling that there was somewhere I was supposed to be. I both dreaded that feeling and looked forward to it.
This time I was pulled towards the Badlands, and stood on the boarder of Changeling territory, looking at the Hive. Go in there! the feeling nudged, it's urgent!
I sighed. I knew better than to ignore this when it happened, but I wasn't exactly eager to visit the Changelings, and I really didn't want to wind up stranded in the Hive with no magic.
I tried casting a small spell through the boarder. To my surprise, it didn't dissipate after a few feet. I guess I could still use magic, even near Chrysalis's throne. I agreed with Discord that that was a pretty far walk, so I turned invisible and teleported. Even invisible I knew I could be spotted, Changelings could sense any emotion, not just love, and I was radiating nervousness.
To my shock, there didn't seem to be anyling around, and I wasn't jumped the minute I appeared.
The feeling was leading me around to what I supposed was the back of the Hive, if there was a back of a roughly circular structure. I heard the kind of sniffling that meant someone was trying to cry as quietly as possible.
Sitting on a rock was a Changeling grub, "crying" silently. He was honestly pretty cute, he looked like he was wearing a cocoon with his head and little legs sticking out.
This is where I'm supposed to be? I thought in confusion. I then spotted what was making him cry, his left hoof was split open, blue blood oozing between his pudgy fingers. That had to hurt.
I sighed. Normally I didn't like children at all, but a grub crying with no one caring tugged at even my frozen heart. I didn't want to spook him by being invisible, so I changed into how the Changelings pictured me.
In Changeling mythology, I looked strange. I looked almost exactly like the Pony of Shadows, who I still thought of as Stygian, but instead of being made of living shadow, I was made out of soft rainbow fire. My aura whenever I used magic was rainbow colored, so I suppose that's why I had those colors.
I carefully walked over to the grub.
Hello, I said carefully in Changeish. The grub looked at me in shock. I'm Calbrax, I said with a grin. Changelings didn't see me as being as kind as other races did. Calbrax meant "devouring fire," since if you got too close to me, you burned. Can I see that?
He held his hoof out. I touched it and bound it together, getting rid of any infections. Better? He nodded. I ran my hoof up his leg to see if there was any further damage. He twitched and giggled. My eyes narrowed and I grinned. Ticklish, huh?
I picked him up and started tickling his belly. Changeling grubs secreted mucus to help them get around, but I didn't care. "EEEK!" he squealed, squirming desperately as he started to laugh.
Oh, yes, I am the father of tickle monsters! I proclaimed. He giggled. I didn't want to assault him with tickles too much, so I stopped soon. I booped his nose. Beep! He laughed again. I thought I saw a thread-thin flash of red, but it was gone in less than a second. Weird.
A voice from inside the Hive startled me so much I nearly dropped him. "THORAX!!! GET BACK IN HERE!"
Huh, his name was Thorax. I placed him on the ground. He looked back at me and whined slightly. I sighed, and gently pushed him towards the entry hole. He'd have to go through while it was still open. Go on, it'll be OK... He slithered towards the Hive and went inside. I'd turned invisible before anyling could see me. I then teleported away.
Huh. I wonder why I had to do that. That actually felt ... good! I could feel that I was grinning like an idiot, I had no idea why.
In my long life I'd made many mistakes and failures, but few made the "My Greatest Failures" list. This did. I was in my realm, knitting and watching What's Up Doc?, quoting along with my favorite parts. I then dropped my knitting. Oh no! Something was going catastrophically wrong somewhere. Planet-destroying wrong.
I teleported to where the feeling was and found myself looking at Gallopfrey. Green lines of magic encircled the planet, making it look like an illustration of an atom. The Citadel glowed so brightly it hurt to look at. I got down there. I could hear chanting, and the air was so charged with magic my fur stood on end. I walked into a large chamber and saw twelve Time Lord mages collectively casting a spell. The same thing seemed to be happening in the other three cities on Gallopfrey. I saw a sheet of paper; I glanced at it and saw it was an incredibly complicated formula for a spell. I could read and think very quickly.
They couldn't hear me, but I snarled, OH, YOU IDIOTS!!! At this point, the spell was almost cast, even if I interrupted the casting, it would likely just complete itself. I couldn't undo it, either. I didn't know what to do!
Right, preserve what I can. I teleported to the Museum of History. I found what I was looking for in a glass case. It was a small black sphere that looked vaguely technological. It was the Encyclopedia Gallopfreya, and it contained a complete history of the Time Lords and their technology. The case was tricky to unlock, but it's amazing what you can do with a summoned brick and super strength.
Alarms started blaring. Guards ran into the room. "Halt in the name of - Weyan'a?!!" the lead guard asked in shock. "What are you doing? That's theft!"
It's the preservation of a culture, I growled. You'll be worse than dead in about twenty minutes, so I'm doing what I can. Get out of my way.
He shook his head. "I can't do that."
Then you can go sleeping. The guards all passed out, snoring gently.
I was startled, someone was praying to me, for once in my life I could tell. I teleported to where it was. I saw a mother and father mumbling frantic prayers, a small brown foal between them.
Yes? What do you want, there's no time!!!
They looked up and saw me. "Can you save him?!" the mother asked frantically.
Who?
"Our son! You can't save all of us, but please, just save one person!"
You aren't going along with this?
The father shook his head. "This was the President's idea, and he wouldn't listen to anyone who pointed out its flaws. Most everyone thinks it's an amazing idea. We know better."
I looked at the foal. I'll save him, I promise. Can you put him to sleep? I don't want him to see this.
The mother nodded. She picked him up and kissed his forehead. "If you don't remember anything else, remember that we love you, brave one." She touched her head to his, and his eyes fluttered closed.
I grabbed him and just ran. I remembered where they kept the TARDISes. I ran in, desperately searching for a way out. One of the TARDISes was unlocked. I ran in and slammed the door closed. I noticed that this was an antique, and a Type 40 as well. I gently set the sleeping foal down and ran to the console. I set the coordinates and took off.
The TARDIS materialized hanging in space. It was close enough to see Gallopfrey with the doors open, but far enough away to hopefully be out of the blast zone. I was frantically casting protection spells on the TARDIS and the foal, there was going to be a hell of a paradox in here soon.
Gallopfrey shimmered and rippled, and slowly faded out of existence. I'd never seen something go so horribly right. What had happened wasn't what was intended, but it was exactly what they were trying to do. They should have realized that. I slammed the door in disgust.
I turned back to the foal. He had a light brown coat and the beginnings of a spikey mane and was crying quietly in his sleep. I stepped over to him, and gently linked our minds. This was the ultimate invasion of privacy, but I wanted to learn more about who the last remaining Time Lord was. I gently shifted through his memories, trying not to wake him. He was very young, but it seemed that his whole life, he'd defended the weaker and helped everyone he could in any way he could. He also had a decent knack for inventing for being around five, that made me chuckle.
No matter what he'd done, he'd done it to make others better. I planted thoughts in his mind. The title "Doctor" means "wise stallion," "healer," or "the stallion who makes people better." That is what you do, that is who you are, and so that is the title I give you. You're going to have to do a lot of running to get where you want to go. But it will be fantastic, and so will you. Rest well.
I stood up and sighed. I'm not sure how, but I suppose that could have gone worse in some way...
It was at that point the console exploded.
The TARDIS hurtled through space, the coordinate setter ticking frantically. I ran to try and stop it, but the whole room tilted, and I fell out the door, hanging on by my fingertips. I glanced at where we were headed. I recognized Equestria from the air, and that seemed to be Ponyville. We weren't traveling in time, just space. The angle of our flight changed, and we swooped over the town.
I heard a bell ringing loudly, looked up, and whimpered, crossing my hindlegs. I was anatomically correct, for no other reason than not to stand out, and Oh, God, why did the schoolhouse have a giant spear on the weathervane?!!! I closed my eyes and concentrated. A switch on the burning console flipped, and we swooped up, the spear narrowly missing my stallionhood. We sailed over the Everfree, and I could tell we were heading down quickly. I half pulled myself up and half slithered back inside. Thankfully the very young Doctor (WHY HADN'T I KNOWN WHO HE WAS?!!!) was no worse for wear, although we were about to crash. I curled around him protectively, and the whole room rumbled and shook as we hit the dirt.
Well, we couldn't stay in here! I set the ventilators to pull the smoke out and ran from the room, carrying the Doctor on my back. A key on a string appeared around my neck, and the door slammed shut behind us and locked itself.
I concentrated and cast a high-level spell, and the residents of Ponyville forgot about our flight over their town. The crater around the TARDIS was smoking, but the Everfree would heal. Ponies never came into the Everfree unless they desperately needed something, but just to be safe, I folded space around the TARDIS so that it disappeared into a pinch in space. No one but me would be able to get to it. I swayed slightly. Between the adrenaline rush, the surge of extreme emotions, and the massive amounts of magic I'd been doing to keep the Doctor safe, I was going to collapse soon.
I fought through it and struggled towards the town, locating the orphanage. The last time I'd carried an unconscious foal on my back into an orphanage, he'd conquered a kingdom and made ponies' lives hell. Sombra wasn't all pony, but neither was the Doctor. I had a feeling the Doctor would be different.
The mare in charge gasped when she saw us. Between pants I said, "I found him in the woods. He doesn't have any family left. I can't raise him, and this is a good town for him to grow up in. Can you please take care of him?" I started to buckle under his weight.
She quickly pulled him off of me. "His name's the Doctor," I managed to get out.
"Doctor who?" she asked in confusion.
"Doctor Whooves," I said with a grin. "Anypony going around calling themselves Doctor Who would be silly. He has two hearts, but it's nothing to worry about. ... I have to go," I said, starting to sway, "I'll check on him in a while."
Ignoring her protests, I ran out of the room, and managed to make it back to the Everfree. The world span, and I hit the dirt as everything went black.
I woke up to the sound of a TARDIS humming, and found myself in a Console Room. It was a bit steampunkish, which I loved.
A voice said, "So. Now you know."
I looked and saw the Doctor, as an adult. I guess he'd found me and brought me in. I'm so sorry! There was nothing I could -
He held a hoof up to silence me. "I don't hold it against you. I will, for a brief while, but you'll explain to me what happened. I'll understand. To spoil things, you'll actually be a godfather of sorts to me," he said with a grin. "You've been asleep there for twelve hours, and you were mumbling, screaming, and crying in your sleep. I'm sure you'll need to eat a lot to recharge. I understand you have a castle somewhere out there, but I can't go there. Is there anywhere else I can take you?"
San Franciscolt, I have a house there. I can find my way from anywhere in the city.
He nodded, pulled a few switches, and the TARDIS made a groaning wheezing sound as we took off. He grinned. "You always make fun of me for driving with the brake on, but it's stuck that way. So is the Chameleon Circuit. I don't mind, actually." The TARDIS thumped. "Here we are. Good luck!"
I nodded. I'll visit you soon. The present you, I mean. Well, my present. Time travel's confusing...
"I expect you to!" he yelled as I walked out. The TARDIS took off again.
I sighed and caught a tram to my neighborhood. I was too tired to conjure up food, but I had some bits at Spider House, so that was useful. I went into my favorite all-you-can-eat restaurant and ate as much as I could, which was about twenty double-full plates, to the staff's shock. I payed them three times as much as it cost to eat there, since no one ate that much. I felt better, but I'd need more rest.
I went back to Spider House, crawled into bed, and passed out. The Doctor had been right, I really was crying in my sleep.
Well, it was Delivery Day. The fate of Equestria hinged on this (and several future) moment(s).
Twilight Velvet was busy giving birth. Night Light was allowed to be in the room with her, but Shining Armor wasn't. He was busy playing a hoof-held video game in the waiting room. I had so much I wanted to say to him, but that would cause more complications than I wanted to think about. I went back to scraping gum off the wall. I was disguised as a janitor, in 90% of cases that allowed me to infiltrate a building, since most people wouldn't talk to you.
Eventually a nurse came out. "Shining? Would you like to meet your brother?"
I dropped my tool. Your WHAT NOW?!
Shining headed into the delivery room, I followed invisibly.
Twilight Velvet looked tired, but she was happily holding a swaddled-up foal. The foal looked exactly like Twilight Sparkle, except for the obvious fact he was male. Huh, I thought.
Shining put his forehooves on the bed and peered at the teeny bundle of joy excitedly.
"Well, Shining, this is your brother, Dusk Shine!" Night Light said proudly.
"I promise I'll be the best big brother ever!" Shining swore proudly.
I laughed and decided I had intruded on this scene enough. I vanished.
So, Dusk is male. That's not so bad. I wonder if his hopefully friends have been born? It took me a few tries to remember where the Mane Six had been born, but they had all been born, Dusk was the youngest, even if just by a few months. I was rather shocked by the time I was done.
I was hanging in space, my mouth open. The Mane Six are all dudes?!! I asked in shock. I sighed. Well, that's not too bad. I - My eyes widened. Oh, no. This is horrible! I conjured up what looked like a conspiracy theorist's mood board. I facepawed. Arrgh! None of my ships work now!!!
Apep popped into existence with a wicked grin. "You know, you could just make them all ga-"
I flicked him away. NO. If I can't interfere in free will, I'm pretty sure I can't change somepony's sexuality.
"Can anybody magically make somepony gay?"
I thought about it. Braeburn, I'm pretty sure, even if he doesn't mean too. That'll be interesting to see.
Alexis joined the conversation. "So ... what are your ships? Keep in mind you can't force them to happen!"
I nodded. Well, my OTPs are Fluttercord and Spirax. Everyone else, I'm honestly not sure. I've never been sure about Applejack; Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich go together well, and were even a canon couple; I kind of ship Twilight with Sombra, maybe Flash, although the fandom kinda hates that, and I've read some really good Discolight fics although I don't think that would work; Rarity could maybe go with Fancypants, I have no idea; and Rainbow I am torn equally between Soarin And Quibblepants, although he wound up with someone else. Like I said, none of those really work now, unless lots of ponies actually are at least bi, I said with a laugh. Oh, well, it's their lives, not mine.
The next day I was sitting outside a cafe in Canterlot, sipping a mug of hot chocolate and reading the paper. The weather was perfect for the next week, the comics were funny, the crossword was challenging enough I couldn't find the last word, and the stock market was incomprehensible as always, but seemed to be going up.
I sighed. I was worried about Dusk. I was the most like him, I'd always thought, and I didn't want him to be an antisocial shut in his entire life or wind up with frighteningly bad OCD.
"If only there was some way I could keep an eye on him over his formative years," I mused. "Without being rightfully arrested for stalking a foal," I added with an eye roll.
It was then I saw the help wanted ads. |
After Death, Creation | Adder's Fork, Blind-Worm's Sting, & Cherry-Flavored Cola | I sighed and looked in the mirror. This has bad idea written alllll ooooveeer it...
Staring back at me was an earth pony with blue eyes and a brown mane tied into a ponytail. My fur all over was the same cherry red as my right forehoof, and I had a set of potion flasks for a cutie mark. I was wearing a pair of outdated glasses. I didn't need them to see, but I felt it added to the character.
I sighed again. I'd been wondering how to solve this, then realized I already had the answer. Time travel still gave me a headache. "OK, your name is Maroon Flask. You grew up in Califoalnia, where you studied potions. You were passing through Canterlot and saw the ad in the paper, and this seemed like the amazing opportunity it is."
I gave myself the once-over again. "OK. Fur: combed. Mane: Passable. Teeth: brushed. Bowtie: cool. Barebones resume: in hoof. ... Here goes everything. Besides, it's not like I'll get the job!" I said with a laugh as I locked my front door. I ducked into an alley and teleported to Canterlot.
I glanced up at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Didn't you tell Celestia you'd never teach here? Alexis asked from inside my mind.
I nodded. Yes, but that was almost a thousand years ago, and you can change your mind thousands of times in a month. Anyway, maybe I can help Dusk. A job would be good for me, I need something to do. I'm bored. Anyway, like I said, it's not like I'll actually get this job, I thought as I pointed to a line of nervous but hopeful applicants stretching out of a door. Any one of them are infinitely more qualified than I am.
Yes, but you've been practicing for much longer then they have, Apep thought with a grin.
Yes, I'll be sure to mention that 'Maroon Flask' has been making potions for over a thousand years, I thought with an eye roll.
I seemed to be the last applicant; nobody joined the line behind me. I was finally called up. Celestia's secretary Raven Inkwell looked at me. She didn't mean to be rude, but it was obviously the end of a long day and her nerves were frayed. "Name?"
"Maroon Flask."
She jotted it down. "Resume?" I passed it over. She didn't look impressed, but it wasn't impressive in any way. "Right. Go ahead when you're ready."
My nerves catching up with me, I walked in, and I nearly ran away when I saw Celestia sitting at the other end of the room. It was her school, why hadn't I thought she'd hire the teachers?! I started having a panic attack. This was stupid, there was no way this would work! She'd know what I was right away, and I'd be laughed out of the room.
I took a deep breath. I'd come this far, might as well finish it. I walked over. There were two of the Royal Guard in the corners, presumably as bodyguards. They weren't glaring at me, that was a start.
Celestia radiated benevolent calm, as always. I couldn't imagine the strain that not being able to appear upset would cause someone over the centuries. I pushed that thought aside. Job interview. Eye contact!
"Hello, Mr.-?"
"Maroon Flask, Your Highness."
"Nice to meet you. Why do you want to teach potions at this school?"
I thought about it. To my surprise, my lie had a great deal of truth to it. "The students at this school are the brightest and the best in Equestria. No matter what career path they choose, any of them can influence the world in ways I can't picture. They can be a force for great good, or great evil. Teaching students with that kind of potential would be a great honor. In my own small way, I'd have helped shape the future of Equestria, and hopefully helped others along the way"
I grinned. "You might have noticed my lack of horn. I'm an earth pony, but I can do things with potions that would impress your top students. Potions are often overlooked as a 'valid' form of magic by unicorns, if I can, I'd like to change that. I'd also like to show that not only unicorns can be gifted in their type of magic, but that any creature can. I've ... got a bit of a chip on my shoulder about that," I admitted with a grin. "I'm not going to burst into singing I Believe the Children Are Our Future, though," I said, my grin widening slightly. "I believe it to an extent, but I'm not the bursting into song type. Anyway, I can't carry a tune."
Celestia seemed amused, but it was hard to tell under her masterful poker face. "Well, thank you for your honesty. I ask all of the applicants to demonstrate their skills, if that's all right with you?"
I gave an amused snort. I was being interviewed for a job in her school, and she made it sound like the requirement to show that I knew what I was doing was a personal favor to her. "Of course."
A simple set of potion ingredients and tools was wheeled out in front of me. "I know it's a rush, but I can only spare each applicant 5 minutes to make something. If you're good enough to teach here, you can impress me in that time," she said with an encouraging smile.
I nodded, and she flipped over a timer on the ground next to her. I glanced at the ingredients my mind whirling. In five minutes, this set would normally make a tooth fixing potion, but ...
I first poured in the rainbow and quickly diced the mint leaves. I ground up a dried stag beetle and poured the dust in. Celestia's head tilted in confusion, I wasn't following the recipe. Next came lemon rind, a bit of starshine, a crushed pearl, and lastly water from a spring. The mixture fizzed and started to gently pulse with green light. I poured it into a flask and held it out to one of the guards.
He looked uncomfortable. I grinned. "If I was going to poison you, I would have the decency to not do it to your face." He looked apprehensive, but Celestia nodded and he took a drink. There was a blinding flash of light. There was a loud clattering sound as his armor fell off. When the stars cleared from our eyes, he dropped his spear in surprise. Instead of a grey earth pony, a pegasus was standing in front of me. Aside from the addition of wings and feathers above his horse tail, he looked identical. Growing a large set of wings had burst his armor off of him.
My grin widened. "Sadly, that's only good for an hour, but if your boss grants you permission, I hear flight is an indescribable experience if you've never done it before," I said glancing at Celestia. "Maybe he could have an hour's break?"
Celestia chuckled and nodded. "Go for it Bright Shield."
As he ran out of the room in glee, I shouted, "Remember, that's 50 minutes and then the wings disappear, so FOR GOD'S SAKE, LAND BEFORE THEN!!!"
The other guard yelped as something scuttled over his hoof. He glanced down and saw a large spider. He raised a hoof to smash it but was shocked as a red blur snatched it away. "Sorry about that," I said, trying to calm it down. I looked at Celestia. "Thank you for this opportunity. I'm not expecting to get the job when there are so many other, more qualified applicants, but I enjoyed this." I grabbed a piece of paper and jotted something down. "This is my email address, it's the best way to reach me and let me down gently. Thank you again." I gave a quick bow. Taking the spider with me, I walked out of the room.
Celestia grinned. She then began to chuckle, before it turned into hysterical laughter. The remaining guard stared at her in shock. When she'd managed to calm down, she said, "I wondered where you'd been the last few decades, I thought you'd given up on us. I think we'll both enjoy this, O spider god. With all the years of practice you've put in, you're the most knowledgeable about potions. You as a teacher should be interesting." Her eyes widened. "Raven!" she called. Her faithful secretary walked into the room. "Make a note that I am setting aside funds for potential lawsuits regarding my new teacher. I don't think he would cause harm, but he's a bit accident prone, so better safe than sorry." Raven nodded. Celestia began to chuckle again.
I stared in shock at the screen. How the - I stopped the swear in time. Did I get the job?!!! There had to be 30 other applicants, and that was on the last day!
Apep leaned on my head and grinned. "You're going to be a teacher! In a school that combines middle school and high school," the phrase a demonic snarl. He was smiling as he said it. "I've seen your memories of those happy, happy days. There's no shame in bowing out now and running away to Prance."
Oh, god... I sighed. You know how stubborn I am. I'll stick it out. It's only ... 23 or four-ish years. I can put up with it that long, and maybe I won't even murder my students! I said with a grin. I mean, it would be a good opportunity to learn how to deal with actual, real-life people. I - My eyes widened in horror. Oh, crap! I'm going to have to move to Canterlot! CANTERLOT!!! I screamed at the heavens in rage.
Alexis chuckled. "I'm pretty sure those pompous, upper-class piles of pus will mostly leave you alone. It's just the parents you have to worry about. You've dealt with it before."
Not for more than twenty years...
"Yes, for over twenty years. Cheer up! You get to mold young minds and show that a subject you love is a valid form of magic, and that earth ponies are as valid as unicorns," Alexis said encouragingly. "You get to influence an entire generation! Including a pony who will hopefully one day lead Equestria!"
Sure, from 9-11:30 every weekday, Potions 2A from 1:30-3 two days a week, I said with a snort. How does a required class only have one period?!!
"Smaller school, and the students there literally study a bit of everything. There aren't enough hours in the day for students to take potions twice. Anyway, you have to be at least 14 for 1A so you don't burn down the school."
I would never!
Alexis chuckled. "I didn't mean - Actually, you get scary on Bad Days. Could you rein yourself in?"
... I'll do my upmost to not cause death, injury or damage to property.
Apep chimed in. "You are the sort of person who would subtly curse someone you don't like when their back is turned. I'm supposed to encourage that, but ... You're pretending to be an earth pony; you shouldn't have anywhere near the amount of magic you have." He thought. "Is there a way you could get rid of your magic, so you don't misuse it and to blend in?"
I thought. In theory, yes. I snickered. Hark how the bells, all silver bells...
"Ah. I'd forgotten. That'd do it."
I thought some more. I mean, I couldn't get rid of all of it. I need it to function, and on some level it keeps the universe ticking. Anyway, if I got rid of my magic, you two wouldn't be able to physically manifest, and I'm not having you two not driving me crazy for over twenty years, I said with a grin. Where else am I going to find the cutest gay wolf couple in this universe?
"I'M NOT GAY!!!" they both shouted.
My ears drooped. I'm so sorry. I'm still getting used to the idea of you being a couple. Please forgive me.
Alexis folded his arms. He pointed at himself with his tail. "In case you've forgotten, I can't even HAVE - I wouldn't WANT to anyway; where do you think I got THAT from? I just like him because he makes me laugh and we get along."
Apep booped Alexis on the nose with his nose. "You might not have any 'fun bits,' dear, but you're great in bed. You're the best cuddler."
I might throw up in my mouth. I'm sorry for assuming. If it's any of my business, what are you two?
"Ace," Alexis said with a shrug.
"I take after your son," Apep said.
Ah. So your orientations are "Nope" and "Yes," in that order.
"Pretty much," Apep said with a grin.
Again, sorry. Right then. Let's go get an apartment. I'm assuming you two cuddlesluts will want your own room?
"Yep!" Apep said with a grin.
"Did you have to put it like that?" Alexis groaned.
You two can't go a night without being in each other's arms. Anyway, I love threesomes with you guys!
Apep started to die laughing. Alexis sputtered.
The three of us cuddling! I said innocently with an evil grin. What did you think I meant?
"What did I ever do to deserve this?" Alexis groaned.
Apep and I shrugged. You're cute and fluffy? I suggested. Apep nodded. With that, we headed out.
"So, what do you think?" the realtor asked as I looked at the front of the house. "For your budget and wish list, this is probably the best fit."
I looked at it carefully. It was a bright yellow with a white picket fence and an overgrown garden and a wrap-around porch that begged for a set of rocking chairs. Lots of big windows, it seemed like a great house. "I was hoping to get an apartment, but this is nice! Can I see the inside?" He nodded and unlocked the door. I let out a whistle. "This is very nice!" I walked from room to room. It was perfect. "This is an amazing house, why is it so cheap?"
He gave a nervous grin. "No one's lived here for almost twenty years."
"Why not?"
"Oh, it's nothing bad!" he said quickly, "People are just superstitious about the address."
"The address?" I asked in confusion.
"666 Gate Way," he explained, "The street number is-"
"Grogar's number," I finished. "It's like the 13th floor of a building, right?"
The realtor nodded. "It's funny that people are still afraid of a creature of myth who died almost 2,000 years ago."
"They said Grogar was defeated, but they never said he died," I said with a grin. I glanced around the house once more. "I'll take it," I said firmly. "Let's go back to your office and draw up the paperwork!"
I had bought a 3-room house and bought furniture and supplies to go in it. The master bedroom was mine; the second bedroom was for Apep and Alexis to share if they wanted to physically exist, and the 3rd, smallest room was used for storage/crafts/a small library.
Apep and Alexis got a double bed to share because they tended to spend every night cuddling/spooning, and I got a very large bed in case all three of us wanted to spend a night cuddling together. Ponies didn't wear many clothes, but I moved my scarf and bowtie collections in, and got the necessities for my kitchen, along with a few sofas, a rocking chair, a desk, and a TV and computer.
It didn't feel homey yet, it just felt like a house with stuff I'd bought in it. It didn't even feel like my stuff. Before I broke the house in, I had something important to do.
"Hey. So ... I live here now. I'm not sure if dis towne is beg enough fer the both o' us. I'll be visiting you a lot more. I'm sure you don't want that, but I will be. I'm sure you still hate me. I can understand that." I sighed. "God, I would give anything to let you be able to talk back, even if it's just to scream at me until you're a little horse like the rest of the city. Heh. I can't stop making puns even now," I muttered. "I guess it's a defense mechanism. Time didn't go any faster for me than it did for you, but I'm not in my own personal Hell like you are. I forgave you a long time ago, I would have lashed out too, worse than you did. I guess neither of us are fit to handle our emotions well," I said with a grin. I sighed. "I just want you to know I love you. I still love you. I never stopped loving you, I wish I could convince you of that. I'll be back tomorrow. I got a job working for Kay-Kay believe it or not. I'll let you know how it goes. See you soon!"
I got some odd looks for saying what could be interpreted as a love confession to a statue. I shrugged them off. He was my son for God's sake, looking crazy was worth letting him know I still cared.
Right, I thought, I need to come up with textbooks, lesson plans, and 2 syllabi. I've got a lot of work to do, better get started tonight. I'm lucky I don't need to sleep, I'm a teacher now, I wouldn't be sleeping anyway... I gave a chuckle. Me. A teacher. Look out world, you're in trouble now...
My first day of work, my future victims er, I mean students walked down into the basement. Potions was held in a classroom in the basement that looked like it had been turned into a bunker over the years. There was a good reason for that. Chemistry could cause explosions and noxious fumes, but Potions did it much worse when it did. In addition, the effects were magical. Luckily good ventilation had been put in.
They opened the door and saw me standing in front of my desk in a collar and bowtie, although I'd cut the ponytail off. It had been bugging me. I'd try again another time. "Morning!" I said cheerfully. "Come in!"
They filled in, still chatting.
The room was large and well-lit, and was set up like a chemistry lab, with work stations instead of desks, sinks and counters to clean and store supplies, and supply cupboards stretching around the room, along with a supply closet near my desk.
"No assigned seating; just take what's comfortable. Store your belongings under the back counter in case of accidents, just a habit I want you to get into." One everyone had gotten set up, I wrote my name on the blackboard in my slightly loopy cursive. "Right! Welcome to Potions 1A. I'm Professor Maroon Flask. The 'Professor' is at Celestia's insistence, but you can call me Maroon or Mr. Flask." I started walking around the room and handing out the syllabus. "This is the syllabus, I'm assuming you all know how to read, but I'll be going over it anyway. Beneath that is a waiver that you have to sign because this is a potentially dangerous class. Just take it home and go over it with your parents or guardians and all of you sign it."
"What if we don't have a parent or a guardian?" called a voice. The entire class, including me turned to look. A snow-white unicorn with a light grey mane and green eyes slunk slightly in his seat, his face burning. "I live on my own, with some help from the government. I don't want to talk about it."
I nodded. "Sorry for prying into your business. Meet me after school in the library on a day that works for you, and I'll go over it with you." He nodded. "What's your name?"
"Mask Note."
"Nice to meet you. Stay with me after class and we'll work out a time to meet up. Any other questions or concerns regarding the waiver?" The class was silent. "Going once ... going twice ... ok then. The first week is just lecture without labs, so the only way you could injure yourself is if your head hits your desk from falling asleep from boredom," I said with a grin.
"Right, let's get some ground rules out of the way," I said as I walked up to the board. "You've noticed I'm an Earth Pony, teaching at a School for Gifted Unicorns. I have an excellent grasp of the subject and can teach it without the use of unicorn magic. Any of the three tribes, as well as many other races, can craft potions, and it might be an interesting experiment to perform on your own initiative to see how you do without magic or levitation. If I hear phrases such as 'Hay Humper,' 'Dirt Pony,' or 'Muddyhooves,' even if they're not directed at me, even if it's while I pass you in the hall, I will see to it that you're expelled. The same goes for slurs against Pegasi. Got it?" They nodded. "You've also probably noticed the blackboard rather than the smartboard your other classes have. I'm that old-fashioned, but electronic fields can interfere with certain potions, and you do not want to drop your phone in your work, so I will have a stricter 'no phone' policy than your other teachers. You get one strike. That's it. As with Chemistry, no food or drink except bottled water. Bring only the supplies you need for notes or your work out of your bag, in extreme cases we might have to evacuate the room in about a minute, so we'll be running drills.
"Now that I've made myself sound like a monster; I hope you will enjoy this subject as much as I do and learn something as well. If not, you still need to pass it anyway. Sorry, not my rules. I'll take roll, and then we'll go over the syllabus and get started!" I said with a wide smile.
I met Mask Note early that week. "Thanks for meeting me, I'm sure you're busy."
He shrugged. "A little, but school's important. It was hard to be accepted here, if I didn't have a scholarship, I couldn't go."
"Well, I'm glad you get to be here, and I hope you find my class not to terrible." I frowned. "If you don't mind my asking, I'm kind of worried..."
He sighed. "I ran away from home a few years ago. My situation was ... pretty bad. That's an understatement. I managed to apply for citizenship in Equestria, and I became an emancipated minor. I miss my brothers and sisters a lot, but I hope to never meet my mother again."
"Thanks. Well, to sum this thing up, it says that you're taking a class that can have dangerous consequences if you're not careful, but if you follow directions you should be safe. If an accident occurs and it's your fault, you give up the right to sue us, but if it's our fault, you can still sue. I'll go over each clause with you, and then you can sign it in front of me. Mask Note is kind of an unusual name, isn't it?"
"So's Maroon Flask," he said with a grin.
"Touche."
"I'm a theater kid, I'm good at singing and putting on different masks."
"Maybe I can see you in something. OK, the very first part says-"
The first week went well. To my surprise, the students actually seemed interested in the subject. It took me a while to warm up to people, people I didn't know tended to scare me for a few months, but my coworkers seemed very nice, and each was as passionate about their subject as I was. The school accepted students starting at the age of 8 to the age of 18, and almost all of them went on to college. The school was famous for many of its alumni going on to excel in their chosen fields.
One morning in mid-September I was having my students make a simple sleeping potion. Easy recipe, harmless potion, very unlikely to explode. Unfortunately, there was the "human" equation. I was surveying the students. A grey colt stirred his potion with a look of intense concentration. Once he was satisfied it was stirred, he moved his spoon to place it on the table, taking a quick taste as he did so, not even thinking about it. There was a "THUD" as he hit the floor.
"Oh, good grief." I dashed over and slapped him awake. He jumped awake with a shout and I pulled him to his hooves. "You cook?" I asked. He looked at me with confusion. "You just tasted your soup or your sauce without thinking about it," I said with a grin. "It's a habit of people who cook a lot."
He nodded. "It's my talent," he said, pointing at the cast iron skillet that adorned his flanks.
"Good for you. Right! Everyone!" I called. "That's a good lesson for all of you! NEVER TASTE A POTION UNLESS YOU'RE 115% CERTAIN IT'S SAFE!!!!" I shouted. "You're lucky I don't teach poisons. OK, let's get back to work!"
The last Friday in October I wrapped up my lecture for my 1A class. "One last thing: do any of you have any food allergies at all?" The class looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Great! See you Monday! Have a great weekend!" The fact that every class my students streaked out the door still kind of hurt, but it was due to intense schedules instead of not liking me. I think. Mostly. Now to plot...
My class was surprised to find the door to my class shut but unlocked and the lights out on Monday morning. One of them flicked the switch. Several students screamed. The room looked like a Halloween store had exploded in it. My desk had somehow been replaced with a casket, which hadn't been easy or cheap. A projector was sitting on top of it, along with a large screen in the front of the room. The supplies had been carefully packed away. In the front of the room a cauldron simmered with a bubbling lime green liquid that smoked. Plastic cubs were in neat stacks around it, and a ladle stuck out of it. Above the casket a spiderweb spelled out, "Happy Nightmare Night!" Spiders are terrible spellers, so it had taken them 3 tries, but bless them for putting in so much work. Paper ghosts and skeletons hung on streamers from the ceiling, and the walls were splattered with fake blood stickers. What had made everyone scream was the fact that the entire room was crawling with hundreds of harmless spiders. A large constrictor snake lazily slithered across the floor at the back of the room.
The back counter was the second thing to catch everyone's eye, it was covered in platters. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds, rice krispies stuck together with marshmallows, lemon bars, pecan pie bars, a very large worms and dirt cake designed to look like a graveyard, caramel apples, apple pie, the stacks of fall-themed treats were enormous. A sign read, "Spider Bake Sale. All proceeds go to real spiders! ^^" I hadn't been much of a baker when I was alive, but I'd had a long time to practice, and was ... decent. I knew I'd never been one of those astonishing bakers you saw on tv or Pinterest, even with all the practice in the world.
"Well, are you going to take your seats?" I asked from behind my students, making some of them jump since I made no noise when I walked. They stared at my outfit. I wasn't wearing my glasses, and my face was painted to look like a smiling skull. I was wearing a threadbare blue hoodie with white fur trim over an undershirt that the hoodie was open to show. A pair of pink fuzzy slippers guarded my back feet. "Well?" I asked.
The students quickly got to their seats. The sound of loud farts broke throughout the room. "Heh. Sorry about that, a real weirdo must have put whoopie cushions on some of the seats. Too bad you didn't look. The spiders are all completely harmless and more afraid of you than you are of them, so just be gentle and please don't squish them. Same for the snake. Since the week starts on Nightmare Night, I thought we'd do something different today. We're going to watch a movie." The class cheered. "Since we won't likely finish it today, we'll finish it for class tomorrow." The class cheered again. "You'll have to write a two-page essay on it due a week from today." The class groaned. "Oh, come on! It's a fun prompt, you'll like it. Feel free to move around to get snacks but clean up your own messes as best you can, I don't need the janitor to be any angrier at me for this." As the students rushed for a sugar high, I fired up the projector. The movie I had didn't open to its menu, instead I saw an anime version of me as I'd looked as a human wearing an undertaker's outfit and holding a noose. He appeared to be in the middle of a song. "All you need is a piece of rope, AND TO NEVER GIVE UP HOPE, NEVER CONSIDER SELF-ABUSE, THIS IS HOW YOU TIE A NOOSE!" The projector switched itself off. "Uh, did anyone else see ...?" Nobody was looking. When the class was settled with their snacks, I tried again, and the movie started playing. "Right the prompt for the essay is seemingly simple: how to survive a horror movie! Let's begin..."
The next day was the beginning of November, and I noticed my coat was longer and fluffier. Most ponies grew winter coats, but this level of fluff meant your family was from near the Frozen North, and apparently the family Maroon Flask didn't have was. Which meant I wouldn't be very cold in winter, which made me sad, but more distressingly, I was going to shed like crazy in the spring. Great. Oh well.
Apep flew up and switched off the smoke alarm. Alexis and I uncovered our ears. Apep shouted. "THERE! GOT IT!" Alexis hurried off to open windows. Apep landed back down and gave me a look like I'd grown another head. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "OK. I'm only going to ask this once. I'll regret it, but I have to know. HOW IN GOD'S NAME DID YOU SET A PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH ON FIRE?!!!" He roared, baring his teeth and claws.
I wish I knew...
"You can cook!" he shouted in astonishment, "Like, actual food! How did you DO that?"
I wish I knew... was all I could say again.
Mask Note puzzled me; I wasn't sure why. He was incredibly personal and kind for a 14-year-old, nearly always had a spring in his step, and the rest of the class had trouble keeping up with him. If this was potions, I dreaded to think how far he was exceling in drama, since that's where his special talent lay.
But ... every time I looked at him, I knew I wasn't looking at him. That's the best way I could describe it, like all of him was a projection. Back when I was alive, people joked that I was psychic, because my gut feelings were almost always right. Mask wasn't hurting anyone, he didn't read as dangerous, he seemed like a genuinely good person, but he was hiding something. Lord knows how many skeletons I had in my closet, and my entire persona was a lie, so it wasn't my business to pry, but it itched in the back of my head.
When I finally figured it out, all I could do was laugh.
The teachers took it in rotations to hold detention. This was only my third time, but the fact that I apparently already had a reputation as a ruthless taskmaster warmed my frozen heart.
I only had one student this afternoon, and I couldn't believe it. Mask was the kind of person for whom "on time" meant "late." If he didn't have at least a 4.0 GPA I'd eat my hat, and he avoided conflict like the plague, so ...
"How in the world did you get detention?" I asked in an exasperated tone.
He gave a sheepish grin. "I tripped over a paint bucket and wound up covering about half the hall."
"They gave you detention for that?" I asked in surprise. "If being klutzy is a crime around these parts, I won't last long."
"Uhhh ... there may have been a fight. With a janitor who didn't appreciate the mess."
I sighed. "That'll do it. Well, you can help me prep ingredients and clean supplies. I'm sure you know to be careful by now. I'll go get the stuff." From inside the closet, I called, "Incidentally, do you speak Changeish?" in Changeish.
"Not since I left the Hive," he replied in Changeish automatically. There was the sound of something dropping and breaking. "Z'irak!" he swore, the Changeling version of the f-bomb.
I walked out, carrying supplies. "Watch your language, please," I said sternly. Mask had a look of pure terror on his face. "Easy, I'm not going to hurt you or turn you over to S.M.I.L.E. or anything. I don't care that you're a Changeling, I just care if you do well in school."
Mask's breath was hitching, and his ears were pinned back. "Ho-how did you know?" he managed to get out.
I set down the flasks and ingredients. I smiled. "Well, you didn't seem ... real. No, that's not putting it right. I don't really know how to explain it, but I could tell that you were an act. It's ... instinct, I guess. I also knew you weren't going to harm anyone, so I didn't see the need to confront you about it. You mentioned a 'bad home life' and your mother, but not a father. You don't appear to have any family looking for you. You're a talented actor, you're supernaturally empathetic, and you read people better than I do. You're very friendly, but you don't actually have friends, like you don't want people to get close to you. It honestly clicked when I remembered that you spend your free time trailing after the high-school age students who are in nauseating amounts of love. You're a rogue, right?" He looked confused. "Sorry, that's what Chrysalis calls Changelings who run away and never come back. Well, she usually says, 'traitor,' but rogue fits better." He nodded, seeming like the fight or flight instinct was dying down. "Mind if I see the real you?" He looked hesitant. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you, I just know that being stuck in one shape for years can be draining for a Changeling, so I thought you might like to stretch your wings."
I walked behind him and locked the door. He glanced at me, but all he read of my emotions was good will and curiosity. A flash of green fire later, and a Changeling was in my room. He sagged in relief, buzzing his wings rapidly. His voice had the slight buzzing timbre a Changeling always has. "Ahhhhh..." he practically moaned. "You're right, that does feel better!" Going off the pitch of his voice, he was still male. Gender was kind of optional for Changelings, but most stuck with what was familiar. Checking between my student's legs was just wrong. He glanced at me with his slightly alien eyes. "You're ... you're really fine with the fact I'm a Changeling at a unicorn school!" he said in shock.
I nodded. "I figured you got in here on your own merit. I hope so anyway. Do I have to go looking for Mask Note? Because that would cause problems," I said in a warning tone.
He quickly shook his head. "No!" he squeaked. "I didn't copy anypony! I don't have the resources to keep someone under." I relaxed. "How do you know so much about Changelings?" he asked in curiosity. "Most ponies don't know we exist."
"I'm not exactly a pony," I said with a grin. Fair's fair, I said in my "God voice" as Celestia called it. I erupted into a large alicorn stallion made of rainbow fire, grinning at him.
His eyes widened. "Calbrax!" he said in awe.
I could tell where this was going. If you bow to me, I will make you scrub the floor with a toothbrush for your detention, I growled. Twice. I don't like being bowed to!
"But aren't you-?"
Yes, I snapped, It's all, regrettably, true. Doesn't mean I want special treatment. What's your actual name?
"M-Mandible!' he squeaked.
I smiled. Nice to meet you, M-Mandible. To you, I'm Calbrax. To others, I'm Arachnos the Weaver, The Architect of Reality, The Dreaming, Aardan Whose Horns Pierce the Sky, among others, I said, stopping myself in time. I have thousands of names and titles all across the universe, but at the end of the day, I'm really just me.
"And ... you're a teacher?" Mandible asked with a raised brow.
I nodded. I have my reasons, I'm even enjoying it, which is a shock, as long as I avoid the middle-schoolers at all costs. I think this might -
There was a knock on the door, and it opened. Mask Note was shocked to find himself a unicorn again up to his elbows scrubbing out a sudsy cauldron while I was Maroon Flask again. There hadn't been any time or special effects between the change. A mare peeked into the room.
"Oh, Maroon! I didn't think you'd wind up with my best student," she said cheerfully, "How are you two getting along?"
"Fairly well. You're the drama professor, right?"
She nodded. "Curtain Call, I'm sorry we haven't met properly..."
"I'm a recluse, it was most likely my fault. Did you have something to tell Mask?"
Curtain nodded, looking crestfallen. "Our pianist has the flu; we might have to cancel!"
"WHAT?!" Mask yelped, almost dropping the cauldron.
"Careful with that!" I hissed.
"Sorry!"
Curtain said, "I know, and we only have two weeks to go!"
I thought about it. "I play piano. Whether I'm any good is for others to judge."
"Can you learn the score to an entire musical in two weeks?" she said disbelievingly.
"You'd be amazed," I replied.
"All right," she sighed, "worst it can do is not work. We meet after school tomorrow. I expect the lead to be there," she said with a pointed look at Mask. He nodded quickly. "Right then. See you both then!" She walked out.
"You're the lead?" I asked with a grin.
He nodded sheepishly. He then looked at me. "How did I turn into a pony and you turn into one as well in less than a second?"
I shrugged. "I can make reality roll over and play fetch if I want, I just avoid doing it." I glared at the door. "I know I locked that..."
"I think there's a spell that automatically unlocks them if there's people in a room," Mandible explained.
"That makes sense." I glanced at him. "I have quite a few cauldrons to clean, plus prepping ingredients for next week. Do you know cleaning spells, so I don't keep you here 'til Tuesday? Do they even teach cleaning spells anymore? I don't want to do the 'In my day!' thing, we'll be here all day," I said with a laugh.
"No, not really..."
"Well, let me teach you! That way chores at home will go faster. You just want to be careful, or else you'll bring your brooms to life and they won't stop sweeping or fetching water."
Once I was done, he said, "You're right, that would make things a lot faster."
"Mmm-hmm. ... I can't keep a secret or lie to save my life, it's going to be difficult to not call you Mandible by mistake," I said with an apologetic grin.
"Well, it's nice to have someone use my real name, you can use it if we're alone together."
I gave a snort. "No one in their right mind would be 'alone together' with me. Thanks though. Try not to get detention again for a while."
Mandible nodded.
I got out a chopping board and a knife as well as a mortar and pestle and got out the ingredients. "Oh, shut up," I snapped. Mandible gave me a worried look. "Sorry. I talk to myself a lot. My conscience doesn't like me to handle sharp objects given my track record, but I really shouldn't chop this stuff with my teeth."
Once the supplies were cleaned and the ingredients safely stored for later, I said, "Thanks so much for the help, even if you had to. See you tomorrow! Room 2B, right?"
Mandible nodded and walked out.
That afternoon I walked into the drama class. I was impressed, I'd taken drama in middle school, but this was on a different level. The classroom was fully of masks, props, and fliers and posters from various plays, it was a kind of visual candy land for the easily distracted. I stuck my head into room 2C, and practically started to drool. The entire room was a giant wardrobe of costumes, and it was HUGE! Discord came by his love of dress-up from me, that one I knew.
Mask pulled me away. "We're heading into the auditorium to practice."
I nodded. Curtain spotted me and handed me a binder of sheet music. "Here's the piano parts, we're starting with scene 8 today, so the song is 'Heart as Dark as Winter.'" I puzzled at the name of the song but flipped to it and began to quickly scan. I got only the piano part, if there were lyrics, I didn't know them.
When we walked in my jaw dropped. "This is amazing! You guys have an orchestra pit! Do we have an orchestra for plays?!" I asked with a manically wide smile.
Curtain stepped back slightly, before she said, "Often, yes, but this is a new play, so it's only been written for piano. I don't expect you to be able to play it today, but if you could-"
I sat down at the piano, whipped open the lid, and played Heart as Dark as Winter. Flawlessly.
Curtain's mouth fell open. "Are you some sort of prodigy?" she asked weakly.
I shrugged. "I'm most likely off-the-scale genius, but I'm shiftless, I suck at math and science, and I have less than no common sense, so it hasn't done me much good," I said with a smirk. "But... I learned piano, finally, and practiced hard enough to be good at it. What's the name of the play?"
"'Winter for Grogar,'" Mask supplied, "It's a musical retelling of Gusty the Great's overthrow of Grogar."
"Grogar? Musical?!!" I asked in shock. I glanced at Mask. "And, you're Grogar?" He nodded. "This I have to see..."
"Is something wrong with the play?" Curtain asked, puzzled by my overreaction.
"No, but somewhere 'Out There' quite a few people are laughing at me," I groaned.
Mask hurried off to get changed. When I saw him in costume, my tail started swishing back and forth slowly and my eyes narrowed. "Passable," I said, not explaining. I glanced at Curtain. "Please give me my cue when it's time."
Once the rehearsal got underway, Curtain nodded at me and I played the opening to the song. When Mask began to sing, I got six notes wrong and then stopped playing, my jaw hitting the floor. Mask trailed off.
"Is there a problem?" Curtain asked sharply.
I shook my head. "No, no! Sorry." Wow, I muttered softly, switching voices by mistake. I played the intro again. The song and scene went flawlessly.
After the day's work was done, I went up to Mask and said, "Has your voice finished changing yet?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm fourteen," he deadpanned.
"Sorry, stupid question, you're right. Umm ... you could go very, very far with a voice like that. That's a serious gift, don't waste it. You shine when you're on the stage. You made a good Grogar, and that's not a compliment I give lightly. I ... should go get to work, bye!"
I no sooner got to my classroom than I felt Mask behind me. "Yes?"
He gave me a funny look. "You're thousands of years old, right?"
I nodded, "Is there a point to that, or are you just going to insult me?"
"Did ... you ever meet Grogar?"
I started putting bottles back on the shelves and locking the cabinets. "No, but I knew him quite well."
"What does that mean?"
"What it means. Anything about him you want to learn from a living fossil?"
"Did he really eat children's souls?"
"WHAT?!!" I yelled, dropping a bottle which smashed on the counter. A lime green liquid ate through the counter and partway through the floor before it fizzed out. "Thank God that wasn't anything dangerous," I sighed in relief. "That's going to be an interesting talk with Celestia..."
I looked at Mandible. "Grogar was an insane, evil tyrant who made it his mission in life to make everyone else's life a living hell, but even he had standards! He might smack a kid for being too loud, hyper, or aggravatingly happy, but he'd never actually hurt one! Adults were fair game though..."
"So, what did he like to eat?"
I thought about it. "Pears. He didn't like them when they were ripe, they had to be crunchy. Ripe fruit's just mush," I said with distaste. "Where did you here that he ate children's souls?!"
Mandible shrugged. "It's what ponies tell their children apparently."
"Joy. What do Changelings say about him?"
"We're honestly a lot more afraid of you, sir."
"Double joy. That's all I'll say for today." Mandible grinned evilly. "What?"
"Does this mean I can cheat on my history tests off of you?" he oozed.
"Find a different immortal for that. Good thinking, but I'm not going to promote cheating. Now scoot."
Mandible nodded and headed home.
That evening I couldn't stop thinking about Grogar. I hadn't thought about him in years. I sighed and headed into the bathroom to comb my mane. I glanced up. Instead of my reflection, Grogar stood in the mirror, grinning wickedly with his sharp, sharp teeth, evil burning in his red eyes. Before my heart beat again, I'd smashed the mirror as a reflex.
You're. Dead. I snarled at the ghost of the Father of Monsters.
"Yeesh. That's bad luck," Apep commented.
I rolled my eyes. A pair of beat up sneakers landed on the kitchen table, spilling the salt. I walked over to the door, pulled my umbrella out of the stand, opened it, and held it over my head. I teleported into the city, limboed under the first ladder I saw, teleported to the nearest black cat and spent a few minutes petting it, teleported to the woods and trampled on a circle of mushrooms, then popped into an actor's dressing room on opening night. Good luck with Macbeth! I said cheerfully. The actors screamed in horror as I teleported out. That oughta do it... I spat, winding up back home.
Alexis rubbed my back. "Breathe. It's ok..."
Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to jinx myself so badly, because that night I slept, and more importantly, I dreamed...
I was walking on a relatively new planet. I was shaped like I had been when I was human. I hated the way that shape felt, had ever since I'd been born into it, but it was ... familiar. I was invisible, but there wasn't really anybody to see me. There was life, but nothing more intelligent than animals. Although the list of what qualified as "intelligent" life grew shorter and shorter the older I got. Maybe they had it better than we did. Missing the feeling of fur, I shifted into a human-shaped lion and sat in a field, watching the clouds drift overhead.
A soft yipping sound drew my attention. A red fox walked over, giving me curious sniffs. He wasn't afraid of me, but he didn't know any better, and I'd gotten along supernaturally well with animals even when I was alive. Becoming a demiurge made them trust me unquestioningly. I scratched the Todd under the chin, earning happy barks. He had the prettiest green eyes. Oh, what the hell, I thought, I guess it was inevitable knowing me...
I reached out and gripped one of the fox's forepaws. It morphed into something much more like a hand the limb gaining muscle and shifting as well. I stood up, and pulled the fox to his hindpaws as well, his body stretching and shifting. By the time we had both gotten up, I was holding hands with an anthropomorphic red fox, who was a head shorter than me. He was in pretty good shape, and newfound intelligence blazed in his eyes. Instant evolution is probably cheating, but I was there, and so was he, so why not? He wiggled his fingers in amazement, looking further down his new body. His eyes widened, his ears flattened, and he clapped his hands over his crotch, letting out an embarrassed whine.
I chuckled. I waved a paw, and he was wearing a primitive set of pants. I didn't say a word, I wasn't sure if he could speak yet...
He opened his mouth. "Kcckk... graaa'k... What ... you?" It wasn't English, or any other language I'd learned, but I was able to understand it, and reply in the same language. Magic rocked.
A friend, I replied.
"Friend?" He was confused.
I'll teach you. What's your name?
"No ... name..."
Well, let's find you one, and make sure you're not the only person here. There's lots of animals here, I can make others like you. I put an arm around his shoulders and began to walk with him...
My dreams shifted...
A lone stallion struggled through a blizzard; unaware he was being watched. Finally, he came to what he was looking for, a massive stony building that resembled a skull. To his surprise, there were no guards, and the door was open. The inside of the structure resembled a cave that had been carved into a home, but it was dry, and more importantly, it was warm! He spent a few minutes feeling the life flowing back into his bones before he set out, uncertain of where to go. In a large room he saw what looked like a throne against the wall, made of rock carved to look like bones.
As he stared a deep voice behind him made him jump and squeak in surprise. "It's even less comfortable than it looks, but sometimes aesthetics take precedence..."
He turned and saw a large blue ram with dark blue horns, blood-red eyes, a white mane and goatee, and teeth far sharper than any ram had a right to. He was wearing a large red collar which a large bell hung from. "You - y-you're - you're..."
"Grogar," the ram replied coolly. "Current ruler of Equestria, although some might say 'tyrant' is a better word. Apparently, they call me 'Grogar the Terrible' behind my back. What brings you to my lair?"
"My name is Silver Blade; I am from the town of Haycart. This blizzard has frozen our crops. I was sent to plead with you to provide food to my people!"
Grogar nodded. "Ah. Yes. I apologize; you're no use to me dead, and I have no quarrel with your town to make them suffer. I will send food and supplies to them. You are a long way from home, Mr. Blade, and you look half dead. Please spend the night as my guest, I will have food brought and have you shown to your room. We may speak more in the morning, after you are rested." With that, the evil ram seemed to vanish into thin air.
Silver shivered, although not from cold. Someone cleared the throat politely. He turned and screamed. An animated skeleton in a torn jacket was staring at him eyelessly. "Itttsssaaaliivvviinggg...." The skeleton said in one slow, dry breath. "Follllowwwmeeeesssssirrrr..."
No magic could truly bring back the dead, such feats were on the levels of gods. Necromancy did exist, however, but you only got a crude copy of life. In the best cases, you simply got a servant or a pet out of something's corpse. In the worst cases, what you made tore you apart before becoming inanimate once again. It was the ultimate taboo in magic, so for Grogar to have animated corpses for staff...
Silver was shown to a comfortable guest room and brought a warm bowl of very good soup, and a large piece of bread, with butter & honey! Such luxuries were beyond the common folk at this point. All the more reason for tonight...
Late that night, Silver crept through the lair. No one seemed to be about, not even the servant who'd shown him to his room. He found Grogar's room, the ram sprawled out on a large bed, snoring loudly. Making no noise, Silver pulled a dagger from his cloak, raised it above the sleeping tyrant, and ...
He was suddenly thrown against the wall. Grogar chuckled darkly. "I don't sleep much; I tend to have bad dreams. 'Silver Blade' is an unusual name for a farmer, but not for an assassin," he said flatly. He got out of the bed and walked over to Silver, who was pinned to the wall by an invisible force. "I knew what you were coming here for before you did. You told mostly truth, you really are from Haycart, and your village desperately needs food. I'll keep my word and provide for them. You on the other hoof..."
"Please," Silver gasped, "Don't kill me!"
Grogar smiled. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm not even going to harm you. In fact, I'll make sure you're well taken care of."
"T-thank you, my lord."
Grogar booped Silver on the nose. "Beep, beep, you're a sheep."
"What?" Silver blinked in surprise. "I'm not a - aaaaah!" he bleated, his fur and face shifting. He began to shrink. In less than a minute a lamb was against the wall, his cloak having slipped off of him.
Grogar picked him off the wall and began to stroke the frightened thing. "Shh... it's ok," he whispered soothingly. Silver was now no more intelligent than an average sheep and had no memories of his former life. Pretenses aside, Grogar knew he was an evil being, but he always kept his word.
Grogar stepped into a shadow and arrived at a farm he'd been to before. When the farmer spotted him, he yelped. "Lord Grogar!"
Grogar held the lamb out. "I've brought you a lamb. His wool is of the finest quality, it will fetch you a good price with each shearing. You may have him as a gift, on the condition that you treat him like a prince and allow him to die of natural causes. Preferably old age. I do not want to find out that he wound up in a stew."
The farmer nodded hastily. "Thank you, my lord!"
Grogar simply nodded and vanished once again.
My dreams shifted yet again.
Grogar stepped out of his lair, red lightning forking down from the permanent storm that surrounded it. An army of unicorns surrounded him, led by a certain Pegasus.
Grogar raised an eyebrow. "So. My little ponies finally grew backbones. Only took you three years to work up the nerve to rebel. But how brave do you truly feel?" A circle of dark magic blasted out of Grogar, hitting every pony around him.
Each pony began to scream, whimper, plead, or go numb as they experienced their worst fears. Gusty shook herself out of it first, and noticed smoking tendrils flowing from each pony into Grogar. "He's feeding on your fears!" she shouted. "It's only an illusion! Together we are safe, and we can defeat him!"
"I'd like to see you try," Grogar scoffed, looking more powerful by the second. Eventually, the ponies rallied themselves out of their fears. "Your move," Grogar said, without malice or joy. He looked ... tired.
"NOW!" Gusty shouted. The assembled unicorns fired a beam of magic stronger than a thousand armies.
When it was done, Grogar applauded slowly. "Excellently done. That's harmony, something you've lacked until now. Unfortunately, all that did was make me angry." He held out a hoof and a sword made of darkness appeared in it. He threw himself into battle.
Accounts of the battle would inevitably vary, but if you asked Gusty, Grogar seemed interested in simply disabling his enemies in ways that would heal. He didn't deal a single lethal blow. Gusty had heard stories of Grogar, and of the prize around his neck. She crept up on him, inching closer and closer ... until she quickly unhooked the Bewitching Bell from his collar. Grogar's sword vanished. The storm disappeared almost instantly. Grogar looked around in confusion.
"YOU!" he shouted. He readied himself to fire a blast of power at her. His eyes widened when nothing happened. He tried again. "I'm ... ... POWERLESS?!" he said. It almost came out as a squeak.
"And I'm not!" Gusty shouted.
With an enraged shout, Gusty the Great used the Bewitching Bell to cast Grogar off a cliff She looked down. Nothing. Without the Bell, Grogar was powerless, and could no longer be a threat. She walked away to find a place to hide the Bell, where no one could find it.
In the shadows at the bottom of the canyon, Grogar dusted himself off. "Ingrates. I add a little strife and darkness to their lives to toughen them up, and all they do is complain. I wonder how history will regard me. 'Father of Monsters' has a nice ring to it. Shame about the Bell, though. ... Well, I'm sure someone will find a use for it." He grinned wickedly. "After all, evil artifacts are half the fun of any game..." Grogar dissolved into shadows, and then faded into legend.
The next thing I knew my alarm was blaring, my dream-memories fading. I sat up and covered my face with my hooves.
Musical... I groaned.
The two weeks passed quickly. Opening night was a huge success. After the last curtain calls, we all walked out, I was trying to slink away. Curtain Call was walking next to Mask, who was still in his Grogar costume and practically glowing. Being able to feed on the support and love of your fans would make acting a rush. He'd been amazing in the role and made Grogar surprisingly sympathetic. When he fell to his death, your heart ached, before you remembered who he was, and cheered that he was dead.
"Nicely done, piano player," Curtain said with a grin.
"I can't feel my fingers," I groaned, trying to rub life into them. "I'm just glad it worked."
"Well, future plays we should have more than just you to carry us."
"Future-?"
Curtain smiled. "If you're willing, I'd like to hire you as the drama club pianist. I'd be a fool not to use something right under my nose. It's only a little extra pay, and adds to your schedule, but-"
"I'll do it."
"Thank you. Right, I think there's some hot chocolate in the lobby, you've earned it."
I nodded and dashed off.
Curtain slugged Mask's shoulder playfully. "Way to go, freshman! He's right you know; you could probably be on Bridleway with your talent and looks. I expect you to keep it up."
Mask nodded and opened his mouth. There was a sound like the tick of a clock that dragged out and died, and Curtain froze. Mask waved his hoof in front of her face and snapped his fingers a few times. "Professor Curtain?!!"
"She can't hear you," a deep voice rumbled. Glowing red eyes shone in the shadows. Mask squeaked as a creature of legend and nightmare stepped into the light. Grogar would have looked a lot more intimidating if he wasn't holding out a Styrofoam cup of hot chocolate. "Here," he said, giving it to Mask. "It's quite good." He gave a sharp-toothed grin, eyes glinting with wicked mischief. "You did a good job of playing me, and I would not say that to many. The story was almost entirely poetic license, it didn't happen that way at all. I enjoyed it though. Keep up with your studies, you could rule the world if you wanted to. And for My sake, don't get detention this week!" Grogar finished with a wicked smile before he dissolved into shadows.
Time started again. I walked back into the room from the lobby, sipping on a cup of chocolate. "I think they put vanilla in this! It's amazing!" I glanced at Mask. "You look like you've seen a ghost!" I said with a smirk.
Hearth's Warming that year was interesting. I'd been resting in bed when I heard hoofsteps on the roof. They stopped and there was a clanging sound before there was a loud thud downstairs. Now wide awake, I grabbed a metal baseball bat and crept downstairs.
A voice was grumbling, "Someone's never heard of a chimney sweep..." There was a loud sneeze. I peeked over the stair railing. A stag wearing a soot-covered red suit with white trim was dusting ash off himself. He was wearing a very familiar red hat with white trim and a white pom-pom on the end.
I dropped the bat in surprise, and he glanced up. Nicholai? I asked in shock.
Nicholai stared at me like a deer in headlights. "You can see me?" He blinked. "Wait ... Arachnos?! Is that you?"
I nodded. How have you been?
"The job is going well, thank you."
I'm glad I could give it to you all those years ago.
Nicholai grinned. "No one's called me by my birth name in years. These days I'm called 'Santa Hooves." The job has some nice benefits: immortality, the ability to travel the world in one night, granting wishes."
I nodded. That lonely scared fawn I found in the snow has turned out very well.
Santa grinned. "Well, you phrased it in a way I couldn't exactly refuse. I-" The room began to shake.
"Oh, no!" Santa and I said in unison.
There was a scream of, "SAAAANNNNTTTAAAA!!!!" A black bullet knocked into Santa knocking him down.
Apep, get off of him! I snapped.
Apep did, tail wagging furiously. "I haven't seen you in years! It's so nice to see you. I've been a VERY good boi this year!"
He has, surprisingly enough, I confirmed.
Santa looked nervous. "You didn't ask me for a thermonuclear smart missile again, did you?"
"That was a joke!" Apep said, looking offended.
Santa sighed and pulled out a book labeled, "The List." He opened it, flipped through it and found a particular page. "Apep ... you made the Nice List. Barely. You asked for ... oh, Lord..." Santa glared at Apep. "I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO GIVE THOSE KINDS OF 'TOYS!''
Apep shrugged. "What? I'm an adult."
I felt nauseous. "You two sort it out. I'm going to make you a thermos of cocoa for the road, bring it back in the morning." Santa nodded.
Alexis had slipped out of bed to join the conversation. "Couldn't you have asked for a board game?"
"I have needs and wants the same as anyone..."
There was a bit of shouting as I worked, I tuned it out. Let's see ... cinnamon, vanilla, bit of peppermint, whipped cream... I bottled it up.
Here you are! Did you three figure it out?
None of them looked happy, but they nodded.
Then I really don't want to hear the details. Safe journey, Nicholai!
Santa nodded, took the thermos, and disappeared back up the chimney. There was a decent sized pile of presents for 3 under the tree.
Right! Bed for you two!
The next morning, I glanced at the tree. My Hearth's Warming tree wasn't exactly traditional. The ornaments were different festive spider ornaments, ornaments from geeky interests I'd had when I was alive, as well as 3D-printed holiday versions of Ogres and Oubliettes monsters. Not exactly cheery, but very me, and I liked it.
Out of morbid curiosity Alexis and I craned over Apep's shoulders when he opened his main gift.
"Oh, good grief..." Alexis muttered.
"Well! I'm going to enjoy that..." Apep said.
"Not in our bed you're not!" Alexis snarled, baring his fangs.
What did you get Alexis?
"Some more painting supplies!"
Great, I look forward to another work to add to your gallery!
Apep grinned. "Let me guess. Books, knitting supplies, and Ogres and Oubliettes stuff?"
Oh, how well you know me!
Alexis sighed. "You know you're going to have to find an actual group of real-life people to DM for, right?"
I nodded. Yeah ... One day. I pulled them into a hug. Happy Hearth's Warming guys.
It was still Hearth's Warming break at the school, so I was sitting in the Canterlot Zoo, watching the tigers pacing back and forth. I'd spent entire days just watching the tigers, and I most likely would again. To my shock, my phone rang, the ringtone a remix of Spider Dance from Undertale.
I had two phones, one for my life here, which had a fairly generic ringtone. The one that was ringing, however, had been from my life on Earth, and the number of people who could call it wasn't very high. I hadn't even brought that phone with me. I reached into my bag and pulled it out. Instead of a number, the person calling showed up as an emoji version of the Eye of Providence. There wasn't really a way I could call that back...
"H-hello?"
"Good morning, Mr. Phelps," came the reply.
"What."
An image of me appeared in the air before me, mostly translucent like a hologram. "The individual you are now seeing is known by many names and titles. Today is a special day, it is his birthday."
I thought about the date. "Son of a gun. I forgot my own birthday."
"Mmm. Yes. Your mission, should you choose to accept it," the voice on the other end snickered. "I love how they always make it sound like they have a choice." He cleared his throat. "Your mission is to help this Good Boy have an amazing birthday. Equipment you may find useful has been place at your castle. If you feel a need to dramatically look through photographs and pick the same team members you do every episode, be my guest."
The voice was familiar, I didn't know why. "Who is this?!"
"My code name is Smug. We have spoken before."
I remembered. "At the beginning of the universe, and in ancient Anugypt, right?"
"Yes. Oh, one more thing." In the tone of voice one would use to sing a funeral dirge, he sang, "Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday. Misery in the air, people dying everywhere. Happy Birthday..." The last note was deep enough it went into a vocal fry.
I started laughing, that was my family's favorite birthday song.
"Have a good one! I'll be seeing you soon! This message will boop in ten seconds."
A spectral hand appeared and booped me on the snoot. I scrunched my muzzle up at the contact. The call ended. I pulled up my phone history, but it hadn't shown up.
"That's ... weird... Something at my castle, huh?"
I glanced around to make sure that no one was looking and teleported home. Walking into my hall, all I could say was, Good grief. Did Bubble Berry get in here?!
A large banner screamed, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" in Comic Sans. There were so many balloons I could barely see the walls or ceiling. They were all blood red. I pulled one down. In white font, it read, "I ♥ Derry!"
I shuddered. Oh, boy. Please tell me nobody hired Pennywise as my birthday entertainment...
I spotted a note taped to the wall. It read, "Sorry, couldn't resist. Your home is still 100% Lovecraftian Horror disguised as evil clown free. 😉 P.S. Try the kitchen..."
Feeling nervous, I headed in. There were a few small boxes on the counter, and another note. Opening it, I read, "If I wanted to give you a number of candles equal to your age, your castle would most likely have burned to the ground. Serious fire hazard that, one of the downsides of immortality. Fear not, cake has been provided! Cake is sacred, after all. Praise be to cake. Don't let Apep and Alexis swipe it off of you. They have their own."
Inside of one box was a piece of tomato soup cake, and inside the other box was a piece of carrot cake, both with cream cheese frosting.
My favorites! I cheered.
Under the box of carrot cake was yet another note. This is starting to feel like a scavenger hunt... I thought. I unfolded it. I nearly spit out my cake. "Well, if I wanted to do a scavenger hunt, I would have, but that's more fun with more people. Making you run around and freaking you out by leaving notes that seem to read your mind is much more fun! Bedroom's next!"
Who IS this guy?! Who can break into my castle when I'm not looking and leave gifts and decorations everywhere?!
Not knowing what to expect I entered my bedroom, a school of fish swimming by the window. There were a few boxes, each with a note attached. The wrapping paper was a festive spider pattern. I opened one at random. Inside were two smaller boxes, a small DVD collection, and what looked like the boxed set of a complete manga. I read the note that went with. "I know you where never really into manga or anime, but you'll like this one, I promise! Beastars is best stars. Plus, it can't turn you into a furry, you already ARE one. You're going to get a crush on the main character, it's inevitable, he is Best Boi. You're going to wind up screaming at the two main characters to get over each other and kiss. They can pry Lougosi out of my cold, dead hands. We were robbed.
Oh. Wait. I'm already dead, and my hands are always cold, even when I was alive. Never mind. Just enjoy it."
OOOOkkkaayyy... I said, feeling like I should back up slowly to get away from the crazy.
The next box had a very large graphics tablet and a book of digital painting tutorials. The note read, "You enjoyed drawing, get back to it! Well, free will, but..."
I blushed when I opened the third and largest box. Inside was an adorable, extremely huggable life-sized plush of Thorax when he was the Changeling King. The note read, "I figured you'd like this better than a body pillow ... 😉. There's a reservation for you for 6:00 at a great seafood restaurant in Manehatten. I suggest you put on a tie." There was an address.
I wondered out loud, Who could know all this stuff about me?
I spotted a piece of paper sticking out from under my pillow. It read:
"OMNISCIENT - adjective
om·ni·scient | \ am-ˈni-shənt \
Definition of omniscient:
1: having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight
an omniscient author
the narrator seems an omniscient person who tells us about the characters and their relations
2: possessed of universal or complete knowledge
the omniscient God."
I snorted at what felt like a joke. Something that had been bugging me in the back of my mind finally clicked. I held up all the notes. This ... this is my writing! Except neater. Who'd bother to fake my handwriting?!
There was a distant sound of somebody beating his head against the wall in aggravation at my cluelessness, but I may have imagined it.
Thank you! I shouted, not knowing if Smug or whoever he was could hear me.
That birthday was one of the best I'd had.
The rest of my first year at the school went fairly well, and at the end I walked into my classroom for 2A one sunny summer morning since finals week had a funky schedule. The students were all chattering happily. I sniffed a few times and made a face, seeking out a scent. "What's that?! Do I detect the disgusting stench of self-esteem and confidence in your abilities?!! ON FINAL DAY?!! Well, we'll soon fix that!" They knew me well enough to know that I was joking, and a few even laughed. I sat down. "Right If you've shown up and even slightly paid attention the last 2 months you know what the assignment is. Get your recipes out, you have 3 hours. Please try not to blow anything up, I don't want to end my first year by sending one of you home in a mason jar. Clock is ticking!" There was a mad scramble to get supplies and ingredients before they were gone, and they got to work.
After I'd finished cleaning up and locking my room and office, I was surprised to find Celestia staring at me. "Yes?"
"Your first year went well," she said with a serene smile in the tone of a proud parent.
I nodded. "Nobody died. Thank you for hiring me, am I tarnishing the reputation of your school yet?"
She laughed. "I'll be the first to let you know if you do."
"I'm sure. What do you want?"
She looked nervous. "Well, every summer I ask one of the staff here to attend the Grand Galloping Gala, and-"
"And I'm the new guy so I drew the short straw," I surmised flatly.
"I wouldn't put it quite like that," Celestia said, sounding mildly offended.
"The Gala used to be fun! You'd have fire-eaters and sword swallowers, and wild dancing until dawn. Now it's just sycophants, fawning laughter, and snooty food that's four pieces to the mouthful." Celestia blinked in confusion. "I'll go," I sighed, "but I'm not exactly 'high society.' More 'high anxiety,'" I said with a snicker.
"You'll need a tux," Celestia said.
"What do you take me for? Of course I have a tux! When is it?"
"June eighth at sunset."
"See you then!"
The dreaded day arrived. All the fancy mares and stallions in their thousand-bit suits and carriages made me feel very out of place, even though I was technically richer than all of them put together. I still thought poor, I guess.
Pulling myself together, I headed in.
The night went all right for the first few hours. It was about what I was expecting at least. Nobody paid any attention to me and walked away with their noses in the air if I tried to talk to them. It really grated on my nerves after a while.
Not sure what to do, I came up to Celestia. "I think I'll leave early, unless there's something you need me for."
"Please stay," she said with a hint of pleading in her voice. "I'm sure you can find some way to entertain yourself. I sighed and nodded, I owed her that much.
I wandered the halls of the castle. Nobody was really around, but that was fine by me. In the lower levels, I spotted a door that made me pause. I'm going to get in trouble for this. To hell with it... I headed in and closed the door.
Upstairs in the ballroom, the party was droning on when everyone was shocked by slightly creepy music coming from downstairs.
"Wh-Where's that coming from?!" A stallion nickered nervously.
"Downstairs," a mare replied.
"It must be a demon!" shouted another stallion.
"Let's drive it out!" shouted yet another.
Celestia was doing her best to bite back a smile, and slightly failing, she knew exactly what that was. She cleared her throat. "I think this bears further investigation!" She pointed dramatically skywards. "Down then!"
The entire Gala rushed downstairs two levels to what was almost the basement. Here the music was much louder. They found the source of the noise behind a door with a plaque next to it that read, "Music room." The walls were shaking.
A mare glared at Celestia. "What's behind this door?" she snapped.
Celestia couldn't help it, the corners of her mouth turned up. "Possibly an organ?" she suggested. She wouldn't be able to keep it in much longer.
The assembled stallions glanced nervously at each other. Each wanted to be seen as protecting his mare, and nopony wanted to lose face, but nopony wanted to possibly die, so...
"You go first," a stallion said, shoving another slightly closer.
"Oh, no, no, I insist, you go first," he replied.
"My company is worth five times what yours is!" the first stallion snapped.
Sensing that this could go on all night, Celestia sighed wearily. "I'll open the door."
They got in at about the key change. They stared in shock as I played the organ with a wide grin of evil satisfaction. Dust and plaster were raining down on me, along with the occasional shocked spider. A large red lever attached to the organ labeled, "Do Notte Pull" was firmly in the "On" position.
When the song was done, Celestia applauded.
I turned around. "Whoops. Wow. You, uh, brought the whole party..."
"I think they thought the castle was haunted," Celestia said with a grin. She pulled the lever back into the off position. "I forgot this thing had a volume control. The sign's there for a reason," she said with a slight glare. "I'm surprised you can hear me after that..."
"Sorry?" I said with a nervous grin. There went my job.
She sighed. "Well, I think that's all the ... excitement ... I can stand for one evening, thank you for coming everypony, and I hope to see you all next year!"
The nobles were just smart enough to get the hint and trickled out.
I sighed. "I'm fired, aren't I?"
Celestia shook her head. "No, I appreciate you livening up a dull evening in a safe way, but ... I don't think I can invite you back for a few years."
"Woe. Agony. I can't live with that knowledge."
Celestia chuckled. "It is pretty miserable, isn't it?" Her eyes narrowed mischievously. "Don't think you've gotten out of it, I will be inviting you back in a few years, so try and show some self-restraint next time. By the way, what song was that?"
"Oh, just one of my favorites from growing up. Good night, your majesty."
"Good night, Maroon." She snickered. "You might want to get that suit cleaned..."
I glanced at the mess I'd made. "Possibly," I said with a grin. "Hope you can take some time to visit us at the school soon!"
"I'll do my best; it certainly beats holding Court."
My second year went about the same. Hearts and Hooves Day rolled around in early February, and I felt myself growing nauseous at the amounts of love on display. In the staffroom, I asked Bunsen Burner the Chemistry professor, "I'm feeling pretty sick, do you have any of those heart-shaped antacids with corny messages on them? No, never mind, I hate Pepto Bismol."
"What's wrong?" he said, looking confused.
"There's too much mush in the air," I said, pointing at a couple rubbing noses in the hall.
Bunsen chuckled. "Don't you have any romance in you?"
I nodded. "Sure, but I got rid of it."
"I'll bet you don't believe in soulmates either, do you?" Curtain Call asked with a grin.
"No, I definitely believe in those, I've seen them. Some people are just made for each other. I'm just an old fart who doesn't have one. I would have met them by now..." A random spike in my brain chemistry pulled up a relatively recent memory: 'Oh, yes, I am the father of tickle monsters!' and a squirming, laughing Changeling.
"Well, luckily you're heartless, you've got detention this afternoon," Bunsen teased with a grin.
"I'm not heartle- oh, fine! Anyway, what trouble could a bunch of hormone-addled teenagers possibly get up to on a day like today?" What sounded like a battle raging began in the hall, along with horrified gasps and cheers. As the rest of the staff streaked out, I sighed. I shouldn't have said that...
To my surprise, the fight had been between Mask Note and Forward Pass, the school's hoofball champion. They'd been patched up by the nurse and were both sitting in my classroom, arms folded, burning a hole into the wall in front of them with their gaze. They were NOT looking at each other.
I was busy pacing. "Of all the idiotic -! You do know you should be getting at least a suspension for calling him that, right?!"
Forward growled. "Why? He is a-"
I cut him off. "Unless you're talking about a type of kindling, that's a serious slur, and I'm not going to stand for it, I don't care HOW many wings your family donates!"
I glared at them. They had one chair in between them, and I noticed something unusual.
Pony body language was similar enough to human body language that I rarely had trouble with it, but ponies had additional limbs to express themselves with, most notedly a tail. "Talking" with your tail was usually not even a conscious thought. My tail tended to swish like a cat's when I was upset, I managed to calm it down.
Mask and Forward were sitting as far away from each other as possible ... except for their tails, which were laying on top of each other over the chair in between them, occasionally flicking with contentment.
Are they ... holding tails?! That's something couples do. Why would he call him that, beat the daylights out of him, and then unconsciously practically cuddle him? Why doesn't Mandible mind? It clicked. I grinned and chuckled deviously.
The two teens looked up warily. "What?" Forward snapped.
"Pots and kettles," I said with an evil grin.
"Uh, Professor Flask, what are you-?" Mask started.
I grabbed Forward's face and examined his pupils. "Mm-hmm." I put my fingers on his neck.
Forward swatted me away. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"Taking your pulse."
"Why?"
"To see how fast your heart's beating." I walked over to the shelves and searched. I found a bottle labeled "Hopes & Dreams."
I pulled a water balloon out of my desk drawer, poured the potion into it, and tied the knot. I glanced up and saw that Mask and Forward were edging towards the door. They froze.
I sighed. "Please understand this is for your own good." I tossed the water balloon at them.
It exploded, but instead of liquid, smoke poured out. The two coughed. When the smoke cleared, they were surprised. Instead of my classroom, they were in a cozy home. The front door opened and a version of Forward who looked to be in his early forties walked in, setting down a briefcase and unloosening his tie.
"Are we in the future?!" Forward asked in awe.
I laughed. They looked but couldn't find me. "No. There isn't a potion for time travel, and even if there was, time travel isn't something I mess around with. You're still in my classroom. The Hopes and Dreams potion creates an illusion of your ideal future. It can also be inhaled for the same effect. Two can share the effect, seeing the same future."
The older Forward called out, "Honey, I'm home!"
Mask's jaw dropped as an older version of him walked out and nuzzled the other Forward. The real Forward's face was beet red. He cleared his throat. He grinned. "So, your ideal future is being married to me, huh? Shoulda known you had a crush on me..."
"... This isn't my ideal future," Mask replied. Forward's pupils shrank to pinpricks. Mask grinned. "Is it yours?" he asked.
"Well, it's certainly not mine!" I called.
Mask's eyes flashed green for a split second. He chuckled. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Yes. WHAT?! NO!"
Mask's grin became almost predatory. He didn't currently have fangs, but he was a bug on the hunt. "So ... you want to marry me? Are you gay? Is that why you beat me up? You don't like what you are?"
"No, where'd you get a crazy idea like that?!"
Mask lightly brushed Forward's mane. "It's OK," he said soothingly.
Forward started stammering. "Listen, we don't have to tell anybody, all right? I'm sorry for what I did. We don't have to ever talk about this again, I'll leave you alone for the rest of your life, I'll pay anything you want, just please-"
Mask leaned in and gently kissed him.
Forward's eyes widened, his pupils changing to light pink hearts as heart bubbles formed around him. Kid had it bad.
As the kiss ended, the illusion of future domestic bliss faded out and the two found themselves back in my classroom.
Mask grinned smugly. "How was that?"
Forward blinked. "Hurr der werp?!"
I chuckled. "It might take a bit for his brain to reboot..." Forward nodded, blushing furiously. "So, you kissed another male. You're not any less of a stallion, you're not broken, you're not an abomination, you're just gay. It's been known to happen. The next time you have an identity crisis severe enough to try and bash someone's brain in, DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU! You two are in my classroom for detention, and in here, I'm God. You're both going to write a one-page paper on what you like about the other, and how you both could have handled things differently. After that, you're free to gallop off into the sunset or whatever. I need some water..." I stalked out.
Forward looked at Mask. "I'm, uh. Sorry. For everything. Teach was right, I was taking how I felt about myself out on you. I had no right to do that."
Mask grinned wickedly. "That's ok. You can just date me, and we'll call it even."
Forward's tail starting wagging furiously enough to stir up a breeze.
When I got back inside, I rolled my eyes. "Oh, brother." I held a textbook above my head and let it drop to the floor. The two students jumped in surprise at the thud. "Detention now, epic make out session later, ok? Start writing, and as always, use proper spelling and grammar."
As the two pulled out notebooks and pencils, Mask was surprised to hear my voice in his mind. 'You know you'll have to tell him what you are if you want to be a serious couple, right? Doesn't have to be today, or tomorrow, but if you fall in love with him, you owe him that much.'
Mask nodded, figuring I would hear his reply. 'I know. He'll probably hate me, but I think you're right. For now, I just want to savor this.'
'Well, you two do make a cute couple...'
After the two had left, seeing as it was Hearts and Hooves Day I sighed and pulled my heart out of my body. Nothing, it wasn't even beating. I'm not heartless, it just got broken one too many times... I put the damn thing back where it belonged.
Early into my third year of teaching, a traveling pony promoting the Harry Trotter series visited the school. To get the younger students interested in the books, he had a genuine Sorting Hat he'd enchanted to act like the real thing.
I was the oldest person in the line to the rest of the staff's amusement, but I couldn't resist. After sorting everybody in front of me, I sat down and awaited the verdict.
The hat barely touched my head for half a second before it screamed, "THERAPY! Oh, DEAR GOD, THERAPY!!!!"
The marketing pony quickly yanked it off my head. "I'm so sorry! It's not supposed to do that, I swear!"
The hat was trembling like a leaf. "It's so dark ... and cold..." it whimpered.
I sighed. "I think it got that right actually," I said without amusement. "Thanks anyway..." I slid off the stool.
"Oy, vey..." I muttered. "I didn't need to be told that by a hat!"
That year's Hearts and Hooves Day, to my surprise, after school Mask and Forward walked into my classroom. Mask was sweating nervously. "C-can you make sure nobody comes in here?" he croaked. "I'm not sure where else to do this..."
I had some idea what might be going on, but I locked the door and disabled the antilocking charm.
Mask took a deep breath and faced Forward. "OK, just remember I'm still me, and I still love you. Try not to freak out too much. Not everybody has to come out of the closet twice," he joked.
A flash of green fire, and Mask's disguise fell away. If you'd never seen a Changeling before, they were pretty alien, and you would freak out.
To Forward's credit, he didn't freak out or run away, he just asked, "What?!"
Mask sighed. He stuck out a hoof, his leg full of holes. "Hi, Forward. My name's Mandible, and I'm a Changeling. We're a pony-like species that can shapeshift and that feeds on love. Almost nobody trusts us, so when we're not around other Changelings, we live as other creatures. I disagreed with the way my Queen ran things, and ran away from home at a young age, and I've been living as Mask Note ever since." He shifted back into Mask. "I'm also stupid levels in love with you, and I don't want to lose you. But you need to know who and what I really am..."
Forward took a few moments to process all this. "Can you go back to the other way?" Mandible nodded and did. Forward circled him. "You're like ... a bug alicorn?"
Mandible chuckled. "Basically..." Forward stuck in finger in one of the holes in Mandible's legs. Mandible squirmed and giggled. "Hey! That always tickles a Changeling, don't do that without permission."
Forward chuckled. "You're pretty cute babe." A light blue dusted Mandible's face as he blushed. "So, this is who you really are?" Mandible nodded. "Do you have to hide it?"
Mandible sighed. "It's for the best, trust me."
"Well, when it's just us, you can be yourself. I kind of like it." Mandible grinned, showing off his fangs. Forward leaned in and kissed him. He blinked. "Huh."
"What's wrong?" Mandible asked nervously.
"Nothing, I'm just not going to enjoy a kiss without fangs ever again," Forward admitted, his face burning. Mandible chuckled. Forward pulled him into a hug and started stroking the fin on his head. "I love you babe, thanks for trusting me this much..." He pulled away. "Can you fly?!" Mandible nodded with a wide grin. "Oh, I've gotta see that!"
"Maybe not on school property..." Mandible said with a nervous grin.
I chuckled. "You've really grown, Forward, I'm proud of you."
"Yeah, I guess I have ..." He glanced at me. "You knew Mas - uh, Mandible was a Changeling, huh?"
I nodded. "I have for a little over a year, yes. I figure it's his secret to tell people, not mine. I've got secrets of my own," I said with a mischievous grin. A horn sprouted from my head with rainbow magic surrounding it. I sighed, changing to my other voice. Ironically, I'm the only being in existence with a rainbow aura, and I'm not gay. Surely that should have gone to someone who deserves it more...
"... What ... are you?" Forward asked nervously.
Mandible started to speak up. "He's-"
I'm whatever I want to be, that's all. Don't you two have a hot date or something? I asked with a grin. It's Mush Day.
Mandible chuckled. "You've never had a date for Hearts and Hooves Day?"
I haven't dated in ... quite some time. I'm pretty sure the temperature and climate of one version of the afterlife would have to drastically alter before I attempt to do so again... Anyway, get going!
The two dashed off.
That spring, I was surprised to be approached by Celestia. "What can I do for you?"
"We were able to hire a pianist for the drama club. Curtain says you were good, but you probably shouldn't be working two jobs. That said, I'd like to ask you to open a club. You'll have to pay for supplies and see about funding for activities, but it can be anything you want!"
"Anything?!" I asked, my eyes lighting up.
Celestia's eyes widened in horror as she realized what she'd just done. "YOU ARE NOT BUILDING A TORTURE CHAMBER IN THE SCHOOL!"
"OK, that was my second choice," I said with an eye roll. "Relax, it's nothing to worry about, there's no Satanism to blame here!" Celestia looked on in worry as I pronked away with a newfound spring in my step.
Celestia had assigned my new club a room, and she stood outside the door, feeling nervous. "OK, Arachnos, what horrors have you got in store for me this time?" She plastered on a smile and opened the door. "Hey! How's it... OH, MY GOD!!!"
I hadn't even noticed her come in. I was staring at a salad bowl full of small plastic objects with a crazed gleam in my eye and a smile that would make Pennywise cross the street. "YYeesssss..." I hissed reverently, "Cllliiiccck cllllaaaccckkks..."
That bowl of dice was one of three, totaling about 2 & 1/2 thousand dice. Ten enormous cabinets along the walls were filled with hundreds of 3D printed miniatures, and a 3D printer was set up with a program to make custom minis, along with a pricing guide. Bookcases held sourcebooks and add-ons along with tactical dry erase maps. There was a banner for each Ogres and Oubliettes Class hanging from the ceiling, and a sign.
The sign read, "RULES:
1. The DM is always right. Anger them not.
2. Murderhobos shall be hunted down and strung up by their intestines.
3. Give everyone at the table a chance to shine, it's a GROUP activity!
4. Return materials when finished.
5. Deface my books and they'll never find your remains...
6. HAVE FUN!"
Celestia managed to close her mouth. "You ... uh ... you don't teach for the money, do you? How much was all of this?!"
"It's an investment," I said with a shrug.
Celestia nodded. "An Ogres and Oubliettes club? I should have thought you'd do something along those lines. I think that's a good idea, given our usual student population. I just have one request." She pointed at the rules. "Please make that sound like something that wasn't written by an ax-murderer!"
I gave a laugh. "Done, Tia..."
It was the last day of school, and my last class of the day was holding their final. As always, advanced potion making was busy brewing.
A student raised a hoof. "Professor Flask? Do I put the porcupine quills in before or after the-?"
I cut him off. "It's your recipe, you tell me!" He thought for a few seconds, nodded, and went back to work. Thankfully there wasn't an explosion.
The testing went well, at least until all hell broke loose.
There was some kind of shockwave we felt even in the basement, followed by a MASSIVE magic surge that had all the unicorns in the room gripping their horns in pain and made me go cross-eyed.
"What the Hell was-?!"
The entire school shook in some kind of explosion. Every bottle, flask, and cauldron toppled to the floor and all the potions in the mixed before they began to sizzle. "Oh, BUCK! RUN!!!!" They didn't need to be told twice. Once all my students were out, I slammed and locked the blast door. I got to demonstrate why it was designed the way it was, something I'd hoped never to do. The hall shook as what sounded like rockets and fireworks went of in my classroom, with lots of flashes of light. Acrid green smoke oozed out from under the crack, but safely dissipated.
I looked at my students with no small amount of alarm. "IS EVERYBODY OK?!!"
They gave themselves the once-over. They nodded. "Oh, thank God. Right, you experience ANYTHING out of the ordinary, run to a magical accidents ER and tell them you were exposed to at least a dozen mixed potions." I thought quickly, remembering the room before the blast. "OK, you've all passed your final. Congratulations! Go celebrate somewhere safe!" They streaked out. I made it up the stairs.
A rather large chunk of the school was missing. "What HAPPENED?!!"
"A dragon!"
"A dragon attacked the school?" I asked in disbelief. No sane dragon would do that.
"No, a student hatched a dragon, and he grew so big he broke the school!"
Oh. It's been 8 years... The way time worked for me, it was honestly hard to keep track of the rest of the universe. "Are they ... alive?" I asked weakly.
"Yes, he's in Celestia's office with his family."
I dashed off. Celestia's secretary for the school always annoyed me, but I could live with her. I tried the door. "You can't go in there!" she shouted.
I rolled my eyes, ripped the door off its hinges, and leaned it against the wall so it could be repaired quickly. I stalked into the room.
Dusk Shine and Shining Armor were quite a bit bigger than the last time I'd seen them, but they were eight years older. Celestia had been in the middle of a conversation and was staring at me in shock.
I turned to Dusk's family. "Hello. Congratulations on being accepted, I look forward to having you in my class in about 6 years. Well, I'm about to be fired actually, so..."
I rounded on Celestia like an enraged hydra. "ARE YOU INSANE?!!! I shouted loudly enough the room shook. "What possessed you to have a child hatch a dragon for his entrance exam? Did you bother to check how strong he was before then?! His levels are off the chart, even I felt that in the basement! My students nearly DIED, half the school is unusable now, and Arachnos knows if parents will let their children back here!"
"I - I'm sorry..." Dusk whimpered.
I turned to him with concern, my anger draining away. "Oh, no, I'm not mad at you at all. You did what was asked of you, and what you did? That was epic. I'm very impressed, which doesn't happen often. It's just that some ponies need to remember that sometimes boredom is safer than excitement," I said with a glare at Celestia. "Is he alive?" I was met with blank looks. "The dragon you hatched? He's OK?"
"He's in the next room," Celestia said softly.
I went to look. In a large and slightly frilly crib was a teeny purple dragon with small green spines. "Hello," I said softly. Through some miracle, my outburst hadn't woken him.
The others were right behind me. "I thought ... since Dusk hatched him, Dusk should raise him," Celestia said.
I gave a very horse like snort. "You're asking a child to raise a child?"
"He'll have help," Night Light added quickly.
"Yes, from me too," I said with finality. "None of you know anything about dragons, and books only help so much." I grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a slightly complex equation. "This is a fireproofing charm; you're going to want to apply it to everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. He sneezes? Fire. Burps? Fire? Hiccups? Three guesses. A dragon with colic is a nightmare. Dragons can eat and enjoy the same foods ponies do, but they also need gems of varying types for nutrition, it's why they hoard them. Potions use low-grade gems as ingredients, I buy them wholesale from a dealer, it's ... uh... mostly above-board," I said quickly with a wary glance at Celestia. "They should serve as food while not breaking your bank." I scribbled some more. "Here's my gem dealer, I'll let him know you're going to be calling him. I'll pack up my office when it's safe to go in, you should have somebody cast a couple of wards over the whole area. Thanks, it was fun while it-"
"Maroon," Celestia said, snapping me out of it.
"Yes?"
She sighed. "You're not fired."
"OH. Well, I guess I'll have to find a way to disappear once I break out of prison..."
Celestia facehoofed. Hard. "Oh, good grief! You're not fired, you're not under arrest!" She sighed. "I did test how powerful Dusk was, yes. I was very intrigued, I wanted to push him to his limits, and he passed with flying colors. You're right. I didn't think it through. I should have known better. Are your students OK?"
I nodded. "Through one of those inane miracles that keep cropping up in my life, yes. Is everyone else?"
Celestia nodded. "Yes." Her mouth turned up in an impish grin. "You are quite possibly the only pony in Equestria who would call me out like that, I ... could use that for a bit longer."
"Hmph. If I'm going to be your conscience on top of everything else, I want a raise."
"Are you ... all right?" Celestia asked in a worried tone. "You haven't been doing well for a week."
"Today isn't a good day for me, it hasn't been for a while. Good luck gluing the school back together." With that I took my leave.
Celestia glanced at a calendar. "Oh, stars, I'd forgotten..."
I was in the Royal gardens, slumped down and leaning against the base of Discord's statue. Hey. It's me. One of Celestia's students broke the school today with a surge of wild magic. You'd have found that hysterical. Well, not the part where ponies were in danger, I hope, I'm not sure anymore...
I sniffed, and then tears started to run down my face. There was a clap of thunder and it began to pour rain out of nowhere surprising the entire city.
Happy birthday son... |
After Death, Creation | My Brother's Teacher's Keeper | One of the nice things about a world with ridiculous amounts of magic was that a magical accident like a school exploding was fairly easy to fix. That said, the freak thunderstorm that day had led to lots of accusations against the weather service. The ability to manipulate reality is not always all it's cracked up to be, case in point, manipulating the weather by having an extreme emotion.
Now that the star of the show was a student at the school, I was curious to see what would happen. Once summer break was over, I still had my job, a universette to run, and one or twenty surprises to deal with...
I had an odd dream; I was in some sort of wood-paneled office. The person behind the desk was an and cream blur, I couldn't make out anything else about them except for the fact they were humanoid ... with yellow eyes? Hey, He said cheerfully. Just checking up on you. You haven't killed anyone in years, you haven't blown up a planet for a few millennia, you must be getting better!
I groaned. I recognized the voice. Hello, Smug.
Smug chuckled warmly. I'm surprised you haven't figured out my name yet, you've had plenty of time. ... I'm worried about you; you tend to spend too much time alone. May I check up on you?
Only if it's been a really bad day and seeing you would actually improve it. Wait. Can you physically manifest in my universe?
In a way, I am your universe. See you soon!
I woke up, sat up, and groaned. I glanced over at the Thorax plush Smug had gifted me and my amazing, mostly empty castle.
Go ahead, say it... I groaned.
"Only if you do," Apep said, placing a paw on my shoulder.
I buried my face into a pillow. I'm incredibly lonely. Don't get me wrong, you two are good company... I've never really been interested in a relationship, outside of a best friend I could spend the rest of my life with.
Apep chuckled and handed me an arrow and an ace of spades.
Har, har.
"You're not broken, Boss. Just a little different. With all due respect, you've been alone for billions of years. There is such a thing as a queerplatonic relationship, you know, and you are deserving of love, no matter what you think."
I rolled my eyes. Oh, sure. My soulmate is out there in the universe right now, facing his older brother in single combat in a misguided but well-meant attempt to toughen him up.
"That's ... weirdly specific," Alexis commented.
I just mean that if there was someone "out there" for me, I would have met them by now.
"That would involve actually looking for them," Alexis commented. I threw a pillow at him, naturally missing. My aim wasn't much better, even after all this time. Alexis sighed. "Why don't you go and see the stars? You could use a chance to talk to somebody besides the two of us."
I nodded, and headed out.
I was walking in space, a thin crystal bridge underfoot stretching off into the distance. Things like time and space could change on a whim here, and it wasn't my whim. I could spend five minutes walking to get where I was going, or five hundred years. It was very much a case of "we get there when we get there." How long it took depended on how much my hosts wanted to see me or not, and they weren't overly fond of me at times.
I finally came to the City of Stars, it hadn't taken very long to get there this time, they must be in a good mood.
The gates of the city had a definite stellar theme to them, and opened smoothly and soundlessly to welcome me in. I stepped through. I still loved this place, no matter how many times I came here.
It was amazing. The architecture was frankly impossible in three dimensions, with impossibly tall towers corkscrewing and leaning through each other, each spanned by bridges and catwalks. Most of the buildings looked like they'd been designed by M.C. Escher, with stairs that led nowhere or everywhere, and columns that disappeared and reappeared as you counted them. There was an open-air bazar with wares from across the universe being hawked for equally fantastic prices. The night sky was ablaze above us in all its glory, for as much as the city had an "up." Directions got mixed up and randomly changed, the floor might in fact be the wall, ceiling, or even a door that didn't look like one.
The ... people who lived here were flocking towards us with interest. Some were humanoid, some weren't at all. They were all various shapes, sizes, and colors, but the one thing they all had in common was that it looked like they were made out of fire. They were all chattering excitedly, they didn't exactly get many visitors.
I waved at them. Stars were flaming balls of gas moving through space and dragging planets along with them. But they're also born, they have a predictable lifespan. They develop ... quirks, personalities. They have minds, and sometimes their minds ... wander. So, they come here. To gossip, shop, ... have ... relations. Just normal people thing...People watch the stars, but the stars watch back. We're sort of their soap operas, I thought with a chuckle.
An Alicorn made of yellow fire approached me. "Hello, Trickster..." the former mage said with a grin that light poured out of.
Hello Midas. Enjoying your wish?
Midas nodded. "It's a pity you turned me into a star, I went from living in my basement to living in the universes penthouse.
Midas, you are the only person in this universe to screw me over twice, I said with a laugh.
I spent some time there wandering and talking, taking in the sights and sampling some of the food.
"Oh! Before you go!" a red dwarf called. "We have a gift for you, for your prophecy. You might not want to make too many of those." The stars held out their hands, and a stream of light flowed from each of them and formed a long thin object in front of me. It bent at a few right angles and was made of dark metal.
A ... crankshaft? I asked in confusion.
"So that you can wake Nightmare Moon."
My jaw dropped. You want me to BEAT her awake?!
The stars laughed. "It will make sense at the time. Thanks for visiting. Don't hurry back..."
I nodded. The stars have good reason to not want me around. Among my many other titles is 'Starsnuffer.' I create stars, but I also destroy them on rare occasions. I also invented black holes near the beginning of time. A black hole is essentially a dead, inside-out star. Instead of projecting light and warmth, it consumes everything around it. Despite the fact it's dead, it still exists, and it's in pain. From a star's perspective it was horrifying.
When I was done visiting the stars, I wandered through my castle, admittedly feeling better for the social interaction. I would up in my family gallery. There was a portrait of Discord and I on one wall.
Opposite that wall was a wall crammed full of lots of smaller portraits. They weren't pleasant to look at. On first inspection, they all looked a horse skull over and over again, but on a second look, it wasn't quite a skull. Some had patches of flesh on them, and all the eye sockets had a glowing red star in them. Each skull had a long curved red horn, and teeth like a mouthful of razor blades. Where there was flesh showing, these things had fluffy dark grey fur, black manes, and red eyes. They were all incredibly similar to each other, but there were slight differences.
Each portrait had a plaque underneath bearing a single word. "Hope, Joy, Youth, Peace Rest, Life, Dust, Ashes, Waste, Want, Ruin, Despair, Madness, Death, Cunning, Folly, Words, Wigs, Rags, Sheepskin, Plunder, Precedent, Jargon, Gammon, Spinach, and Tulkinghorn." Discord's older brothers. I meant to create Discord and formed him from a piece of my soul. I didn't mean to create them. They just ... happened. I did think of them as my sons, but they're about as close to pure evil as you could get, and if I never saw them again, it would be too soon.What they did is unforgiveable...
Tulkinghorn's portrait had a very large red X through it that made it hard to see anything of the portrait, but Tulkinghorn seemed to be the largest and strongest. Tulkinghorn's eyes burned with hatred.
There's was one final portrait. This equine wasn't partly skeletal, he was all flesh, with a set of fangs that could exist outside a nightmare and green eyes instead of red. The plaque underneath started with the letter "S."
After work at Celestia's school the next day, Celestia came into my office. She looked me dead in the eye, and asked, "Were you ever going to tell me who you really are?"
"What do you mean?" I tried.
Celestia sighed. "Arachnos ... you are a terrible actor," she said with a laugh. "You only know how to be yourself. It was obvious. I knew who you were when I first met 'Maroon.'"
"So why did you hire me?!"
"Because you really were the most qualified, and you wouldn't take a day job on a whim. Something like that is anathema to you. Your students and coworkers love you, you're quite brilliant at your job."
I blinked. "Thank you. ... Does this mean I still have a job?"
Celestia nodded. "Of course! Provided you don't screw up too badly for a while again."
I nodded. "Hopefully..."
It was a Saturday. I didn't sleep, but I still objected to being pulled out of my home at some ungodly hour of the morning for a "Staff Assessment and Training Session." Especially considering the pony doing the assessing.
I'd long ago tuned out Chancellor Neighsays presentation, my brain would have turned to Swiss Cheese. He'd wanted us in the Staff Lounge of Celestia's school at 6 in the morning, and he hadn't stopped droning on since.
He just kept talking in one long incredibly unbroken sentence moving from topic to topic so that no one had a chance to interrupt; it was really quite hypnotic...
I glanced at the clock. Three P.M. I'd been here almost 12 hours!
I glanced at Celestia, who as the official head of the school had been required to put this on her schedule. Her normal, practiced, serene smile had been replaced by a frozen rictus grin and her eyes were slightly glazed.
I'd spoken telepathically to Celestia before, but not as Maroon. Still, since I knew that she knew who I really was...
'Want me to fake a heart attack? Small earthquake? I haven't turned into a werewolf in a few centuries...'
Celestia blinked at the interruption before replying back on the same mental channel. 'Uh. No, thank you. I've got this...'
"Thank you for that incredibly detailed and informative presentation, Chancellor!" she said brightly. "I'm sure we've all taken it to heart."
The Chancellor blinked owlishly, clearly not happy to be interrupted. "I'm not finished..."
Celestia nodded. "I know, and I apologize. I completely forgot that I scheduled a dental appointment for 20 minutes from now, and I can't wait to be rescheduled for six months from now. Perhaps you could send us your lecture summed up as a memo? I know the perfect place to stick it!" she said sweetly with a genuine smile.
Somehow I managed to disguise my laugh as a nasty coughing fit. "Sorry. We haven't had a water, or a bathroom break today..."
The chancellor nodded. "I suppose the rest can be summed up. Thank you all for your - attendance," he said with surprise at the instantly empty room.
"Oh, thank the Weaver that's over!" Celestia groaned. She sputtered at winding up with a face full of salt.
I blinked. "Whoops. Sorry, your Highness, I meant to toss that over my wither, got a bit carried away."
She could tell it was a genuine accident. "I suppose I'll recover. May I treat you to lunch?"
I shook my head. "No, thank you. I haven't been hungry lately, and I wouldn't want you to miss your vital dental appointment. I'll talk to you later."
She nodded and left.
Early Monday morning I visited the campus greenhouse to collect supplies for my classes that month. I always paid fairly for what I took, was careful to not overharvest, and made sure to not touch too many plants. It was an arrangement the Botany/Herbology professor and I had reached.
I headed for my usual section. "Hello, babies!" I called to the plants and a few spiders hiding in the corner. They all waved at me.
As I got the clippers ready, I was interrupted by a sniff, and then a sob.
I turned. Sitting on one of the workstations was a perfect, single rose in a pot.
"Hello?" I called. No response. I sighed. "I know you're in here. My heat-sensors can detect your presence..."
A 12-year old foal crawled out of his hiding place, dusting himself off. He was wearing a collar so starched you could have used it as a razor blade, and his cutie mark was a single red rose, drooping over.
"Hey there," I said softly.
"Hi..." It was barely a whisper.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" he replied too quickly. "Just ... allergies."
"Hmm. Is that yours?" I asked pointing to the rose in the pot.
He nodded proudly. "Yeah!" He pointed at his flank. "I can make anything bloom. I just ... only do roses. That's all my parents want me to do. And they have to be perfect... But it's fine! Everypony loves roses, right?" He gave me a bright smile.
I sighed. "It's scary what a smile can hide..." I muttered to myself.
"What? I couldn't hear you."
"Nothing. No, roses are wonderful. And you do great work! Please excuse me." I wandered off.
The young floramancer sat down and glanced at his rose before slumping down. He yelped when I slammed a pot down in front of him.
"Hey. Sorry for scaring you. ... Everything I touch warps, which means plants die almost instantly. Would you mind making this grow for me?"
"Uh ... sure ..." His horn lit up.
He stared at what grew in front of him. Bright green, bulbous, and it quickly sprouted nasty-looking thorns. Finally, the cactus bloomed, putting out perfect scarlet flowers.
He just stared at it, and I didn't dare break the silence. "It's ... beautiful!" he breathed.
"Yeah, it is..." I said with a grin.
He glanced up at me. "What do you mean that everything you touch warps?"
I sighed. "Best if I just show you..." I wasn't actually an Earth Pony, but in an Earth Pony body I did have Earth Pony magic. I just never used it...
I walked over to a fruit tree. I concentrated, and my right hoof briefly glowed red before I touched the ground.
What looked like vines put out shoots around the bigger tree, quickly wrapping around it for support. They inched their way up and thickened quickly, draining the soil of nutrients. They wove over each other, forming a latticework as a crown formed above the host.
It normally took years for this kind of plant to grow, but in under a minute, I'd made a fully-grown ... "Strangler Fig," I said with a sheepish grin.
"Whoa!"
I grinned. "If you think that's cool..." I took him over to where they kept the more interesting plants. A fly landed in one of them, and the plant snapped shut. "Fly traps. Carnivorous plants are fun..." I gave him a look. "Flowers aren't meant to be in boxes..."
"But ... what if..."
"There are so many different kinds of plants to nurture, sticking to just one is a waste of your talents. Your parents shouldn't shoehorn you into doing something that makes you so miserable just to make a quick Bit. You could open your own flower shop and grow whatever you want!"
He nodded. "OK..." He glanced at the plants surrounding us and his horn lit up. Every plant instantly quadrupled in size and kept speeding up. I glanced up, let out a word that you shouldn't say in front of a 12 year old, and cast a quick spell.
Celestia was visiting the school, meeting with a group of senior staff.
"How are you today, Princess?"
Celestia smiled. "It's nice to come here to get away from the troubles of court for a while. Just a nice, quiet place without something going horribly awry every few seconds..."
There was a brief but powerful earthquake. The group stared in shock as every plant they could see grew to a massive size almost instantly. Celestia's eyes widened. "Greenhouse!" she shouted before charging in that direction.
There was no longer a greenhouse. There was a small forest of various plants and a large amount of sand that moments ago had been falling glass shards.
From up in a tree, Celestia heard a groan followed by a familiar voice. Ugh. Yep, your talent is definitely floramancy. If you ever become a villain, you'd be terrifying... I half slithered and half fell out of my perch and dusted myself off. My eyes widened in horror when I saw Celestia looking at me with her mouth hanging open. "Uhh ... I can explain!"
"This had better be good," the Solar Princess growled.
I had explained my point of view, but I was currently explaining it to Chancellor Neighsay. Apparently Green Hoof's parents wanted my head, and so my butt had been understandably hauled in for a hearing.
When I was done, the Chancellor sighed. "You ... have a blatant disregard for any and all authority figures, and you seem to have the Princess wrapped around your little finger. ... I can empathize with your reasoning for the actions that led to this incident. However, the students, their parents, and most of all, the student's safety must come first at this school. I know firsthoof how good you are at what you do, since you helped me with my sleeping troubles, but ... I can only come to one decision in this case..."
I walked in my front door, undid my bowtie and collar, and slammed the box holding my office down.
Apep was making something wonderful for diner. The wolf asked, "Hey. How did work go?"
I'm fired... I muttered.
Apep seemed to stretch, growing longer, and thinner, and ... were those feathers?
I tried to not scream. Apep had warped into a full-on body horror cross between himself and Discord. He opened his mouth and in a mix of their voices said, "As if anyone could love you!"
I backed away, the kitchen walls closing in. The mix between my son and Id roared, "You let me fall!/You're worthless!" at the same time. "IT'S YOUR FAULT!"
"N-no ... I didn't..." I protested feebly... "I'm not..."
My front door slammed open. Luna's voice called out, "Arachnos! You are having a nightmare! Come with us and we will help you!"
I ran to her, only to rush into the vice-like grip of Nightmare Moon. "SIKE!" the villainess called out. Her mouth opened impossibly wide to reveal Sombra's entire head in it.
"What she said!" Sombra cackled evilly.
I woke up screaming.
There was a knock at the door. I opened it to see Celestia to my shock. No regalia, no flying coach, just ... her.
"I'm sorry," she said.
I sighed. "I could have really hurt someone, I'm lucky I didn't."
"It wasn't you, and you were just trying to help Green..."
"'I was only trying to help' is the single longest paving stone on the road to Hell." I gave an annoyed snort. "I was so close to watching Dusk grow up, too... I'm going to miss everything, my students, my club..."
"So. Dusk was your reason for working at the school," Celestia said with a small, sad smile.
"You have plans for him too. My plans were just to help with your plans."
"Aren't you going to ask for your job back?"
I groaned. "Chancellor Neighsay outranks you at the school, and his decision was final."
"So, what will you do?"
I shrugged. "Get a cat. Go exploring again. Wait to see my family... My time as Maroon is over, I guess..."
"And yet you're still living in Maroon's house, and wearing his face..."
"No one likes a know-it-all, speaking as one. And don't you go and cause some crisis at the school that only Maroon could solve."
"I wasn't going to do that!"
I snorted. "Then if I were you, I would sue my face for slander." I slammed the door closed.
Celestia was right, I didn't enjoy working, but ... I did. I liked my job, and it gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Without it, I was bored, and I was usually dangerous when I was bored. Worse than bored, I was moody.
It wasn't even a week later that I got a panicked phone call on a certain number of mine...
I recognized the custom ringtone, the Let the Sunshine In segment of Aquarius by the Fifth Dimension. "Hello, Celestia..."
"There's a Boggart in the school basement, and before you ask, no, I did NOT put it there, I swear on my mother's grave!"
"You want me to deal with a Boggart?!" Before she could reply, I sighed and said, "I'll do it, but it won't be pretty..." I teleported to the school, looking like Maroon.
Boggarts weren't inherently evil, but they fed on fear and could force you to relive your worst memories, so they weren't exactly nice either. Even I didn't know their actual form, on sight they turned into a physical manifestation of the viewer's worst fear. If multiple people were looking at a Boggart, it would choose the strongest fear in the group. The really old, really nasty Boggarts developed a taste for the fear of children, which could then metastasize into a taste for children's flesh. A Boggart in a school was certainly cause for alarm, no matter how young or sweet-tempered it might be. I hadn't seen one for a few hundred years...
I nodded hello to my cowo - former coworkers and headed down. "Don't open this door until I come out..."
They locked it behind me. I glanced at what form the Boggart had chosen; my human self.
That's a low blow, I growled.
There was a snap and its form changed. Looking like my father is just going to make me kill you harder...
It changed again, this time to a pair of humans in dress shirts, dress pants, and ties on bicycles with black name tags and frighteningly bright and cheery smiles.
OK, anthropophobia, you're getting warmer ... Try agoraphobia...
I was surrounded by humans, cramped into the room like sardines. The boggart blinked with all its eyes in surprise when it found itself in a club.
"You're enjoying this!" it said with shock through multiple mouths.
I don't get scared, I get angry... My older sons used to pull the 'your worst fear' schtick all the time. It didn't work then either.
"I can hurt you!" the Boggart snarled.
Hmm. It's not that I'm too kinky to torture, in fact I have a very low pain tolerance, but my messed-up brain interprets EVERYTHING as pain, so you're talking to someone who's in constant agony, and omnicidal-maniac level pissed at the world. Anyway, you actually can't touch me unless I'm scared of you, I said with a grin as I booped it on the nose.
The Boggart growled again, changing into a white artificial Christmas tree with blue and silver ornaments.
I breathed out a stream of rainbow fire and the tree let out comical yelps as it scooted away. They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming... I said in the shape of a green-furred Krampus.
"You can shapeshift too?!" the Boggart asked in shock once it had put itself out.
🎶Anything you can do, I can do better, I can do anything better than you! 🎶
"Oh no. You're him aren't you? The First..."
I grinned wickedly. So, monsters still tell stories about me?
Quite a crowd had assembled outside the doors leading to the basement. Even Chancellor Neighsay had shown up, at Celestia's insistence.
"He's been down there for three hours! I mean ... it has to have killed him by now, right?"
"He's ... tougher than he looks..." Celestia said.
At that moment, the door blew open, and Maroon, and ... Arachnos walked out?! Celestia knew I could be in two places at once, but this was a bit odd, given the circumstances, and ... Arachnos was drunk. She'd never seen me drunk.
Maroon gave her a manic, cheerful grin. "Finally found the form or what scares me most. He drank, we fought, it made its progenitors proud, I agreed to relocate it. If that's all, it's been a long day, and I'm going home..."
The Boggart chuckled. "You are without doubt, the most messed-up person I've had the misfortune of encountering, Daddy-O... Have you ever considered counseling?"
I sighed. "Ain't nobody got time for that..." We headed off.
"Maroon is terrified of ... the Weaver?" another teacher said uncertainly.
That explains a lot... Celestia thought to herself. She glanced at Neighsay. He nodded and walked off.
I was rather shocked when hours later the Chancellor was knocking on Maroon's door.
"Did I leave something in my old office?"
"You ... talked ... to ... a Boggart. Most people would have killed it. You are ... a very unusual stallion..."
I grinned, my teeth looking slightly sharper. "You don't know a tenth of it..."
"You don't follow any rules but your own, and even those I'm pretty sure you make up and discard as you go... I cannot begin to convey to you how aggravating I find that. You're frankly reckless, but ... you care."
"I don't care about anyone," I said a little bit too quickly.
Neighsay gave me a piercing look. "If anything, ... you care too much. Anyway, if you can find a way to make restitution to Green's parents, I'm offering your job back. If you'd still like it. I've been told it ... keeps you saner."
I blinked in surprise. "Thank you..."
"Well, whatever else you are... you're damn good at your job," the Chancellor said with a small smile. "And you care about your students more than most people in their lives. I think ... we need that. I'm just going to need to stock up on aspirin."
"I'll send you a pallet..."
He nodded and walked off. "You'd better not give me another ulcer!" he called over his withers.
I smiled.
I got a surprise my first day back. A purple and green blur was suddenly wrapped around my foreleg. I chuckled. "The only reason you missed me is because I feed you," I told Spike.
"Maybe, but he did miss you..." Celestia said.
"Mmm. He's growing like a weed! C'mon you, I've got an Opal with your name on it..."
I was surprised that it had only been 2 years since Dusk had joined the school, it seemed much longer. Dusk was now ten, which meant a certain somepony was 15. I could deal with a 15 year old. I'd left him alone for over ten years from his perspective for one thing, but time's a funny thing...
A brown earth pony with a slightly darker brown mohawk of a mane wiped the grease off of his hooves on his overalls. He hadn't developed a talent for gardening, or for caring for animals, but at 15, there were few ponies in Ponyville who knew more about how machines worked than he did. He'd always had a deep dislike of magic, though he couldn't say why, but give him a broken clock or car and he could make it sing. Lucky for him his adoptive father was a car mechanic...
He noticed a small spider dangling from its thread. "Hello, there..." he said softly, extending a hoof. The spider landed on it, and he set it on the ground. It quickly scuttled away and wound up at the hooves of... The pony screwed his eyes shut and hissed.
"What's up, Doc?" I asked.
"My name is Time Turner, not Doctor," he replied in his Trottingham accent. "Anypony who went around calling himself 'The Doctor' would be silly."
"You're just an ordinary Earth Pony, huh?"
He nodded. "Yes."
I walked over to the counter and pulled a slim metal rod out of a coffee mug on the counter, switching it on. "An ordinary Earth Pony who made a sonic screwdriver when he was seven..." I concentrated. A car started up and hovered over. "... and who builds flying cars."
"Oh, no, not again!" Time Turner shouted, not realizing he'd "fixed" the fan belt that well. Again. He looked at me with a nervous grin. "Sometimes I just fix things a little too well, that's all."
"Right. And the fact that you have two hearts and breathe with no lungs is just a birth defect, right?"
"H-how do you know about that?!"
I sighed. "I brought you to Ponyville when you were just a foal. Your, uh, quirks are perfectly normal, just not for a Pony."
"I'm not a Pony?" Time Turner muttered weakly.
"No, you are Pony-shaped though. ... You're a Time Lord."
"A what?"
I grinned. "It would be better to show you..." I held up a small black metal orb and pressed a hidden button. It whirred to life as a holographic display started up.
The planet Gallopfrey appeared before us, along with circular Gallopyfreyan script providing more knowledge than could be read in one sitting.
Time Turner blinked. "I can read that! What's 'Gallopfrey?'"
"Where you're from. Originally."
"I'm from another country? Before I was adopted?"
"More like another planet. You might want to sit down for this..."
"So ... Time Lords are aliens from the planet Gallopfrey. They were incredibly advanced, and the first species in existence, as well as the first species to master time travel. And yet somehow, I'm the last one, because they wiped themselves out?" Time Turner said in disbelief.
"Do you remember them?"
"No! I don't remember anything before waking up in the Ponyville Orphanage!"
"They ... removed themselves from history. I'm the only person who does remember them. They were led by the Lord High President, who somehow got it into his mind that it was the rightful destiny of the Time Lords to merge with all of space and time. So, he ordered them to do just that. Problem is, it worked. They're everywhere, so from the perspective of the rest of us, they're nowhere. You're walking through them right now. It also had the side effect of working backwards through history, so they never existed at all."
"And you just let it happen?!" Time Turner shouted.
"No, I didn't want it to happen at all!" I said, shocked at the accusation. "That level of spell is catastrophically powerful, and by the time I got there, it was already being cast. If I had tried to stop it, I could have unraveled the entire universe. Or worse!"
Time Turner blinked. "So, they were an acceptable loss?!"
"NO! I didn't want to lose ANYONE! I'm trying to explain! Do you think I haven't tried to get them back?!! I just can't!"
"Then you're a miserable excuse for a whatever-you-are! I HATE YOU! DON'T EVER COME BACK HERE!"
"Please take it easy on Weyan'a, he did his best, believe me," a voice broke in. "We're lucky to exist."
Time Turner glanced over, and his mouth dropped open. Doctor Whooves was looking at his younger self with a patient smile. "Hello. Pretty sure I don't need to introduce myself. I would shake your hoof, but that causes ... issues."
Time Turner swallowed. "How?" was all he managed to get out.
Doctor Whooves grinned. "Time Lords. It's in the name. Not magic, science. ... Just a little more advanced than what you're dealing with right now. I won't force the issue, since heavens knows I remember being your age, and even this conversation, but please. Just give him a chance. Because despite what he may think, when you get to know him, he isn't so bad." The Doctor walked off.
"What just happened?"
"Your future self came back in time to give you some advice, a very useful skill to have, speaking from experience. And no, that doesn't mean you're destined to become him. It's just a possibility. But I think you would be amazing, and there's a whole universe waiting for you to explore up there."
"Tell me everything."
"I will, but why don't you graduate high school while I do?" I said with a grin. "Lord knows 'everything' will take more than an afternoon to tell."
True to my word, I did indeed tell the Doctor as much as I could and was willing to about his people. It helped that I could teach him how to use his touch-based telepathy to share the memories he had lost. I even got invited to a few family diners, which was ... nice. Time Turner's family were all wonderful, and I was happy he had ended up in that good of a home.
It wasn't my place to tell his family who and what Time Turner really was, but when his adoptive father brought it up, I realized he was OK with telling them. His father joked, "It honestly makes a lot of things make a lot of sense..." He glanced at me. "Thanks. For ... bringing him here. I never could have gotten to know him otherwise. Would you consider being his godfather? You know more about him than I ever could..."
"Hey. You are a great father, OK? He never shuts up about you once I got him to talk to me. If you would like me to, I would be honored, but I could never replace you. ... I just wanted you to know that."
He smiled and nodded.
I grinned. "And I've got the perfect graduation gift in a few years..."
The Doctor wasn't the only Ponyville resident I checked up on that year. I had a hankering for apple fritters, so, two birds, one stone.
A small orange colt gave a squeak of alarm and ducked behind the food stall when I came up.
"Applejack!" Granny Smith shouted. "Where are your manners?"
"Sorry, he's just scary..." Applejack replied.
"I appreciate the honesty. He's fine, I have that effect. Must be the way I move. Two apple fritters please."
She smiled. "Absolutely!" as she bagged up the pastry, her expression turned thoughtful. She then laughed. "Ah never thought Ah'd see the day..."
"Pardon?"
She smiled warmly. "We've never met, but Ah owe you my thanks. You rescued ma grandfather when he was a foal. Our family was looking for a place to put down roots, and he wandered off from the camp one night. Got mighty lost and was sure he'd be food for the ca-yotes. Then he says the strangest thing happened. A stallion made of light appeared and sang the stars out to guide him home. I always told him, 'Grandpappy, nopony can sing the stars out!' but he always said that day changed him. He said if I ever met you, I could tell it was you just by looking at you. He said you'd have a tell," she said with a slightly mischievous smirk.
I tried to hide my red right hoof. "Oh, well, I uh..."
"Your eyes," Granny Smith said with finality.
I blinked. "My ... eyes?"
She nodded. "Grandpappy said you would have the oldest eyes of any living thing, but that they'd be sad from all the things you've seen. He's right. ... I'm sorry for whatever loss yer gettin' over, but yer eyes are so heavy." She passed me the bag. "On us. As a 'thank you' fer helping our family even be here. Ya probably don't even remember that night..."
I smiled. "No. I do. I remember everyone. I just didn't know who he was at the time." I took the bag. "Many thanks. And next time I'm paying!"
Granny Smith chuckled. "Do ya think Ah'm running a charity here?! Come back and see us any time!"
I was busy giving a lecture on the ethical sourcing of reagents when the room seemed to shift. I blinked.
"Are you OK, Professor?"
"Nnnooo... Uh. Food. Could one of you call an ambulance? Why are you all spinning? I think I'll go to sleep now, Bon Appetit!" Before I hit the floor, I shouted, "SAVE THE LIVER!"
I woke up in Canterlot General.
The Doctor walked in. No, not that Doctor, a medical doctor.
He gave me a reassuring smile. "Good evening. Do you know where you are?"
"Hospital."
"Do you know what happened?"
"Low blood sugar?" I guessed.
"Extremely low. Mr. Flask, when was the last time you ate? Everything about you says you're starving..."
I thought about it. "A little over a year ago..."
The clipboard dropped to the floor. "You haven't eaten ... for a year?!"
"I had some tea... One. Cup. It ... slips my mind."
The Doctor groaned. "Well, we'll have to keep you for observation, and get you some nutrients."
"And a talk with your on-staff psychiatrist?"
"I'm afraid so."
"I understand."
The Doctor left, and I banged my head against the bed a few times. "IDIOT!" I swore to myself.
I managed to talk my way out of a psych hold. Luckily the shrink understood that while I was certainly troubled, I wasn't a danger to myself. Just ... extremely absentminded.
Once I was released, I was in my office during lunch, catching up on my grading. Someone cleared their throat to get my attention. I glanced up and saw a member of the Royal Guard. He was awfully young, I thought to myself.
"How can I help you?"
"I'm supposed to escort you to lunch, and make sure you eat, sir."
I blinked. "On whose order?"
"Princess Celestia, Sir. She's ... concerned about you."
"So, she assigned me my own Guard? To make sure I eat?"
"Yes, Sir."
I faceplanted on the desk and let out a stream of curses in multiple languages that ended with, "THAT FEMALE!"
"If you'll accompany me, Sir?"
"Don't call me 'Sir,' I'm not your Capti - SHINING?!" It finally clicked why he was so familiar to me.
"Sorry?"
"You're Shining Armor, right? Dusk Shine and Spike's older brother?"
Shining's jaw dropped. "You're that crazy professor who broke the door down!"
I nodded. "In person! Have you caused the Princess extreme stress or harm to get yourself assigned to me?"
He cleared his throat. "Permission to speak freely, Si-?" he caught himself in time.
"Granted."
"The Princess's exact words were, 'If you can deal with him, you can deal with anything.'"
"She's not wrong there..." I glanced at him. "You're awfully young to be a Guard, have you even finished High School yet?"
Shining cleared his throat. "Yes. I'm 18. They did let me in a bit early though. I passed the exams with flying colors." He grinned. "Something that runs in the family, it seems..."
"Proud of your little brother?"
Shining smiled fondly. "Absolutely!"
"Mmm. I can't wait to see what the three of you grow into..." I muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Cafeteria?" He nodded.
I grabbed a daisy sandwich, something I always had to choke down anyway, pony or not pony. "Right, I'm eating, your work for the day is done. I believe a certain someone would like to see you," I said, pointing out a purple colt who looked like he was trying not to explode with joy.
"Hmmf. You should have more...."
"One step at a time, kiddo..."
"If you're sure..." A cafeteria half made of teenage mares with a cute Royal Guard walking through it? I'm pretty sure those swoons were practiced. I mean, sure, Shining was good-looking if you were closer to his age but get a grip!
The three brothers had a fun little reunion, which I watched with interest, I'd never observed their family dynamic. Lord, I just sounded like a stalker again...
Life returned more or less to normal, with the addition of a white Unicorn sticking to me like a shadow for a few hours each day.
Truth to be told ... I liked Shining. I was hoping we could be friends ... a tall order given my first impression, the fact he was being taken away from real work to essentially foalsit me, and the fact that the only reason I was even a teacher at this school was technically to manipulate his brother's upbringing, even if it was for good reasons. ...
God, no wonder I didn't have friends...
To my surprise, one afternoon Shining stuck around long after the lunch hour. When I asked why, he told me that Celestia had said I had a surprise for him. I wracked my brains before I realized the date. Yeah, he'd like this...
I led him to a certain room that was my domain twice monthly.
Shining's jaw dropped. "My brother's nerd school has an Ogres and Oubliettes club?"
"We're not a nerd school!" I protested. "We're THE nerd school! This is the club I sponsor. It's ... surprisingly popular..." I grinned. "Care to sit in?"
Shining wandered over to the shelves of minis and supplies. "I shouldn't... I have things to - SWEET CHEESE CURLS, THIS SOURCEBOOK ISN'T EVEN IN STORES YET!"
I grinned. "I know a guy..."
Shining cleared his throat. "Um. One ... quick session couldn't hurt, right?"
4 Hours later...
"Sorry, all, I have to kick you out, it's way too late..."
The students and Shining all groaned. "There aren't enough hours in the day to fit any story in..." one grumbled.
"Sorry. See you next time!"
"Does that include me?" Shining asked with a smirk.
I chuckled. "See what Celestia says..."
"OK, just tell me something about yourself..." Shining pressed again.
"I'm a very private person..." He rolled his eyes. I laughed. "OK ... let's see, what can I tell you without having to silence you?" I joked "... I taught myself to read when I was 3. By kindergarten I was reading on a college level. So, at the age most children are reading Go, Jane, Go! I was reading Bradbury, Pratchett, Gaiman, Lovecraft, and Poe. ... Which admittedly colored my outlook on life..." I sighed.
Shining chuckled. "Sounds like Dusk..."
I nodded. "There are absolutely similarities..."
"Anything else?"
"My family is ... strange. We haven't spoken for quite some time. My fault. What about you?"
"Well, you know my brothers. My family is lower-middle class in Canterlot, so ... we tend to get looked down on by the Snobs. Dusk has the brains, I guess that makes me the brawn. My cutie mark is for protecting what I care about, actually. I'm not as good a spellcaster as Dusk, but I'm better at shields and wards than he is..." Shining said with a proud smirk. "So ... I joined the Royal Guard. I enjoy it. I'm learning a lot, and I'm making good friends. I'm hoping to move up through the ranks as I get older."
"I'm sure you'll go very far. Is there a special somepony in your life?" I asked with a grin.
To my surprise, Shining actually blushed. "Y-yeah. But ... she's a little out of my league. She's not rude about it though, but ... I mean. I'm basically the Royal Guard's equivalent of an Intern, and she's ..."
"Pretty?" I asked with a grin.
Shining nodded. "Beautiful, inside and out! ... You'll laugh, but I have dreams of living in a Crystal Castle with her someday."
"Crystal Castle, huh? Pretty lofty goal, but ... no, I won't laugh at that."
Shining gave an annoyed snort. "I don't even know why I have that dream! There's no such THING as Crystal Castle..."
"Not for a long time," I muttered with a wince.
"What was that?"
"Nothing important... Don't give up on your dreams, OK? That's coming from someone who believes Hope is poison, so if I say it..."
Shining nodded. He then looked concerned. "What happened to-?"
I sighed. "Life. Life happened, and it completely broke me. Reality SUCKS. ... Even a reality made out of fantasy... It's nothing you need to worry about, I just have issues."
"OK. What kind of music do you like?"
"Hmm. Do-wop, oldies, classical, I LOVE jazz... I don't like a lot of modern music, but some pop is OK... Hate rap, hip-hop, and R&B ... funnily enough, music that's designed to hurt you like acid techno actually relaxes me... Again, I have issues.
"How come you're asking so many questions?" I countered.
"I want to get to know someone important enough for Celestia to assign a personal guard, I guess. Do you have someone special?" Shining asked with interest.
I shook my head. "No, I don't like anyone like that. I don't think I can."
"Don't let Cadence hear that, she'd take it as a personal challenge," Shining joked.
"'Cadence,' huh?" I said, managing to sound like I didn't know who she was. "Oh! Tomorrow for lunch, can we go to the Castle Sculpture Garden?"
"Why?"
"I have an appointment to keep, and it can never be predictable. I haven't done it on a Friday yet this month."
"OK..." Shining said in a confused tone.
The next day, I walked with Shining to the Gardens. I wasn't interested in most of the sculpture, but...
"Discord, this is Shining Armor. Celestia assigned him to me to get me to eat, because ... well, you know how I get. He's a bit young, but I hope he grows up well! He's in love with a Princess..." I "whispered" loudly with a wink.
"How do you know that?!" Shining shouted. "Wait... why are you talking to a statue?"
"I like to keep him updated..."
"Shining!" a voice called. A pink Alicorn walked into view.
"Speak of the Ram..." I muttered.
Cadence nuzzled her coltfriend before she looked at me. Her eyes widened and her pupils shrank to pinpricks as her wings fluffed up. She started to display all the typical ancient Pony body language when faced with a large predator.
"Cadence, what's wro-"
"BACK, FIEND!" Cadence said, brandishing a small spider amulet at me.
I raised an eyebrow, and it burst into flames. Cadence shrieked and dropped it. "For future reference ... don't use the Weaver's holy symbol against me, that's just going to irritate me. Despite what you think, I'm not evil, though I can understand why you would think that. I'll be way, way over here until you two are done. Thank you." I slowly, carefully backed away, looking as non-hostile as possible to her.
Shining rounded on his marefriend. "The Hell was that?! I've NEVER seen you act like that!"
"That ... thing isn't a Pony! His aura was ... negative. Like a black hole. It was horrifying!"
Shining gave an annoyed snort. "He's a teacher, Cadence! How dangerous could he be?! For the Weaver's sake, he teaches my little brother and helped teach us all how to raise Spike! ... He's ... weird, yes, and even I think he's crazy, but he's not a monster!"
"I'm the Monster..." I muttered, although I was far away enough they didn't hear me. Curse my supernaturally good hearing! Dang, they were close enough to Discord he could probably hear it all! ... If he was listening. All my son could do these days was listen, but I'm certain he chose to tune me out...
I closed my eyes and managed to tune the rest of the argument out.
Finally, Shining walked over to me. "Sorry about that. I swear, I've never seen Cadence act like that! That was ... very out of character for her. She's convinced you're some kind of demon or something," he said with a nervous laugh. I didn't reply. "You're ... not a demon, right?" Shining asked quickly.
"Demon? No. ... Maybe something along those lines on bad days, it's hard to tell anymore... ... Please run along, I'll catch up in a second."
Shining did leave, even if he wasn't certain he should. I sighed.
The breeze brought a familiar voice I'd been longing to hear for a very long time.
"My, a pony whose gift allows her to see straight through whatever mask you have on? That is just TOO wonderful! If only she knew just how close to the truth she was..."
My jaw dropped. In less than a second, I was in front of a certain statue. Discord?
"Oh, don't worry, I'm still imprisoned. It's taking quite a lot of my energy to even have this conversation. I just found that quite amusing. ...
"The chains you built for me are loosening, I imagine I'll be out of here in ten or so years..."
I'm not the one who put you in there.
"If you say so. You do know that once I'm free, I will make sure that each and every one of your PRECIOUS little ponies pays the price for what I've been through?"
A thousand years for you, much, much longer for me, and you're still pissed. You DO take after me! I groaned. If you want to try for revenge again, I won't stop you, or interfere unless I HAVE to, I'm just going to state for the record it won't end well...
I sighed again. I love you, son... There wasn't any response.
I walked away, before I heard a whisper of, "I know..."
On a whim, I shapeshifted to a Pegasus to visit Cloudsdale. It wasn't long before I spotted two familiar faces. Lord, Butterscotch was a beanpole, even this young!
He and certain cyan pegasus were sneaking over to the weather factories.
"Are you sure about this, Rainbow?" Butterscotch asked. "I've heard that at night they chop up Pegasi who fail their flight tests here!"
Rainbow Blitz gave an annoyed snort. "Butterscotch, all those stories about the rainbow factory are just old mare's tales they tell children. Besides, I'm here! What could happen?"
My hero, I thought with an eye roll.
"I always say, you've got to stick by your friends!" Rainbow continued.
They both crept in. I followed, unseen and unheard. I quickly worked out that Hoops and Dumb Bell had dared the two in here to scare them. Well, fair's fair...
Something wet dribbled onto Hoop's whither. He glanced up and let out a horrified scream. Some ... thing with far too many eyes and teeth grinned down at him from the ceiling, still drooling over the tasty treat below. Hoops nudged Dumb Bell who also screamed, and the two colts sped out of the factory, running straight into Rainbow Blitz and Butterscotch.
"Woah! Hey, what's wrong?"
"There's a horrible monster in there!" Hoops screamed.
Rainbow puffed out his barrel. "I got this. Follow me guys!"
The remaining three followed him nervously. As they got deeper into the factory, something clanged nearby. Hoops looked about ready to pass out ... until a black cat trotted out.
It glanced at them. "Meow?" it said in a confused tone.
Rainbow let out a snort of laughter. "Ooooh, so scary!" he teased.
"I'm telling you; it was there!" Hoops protested as he poked around. Nopony here but us shadows...
Butterscotch walked over to the cat and held out his hoof. The cat gave a cautious sniff, before butting his head against Butterscotch, who began to pet him.
Ohhh, yeeeahhh~ A little to the left... There! Right there! Was I purring? Yes, but this colt knew just how to make me melt.
Eventually, all four of them left, still bickering, and I headed out as well.
I was busily stocking supplies when I heard a pitiful whimper from behind me, informing me that an abused child had been left to starve.
I chuckled. "I'm not a food pantry, you know..." There was only a dying gurgle. "Use your words, please..."
"PLEASE FEED ME!"
I laughed and turned around. Spike was only a few years old, but had grown like a weed, and was speaking and thinking on the level of about a ten-year old at this point. Dragons were weird; instant childhood, normal teenage years, then centuries as an adult...
"Well, thanks for saying 'please.' What do you want today?"
Spike thought about it. "Emeralds?"
"I think I have some in stock..." I walked further into my supply closet. "How are you all doing?"
"You hang with Shining more than I do..." Spike grumbled.
I winced. "Sorry about that. ... I'm not trying to take him away from you or anything. I'll try and get him to be with you more when he's ... managing me."
"Is it true you don't eat unless he makes you?"
"Noooo...yes. I'm ... sick in the head most days. It helps if someone reminds me of basic stuff like that. It won't be forever." I found the requested gems. "Ah! Here we go..." I reached up to get them, slipped, and fell flat on my back, the tray and gems flying off the shelf.
"OOF! Sorry, I'm extremely klutzy, it runs in the famil-" My eyes widened. The tray and gems were floating gently in a lime-green aura shaped like small flames.
Spike was holding his claws up his eyes wide as well. "Am ... am I doing that?" he asked.
"... I'm not..." I replied slowly. "Levitation is almost instinctual..."
The tray and emeralds clattered to the ground. "Hoo, colt, I'm praying I'm wrong..."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No! Not at all! It's just..." I crouched down. "Hop on!"
Spike climbed aboard, and I dashed down the hall, arriving at the Enchantments classroom. "Give me a thaumometer!"
"Uh, what?"
"A thaumometer I know you've got spare; I'll pay you back if I have to!"
I examined the small glass cube. I eyed Spike. "Could you levitate this for me?"
Spike glanced at his claws. "Uh, I don't know how..."
"I got you. Catch!" I threw it as hard as I could at him.
Spike instinctively raised his claws to block the attack, and green flames licked into life around it. The thaumometer began to whistle like a teapot as it quickly pulsed different colors.
"Sorry..." I took the device out of harm's way. "Uh. Am I reading this right?" I passed the other professor the thaumomoter.
His jaw dropped. "SWEET MOTHER OF - daffodils," he finished, remembering Spike was a baby dragon.
"I was reading it right." Spike understandably looked nervous. "You didn't do anything wrong, OK? You're a Sparksoul, Spike."
"I'm a what?"
"A Sparksoul is a Dragon capable of casting magic the way a Unicorn does, only a lot stronger. They're ... unbelievably rare, less than one in a million Dragons are Sparksouls. There hasn't BEEN one in over two-thousand years. If you were in the Dragonlands right now, you'd have just been decreed Dragon Lord, and been raised to take that position. It's tradition, there's nothing anyone can do about it. Oh, and in terms of raw power ... you're off the scale. You're basically a Dragon Alicorn, if that helps." I grinned. "You're not a reincarnation of anybody, are you?" Seeing his blank look, I said, "Never mind. ... I'm going to have to have a parent-teacher conference about this..."
"Spike's a WHAT?!" Everypony shouted.
I thought of how to put it in terms they'd understand. "A Sorcerer? His bloodline gave him magic. It'd be interesting to trace, but we can't..."
"Ohh!" Shining Armor, Dusk Shine, Twilight Velvet and Night Light said when the Ogres and Oubliettes reference clicked for the entire family. Celestia just looked confused.
I chuckled. "Verse 25: And Nerd Begat Nerd, and it was good..."
Dusk was thrilled. "I can teach Spike magic!"
"Actually, Dragon magic is very different from Unicorn magic. Dragons don't have horns, so they channel their magic through gestures and words. In Draconic, is the problem. Do any of you speak Draconic?" Everyone shook their heads. "... I'm fluent... I also know the gestures for most of the spells .... I spent a lot of my youngers years in the Dragonlands. I can teach him after school? With supervision, since I'm certain you'd require that. I'll do it for free too, it's actually an honor to meet a Sparksoul, even a young one..." That last part was true for me.
"May I speak with you in private?" Celestia cut in. I nodded. She practically dragged me to an empty classroom. "What do you think you're doing?" the Princess of the Sun hissed.
I blinked. "I just thought it would help if I taught him magic, since none of you know how it works for dragons. I - do you think I'm going to manipulate him for my own ends or something? I'm a bad influence, but-"
"Have you forgotten what happened to the last child you raised?"
The atmosphere got frosty, literally as the temperature plummeted and the room got covered in ice. YOU DID NOT JUST GO THERE WITH ME. Celestia stammered something out. I would pick your next words VERY carefully if I were you, but as long as we're laying our cards on the table...
A tarot deck sprang into existence and shuffled itself, appearing in an arch before a selection shot out at her. My evil plan is just to help with your evil plan. Or were you going to pretend you don't have plans for the entire family?
Celestia stared at the cards. The Sun, with a picture of her; followed by the Moon with Luna; Starswirl as the Magician; the Stars with Dusk ascending to Alicornhood; the Lovers with Shining Armor and Cadence in their wedding clothes in the pose they banish Chrysalis with; the Elements of Harmony (the gems, not the Bearers) as the Wheel of Fortune; Sombra as Death; Discord as the Hanged Man; an older Spike as the World; Yours Truly as the Devil; and finally an older Dusk Shine on the Throne of Equestria as the Emperor.
Look familiar?
"How ... do you know all of that?"
My maternal great-grandmother was Fey, remembering the future before it happens runs in the family...
"Arachnos..."
Saturday-morning television? I tried.
Celestia sighed. "I won't get a clear answer, I'm used to that with you. Yes ... I have ... hoped such a future might be possible since Luna..."
I nodded. And the last few pieces just so happened to click into place when Dusk hatched Spike?
Celestia chuckled. "Yes. Does it ... happen?"
I shrugged. Speaking as the person who invented time travel in this universe, the past is more or less immutable, but the future is never certain. I know a future, that doesn't mean it's the future, it's just a possibility. But it's the one I like best, trust me, I've looked at many others.
"So, your offering to teach Spike the way dragons cast magic was...?"
What I said, out of you lot, I'm the most qualified. I don't manipulate kids for my own evil ends, give me some credit...
Celestia grinned. "No, you just become their potions professor, and a major pain in my flank..."
Haven't I always been a pain in your flank? Since you were, what, eight?
"I think twelve."
OK, slightly manipulative then.
"How old are you now?"
Too old for most of this...
That got a chuckle out of Celestia. We walked back into the room where Dusk's family was waiting. "My most sincere apologies for that," the Princess said. "After a bit of discussion, I agree with Maroon that he should teach Spike to use these abilities. Provided he does it on his own time, pays for any supplies needed, and does not take away from Spike's duties to and relationship with his brothers."
I rolled my eyes. "Deal," I said with the speed of a striking snake. I grinned. "And, for my first trick... Can you copy what I do with my hooves?" I made a fairly complicated gesture. It took Spike two tries, but he managed to replicate it perfectly. "OK, you'll need to repeat this, I can say it as many times as you want..." I said a phrase in Draconic, and the assembled ponies winced at the harsh sounds that sounded like they were shredding my throat.
Spike got that on the first try.
"OK, now say that while making that motion with your claws."
Spike did, and to his amazement a really tasty looking sandwich appeared in his claws.
"Congratulations, Spike, you've learned your first spell! I expect you to put it to good use," I added with a wink. "We'll work out a day and time for me to teach you more."
Spike almost unhinged his jaw to swallow the sandwich in one gulp. "Yum!" He gave me a sideways glance. "Uh ... what exactly can I do?"
"Well, like I said, you'd be Dragon Lord under normal circumstances, the reason being that at your full strength you could wipe an army off the map with a single spell. I'm not exaggerating when I say that you're going to be one of the most powerful mages in the world. Not just Equestria, the world." I paused to let that sink in. "Might take you a few centuries though, so don't let it go to your head just yet."
"How do you know so much about dragons?" Shining asked.
"In the words of the Beach Colts, 'I get around...' If you'll all excuse me, I need to go brush up on my Draconic, it's been quite some time."
Cadence was lying on a couch, her eyes narrowed, the tip of her tail occasionally twitching. "He gives me the creeps. There's something seriously wrong with him. You don't see that?"
Blueblood looked thoughtful. "Maroon Flask? That name is famili - Ah. About yea high?" as he held up his hoof. "Fur a hideous shade of red? ... Seems insane?"
Cadence blinked. "You know him?"
Blueblood shrugged. "Aunt Celestia has brought him to the Grand Galloping Gala a few times, I suppose as a novelty. He is her employee. He ... certainly livened the event up."
"What happened?!"
"Oh, nothing bad. He was ignored, undeservedly so, so he slunk off and found the organ in the basement. We all thought the castle was haunted. In hindsight it was amusing. He always looks like he knows more about you than you know about yourself. Every time he looks at me, he bursts out laughing, which is concerning, but I've been assured that's normal for him. His mind is ... unusual, and he's just remembering something funny."
Blueblood sighed. "Maroon is ... odd, to put it lightly, but I don't think he's evil, like you're suggesting. I trust Aunt Celestia's judgment, I doubt she would hire a demon," the Prince said with a small smile. "Now, don't you have somewhere important to be, my cousin?"
Cadence glanced at the clock and her eyes widened before she quickly said her goodbyes and literally flew out the door.
Across town, I was walking with Shining Armor. "But what if I mess this up?"
"You like her, she likes you. It doesn't need much more than that. I somehow doubt this will ruin your friendship. May I give you some advice?" The younger stallion nodded. "Either give a relationship a shot, or you'll spend your entire life wondering what could have been until you're hit by a car in your mid-twenties, die, and wind up in charge of a miniature universe."
"That's ... oddly specific..." Shining commented with a furrowed brow.
"Oops. I just mean it's best to give this a shot, otherwise you'll never know if it could have worked out. It's your first kiss, so just be shaky, and rubbish, and miss the first time."
"Why?"
"Because you're going to do that anyway, so best to plan for it. You got this! Otherwise, I'll have to teach you bird mating dances..."
"What?!"
"GO!" I said, shoving him into the open before ducking behind a bush.
Shining met an equally out-of-breath Cadence, tucking a strand of his mane behind his ear.
They both chuckled. "Sorry, I was talking with my cousin, and I lost track of time. How have you been?" Cadence asked.
Shining chuckled. "Busy. Apparently Spike is some sort of Dragon Wizard. Well, Sorcerer, but still."
"Wait, what?!"
I gave them some space. There was not a surprisingly mobile bush with a pair of binoculars sticking out of it. I didn't spy on them at all, actually, I had not a clue what happened until Shining tracked me down much later.
"How'd it go?"
He nodded eagerly, blushing furiously.
I chuckled. "Nice to see she makes you speechless." We started walking in no particular direction. My stomach growled; I'd forgotten to eat again. "Sheesh. I'm so hungry, I could eat a-" I glanced at the wall of muscle that was Shining Armor. "Never mind. Let's get some hayburgers. My treat."
I walked through a door; Shining close behind. He smacked into something and fell down. A few seconds later I realized he wasn't behind me still and stuck my head through the door. "Oh. Right. Doorknob." I pulled my head out of the door and opened it. "You really do forget the little niceties after a while..."
Shining's jaw was almost on the floor. "What are you?"
"Absentminded, apparently. ... Cadence is ... pretty close to the truth. I'm not a demon, but my aura is incredibly messed up and wouldn't read like a pony's at all."
"And you can walk through walls?"
"It's a useful skill. Hayburgers? Yes? No?" Shining mutely nodded.
15 minutes later, around a mouthful of fries my Royal Guard foalsitter asked, "Are you a pony?"
I liked Shining. He was... a friend. I didn't want to lie to him, and anyway, a few billion years had only improved my ability to lie so much.
"This body is..."
Shining's eyes widened. "Holy Weaver, you're possessing him?!"
I winced. "Don't call the Weaver holy or swear by him, ok? Never do that in front of me! And, no, I'm not possessing anypony! You can't possess a sapient being without their express permission, it's hard enough to drill an idea into someone's head, overriding free will is definitely out. This is my body. I made it. ... It just isn't always a pony..."
Shining looked like he had a headache. "Are you dangerous?"
I nodded. "Incredibly... Yes, Celestia is fully aware of what I am, yes she's fine with me teaching students, and yes I am reading your mind. I just try to avoid it. I don't want to read my own mind most of the time... Sit back since you feel like you might pass out..."
Shining did. "Will you ever tell me what you are?"
"Will you ever figure it out?" I countered with a smirk. "I'll give you hints. Just not today."
"Are you evil?"
"I'm not qualified to answer that. I can't judge myself, I'm too prejudiced. I want to say no. In all honesty, I'm probably an anti-villain, and my family is ... interesting."
"Anti-villain?"
"... Someone who does evil things for good reasons. An example is solving a famine by ... uh ... lessening the population to decrease the demand for food. Not that I've done that. Good and evil is a little too black and white. I'm just ... me. And no one judges me harsher than I judge myself. That's all you get for today, ask me more tomorrow. Now, my turn, how did your date go? Using words this time..."
"You're certainly nosy..."
I grinned. "I should probably be doing everything in my power to stop you and Cadence from getting together, no, I won't say why, but ... Twu Wuv is hard to stop."
Shining chuckled. "It's not true love."
I shrugged. "Eh... Might get there someday."
"Why should you stop us?"
"Nothing bad. Just ... well ... we'll get there when we get there. If I tell you, it will only make things worse. You and Cadence are good for each other, and I'm not going to get in the way of that."
And so, on it went. I honestly wasn't sure how long Celestia planned to have the poor kid glued to my side. I was certainly eating better...
Spike was learning magic at a decent rate. He wasn't quite the magical prodigy Dusk was, but he was mastering some basic useful spells.
For me at least, life went on pretty much as normal until one winter morning something went wrong. For being the Sire of Chaos, I liked things like routine and predictability.
So, when somepony who had been there every day rain or shine didn't show, I naturally had a massive freak out.
After school I headed over to the Canterlot Barracks. I didn't find who I was looking for but watching a few of the guards train I suddenly had bigger problems.
"What the-? No."
One of the Guards turned to look at me. "I'm sorry?"
"Who taught you how to use a sword?! Your form is entirely wrong. You'll get knocked down if you try and swing that! You're also holding the wrong part."
"Who are you?!"
"Marron Flask. Teacher."
"And you know how to sword fight better than the Royal Guard?" By this point a crowd of other trainees had gathered and where watching with interest.
"If that's the way they teach you to sword fight, I could beat all of you with my bare hooves." They all died laughing. "That wasn't a boast. If you'd like, I'd be willing to prove it..."
"Well, seems you've been challenged, Solar Shield. You going to back out?" That stallion's armor was that of their commanding officer, who had heard the whole exchange. Welp. I was dead. Except ... he was ... smiling?
"I think I can handle myself, Sir," Solar replied. Solar looked at me. "You sure you don't want a weapon?" I shook my head. "Right." Solar grabbed a wooden practice sword instead and took a stance that looked like it was off the cover of a comic book. I had to physically stop myself from rolling my eyes. "Uh ... I don't want to hurt you..." Solar said.
I gave him a foxy grin. "I wouldn't worry about it..."
Solar blinked, and then his eyes widened. "Wait, where did-?" *WHUD. Solar went flying and landed face down in a snowbank.
Another guard asked, "What just hap-?" Before he went flying as well.
In a shape that would have looked like a pinball's motion, other guards got knocked down as well.
One yelped as I stopped in front of him. There wasn't a jump scare, between one instant and the next I was just there, my nose almost touching the tip of his sword. "What's the matter?" I asked with an evil smirk, "Can't hit what you can't see?" By the time he swung the sword I was long gone, and in another moment he joined two of his friends.
In less than a minute, the entire group of trainee guards was incapacitated. I stopped in front of their commander, and my eyes widened. "Whoops."
Before he could get a word out, a voice called, "My office! NOW!"
I turned and suddenly felt very, very afraid. What I had just done was incredibly stupid and had been witnessed by the Captain of the Royal Guard. I was toast.
I followed the smoke grey stallion in. He took off his helmet and placed it on his desk with a loud thud. I wasn't speaking.
To my shock, he started to snicker. He glanced up at me. "I always knew physically fighting you was a stupid idea, but that proves it. Mind you, what you did to me was worse, Weaver." My eyes widened. He chuckled. "Sorry, would you prefer I call you 'Maroon?' Your secret is safe with me, though I hear you've been pretty blatantly dropping your current mask around a certain recruit of mine. I can't see the future, but it's a pretty safe bet that someday Shining Armor will be behind this desk. Will you do to him what you did to me?"
I swallowed. "Y-you asked me to, when your time came..."
He chuckled. "'Show me my worst fear come true.' Ah, the arrogance of youth. I still sleep with a nightlight. But, after therapy, I think I've forgiven you. It was just an illusion, and it did make me a stronger guard and leader, which is why I asked you to do it. A word of advice, if you're trying to pass as a mere mortal, work at it a little harder. At least you've never done anything I'd have to arrest you for!" he joked.
I sighed. "In your lifetime... which from my perspective these days is no time at all..."
"Hmm. Well, I'll let you off this time with a warning to act like a pony, since to be fair, those colts were still wet behind the ears and having their butts handed to them on a plate was good for them. Take care of yourself."
I nodded and headed out. I finally spotted Shining Armor, furiously writing into a notebook. He spotted me. "How fast ARE you?!"
I sighed. "I can move as fast as I can think, so ... pretty fast. I can't do it for very long, mind you, but sunbeams seem slow. The speed of thought is much faster than the speed of light. You have an entire notebook for me? I'm flattered, but maybe find a new hobby?"
"Oh, HUSH!" Shining snapped. I had a feeling I would be hearing those words in that exact tone from his family for eons to come... "I'm just interested. Let's see ... you've got super speed, super strength, you're telepathic apparently, you can walk through walls, you don't eat normally, you melt holy symbols by being close to them, you act like you're hundreds of years old and have the knowledge to back it up, and you detest sunlight from what I've heard, and can control snakes and spiders... You're a vampire, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Shining, I'm a vampire. Celestia is my chief bride. We're planning to turn the country over to communism and usher in a glorious age of night. No. I'm not a vampire, though I have met a few..." I sighed. "As I'm sure you've figured out by now, I'm not an Earth Pony, I can just look like one. I'll tell you some day, but first, where were you?!"
"Huh?"
"You weren't there today! I thought you were dead for a second!" I took a deep breath. "Sorry. I consider you a friend, and that means I can get ... kind of possessive," I explained nervously. "It's one of the reasons I don't really have friends." I cleared my throat. "Also, if I have an established routine that gets interrupted or doesn't happen, I ... don't handle it well. I'm working on it."
"Sorry, I got called in for extra training today."
"Not your fault, just ... glad you're all right."
"I'm guessing you didn't eat today?" I shrugged with an embarrassed grin. Shining sighed. "Since you're apparently loaded, want to buy us a pizza from that place near Celestia's School?"
I nodded. "Sure!" I grinned. "Race ya!"
Shining blinked and I was gone. He grumbled, "Son of a-"
A voice said in Shining's ear, "Actually my mother was an accountant, though I'm sure most people would say same difference..." Shining yelped and leaped about five feet in the air.
"DON'T DO THAT!!!!" Shining screamed.
I winced. "My apologies. In fairness, most people don't notice me when I'm not moving quickly, so that's the pretty standard reaction to my clearing my throat to get their attention... I'll walk with you, quietly, so you know where I am." Shining nodded, and we snagged a great pizza to split.
"Sorry for the way I got. You've been better to me then I deserve. Is there any way I could repay you?" I asked.
Around a mouthful of mozzarella, Shining said, "Nah, I'm good." He swallowed and gave a chuckle. "Unless you can show me the future... That'd be neat..."
Shining's eyes widened at the rictus grin I had at that request. "Are you sure? There are things I'd much rather give you... Does it have to be seeing the future?"
"Wait, you can do that?"
I nodded, "Yes, but it always goes poorly. Sure, it starts out well, but then there's the horrified screaming and the cutting my head off because you didn't like what I showed you..."
"WHAT?!"
I shrugged. "Doesn't slow me down, just hurts like you wouldn't believe. All right. I need some sand... can you meet me at the park on seventh tomorrow morning at nine?"
"Uh, sure..."
Shining was very punctual, and met me at the sandbox, which I'd cleared of snow. "What's this for?"
"So, you can see what I see..." I pulled out a blindfold. "I'm already regretting this..."
"What's the blindfold for?"
I tied it around my head. "Sensory processing issues when I'm staring at one point of spacetime, and my eyes get ... freaky when I do this, so it's for your benefit too. Please be quiet."
Shining sat and was silent. To his shock, the sand began to whip up around us before forming into a tornado. Flashes of color appeared throughout the maelstrom. Over the wind, I shouted, "Right, I'm going to narrow this down to focusing on your family for say ... thirty years from today."
Images and sounds formed faintly before disappearing until they strengthened in detail.
A slightly older Dusk Shine was lying in a bed, shouting, "No! All the ponies in this town are crazy! Do you know what time it is?!"
The image blurred to a black and blue smear and a voice shouted, "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!"
The image blurred again as a group sang out, "Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap, Up! Let's finish our holiday cheer!"
Dusk was backing away from a hole in the ground screaming, "SNAKES! SNAKES!!!" before he backed into a cave and ran out screaming as a swarm of bats chased after him.
A frightening visage appeared "on screen," with vaguely goatlike features and mismatched horns. Frightening red eyes sat over an evil grin as whoever this was cackled, "Looks like we might be due for a big old storm of chaos!" to a theatrically timed flash of lightning.
Next, Dusk had a slasher smile as he cackled, "If I can't find a friendship problem, I'LL MAKE A FRIENDSHIP PROBLEM!"
As the image blurred again, Dusk's voice said, Hi, my name is -"
A voice replied, "Star Swirl the Bearded. Commendable costume! Thou even got the bells right..."
You could hear Dusk's beaming smile as he said, "Thank you, finally! Somepony who gets my costume!"
A gigantic purple and green dragon roared, "SPIKE WANT!!!"
Shining was screaming, "If I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding!"
Dusk said, "I just lost a brother..."
The scene changed again; it was a wedding. Dusk was singing, "Love is in bloom, A beautiful bride, a handsome groom, Two hearts becoming one.."
The "camera" panned over the crowd, and Shining spotted a very freaky looking creature in attendance at this wedding. He was some sort of taur, with the lower half of a lion. His upper half was very strange, with white fur, six arms, a goatlike head with fangs and a rainbow mane, and four large wings covered in dozens of eyes. He was wearing a tux, and the eyes in his face and eyes in his wings were bleeding. He turned away from the crowd of partying ponies and quietly stepped through a portal before disappearing.
Next a dark stallion who looked like he was made entirely of smoke except for a terrifying head shouted, "That is mine!"
A purple and green dog was saying, "Wait ... so you look like you're talking to a dog?"
A voice replied, "Eh, I've looked like I'm crazy too long to care. Let's see if I can find us a place to stay. Oh. And Spike? ... Who's a good boy?"
"Oh, gosh! Me, me, it's me!" ... Spike shouted ecstatically.
An older version of Dusk that had wings now said, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
A voice replied, "It's just... you were mumblin' to yourself..."
A second voice added, "Ooh! And don't forget the uncontrollable sobbing!"
A soft voice said, "We were really worried about you."
A very distinct voice Shining had heard a few moments ago said, "I for one found it delightful. Sort of a one-pony theater piece, if you will. You should really consider taking it on the road!"
Blur. Dusk and a massive black and red Centaur were having a magic fight of anime-level epic-ness. The world around them was reduced to a blasted wasteland.
Blur. Shining and Cadence were at another wedding, Shining sobbing uncontrollably. "He ... always cries at weddings," Cadence explained, sounding strained. The view panned to a group of children in the back staring in horror at a black, insect-like equine.
The strange creature cleared his throat. "Uh, I'm just here for the food..."
Blur. Dusk was standing on dark, hateful looking stone. A voice asked, "Where are we?"
Dusk glanced around. "I think we're in Hell..."
The first voice yelped, "WHAT?!"
As the scene changed, a chorus sang out, "In Our Town, in Our Town, we work as a team, you can't have a nightmare if you never dream..."
Blur. A heart made out of crystal shattered to the sound of a high-pitched baby's crying.
Blur. Spike was pulling a red crystal scepter out of a stone.
Blur. Shining was shouting, "Spike! What are you doing?! Get away from that thing!"
Blur. Grogar, the embodiment of evil, was grinning, and saying, "Thanks for bringing a whole army kiddo, I'm STARVING!"
Blur. Dusk was on a rooftop, in a decaying city. Something was talking to him. Shining realized it was a Mind Flayer from Ogres and Oubliettes, though it was bipedal instead of quadrupedal, and ... it looked like a child? Good grief, a Mind Flayer child. That was horrifying... It's tendrils moved in an approximation of a smile, and it said to dusk, "Thank you. You've given me a lot to think about..." It then shoved Dusk off the roof.
Blur. The shadow pony from earlier was now more solid and reclining on a crystal throne. "Ah! Long live the King..." he purred evilly.
Blur. A statue, of three creatures, two cowering, and one flying with an enraged snarl.
Blur. The shadow pony was back, and at his hooves was a baby alicorn? How was that a thing, and who in their right minds would let him near a baby?!
He growled at the filly lightly, more a lightly annoyed growl than a dangerous one. "Your attempts to manipulate me won't work..."
The filly giggled and hugged his leg. His red eyes widened in fear. "RELEASE ME!" he ordered. She just hugged tighter. The stallion flailed the leg with the filly still attached so quickly it was a blur. "Sunburst? Sheepskin? HEEEELLLLPPP!!!" he shouted as the miniature demigoddess dragged him away to her lair to snuggle him to death.
The scene blurred again and the same Alicorn filly was surrounded by a group of ... of ... well, nightmares. That was the only appropriate word for what they were. They were made mostly of smoke? No, shadows. The shadows flowed and ebbed away, revealing bare yellowed bones. In their eye sockets shone red stars, and oh, those teeth. Teeth like those couldn't exist in the real world. The fact that they all had butterfly wings didn't help them to look cuter, since the wings were all monochrome with markings that looked like goat eyes.
The evil looking Alicorn stallions were tossing the baby back and forth like a hoofball, and singing something, though Shining couldn't make out the words. The filly was having the time of her life, though, whooping with laughter. ---
I tore the blindfold off, my eyes returning to normal. "The heck are THEY doing there?!" I shouted.
I glanced at Shining. Under his white coat he was even paler than normal. His mouth was open, and his eyes were wide as his left ear occasionally twitched. Massive freakout incoming...
"Uh, I know most of that looked incredibly awfu-"
"YYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Shining screamed.
I winced. "Every time..." I muttered. Shining continued screaming. "Listen, you just got snapshots that for whatever reason focused on the bad, there's a lot more that ... Do you maybe want to inhale before you pass out?!" I snapped. Shining continued screaming. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, for my sake..." I gripped his head. "Hey, Shining? Look at me... Forget..."
Shining was confused by the way my voice echoed, but as he stared into the pretty swirling colors all his worries drained away, along with ... something else. He was completely at peace, perfectly safe, and happily floating in a mental fog.
I snapped my fingers, and he snapped out of it. Shining shook his head. He blinked. "You hypnotized me!"
I sighed. "Yes, because what I showed you broke you. Oh, look, I get to say, 'I told you so!' I didn't do anything else to you or plant a posthypnotic suggestion or anything. I showed you the future most likely to happen as of this second, but for whatever reason it mostly showed the bad stuff. There's far, far more good. Also, the past is for all intents and purposes immutable, but the future is anybody's guess. That was a future. You could trip and break your leg on your way home and in 20 years Equestria will be conquered by evil alien quesadillas or something. The future is weird like that. So don't worry about what you saw, odds are it probably won't happen anyway."
There was suddenly a magenta sword hovering directly in front of my nose. "I get you like being mysterious, but if you don't tell me what you are RIGHT NOW, SO HELP ME I'LL-"
"I thought you just did shields!"
"It's a hard-light spell, it does pointy things too."
"Duly noted." I carefully scooted out of melee range and reached behind Shining's ear. With a theatrical flourish I produced what looked like a business card and carefully passed it to him.
Shining's eyes narrowed as he read it. "What's this?"
"I assume they still teach you what a library reference number is? If not I'm REALLY going to need to complain about the state of education in Equestria these days. That's a book in the Canterlot Library that will tell you far more than I want to." I sighed. "Pity. I ... enjoyed being ... close to your friend."
"You still are!" Shining said in a confused voice.
"When you find out what I am, you'll hate me. It's ... inevitable. Happy reading... Come and find me when you're done, I can manage on my own for a few days..." I stood up and stretched, dusting the sand off of me.
By the time Shining opened his mouth to object I had vanished. "Son of an accountant..." he muttered.
Shining took the number I'd given him to the library. He showed it to the librarian, who looked like she was about to have heart failure just from seeing the card. She led him through the maze that made up the stacks into a smaller, very old looking room with a hoofful of books.
"I ... didn't know this section of the library existed..." Shining said in awe.
"It doesn't," the librarian muttered darkly. "Your book is that one there, if you touch any of the others, we're not liable for any curses or possession you may encounter." She quickly left.
Shining gently scooted a spider out of the way and blew the dust off the red leather bound volume. The Lonely God: Comparative Mythology of Arachnos the Weaver by Shadowed Quill.
Curiosity burning, he cracked it open to the Preface:
"The best kind of lie is that which is based almost completely in truth. What we call Mythology may have been early creature's ways of speaking universal truths we have since lost, forgotten, or denied. The book you are holding is one of only two copies in this universe, and the other is inaccessible. It is the result of one pony's lifetime of near obsession, and a desire to separate the Myth from the Fact, when they were not in fact the same thing. I tried telling Shadowed to get a better hobby, but he refused. I did not want this book published, and could have destroyed it and him, but relented and allowed the two copies to exist.
I have many names and many faces on many worlds across this soap bubble I built. I am a God to some, a Demon to others. Many have spent their lives going nearly insane in an attempt to figure out who I am and why I do what I do. There's so much I will never tell. You, my dear Pony reader, would call me Arachnos the Weaver, though even in the history of Equestria I have had other, worse names and faces.
While these are retellings of myths surrounding me on the world of Equus, Shadowed did his work well, and they are all in fact true, if at times exaggerated. I ask that you reserve whatever judgment you have for me and my deeds until the last page.
-Arachnos. Demiurge."
Shining blinked. "Wait. The Weaver is real?!" He turned to the Introduction:
"How do we as his creations judge a god? Though the Weaver always heavily insists he is in fact not a god, in terms of power, there's very little difference. The oldest stories of him have been lost to time, and whatever his origins, multiple versions exist, many no doubt created by him to throw us off the truth.
These things we know for certain: The Weaver created our own small universe, and reigns supreme in it. He is from somewhere else, and older than time. His power is nearly limitless. His acts have been the greatest of good and the most horrific of evil. Above all else, the Weaver is a troubled soul, who simply wishes to be left alone rather than worshipped."
Shining read on.
"There are thousands of versions of the creation story of our world across the various cultures that live on it. Whatever his motives or method, the Weaver created our world almost at the end of his creation of our universe.
Some say he created us as his playthings, and others maintain that we are his favorite world, and each species holds a special place to him. More obscure stories that have been deemed heresy claim that our world and universe are in fact a test for the Weaver, placed upon him by a being even he knows nothing about, and that he does not know the nature of the test as well.
He has shaped the history of every species and country in the history of Equus, sometimes subtly, sometimes not. He has been a nurturing father figure or a wrathful burning flame."
The book continued with various creation stories from across the world, and then led into stories of my shaping early history. As Shining continued reading a specific section really caught his attention.
"No creature is an island, no matter how much we may wish to be. The same holds true for even the Weaver. Though most living things are all too temporary to him, he does indeed have a family. Of sorts."
There was an illustration of a long, noodley creature that looked like someone had put several creatures in a blender, pushed "puree" and stuck the best bits together.
"Perhaps the Weaver's most famous, or infamous, offspring is Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. If we would call the Weaver a god, his son would be a demigod.
"There are many stories surrounding Discord and his deeds, and in nearly all of them he is painted as the villain in our history. He has certainly caused a great deal of pain and suffering in early Equestrian history. Discord's motives for doing so are known only to him, but perhaps causing misery is simply a part of his nature."
Shining was staring at the illustration of Discord, wondering why he looked so familiar, until he realized he'd seen a statue of Discord. A statue that Maroon Flask spoke to like a child that could still hear him. His blood chilled.
"No," Shining muttered. He turned the page. There was an illustration of the two Princesses giving Discord a taste of the Painbow as he turned to stone. "They ... they wouldn't!" Shining shouted.
The next page was even more horrifying. It was prehistoric Pony art of a group of living shadowy nightmares that were partly skeletal, with teeth like razors and red horns. They were hunting Ponies.
"What if our Inner Demons could live outside our minds? What if our nightmares walked into the waking world? Ponies were not the first living creatures to walk Equestria. Though "living" is perhaps the wrong word for the first beings to inhabit the northernmost corner of our country. Every living thing has an innate fear of the dark that can at times seem irrational, but it isn't. In the earliest days of Pony society, nightmares made real could use any shadow in the world as a door to any other shadow. Even in broad daylight, a horde could pour into your village with no warning and consume everything as they broke your mind for their enjoyment.
"After these creatures were apparently banished, parents would still tell stories to their children of these fiends to frighten them into good behavior. Nearly every story of them has since been lost to time, but we call them-" The book was old enough that whatever their name was was now illegible.
Shining continued reading. From there the stories were tamer, such as the founding of Labyrinthos or trickster stories from Zebrica.
Then it got to the Mare in the Moon.
"A figure we know even less about than the Weaver. By some accounts, the two were once great friends. Other accounts state that the Mare in the Moon was once an Alicorn similar to Princess Celestia, jealous of her sister's glory. What must Celestia feel if that is true? What must the Weaver? To lose a friend is difficult, but to lose a sister to her inner darkness must be unbearable. Every night, to look up and see a scar in the night sky that reminds you of your failures..."
"As to what the Weaver has done, or where he has been in the centuries since the Mare became trapped on the Moon, only he can say..."
Shining put the book back on the shelf, not noticing the spider waving him goodbye. He was ... well, "In shock" wasn't a strong enough phrase. His entire world and worldview had turned upside down.
"So ... he's saying he's the Weaver?" Shining asked himself, not caring that he was talking to himself.. Shining knew who Arachnos was, but he was more of a story than a person! For Maroon to say he was the Weaver, well, he'd be insane. He'd essentially be saying he was God. Celestia wouldn't let somebody that unhinged teach children. This required further research...
Shining glanced around the locker room. Most of the guards in here were his seniors. What's the worst that could happen, he'd look crazy?
Shining cleared his throat. "Uh. Have any of you ever heard the name Arachnos?"
"We don't talk about Arachnos," the older guards all said in unison.
Shining blinked. "Wait ... he's real?!"
The guard next to him slammed his locker closed, glaring at Shining. "Oh, he's real. And he wrecks EVERYTHING."
Another guard said, "He's twelve feet tall, and is crawling with spiders!"
A third added, "He's got like a hundred eyes that stare into your soul. And he's utterly insane."
The leader of Shining's unit nodded. "My great-grandfather was second-in-command of the entire royal guard. He knew Arachnos personally and considered him a friend. He even invited the Weaver to his wedding. He and his wife came out for their dance and Arachnos started bleeding out of all of his eyes. Ten seconds later, a bunch of clouds swoop in out of nowhere and pelt everypony with hail and lightning and thunder. The wedding was ruined, and everypony had to run for it! Arachnos didn't show his face for 3 years after that."
"He's got the Princess hypnotized or something, none of us know why she hasn't sent him to Mares or something for all the trouble he causes! If you're a part of the Royal Guard in Canterlot, sooner or later, you'll meet him, unless you're lucky and he just stays away for your entire lifespan. That's pretty rare though. We've got a whole day of training devoted to him."
"How to fight him?" Shining asked.
The room brook into hysterical laughter. "No, that's suicide. He's not violent normally, but if you did have to fight him, all you could really do was lay down and pray he'd make it quick and painless. Luckily if he's in a good mood and you ask him to leave you alone, he will. He's more of a really frightening pest than a danger, but if he ever snaps, we are all completely doomed. We more teach how to deal with him on the mental side of things instead of the physical."
Shining wasn't happy with that, but it made sense. He didn't sleep much the next week, pouring his free time into more research and winding up in the backrooms of the internet.
He discovered that Arachnos actually had a coat of arms in Equestria. It was relatively simple, a 4-paneled shield with a gold border and a scroll. At the top center of the shield was a stylized spider, and at the bottom center was a golden ball of yarn with knitting needles stuck into it above a flowing scroll which read, "Weave & Warp."
The upper left panel had a glass of chocolate milk and a fluffy pink cloud over a blue, yellow, and pink striped background.
The upper right panel had a red pawprint over a grey background.
The lower left panel had a depiction of the planet Equus in front of a golden spider web.
The lower right panel was just a pure black void.
Shining spotted something, squinted, and zoomed in on the image. They were hard to make out as they were tiny and almost the same color gold, but there were letters hidden in the gold border that surrounded the main body.
Shining spent a few minutes figuring out what order they should be read in and figured out that it was in Pony Latin. His Pony Latin was rusty, to put it mildly, and he didn't want to bother Dusk with it. Luckily, there was a Pony Latin to Ponish translator just a click away.
Shining's blood ran cold at the translation, "I break those around me, those spared are very few."
Shining came into my classroom on the lunch break, mane frayed and dark circles under his eyes.
I was busy playing with a spider. Before I could get a word out he asked, "Are you evil?"
I blinked. "That's a little bit of a personal question... Figure it out?"
He nodded. "I was convinced that you are either insane or a blasphemer, but it actually makes sense that you're the Weaver."
I grinned. "The correct answer is 'D: All of the above...' As to if I'm evil..." I thought and glanced down at the spider in my hooves. "I hated spiders when I was a child..."
"Aren't they your sacred animal?"
I nodded. "Sure, now. But they reminded me of ... memories I'd like to undo." I held out the arachnid for Shining to inspect. "Most intelligent creatures have an irrational fear of spiders, due to the fact that some of them are poisonous, and they have an alien-looking physiology. They're really quite fascinating. For one thing, they're deaf. The can't hear, they experience the world through vibrations, not sound. Which is why their webs are so useful. They also can't see more than about a foot around them. Which is an impressive distance given how small so many of them are. They can also see in a nearly 360° sphere around them.
"They're also rather stupid. Pretty basic predatory cunning, but not much else. They are absolutely cannibalistic, but a mother spider will go to extraordinary lengths to protect her young. If you tear down a spider's web, it will simply spend days making a new one. They protect the natural world from being overrun by insects and other vermin. Some of the larger species will happily take on a snake for lunch and win, though that's in places like Oatstralia." I chuckled. "Can you tell I tried to research away my fear and gave myself LOTS of exposure therapy? ... I suppose these days I feel a kinship with them."
"So ... what you're saying is that you're not evil, but ponies think you are..."
I shrugged. "Not just ponies, it's a big planet and universe. I'm the sort of person who will spend 15 minutes carefully untangling a bee from a spider's web, who cries if I take a spider outside only for it to instantly be eaten by another spider, who feeds all of the stray pets in my neighborhood, and who can't bear to see any living or even undead thing in pain. That said, I invented necromancy. I've never actually killed anyone besides one person, but I don't mind people thinking I have a body count in the billions. I've done horrible things, Shining. ... And yes, I do wreck everything I touch."
"So why teach here?"
I chuckled. "Let's just say I've looked ahead at the script of Equestria's future, and your family has a role to play that would astonish you. Dusk ... reminds me of myself, and I wanted to help him to turn out better than I did. And as introverted as he is, he has. Spike's gift for magic was a surprise, but given who I am, I do know quite a bit about Dragon magic, and Dragon Lords..."
"And me?" Shining asked.
I grinned. "Let's just say that being a Knight in Shining Armor will help you go a long way very quickly on the road to happiness. I would just appreciate it if ... when you meet a shady chapter of Equestria's history ... don't kill him too hard. Because speaking from experience, just because you come back from dying doesn't mean it didn't HURT." Seeing Shining's confused look, I sighed. "It'll make sense if it happens, but if I tell you, it probably won't."
Shining sighed wearily. "I guess you have a point..."
I grinned. "Most people need me to prove I'm the Weaver. I'm amazed you just accepted it."
"Proof would help, just so I know you don't have a god complex..."
"Ah. A god complex is a belief you can do no wrong, to oversimplify. Actually thinking you're god is filed under 'delusions of grandeur.' ... My friends growing up all bonded in part because we were every flavor of neurodivergent, so mental health is important to me. Hmm... How do you prove you're a Demiurge? I'm open to suggestions."
Shining rolled his eyes. "Just something only the Weaver could do..."
"Well, since you've asked so nicely..." You all meet in a tavern... I snapped my fingers. There was a flash of dark light and the sound of a hole being punched in the universe.
Shining groaned and opened his eyes. The smell of ale hit his nose, which wrinkled from the assault. He could hear nearby chatter, though he couldn't make out the words, as well as the sound of clinking glasses, a fireplace, and ... a lute?
Once the blurs around him solidified into actual shapes, Shining saw that he was indeed in a tavern. He was wearing a chainmail shirt and had a large sword slung across his back.
An earth pony stallion with thick green fur and tusks waved at Shining. Shining realized it was an Orc. He glanced to the bar and yelped.
I was there in my liontaur Draconequus form, polishing a glass and wearing a bowtie, playing the part of the barkeep. I gave him a friendly wave.
Shining headed over. I grinned. Welcome to the World Serpent Inn. May I take your order? The food is free, but the drinks aren't, though as you're still underage...
Shining nodded. "OK, I'm convinced. Please take me back!"
I snapped my fingers again, and we were back in my class with no time having passed. ... Please don't tell your brothers who I really am, it would lead to ... complications.
Shining sighed. "Not an easy secret to keep."
No, but please. I'm begging you. I'll tell them when the time comes, just not now.
Shining nodded. "All right. If you put it that way. Keep in mind that if you cause trouble, I'll kick your flank, I don't care how strong you are..."
Then I'm in your debt...
"Just remember to eat, OK? Apparently this body needs it..."
I nodded with a smile.
Even though he wasn't a student at the school, I was able to finagle Shining's being allowed to join the O&O club.
He gave Celestia a favorable report of my eating habits, and so was finally allowed to stop watching over me and get back to proper Royal Guard duties. Funnily enough, he never asked me to show him the future again, but the two of us parted friends, which is better than how most of my relationships parted. We even promised to keep in touch.
It had been 3 years. Dusk was now 13, and would be in my class next year, and I had a certain promise to live up to.
"Why are we going into the Everfree?" Time Turner asked nervously.
No one ever comes here, so it's the perfect place to hide something...
I pulled aside a bush, and we were in a clearing. I carefully unfolded a pinch in space to show a mostly healed crater. In it was a blue police box.
I gave a theatrical flourish. Ta-da! Happy Graduation! I got you the Universe...
He blinked. "You got me a ... phone box. I didn't know they still made those."
Trust me, they don't make them like this anymore. After you...
"We won't both fit!"
Just trust me...
The TARDIS had been locked, but the door opened for Time Turner when he tried it. He headed in, and I squeezed after him.
Time Turner was staring in shock at the console room. "Oh. My ... GOD!" he shouted
Yes? I oozed.
"It's bigger ... On the inside ... than it is ... on the outside?!"
You've certainly grasped the essentials, I replied
"My entire understanding of physical space has been transformed! Three-dimensional Euclidean geometry has been torn up, thrown in the air and snogged to death! My grasp of the universal constants of physical reality has been changed forever..." Time Turner finished dramatically.
I chuckled. Thank you, Peter Capaldi for being such a ham...
"What?"
Nothing. Did I mention it's a time machine?
"WHAT?!"
Oh, just hold onto something. Allons-y! I shouted as I flipped the main switch. She roared to life, thrilled to be taking a trip after all this time.
Time Turner did indeed hold on for dear life. In a few minutes it was done. I flipped a few other switches. Try the door, I said with an excited grin.
Nervously, he did, and his breath was taken away. "Oh, my..."
No matter how many times you see that view, it never stops amazing you...
"And this is traveling in time?"
Nah. That was just a short jump in space. This this traveling in time...
One more switch did the trick. Time Turner stared openmouthed as the universe rushed backwards in front of him.
The galaxies shrank further into themselves as the TARDIS gave a shuddering groan. You can do it...
Eventually there wasn't any more time to travel through, and we ground to a halt. I pointed. See that little red star way off there? I'm there right now, just having made this universe.
I handed Time Turner a wrapped package. He opened it to find a large, heavy book full of tiny Circular Gallopfreyan. The cover read, "TARDIS Type 40 Owner's Manual."
Please don't throw that into a supernova! I begged.
"Why would I throw it into a supernova?!"
You might disagree with it... I pressed a button, and a holographic map of the universe filled the console room, orbiting gently. I rubbed all six paws together with glee. So. All of time and space to choose from, where do you want to start?
I didn't just hurl Time Turner into the void and say Good luck. I spent months traveling with him, informing him of various dangers to be found across the universe. I absolutely informed him that just because he could regenerate, he was not by any means immortal. I told his adoptive father what he was getting into as well. Both of us made Time Turner swear to not travel too far or too often until he got older, and to avoid certain times and places I warned him about.
I made quite a few mental notes to check up on his present and future selves to see how he was progressing.
A year later, Dusk excelled in my class, the same as he did in all of his classes. I wasn't surprised, I just had to remind him to let the other students answer some of the questions so that they could learn it, since he already clearly knew it.
I was neither surprised nor hurt by the fact he chose to not continue to advanced potions, as he was choosing to focus on pretty much every other area of magic instead.
A year after Dusk had gone through my class, he was 15, and it was 5 years before the thousand years had passed and all Hell would be coming home again...
I was walking through the streets of Canterlot and was so distracted the city around me that I didn't see a stallion until I'd crashed into him.
We were both knocked back onto our hindquarters, rubbing our heads. "I am so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to ..." My voice trailed off. He'd said exactly the same thing.
The stallion was staring at me in shock, and then in recognition. He looked like an Earth Pony, but I recognized the Wanderer on sight. I grinned sheepishly. Well, this is hockward, I said in my "God" voice.
That joke's pretty untimely, he replied. I helped ... me ... up to his hooves. We circled each other.
"So that's what my mane looks like from the back!" I said in amazement. I'd never checked back when I was the Wanderer.
Wait. If I was visiting myself as the Wanderer, that meant I had used the TARDIS from Galloprey, which meant it wasn't wiped from the timeline? NO. Don't hope, never hope...
"You look like a teacher," he said uncertainly.
"Spoilers," I replied with a grin.
He shook his head. "What are the odds I'd go time traveling and wind up crashing into myself?"
"You'd have to ask the TARDIS," I said, trying to sound casual.
"Mind if I ask what my current alias is?"
"Maroon Flask," I replied. "It's surprisingly workable as a pony name."
He gestured at the city around us. "This is not what I was expecting! It's ... I don't know..."
"Too modern?" I said with a grin. "It was a surprise, but it's not that bad in all honesty. Don't try to change anything, I like things the way they are now. Just let things happen on their own. Anyway, we've reached the point in the conversation where I say you shouldn't explore too much, so you should probably hop back into the TARDIS and head back. Interfering with the future, you know."
"Of course I remember this conversation perfectly," I said with an eye roll.
"Yeah, perfect memory isn't as fun as it sounds. Best of luck. Be you in ... oh, about five billion years. Have fun!"
"Couldn't I just see a bit more?"
"NO. Trust me, it's for the best."
He sighed. "All right, all right. Try not to get hit by a car!"
"What's it going to do, kill me?" I said with an evil grin.
He growled, "Still too soon," and headed back the way he'd come ... possibly to the TARDIS.
I wasn't sure what to think. I could have asked him, but he would have asked things I didn't want to reveal either.
One year to go. At the beginning of the year, I made an appointment to speak privately with Celestia, since the just popping in when I felt like it was rude.
"So. You excited? Nervous?" I asked.
"Yes. How will this work?"
I fished a scrap of paper out of my coat pocket. "Oh, trust me, I've been working on this. There's a way to counteract the Element's work, but it will bring Nightmare Moon back, not Luna. Luckily, I think there are some new Bearers already taking their positions, even if they don't know it," I said, thinking about my previous visits. I'd only visited a few of them, but things seemed to be headed in that direction.
Celestia examined a remarkably simple spell. "This ... will bring her back?"
"Yes, with a slight hitch. The spell requires Love. I am ... very fond of your sister, but I don't love her in the required way. You do. I've got a plan; you're just going to hate it."
"What do I have to do?"
"For starters, Dusk Shines needs friends ... and you have to get foalnapped." |
After Death, Creation | The Return of Old Friends... | The Summer Sun Celebration wasn't the next day, so I had a while. Celestia and I rehearsed every step of my quite frankly insane plan. She was understandably upset by the fact that for all the time I'd had to work on this, I only had a few basic contingencies in case it all went wrong.
To her surprise, I wanted to stay on as a teacher even after Dusk graduated, at least for a few years. I said I liked the work, which was true, and that it gave me a reason to get out of bed in the mornings, again true.
Celestia's eyes narrowed. "You're plotting something, aren't you?"
"Who, me?!" I asked in shock, radiating pure innocence. The extra halo was probably overdoing it. She snorted, but let it pass.
Dusk had turned out ... exactly the way I'd hoped he hadn't, which was to say he absolutely matched canon. I don't think he had a single friend aside from his brothers, and to make it worse, I don't think he even noticed he didn't. These days I hardly saw him without his muzzle stuck in a book.
Spike walked into my office with a downcast look. "H-hello?" There was a thump from inside a cupboard. He nervously opened it.
"Ah. Hello there," I said cheerfully, my head upside down from his perspective. "Would you mind closing your eyes and covering your ears for a second? This can be ... unsettling to watch."
He did, and with a few cracks and pops I unfolded as I made my way out of the cupboard. "You can look now," I said loudly enough for him to hear, but still trying not to spook him.
Spike glanced at the dark, small space I'd been contorted into. "How do you fit in there?!"
"One piece at a time."
"... Do you not have bones?"
"Eh, bones are weird. I'm just pretty flexible, and I've had a lot of practice. As a foal my favorite place to play was the cabinet under my mother's bookshelf, and to this day I still like squeezing into tight dark places. It's comforting, as weird as it is. What can I do for you?"
Spike sighed. "Dusk ... didn't need me again today. So, I'm just on my own, while he works through a stack of books that almost goes to the ceiling. I don't want to go home in case he does need me, but ... I'm bored."
"If you think about it, it's actually amazing that we've invented boredom when we live in a place full of such amazing wonders and terrors, but yes, that's absolutely relatable. Are you asking to spend the day with me?"
"I guess. ... I don't have a lot of friends either."
I blinked. "We're friends?"
"Yeah! ... Wait, you didn't know that?"
"No, I didn't. Thank you, Spike, that means ... more than you could know. Well, since you're spending the day with creepy old me, then I can show you my favorite obsession," I said with a toothy grin.
"Uh..."
"It's nothing bad. Once you get over your brain exploding, it's actually REALLY fun!"
"Uh ... I would STRONGLY advise you to not play a spellcaster your first time," I said with growing concern. "In the first place it adds like six more layers of complexity and stuff to remember, and in the second place they are FRIGHTENINGLY squishy. Seriously, a cat could sneeze on you, and you'd die at first level."
"I'm sure Garbunkle will be fine!" Spike replied.
"Wait ... Garbunkle?"
"Yeah? Something wrong with that name?"
I smiled. "No. It's a good name. ... So, Garbunkle the Enchanter. All right. It's been a while since I've done a one-on-one, I can usually bribe two companions of mine into playing. OK. 1 player, first level, full-caster so extra squishy, good Constitution score though, just need to tone my sinister plot down so I don't kill you, shouldn't do anything too traumatic, and..." I set the pencil I'd been scribbling with down. "That should do. So, Garbunkle, are you prepared to enter the world of Ogres and Oubliettes?"
Shining's lesson had stuck, I was actually eating in the cafeteria one day when I noticed a small filly alone by herself. Something about her seemed ... off. Again, not something I liked to do, and probably an act of evil without permission, but I gently probed her mind. The table snapped under my grip.
"Uh, are you OK?" Silver Quill, the Ponish teacher asked me.
"Fine," I croaked. "Just need to pick an appropriate mask. Please excuse me, I need to go boil my eyes."
"Wait, what?" Silver Quill asked in confusion as I headed off.
It was four minutes past midnight. A stallion sat up panting and sweating as a nightmare trickled out of his memory. Whatever it was had been awful ... and it wasn't over yet...
Some ... thing was on top of him, pinning him down. It was bipedal but stretched far too thin. It was covered in shaggy black fur. Its head was just a fleshless skull. Long, thin arms lead up to the stallion's neck. Lengthy claws were wrapped around his neck. Just gently enough to inform the stallion that they were there, though he got the impression that this thing could snap his neck with ease. The monster's right hand was a bloody red from fur to the tips of his claws. Eyeless, lightless sockets were staring into the stallion's soul and putting marks around the parts it didn't like.
I've removed your voice and soundproofed the room so there's no point in screaming, it rasped. It paused to let that sink in. I don't handle being around children well, it said evenly, without any malice, Ironic given my current career. However, if you give your daughter another reason to fear you, if she ever flinches from anything you do to her or a memory of how you treat her, I will let something out of my head to hunt you down. It will scoop out your insides and wear your skin like a suit. And it will be a better you, so nopony will notice or care that you're gone. Nod if you understand! it snarled.
He frantically nodded.
Good. And believe me, I am going to have eyes on you at all times for the next few years. Have a good night. I'll be watching. It snapped its fingers and disappeared.
The stallion turned over and screamed into his pillow to avoid waking his daughter.
To my surprise, Dusk's family invited me to his graduation, since I'd been his teacher and was friends with his brothers.
It was filled with about as much Pomp and Circumstance as any other high school graduation (Those poor cellists...) but you could manage to survive it. I was pulled back to memories of practicing my graduation, when every single time a student passed out from the heat because we were going to make it perfect no matter how much we had to suffer.
Luckily Canterlot wasn't where I grew up, so that wasn't a worry. To no one's surprise Dusk graduated with about every single honor there was.
Just a week later, Shining got a graduation ceremony of his own, though it was to be made Captain of the Royal Guard. Celestia knighted him with the grace and dignity the ceremony required. It was hilarious to see just how smitten Cadence was with Shining in his uniform. She still let out a small squeak of terror whenever she laid eyes on me...
I hung near the back, not wanting to get in the way. When the floods of well-wishers had stemmed a bit, Shining trotted over to me. "May I speak to you in private?" I nodded and he led me to a small chamber. "So. As the head of the Canterlot Chapter of the Royal Guard, I'm supposed to know about current threats to our national security. You absolutely qualify."
I sighed. "I'm perhaps the biggest potential threat, yes. I try not to think about what would happen if I went evil." Again, I mentally added. "Was there some point to that?"
Shining slashed his sword near where my head had been a second ago. "FIGHT ME!" he shouted with a playful grin.
"Uh..."
"Oh. I mean holding back, obviously, don't wipe me out of existence or kill me."
A look of horror passed across my face before it came back and set up camp for the night. "You would be AMAZED what you can live through, or how many of your organs can be made redundant in an emergency. Including large parts of your brain. And 'alive' doesn't mean 'living' it just means you have exactly enough brain activity to have a pulse or have machines doing it for you. It even counts for a brain in a jar. Please narrow down your instructions."
"Oh. When you put it like that..."
I sighed. "If it helps, give me instructions the same way you would a computer. I will wind up doing exactly what you tell me to do to the letter of what you say, no more, no less. And like with a computer, if you accidentally leave an important instruction out..." I let that sentence hang for emphasis.
"Got it..." Shining gave me much more detailed instructions on how to not harm, maim, mutilate, scar, dismember, kill, or otherwise endanger him beyond the bounds of a friendly sparring match.
"OK, that was honestly a bit too much, but I appreciate it. Obviously repair your fragile mortal body so you don't start work tomorrow with busted ribs or worse, and have us back before anypony notices we're gone?" He nodded. I chuckled. "Well, I mean, there's a school of thought that says you don't truly know someone until you've fought them, but this is just a national security check, right? Not because you've wanted to do this ever since you found out who and what I was?"
"Stop reading my mind!" Shining huffed.
"Didn't have to," I said with a grin. I snapped my fingers.
Shining blinked and found himself in a gladiatorial arena that was definitely not part of standard Canterlot architecture. If he was still in Canterlot. Or even on Equus. He glanced nervously at large doorways that were blocked by portcullises. "Lions aren't going to come out of there and attack me, are they?"
Ha. No. Though technically, I am half lion and know how to use the claws... Shining turned and saw Maroon Flask unfold into my Draconequus form, the lower of which was indeed a lion. I stretched. Ah~ It's cramped being a pony for months on end... Shining shuddered. Uh, sorry, I tried to shapeshift in the least body-horror way I could...
"It wasn't that, that form is just ... creepy."
I smiled. Thank you. It was supposed to be. I just ... got attached to it. I don't really have a true form, but this is probably my favorite. It's the wings, right? I didn't do those, they just ... happened. Can I offer you a weapon? Sword? Daggers? Lance? Laser Pistol? Lightsaber? Gone? Anti-life Equation?
"Wait, you know that?"
I'll never tell...
Shining sighed. "I get the feeling no matter what weapon I use it won't make a difference, but sword, please."
I nodded and a brand-new sword materialized beside him. You can't kill me for very long, and I agreed to not kill you, so ... first to yield? I suggested. Shining nodded.
Shining then very slowly, very hesitantly levitated the sword over and gently poked me with the tip. My mouth dropped open. Oh, no! Not my secret vulnerable point! I said with horror before I dramatically dropped dead. I chuckled and stood back up. For reference, I have been stabbed, shot, poisoned, frozen, electrocuted, burned, beheaded, starved, been reduced to free-floating atoms, been crushed by a falling outhouse, and have jumped into black holes for fun. I wouldn't have agreed to this if I couldn't handle pointy objects, I said, driving the sword through my heart with a wet squelch. Shining flinched. I snapped my fingers, and it appeared back by him, blade cleaned and the hole in my chest gone. Hit me if you can... I finished with a taunting grin.
Shining's eyes narrowed at that, and he charged forwards. I effortlessly dogged it. *what? you think I'm just going to stand there and take it?
Shining growled and swung again. Hey, I nearly felt that one! I said with a grin. The blade swung through where my head had been a second before.
Shining began to chase me, growing more and more furious. Swing. I held a rose out to him with a grin. Swing. I was waving a red cape. Swing. I was laying on my side with my chin on my hand in a "draw me like one of your Prench mares" pose with a Cheshire Cat grin.
Shining was panting. "How are you so fast?!"
I sprang and tackled him, and we tumbled over a few times before I pinned him. Well, do you really think it has anything to do with my muscles? I climbed off of him. I gave a leisurely stretch. My turn, I said with a smile that made Shining's blood freeze.
Hmm ... What to do? I held up the rose from a moment before and began to pluck petals as I thought up ideas. Thunderbolts? Lightning? Snakes? Ice?
Shining's eyes widened in horror. "You swore you wouldn't harm me!"
I did, yes. I'm a demon of my word, after all. Oh! Got it!
Shining yelped as minute rainbow fireballs began to rain down, missing him by a hair's breadth. "Hey!" he shouted.
You aren't harmed yet, I pointed out. Give me a minute, I'm working on it. If I genuinely wanted to hurt you, I'd just sing.
"That bad, huh?" Shining teased.
I gave a six-armed shrug. Eh, I've been told I have a nice voice, I just can't match pitch to save my life. My poor choir teacher ... I did enjoy it though. Hey, stop me if you've heard this one before... A priest, a rabbi, and a minister-
"Wait, what?"
Oh. Right. Shining teleported behind me and tried again to behead me; I ducked out of the way. Thanks for cutting me off there. Sometimes I forget the point of what I'm doing... My best ideas tend to bomb...
Something exploded in Shining's face, temporarily blinding him.
Still, life made certain to teach me to always be mindful of the gravity of a situation.
Shining could only manage to scream as he rocketed into the sky. He glanced down at the city shrinking away below him. Yep, that definitely wasn't Canterlot. He was miles above the ground. He began to feel woozy from lack of oxygen as he plummeted back the way he'd come. He crashed back into the arena, leaving a perfectly Shining shaped hole in the ground.
We can suffer crushing defeats, but it's important to stay grounded.
Shining pulled himself out of the hole and glared. "I'm begging you. Please. Stop."
But I'm just getting warmed up! Fire streaked towards Shining; he was just able to dodge it. You really want me to put a sock in it? A boxing glove sailed past him. Am I bugging you that much? A roach skittered past his legs.
Shining gave a growl that belonged to a large predator, not a Pony. Magenta lightning sparked along his horn.
He gave a scream of pure fury at both the fact he hadn't landed a single blow and the atrocious puns and disappeared.
Shining didn't know what he had expected. But he was surprised to find himself in a city. He didn't recognize it; the architecture was a lot more blocky and less colorful than anything on Equus. It was nighttime and freezing. His breath was crystalizing in front of him. It was pitch black, and foggy. He glanced up and couldn't see the sky, just dark fog clouds with a band of light pollution along the horizon. Way off in the distance were flashes of red lightning.
"He-hello?" he called, suddenly nervous.
"Woah! Tall, bright, heroic, and looks good enough to eat? You are certainly ticking my boxes..." a voice purred.
Shining turned around and whimpered. He couldn't actually see them, and for that he was grateful. They were ponies. Maybe. Alicorns? All he could make out were large shadowy shapes. They were stallions, and slightly larger than the Princess. They had curved, almost wicked-looking horns, and ... were those ... butterfly wings? In some of their eyes were red lights like distant stars, though those would periodically wink out and reappear. The edges of their bodies seemed to blur like smoke.
Shining did a quick headcount, there were 25 of them, and he didn't want to fight one.
The one who had spoken said, "Dang. I could bounce a coin off those flanks. What's your workout routine? I'm mostly bone, but I'm a quick learner!"
Another of them sighed wearily. "Forget it, Madness, only straight guys wear that brand of cologne."
"Oh."
Yet another snickered before saying, "Hey, Plunder, do you want to plunder that boot- OW! HEY! NO BITING BROTHERS!" he snarled.
"What ... are you?" Shining asked, filled with a fatal level of curiosity.
"Shadows, searching in the night!" they sang.
"What?"
"You Ponies still communicate mostly through song, right?"
"I guess?" Shining replied.
"Perfect!"
They flowed into a black cloud and lunged at him before they began to rapidly circle around him, leaving him trapped in a swirling smokey tornado.
"Let's try to make it right, don't wanna start a fight
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright
We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight
You'll be so happy just as long as you survive the night
Let's try to make it right, don't wanna start a fight
And we're so sorry if we give you all a little fright
We're not so scary if you see us in the daylight
You'll be so happy just as long as you survive the night
In this world, we play
We hope that you will stay
And we will throw a most
Electrifying soiree
Formal attire is required
For you to take part
You've got some skin that needs
Removing before we start!"
The cylinder of black cloud surrounding Shining stopped the scary song it was singing and was rotating slowly. The occasional limb or bone would momentarily appear.
"We call ourselves the Heirs of Equus, since we were the first intelligent life on your world, and we'll outlast all of you. The Time Lords called us 'Vashta Nerada' which means 'Shadows that Melt the Flesh' since I could strip you to your bones in about 5 seconds. Of course, you Ponies called us-" The ground shook violently. "Oop. Dad's home..."
The cloud flowed away at breakneck speed, though Shining made out distant singing.
"I'll be forever blue
That you gimme no reason
Why you make-a-me work so hard
That you gimme no
That you gimme no
That you gimme no
That you gimme no
Soul, I hear you calling..."
A hand grabbed Shining and forcefully yanked him back Out.
Shining blinked in the suddenly harsh light.
I SURRENDER! I shouted. I gripped his withers with a frightened look. Are you OK?!
"I'm fine."
Unconvinced I gave him a thorough look over, peering into his soul as well. I sighed in relief. You know, I've met ... 5 Wizards who can walk into someone else's mind like that. It's a hellishly impressive bit of magic. You still sure Dusk is the only magical prodigy in the family? I asked with a grin. Remind me to not piss you off again if I can help it. I snapped my fingers and Shining's injuries mended and his energy came back.
"What were those things?" ...
Something you never want to meet. You are incredibly lucky to still be alive, though they do like to play with their food... You're also lucky to be in one piece, my mind would have happily eaten you if it could.
Hmm, you just did this to see how much of a threat I am to Equestria, so ... A planet appeared in the sky above us before it exploded. That sum it up? Shining mutely nodded. Enjoy your party, I think it's best if I leave you alone for a while...
"Do you always ... overdo it like that?"
Usually, yes. I'm old enough and cynical enough to recognize when somecreature is exceptional enough that they actually will grow wings on the way down if I give them the right shove off the right roof. I'm sorry for ... overdoing it. Like always.
"You can ... come back too. If you want," Shining replied with a grin.
Thanks, that means a lot to me. I snapped us back to Equus, but not to the party. I pointed at the sun directly above us. Don't go spreading this around, but I don't like light and heat.It ranges from mentally draining to physically painful for me. Seriously, just stick a strobe light in my face and I'll be curled up in the fetal position. I snapped my fingers. There, I temporarily got rid of most of my magic. I figured after all I've put you through I owe you one fair shot at me. You can punch me; Lord knows I deserve it. Just don't maim me or anything.
Shining raised an eyebrow and gave me a hesitant look. "Are you sure?"
I nodded and spread my arms. Yep! No tricks, no mirrors, nothing up the sleeves I'm not wearing, you've always wanted to fight me, so I'll let you actually land a blow.
Shining gave a grin that made me nervous before throwing a heckuva punch. I clutched my stomach and collapsed, groaning in pain. "Wow. You're a bit of glass cannon..." Shining commented.
Without my magic, I'm basically useless, I confirmed. Let's get you back to your party, Captain. Again, I'm really sorry for overdoing it.
"I get a feeling that's pretty mild for you," Shinning admitted.
You have no idea... I said, standing up.
"Woah!"
What's up?
"All of your eyes are ... bleeding ..." Shining said nervously. "I didn't think I'd hit you that hard!"
I chuckled. Oh. Nothing to worry about. You should see me at weddings... It looks horrifying, but it isn't remotely harmful or painful for me. Unless you count the emotional damage that caused it...
"I still don't get how someone who can build an entire universe and do what you can do doesn't qualify as a god..."
I sighed and slit one of my wrists with a claw. Golden liquid briefly dripped out before the wound instantly healed. Shining looked understandably traumatized by that. Generally speaking, Gods don't bleed, I said matter-of-factly. No blood to bleed with. Sorry for scarring you even more, but that's really the best demonstration I have.
Shining nodded, getting the point, even if I'd shown it in a gory way. With that, we returned to his party.
I was surprised to find Spike knocking at my door early one morning. "Hey, what's up?" I asked the young Drake.
He sighed wearily. "Dusk has his head buried in books all day today, and Shining is busy at the barracks. Could I hang with you today?"
"Huh. I didn't think I was your next option after family. Sure, I'd love to. Forgive the mess, I don't usually have guests. Come on in!"
Spike headed in. "This is the time of day I usually wind my clocks. I know it's a little boring, but you're welcome to help! We could watch some TV, play a board game, or some Ogres and Oubliettes!" Or we could go out and have some fun, Canterlot isn't entirely made up of snooty aristocrats..."
Spike chuckled. He'd heard rumors this house was haunted and while it couldn't be called tidy, it looked homey. There were stacks of paper and books everywhere, and various crafts-in-progress. He also spotted the charred and twisted remains of what might have once been a violin in another life.
There was indeed a grandfather clock in the hall, ticking loudly. The pendulum looked more like an axe blade than a clock's pendulum though. It looked like something out of a horror film.
As I was winding it, Spike noticed something on the mantle. It looked like a cube, but it was blurry. He rubbed his eyes. No, still blurry. It was like he couldn't quite see what it actually was. "What is that?"
"Oh, it's a tesseract," I said.
Spike's eyes lit up and he dashed over and picked it up. After a few moments, he let out a disappointed groan.
I chuckled. "A tesseract is just a 4th-dimensional cube. They don't inherently have magical properties or grant superpowers, science fiction and fantasy authors just think it's a cool word, which it is. You're just holding a very fancy sculpture, sorry."
"Oh. Oh, hey! I think I've invented a new spell!" Spike said proudly.
I grinned. "Already, huh? Show me what you've got!"
Spike spread his claws and green fire leaped between them before he began to shape it into something smaller that required more fine control. I bent forward to see the small crystalline shape he was making, before Spike's eyes widened. "Uh, oh... WOOOAAAHHH!!!" He lost control of the spell, which exploded in my face.
Spike came too a few minutes later in the kitchen, his ears ringing. "Oh, no. Professor Flask!"
"I'm not deaf, you don't need to shout."
Spike whirled around and his jaw dropped. There was a very large hole in my chest. He didn't see any blood, bones, or guts though. Instead, it looked like a window into space, with tiny lights that might have been stars, or might have been something entirely other. He could have sworn he saw a black tentacle quickly slither out of view before the hole sealed up. "Close your mouth before something flies into it," I said with a teasing grin.
Spike let out a sob and covered his mouth. "I ... I thought I'd ... You were..."
"You can't kill me, it's OK. My living room will need to be replaced, but that's not a problem. Maybe work on that spell in a more controlled environment. I'd like to see it when it's more stable. You're fine. I'm fine. OK?" Spike slowly nodded.
"Would you like something to drink? I have water, milk, juice, tea, spiders, Mountain Mist-"
"Spiders?" Spike asked in confusion.
I nodded. "Spiders it is then."
"No, wait, that's not what I-" But I was already pouring him a brimming glass of spiders.
I set it down in front of Spike, who let out a whimper at the sight of the arachnids attempting to escape their cylindrical prison. I chuckled and set a second glass down, pouring the first out safely. "In Oatstrailia, 'spiders' is the name for what you'd call a soda or lemonade float. I just never get tired of that joke. Enjoy."
Spike's eyes lit up at the sugar coma in a glass I'd given him before he began to greedily guzzle it down. Once he was done, his eyelids started to droop.
"Hey, I'm going to make up a nest for you to grab a nap, you've had a long morning..." Spike nodded sleepily. He then fell out of the chair. I dove to catch him. "Jeeze..."
I made up a nest of blankets and set Spike down in the middle of it, adding a few stuffed animals. I sighed. "I'm still rubbish with children. Nice to know some things never change... Hopefully I can convince him parts of that were a dream, but I hate gaslighting creatures..." I grumbled.
I don't know if it was the shock, the sugar, or the fact that he was still a growing baby despite his mental age, but Spike slept the rest of the day. I texted the relevant parties, and come sundown, there was a knock at my door.
I gently shook the sleeping Drake. "Hey," I said gently. "Your brothers are here..."
Spike bolted to the door and into Dusk's embrace. I'd had to pull quite a few strings to get them both to come, but it was worth it.
Shining hung back to walk with me. "Sorry we were both busy." He shot Dusk's back a glare. "Some of us need some more fresh air it seems if we don't notice Spike's missing." He sighed. "I'll talk to them about it. Was he too much trouble?"
I shook my head. "Not at all."
Shining sighed in relief. He was about to say something more when he let out a horrified scream.
I turned and found myself booped against my will. Ah, no wonder ponies didn't like that.
A clown was staring at me with a manic grin and the fires of insanity in his eyes. "Hey, Grumpy-pants, it's a beautiful day outside! Turn that frown upside down!"
I rolled my eyes. I slowly tilted my head to the right and kept right on tilting. With snapping and crunching sounds, my head was soon upside down. I asked the horrified clown, Is this satisfactory? In a deeper version of my "god voice."
He screamed like a filly and ran for his life. I snickered before it quickly devolved into manic laughter. Oh, god, I couldn't remember laughing that much in a long time...
Shining stared in horror. "What is wrong with you?" He finally asked. "Like ... what is actually WRONG WITH YOU?!"
I quickly snapped my head back into place and sighed wearily before I rattled off a list of reference numbers to a book. Shining blinked. "What's that?"
The diagnoses I know about. Besides, it's not like he said "Smile..." Have a good one! I said in a frighteningly chipper tone.
I considered Dusk not carting me away to vivisect me For SCIENCE!!!! within a few days to be a sign that Spike hadn't mentioned my blatant immortality. That was ... surprising. But I figured it was fair of me to not mention the fact part of my house was now dimensionally sealed off to avoid the sight of a smoking crater. He was just a baby, just ... an extremely powerful one. Again, Soulsparks usually grow up in the Dragonlands, not a major Pony city...
Speaking of Pony cities, it was time for some reconnaissance...
Now if only I were remotely capable of subtlety...
"Ah, I love the smell of Bits in the morning!" Filth Rich chuckled as he made another sale. That lovely warm feeling of greed put enough of a spring in his step to go and buy himself a cup of coffee.
On his way back, the entrepreneur passed the flower trio's stall. He stopped at an odd sight. Was this some sort of living statue? Another stallion was frozen in front of the stall, staring intently at a rose with an expression of awe. He didn't even seem to be breathing. The flower trio were staring at him nervously, but there weren't any exclamations of, "The horror, the horror!" so it wasn't anything too bad...
"Uh, may I help you?" Filthy asked.
The stallion started, then looked at him. "Oh. Sorry for spacing out there. I just ... it's such an amazing color, isn't it?"
Filthy glanced at the rose. It was ... a rose. Nothing that separated it from billions of others. "Uh, sure."
"I've just ... always wondered what it's like to feel in color, or what colors taste like. I mean, I could ask someone with synesthesia, but even if you can taste color, it tastes different to everyone, so there's no universally correct answer."
Filthy chuckled. He's crazy... the businesspony realized. "So," he said brightly, "what color is they sky on your world?" He meant it as a joke.
"I don't know. It's always night and usually stormy. Plus, I'm normally too busy running to look up..."
Filthy got the impression he was on the edge of an impossibly deep pit, and quickly backtracked before it sucked him in. "Uh. Who are you if you don't mind my asking?"
"Nobody important," the stallion replied.
A third voice cut into the conversation. "Blimey, that's amazing! Do you know, I've never met anyone who wasn't important before..."
The odd stallion gave a laugh mixed with a sob. He turned around and grinned when he saw Time Turner. "What's up Doc?"
"How have you been, Weyan'a?"
"Getting incredibly old, same as always... How are you?"
"Got a day job I love. And ... I might have a special somepony," the Time Lord said with a blush. "It's a bit uncertain, but that adds to the fun. She's ... wonderful. A tiny bit klutzy, but in an endearing way."
Filthy Rich had managed to sneak away while I was distracted. "Well, that's good."
The Doctor shifted nervously. He used his adoptive name as an alias in Ponyville, but by this point he'd firmly accepted who he was. "Uh ... if it ever got to that point, am I," he winced. "Compatible, with a mare?"
I blinked. "Uh, externally you're a stallion, so for the act itself, absolutely. If you're talking about having children, I haven't got a clue. Time Lord DNA is ... interesting. But it's not like trying to crossbreed a mouse with a cantaloupe, you're not that much of a different species from Ponies. There are more similarities than differences, but ... I couldn't say. I'm also not sure if your children would survive, since you don't have lungs and she only has one heart. That would send confusing messages while building a baby. I'm not saying it's impossible, I don't want to crush any hopes. I'm just saying it would be fascinating to see. It's definitely probable, not just possible," I finished with a smile.
The Doctor chuckled. "Well ... I should probably not get ahead of myself anyway. Thanks."
My next sentence was cut off by a horrified scream. On instinct, the Doctor and I both charged in that direction. A very familiar trio of fillies were being menaced by ... something. It had a long serpentine body and looked like someone had stuck various monsters together just to see what would happen, but there the resemblance to Discord ended. For starters, parts of this thing were melting.
HEY! It looked up, recognizing that voice. Its pupils shrank to pinpricks. All five of them.
Prance. December, 907. I'll bet you needed a month of Sundays to regenerate from that. Want to go round two? I asked.
It let out a sound like metal in a blender. I don't care if they're Bite-Sized, I raised you better than that! I snapped. Don't eat food that can talk, sing, or do interpretive dance! It whimpered slightly as the future Cutie Mark Crusaders scrambled away to safety.
I reached up to give it scritches. You're OK, just ... don't eat Ponies, OK? It nodded rapidly. I spotted a toy that had been left behind in the scramble. Good boy... It beamed at the praise and let out happy pants.
I was startled by a horrified scream of, "MY BABY!" I glanced up and saw an Earth Pony filly hurtling towards the ground from a pram while her Pegasus mother looked on in horror.
Several emotions ran through my head before I sighed wearily. "My kids are going to love this town..." I muttered. I dashed towards the falling child and leapt up to catch her before I was slammed into the ground.
Finally, the rest of the adults made it to the scene and spotted a crying filly cradled in a mangled corpse. There was no possible way he wasn't dead; limbs weren't made to bend like that...
They scooped up the filly and just stared. "Should we burry him?" a mare finally asked.
To answer that question, the creature that had been terrorizing the town moments earlier grabbed my corpse and hauled it into the Everfree.
The Doctor watched with his mouth hanging open. He'd seen things most ponies thought only existed in nightmares, but the Everfree gave even him a bad feeling. The entire forest radiated a feeling of, "Stay Away, Danger Here..." It helped that he knew that it was just a constant low-level psychic projection, but it still affected him.
"I wish you wouldn't be so scary just for kicks," the Time Lord sighed, knowing better than to follow me in there.
That evening a thunderstorm swept in unexpectedly, staying located directly over the Everfree.
Apple Bloom shivered in her bed as she listened to the Timberwolves howling.
Her second-oldest brother stroked her mane reassuringly. "Nothin' to worry about," Applejack said, "Jus a thunderstorm. This happens every Zap Apple season, it's just ... not this time. Try an' get some sleep."
Apple Bloom nodded as her brother left her to sleep. A particularly loud crash of thunder caused her to let out a squeak and dive beneath the covers. She stuck her head back out and looked out the window.
She tried to not scream. There was some ... thing on the hill that marked the border of the Apple Family farm. It was gigantic. Its lower half looked like some sort of cat, it had a weird looking upper half with four massive wings and lots of limbs like a spider. A horned head was staring right at her, and a flash of lightning lit up black eyes and showed off eyes in its wings.
Apple Bloom dove beneath the covers again, shaking. A while later something knocked on her bedroom window in a rapid four knock pattern.
"Go away!" the filly shouted.
A pause, and then the same pattern of knocks. Apple Bloom stuck her head out and looked at the window.
A ... face was looking back at her. It looked like a goat's, with white fur and a long red goatee. Long fangs stuck out the corners of its mouth. It had bushy black eyebrows, long black horns and a white horn in the middle of its forehead riddled with holes. Its eyes showed space and stars slowly wheeling by.
It was holding ... a cue card? The card read, "Hi. I'm technically trespassing (please don't sue!) but I have something of yours to return. Would you mind opening the window? I know I'm scary, so I won't come in." It did not remotely pass Apple Bloom's vibe check, but she was curious...
Apple Bloom grabbed a heavy object to hit it with if it tried anything funny and held it up to show the creature. To her surprise, it grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Those teeth screamed "monster..." it was like looking at a shark.
Painfully slowly, Apple Bloom opened the window just a crack. The thing held out a paw and opened it and a rainbow aura formed around its white horn and paw; then the doll Apple Bloom had lost that morning floated into her room and set itself on the floor. A second later, a paper plate covered in foil followed. The filly uncovered it with a stick. It was a plate of still warm chocolate chip cookies.
The filly turned to the monster in the window who had changed cards to one that read, "No, they're not poisoned."
"Are ya reading ma mind?!" The filly snapped.
It grinned and held up the next card in the series. "No, but when you get to be my age, people are ... predictable. Night." Apple Bloom blinked and it was gone.
She sighed. "Ah'm not telling anypony about this..." she groaned. She bit into a cookie and her eyes lit up. "Hey! This is great!"
It was the three days before the Thousandth Summer Sun Celebration. Before dawn, I checked in with Celestia.
Got the spell ready? She nodded. Hey, you've got the hard part, I just have to wake her up, I said with a grin.
"I feel as though I'm tricking my subjects," she said lowly. "Though in all honesty ... I'm not sure if I will be safe with Nightmare Moon. She has good reason to wish me harm. ... Our subjects ... don't even remember Luna," Celestia said lowly. "Every year, I have to put on a happy face and commemorate sending my sister to..." she couldn't finish the sentence.
Then let's get Luna back and remind everypony who she really is. Got that letter for Dusk?
Celestia levitated over the scroll. "I wrote it, but ... it doesn't quite read like me. I would like to think I wouldn't simply dismiss my student's worries..." Her eyes narrowed. "And you just rolled your eyes out loud again."
Sorry.
"Will I be ... dismissive of Dusk?" Celestia said with worry.
Depends on which future we're making, but ... sometimes you can be, yes. Not normally. I tried not to think about Trollestia. Thus far, she'd been a prankster, but not that. You are a wonderful mentor to him.
"And yet it takes a once-in-a-thousand-year's event to get him to get his muzzle out of a book and go make friends," Celestia said drily. "I think I may have failed him in one or two small regards."
Celestia, his family can't make Dusk go get some fresh air! Lord knows I never could when I was his teacher. You are fine. Please don't beat yourself up. ... You really care for him, don't you?
"Well, yes, of course. I don't take on a new protege every year. What's with the grin, do you know something I don't?"
I know lots of things. But ... nothing is set in stone.
"Tell me!"
I laughed. Well, in a rather large number of possible futures ... I become quite sick of the color blue.
"What?"
It's an old rhyme, I believe it carried over to this universe as well. You certainly own plenty of old things and have no shortage of friends to borrow from.
"Must you be so cryptic?" Celestia grumbled.
I grinned. I enjoy it, and if I spoil the future beyond being cryptic, it tends to not happen. The other party ends up negating it by panicking over it. I've even caused things to happen by trying to prevent them. Knowing possible futures isn't as fun as it sounds, if I wasn't already crazy, I certainly would have become so, I finished with a grin.
"Can you even wake her up?"
I shrugged. It was my spell that put her to sleep. ... I meant it as a kindness, but ... it's going to cause her issues. Seeing Celestia's expression, I sighed. I didn't want her to spend a thousand years alone going crazy. I also didn't want her to have nightmares. She's been having the best of dreams for a thousand years running. Dealing with reality after that ... ... And she'll also have trouble telling what is real, I sighed. But, with counseling, she might forgive me. In an eon or two. Maybe. See you tomorrow, then! With that, I bowed out to set my 1,000-year plan into motion.
Even without needing sleep, I was not by nature a morning person, but pre-dawn in Ponyville was a beautiful time of day.
In the Apple Household, everything was not perfectly fine.
"Darn piece of overfangled ... BIG MAC!" Granny Smith shouted as she banged on her television set again. "I don't want to miss my game show tonight, but I'm just picking up a blizzard!"
Big Mac looked at the screen showing a field of static with apprehension as Granny Smith trotted off. While he was the farm's designated fix-it pony, and quite good at it, television repair was a bit past him. He swallowed nervously and delicately picked up his tiniest screwdriver.
As he approached the outdated set, the screen suddenly changed to an ominous glowing green and Big Mac's fur stood on end. The set then began to change channels on its own with the sound of someone changing a radio.
An old-fashioned radio announcer's voice came on, "Saw your fiasco on the picture show, and I just couldn't resist! What a performance!"
It switched to a voice asking, "Named after a weaver with an intense case of hubris, this is one of the most common fears in existence."
"What is arachnophobia?"
A voice sang, "Can someone tell me please, why I'm switching faster than the channels on TV?"
An announcer's voice, "Welcome to Race the Devil, or as we call it, You Bet Your Afterlife!"
Singing again, "He ain't what he seems, you'll see him in your head, on the TV screen, and hey buddy, I'm warning you to turn it off."
More singing, "These simple parts of mine are interchangeable, unlimited connections when you're digital..."
The TV screen switched off. Big Mac let out the breath he'd been holding. "What in the-?" He was cut off by a blast of force. When his eyes opened again, the TV was picking up the usual station - with high-definition crystal clarity. Big Mac flipped through the channels, it was all the same crisp image and sound, and ... he was pretty sure they hadn't gotten some of these channels before.
Big Mac glanced around the room and saw he was the only one who'd witnessed ... whatever that was. Also, a plate of apple fritters was missing two fritters which had been replaced with scrupulously exact change, plus a hefty tip.
Big Mac shook his head to get over the weirdness he'd just experienced and went to load up his apple cart for the day.
After helping Apple Bloom get to school, Applejack headed into town for his own errands. He ran into Bubble Berry who was trembling slightly. "Ya OK pardner?"
Bubble nodded. "Yep, just kind of a twitchy morning."
Applejack's eyes widened; he knew about Bubble's senses. "Uh, twitchy?" he asked with a nervous grin.
"Oh, it's nothing bad. The way my right eye and left ear are twitching means we'll be getting a new friend soon, and the cavity in my back molar acting up again means that something huge and invisible will be following us around for a few days!" Bubble said with a wide grin. He frowned. "I should probably go to the d-d-d ... that place," he whined slightly.
Applejack chuckled. "Ah'll go with ya, if it helps."
"Thanksies!" Bubble cheered before pronking off.
"Huge and invisible, huh?" Applejack pondered with a shake of his head.
In the farmer's market, Big Mac was hawking his wares. To his shock, an apple floated up on its own before the money he'd be owed for it landed on his stall counter. A bite was taken out of the apple is it floated away, a voice whispering, Thanks. Have a great day!
Big Mac shook his head rapidly and screwed his eyes shut. If somepony walked over his grave one more time today, he might wind up in it prematurely. "Nope," he muttered in response.
The rest of the day passed by in a blur of preparations.
My Little Pony, My Little Pony, Ah-ah-ah!
I was walking down the streets of Canterlot as Maroon Flask when a lilac blur rocketed by. "Hey, slow down kiddo! It's not the end of the world!" I called.
"Yes, it is!" Dusk shouted.
I rolled my eyes. I was then approached by Curtain Call, who gave me an unamused glare. "Want to tell me why I got a note from the Princess this morning to cover your class as well as mine?"
"A sort of reunion I've been invited to in Ponyville."
"Sort of reunion? What's that?"
"An old friend who is currently an old enemy is getting released today, and I'm the one who has to spring her. I'm so excited! I've missed her SO MUCH!"
Curtain was about to say something else but was cut off as I shifted from my Pony disguise into my preferred liontaur form. I was taller than Discord, and had a proportionate lower half for a taur, so I was far larger than your average 3-foot-tall Pony mare. I knelt down, stretching each of my arms and wings. It felt so good to have a torso again!
I grinned at my shocked coworker and the rather astonished crowd. Well, there goes my cover... You wouldn't believe how cramped being a pony feels...
Curtain finally remembered why I looked so familiar to her. "Oh ... my ... God," she muttered as she worked out who and what I was.
I sighed wearily. No, just Demiurge... I said in the tone of voice of someone who'd had to explain the very slight difference one too many times... Please inform my only class of the day that just because they're watching a movie, I'm not letting them slack off. I expect a two-page report of their opinions on my desk in the morning!
"But-"
I most certainly did not shout, High-ho, Silver! before I took off. I did think about it however...
I was still early, so I parked myself on a nearby cloud, closed all of my eyes, and began to concentrate. My inner eye navigated to Dusk's tower...
Spike was walking towards the door with a beautifully wrapped present, when Dusk flung the door open into the young drake, knocking him back with an "Oof!"
"Spike! Spike!" Dusk called. "Spike?" Dusk glanced down, noticing his little brother in a daze. "There you are!" Dusk dashed into his library. "Quick! Find me that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies!" Dusk noticed the present that the tip of Spike's tail had impaled. "What's that for?"
Spike reached around and took the package off of himself. "Well, it was a gift for Moondancer," he sighed, "But..." A teddy bear fell out of the mangled box with a sad squeak.
Dusk rolled his eyes, already tossing piles of books around. "Ugh! Spike, you know we don't have time for that sort of thing!" the stallion groaned.
I opened my eyes. I have utterly failed both of you, I groaned before tuning back in.
I saw Spike picking himself up from the faceplant Dusk's telekinetic yank had made him perform, sighing as he saw all the books he'd have to pick up. Spike was very surprised as all of the books suddenly levitated themselves neatly back into their assigned places in a rainbow aura.
"Aw, thanks Dusk!" Spike cheered.
"Hmm? For what?" Dusk asked, flipping pages. "E, E, E ... Elements of Harmony. ... See ... 'Mare in the Moon?'"
"Isn't that just an old pony tale?" Spike asked.
Dusk didn't hear, already flipping to the relevant section. "Mare in the Moon - Myth from Olden Pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned on the moon. Legend says the Mare and the Weaver were close friends."
"The Weaver?" Spike cut in, curious.
Dusk rolled his eyes again. "Just some hokey old god invented by ancient superstitious ponies who didn't know any better. In his myths, he was a pretty nasty piece of work..."
On my cloud, I pulled a dagger out of my heart, trying to stop the bleeding. Ouch! I mean ... I'm not exactly comfortable being worshipped, but that was a little harsh... I can't take anymore, I'm cutting to the next scene, I groaned before taking off again in the direction of Ponyville.
Even though I wasn't observing anymore, Dusk continued his research. "Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal!" Dusk gasped. "Spike! Do you know what this means?!"
"Uh, no...?"
Dusk passed a quill and scroll. "Take a note, please. To the Princess," he said, assuming a more regal pose. He began narrating his note at breakneck speed, Spike's quill a blur. At least until Spike ran out of words he was able to spell. He was still a baby... Once Dusk was done dictating, he wound up snapping at Spike over the urgency of this note, causing the dragon to fly back into the shelves.
Spike sent it. "There! But I wouldn't hold your br-" He belched out a response. He blinked in surprise. "That's the fastest she's ever replied!"
Dusk nodded. "She must want to take immediate action!"
Spike read the reply. Dusk felt the bottom drop out of his world when his beloved mentor told him to stop reading so many dusty old books.
In a royal chariot pulled by two Pegasus guards, Dusk sulked as Spike smugly reread the reply. Dusk had been ordered to go to some backwater town to deal with a party, and to make friends! How was this important?!
As the two discussed his assignment, a gust of wind sped past the chariot, too fast to see.
The chariot touched down in Ponyville, the guards whinnying majestically. "Thank you, sirs!" Dusk said gratefully. The smiled proudly. Dusk dashed off. They glanced down and saw a water bottle apiece had seemingly materialized from thin air. They glanced at each other, shrugged, and gratefully rehydrated.
Spike was telling Dusk that maybe the residents of Ponyville had interesting things to say as Bubble Berry trotted up, humming cheerfully.
The young dragon pointed out the pink stallion. "C'mon, Dusk," he urged, "just try!"
Dusk gave an awkward smile. "Uh, hello?" he tried.
Bubble gasped deeply, shooting into the air, and hanging there before zipping off in a pink blur.
"Well, that was interesting all right..." Dusk grumbled at the waste of time. Spike groaned and pulled out Dusk's checklist.
They were interrupted by a voice. "Lyra, there is no way on Equus the Weaver used to be a human!"
A very familiar voice answered back. "Then why is there so much incontrovertible evidence, hmm? Explain that Bon-Bon!"
"Where is all of this evidence?! Lyra, have you been lurking around on 4Pone again?"
"Uh, nnnnnoooooo?" came the nervous reply.
Dusk and Spike finally came to the argument between the two mares. Dusk blinked at the sight of his ... classmate.
"Oh, hey Dusk!" the mint unicorn waved cheerfully.
"Didn't I just see you in Canterlot not an hour ago?" Dusk asked.
Lyra shrugged. "I get around. Lots of ponies in this town do. Nice to see you! Where was I... Oh! There are cave paintings, Bon-Bon!" Lyra said, whipping out her phone. "Our ancient ancestors knew the truth about humans!"
"Lyra ... that's just graffiti..." Bon-Bon groaned.
Figuring that this argument could comfortably go on for years if the two mares were willing, Dusk and Spike headed off.
The first item on the Summer Sun Celebration Official Overseer's Checklist was the banquet at Sweet Apple Acres. Even Dusk had to smile at the beautiful sight as they reached the top of the hill overlooking the homestead.
Once they were down in the orchards proper, a voice gleefully shouted, "Yee-haw!" at a loudness that could have broken eardrums, before an orange blur thundered down the lane before a large stallion stopped and almost delicately bucked an apple tree, causing a bounty to fall into the buckets below. Dripping sweat, the farmpony took a moment to rest by the tree.
Dusk sighed. "Let's get this over with..." He put on a practiced smile and approached. "Good afternoon," he said regally. "My name is Dusk Shine, and-" *Crunch!
The stallion had Dusk's hoof in a death grip, shaking with great enthusiasm. "Well, howdy Mr. Shine!" he cheered. "It's a real pleasure tah make yer acquaintance! Ah'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like making new friends!"
"Friends?" Dusk questioned. "Actually, I'm here to..."
Applejack released Dusk's hoof, grinning excitedly. "So, what can Ah do ya for?"
Dusk's leg was still waving rapidly in the air. Spike gripped it to steady it, before letting out a chuckle. Dusk shot him an unamused older brother look.
Dusk cleared his throat. "Well, I am in fact here to help supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And I believe you're in charge of the food?"
Applejack nodded. "We sure are! Would ya care to sample some?"
Dusk blinked. "I suppose? As long as it doesn't take-" Applejack zipped away in an orange blur. "Too long..." Dusk concluded.
Applejack rang the dinner triangle. "SOUP'S ON, EVERYPONY!" he shouted. Dusk yelped as he and Spike were swept up by a stampede of Earth Ponies who dropped them at a long table.
Applejack was grinning excitedly. "Now, why don't Ah introduce y'all to the Apple family?" he asked pleasantly.
"Uh, thanks, but I really need to hurry," Dusk tried feebly. Somepony dropped a piece of dessert in front of him as Applejack began to reel off the family names. As each family member was named, they left a food item related to their name in front of Dusk and Spike to sample.
Applejack was listing names at breakneck speed. "This here's Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious... ...Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple... ... Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp..."
By that point, the stack of food had grown so tall that Dusk and Spike had to climb up to see over it.
Applejack popped up again and took a huge breath before continuing, "Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom ...aaaaand..."
He stuffed an entire apple into Dusk's open mouth before dashing off to fetch the last family member.
"...Granny Smith," Applejack panted.
Granny was dozing in a rocking chair, Applejack had simply brought over the entire chair with her in it.
"Up and at 'em, Granny Smith! We got guests!"
Granny started awake with a snort. "Wha--?" She began shambling over, mumbling to herself. "Soup's on...I'm a--here I come, I'm comin'..."
Dusk's mouth was still stuffed full of apple, but he flinched at how loudly the elderly mare's joints creaked as she joined her family at the table.
Applejack patted Dusk's back. "Why, Ah'd say they're already part of the family!" he said proudly.
Dusk's eyes widened at that, and he spat out the apple, letting out a nervous laugh. "Okay, well, I can see the food situation is handled, so we'll be on our way!"
"Aren't you gonna stay for brunch?" the filly introduced as Apple Bloom asked, giving Dusk a look that would have put a kicked puppy to shame.
Dusk gave her a nervous grin. "Sorry, but we have an awful lot to do..."
The entire Apple family let out a lengthy, disappointed, "Awwwww..."
Dusk sighed. "Fine..." he grumbled as the family cheered.
Spike was walking cheerfully along a path, his checklist pulled out, quill in hand. "Food's all taken care of. Next is weather."
Dusk was waddling along with a belly that made him look pregnant, groaning in mild pain. "I'm never eating again..."
Spike gave him a curious look. "Really? I was hoping for seconds. Hmmm...there's supposed to be a pegasus stallion named Rainbow Blitz clearing the clouds."
Dusk glanced up at the almost overcast sky. "Well, he's not doing a very good job, is he?"
A multicolored blur bowled them over and knocked Dusk into a mud puddle. A cyan pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and a lightning bolt coming from a cloud for a cutie mark was on top of Dusk.
"Oh, sorry dude!" he said in a slightly raspy voice. He gave a nervous chuckle. "Uh, here! Let me help you!" He zipped off, Dusk barely having time to stand before he returned with a cloud in tow. He stomped up and down on the cloud, soaking Dusk completely.
"Whops. I totally overdid it. Um... ...uh...how about this?" He flew in a quick rainbow tornado around Dusk, causing him to be dried.
"Ta-da! My very own patented ...Rainblow-Dry! Drives the mares wild," he said with a wink. "No, no, don't thank me. You're quite welcome."
Rainbow then caught sight of the frizzy mess he'd made of Dusk's mane. He snickered before falling over he was laughing so hard. Spike was snickering as well.
Dusk took a deep, calming breath, managing to stop his ears from twitching. "Let me guess... You're Rainbow Blitz."
"The one and only!" Rainbow was now hovering directly in front of Dusk like an over-excited hummingbird. "Why? You heard of me?" he asked, clearly craving the attention.
"I heard you're supposed to be keeping the sky clear," Dusk groaned. He tried again, wanting to make a better first impression. "I'm Dusk Shine, and the Princess sent me to check on the weather."
Rainbow was busy lounging on a cloud. "Oh. Yeah, yeah, that'll be a snap. I'll do it in a jiffy," he said dismissively. "Just as soon as I'm done practicing."
"Practicing? For what?" a confused Dusk asked.
"The Wonderbolts!" Rainbow proclaimed dramatically, pointing at a nearby poster of the legendary group. "They're gonna perform at the Celebration tomorrow. And I'm gonna show 'em my stuff!" he said proudly, looping from cloud to cloud.
Dusk gave a smirk, knowing just how to manipulate his new fri acquaintance. "The Wonderbolts?"
"Yep!" came Rainbow's reply.
"You mean the most talented flyers in all of Equestria?" Dusk asked innocently.
"That's them!"
"Ha! Please," Dusk oozed, earning a glare from Rainbow. "They'd never accept a pegasus who can't even keep the sky clear for one measly day."
"Hey, I could clear the sky in ten seconds flat!" Rainbow boasted.
Dusk shot back a cocky grin of his own. "Oh, yeah? Prove it," he challenged.
Rainbow gave an annoyed snort before rocketing into the sky, doing fantastic arial tricks as he busted every cloud in exactly ten seconds. He then dropped back into view. "What'd I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging!" he said with a proud grin.
Both Dusk's and Spike's jaws had fallen open at the genuinely amazing display.
Rainbow gave a hysterical laugh. "You should see the look on your face! You're a laugh, Dusk Shine. I can't wait to hang out some more! Later!" He zipped away.
"Woah," Spike said. "...he's actually amazing!"
Dusk nodded wordlessly. Spike grabbed a section of frizzed mane and snickered. Dusk glared and headed into town proper.
"Hey, it's not too bad once you get used to it!" Spike shouted as he tried to keep up.
Once they were inside the town pavilion, Spike pulled out the checklist again. "OK...Decorations..." He then gave a start at something he saw. "Beautiful..." he breathed.
Dusk nodded approvingly. "Yes. The decor is coming along nicely. This oughta be quick. I'll be at the library in no time. Beautiful, indeed..." he said with a smug grin.
"No, not the decor..." Spike protested. "Him!"
Dusk glanced at where Spike was pointing, seeing a white unicorn with an elegantly curled short purple mane levitating up ribbon samples as he muttered to himself. "No...no...no... absolutely not..."
Dusk stared in shock at the hearts in Spike's eyes. Spike quickly began to preen, small hearts floating above him. "How are my spines? Are they straight?"
"No..." Dusk choked out. "Not straight at all..." Mentally he was having a breakdown over this. Spike ... likes ponies?! Spike likes guys?!! IS HE EVEN OLD ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ATTRACTION IS?!! Dusk mentally screamed. He took a deep breath. It's probably just a childhood crush. A really, really early one, though Spike is older mentally than physically, I need to remember that. I'm sure it won't cause any problems... Dusk thought nervously. I'm just going to sort through this ... later.
Dusk took another deep breath and approached the object of Spike's desires. Even Dusk had to admit that the stallion was good-looking, from a purely aesthetic standpoint.
"Good afternoon," Dusk said politely.
The other unicorn spared him the briefest of glances. "One moment, please," he said calmly. "I'm in the zone, so to speak. You know how us creative types can get... Ah, yes!" he cheered as inspiration struck. He tied a glittering red bow around a nearby post. "Glitter seems quite appropriate for the occasion, though it must be in moderation. The horror stories I could tell you about my sister's craft nights," he finished with a laugh, finally turning to properly greet Dusk. "Apologies for cutting you off. Now, how can I help you-- Oh. My. It's not my business, but what on Equus happened?!"
Dusk blinked before it clicked. "Oh, you mean my mane? Well, it's a long story," he sighed. "I'm just here to check on the decorations, which are magnificent so far, and then I'll be out of your hair."
The unicorn grinned. "I think it's your hair that needs more attention. Just because we're stallions doesn't mean we can't look nice, after all! Now come along and I'll help you, my treat!" he beamed, forcefully pushing the shocked Dusk along.
"Wait! Where are we going? Help!" Dusk shouted. Spike floated after the two using his tail as a propeller, hearts continuing to appear around him.
The stallion who had introduced himself as Elusive had dragged Dusk to his boutique and was giving the other unicorn a full-on makeover. "No...no...no..." Elusive muttered. He was busy wrangling Dusk into different outfits, ranging from a cowpony to a punk rockstar. However, even Elusive didn't think that any of them "fit" the lavender stallion. While Dusk had to admit they were very nice outfits, he hadn't come to this town to play dress-up!
"Ah, my apologies," Elusive said in a reasonable tone. "You were telling me where you're from?" he asked politely.
Dusk sighed. I've been sent from Canterlot to-"
"Hmm?" Elusive asked in surprise. "Oh, Canterlot?" he said, starstruck. "Oh, I am so envious! It's one of the most trend-setting cities in the nation! I've always dreamed of living there!" he sighed. "I can't wait to hear all about it!" He beamed. He then leaned in uncomfortably close, causing Dusk to quickly back up. "We're gonna be the best of friends, you and I," he whispered.
Dusk swallowed nervously. "M-my family is lower-middle class," he tried, hoping that would work. He was very careful to not even think about the fact that his brother was the head of the royal guard, and that he was Celestia's personal student. This stallion would probably have heard it if he had... "I like hayburgers, not escargot..."
"Oh. Oh! I'm so sorry. I must sound like quite the elitest snob," Elusive said with a nervous grin. He thankfully backed away, allowing Dusk to breathe. "No, the reason I've always wanted to live there is-" Elusive trailed off when he saw Dusk was currently dressed as a ship's captain. "Oh. I certainly got carried away. If you'll permit me, I do have one last outfit to try, be back in a tick!"
Dusk made a wild break for it, stripping out of the outfit and picking up Spike before he galloped for his life. "Quick! Before he decides to dye my coat a new color!" he shouted.
"Wasn't he wonderful?" Spike sighed dreamily.
Dusk set him down and poked him in the snout. "You and I are going to have an unbelievably long talk about this at some point. Focus, Casanova. What's the next item on the list?"
Spike checked the list. "Oh...uh...music. It's the last one."
"Thank the Weaver," Dusk groaned.
"I thought you didn't believe in him?" Spike asked.
"It's an expression..." Dusk grumbled.
As they approached the cottage, they heard a fanfare being whistled. Both Dusk and Spike hid in some usefully placed bushes and stuck their heads out to watch. They spotted several birds in a tree singing as a butter-yellow pegasus hovered in front of them, conducting.
One of the birds was painfully out of tune, causing the pegasus to fly closer. He cleared his throat.
"Um, excuse me, sir. I mean no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny tiny bit off." The pegasus backed up. "Now, follow me, please," he said with an encouraging smile. "A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three," he began to lead.
Dusk called out, "Hello!"
The shout not only startled the conductor but scared the entire vocal ensemble out of the tree.
The pegasus turned to see Dusk was now out of the bushes. Dusk gave a nervous chuckle. "Whoops. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten your birds. I'm just here to check up on the music, and it's sounding beautiful!" he complimented.
The pegasus touched down, barely glancing at Dusk, carefully avoiding eye contact as he scuffed the ground with a hoof. A few moments later, Dusk broke the painfully awkward silence. "I'm Dusk Shine. ... And you are?" he prompted.
"Uh. I - I'm Butterscotch," the pegasus mumbled.
"Oh. It's nice to meet you!" Dusk said quickly with a large smile, meaning it. One socially awkward stallion to another, he knew when he was intruding. "Well, um, it looks like your birds are back. So, I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work!"
Butterscotch just nodded, apparently having gone non-verbal.
Dusk just nodded back, slowly backing away. "Oo-kay," he tried. "Have a nice day!" he called as he left. Once he was reunited with Spike, Dusk muttered, "Well, that was easy..."
Butterscotch let out a loud gasp at the sight. "A baby dragon!" he said in amazement. He zipped over to Spike, completely bowling over Dusk. "Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before! He's so cute!" Butterscotch cooed.
Spike gave Dusk a smug grin. "Well, well, well!"
Butterscotch's eyes widened. "Oh, wow! He talks! I didn't know dragons could talk. That's just so amazing l ...I just don't even know what to say!"
Dusk grabbed Spike and practically suplexed the baby dragon as he threw his baby brother onto his back. "Well, in that case, we better be going!" Dusk noticed that Butterscotch was trailing them.
"Oh, wait! Wait! What's his name?" Butterscotch called.
"I'm Spike," Spike gallantly introduced himself.
"Hi, Spike. I'm Butterscotch. Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?"
"Well, what do you want to know?" Spike asked.
"Absolutely everything!" Butterscotch said with literal stars in his eyes.
Spike knew that his heart had already been claimed, but this stallion was also adorable, just in a different way. Spike leaned back and got comfortable. "Well, I started out as a cute little purple-and-green egg..."
"And that's the story of my whole entire life!" Spike concluded. "Well, up until today. Do you want to hear about today?"
"Oh, yes, please!" Butterscotch gushed with an eager nod.
Dusk did an abrupt turn, coming to a complete stop and nearly throwing Spike off his back. "Hey!" Spike complained.
"Sorry!" Dusk called.
They'd arrived at the Golden Oak Library, which was built into a beautiful living oak tree, hence the name.
"Wow. How did we get here so fast?" Dusk asked. "This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville, and my poor baby brother needs his sleep."
"No, I don't!" Spike protested. Dusk proceeded to throw Spike off his back, giving Butterscotch a large phony grin.
Dusk leaned over, wrapping an arm around the squirming Drake. "Aw, wookit that. He's so sweepy, he can't even keep his wittle bawance," he said in sympathetic baby-talk.
Spike snorted flame before summoning a ball of green lightning in his free claw. "Call me a baby one more time..." he threatened.
"Oh, of course!" Butterscotch said, gently picking Spike up. "I'm sure I've tired him out with all of the questions. Here, I'll put him to bed!" Butterscotch quickly flew the two of them into the library.
Dusk's eyes widened in horror as he realized his ploy had backfired and caused the other pony to invade his home. He quickly dashed in and politely yet forcibly ejected the yellow pegasus from the premises.
"Yes, yes. We'll get right on that," he panted. "Well, good night!"
Dusk quickly slammed the door in Butterscotch's face. Butterscotch was very confused by the entire interaction. Butterscotch noticed a dazed spider that had been thrown out of Dusk's mane. He gently scooped it up. "Oh, poor thing," he sympathized. "C'mon, let's get you somewhere dark and quiet..."
Inside the library it was pitch black, though Dusk's and Spike's eyes were gleaming in the shadows.
"Wow. Rude much?" Spike huffed.
Dusk sighed, knowing his little brother was right. "Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time. I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now where's the light?"
That question was answered when the light suddenly snapped on, revealing a beautiful main entry room packed with books and bookshelves ... and ponies prepared for a party, if the streamers and noisemakers where anything to go by...
"SURPRISE!!" The crowd shouted as confetti rained down.
That strange pink stallion with the apparent ability to levitate popped into view.
"Surprise!" he shouted. "Hi. I'm Bubble Berry, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised?!" he asked with a grin that nearly split his face in two, never quite staying entirely still.
Dusk sighed. "Very surprised. Libraries are supposed to be quiet," he grumbled.
Bubble gave a polite laugh at that. "Well, that's silly! What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet? It'd be boring!" Dusk groaned and walked off, not losing Bubble in the slightest, who continued to ramble on. "You see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all, 'Hello,' and I was all--" he gasped dramatically. "Remember? You see, I'd never seen you before, and if I never saw you before, that means you're new. I know everypony, and I mean everypony, in Ponyville."
Dusk decided to try some punch as a way to alleviate the beating his ears were taking. Most of the bottles were green, Dusk simply grabbed a red one and poured himself a glass.
Bubble continued on. Apparently, he was not limited by mere mortals' need to inhale. "And if you're new, it meant you hadn't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends, then you must be lonely, and that made me sad. And I had an idea, and that's why I gasped, because it was a really good one!"
Dusk rolled his eyes as he put a crazy straw into his glass. He took a deep sip.
"I knew that I should throw you a great big welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville!" Applejack, Butterscotch, Rainbow Blitz, and Elusive joined their friend. "See? And now you have lots of friends!" Bubble finished excitedly.
Dusk's eyes grew wide, and his face turned fire-engine red as he began to sweat.
"Are ya ok, partner?" Applejack asked nervously.
Dusk jumped into the air as steam whistled from his ears and he let out a long breath of fire. "GAH!" he shouted before he ran off to find something to drink.
Spike picked up the bottle that Dusk had just guzzled and read the label. "Hot sauce..." he said in surprise.
"Whoops..." Bubble said with a flinch. "I thought he'd seen the label..." He then gave a shrug and poured some of the sauce over a cupcake, taking a good-sized bite. "Hey, not bad!" he said with a smile. His friends all shook their heads with a smile at his usual antics.
Dusk was in the loft that had been converted into a makeshift bedroom for him, with his head under a pillow to try and block out the thumping party music from below. He glanced up at the clock and groaned when he saw the insanely late hour.
"Hey, Dusk!" Spike called as he walked into the room with a lampshade on his head, still grooving to the dance music. "Bubble Berry is starting a game of Pin the Tail on the Pony! Wanna play?"
"No!" Dusk shouted. "All the ponies in this town are CRAZY!!!!!" he screamed with an eye twitch.
Spike grinned and folded his arms. "Well, you're a pony in this town now."
"Do NOT use my words against me!" Dusk yelled. "Do you have any idea what time it is?! And I'm the king of all-night studying!"
"Aw, c'mon, Dusk! It's the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration," Spike protested. "Everypony has to stay up, or they'll miss the Princess raising the sun. You know that! You really should lighten up, Dusk. It's a party!"
"I hate parties," Dusk muttered before Spike simply shrugged and headed back into the fray.
Dusk groaned. "Here I thought I'd have time to learn more about the Elements of Harmony. But, silly me, all this ridiculous friend-making has kept me from it! What is the Princess thinking?!" He looked out the window to the full moon where a silhouette of Nightmare Moon's head could clearly be seen. Knowing he wouldn't sleep tonight, Dusk got up and headed towards the window.
"Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year ...the stars will aid in her escape ...and she will bring about everlasting night." He sighed. "I hope the Princess was right. I hope it really is just an old pony tale."
Still wearing the lampshade, Spike called, "Come on, Dusk It's time to watch the sunrise!"
I had to agree with Dusk in one regard, I wasn't overly fond of parties either. I also was not the greatest at pretending to be a pony, my time as Maroon Flask notwithstanding since there were several occasions where I'd blatantly broken character.
I still would have enjoyed parts of mixing it up in the library. But I had a long-standing previous engagement that night, starting right at sundown...
For the first time in eons, I was genuinely nervous.
Hey, I said awkwardly. I cleared my throat. 'Hey?' That's a little casual. Greetings, then, Nightmare Moon. ... I'm here to wake you up. Which is going to hurt you so much more than it will hurt me, I sighed. Someday I hope you can forgive me for what I've put you through.
She honestly looked peaceful there, stretched out and deeply dreaming. The stars were breathtaking from up here as well, and Equus took up the entire horizon behind her.
I hope this doesn't go like last time... I said, remembering the last time Nightmare Moon and I had decided to pay each other's minds a visit. With that, my physical form dissolved, and I walked into her dreams...
I'd been expecting scenes of all of Equus shrouded in eternal night, Nightmare Moon reigning supreme. Maybe her slowly torturing her enemies, and I knew I was heavily featured on that list...
I was not expecting to wind up in the middle of a ball. Actually, it was a masquerade. I grinned excitedly. I loved masquerades! I'd been quite put out when they fell out of fashion in Equestria a few centuries ago, though they'd been making a comeback.
It was a stunningly gorgeous night out, and I recognized this as a place from Luna's childhood. There hadn't been the gigantic castle in the past though. I was however distracted by another sight.
You could see entire arms of the galaxy out, stars slowly wheeling by with the occasional shooting star. The moon was enormous and a beautiful pale yellow. There were the faintest hints of pinks and purples in the cosmic masterpiece.
Oh, Luna... I said with a big smile. I have to admit to being prejudiced, but Celestia can't begin to compare with this...
Knowing I should try and blend in, I assumed the shape of a pony in a dark cloak, wearing a grinning fox mask. What? I like foxes. It's not like I was showing up dressed as the Red Death... To my surprise, the guards at the door let me in with no issue. Inside it was a whirlwind of color, noise, music, laughter, and activity. Wanting to observe, I made my way to a buffet table, overflowing with foods from across Equus. I sampled the cheese board. Oh, wow! I can even taste the food! When you dream, you dream well...
I glanced around the party. I had time to find her, but my main priority was finding a way to wake her up...
Slinking along the shadows I explored the castle. In a courtyard was a tall clock tower, the clock wasn't running, though it was only 10 minutes to midnight. I glanced up at the stars above me, which suddenly all flashed in a sequence.
My cloak hadn't had pockets, but now it did, and there was a familiar object in one...
Back when I had visited the City of the Stars, the stars had given me a crankshaft, explaining that it was their part in my prophecy that the stars would aid in Nightmare Moon's escape.
I glanced at the frozen clock, then back at the crankshaft. Oooooh! I said as it finally clicked. Hindsight, right?
The tower wasn't locked, and there was indeed a spot that the crankshaft slotted into. I wound up the clock and ducked as it slowly wheezed to life.
That part of my work done, I crept back into the party to try and find Nightmare Moon or Luna...
Where could she be? Alicorns tend to stick out... Oh. Oh, my...
I'd been expecting Nightmare Moon's dream to be of her conquering Equestria and finally getting the recognition she craved. I hadn't been expecting it to be Luna simply enjoying a party. Though "Luna" might not have fit...
In the middle of a small crowd of ponies was a laughing tall, deep blue Alicorn with a familiar starry mane and cutie mark... That was definitely Luna ... so why was she a stallion? ... An extremely good-looking stallion...
I'd been staring, surprised by this turn of events, and Luna turned and locked eyes with me, his eyes widening. He quickly walked over. I backed away, pressing into a wall. Crap, crap, crap, Princess of Dreams, she knows I don't belong here!
"Uh, pardon?" I asked, not hearing what he'd been saying.
He gave a warm laugh. "We asked if we may have this dance..."
I nodded mutely.
He gently pulled me onto the dancefloor, and we began a waltz together.
"Yo- Thou art staring," I said.
"Ye remind us of ... somepony from long ago. Someone perhaps from a dream..."
I grinned under my mask. "Surely 'twas a nightmare then..."
Luna shook his head. "Nay. 'Twas a good, long dream. A dream of ... friends."
I felt flattered at that. Before I could reply, the clock began to strike midnight. The guests began to scream in horror. I looked away and saw that they were crumbling into dust. The castle was as well, though more slowly.
Luna was staring at the grisly scene in shock. The world she'd known for the last thousand years was literally crumbling down around her. Well, him, at the moment.
"But ... but we were ... happy," he whispered as a tear rolled down his cheek. "What ... what is this?!"
The dream is over. Time to wake up...
He turned and saw that his dance partner looked more familiar. I was in my multi-limbed liontaur Draconequus form.
"You!" Luna shouted. He was full-on sobbing at this point. I simply nodded in reply. "This is your fault!"
Yes... Dark cracks were appearing along Luna's body, and he was slowing turning back into Nightmare Moon as her armor appeared on her.
In a combination of both voices, Luna screamed, "I HATE YOU!!!!"
I sighed as I dissolved as well. Take a number. I was here first...
And then she woke up.
Nightmare Moon sat up slowly, her joints practically creaking due to how long it had been since she'd used them. Her mouth was painfully dry as she smacked her lips. Yet she was alive after a thousand years in space with no food or water. That had been somewhat tricky to do, even Alicorns aren't that immortal...
Her brain hadn't quite finished waking up, but she knew that she had been happy, and someone had taken it away from her...
She wanted vengeance! She wanted pain and suffering! She wanted her subjects to acknowledge her as the rightful ruler of all of Equus! And then maybe the universe!
What she really wanted was about a dozen aspirin and a pot of coffee...
As she stood up, she saw a summoning circle appear around her hooves and slowly begin to spin. "What?" she asked.
Being banished to the moon had hurt. The reversal also hurt, but thankfully less.
When her vision cleared, Nightmare Moon found herself in a decrepit castle. This was the Castle of the Two Sisters! ... What had happened to it?!
A voice broke her thoughts. "Hello, Sister. I assume you're still in there... And to Nightmare Moon ... well, you have quite the hostage now..."
Nightmare Moon turned and saw Celestia kneeling before her. She grinned wickedly. This day was going to be perfect...
In Ponyville, before dawn everypony had gathered into the town square pavilion whose windows were ablaze with light. It was packed full of ponies in front of a raised dais in front of and below a curtained archway.
Spike was riding on Dusk's back, having finally taken the lampshade off. Despite how crowded the pavilion was, it was almost reverently silent.
At least it was until Bubble Berry zipped over to Dusk. "Isn't this exciting? Are you excited? 'Cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited, well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town. But I mean, really, who can top that?" Dusk rolled his eyes yet again.
A spotlight shone upon the curtained archway before dropping down to the dais below. A middle-aged matronly mare stepped up to a podium, adjusting her glasses and clearing her throat before beginning her speech. "Fillies and gentle colts! As Mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!" Everypony cheered except for Dusk and Spike.
Th Mayor continued. "In just a few moments... our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!"
Celestia was behind the curtain, and she nodded as her horn lit up. One thousand years later, and it was finally time...
Love, she thought to herself. Arachnos said the key is love. ... I don't love Nightmare Moon at all. But I do love Luna. Oh, I should have seen how unhappy you were, sister. I should have listened to you, not dismissed you. I never should have thought it was my place to outshine you.
Even when you became Nightmare Moon, I should have listened to your - to her complaints, as they were truly yours. I shouldn't have sent my sister to the moon. I hope you can forgive me for how badly I have failed you...
Mayor Mare continued her speech. "And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land..."
Dusk glanced up at the moon. There was a miniscule explosion of red on its surface, and the silhouette of Nightmare Moon that had stood there for a thousand years wavered and vanished. Dusk's mouth dropped open. This wasn't good...
Oblivious to the shakeup happening in the heavens, Mayor Mare continued. "...the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day...the good, the wise... ...the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria..."
Butterscotch got his bird choir ready.
"...Princess Celestia!" Mayor Mare finished dramatically.
As he had been the one to prepare the decorations, Elusive pulled the curtain to reveal the spotlight shinning ... on absolutely nothing. He blinked. "Huh?"
Dusk was fearfully trotting in place, "Oh, this can't be good..." he muttered.
The mayor asked the assembled ponies to remain calm, assuring them that there must be a reasonable explanation.
Bubble was excitedly jumping in place. "Ooh, ooh! I love guessing games! Is she hiding?"
"No, she's gone!" Elusive called. The crowd gasped in shock.
Bubble said conspiratorially to Dusk, "Ooh, he's good..." He then glanced at the balcony and let out a fearful cry.
Deep blue-violet clouds of vapor with twinkling lights like stars had begun to envelop the balcony like a genie being summoned from a bottle.
"Oh, no..." Dusk murmured.
The thickening clouds burst away, revealing the blue-armored, winged unicorn figure of Nightmare behind them, her wings spread dramatically.
"Nightmare Moon!" Dusk shouted. Spike moaned in shock and fainted, toppling off his back. "My hero..." Dusk muttered.
Nightmare Moon gave a sinister chuckle. "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces."
"What did you do with our Princess?!?" Rainbow Blitz shouted. He started into a flying charge, but Applejack grabbed his tail in his teeth to stop him.
"Whoa there, pal!" Applejack shouted.
Nightmare Moon gave an amused chuckle. "Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"
Bubble Berry started waving a leg excitedly to get her attention. "Ooh, ooh! More guessing games! Um...Hokey Smokes! How about...Queen Meanie? No...Black Snooty! Black Snooty!" Applejack gave Nightmare Moon an embarrassed grin as he cut Bubble off by shoving a whole cupcake into his mouth.
"Does my crown no longer count, now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?" Nightmare Moon asked in shock. She got in Elusive's face, cradling it in a lock of her intangible mane. "Did you not recall the legend?" She began gently slapping Elusive. "Did you not see the signs?!" she shouted.
"I did!" Dusk shouted back. "And I know who you are! You're the Mare in the Moon--Nightmare Moon!" The crowd gasped at the revelation.
Nightmare Moon gave a delighted yet still terrifying grin. "Well, well, well. Somepony who remembers me," she said softly. "Then you also know why I'm here."
Dusk nodded, growing nervous. "You're here to...to..."
Nightmare Moon finally let go of Elusive, spreading her wings again as she proclaimed, "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!" She let out a wild cackle as lightning tore through the pavilion before a blast of mist shot through the pavilion.
Mayor Mare shouted, "Seize her! Only she knows where the Princess is!"
Three of the pegasus Royal Guards flew up and began to close in on Nightmare Moon.
"STAND BACK, YOU FOALS!" she shouted.
Her eyes burned white, producing more lightning that hurled the guards backwards.
Really? a voice muttered. You're channeling Maleficent now? You do you, I guess...
If Nightmare Moon heard that, she didn't respond. She simply cackled more, and she wrapped her mane and tail around herself and vanished into a cloud of mist. The blue-violet mist made a beeline for the open front door, snaking through the panicked crowd and the dazed guards.
Applejack had kept his teeth locked on Rainbow Blitz's tail ever the entire time, Rainbow finally snaped it loose and charged after Nightmare.
"COME BACK HERE!!" Rainbow bellowed.
Nightmare was too fast and had too great a head start. Rainbow could only hover and watch as she cleared the edge of town.
"Nighttime...forever?" Rainbow said in horror. He then spotted Dusk galloping out of the room with the still unconscious Spike slung over his back. "Where's he going?" Rainbow asked.
Spike was asleep in his basket in the Golden Oak Library. He bolted awake and shouted, "We gotta stop Nightmare!" sounding half-dazed.
Dusk was standing watch and draped a blanket over his younger brother. "You've been up all night partying, Spike," he murmured. "I know you don't like to hear it, but you are a baby dragon, after all."
"No, but I can HELP!" Spike protested. He tried summoning a ball of green fire which fizzled out. "Oh, come on!" he said with a small roar, trying again and failing.
Dusk gave a small chuckle at that. "I know what a fighter you are, Spike, pretty sure you got that from Shining. But right now, you're in no condition to fight anypony, least of all something like her. And ... you're too important for me to lose. I ... I'm sorry I don't tell you that enough. Please, rest, and get your strength back. If I need you, believe me, I'll find a way to tell you."
Spike accepted that and nodded, drifting off. The lights went out and he snored quietly--right through a commotion that shook the entire room for a moment. Its source was the fully lit reading room, where books are scattered all over the floor and being flung into view.
Dusk was frantically sorting through them. "Elements, Elements, Elements..." He let out a frustrated groan when he couldn't find a reference book. "How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?!" He let out a yelp when an enraged Rainbow Bltiz flew into his face.
"And just what are the Elements of Harmony?" Rainbow yelled, causing Dusk to slowly back up. "And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy?" Rainbow was yanked back, hard. "Whoa!" he shouted.
Applejack once again spat out his hotheaded friend's tail, earning a dirty look from Rainbow. "Calm down," the farmpony said in a reasonable tone. By that point, Bubble, Elusive, and Butterscotch had come in as well. "Ah know it's mighty strange that he showed up the same day as Nightmare Moon, but he ain't no spy." The orange stallion gave Dusk a piercing look. "But he sure knows what's goin' on--don't ya, Dusk?"
Dusk sighed and nodded. "I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her. But I don't know what they are, or where to find them. I don't even know what they do!"
Bubble had been inspecting a bookshelf and read off the title of one of the books: "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide by Aaron K. Noss."
Dusk practically flattened him as he streaked across the room to see. "How did you find that?!" he shouted.
"It was filed under 'E'!" the pink stallion said with a smile.
"Oh," Dusk said flatly.
He levitated the volume over. "'There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are historically documented,'" he read aloud. '"Kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, and loyalty. These six artifacts have helped to shape the history not only of Equestria, but of all of Equus, often by banishing dark and dangerous creatures....'" Dusk was momentarily distracted as he tried to remember something. "'Aaron K. Noss'. Where do I know that author from?!" He simply let it slide and continued reading.
Outside the window, Nightmare Moon's vapor form was hovering unseen, clearly listening to the helpful plot exposition.
Dusk continued reading. "'The sixth Element's name and nature has been lost to even legends. It is said the last known location of the five Elements was in the ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, where they were hidden after the Banishment of Nightmare Moon.'"
Nightmare Moon quickly zipped away to claim her prize.
Dusk read out the last of the section. "'The castle is located in what is now...'" He shuddered.
"'...the Everfree Forest?!?'" the group finished together in horror. In the distance, a wolf howled mournfully, right on cue. If anypony had ever bothered to actually check, they would have discovered that several generations of local wolves had had special training for these thematic moments.
Bubble was the first to break the silence. "Alright!" he cheered, "Let's go!"
"Not so fast!" Dusk shouted. Bubble skidded to a halt. Dusk sighed. "Look. I appreciate the offer. But I'd really rather do this on my own."
Applejack shook his head. "No can do, partner. We sure ain't lettin' any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone." Dusk flinched a bit at being called "friend." Applejack continued as the group headed out. "We're stickin' to ya like caramel on a candy apple!"
Butterscotch, Rainbow, and Elusive all nodded in agreement.
Bubble excitedly said, "Especially if there's candy apples in there!" Dusk gave him a funny look. "What? Those things are good!"
Dusk noticed that the other five had all already headed into the forest. He sighed and followed in after them.
In the library, a shape faded into view. Its lower half was a lion with cream-colored toes and a bit of brown at the end of the tuft of fur on the end of its tail. Its upper half was roughly humanoid, with white fur, six arms ending in clawed paws along with four very large wings with dozens of eyes at the tops. Its head was vaguely goat-shaped with a mouth full of shark-like teeth and long fangs sticking over its lips, along with a deep red goatee. It had 3 horns and instead of normal eyes, its eyes showed slowly-moving scenes from space. It was also far too tall to comfortably fit into the room, it was very hunched over.
It picked up the book Dusk had just been reading in a red right paw, giving it a quizzical look. Why wouldn't it be filed under "E?" This place doesn't use the Dewey Decimal system yet, so how else would you file things? The author's middle initial?
It shrugged and made the mistake of standing up. OW! it yelped as its horns hit the ceiling. The pain shot down to the tip of its tail which protested by knocking a lamp off of a table.
The thing moved in a blur, managing to catch it just before it hit the floor. It let out a sigh of relief. It then wondered why in the age of electric lighting, the previous librarian still used oil-based lamps inside of a library that was in a living tree. Wouldn't an electric lamp be less of a fire hazard? Still, it could have been worse...
It set the lamp back down and turned to speak. You aren't screaming, it said in a surprised tone.
Spike shrugged. "I'm still asleep. Anything as strange looking as you can't be real, so I must be dreaming. I was going to get a sandwich; do you want one too?"
Several expressions passed over the thing's face before it finally said, I don't really have ti- You know what? A sandwich would be great actually. I'll make them.
It headed into the kitchen. Spike was surprised that it knew where it was, and even more surprised to be given a ham and emerald sandwich, his favorite. His odd companion elected for turkey and black pearls, crunching down with no apparent dental distress.
You're staring...
"Sorry. Um. What ... are you?"
It's easy to explain but hard to understand... Most creatures categorize me as a god for simplicity's sake, but I'm really not. Just close enough that from everyone else's perspective, the difference doesn't matter. Good turkey, I'll have to look up where it's from... it ... he said, switching topics suddenly. It's late, and your battery is low, you should rest up for tomorrow.
"Will there even be a tomorrow? I mean, eternal night kind of says otherwise..."
The not-god smiled at Spike, taking care to keep his teeth hidden. I certainly hope so. Otherwise, I might have to actually do my job, and no one wants that... I'm a pessimist, but I am quite confident that it will turn out all right. Your brother just needs a bit of a nudge. Hopefully not off the side of a cliff.
With that he literally inhaled the rest of his sandwich. Spike ate quickly as well. The not-god's fingers were drumming.
Good night, Spike. Let's hope it's not the last one...
Spike waved goodbye and went up to his basket. A few minutes later, I came in to check on him. He was shivering in his sleep. My horn lit up and his blanket tucked him in. I passed him his teddy bear as well, feeling ... something ... as he curled protectively around it. I was on a tight timetable, but I simply watched the sleeping dragon for a few moments.
You got me to care about you. I don't like giving people that kind of power over me, I hope you realize how special that makes you. And I hope that more importantly, you never understand those feelings. Because that would mean you were as broken as I am, and I wish that on very few people...
Well, time to go make a pest of myself, I said with a sharp-toothed grin before fading out again.
Inside the Everfree, Dusk tried making conversation to steady his nerves. "So... ...none of you have been in here before?" he asked.
Elusive shook his head. "No, definitely not. This is one of the gloomiest places in Equestria!"
"And it ain't natural." Applejack added. Unseen by the entire group, a certain Alicorn's mist form had flowed into the cracks along the edge of the cliff they were walking on. Applejack continued. "Folks say it don't work the same as Equestria."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dusk asked.
Rainbow emerged from the shadows and said in an ominous tone, "Nopony knows. You know why?"
"Rainbow, quit it!" Applejack snapped, knowing his friend well enough to know where this was going.
Rainbow continued anyway, dragging out the suspense. "'Cause everypony who's ever come in has never...come...OUT!" He'd been creeping up while saying that and leapt up menacingly on the very last word.
The real scare, however, came when the edge of the cliff crumbled away and took all four non-winged ponies screaming with it. Butterscotch and Rainbow managed to get airborne just in time.
"Butterscotch, QUICK!" Rainbow shouted before diving down.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Butterscotch kept muttering as he followed his friend.
From a clifftop across the ravine, I was watching four of the Mane Six plummet to their doom. I knew how this went in the show, but seeing it happen in-person ... I should help them! I thought with horror.
To my shock, an arm wrapped around my chest, and a Voice whispered in my ear, Can't let you do that, Starfox... I recognized the voice. "Smug?!" I asked in shock.
He chuckled. Glad you recognize me, though I'm not overly fond of that name, accurate though it is. You know it doesn't count if you solve it for them. Have a little faith...
I glanced at the arm that was lightly restraining me out of curiosity. I'd never seen Smug in the flesh, part of me had been thinking he didn't even have a body. It was an anthropomorphic red fox's arm. That was ... unexpected. It lightly tapped me to get my attention, then pointed back at the in-progress disaster. Right, priorities.
As everypony was falling down the cliff-turned rockslide, Rainbow hoisted Bubble clear of the danger and Butterscotch snaped his teeth onto Elusive's tail to stop him falling as well. Applejack stopped himself by biting down on an exposed root, leaving Dusk alone to skid toward the edge of a very long drop. Dusk wound up with his hind legs dangling over the precipice; Applejack quickly sized up the situation, then let go of his root to slide along and help.
"Hold on! Ah'm a-comin'!" Applejack yelled. Once at the edge, he gripped Dusk's front hooves to hold him up.
"Applejack! What do I do?" Dusk yelled, clearly out of his bookworm depth.
There was a long tense pause as Applejack looked all around before looking back at the purple unicorn. "Let go," he said flatly.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Dusk screamed at the suggestion.
"No, Ah ain't," Applejack said simply. "Ah promise you'll be safe."
"That's not true!" Dusk protested.
In a calm and reasonable tone, Applejack said, "Now listen here. What Ah'm sayin' to ya is the honest truth. Let go, and you'll be safe."
Dusk's survival instincts battled against his wanting to trust the pony who literally held his life in his hooves. Finally, he let go and plunged over the side, screaming the whole way to his death. He suddenly came to a halt in midair. With a bewildered expression, he saw that Butterscotch and Rainbow Blitz had both caught him.
"Phew!" Dusk breathed with relief.
A sudden weight shift caused him to nearly slip out of their grasp with a yell, before they compensated for it and lowered him gently to the ground.
Butterscotch flopped down, panting heavily. "Sorry, sorry, I keep meaning to hit the gym, but..." he gulped air.
"Are you kidding?" Rainbow asked, "That was awesome! You powerlifted two fully-grown stallions!" Butterscotch smiled at the rare praise from Rainbow that wasn't all about him.
Applejack leapt down from one protruding ledge to another, so nimbly that he might have been part mountain goat, finally joining his friends.
I let out a shaky exhale.
See? Not everyone lies, Smug told me. See you in a bit~ The arm pulled away from me.
Wait! I protested. Come back! Don't ... leave me... I sighed. Honestly, he's as bad as I am...
If your first attempt at murder doesn't succeed, try, try again. Nightmare Moon found a nearby monster to use.
Five members of the Mane Six were walking through the forest again, except for Rainbow Blitz who preferred to touch the ground as little as possible when he could fly. The pegasus was excitedly recounting his heroic deeds. "And once Bubble and Elusive were safe...whoosh! Me and Butterscotch looped the loop around, and wham! Caught you right in the nick of time." He demonstrated the move while describing it and landed next to Dusk on "wham!"
In an irritated tone, Dusk said, "Yes, Rainbow, I was there." Dusk did manage a small smile. "And I'm very grateful. But we gotta--"
He stopped and let out a gasp as a creature dropped into view. "A manticore!" Dusk shouted. It let out a mighty roar. "We've got to get past him!"
Butterscotch was hovering nervously nearby. The manticore leapt up at Elusive, taking a swipe at his face with its paw. Elusive ducked and countered the attack with a buck to the face that knocked the manticore back.
"Take that!" Elusive shouted.
The manticore responded by a roaring loudly directly into his face, leaving his mane a frizzed-out shambles due to the moisture in its breath.
Elusive chuckled nervously. "Uh, my sincerest apologies?" he tried diplomatically.
The manticore's lips drew back and it gave a low growl. Elusive nodded, message received, and beat a hasty retreat past Butterscotch.
"Wait!" Butterscotch yelled.
The manticore started chasing after Elusive but suddenly stopped because Applejack had jumped right onto its head.
Applejack gave a delighted shout of, "Yee-haa!" The manticore started desperately trying to buck her off. "Get along, little doggie!" Applejack called.
"Wait!" Butterscotch yelled, louder this time.
The manticore managed to send the Earth Pony flying. As he sailed over Rainbow Blitz, the orange stallion called out, "All yours, partner!"
Rainbow gave his friend a salute and shouted, "I'm on it!" He zoomed past Butterscotch.
"Wait!" Butterscotch yelled again, again uselessly.
Rainbow Blitz spun a rainbow tornado around the manticore, but with surprising accuracy, the manticore targeted him and knocked him towards the trees with its tail.
"Rainbow!" Dusk called, genuinely worried for the pegasus.
The manticore was now facing Dusk. Dusk was not Shining Armor, he was not by nature a physically active pony, but if he was going to die, he wouldn't go down without a fight... He braced himself for the oncoming battle.
Five ponies began to charge towards the manticore who began to charge towards them as well. As an epic battle was about to begin, Butterscotch threw himself in between the two charging sides.
"WAAAIIIT!!" the normally meek pegasus yelled loudly enough that it echoed off the trees.
Both sides stared at the yellow pony in slight shock. Butterscotch glanced at his friends, then at the manticore. He walked towards it, it raised a clawed paw, apparently ready to disembowel the butter-colored pegasus.
"Shhh, it's okay," Butterscotch said softly.
The rest of the group saw Butterscotch sniffing at the paw not lifted for a strike. The manticore uncertainly un-clenched it to reveal a large thorn stuck in the pad. It let out a soft whimper.
"Oh, you poor, poor little baby," Butterscotch crooned.
"Little?!" Rainbow said in shock.
"Now this might hurt for just a second," Butterscotch told the manticore in a caring tone. He plucked the thorn out carefully. The manticore gave a deafening roar directly in his face.
"BUTTERSCOTCH!!!!" the group screamed in horror.
They then saw that the pegasus was not only alive and unharmed, but he was actually being cuddled and licked by the now joyful manticore.
Butterscotch laughed. "Aw, you're just a little old baby kitty, aren't you?" He began to baby-talk the gigantic monster. "Yes, you are. Yes, you are."
The rest of the group had been staring in shock, but simply smiled when they saw that their friend was all right. The manticore gave Butterscotch a hearty lick across the mane that swept it up into a massive cowlick.
Applejack gave a warm chuckle. "Ah know ya have a way with critters, but yer definitely goin' to die tryin' to pet something you shouldn't, Butterscotch," he teased lightly.
Butterscotch gave the manticore's neck a hug goodbye. "Yep," he said with a smile. "Isn't it great?" He then unlatched from the manticore, which set him down, the two giving each other a small wave goodbye.
As Butterscotch walked by, Dusk asked him, "How did you know about the thorn?"
Butterscotch shrugged. "I didn't. Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness."
Dusk pondered this for a second, smiled to himself, nodded, and followed the group.
The thorn that had been in the manticore's paw began to rapidly spin before it turned back into Nightmare Moon's cloud form which zoomed after the group.
They found themselves walking through a boggy part of the forest.
Elusive sighed. "My eyes could use a different sight..." he muttered. The trees got so thick that nopony could see in front of them. "Well, I didn't mean that literally!" he exclaimed.
Nightmare Moon's cloud form snaked past the group.
Dusk groaned. "That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces, and we wouldn't even know it!" he grumbled.
Nightmare Moon crawled into a tree ahead of the group.
Applejack said to himself, "Oh, wait. Ah think Ah stepped in somethin'..." Butterscotch screamed, but Applejack just rolled his eyes and kept walking. "It's just mud, Butterscotch! Honestly..." he grumbled.
Applejack stopped when he spotted that the tree in front of him had a horrific face with a toothy maw and glowing eyes. Applejack bolted back with a shout and the others stared in horror at the creepy, snarling faces all the trees around them now sported. They then burst into terrified screams.
As the rest of the sextet cowered, they were surprised to find Bubble Berry laughing uproariously. "Huh?" they collectively asked.
Bubble laughed at one of the horrid faces and made a few goofy ones of his own in response to the sight.
"Bubble, what are you doing?! Run!" Dusk shouted.
Cheery percussion music began to play out of nowhere.
"Guys, don't you see?" Bubble called in a chipper tone.
Dusk's ear turned to follow the music. He knew where this was going. "Oh, no..."
Bubble began to keep time with his hooves as he began to sing. In an exasperated tone, Dusk said, "Tell me he's not..."
Elusive nodded. "He is," he confirmed.
Bubble led the group in a song about dealing with fears by laughing at them to make them disappear, even Dusk enjoying himself a smidge. They let out a good long laugh at the fact they'd been so scared by a bunch of trees.
Still laughing as they walked, the stallions came to a sudden halt at the bank of a raging river, some of them crashing into Bubble as they weren't paying attention. They craned their heads to get a good look at the rushing water.
Bubble stated what everypony was thinking. "How are we gonna cross this?" In the distance was the sound of eerie moaning and wailing. "Huh?!" Bubble asked in surprise.
The group took cover in a clump of bushes, and saw a long, purple, scaly tail thrashing about. Their eyes followed it until they saw what it was connected to, a massive purple sea serpent with skinny arms and blond hair with a small purple beard. Half of a magnificent mustache had been raggedly cut, and he was sobbing hysterically in a very effeminate voice for such a large guy. "Oh! What a world! What a world!"
Dusk called out, "Excuse me, sir. Why are you crying?"
The sea serpent sat up at the sound of unexpected company. "Well, I don't know. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off!"
In a nearby grove, Nightmare Moon was laughing wickedly while villainously twirling the stolen mustache that was now above her upper lip. This was great! Why had she never done this before?! ...
Oh. Right. She was a mare. Mares couldn't grow facial hair without the use of magic, and she'd been raised to be a "proper" mare, so something like that would never have been allowed.
Nightmare Moon's head hung low, and she let out a weary sigh as an uncomfortable but familiar prickling settled under her skin. Her eyes narrowed. No matter! She had better things to do! She discarded the moustache and flew off the enact the next phase of her desperate brilliant plan!
A red paw picked up the mustache half. Huh... a voice muttered to itself before it too vanished.
The sea serpent who had introduced himself as Steven Magnet continued his hissy fit. "And now, I look simply horrid!" he moaned. He flopped into the river, causing a wave to soak the group of ponies who all groaned at that.
"Oh, gimme a break!" Rainbow Blitz grumbled.
"That's what all the fuss is about?" Applejack complained.
Elusive nodded. "Why, of course it is! How can you two be so insensitive? Just look at this magnificent creature!"
Elusive continued as he stroked Steven's snout. "Such beautiful luminescent scales."
Steven sniffled. "I know!" He glanced up at his hair, clearly acting like a dog in need of praise.
Elusive got the message loud and clear. "And your expertly coiffed mane." He stood up.
Steven nodded, patting his hair down. "Oh, I know, I know!" he said with an eager grin.
Elusive nodded. "Your fabulous manicure."
Steven gasped and cradled his face in his talons. "It's so true!" he confirmed.
"All ruined without your beautiful mustache," Elusive summarized.
Steven began sobbing again. "It's true, I'm hideous!" he wailed.
Elusive resolutely proclaimed, "I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!" He grabbed one of Steven's scales in his teeth and yanked it off the
"Ow! What did you do that for?" Steven complained.
Elusive lifted the scale's razor-sharp point towards the night sky like an odd sword, with a very determined expression.
"Elusive, what are you--" Dusk tried to ask.
There was a sudden slashing noise, and Steven fainted dead away. The group stared in shock at what Elusive had cut: his own tail was nearly entirely gone, and it wasn't the cleanest cut in the world. Elusive tossed the scale away and levitated the cut portion of his tail over to Steven, affixing it above the sea serpent's lip.
Steven came round, and when he saw what had been done let out a delighted laugh. "My mustache! How wonderful!" He looked at Elusive with shining eyes. "Thank you," he said, giving the white stallion a small bow.
Elusive gave a satisfied grin and a small nod. "You look smashing."
"Oh, Elusive, your tail!" Dusk said sympathetically.
Elusive shrugged. "It's perfectly fine. I'd been meaning to get it cut anyway. Anyway, short tails are in this season. Besides, it'll grow back. I have rather fast-growing hair, something I can thank my father for."
Dusk smiled and nodded.
Rainbow softly groused to Dusk, "The mustache would have grown back too..."
Dusk noted that now that its resident was no longer upset, the river was completely calm. He happily threw himself in and shouted, "We can cross now! Let's go!"
A coil of Steven's body picked him up, and Dusk saw he was using himself as a line of steppingstones for the smaller creatures. The sea serpent gave the group a salute. "Allow me!"
Once on dry land, the group pressed on. There was a sudden whooping sound, and the group screamed as something jumped onto a tree stump in front of them. It was a red fox with yellow eyes, looking at them with interest.
Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. "Just a fox..." he chuckled.
"Well, if it lives in the Everfree, it must really be a horrible monster in disguise!" Elusive said. The fox gave him an extremely offended look.
Rainbow Blitz got in between the vulpine and his friends, forelegs making karate-chopping motions. "Yeah? Well, whatever it really is, I can take it!"
The fox proceeded to wash his paw, then stretched like a cat, showing off not insignificant fangs. He then looked right at Rainbow and to the group's immense shock said, You really couldn't, but I genuinely admire your admittedly suicidal bravery. Try working on that...He gave the group a grin that was slightly horrifying to see on a feral fox's face. Be seeing you...He hopped off the stump and walked behind a tree, not coming out from behind it.
Dusk shook his head like he was trying to clear an image from an Etch-a-Sketch. "Moving on," he muttered to himself. He then glanced up and his eyes lit up. "There it is!"
"It" was the ruins of a castle on the other side of a cliff whose bottom was obscured by mist. There were the remains of a bridge, but no way to cross.
Dusk gave a laugh that was partly excited and partly relieved that this was almost over. "The ruin that holds the Elements of Harmony. We made it!" He began galloping for it.
"Dusk! Wait for us!" Applejack called, the rest of the group trying to keep up.
"Come on, guys, we're almost there!" Dusk cheered. Not paying attention to where he was trotting, he nearly fell off the side of the cliff, luckily Rainbow was there to drag the lavender stallion back to safety by the tail.
Rainbow chuckled. "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?"
"Now what?" Bubble asked, as they were unable to cross the chasm.
"Duh!" Rainbow said happily. He gave his wings a large stretch and lifted off.
"Oh, yeah!" Bubble said, surprised he hadn't thought of that himself.
Rainbow dove down into the mist and came back up a moment later with the bridge ropes in his teeth. As he tied one of them down, an echoing female voice made him stop what he was doing.
"Rainbow..." it called out. He dropped the other rope and gasped as Nightmare's cloud form drifted up unseen from below him.
"Who's there?" Rainbow called out.
"Rainbow..." the voice called again. The mist started to thicken around the Pegasus, hiding him from his friends.
Rainbow punched at the air. "I ain't scared of you! Show yourself!" he shouted.
"We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria," the voice informed him.
Rainbow blinked. "Who?"
"Why, you, of course," the voice purred sweetly.
Rainbow grinned and eagerly asked, "Really?!" He managed to catch his ego running away from him and coughed. "I mean...oh, yeah! Me! Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind telling the Wonderbolts that, would you? 'Cause I've been trying to get into that group for, like, ever!" he finished with a wide grin.
In an almost weary tone, the voice said, "No, Rainbow Blitz. We want you to join us."
Three pegasi, two stallions and a mare galloped towards Rainbow. All three were wearing outfits similar to the Wonderbolts, yet edgier than thou.
"The Shadowbolts!" the mare proclaimed dramatically. Rainbow looked confused as he had never heard of them. The mare continued. "We are the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria." She leaned in closer to Rainbow. "But first...we need a captain."
Rainbow's eyes went wide, and a huge smile graced his face as the mare who was the only one to speak began to fly slowly in circles around him, assessing him.
The mare proclaimed, "The most magnificent..."
Rainbow nodded. "Yep."
The mare continued. "...swiftest..."
"Yes," Rainbow said eagerly.
The mare finished. "...bravest flyer in all the land."
Rainbow chuckled. "Yes! I mean, it's all true..."
Mercifully hidden beneath her flight goggles, the mare rolled her eyes as Nightmare Moon realized that she couldn't possibly lay it on thick enough. She took a deep breath and continued. "We need..." She leaned over to whisper in Rainbow's ear, "...you."
Rainbow leapt up and cheered. "Woo-hoo! Sign me up!" He moved a bit to get the rest of the loose rope. "Just let me tie this bridge real quick, and then we have a deal!"
The Shadowbolt mare zipped across to stop him, shouting with a far more menacing tone. "NO! It's them or us!" Rainbow recoiled slightly.
Having trouble seeing through the murk, Dusk called out, "Rainbow!" "What's taking so long?" he asked himself. The mist cleared just enough for Dusk to see that Rainbow was surrounded by another test "Oh, no." He then shouted, "RAINBOW!"
The mare's eyes blazed yellow behind her goggles, causing the visibility to drop to zero in a lot less than ten seconds flat.
Rainbow heard Dusk's voice, which was muffled by the now much thicker fog. "Don't listen to them!" the unicorn shouted.
Rainbow's brain was working overtime as he tried to come to a decision.
"Well?" the Shadowbolts' leader asked impatiently. There was a lengthy pause.
Finally, Rainbow, "You." The mare smiled victoriously, but Rainbow shook his head. "Thank you...for the offer, I mean." In one blur of movement, he whipped back to the bridge and tied off the other rope, leaving three shocked Shadowbolts gaping at him. "But I'm afraid I have to say no," Rainbow finished with an apologetic shrug.
With one last malevolent glare, the other three "pegasi" disappeared in three puffs of blue-violet smoke that came together and slunk away, seeming to pout. Rainbow flew across the repaired bridge as the fog dissipated to the sound of the others' cheering. All six stallions headed across, with Rainbow flying ahead to lead the way.
Rainbow turned to Dusk and gave him a small, unexpectedly humble smile. "See? I'd never leave my friends hanging."
In the chasm below, a certain Alicorn was currently extremely pissed off. Nightmare Moon shot off a volley of small stars that ricocheted off the walls, letting out an enraged scream.
She flew back and forth fast enough to become a sparkling blue blur, until she skidded to a halt with a sound of screeching brakes at the sight of ... was that a face? Oh, it was upside-down. So was the ... thing it was attached to.
Hanging from a large thread like a Lovecoltian spider was a multi-limbed centaur of sorts. Its upper body was humanoid with short white fur over well-developed muscles. Its lower half was that of a lion with rainbow-colored fluff where its torso met its lower half, as well as a bit of rainbow at the tip of the tuft of fur on the end of the tail. It had six arms that ended in clawed paws, its right paws were a cherry red. It had four massive wings that were white at the top and black at the bottom, with blue eyes nestled among the feathers towards the top of each wing.
The most horrifying part of the creature was honestly its head. It was vaguely goat-like, with a long brown mane that trailed all the way down its back. It had a long unkempt goatee that was a pale blonde right by the chin before most of it turned blood red. It had two long black horns and from its forehead sprouted a third horn; this one was white, grew at crooked angles, and was riddled with holes like a Changeling's. Long fangs stuck out from the sides of its mouth, and a pair of very thick bushy black eyebrows were set over two inky black voids. It was ... technically smiling, but there was no warmth at all to it, so all the smile did was put thousands of shark-like teeth on display.
Hey, it said in a male voice which echoed slightly. Want to play a game? You looked like you were having fun playing pinball there. You're probably too busy to play, of course. I guess I can understand that, he sighed. Worlds to conquer and all.
Nightmare Moon only vaguely recalled this creature. Something to do with ... spiders? Nightmares? She knew that it was a very bad sign if he was smiling and asking to play a game, though.
If you try and kill them again, I'll get you. Eventually, I have all the time in the world. No need to rush. How about a deal? Rather than try and kill them behind their backs, face them directly. If you beat them, I'll leave you alone to rule Eternal Night, because the consequences of that are honestly worse than what I'd do to you. He stuck out a red right paw.
Nightmare Moon got the distinct impression she was making a deal with the Ram. "And if they beat me?"
The creature gave her a chilling grin. Pray that they don't... he whispered Be seeing you... He then turned right-side-up, clambered up his thread and disappeared in a flash of dark light.
Nightmare Moon shuddered but decided to take the good advice. These meddling foals had passed every obstacle she had thrown at them, it was time she dealt with them herself. She flew on.
The Not-Quite-Mane-Six-Yet stood inside the entry hall of the castle. Before them stood an apparatus consisting of six round stone tablets mounted at the ends of long shafts, with a larger orb at the center. The entire thing was heavily overgrown with moss and vines. It bore a resemblance to the framework that held the Elements of Harmony that Dusk recognized from his story.
Applejack broke almost a millennium of silence. "Whoa...come on, Dusk. Isn't this what you've been waitin' for?"
Dusk gave an excited grin. "The Elements of Harmony. We've found them!"
Butterscotch and Rainbow flew up and slowly began to take the tablets to the floor.
"Careful...careful..." Dusk cautioned out of habit more than necessity.
Bubble began counting. "One, two, three, four...Hey, there's only five."
"Where's the sixth?" Rainbow asked.
Dusk laid down and furrowed his brow as he tried to remember. "The book said, 'When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.'"
Applejack blinked. "Well, what in the hay is that supposed to mean?!" the cowpony exclaimed.
Dusk sighed. "I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back," he warned. "I don't know what will happen..." He closed his eyes and began to charge up his horn.
Applejack nodded in understanding and began to lead the others away. "All right, come on now, y'all. He needs to concentrate..."
In her mist form, Nightmare slipped into the chamber, and gradually enveloped the five stone tablets before her. As the Dusk began to increase his efforts at the sudden resistance, she formed into a whirlwind that lifted the tablets off the floor.
Dusk opened his eyes and let out a yell when he saw the now-familiar colored cyclone, cutting off his magic in case it made her stronger.
From the bridge leading into the castle, the others heard his scream echoing.
"DUSK!" the group shouted.
Inside the room, the tornado grew in size and power, reaching nearly to what remained of the ceiling.
"The Elements!" Dusk cried in horror at the realization his enemy had them. He dove for them, and the storm shrunk to nothing, teleporting the unicorn and the Elements with him just as the others raced in.
The other five glanced around. Applejack inhaled deeply and shouted, "DUSK! WHERE ARE YA?!"
Elusive pointed out the window to another window in a tower in another part of the castle. A tell-tale flash of white light indicated teleportation at work.
Applejack nodded. "Come on!" he cried, the others racing along with him.
Dusk spent a few moments coughing from the dust and glanced up to see Nightmare Moon standing on a crumbled dais across the room. The mare chuckled wickedly as the 5 Element tablets floated leisurely in the grip of her mane and tail, clearly taunting Dusk with them.
Dusk's eyes narrowed and he let out a bull-like snort as he lowered his head and pawed at the ground to work up the steam for a charge.
Nightmare Moon set the elements down, and in an almost amused tone, asked, "You're kidding. You're kidding, right?"
Dusk was in fact not kidding. With a war cry he charged straight for her. Nightmare began to charge as well, but Dusk disappeared with a flash before the two of them collided. Nightmare glanced around, seeing Dusk re-materialize on the dais he'd just tricked her off of. Dusk gave a loud pant, he'd done a lot more physical exertion that day than he was normally used to, and having not slept wasn't helping his magical reserves.
Dusk pointed his horn at the Elements. "Just one spark," he muttered desperately as his horn charged up again. "Come on, come on..."
Within their tablets, the Elements began to glow as well. With a snarl, Nightmare turned back into a tornado and flew onto the dais, throwing Dusk and the tablets across the floor. "No, no, no!" she shouted.
Dusk smirked, knowing that he finally had the upper hoof - and then to his shock, the Elements winked out.
"But...where's the sixth Element?" he asked the universe in a desperate plea.
Nightmare Moon was laughing hysterically. She reared up and stomped dramatically, the force shattering the tablets. She laughed again. "You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your Princess--or your sun! The night will last forever!"
As Nightmare prepared to land her killing blow, Dusk's friends charged into the room.
Dusk had a well-timed epiphany.
With a confident grin, he turned back over his wither and addressed the Dark Mare. "You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong--because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!"
The stone shards gathered at Nightmare's hooves began to glow and float free of the ground.
"What?!" Nightmare asked, shocked that this was happening.
"Applejack...who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of honesty!" Dusk said with a grin.
Shards of light began to circle around the orange stallion.
Dusk continued. "Butterscotch...who tamed the manticore with his compassion, represents the spirit of kindness!"
Shards started to orbit the Pegasus as well.
"Bubble Berry ...who banished fear...by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of laughter!"
Bubble had an excited grin as his element began to circle him as well.
"Elusive, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of generosity!"
"And Rainbow Blitz, who could not abandon his friends for his own heart's desire, represents the spirit of loyalty!
"The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!" Dusk finished with a proud grin.
A panicking Nightmare shouted, "You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"
Dusk shook his head. "But it did. A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you--to see you. How much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all...are my friends!" he finished with confidence.
A sixth tablet appeared above Dusk's head and began to give the sixth Element to its new bearer.
"You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the...the spark that resides in the heart of us all...it creates the sixth Element. The Element of magic!"
A brilliant white light enveloped the six stallions as it spread along their bodies, forming into golden armor along their barrels and legs. At the throat of each stallion an ornate golden collar formed, each containing a gem that was tellingly shaped and colored like the stallion's cutie mark.
"Ooh, I like this!" Elusive said with a wide grin.
Two rainbow-striped shafts of light emerged from the group as a double helix and shot towards the ceiling before joining into a single broad ribbon that swoops down on Nightmare.
"NOOOOO!!" she screamed as the light spiraled around her. "NOOOOO!!"
Each of the mane six was floating in white light, standing upright on their hind legs. Their eyes were also glowing a bright white. With one last bright flare, the light faded away completely.
As they'd all been knocked out by the force of the Friendship laser, they didn't see a dark shadow be blasted out of their foe. From a shadow on the wall behind her, a long arm with thin white fur that ended in a red right paw tipped with sharp claws snatched the shadow, and a voice called out, Got you! before dragging it back into the shadow it had emerged from and disappearing.
The group started to come around gradually, groaning, and rubbing their heads.
"Everypony okay?" Applejack called.
Elusive noticed his tail had magically grown back. "Well, how about that?" he asked with a thankful smile.
The group was busy admiring the armor they'd been granted. "Sick!" Rainbow said with a grin. "Feel like I missed out a bit not joining the Royal Guard..."
"Ya got the work ethic for it?" Applejack asked his friend with a teasing grin. Rainbow took a playful swipe in protest. Applejack then sighed. "In all honesty, Dusk, Ah thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey. But Ah reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship."
"Indeed, you do," a voice that was very familiar to Dusk called.
The sun began to rise, and in a beam of light, Princess Celestia appeared before her ponies. Everypony except Dusk kneeled before her.
"Princess Celestia!" Dusk called ecstatically. He dashed over to the Princess, and the two nuzzled each other affectionately.
Celestia chuckled. "Dusk Shine, my faithful student. I knew you could do it."
"But...you told me it was all an old pony tale!" Dusk protested.
Celestia smiled. "I told you that you needed to make some friends--nothing more." She nodded at the other five stallions and motioned for them to stand. Celestia continued speaking. "I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart. (Now if only another will as well..."
The group glanced across the room where a second Alicorn was passed out among the smoking remains of Nightmare Moon's armor.
"Princess Luna," Celestia called softly.
The smaller, blue Alicorn woke up with a gasp. Celestia laid down to be at eye-level with her.
"It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this." Luna cringed slightly at that. "Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister." Luna reacted like the word "sister" was a slap in the face.
"Sister?!" Dusk and Rainbow said in unison.
Celestia stood up. "Will you accept my friendship?"
Luna faced away as she pondered everything, Dusk and his new friends leaning in expectantly to hear her reply. Bubble leaned a little too far, toppling to the floor with a shout of, "Whoa!" before the pink stallion stood back up.
Luna stood up, and nuzzled against Celestia's chest, nodding as both sisters began to cry. "I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister."
Celestia smiled and wrapped her leg around Luna. "I've missed you too."
There was the sound of a nose being blown loudly, and the group turned to see Bubble sobbing loudly into a handkerchief before he brightened up. "Hey! You know what this calls for?! A p-"
"Woah, Nelly!" Applejack shouted as he accidentally interrupted his friend.
Dusk turned and tried not to scream. With a skittering sound, what he had thought was a shadow rushing towards the group turned out to be thousands of spiders with glowing red eyes. With a single-minded purpose they flowed around the ponies, leaving a respectful distance before they picked up Nightmare Moon's discarded armor and ran towards a wall, melting into a shadow and disappearing.
Applejack's jaw had dropped. "Tell me Ah'm not the only one who saw that," he managed weakly.
Celestia cleared her throat. "No. That was ... somecreature who hates loose ends helping in his own way..."
"Anyway, as I was saying," Bubble continued, "this calls for a party!" He gave an "Ooh!" as his golden armor folded in on itself until it was just a necklace that popped off.
The other five elements followed suit. Celestia laughed. "I have to admit to a bit of jealousy, I got a tiara when I wielded the Elements."
"You wielded the Elements?!" Dusk asked.
Celestia nodded. "I ... have a lot to tell you," she admitted.
I a Ponyville meadow, a party had been set up seemingly from nowhere in that way Ponies were great at. A chariot bearing Celestia and Luna arrived as streamers and confetti rained down.
Spike bulldozed his way through the crowd to give Dusk the biggest hug he can manage, given his size, and everypony bowed to the sisters once they leave the chariot.
Celestia smiled gently, while Luna seemed a bit uneasy before the crowd. Two pegasus fillies flew up to place a wreath of red and white roses around her neck. She gave Celestia an uncertain, slightly teary-eyed little smile, not entirely understanding how these complete strangers could forgive her but accepting it all the same.
Celestia searched the crowd for a certain someone, but there was not a red right hoof in sight. A lick of rainbow fire appeared momentarily to deposit a scroll the way dragon fire would. In familiar writing it said, "Not my place or scene, I just helped a bit. I'll see you two tonight, I have a lot of catching up and apologizing to do." The letter then crumbled to ash.
Celestia noticed how downcast Dusk appeared. "Why so glum, my faithful student? Are you not happy that your quest is complete, and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?"
Dusk shook his head. "That's just it. Just when I finally learn how wonderful it is to have friends, I have to leave them." The rest of the group was very saddened by that news as well.
Celestia nodded in understanding, before calling, "Spike, take a note, please."
Spike whipped out his quill and scroll. Celestia began to dictate. "I, Princess Celestia hereby decree that the unicorn Dusk Shine shall take on a new mission for Equestria. He must continue to study the magic of friendship. He must report to me his findings from his new home here in Ponyville."
Dusk's facial expression had started out as uncomprehending before giving way to a huge, grateful smile as the other five stallions mobbed him and shouted their congratulations.
"Oh, thank you, Princess Celestia! I'll study harder than ever before!" Celestia rolled her eyes and laughed at that as the entire town cheered.
Much later that night, Luna tossed and turned, completely worn out. It wasn't the time she slept, but she had been hoping to at least rest. A knock in a quick staccato of four pulled her out of her thoughts and she groaned and buried her head under a pillow.
"Go away," she shouted, "We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations!" she said, thinking of a nephew she'd been introduced to and had loathed on sight.
From the other side of the door, a voice called, And what about very old friends?
Luna pulled out from her cocoon at that and opened the door to find me there holding a bakery box. I proffered it to her. I worked hard on this, but if you want to smash it in my face or shove it in uncomfortable places, you would be entirely within your rights.
She opened the box to find a simple one-layer cake with a dark blue mirror glaze. In white icing the constellations had been depicted, and a large yellow moon was in one corner. In familiar cursive, the cake read, "Welcome Home!"
Luna cracked a smile at that. "Thy baking art has improved."
I shrugged. It's been ... longer for me than it was for you. I've had a lot of time to practice...
Luna laughed at my strange speech, but she was used to it, and the meaning came through. May I come in? If you say no I will happily leave you alone until you wish to speak to me.
Luna shook her head. "We could use thy brand of madness, to be honest."
As I entered her room, I stared at her. Huh. You're smaller than the last time I saw you as you...
"Thou art just unnaturally tall!" Luna protested, wings fluffing up defensively.
I chuckled. True... There was a reason, but it makes living on this world interesting at times...
Luna laughed. "We cannot count the times thou hit thine head on the ceiling in our youth..."
I snickered at those memories. And those awful chandeliers! Now there was a hazard!
"They were hideous!" Luna agreed with a laugh. "Why did we not replace them sooner?" She pointed at a lamp that had been brought into her room in her absence. "Our sister tells us that ponies have now bottled lightning to allow them to have light at all times of day. And that two ponies may communicate no matter how far apart they are! Such marvels..." She looked downcast.
I nodded. Much has changed in the past thousand years, it's true. But the important things remain the same. Which reminds me of my second gift! I pulled out a rectangle wrapped in brown paper and tied with black yarn.
Luna opened it to find a leatherbound book. The title was, "Arachnos's Guide to Modern Equus for the Temporally Displaced." She opened it and began to thumb through it.
You are the first to return, but a surprising number of creatures will be at least a thousand years out of date. Including some of my children. I thought this might be useful to have a guide for all of you.
Luna nodded. "We thank ye. 'Tis a thoughtful and useful gift. May we partake of yon pastry now?" she asked with a grin.
I nodded and began to slice the cake and plate it. As Luna bit in she let out a moan. Oh? I didn't know it was that good, I teased her.
Luna blushed. "Our apologies. Thy baking has ... improved remarkably. We cannot remember experiencing flavors such as these."
You haven't eaten in some time before today. Everything will seem more intense. I ... am so sorry for ... what I did, and more importantly did not do. I should have stood up for you. Defended you. Let you know that you were not and are not alone, and that you are most certainly not unloved. Luna stared in concern as I dug my claws into my arm hard enough to draw golden blood. Perhaps I could have prevented this from happening. I felt a forehoof lightly touch my shoulder and saw Luna hovering before me.
"What is done, is done, my friend. Do not torture thyself with 'What could have beens.' As for the dream thou locked us in, that was meant as a kindness, we know that now. A thousand years of isolation would have driven us mad, and thou gave us the best dreams thou could. In truth ... we have dreamed of this day more times than we can count, and we are still expecting to wake up any moment to the next dream. But we believe we are now awake, thanks in no small part to thee, according to our sister. Thou hast our everlasting gratitude for returning us to ourselves, Arachnos, know that."
I sniffled at that. Luna chuckled. "Ah. We had forgotten what thy tears looked like. Thou art an odd one, for certain..."
I wiped the dark red liquid off my face. Thank you. You know, don't tell Celestia this, but you were always my favorite. Luna smiled. The day is glorious, but for me it is painful. The nights are cool and for solitude, and the sky was the most amazing canvas every night thanks to you.
Luna sighed. "A pity we could not help thou with thine dreams..."
A panicked look crossed my face. Please stay out of my head, I croaked. It's not safe in here...
Luna nodded. "We can remember everything we did as the Nightmare, and indeed remember our travels to your mind. We ... worry for you from what we have seen. We had often wondered what goes on in thy mind..."
Nothing that I want to be a part of... Watch. My head tilted to the side. I am in Misery [Reses Puffs! Reses Puffs!] There ain't nobody who can comfort me! [Eat 'em up, eat 'em up, eat 'em up eat 'em up!] My head straightened as an electroswing version of the Cantina Song from Star Wars began to play. My head tilted to the other side. The sounds of flames, evil laughter, and the tortured screams of the damned.
But mostly, I hear this, I concluded. Tock-tick tock-tick, tock-tick tock-tick, tock-tick tock-tick...Luna covered her ears. A ticking clock shouldn't have been that overwhelmingly loud. I find patterns of four comforting, so I suppose that's my brain trying to be kind and calming me down while also being cruel and reminding me how horribly temporary everything is, I finished with a hollow grin.
"So, thou hast not changed as much as we had hoped," Luna concluded. "Thy wings are a recent addition."
I nodded. Not by my choice, they just happened, and I cannot get rid of them, as with this, I finished, holding up a right paw. I do enjoy them though, though bright lights can be painful with this many eyes.
Luna nodded at that. "We can still remember when thou showed us the face thou wast born with.
At her insistence, I had explained to a young Luna what a "hoo-men" was, even showing her the face I'd been born with. I wasn't overly fond of it.
I took a bite of the cake. Hey, it really is good! I should leave you to your duties, but I won't leave you alone again. After all, "I love you" means "You're never ever, ever gettin' rid of me!" I said with a bright grin. Seeing Luna's expression, I sighed. I was quoting "Waitress," I try to avoid stalking. Have a good eventide! I disappeared.
The next morning as I walked into work, the door to the staff room burst open and to my shock I got literally lassoed into the room. Curtain Call spat the rope out. Everypony who worked at the school was there.
"What's going on?"
"Don't make us use your stash of truth serum!" the Ponish professor shouted.
"What stash of truth serum?!"
He held out a small potion bottle labeled "Truth Serum." I rolled my eyes. "That's vinegar I labeled truth serum as a joke. And you've been through my stuff?!" I growled.
The assembled teachers backed away quickly, knowing that touching my stuff without my permission tended to set me off.
Curtain Call sighed. "Are you Arachnos? Because I saw what you turned into before you flew away," she said pointedly. "And after a very sleepless night, I got the rest of us together to try and figure out what you are, and ..." She held out a scroll. "An obscure version of the legend of Discord had it."
I stared at the stylized artwork of myself.
I sighed. Yes.
"Wait, really?"
I nodded. I would change into that, but that form is 12 feet tall. I'd punch a hole in the ceiling, and having done that before, it hurts. But yes, the name I'm best known by in Equestria is Arachnos the Weaver. The lasso uncoiled itself from around me, transformed into a ball python, and curled around my neck as the rest of the teachers gasped. I like you all too much to try and gaslight you or mess with your memories, but does anypony else know? They all shook their heads. I sighed. Small mercies in this day of smartphones. Please keep it that way, otherwise everypony will start asking me to solve all of their problems for them. There's a reason I don't act like a god. If you'll all excuse me, I have a class to get ready for. I stalked out of the room.
"Is he bluffing?"
"Why would he bluff being the Weaver? Besides, you just saw him do a bit of transmutation without a horn, and he made it look effortless."
"I ... think Arac- Maroon wouldn't want to be treated any differently. The being who invented magic got a job at the nation's premier school of magic ... as an Earth Pony. What does that tell you?"
"He'd rather be the target of racism than have ponies fawning all ov-? Ooooh..." It had finally clicked.
"So, we're just not supposed to acknowledge the fact that the Potions Professor is God?"
"A god who chose to have a day job. You've seen what he's like when he's managed to get himself fired, do you really want to take it away from him?"
"It helps Arachnos to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning, yes," a new voice cut in.
"Princess Celestia!" The teachers bowed to the new arrival. "At ease, my little ponies," she said with a smile.
"Wait, did you know who Maroon was?" Curtain Call asked.
Celestia nodded. "I knew Maroon was Arachnos the day I hired him. He's ... not exactly capable of subtlety. To clarify, he is rather insistent that he's not a God, he prefers the term 'Demiurge.' Arachnos is frighteningly powerful, but he has pointed out limitations he has an actual God wouldn't."
"Why did you hire him?!"
"It amused me to do so," Celestia said. Princesses did not have shit-eating grins, but her smile was wide and very mischievous. "And I knew from experience that he is actually quite gifted at potions. You couldn't call Arachnos 'mentally stable' to his face on one of his good days, but he means well. He's mostly ... self-harming in his mind. I've only worried about him actually hurting somecreature a few times. He's an old, dear friend, though I don't think he knows that at times. His son and I..." Celestia paused. "We weren't lovers by any means, but with hindsight, we did absolutely love each other, in our own ways. Even if we didn't know it at the time. As you pointed out, this job gives Arachnos structure and stability, something that he desperately needs. Though I get the feeling he's hoping to retire soon. I do hope he finds something else to fill his day..."
Celestia pulled herself out of her musings. "Arachnos is partly responsible for the reason I'm here today. May I introduce my sister, Luna, Princess of the Night and Moon, and the Guardian of Dreams?" Celestia motioned for the younger Alicorn to come into the room, and Luna did, a bit hesitantly. "Luna's been away for a bit, but I'm happy to announce that my sister has returned! I wanted to show her what I've been up to in her absence. The school is one of my greatest prides and joys, and I expect you all to make her feel welcome." The last sentence was said with a meaningful glance at the rest of the staff. They nodded.
Celestia gave her sister the grand tour before ending it in the basement. She felt a slight shaking through her hooves. "Uh, oh." The lights were flickering, never a good sign.
Celestia threw open the door to my office and her jaw dropped. I was levitating and slamming back and forth between the front and back of the room. Luckily, there weren't any potions I was in danger of knocking down and accidentally mixing.
"ARACHNOS, STOP HURTING YOURSELF! ... I should put that on a t-shirt," Celestia grumbled.
"Not in control of it, one second!" I called. "Hi, Lune-bug!"
I dropped to the floor a minute later, miniature books flying around my head making tweeting noises. "Ow, ow, ow..."
"What happened?" Celestia asked.
"Anxiety attack won. I just ... I'll be OK, just give me a moment... Luckily, after more than 20 years working with them, I can trust my coworkers to not disclose who and what I am. They're ... good ponies."
"I only hire good creatures," Celestia said in an attempt to reassure me.
"Hmph. I don't think I qualify as 'good.'"
"Come, now Arachnos, how bad could you-?"
Celestia's eyes widened at the sight before her. The Ram himself was sitting in my office, giving her a glare.
Seemingly out of hammerspace, Celestia whipped out a spider amulet, which crumbled to dust.
Grogar's glare increased. Again, using my own holy symbol against me is just going to annoy me at best...
"He sounds like Arachnos..." Celestia said.
I am Arachnos! I said, holding up my red right forehoof and wiggling the fingers ominously. Though if you want to be linear about it, Arachnos is me since I wore that mask first on this world. But yes, I still hold the title of "most evil being to walk the world," since I brought evil with me when I came to this universe.
"Why would you ... why?"
I shrugged. Ponies were not always as harmonious as they are now. There is no way the Three Tribes would have united on their own. But, if you give them a horrific threat to unite against... I let that hang. It did wonders for helping you to realize you are all ponies, at the end of the day. If it helps, the stories of Grogar's evil are exaggerated, often by me when I was Grogar, but I was definitely evil. And quite good at it, actually. That worries me... I have to live with what I did forever. You don't. I am what parents use to frighten their children into good behavior, I finished with a strained grin that looked especially scary on the face of this world's version of the devil.
I shifted back into Maroon. "So being able to remember what I did in crystal clarity no matter how long it has been, I can't think of myself as 'good.' I hope I'm not evil, but I am definitely a shade of grey. I am not fit to judge myself; I dislike myself too much."
I turned to Luna. "Hello, Lune-Bug," I said with a smile. "With Celestia's permission, I have been masquerading as the Potions Professor at her school."
"You've been the Potions Professor. Or do I need to take back the salary I've been paying you?" Celestia said with a teasing grin. "Weaver knows you don't need it. Oh. It's strange to say that phrase to your face."
"I'm used to it. Thank you."
"You ... haven't done anything like that since you've been Grogar?"
"... It's a big enough universe. I've absolutely had to do things I'm not proud of to keep some worlds spinning. Or ... stop some worlds spinning. Though I haven't killed nearly as many creatures as I let everyone think I have. But being the monster in the dark works better on some worlds than being the angel. I try to avoid it though unless it's time for a last resort."
"One of the reasons you took this job is you knew Dusk would be a student and would one day be a wielder of one of the Elements," Celestia said. It wasn't remotely a question. I nodded. She sighed. "Your lack of ethics in manipulating a foal for your own ends, noble as they were, aside, you should tell Dusk and Spike who and what you really are. And sooner rather than later. They deserve to know. And I certainly used him for my own ends as well..."
"All right. But I won't enjoy it, and they will likely enjoy it even less, even if I'm nice about it. You know how I get about it. I also refuse to do it today; I left a whole load of laundry in the wash at home and my mane needs cleaning."
Celestia chuckled at that. "All right, Arachnos. Just do it this year, all right? I know that's a rush order for you..." I nodded at her order.
"Nice to see you, Luna, I hope to see more of you in the near future." Luna worked out the meaning and nodded. With that, the two Alicorns left me to continue their day and their tour.
The next day I got a letter from Celestia.
My Dear Friend,
I understand what you have told me of your time as Grogar, and your reasons were logical, though your actions were extreme. Looking back on what I know of that time, I can absolutely believe you wore Grogar as a "mask" as you always put it.
I ... am not comfortable thinking of ... Him existing. As you put it, it has been three thousand years and yet most ponies are still afraid to even speak the name Grogar.
I suppose I could use a bit of reassurance that the Ram is dead.
Yours,
Celestia
I sighed and quickly wrote back.
Celestia,
It is not a time I enjoy thinking about, let alone speaking of. It was quite easy for ... me to conquer the fledgling nations that would one day become Equestria. I am capable of feats of magic and evil most ponies can't conceive of.
I was absolutely a tyrant. I wanted to make certain that it was known that Grogar was a Dark Lord and a threat to all of Equestria. I caused as much misery and suffering as my conscience would allow. I created monsters that I remain proud of to this day, and it has been much longer than a mere three thousand years for me since I last wore that face. I let them loose upon an unprepared world.
The sun rarely shown in those days, and there were shortages of food. The Three Tribes continued their pointless infighting, even as some of them starved.
And yet ... sometimes a farmer would find his crops unexpectedly bountiful. Or a village would discover an ore that had not existed there the previous day. I worked in secret to undo my own work while maintaining my image as pure evil.
I invented necromancy, which on Equus is considered extremely taboo. I actually have a degree in it from a planet where it is not a forbidden form of magic. Necromancy itself is not evil, merely what you do with it. As Grogar, I would raise the dead of an army to make the corpses fight their former comrades, which is absolutely an act of evil.
I have killed, but never in my time as Grogar. I would simply imprison, curse, or transform my enemies instead. I always dealt non-lethal blows, seeking to disable, not destroy. It amuses me to remember the number of failed assassination attempts and attempts to overthrow me, until Gusty the Great came along. You know what happened from there.
Yet even that was not enough, and eventually I created the Windigos and unleased them. Despite what Ponies think of them, they are not actually evil. They merely feed on hatred and other negative emotions in order to reduce them. They do freeze their food, but you refrigerate a cake to keep it fresh for the same reason. They're actually an endangered species these days...
The peace and harmony that unified Equestria has enjoyed the past two thousand years can be attributed to my actions, which were purely motivated by an attempt to unite Ponykind. A common enemy seemed to be the best thing to cause them to unite against. I cannot say it was worth it, or that the ends justified the means. But that is why I did what I did. I caused stories of my acts of evil to be exaggerated, to become the monster lurking in the dark all Ponies would fear.
In truth, I cannot tell you that Grogar is dead. He is writing this letter. He is a part of me, and he never "died," he merely was not needed anymore. He is one of the darker parts of my psyche, and I truthfully enjoyed being feared and hated at the time. I always figured I would make a better villain than hero, and sadly, I was correct.
These days, I do not enjoy being feared or hated, and I look back on what I did with hatred for myself. I know that if I needed to, or if I wanted to, I could likely do it again. Or even worse acts.
Yet I genuinely do not believe that Grogar will be needed again. I enjoy scaring others, but not hurting them.
Forgive the long-winded explanation, but it is a lot to unwrap. I do not know how this will change your opinion of me, but I know it will. If you hate Grogar, you hate me. If you like me, you like the parts of Grogar that silently helped. We are not different people, I am me.
Yours,
Arachnos the Weaver of Creation AKA
Grogar the Terrible, Father of Monsters.
I sighed and sent it off using my own version of Dragon-fire, not expecting a reply right away. It understandably took Celestia some time to process my revelation. Yet I hadn't been forbidden from my visits with Luna, which Celestia clearly knew about.
When the Solar Princess finally did invite me back for a quick lunch, she didn't bring it up, and she didn't treat me any differently. She actually spent most of the lunch allowing me to carefully read Dusk's multitude of letters detailing his adventures. I laughed uproariously at most of them.
Celestia seemed to be quietly letting me know that she accepted me, all of me. For that I was grateful.
As I walked through the gardens, a voice interrupted my thoughts. Literally, as it was being relayed telepathically.
So, Luna's back now.
Yes, I mentally replied back.
Hmph. Well ... I suppose that's all right. She was always more fun the Celestia. I responded with a flash of agreement, not wanting to use words. Of course, it means another Alicorn could try and stop me. And I felt those blasted Elements bond to new ponies as well...
They do have new Bearers, yes. I don't think Celestia or Luna will face you unless you force them.
And you?
I sighed. I won't step in unless it's absolutely necessary for me to do so. But if I have to, I will. Don't make me fight you, Discord.
Why? We'd tear the planet apart?
Yes, but I don't want to fight you. I would rather let you "win" if you thought it would make you happy for a bit. Despite what you think, you tearing Equestria apart won't make you genuinely happy. And I do love you more than the Ponies. They are descendants of my creations, and in some cases friends, but you are my favorite son.
I actually preferred speaking without using my mouth, but the problem with telepathy is that emotions can leak through no matter how careful you are. Discord's surprise flooded my mind. He managed to close it off.
A thousand years in stone is a very funny way of showing it...
Even locked out of Equestria, I could have killed you, Discord. A brief mental flash of snow and ink-black blood before I yanked the thought back.. But I knew that this would be punishment enough. It's almost over.
Yes. I can feel my bonds. They're nearly broken. You won't stop me?
I pray I won't have to try. I sent Discord something he had missed more than he would let on, all of the sensory information I was experiencing just from being outside.
Mentally, Discord was trying not to cry at the feel of the sun on his fur, the sound of birdsong, the smell of the flowers and grass. He gave the mental equivalent of a sniffle. Thank you ... for all the stories and gossip the last thousand years. It helped. But ... I've been wanting to turn this place upside down for the last thousand years.
I chuckled. I'll have some matches ready to pass you. Equestria could use a bit of shaking up. But want the consequences of what you want, Son. See you soon.
Discord accepted that.
I thought about what Celestia had told me, and decided to reveal myself to Spike first, since I had more of a connection with him than with Dusk. That way if Dusk had a, uh ... huh. The fandom had correctly coined the phrase "Twilighting" for whenever Twilight Sparkle had had a panic attack, but "Dusking" didn't have quite the same ring to it.
Anyway, that way if Dusk had a massive freakout, his two brothers would be in the know and could back me up.
Look out Ponyville, I'm coming back...
Despite the bit of unexpected gender-flipping, Dusk Shine was in fact a great deal like Twilight Sparkle. Neither of them could ever remotely be called a morning Pony, but they luckily both had a dragon slav-, er, "Number One Assistant" to help with the morning chores.
Spike was actually well-paid in comics, gems, and had a sizeable allowance, but it was definitely more of a servant's relationship than a sibling's, he often grumbled during his inner monologuing. Still, it was a beautiful morning out, and he'd really gotten to enjoy his new home's daily farmer's market, something that definitely hadn't existed in Canterlot. Honestly, the food was just generally better here...
As he walked from stall to stall, Spike was only slightly surprised to hear bluegrass music from nearby. Spike joined the crowd of ponies and ducked and wove his way to the front. He was surprised to see a familiar Maroon Earth Pony on the banjo, fingers flying across the strings and eyes closed, lost in the music. When the song was done, the crowd cheered.
Spike was nervous upon seeing Maroon, he'd been sure that he'd caused a massive explosion in the professor's house one day, even blowing a hole in the pony. But both the teacher and the living room were fine, so it must have been a dream...
Maroon waved to him and made his way over, Caramel Apple taking over his spot in the impromptu band. "That was ... fun!" the Earth Pony said. "Hi, Spike. How are you?"
"I'm OK. What are you doing here? Sorry, that was rude," Spike added quickly.
"No, it's a valid question. I'm actually in town to speak to you."
"You could have just called..."
I shrugged. "It's actually not that far a distance for me, and this is something that needs to be done face to face. May I buy you brunch?" Spike's eyes lit up at the bribe of food, and soon we were each munching on a breakfast burrito. Spike was amazed at the level of spice I could handle; he was the only creature he knew who could take that much...
"So," I said, not sure where to begin... "You remember when you tried out a new spell in my living room and caused a small nuclear explosion?"
Spike nodded. "But that was just a dream, right?"
I shook my head. "No. You did blow quite the hole in my house and in me. Which is fine, I can easily repair both. Not sure how to say this ... have you ever heard of Arachnos the Weaver?"
Spike nodded. "The creator of the universe and everything in it, according to Pony legends. Also, a jerk, from what I've read."
"A-heh. ... Uh. Soooooo..." I gave the young dragon a nervous grin. "I'm Arachnos. I've just been playing the part of Maroon Flask since a little before you were born."
Spike started dying laughing. "You are NOT God! The universe isn't that badly run!"
"Because I don't actually run it, I just trim the worst parts out of existence..."
"Please, I didn't think you were that full of yourself..."
I sighed. "Every time someone asks me to prove it, I wind up scarring them for life." My eyes narrowed. "I am not doing something like tearing the planet apart and putting it back together, because no matter how careful I am, at least I will always be able to feel the cracks even if no one else can. It itches in my brain." I racked my brain. "What's your current favorite comic?"
"Uh, I'm really into Batmane?" Spike suggested.
I nodded. Spike watched in growing shock as I reached up and punched the air, and the air itself cracked. A glowing hole appeared where my hoof had connected. I reached into it and withdrew a single comic book issue, the portal quickly sealing up.
I passed the comic to Spike. His eyes widened at the issue. "Did you just ... punch a hole in space and time to get me a comic issue that won't be released for a month?"
I nodded and shrugged. "Try not to think about it too hard."
"Uh, thanks," Spike said. "That was ... nice of you. Also, definitely beyond normal magic... I still don't think that you're Arachnos though..."
I chuckled. "Fair. What feat may I perform that will convince you that this is genuine and not a symptom of my insanity?"
Spike thought it over. "Bring my comic to life?" he asked with a hopeful grin.
"Nah, Unicorns can already do that. Besides, Batmane isn't the most survivable comic world depending on the issue, and the current run is taking a pretty dark turn..."
"You read Batmane?!"
"Sir, I am a nerd, first class. Of course! OK, why don't I do ... this?" I asked with a grin.
Spike noticed the light changing through the windows of the diner. Cautiously he walked out, and his jaw dropped.
"Welcome to the Equestrian Capital on Mares," I said cheerfully. "The Maretians initiated First Contact roughly a hundred years ago, and the citizens of Equus have slowly been moving to the new city in search of new opportunities."
Spike stared at the crystal spires and lush vegetation of a planet he knew contained no life at all. He stepped back and bumped into something.
Spike glanced up to see my liontaur Draconequus from. I didn't say anything, and kept my teeth hidden, but I did give a small friendly wave. Spike recognized the form as the thing that had had a sandwich with him the night of Nightmare Moon's return. I snapped my fingers, and we were back in normal Ponyville. Well, as normally as Ponyville got...
The Doctor walked up to the Maroon Stallion he recognized, rubbing his temples. He chuckled. "I would appreciate it if in future you didn't warp reality on that scale quite that close to me, Weyan'a, I can only keep so many conflicting histories in my head at once."
Apologies, Doctor. Just proving who I am to a friend.
The Doctor glanced at Spike and chuckled. "My sympathies. Weyan'a is ... interesting. And sometimes dangerous to be around but ... he usually means well."
"Way Ann a?" Spike asked in confusion.
The Doctor chuckled. "In the language of my people, it means 'He Who Fashioned Starlight. It is one of our titles for the Weaver." The Doctor glanced at me. "There's really no way to get them back?"
I sighed. "There is, actually, and it would be stupidly easy, if not for the way they wiped themselves out. I'd just need a bit of stasis art, but since they never existed, that's all gone as well. The last time I checked, I don't have a friend who lives outside of time and who would collect something like frozen moments. I'm so very sorry, Doctor."
The Doctor nodded, having anticipated such a reply. "Still, at least I'm here, and for that I am ... usually grateful," he said with a sad smile. "It's nice to see you again Spike, I hope you'll like living here." He chuckled. "This town is bonkers at times, no doubt due to him," he said, pointing at me. I could tell he meant it teasingly. "A good day to you both!" the Doctor wished us before trotting off.
Spike glanced at the retreating stallion. "Is he an alien?"
I chuckled. "Well from his and my perspective you're all the aliens... Oh! I have three gifts for you." I held out a slip of paper. "My cell phone number, if you ever need or want to text, though I can certainly chatter on a bit." With growing horror Spike watched me pull out one of my teeth. It shifted into something resembling a shark's tooth. I quickly performed a very complicated spell, binding myself to Spike as a glowing circle of rainbow runes surrounded the tooth before it and the tooth disappeared. "Neither me nor any of my children will be able to physically harm you now. Though there are other ways to injure that spell didn't cover..." I pulled out a very old piece of parchment. "Lastly, and with great regret..."
Spike glanced at what appeared to be a very complex summoning ritual. "Please burn that the minute you've memorized it." He saw the venom in my gaze at the page. "That's the summoning spell Midas used to trap me. Yes, that Midas. It creates a summoning circle that forcibly yanks me into it and then traps me there until you give me permission to leave. Even your death wouldn't free me. I destroyed all of Midas's work on it, but it has since been recreated on other worlds, so I've had to learn to live with it. I react ... badly to it being used, so please only use it in an emergency. Also, maybe don't give it to Dusk just yet... I trust you to use it better than him..."
Spike nodded. "Uh. Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Ever." Spike shivered at my tone. I sighed. "Sorry. I just ... don't like creatures knowing who and what I am. It ... causes issues for them and for me. If you are willing, I would be happy to continue to teach you more about Dragons and Sparksouls."
"Explains how you know so much about them."
I nodded. "I have some rather good memories in the Dragonlands. Despite what Ponies think, Dragons really aren't very bad at all, just a bit rough around the edges."
Spike gave me something almost resembling puppy eyes. "Could ... you maybe find out who my parents were and why I wound up in Equestria?"
I chuckled. "You're surprisingly good at that for being a reptile. ... I'll do what I can... No promises, I don't like making them."
Spike nodded, accepting that. I vanished before he could say anything else.
Spike spent his free time the next day examining the spell I'd given him. He was surprised to find that parts had been crossed out and re-written in small block print with annotations and comments. "Did he ... correct a spell he hates?" Spike got out a magnifying glass and squinted through it. He knew enough about magic to realized ... "He made it more efficient... Why?"
While it absolutely had parental controls turned on, Spike had proven himself responsible enough to have his own phone, and his family was grateful for that in case of an emergency. "Weird area code..." the young Dragon muttered as he punched in my number to his contact list.
He sent an experimental
Hey.
What you miss me already? Has it even been 12 hours yet? It's hard to tell...
About 15.
Oh, well that's alright then. :P XD.
What do I call you?
Maroon? Arachnos?
Eh, it's a big enough universe and I have a lot of names across it. As long as I know you're not being purposefully insulting, it doesn't really matter to me, the faces and the names are all me at the end of the day.
Faces?
Oh, yeah. I call them "Masks" although they're more of a full-body costume I wear to blend in.
Spike was sent a series of slightly blurry selfies. Maroon, Arachnos, a grey Minotaur with starry eyes and gold horns in a red toga giving him a peace sign with his tongue sticking out. Spike had never seen a minotaur with fangs, though he looked more goofy than scary.
Sometimes I pick them, sometimes the culture I'm trying to interact with does. I'm a very weird goat on one planet actually, named Loki. That form wasn't my choice at all. Oh! If you'd been raised in the Dragonlands, this is what I'd look like when interacting with you!
There was a suspiciously long pause.
You OK?
Yeah. I just ... forgot how small the room I was in is, kind of broke it and wound up hitting my heads. Also crushed my phone. I'm fine now, and everything's fixed. Here's an image from an old book, since I wouldn't have been able to fit in the frame anyway.
With a ping, a photo of a yellowed manuscript page showed Spike an ancient illustration of a five-headed dragon the size of a mountain. It was spitting fire, lightning, darkness, and ice at a cowering group of ponies.
For the record, that never happened! It's a book on dragons written by ponies in a more prejudiced era.
Spike had a very basic grasp of Olde Ponish, though nowhere near on his brothers' level. He squinted at the name at the bottom of the page. "Kal'ez ... I can't begin to pronounce that..."
So, you've always been a god?
What? Oh, good grief no! I ... here...
Spike had not a clue what he was looking at. Another Minotaur? No, the head was all wrong.
Uh. Why did you send me a shaved monkey in a t-shirt and glasses?
Very faintly as though it were coming from the next room and underwater, Spike heard someone laugh so hard they began to wheeze and choke before they suddenly stopped. He could have sworn the sun shone a bit brighter for a few seconds.
That's the body I was born with and died in. It's called a human.
YOU'RE DEAD?!!
Nyes. It's ... complicated.
I was a very boring, unremarkable person before I died and found myself in what would be your universe.
Got granted God-LIKE power, but I am FAR from an actual god. I would hope gods are more mentally stable than I...
I'm basically just a very powerful immortal reality warper. Not a god. Huge difference, even if it doesn't seem like it. I have shamelessly pretended to be a god at times to make things less complicated.
I am not all-powerful, I have eons of knowledge, but I'm not all-knowing. I can be killed, though I always come back. ...Eventually. As the spell I gave you shows, it's even possible to trap me against my will, though it is difficult. Definitely beyond your average Unicorn's capabilities.
Sorry... Must be running up a heck of a texting bill. Would snail-mail work better? I can still send it instantly, a bit like Dragon-fire mail.
Probably.
A scroll appeared in a flash of rainbow fire. In neat block print were the words:
Did it work? Just write your answer and I'll see it.
Spike grabbed a quill and scrawled, Yeah, I see it.
The ink faded before my reply faded in. Great! You can keep the scroll. It's a bit slower, but it's free... Can't do pictures though... Any other questions?
What do you look like without a mask?
It's not something you can see with physical eyes, and it would scare you if you could... Oh.
Uh. Weird question, I know you're not a God now, but ... is there an afterlife?
Actually, yes! I've done a bit of necromancy to talk to people who have crossed over. I've never seen it myself, but I've been assured that it's a very nice afterlife.
You ... you do NECROMANCY?!
It's not taboo everywhere!
Spike could read the annoyed growl in between the line of text.
Yes, I do necromancy. Mostly use it to talk to the dead, but I have absolutely raised undead minions and other evil stuff with it. It's really just another branch of magic, no more good or evil than what you do with it. I consider it a form of true recycling. Beats being fungus food...
IDK what to even think of that...
Talk to me after Apple Bloom's fourth rabbit dies... Spoilers!
Uh ...
Oh, is there a Hell?
Hell is something you carry around with you, not a place you go, and you make your own Hell brick by brick. You're fine. 😊 Oh, am I holding you up?
Spike sighed.
Yeah, I'm supposed to be reorganizing the shelves. Third time this week.
There was a flash of magic, and the bookshelves were all organized perfectly according to Dusk's preferred system.
TTYL!
Spike spent a few moments chuckling at that. The scroll then gave a light ping sound as one more message faded into existence.
Oh! Sorry, don't mean to give you extra homework but if you are willing to, could I hear your version of the adventures and misadventures you and your friends get up to? It doesn't have to be every week or every adventure, just whenever you're able and willing. I'm just very interested in your side of the stories.
Spike thought it over.
OK. Why me?
I like you. You're smarter than you know, with some of the common sense Dusk and I lack. Dusk needs you more than he knows.
Spike was touched by that. He then came to a realization.
I'm one of the only friends you have, aren't I?
There was another pause.
Ha. Yes. I am ... difficult to get along with. I'm a taker, though I prefer to give, and my personality doesn't win many popularity contests. So, for me to have a genuine friend, somecreature who can see past me to me is ... a rare and special gift. And if he likes Ogres and Oubliettes, that's just icing on the cake.
Spike chuckled at that.
You're not as bad as you think you are. And don't say, "If you knew the real me." I do. You hide him, but ... he's actually a pretty good not-pony. ... ...
Thank you. Better let you go...
Spike carefully folded the scroll up for future use.
I was in the Canterlot marketplace trying and failing to avoid being stepped on. I didn't like crowds, they gave me panic attacks at the best of times. Unfortunately, my magically conjured supplies didn't always satisfy me, which meant I had to go outside.
"Excuse me, I-" *WHAP. "Please just let me-" *SMACK. "Hey, why don't you watch where you're-" *WHAM.
I inhaled deeply. MOVE!!!
With a sound of screeching breaks, the crowd ground to a halt, a walkway parting through the sea of bodies.
I sighed. Thank you... I trotted through the crowd of staring ponies, eyes fixed firmly on the sidewalk as I ground my teeth.
A familiar voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Wow. Can you teach me that power?"
I glanced up to see the Captain of the Royal Guard grinning at me.
I chuckled. "Not really, no. It's pretty unethical for me to use it, actually. I just hate crowds." Shinning nodded. "How are you and your loved ones?"
"Oh." Shining sighed. "Actually, Cadence and I are..." He didn't finish the sentence.
"Are what?"
Shining sighed again. "I just don't know if she loves me or not," he huffed.
"Oy, vey... Kid, you two are in frankly dangerous amounts of love. Love that's strong enough to fight monsters."
"Then why doesn't she ever have time for me anymore? Her last few texts felt like somepony else wrote them!"
"She's young, but she is a Princess, that's like two full-time jobs. Shining, I swear, she loves you more than can be put into words. Don't let a lapse in communication mess up a great relationship!"
Shining rolled his eyes. "Doesn't feel great lately..."
Teenagers... I'm surrounded by teenagers! I grumbled. I then sighed. I'm very sorry...
"You didn't do anything."
The horrified screams made Shining turn and look, and his jaw dropped when he saw what I'd turned into. I was apologizing in advance... I lunged.
Cadence was silently praying this meeting would end before she had to do something like jump out the window.
A plume of rainbow smoke flew in the window and a scroll appeared in her hoof. It was a message made out of cut and pasted magazine letters.
"I have something of yours. If you want him back, come and find me in Central Park.
"Do not involve the Royal Guard or I will react badly.
"You cannot find us.
"You cannot trace us.
"Respectfully yours,
"Arachnos."
"Wait, what?" A lock of cyan-colored mane fell out of the scroll. Cadence knew the scent of that conditioner anywhere.
To the assembled advisor's shock, the young Princess forcibly tore a nearby spear off the wall and swan dived out the window, her wings catching her at the last second as she sped towards the park.
There was a shimmer in the air near all around the edge of the park, like a heatwave. Cadence noticed the crowd and the concerned guardsstallions.
"What's going on?"
"Everypony was just teleported out of the park, and then this barrier happened. We can't get through!"
Come on in, the water's great! a voice called, seeming to address Cadence directly.
Cadence stepped towards the main entrance of the park. She could pass through the barrier with no issue ... and stepped into a blizzard. She shivered at the sudden temperature change. Dark clouds prevented any sunlight from reaching the ground.
Cadence was especially sensitive to other ponies' emotions, and there was a pervasive sorrow in the air that made her shiver as much as the storm.
"I'm here!" the Princess of Love shouted at the storm. The only response was the wind. Cadence set out into the howling storm.
As she walked, Cadence spotted sculptures that hadn't been there the day before. Some were made of ice; some were made of a strange black crystal. The sculptures were of couples, mostly ponies, but some combinations of other species. There was even a griffon throuple. All of the creatures were in poses of happiness and delight.
Cadence had to genuinely admire the artistry, though she had no idea why they were there.
As she got to the center of the park, she heard voices.
"Why are you doing this?"
Maybe I'm trying to help you in a very twisted way. Maybe I'm just jealous. Or perhaps it's just Tuesday and I'm bored. Ah, company...
The voice sent shivers down Cadence's spine. She found what she was looking for. Shining Armor was strapped to a table in ... was that a Rube Goldberg Death Machine? Seriously? All she had to do was ... Cadence kicked a chute out of the way that would hopefully stop the entire process.
She then spotted what had done this.
Arachnos. Well, he was as terrifying to look at as the stories she'd heard said. Why would he foalnap the Captain of the Royal Guard? Everything Cadence had heard said that Arachnos was more or less an ally of Equestria.
Cadence blinked and he was gone. Behind you, that horrible voice said softly, almost like he was trying to not spook her.
Cadence whirled around and brandished the spear.
Arachnos's mouth full of shark teeth were on full display. It almost looked like a smile, but he was clearly baring his teeth. His eyes were inky black voids.
He was effortlessly hovering without using his wings, slowly circling her. She wasn't sure if it was to intimidate her or to make him a moving target.
Sorry about this, just got an urge to do a bit of villainy.
"Give him back," Cadence snarled.
This time Arachnos was actually smiling, the corners of his eyes crinkling in amusement. Do you own him?
"Give. Him. Back."
Why?
"He's ... very important to me..."
Don't lie to my face. Say those words, Princess of Love...
Cadence snarled and charged. In a blur, Arachnos reached down and grabbed the spear, driving it through his neck.
He laughed. You can't kill me, but I can turn you inside out with a snap of my fingers... He brought one of his paws up in a pre-snapping gesture to emphasize the point.
Cadence was very good at reading ponies. Under the bared teeth and intimidation, Arachnos was ... afraid of her? It was subtle, but it was there. He just stared at her, daring her to move.
Cadence bowed her head. "Please," she whispered.
Arachnos chuckled. He then clutched his sides and began to howl with laughter. Blood began to stream from the eyes in his face and wings and Cadence was worried he was suffering from a ruptured artery before she realized he was just laughing so hard he was crying. He laughed like this was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.
He then drew the spear out of his neck and turned to address Shining. She came to rescue you by fighting me with a sharp stick. Only love makes you that crazy, and that damn stupid. Still, worse to have never loved at all. Arachnos turned back to Cadence with a much friendlier grin. Nicely done. Good work stopping the death trap, too! Next time, please just talk to each other before you get me involved...
"Wait, what?!" Cadence shouted.
Arachnos snapped his fingers.
Cadence was sitting in a cafe with Shining and ... Maroon Flask? Why was she with a teacher? Correction, being treated to lunch by a random, very scary teacher.
Maroon took a sip of his tea and glanced at her. In Arachnos's voice, he said, I know it hurts you, and I'm sorry, but would you mind taking a proper look at my aura? And try widening your view a bit this time...
Cadence squinted. It was painful, a negative aura, like a black hole. That meant the pony was pure evil. What did "Widen your view" mean?
Cadence expanded her senses a bit and gasped. She'd only been seeing part of it. It was huge! And it was ... twisted around in on itself, like it was in the fetal position. Cadence couldn't even see the edges of it, it took up her entire field of view. It was a horrible, twisted thing, turned in and collapsing on itself. It was like some huge monster digging its claws into itself as it gave itself a hug.
Cadence understood.
She walked over and slapped Maroon. Shining's jaw dropped. Cadence wrung some life back into her hoof. "That is for foalnapping Shinning because he apparently needs reassurance I love him," she said with a growl at Shinning who shrank in his seat. Cadence then wrapped Maroon in a tight hug. Maroon's jaw dropped this time. "And this is for my not understanding. You're not evil, you're just in pain. Who hurt you?"
Maroon chuckled. It was a long time ago. I should be over it by now, but I'm not. Uh, thank you. You slap a lot nicer than my mother did... and there goes my mouth again... Uh... Maroon just disappeared.
Cadence's jaw dropped.
Shining sighed. "He does that. He runs away from confrontation, even though it's mostly just with himself. And now you know, Maroon Flask is actually Arachnos the Weaver. Explains a lot, doesn't it?"
"Don't think the fact you got him to foalnap you means you're getting out of this," Cadence said as she folded her forelegs and glared. "I'm much worse than he is..."
Shining swallowed, accepting his fate.
I was surprised that Spike did indeed occasionally write me about the shenanigans the Mane Six got up to. It wasn't as regular as Dusk's letters to Celestia, but he was rather busy, and unlike Dusk they weren't required. I loved reading his exploits of rescuing Elusive from the Diamond Dogs, only to discover the stallion had things well in hoof. Spike absolutely embellished one or ten details, but it was like reading an epic poem in letter form. I liked Diamond Dogs, I made a note to go check up on them ... while carefully avoiding taking physical form. My Mask for Diamond Dogs tended to spook the poor canines. In their mythology, I was a fairly demonic housecat...
I usually wound up dying laughing at the young Dragon's version of events, and Celestia enjoyed "comparing notes" with me.
To correlate to the show, it was roughly Season One, and while events didn't happen in the exact order the episodes had aired, events were almost identical.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were terrorizing Ponyville with their infectious enthusiasm, and Ponyville had been nearly devoured by a swarm of Parasprites. The Great and Powerful Trixie had accidentally unleashed an Ursa Minor on the town before fleeing in disgrace. Poor Butterscotch nearly had heart failure when he thought he'd killed Philomena. Speaking from centuries of experience, that bird was a menace...
Right. One last member of the family to reveal myself to...
"Uh, I get you want to apologize, but did the rest of us need to come with you?" Rainbow Blitz asked.
Dusk rolled his eyes. "I feel like we all owe Zecora our apologies for, well, being racist, if I have to be honest," he sighed. He brightened up. "Besides, I have so many questions for her!"
"No, I get that, but did we really need to come into the Everfree with you?" Rainbow said, definitely not looking nervous. "I don't get why anycreature would choose to live here..."
"Apparently there are lots of rare reagents that can only be found in the Everfree!" Dusk said with an excited grin. "My old potions professor would love it here!"
"Would he also love the monsters?" Elusive asked with a slightly snarky tone.
Dusk's brow furrowed. "Actually, yes, he would. The Everfree is exactly the kind of biome Professor Flask would design if he could..."
Bubble Berry let out a scream.
Dusk whirled around. "What is it?!"
Bubble just pointed. Dusk turned and looked.
He'd never seen anything like that before!
Its lower half was a lion, the upper half was a bit like a white-furred Minotaur with six arms and four large black and white wings full of extra eyes. It's head was vaguely goat-like with a mouth of razor sharp teeth and large fangs sticking out the sides. It had 3 horns, two of which were long, black, and curved back, and the third in the center of its forehead was white, grew at sharp angles, and was riddled with holes that made it look diseased. Its eyes were a slowly moving view of space.
It was digging its claws into one of its arms hard enough to draw golden glowing blood, and its expression was severely distressed.
With a yell, Applejack charged forwards to defend his friends, leaping up to kick the monster in the chest. It disappeared in less than a second. Applejack yelled as he went sailing through the empty space where it had been, until his motion was gently halted and he was set on the ground.
Applejack turned around. The creature had its wings expanded to make itself look bigger, but its expression was terrified.
"Yer fast," Applejack commented.
"Not as fast as me!" Rainbow shouted, coming in for a death blow.
The creature turned.
A portal opened in Rainbow's way, which he flew through. "What the - Hey!"
The creature moved the portals it had conjured so that they were vertically oriented instead of horizontally in a space off to the side. That cyan blur endlessly falling through them must have been Rainbow... Dusk calculated quickly and realized that the Pegasus was falling at twice his terminal velocity, which shouldn't have been physically possible...
The creature could do magic, and casually violate the laws of physics without breaking a sweat. That was definitely reason to stop attacking it. Especially since all it had done was approach them.
"Um. Excuse me?" a voice called softly.
The creature turned with a loud snarl to see Butterscotch. The yellow Pegasus was gently hovering near chest height of the monster, trying to make himself look as small and nonthreatening as possible, something Butterscotch had a lot of practice at.
The creature's head tilted to the right in apparent confusion. It closed all of its eyes and just spent a few moments breathing, trying to bring itself out of fight or flight. There was a flash of dark light and Rainbow was safely on the ground, his eyes rolling together from dizziness.
Slowly, carefully, Butterscotch crept forward an inch at a time. His outstretched fingers made contact with the monster's chest.
Its eyes shot open, and it let out a snarling shout at the physical contact. Apparently, it did not like to be unexpectedly touched.
To the group's surprise Butterscotch held his ground. "I'm sorry," the Pegasus whispered. Butterscotch didn't seem to be apologizing for the touching, or even for his friend's actions. He was apologizing for something about the creature his instincts had picked up on.
He slowly began to pet the creature.
It blinked. Wurf? It was surprised but didn't object to Butterscotch's actions.
Butterscotch continued to pet it. It began to let out a deep, rumbling purr. It bent down and gently began to bat Butterscotch with its head, letting out a needy sounding whine, taking care to not poke the Pegasus with its horns.
Butterscotch chuckled and began to scratch behind its ears. "Who's a good boy?" he cooed.
The creature looked up at him with a confused expression. Merp? it asked.
Butterscotch chuckled and booped the monster. "You are!" the Pegasus proclaimed.
A few drops of red blood poured from the corner of its eyes, and it gave Butterscotch a surprised, grateful smile. It brought a paw up and gently stroked Butterscotch's check letting out another purr. Merf, it said gladly. It then disappeared.
"What the hay?" Rainbow Blitz asked.
Butterscotch gave a small shrug. "He didn't seem evil, just scared. We attacked him, not the other way around. Besides, he didn't actually hurt us..."
"Uh, how do you know it's a 'he?'"
"Just a guess. There actually wasn't anything between his legs."
"You check that?" Rainbow asked in surprise.
"Habit from working with scared or injured animals."
The group made their way to Zecora's cottage. Inside they saw a recently used tea set and a second mug. The mug was extra-extra-large with a spider and skull pattern. Butterscotch knew enough about tea to tell that it was an anxiety reducing blend. At triple strength.
Zecora smiled at the group of stallions. "Ah, hello my friends! I'm glad your fear of me is at an end. I have to say, it's a delight to have company twice in one day!"
Dusk nodded. "I know you can handle yourself, Zecora, but you should probably be careful the next few days..."
"Oh? What reason have I to fear? Some new creature to my home draws near?"
Dusk nodded again. "Actually, yes. I've never seen anything like it... Him. He's part lion, part minotaur, part ... something. He's huge! He's got the nastiest teeth I've ever seen, and red paws on the right side of his body. Three of them!" Zecora chuckled. "What's funny?"
"Ah, it seems you are not a believer, that was an old friend, Arachnos the Weaver. He drops by sometimes to check up on me, and always loves to share a good cup of tea."
"Wait. That thing can talk?!" Rainbow said with astonishment.
Zecora gave him a teasing grin. "Quite well, though sometimes the words get stuck. His mind is cruel to him and gives him bad luck. He built my house for free as a gift, as I live on his land, and often work the night shift."
"His land?" Dusk asked.
Zecora nodded. "The Everfree is his retreat, a place like his home, though it has more monsters than he can fit in one tome. A place with no Ponies to say what should be, where nature can roam, wild and free. He built it to relax, as well as to hide. Some things in this place should remain locked inside..."
Zecora continued. "When I was a child, I crossed the wide sea, and the Spider God in disguise did travel with me. In Farasi we practice magic of which Ponies do not approve, but with his guidance, my skills did improve."
"What kind of magic?" Dusk asked, curiosity overtaking fear.
Zecora held up a dead rat. In a flash of green fire, its flesh quickly vanished, and the skeleton sat up and scurried away. "Ponies dislike the revival of the dead, but in Farasi, it has prevented bloodshed. Magic is not black or white, it is what you do with the knowledge that becomes wrong or right."
Zecora gave Dusk a piercing look. "He wishes to speak with you, young one. He has much to discuss, and you will learn much when he's done. His appearance is frightening, but then, so is mine, treat him with kindness, and you shall be fine. Listen to him, and teach him in turn, of your future, he has great concern. As an ally, you can have no one more outstanding, though Arachnos can often cause a misunderstanding. His mind is unlike ours; he thinks in strange terms, yet it is because of him our universe turns. He will be waiting nearby to have a chat, if it helps, imagine you are speaking to a large cat." Zecora nodded towards the door. "I will keep your friends safe until you come back, please help him down from his panic attack."
Rainbow blinked. "Do you like have these all pre-written on flash cards or something?"
Zecora merely chuckled at that.
"How do I find him?"
Zecora grinned. "Follow the snow, and you'll see where to go..."
"Snow?"
Zecora pointed out the door.
Dusk hesitantly stepped out. He wandered for a bit, not seeing anything resembling airborne frozen water. Eventually he saw a single flake drift by. Dusk glanced down and saw a peacock spider in his path. The spider waved its forelegs a few times with some urgency. Either it was trying to get his attention, it was doing a mating dance, or it was having a very small single-spider rave. Dusk decided it was the former.
The spider scuttled a few feet away and turned back to look at Dusk expectantly. Dusk followed it managing to give the much smaller creature a decent enough lead to show him where it was taking him.
As Dusk followed the colorful arachnid, more and more snow began to blow through the air as the temperature dropped noticeably. The journey ended in front of the entrance to a grove. The spider stopped and waited.
"In there?" Dusk asked, feeling silly.
To his surprise, the spider nodded.
Dusk chuckled. "Um. Thank you," he said. The spider seemed to beam.
As Dusk entered, he heard singing. It was a fairly nice baritone voice, though it had an odd echoing reverb.
I'm sick of hurting, sick of thinking it's all I do
I break those around me, those spared are very few
But the bright sun is burning, and my sky shines ever blue
Friendships surround me, I'm becoming a part of you
I try my best to block out the screams
But they're haunting me in my dreams
Please break my shackles, I want it to stop.
I've stoked the fire, seen more pain than you can know
The tears of the broken have washed away my soul
Pushed by desire to change the way my stream will flow
Now I've awoken, and I'm taking back control
I try my best to block out the screams
But they're haunting me in my dreams
Please break my shackles, I want it to stop.
The clearing was full of snow, and ... lions? No, that was a cheetah and a tiger... It looked like a big cat snow day. And there was the creature that Dusk's friends had attacked.
He gave Dusk a small wave with his red right paw. Hey.
Dusk cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. "I'm an agnostic, but should I bow down or something?"
I'd really rather you didn't... And I'm not a God, so my being understandable does not invalidate your agnosticism, Arachnos said with a smile, keeping his teeth hidden. If I ever meet a God and survive the experience, I'll let you know. I'm just the oldest and most powerful thing in the universe. There's a big difference, but not from everycreature else's perspective. Arachnos gave the unicorn what was meant to be a friendly grin, but with those teeth it was terrifying. Heh. You're all grown up. It seems like the day before yesterday you hatched Spike, and yesterday you were the insufferable know-it-all who thought my class was a waste of time.
"Your class?" Dusk said, not understanding.
Ah. Let me slip into something less comfortable... Dusk watched in amazement as Arachnos shrank into...
"Professor Flask?!"
The red stallion gave him another wave. Yes, and I'm also Arachnos. As Celestia said, I can change faces on a whim, but I only really know how to be myself. A worried look crossed his face. I actually started teaching purely because I knew you would one day be a student. I've been waiting for you to be born for a long, long time. Luna is ... an old friend, and I hoped that you and your friends would one day be the new Bearers of the Elements. So ... I ... essentially manipulated you down that path, from the sidelines as one of your teachers. I didn't do much, and I found that I enjoy teaching, but I need to ask your forgiveness.
"Why didn't you just bring Princess Luna back yourself?"
Maroon chuckled. I'm not all-powerful, and the Elements have sealed away someone I love even more than her. My going against them ... ends badly, as they are now tied to the very fabric of this world. And I'm fairly generous, I love making others laugh, I am kind rather than good or nice, I'm loyal to a fault, I am ... terminally honest, and I invented magic, yet my mind cannot exist in harmony with itself to answer why I don't just wield them myself. A thousand years isn't very long anymore to me, I'm actually a few billion years old right now.
"But the universe is only-"
I exist outside of time and can create "save points" like a video game to come back to if I want to wander off in the middle of a conversation and spend a few hundred years doing something else. Around me things like science stop applying. Reality is, sadly, whatever I want it to be at the current moment. Luckily for everyone else, even with my mental instability, I don't like making changes.
"Uh, instability?"
Maroon gave Dusk a toothy grin. Oh, you and Shining have got to get together and compare notes sometime. I'm ... four or six different flavors of crazy, depending on how you categorize things. And I know I'm crazy, but that only helps so much... My dad ... didn't for most of his life, until I came along, and my family realized exactly how many of us have the same diagnosis. I know what's wrong with me and I'm miserable, I can't imagine not knowing. Of course, he was also a narcissistic ass, so he likely thought everyone else was the problem... Maroon shrugged. Family is weird sometimes... Oh, speaking of family, my sincerest apologies, my family is going to have a regrettable habit of constantly trying to kill yours, Maroon said with a wince. It's nothing exactly personal, you're all just some of the only creatures in existence that can challenge them. They're ... not as nice as Ponies. You should all be fine though!
There was a rather desperate grin on the red stallion's face as he said that. He sighed and went back to petting a lion as though it was an oversized housecat, lost in thought. If fragments of me are such as that, then what is the whole? Is there a whole? Am I a "me?" There are times I don't wish to know... It must be horrible... He was clearly talking to himself before he snapped back to the present. I ... do not expect your forgiveness, though I hope to ask for it one day.
"Well, if I hadn't come to Ponyville, what would have happened to me?"
Maroon grinned; his teeth slightly sharp for a Pony. Ah, "What If?" and "Could have been," a dangerous, infinite sea, so easy to drown in. And one of my specialties... I sometimes gaze into alternate timelines for fun, though I always need to carefully reel myself back in. If we stick to universes that are the most similar to our own, in most cases, you would have been a brilliant academic with a long, distinguished career. You would have revolutionized both magic and many of the sciences. You also would have died utterly alone, not knowing why you felt ... empty. There are also a surprising number of timelines where you turned evil and conquered the known world before moving on, but thankfully they are relatively few. You usually had a fairly justified reason, anyway...
Dusk coughed nervously. "Um. Any happy alternative versions of me?"
Maroon shrugged. Happiness is relative, especially if you don't know you are unhappy. His head tilted to the right, a bit like a dog, as his eyes seemed to search something only he could see. But ... yes. In about 200 cases you are able to make friends and live a happy life without my trying to make you an Element Bearer. However, with having to find a replacement set of Element Bearers, Equestria, and Equus ... suffer. Sometimes the whole planet burns. It is rare but not unheard of for the course of history to depend on a single individual, in this case ... you. Your existence determines the fate of the world, that's responsibility...
"If you're real, why haven't you ever...?"
Revealed myself? Dusk nodded. Would you want Ponies to think you were a God, only to have to explain you're a fraud? I am not comfortable with being worshipped, and they'd never stop asking me to solve all of their problems... I am often the cause of said problems, even if it's a few hundred years removed! Maroon sighed. Celestia and Luna know who I am, as does Shining Armor, Cadence, Spike, my children, and Time Turner because I owe him... Now that you are on that list, I pray it ends there...
Dusk grinned. "Who do false gods pray to?"
Maroon chuckled. Someone listens, trust me, I get the feeling they've been covering all the prayers I've been slacking on. Hope they never call in my tab...
Dusk sighed. "I don't ... feel like you manipulated me. I mean, you were just my teacher. And yes, I'm sure you and the Princess conspired to send me to Ponyville in order to help free Luna, but ... I'm the happiest I remember being in a long, long time." Maroon blinked in surprise. Dusk continued. "And the Princess is back! If we hadn't helped her, we'd be living in eternal night right now... I liked living here enough to stay instead of going back to where I've lived my whole life. This town is kind of crazy, but ... it really grows on you."
Maroon grinned. Like fungus... Believe it or not, one of the first times I died on this planet, it took me a week to come back, and I left a body, so ancient Ponies buried me under what would become the town square. When I woke up, I stayed buried another week, it was ... soothing. Explains a lot about Ponyville, doesn't it? Maroon finished with a grin of shark teeth.
Dusk's jaw had dropped.
Maroon shrugged. It's not like I cursed the site or anything, I was actually grateful they'd buried me, it's nicer than some creatures have been...
"Do you ... die a lot?"
You would be amazed... I always come back, usually instantly, sometimes it takes longer. To date the most embarrassing way I've died was being crushed by a falling outhouse.
"Does that happen often?"
If you go walking in the middle of a tornado, yes... Maroon sighed. It was an amazing experience right until I looked up and swore...
"Will I be seeing you after this?"
Maroon shrugged. I'll likely be wearing this or another face, I don't like to just walk down the street as Arachnos. If it's all right with you, I would very much like to continue to see and speak with you. It would be nice to have a ... someone to speak with magical theory about, I would very much like to hear how your adventures go, and I can tell that I am endlessly fascinating to you, Maroon finished with a teasing grin. Oh! Are you going to this year's Grand Galloping Gala? Dusk nodded with an excited grin. Me too, Maroon groaned. I will see you there, and hopefully you won't see me...
"Why do you say it like that?" Dusk asked with growing concern.
Maroon peered at the stallion with a strange expression. Uh. Maybe don't get your hopes up too high...
Dusk grinned excitedly. "Why wouldn't I? I was never invited to it the whole time I was in Canterlot, even as Celestia's student! My friends all have so many exciting plans, we can't wait for it. It's going to be the best night ever!"
No matter what form he was wearing, Arachnos did not remotely have a poker face, and there was an expression of growing horror on Maroon's face.
"What's wrong with the Grand Galloping Gala?!" Dusk asked, worried it was some sort of cult now.
Nothing! Maroon said a little too quickly. It's a very nice, somewhat stuffy upper-class annual soiree. From the point of view of the regular attendees, it is indeed the best night of the year. I just hate it, personally. I hope you'll all ... sur ... uh, enjoy yourselves.
"You were going to say 'survive,' weren't you?"
Maroon sighed. I am not the most social creature in existence, and I really do not enjoy the Gala. It can actually be quite pleasant if you go in with the right mindset. I look forward to seeing you at it.
"How do I get in touch with you?"
Maroon gave that sharp-toothed grin again. "Don't call us, we'll call you..." he said with a wink before disappearing slowly, starting with the tip of his tail and ending by leaving his grin hanging in empty air for a few seconds before it too chuckled and faded.
Dusk gave a laugh at that before he carefully made his way back to Zecora's hut to join his friends, once again shown the way by a helpful spider.
When Butterscotch returned to his cottage, he let out a horrified scream. "I'VE BEEN ROBBED! Wait. No. What's the opposite of robbed?"
He didn't know what the term would be, but it applied. While he had been out, somepony had let themselves into his cottage. If Butterscotch had been paying better attention he would have seen that the door was still securely locked, so it seemed his anti-burglar could walk through walls. All of the Pegasus's chores for the day had been done, his animals seemed to be extra-well cared for, and well out of reach was a platter of baked goods and a large sack of bits. Tucked into the bag was a scroll.
Expecting it to explode, the Pegasus unfurled it. In neat block print, it simply read, "Thank you for being nice to me." It wasn't signed.
"Huh..." was all Butterscotch managed to get out.
It was the evening of the Grand Galloping Gala. I had agreed to go on behalf of Celestia's school, but I'd never said I'd be wearing a body. It's much easier to tolerate some things when you're an intangible spirit. Celestia couldn't see me and was going to think I'd ghosted her, pun heavily intended, but the wrath of an Alicorn was easier to deal with than this mess by this point...
I laughed when I saw the At the Gala song begin to start. There were some minor differences, Elusive was not there to find a Prince Charming, he was hoping Prince Blueblood could provide him with business connections he was in more desperate need of than he wanted to admit.
I never really joined in with these spontaneous musical numbers, as much as I enjoyed them, but saw no reason not to. Still bodiless, I joined a line of stallions near the back, mimicking their dance rather clumsily. At a good moment, I added my own lines,
At the gala, all these nobles, how they make me want to shout! All this boredom, all their hatred, wish I could tear my mane out! These happy days are ending soon, if Ponies only knew, but enjoy yourselves tonight, right here at the Gala! It didn't line up at all, but I'd been on the spot.
With that, we all headed in. ...
It was an utter disaster. I couldn't even find it funny. It made me wish that I had shown up in the flesh, just so one thing could have gone right.
Bubble Berry's attempts to liven up the party ended with every single attendant but his friends either ignoring him or treating him with contempt.
Rainbow Blitz didn't impress the Wonderbolts at all, and his messing with events in order to perform a daring feat in front of his idols wound up breaking most of the Canterlot Castle ballroom. I was beginning to see why his canon counterpart eventually wound up with the nickname "Rainbow Crash..."
Applejack wound up tripping an innocent bystander in an attempt to sell his baked goods to the poor stallion. He eventually wheeled an entire cake into the ballroom in a desperate attempt to make money to help his family. The only ponies who bought anything were Soarin, who was technically family anyway and always loved the Apple family pie, and Applejack's friends.
Elusive laid the charm on extra-thick in an attempt to get in with Prince Blueblood's circle of contacts. Blueblood treated the other unicorn stallion like an annoyance at best and was almost cruel at worst in his attempts to shake Elusive. Elusive was having none of it.
Dusk was distraught to find that Celestia did not have time for one-on-one personal time with her student as she had in his youth. He attempted to help her with the endless line of Ponies attempting to greet her, but wound up regretting it and nearly got his hoof crushed by the well-wishers.
Unseen, I carefully trailed after Butterscotch. He'd always been interesting to me, ever since he and Rainbow had snuck into the supposedly haunted Rainbow Factory as foals. That had been a fun evening for me...
The yellow Pegasus was not having much luck attracting critters to befriend, as the Canterlot Castle Menagerie was notoriously skittish, a fact that the Pegasus had not been informed of beforehand. As much as I loved animals, in all the centuries I'd been visiting the Castle, neither their ancestors nor the current generation had exactly warmed up to me...
I watched with interest as the Pegasus wound up resorting to setting traps in order to make a new critter friend, all of which backfired with Wile E. Coyote levels of pain and humor.
Butterscotch finally tried rigging a net, swearing that the instant a creature touched it, they would be all his! With a maniacal laugh, he somehow summoned a flash of dramatically appropriate red lightning before getting caught in his own net.
Well. He's going to fit right in, assuming Discord likes likes him, I thought with the disembodied equivalent of a grin. Though I'd honestly be thrilled if they were just friends, Gods know Discord needs one...
Butterscotch gave a surprised yelp as an unseen force sliced through the net and gently lowered him to safety before swooping away like an oversized bat.
In the ballroom a combination of the mane six's actions caused utter havoc. Bubble Berry attempted to help Applejack show how yummy the cake he was trying to sell was, while Rainbow Blitz proceeded to up his tricks becoming desperate to be noticed by Senpai the Wonderbolts. Bubble Berry was doing a rather acrobatic dance and accidentally crashed into the cake Applejack was trying to sell, causing it to go sailing directly towards Blueblood and Elusive.
The Prince proceeded to shove the "common" unicorn into the path of the pastry projectile, only for it to somehow miss Elusive entirely and wind up smacking directly into the Prince. That had either been a heck of a gust of wind, or something large and invisible with a warped sense of humor...
Blueblood attempted to wipe away the frosting coating him while Elusive let out a delighted cackle at the unexpected bit of karma. Blueblood attempted to back away, knocking over the centerpiece statue.
Seeing yet another opportunity for a heroic feat, Rainbow Blitz swooped down and managed to grab the statue ... which knocked all of the columns over like a row of dominos.
At that point, Butterscotch kicked the doors down as animals fled for their lives into the ballroom to get away from the crazed Pegasus. With an ominous flash of lightning, the normally meek stallion roared, "YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME!!!" in a voice loud enough to shake the walls.
Blueblood let out a horrified scream at that and ran for it, Elusive not even bothering to chase after him.
Dusk asked the Princess what he should do to help, and with a teasing smile, Celestia shouted, "RUN FOR IT!" The Princess the galloped off into the night, Dusk and his friends right behind her.
The guests had also had enough of the chaos and fled for safety and relative sanity as well.
All that was left was a wrecked ballroom, a lot of frightened animals, and some of the Thestral members of Luna's night guard.
One of the Batponies sighed and looked at his fellow guard. "This is going to take all night to clean," he groaned.
To his surprise, he heard music.
As the song continued, the room began to repair itself, the messes and wrecked food vanishing, and small portals gently chasing animals and safely depositing them back home.
In moments, the ballroom was sparkling, and in a swirl of rainbow fire, I appeared in my liontaur form dressed in a tux, playing the piano and singing along with the song as it finished.
I grinned at the pair of guards who had been joined by five others. Hello, Nocturne, nice to see you again.
The Batpony sagged in relief that his schedule had just been cleared. "Thank you..."
I waved a paw. Don't mention it. Under the piano, I snapped one of the fingers on my lower paw. The next morning, Bic Macintosh would plow the field with the old worn out plow that had needed replacing for years. It would break, he would grumble, and the rock he thought had broken it would turn out to be an ownerless treasure chest filled with a sizeable sum.
I dispensed with the tux and teleported over to the Batponies and saw Luna coming downstairs as well now that it was quieter in the castle.
I rubbed my paws together gleefully. So, now that the rabble are finally gone, how about a real party?
"Ha! Mine speed hath been doubled!" Luna called gleefully.
I let out a mild curse and tried to catch up to her character, only to crash into a wall. I tried to turn my cart around, fumbling with the controller.
"For having so many eyes and arms, you are terrible at this!" Nocturne said with a delighted grin.
I shrugged and grumbled as Luna won the third race. I sighed and held up my controller. Right. Who was next up?
Flitterwing raised his hoof nervously and I awkwardly tossed it to him, which he caught magnificently.
I walked away from the tv and racing video game competition to the table of snacks I'd conjured. Did anypony want the last slice of jalapeno and pineapple? There was a chorus of "nos." I shrugged and ate the pizza, downing a swig of root beer and grabbing some gummy warms.
Blueblood came downstairs and swallowed nervously when he saw me giving him a glare. He'd been around me enough to not have an outright panic attack at the mere sight of me, but he knew what I thought of him...
You were an absolute ass tonight, and I don't mean a donkey! I growled.
To my shock, the Prince sighed and nodded, folding his ears back. "I know. I ... really overdid it this time. I should send that stallion an apology note if he ever cools down."
I blinked. I think Elusive might want to make a coat out of you right now, I wouldn't count on his "cooling down." I sat down on the floor, still towering over him. Wait. So, you're ... not normally like that?
Blueblood scoffed. "Only every time I'm around somepony I don't know." He sighed. "I'm Canterlot's most eligible bachelor, and most Ponies want to use me to get closer to the Princesses. I cannot count the number of mares who have simply thrown themselves at me simply for my fortune and status."
"Especially as it is not mares whose company he prefers," Luna said with a grin.
"Aunt Luna!" Blueblood shrieked.
I laughed. I knew you preferred males before you did, it's fine. So, your tactic to avoid gold-diggers is to just be an absolute jerk to everypony?
Blueblood groaned. "It works, doesn't it? Some of us have to stay firmly closeted for the foreseeable future due to tradition and station..." he grumbled. "I suppose I can be quite selfish, I have very exacting standards, and I enjoy a lavish lifestyle, but I am not the stallion Elusive spent the evening with." Blueblood sighed. "A pity, he was rather cute. And good company. Well, if not a note, I at least owe him some anonymous patronage, I'll see what I can arrange."
My jaw had dropped.
Luna chuckled. "We were surprised to peel back his layers and find a rather kind stallion. Our first impression was not favorable, but Blueblood is a good stallion. ... Underneath it all. We believe thou could do him some good, Arachnos... How wert thou able to identify his preferences?
I sighed. Magic. If I want to, I can see an aura that tells me that.
The guards all grinned and called out for me to "scan" them. I sighed. Almost all of you are straight, Starshine Nova is bi, Blueblood prefers the rougher sex, and Luna ... I squinted. It just says, "Work in Progress." Happy now?
"You have magic gaydar?" Blueblood said in surprise.
Not constantly, but yes. Saves me some trouble, given my mouth.
Blueblood chuckled. "Is there a spell for that? Not accidentally hitting on somepony straight would be ... helpful."
I shook my head. No, but ... I suppose I could invent one. Don't go spreading it around, though...
At that point, Celestia came back into the throne room, after a long night out with the Mane Six. She was not used to being up this late, but she'd finally managed to enjoy herself. She had explained to Dusk and his friends that the Gala was always miserable, so their disasters had actually been an improvement over centuries past. The group had profusely apologized to Spike for being so caught up in their dreams they hadn't included him and promised to include him in future events. They had all ended the night gorging on doughnuts and swapping stories.
Celestia stared at her sister wiping the floor with her guards at video games, me hanging by a snack table, and asked, "Sister? What are you doing?"
Luna turned back and gave Celestia the happiest smile Celestia had seen her with in some time. "Ah. Arachnos suggested that as the castle was empty, we and the Night Guard join him in a ... 'Guy's Night.' We have never played these kinds of games before; we greatly enjoy them!"
You can keep the game set, it has about a hundred games on it, and I'm terrible at all of them.
Luna's jaw dropped. "Thou offers this to us freely?"
I shrugged. Didn't cost me anything.
"Thank you. We have been freed from our time as the Nightmare and could use ... enjoyment. In the place of a Dark Mare, you would have a queen of games! A destroyer of Noobs! Not dark, but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Treacherous as a beloved NPC! ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR!"
Well, I've created a monster, I said with a sharp grin. I look forward to seeing Gamer Luna. Goodnight, everypony, I look forward to seeing you soon.
I willed myself back home, in a surprisingly good mood. Things were really looking up, and not even my mental health could mess with that. ...
Right? |
After Death, Creation | "Of course I'm out of my mind; it's dark and scary in there..." | Princess Luna was grateful to have returned to her duties of creating masterpieces of the evening sky and shepherding Ponies' dreams while guiding them through nightmares. It gave her a reason for being, and guiding Ponies through their traumas and fears in a way helped her to deal with her own.
She was thankful beyond words to find that her subjects appreciated her work far more than they had in her youth. Astronomy was enjoyed by Ponies of all ages and walks of life, from scientists to amateur hobbyists. Her work as the Princess of Dreams was still done on a quieter, more intimate level, but still appreciated by those who had been its beneficiaries.
A few nights after the Grand Galloping Gala, Luna fell through the Dreamscape, arrayed before her like a galaxy of crystal balls of bubbles. She could observe snapshots of the Ponies' dreams through them, but it was mostly their color that informed her as to the dreamer's state of mind. A normal, pleasant dream was simply clear, allowing her to peer at its contents. A bad dream would be tinted an angry orange, while what was or would become a nightmare was a dark red.
Luna spotted something she had never seen before. This sphere was far larger than the typical dream, and pure opaque black. She couldn't see or sense any of it at all. If a nightmare was red, how bad must a dream be to be black? Curiously, it wasn't connected to the rest of the web that made up the Dreamscape. It simply floated slightly ominously off to one side, with no other dreams orbiting it.
Knowing what they said about curiosity and cats, Luna still entered the dream. If somepony needed her help, it was her duty as a Princess to ensure they got it.
She was in a long, darkened hallway. She couldn't make out the walls, or if there was anything on them.
At the far end of the hall was a door, which Luna cautiously made her way towards. The door was painted a dark blue with eight small rectangular panels arranged in two columns along it. The paint was cracked and flaking and the doorhandle was once a bright brass but was now a corroded green with black flecks. The door had long cracks running vertically throughout it. Above the door was a party banner made from a sheet of butcher paper. Someone had painted the words, "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here..." in an eyewatering assortment of bright, cheerful colors surrounded by splotches of colorful paint. Definitely sending mixed messages there...
From under the door, Luna could see and hear flickering flames and smell smoke, which carried up through the cracks in the door which faintly glowed with an angry, orange light.
Luna got a definite feeling she shouldn't be in here. Do not open this door... her survival instincts insisted.
Luna opened the door anyway and stepped through.
Luna had been expecting flames, instead it was painfully cold, cutting through her short coat and directly into her bones. It was at least freezing if not below, and foggy out. She could only see a few feet ahead of her, and each streetlamp had a blinding bright halo that further obscured her vision. She could make out shadowy shapes that were far larger than her lurking almost out of sight.
"Hello?" she called nervously. She wound up inhaling some of the fog, which burned her throat and lungs. She let out a hacking cough and tried again. "Hello?" Her voice was deeper. The shadows didn't respond to her calls, simply drawing back into the fog and out of sight. Luna was somewhat grateful they hadn't responded or attacked her. Some sort of instinct from Luna's ancestors told her that making noise in this place was a good way to get eaten or killed.
Where was she? It wasn't some place from Equus that she recognized from Ponies' dreams, the buildings were square and cement, though an attempt had been made to paint them brighter colors which didn't show up well in the night.
Luna couldn't see the stars or the night sky at all, the fog covered the entire sky. Being cut off from the moon in another Pony's dream was concerning to her. It was her door back out of them.
There was nopony around but her, and there didn't seem to be a crisis that she could see. Luna simply set out walking, feeling far more lost than normal in a dream. There were faint overlapping whispers whose words she couldn't make out. Not a friendly environment.
She eventually heard music. It might have been useful to her to know that it was Queen's Under Pressure. Following her ears eventually the fog cleared a bit. It was a sort of circular clearing in the middle of the street, and a shaft of sunlight made everything much brighter, almost harshly so.
The buildings were brighter and more colorful, though dark vines sprouted from the street and seemed to be strangling them. Luna could see cars parked neatly along the side of the road, they were organized by size and color. In the middle of this, a tree sprouted from the asphalt as though it were dirt. It was a very large, very old apple tree. The apples were a beautiful metallic gold that glinted in the sun. Wrapped around one of the branches of the tree was a massive red and black snake with yellow eyes hidden behind sunglasses, just vibing to the music that continued. Luna wasn't overly fond of snakes, though she also didn't outright hate them, but this one seemed content to nap in his tree.
Luna moved on.
It was when she started hearing voices she began to panic.
You know, you wreck everything you touch. Why not try and make something for a change?
You won't ever let anyone love you because you don't think that you're worth loving!
Breathe, just breathe...
Knowing that this is all in my head doesn't make it hurt any less.
You're coming back ... right?
How come even together, there can be loneliness?
You're just like your father you selfish bastard!
We're all hostages to what we love. The only way to truly be free is to love nothing. And how meaningless would that be?
We get the broken ones...
I am the Good Boy and I rule over the dark, wet caverns of Hell. I want Nothing, Nothing at all. And I will have it...
Give in, give in, I want you back...
Once upon a time, I was falling in love, now I'm only falling apart...
There was a horrible static in the air, something you felt, not heard. Beneath that there was a deep, repeating beat. It would change patterns periodically, but it was always based around groups of four.
Luna felt panic clawing its way up her throat from her stomach and tried to keep from screaming. To her shock, something actually did leave her mouth a cloud of dark blue smoke with twinkling lights like stars.
Familiar evil laughter filled her ears. "Oh, no..." Luna muttered her voice still hoarse from the toxic fog.
"Ah, I've missed you too..." Nightmare Moon purred once she was fully formed. She blinked. "Are you ... taller?"
Luna gave an enraged scream and fired off a blast of magical energy, which had no effect on her evil counterpart.
Nightmare Moon cackled. "Oh, sweetie, I'm part of you! You are NEVER GETTING RID OF ME!" she screamed.
Before Luna could retaliate, a third voice broke the silence as snow blew through the fog. It was a rich baritone singing in an almost lilting sing song.
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'all's neighborhood
The demons squeal in sheer delight
It's you they spy, so plump, so right
For though the groove is hard to beat
Yet still you stand with frozen feet
You try to run, you try to scream
But no more sun you'll ever see
For evil reached from the crypt
To crush you in its icy grip
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller
Can you DIG IT?
A shadowy shape stepped into view and then passed harmlessly through the fog. Nightmare Moon let out high-pitched whimper like a frightened puppy and even Luna had to force herself to not scream.
Art by BijutsuYoukai!
No matter where you looked at the stallion, your eyes kept being drawn back to those teeth. There were far too many of them, and they were like knives sticking out of a drawer. Teeth like that couldn't exist outside of a nightmare; they'd cut the owner to ribbons.
The fact that he had a large gossamer pair of butterfly wings did not make him any less scary, especially as the wings had markings that looked like monochrome goat eyes.
His flesh shifted blurred like smoke revealing yellowed bones underneath. There was never any blood or viscera showing, merely bone and a pitch-black void that contained it. Whenever the flesh would disappear from over his eyes, there would be a small red starlike mote of light in the socket. Rather than the hooves a Pony's fingers ended in, he had curved wicked claws like a raptor hinting at a predatory nature. That curved red and black horn was also very familiar...
The ... thing gave a weary sigh. "I've spent centuries practicing that and I still don't sound like Vincent Price," he complained.
"Sombra?" Luna asked hesitantly.
The stallion gave her a shocked expression. "Sombra? No, I'm... Oh." His face became wooden. "Oh, OK, I see. I guess we all look alike to you oligarchs, is that it?" the dark stallion spat. "Why not just give me a papercut to the raw nerve and squeeze some lemon juice on it? I mean, it's not like I call you 'spareribs' or anything despite the fact you do look good enough to eat!"
"We aren't food!" Nightmare Moon countered.
The Sombra look alike gave her a blood-freezing grin. "Yes, you are, you've just gotten fat and lazy and forgotten that fact..." He paused. "Are you afraid of the dark? Do we still haunt the darkened corners of your mind? Was there something you couldn't make out in the shadows when you were a filly? Did you never leave your hooves outside the covers when you slept? You are our prey, our lambs for the taking. The world is our hunting ground and you are our meat." He tensed as though he were going to spring any second. "I haven't had anyone real to eat in longer than you can conceive of," he whispered. "At least make it fun for me and run... No? Well, more for me then..."
He sprang, and let out a yelp as something grabbed him by the neck.
In icy tones, a familiar voice snarled, That is quite enough, Jargon...
Luna and Nightmare Moon turned to see me with my teeth bared at the dark stallion as I held him by the back of the neck. The scary stallion had gone completely limp in my grip like a kitten being picked up by its mother. He was also unusually silent.
I turned and gave the two Ponies a sharp-toothed grin. Hello, Lune-bug. I thought I told you to stay out of my head... I sighed. And hello to you, too, Nightmare. Not nice to see you again...
Luna pointed at the stallion I was holding. "Who is that?"
This is Jargon. He's an Umbrum. A creature of darkness from pre-historic Equus. Also called the Vashta Nerada as they travel through shadows and eat Ponies. They're the reason Ponies are afraid of the dark. Any and every shadow was a door into your home for them. He's also my son. Technically. He and his brothers crawled out of my head and into your world one night and made themselves very much at home. ... Discord is my middle child, actually. Explains a lot, doesn't it?
"Who's the youngest?"
If you have to ask, you clearly don't already know. Figure it out...
Nightmare Moon was eyeing Jargon. "He's ... terrified of you..." she worked out.
The Umbrum are Amortal. They can't die due to never having been alive in the first place. Like me, they just come back. However, I can kill them off permanently, which is a horrifying prospect to them, so yes, they're afraid of me.
"You cut Tulkinghorn's head off, made him explode, and locked us in your mind behind ten thousand firewalls!" Jargon snapped.
And look how much you've mellowed out since then! Right, scram.
Before Jargon could flee, Luna had to ask. "Tulkinghorn?"
I grinned. Ah. When the Umbrum were very young, they asked me to give them names, so I counted them and named them after the birds from the novel Bleak House because it amused me. Their names are Hope, Joy, Youth, Peace, Rest, Life, Dust, Ashes, Waste, Want, Ruin, Despair, Madness, Death, Cunning, Folly, Words, Wigs, Rags, Sheepskin, Plunder, Precedent, Jargon, Gammon, and Spinach. The strongest and most evil of them who kicked his way up the ranks to become their leader I named Tulkinghorn because it seemed appropriate to name him after the evil lawyer character. As Jargon mentioned, there was a rather nasty case of infanticide once I realized that he was never going to stop eating Ponies and would they then spread to the rest of the universe. I shrugged. Definitely an act of sufficient enough evil that I could have gotten the Kindly Ones called down on me, and I have to live with it for all Eternity.
"How comforting," Jargon muttered.
I still have that sword, kid...
Jargon's eyes widened. "No, I'm good! Thanks, love ya, Dad!" He dissolved into shadow and quickly flowed away.
I ... tolerate you, too, Jargon... I sighed, knowing he'd hear. I glanced at the two Alicorns of the Night. I'm not dreaming, I just felt something that shouldn't be there moving around in my mind. Not a pleasant sensation. I came in to have a look, and luckily got to you before Jargon did. How did you get in here?
"I was in the Dreamscape and thought this was a nightmare. I've never seen anything like it..."
Ah. Not a nightmare, no. I spread my arms and gestured at the foggy, eerie city. Welcome to Hell! Seeing Luna's expression, I quickly added, This isn't your Hell, it's mine. The universe inside my head. I spend most of my time in here, and it's grown quite a bit, but given how ... uh, loco I am, it's not safe for me, let alone a Pony. Was there a door? In here, a doorway you came through?
Luna nodded. "Yes, at the end of a hallway. It was blue and ... warped."
Cracks? Peeling paint? Old doorknob? Luna nodded. Ah. The front door to the apartment I grew up in. That would be ... hidden, but it seems that if that's how you got in, that's the only way you can get out. I pointed in a vague direction. Shall we try and see where it's gotten to?
"How many places could there be?"
Picture the biggest thing you can think of, larger than all the stars you can see in the sky. Are you picturing it? Luna nodded. Good. Now forget that entirely, because in here is infinite. With infinite hiding places.
"And you don't know where you put the door?" Nightmare Moon sassed.
I didn't move the door; you did by entering. And this place is my mind, things like location and geography are immaterial and very changeable. If it wants the door hidden, I could search a thousand years and not find it. Still, best to try, neither of us would last a thousand years here. Well, I have, but it's not an experience I want to repeat. I stuck my tongue out and tasted the air. Mmm. Deeper down. Of course. I'll lead the way then... With that, I started walking in a seemingly random direction.
"You make it seem like we're going to be attacked at any second..." Nightmare Moon said, Luna surprised to find herself nodding in agreement.
Frankly I'm astounded we haven't been while having this conversation. I must be in a good mood or something. What happens to you if you die in somepony's nightmare?
"'Tis not pleasant, but we both merely wake up, and I must attempt to help them another night."
Hmm. The sound had a very deliberate feeling to it. Since I'm not dreaming, and since this is me we're talking about, I think that if you die here, you die in the waking world... All of my eyes widened and began to scan around me with worry. Shit. I wish I hadn't realized that. Now my mind will definitely try to kill you...
"Arachnos..." Luna called softly. I turned and stared at the pair. "Why are you so afraid? You're not dangerous or anything!" With those words, blackened vines sprouted from the asphalt, ensnared the two versions of the Princess of the Night, and dragged them screaming through the street as if it were water.
I turned and beat my head against a nearby light post. You just HAD to tempt fate! In here! I snarled. It was odd to think of my mind racing whilst I was inside of it, but I had very little time. OK, if I were me, where would I drag Luna and ... Night ... Mare ... Moon. Oh, shit... With that realization, I began to tear the street up with my claws as I began to dig my way down after them.
Luna woke up and coughed, feeling like she was hacking up water almost. Luckily, she was no longer tied up. She slowly stood up. A familiar voice groaned. Luna spotted Nightmare Moon a few feet away, almost mirroring her movements, an act she wasn't comfortable with.
Nightmare was rubbing her head.
Luna sighed. "Why are you here?"
"You're the therapist, you tell me. Why'd you change your look?"
"What?"
Nightmare squinted at her. "Something's different about you, I just can't work out what yet. More importantly, where are we?"
Luna glanced up. She had thought the fog was bad. This "sky" was cement with the ends of roots poking through cracks. She hadn't felt so cut off from the moon and stars in some time. A small mercy was that it was far enough overhead that she could comfortably fly without crashing, but it was very oppressive.
The rhythm of four she hadn't quite been hearing was gently shaking the ground and rattling her bones.
1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4
The speed and pattern would change seemingly without rhyme or reason, but it was always themed around a base of four in some way.
Taking a look at the ground now, Luna realized they were in what looked like the world's biggest scrap pile. It was mounds of rusty, discolored junk that seemed to have fallen at random and been piling up for eons. Toys, faded and torn books, clothes that were more hole than fabric, a bicycle, a large poster with the words "Zuckerberg is Watching You," and just piles and piles of refuse.
Not knowing what else to do, Luna set out walking, Nightmare reluctantly following.
"You know we're being watched?" Nightmare asked, her tone almost conversational.
Luna nodded. "Yes, I feel it too. I don't think I want to know by what. At least there's no fog so I can see..." She wished she couldn't. It was a depressing sight at best.
They came across a bridge spanning ... it might have been a river in another life. It if hadn't been fatally polluted. It was a river of crude oil with garbage floating in it. The black sludge oozed slowly along underneath them and gave a chill that went to the bone.
"Don't tell me you want to see where that goes?" Nightmare griped.
"It's like you can read my mind."
"I'm part of you, remember?"
"I try not to," Luna groaned. "Yes, that might lead us somewhere."
"If we die, I'll kill you..."
"Fair," Luna said with an amused snort.
They followed the river of toxic-looking sludge until a newer type of fog began to choke the air. It was easier to breathe but was oddly rainbow-colored instead of one single color.
The ground began to shake with a rhythmic pounding as if a gigantic hammer was driving a pony-sized nail into the ground every ... four seconds.
Eventually the fog cleared to reveal ... a factory. It was like some mad confectioner's dream: all smoothly turning cogwheels and towering smokestacks pumping out thick clouds of rainbow smoke. It looked like a clockwork fantasy castle, complete with a portcullis and a moat of that blackened sludge. Glass pipes lead from the inside of the building down to the moat, noisily slurping up the ooze.
In cursive neon above the door was the name of the building, "The Rainbow Factory."
Luna was confused. "Is this supposed to be Cloudsdale?"
Nightmare glanced at the nightmarish landfill surrounding them. "No, far too earthbound for Pegasi. Unless the city fell somehow. But why would he have that in his mind?"
Not remotely wanting to, Luna headed in as it was the only stable structure or sign of life she'd seen since falling down here. It was indeed a factory with a full-scale assembly line system stretching clear out of sight.
To the two Alicorns' right a series of pipes spat out the toxic sludge from outside directly onto a conveyer belt. Luna heard a buzzing of large wings. Changelings? She turned right as a gigantic wasp flew into view, overshooting the two ponies entirely. Its forelegs had been encased in serrated metal blades that it used to quickly slice the sludge into smaller blocks.
As the sludge was whisked further down the line, a roach quickly pulled and shaped it like it was some sort of taffy. Luna stared in amazement as both color and texture started appearing in the mix. In moments it had been turned into a living, breathing anthropomorphic fox.
A pill bug grabbed the fox who let out a yelp at the contact before dragging him away. Filled with a morbid curiosity she knew would likely get her killed, Luna followed the vulpine, Nightmare Moon trailing after.
She nearly instantly regretted it. Further back was like a slaughterhouse, with various living beings having things done to them that would haunt her dreams for the remainder of her life. Someone had seen way too much horror at 3 a.m. ...
Once the unfortunate victims had been sufficiently mutilated, they were stuffed into boxes with no regard for the way they were folded, clearly violating physics in several cases. All of the assembly line workers were over-sized insects, and most of them had instruments of torture embedded in their flesh that they used to carefully sculpt the black goo into ... Victims? The insects were incredibly chipper as they worked, acting like an artist sculpting a block of marble into something beautiful rather than doing something like ripping a pony's teeth out. The boxes were tossed to a giant spider hanging from the ceiling who tied them together in silk before tossing them onto a forklift. They were then driven to the back rooms...
Each box had a label. "Naked at School or in Public." "Weeping Angel Attack." "End of the World (And it's Your Fault!)." "Family Reunion." "Your Children Escaping." "Your Death." "Witches." "Being Turned into Hamburger." "Bugs Laying Eggs in You." "Big Test You Failed." "Giving a Loved One Cancer." "Your Mother." "Your Father." "Christmas."
"They're ... they're making nightmares," Nightmare Moon realized. "It's an entire factory to make nightmares, and quite efficiently." She glanced at some of the boxes and shivered at what she'd seen going into them. "I don't think I'll ever sleep again..."
"No..." Luna agreed. On the wall were two posters, one of which read, "Zero Days Without a Dismemberment," and the second read, "You don't HAVE to be crazy to work here, but it helps!" Those were definitely Arachnos's blackened sense of humor at work.
The factory PA system suddenly crackled to life. A male began to sing to the workers.
'Harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding, no more falsehoods or derisions, golden living, dreams of visions. Mystic crystal revelation, and the mind's true liberation, Aquarius, Aquarius...'
The tone suddenly became much more threatening as the song continued, 'Let the sun shine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in!'
Luna could see light begin to pour through the windows and the fur on the back of he- his neck began to stand up as he had a panic attack. Daylight meant pain, noise, suffering, heat, life ... people. He wasn't safe during the day, make it stop, please put the sun out! Luna blinked. Those weren't his ... her feelings. Were they how Arachnos felt about daylight? It explained a lot...
The insects working at the factory were all chatting nervously. "That's not possible," a large ant said with fear clearly in its voice.
Luna stared in alarm as the walls began to bubble like a liquid. Some of the bubbles burst, oozing yet more of that black sludge. As beams of light began to break through, the insects began to burn and shriek where it hit them.
As the entire building began to rapidly crumble to ash, a wasp wailed, "BUT I JUST GOT PROMOTED!"
In seconds, it was over, and the sludgy remains oozed into the moat and floated on downstream.
Luna heard a sound at the edge of her hearing, Ehhehehhehheh... He'd heard it before, in the forest as a filly, a fox's laughing bark. It sounded very pleased with itself...
The endless junkyard had apparently burned away as well, leaving clean cement sparkling in the harsh, bright light. Luna screwed her eyes shut; it was really quite painful.
Ow. That shouldn't be possible, there's no sun in here... Luna cracked an eye open to see me, sunglasses covering all of my eyes. I held a pair out to her and Nightmare, which they both gratefully took.
"I ... felt feelings that weren't mine when the sun rose. Were they yours?"
Ah. "Snuff out the sun to feel safe?" Yes. Those were mine. My apologies. If I'm transferring memories or emotions, even unintentionally, that's not good... Might even be dangerous for you.
"Where are we?"
I gave a multi-limbed shrug. My subconscious. Part of a song I enjoyed a long time ago dealt with a Rainbow Factory "Where your fears and horrors come true." So, my mind turned it into an actual location to create my nightmares. They've got quite a backlog due to the fact that I'm terrified to go to sleep. Whatever you saw, they aren't actually evil or even sadistic. Their function is to give me nightmares, and they excel at it. They view their work as making art, and in a way, it could be seen as such, if you view horror and fear as art.
"Why insects?"
I grinned. Bedbugs. They didn't bite you, did they? I added quickly with concern.
Luna stopped in his tracks, feeling a little more of his sanity fray away. In the deeper voice that hadn't gone back to normal, he seethed, "I just got mentally scarred for life ... and it was a PUN?!"
I gave him an apologetic grin. Would I be me if it wasn't? I twirled my fingers as if I was wrapping yarn around them, pulling a near-transparent line out of Luna's mind before I ate it. There. No more body horror keeping you awake the rest of your life.
"What about me?" Nightmare Moon snapped.
I shrugged. Sorry, it doesn't work on dead parasites...
Nightmare Moon gave an enraged scream and lunged at me. I caught her by the tail, swung her around multiple times, and let go. She flew off into the bright cement wasteland and landed miles away from us, causing a mushroom cloud to form.
I turned to Luna with an embarrassed smile. Sorry. Should I not have done that?
Luna chuckled. "Glad you did. Gods, I was insufferable. 'Look at me, look at how evil I am, eternal night, bleh, bleh, bleh...'" Luna finished, sticking his tongue out playfully.
I laughed. You know vampires don't actually say 'bleh, bleh, bleh' right?
Luna laughed. "I know. I visited Transylmaneia and accidentally nearly got engaged to the vampire king shortly after becoming an Alicorn. I didn't know who he was, but ... well, I staked him pretty well before returning home. It was enough to convince him to leave Equestria alone."
I laughed. You as a vampire bride would have been ... interesting. As the Father of Monsters, your monster-hunting skills always terrified me, and I was always thankful I never had to face you on the battlefield.
Luna nodded. "At least my youth was not all ballgowns and tea parties. I was as good as any stallion in command."
I've talked to the spirits of the soldiers who died facing you in battle. You were ... terrifying. Not that I'm not... I glanced at where I'd thrown the physical manifestation of Luna's trauma. Well, both the factory and Nightmare Moon will be back, the latter much sooner. Best to put some space between us, yes? I snapped my fingers and teleported us to a new location in my mind.
We were thankfully out of my subconscious now, on a dark street lined with doors that stood upright without being in a wall or a building. Thankfully there were streetlamps.
Luna glanced up at the foggy sky, glad for at least something that was visible. "No sun? Ever?"
I thought about it. On ... very rare occasions, I have good days. It's possible then. But growing up, I never liked the sun as it meant I'd suffer. Dark is cool, quiet, and safe.
"Where's this place?" Luna asked.
I pointed at a stop sign that had the name of the street: "Memory Lane."
Luna shot me a look that said, Seriously? I had the good grace to look embarrassed. I pointed at the doors. Not every memory I have, since that's quintillions, but behind each of those doors is a memory of mine. If it's not locked, you can look, but you might not like what you see...
Luna nodded and walked over to one of the doors. The address plaque made no sense whatsoever. "What is that?"
Space/time coordinates so you know exactly when and where the memory was formed ... if you can read them. Ah, no, not that one please, too angsty. Try across the way.
Puzzled, Luna nodded and crossed the street. This door was a dark red. Luna opened it and stepped through. He was in a library and spotted a familiar face.
Honestly, Starswirl, being the greatest wizard in the history of the world has its advantages, but you have no social life. And that's coming from me, so believe me, it's a serious concern.
"I am trying to keep this world you made balanced! Do you not care?!"
Of course I care, but at what cost are you maintaining the balance? When was the last time you checked in on your friends?
"What is your obsession with my social circle?!" Starswirl erupted.
Being starved for love and approval can cause resentment that builds in the shadows. I hope you don't come to regret your pursuit of knowledge above all else...
With that, Luna found himself on Memory Lane again. He tried another door. He was now in a vast dark cavern filled with hundreds of ponies of all three tribes holding candles. From behind Luna, my voice cut into the memory, Oh, I like this one, this was Grogar's funeral.
The eulogy was in progress. "We gather here not to mourn, but to celebrate this loss. It was hard-won and should never be forgotten. It was thanks in part to Grogar that the nation of Equestria has been founded. His evil will live on in our legends for all Eternity. ... Well, he ain't gettin' any deader! LET'S PARTY!" The cavern erupted into cheers as the party began.
There was an amused snort. Ponies... I muttered.
Once we were back in my mind proper, I stretched. I did honestly enjoy that one, if I'm being honest. Still, it could have been- My eyes widened. Say, do you want to play hide and seek?
"What?"
Great! I'll seek, and YOU HIDE! Before Luna could protest, I'd shoved him through a portal as a sound like rushing wind passed over just where he'd been.
The portal snapped shut. It was even darker and foggier down here. There was the occasional streetlamp providing light, but it seemed like Luna was the only thing there. There wasn't even the faint whispers and four-based patterns he'd almost gotten used to.
Luna sighed. "My duty since I ascended has been to help guide ponies through the worst of their dreams, and I am trapped in the mind of one of my only friends with no way out, and a high probability that I'll die." He kicked a stone. "Delightful," he grumbled. "Why is my voice not back to normal?"
I'd get used to it, if I were you, I'm amazed you haven't figured it out yet... But then it can take others a while to catch up with my point of view...
Luna turned and saw eerie green light as something was stepping out of the fog. He crouched down and spread his wings, prepared to charge or flee as needed. It was a fox, larger than he was, and walking on its hind legs. They were shaped more like a human than a fox, with bushy black eyebrows and faintly glowing yellow eyes. They were wearing a loose white kimono that had a scales, stars, and dragon pattern with yellow edging. Small planets orbited their neck like a solar system as a necklace, and they were wearing a grey conductor's cap with the word "Guide" on it. On their right middle finger was a thin black ring and on their left middle finger was a thin white ring. They was carrying a black lantern in which green ectoplasm and small spirits swirled while serving as a light source. In their other paw was a white and red fox mask with a gold spiderweb in the corner. Light radiated from their head.
Art by BijutsuYoukai!
Hello, Lune-bug, they said with a smile, using Arachnos's nickname for the Lunar Princess.
Luna was very nervous, expecting whatever this was to be a trick or to attack her.
The fox was hovering a foot off the ground and small plants and weeds would sprout under its paws where they walked.
You won't believe me, but I have no intention of hurting you, I'd like to help you get back to Arachnos so you can get out of here. I apologize for them shoving you down here, they saw something coming to kill you and figured this was the best way to keep you alive. Take your time, but whenever you're ready, we can head out.
"Who ... what are you?"
The fox grinned. Arachnos calls me 'Smug,' though that's not my actual name. I'm the person who gave them their powers and status as a Demiurge and set them up with a small universe to build and run. So far, they've been doing a decent enough job, though that may change. They have certainly made mistakes.
"Why do you keep calling Arachnos them?"
Ah. You aren't the only one who will be needing some new pronouns at the close of this chapter. It will make sense in time, most things do. Though, what fun is there in making sense? the fox finished with a grin. You will have to trust me if you want to make it out of Arachnos's mind alive, the fox finished.
Luna sighed and nodded, setting off after the fox. The fox's voice was masculine, though strangely light, and somewhat lilting, and she couldn't get an idea of their body shape under the kimono. It seemed curvaceous. "Are you a mare or a stallion?"
I'm a fox!
"But what is under your robe?"
The fox gave Luna a manically cheerful grin. Void. They handed her the mask, which dissolved on contact. For next time.
"'Next time?!"
You'll get there when you get there. Shall we?
"Do you even know the way?"
Of course, I know everything. There are shortcuts in here Arachnos doesn't know about.
The two set off in a direction of the fox's choosing. It was strange to see, the fox physically made the motion of walking, but continued to hover about a foot above the ground. Small plants and flowers bloomed underneath each step, leaving a convenient trail to follow should anything be tracking them.
To Luna's surprise, the fox started to sing. Loudly. "All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey, I've been for a walk, on a winter's day, I'd be safe and warm, if I was in L.A., California dreaming, on such a winter's day!"
It grinned as the ground began to shake. Time seemed to slow down as a huge shape charged out of the fog towards them.
Luna's mind raced as he began to crouch into a defensive position. I'm going to die alone down here with a strange creature, and we're both unarmed.
Almost lazily, the fox reached up and grasped their halo, bringing it forward and hurling it like a discuss. The halo expanded and the beams of light seemed to grow sharper before it cut the charging monster cleanly in half, returning to the fox's head like a boomerang.
The fox gave Luna an almost chilling grin. What makes you think I'm unarmed? They flexed their cooked-spaghetti arms to make the point. They then held out the lantern. The bloody grey shape dissolved into green mist and was sucked inside, and the lantern glowed brighter as another ghost joined the horde. We were being hunted, I thought it would work best to bring it into the open.
"Are you reading my mind?"
No more than I'm reading everyone else's. And their internet history, the fox added, looking nauseas. Nothing personal, I just can't turn it off. The pier is this way. The sidewalk dissolved under their hooves and paws, and they were on a rickety looking pier with a gondola tied to it. All aboard! The fox said cheerfully. Their transport looked like it would sink to the bottom of the river and had a distinctly gothic look with black wood and a skeleton carved into the front.
After Luna reluctantly climbed on board, the fox hung their lantern in the front of the boat and followed, untying the rope and taking the oar. Please keep your hooves and wings inside the ride at all times, in case of emergency, there is no exit. As they shoved off, the fox began to sing yet again. "There's no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going, there's no knowing where we're rowing, or which way the river's flowing, is it raining, is it snowing, is a hurricane a-blowing?"
Luna tried to distract himself from his unwelcome companion by examining his surroundings. He was thankful to see a clear and starry night overhead, though there still was no moon to serve as a way out. There wasn't any noticeable scenery, just what appeared to be rolling hills speeding by them. The river began to become choppy with large rocks in it. The fox expertly steered them around the obstacles even as the ride became rougher.
The boat approached a bridge, and the fox ducked as they went under. When they passed through, the river had turned to blood. The fox took them left at a fork in the river and under another bridge. This time the river was chocolate before a third bridge changed it back to water. The fox was rowing a frantic pace and Luna noticed with horror a distinct lake of horizon and the rushing of water growing louder. There were no hills ahead, just an expanse of sky.
"I think there's a waterfall ahead!" Luna yelled.
Yep! That's what I'm aiming for! You should probably hold onto something!
Luna could only scream as they went over the edge. The stars rushed past turning into linear streaks before spinning in a way that made him want to vomit. He closed his eyes well before the crash.
Luna groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He was on solid ground again, for that he was grateful. He glanced up at the sky and stared in awe. Far too close for comfort in the sky was a black hole. He glanced around. He seemed to be on a floating island adrift in the night sky, slowly orbiting the black hole. Rising out of the ground were hundreds of standing rectangular slabs of rock, all the same size. He squinted before hobbling over to one. Carved into the dark rock were the words: YOU ARE NOT ENOUGH.
Luna tried another. NO ONE COULD WANT YOU.
HUMANS ARE INHERENTLY EVIL, THOUGH THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS.
NO ONE LOVES YOU.
EVERYTHING YOU DO IS WRONG.
YOU ARE A COSMIC MISTAKE.
HOPE IS EVIL AND A POISON.
IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU DID NOT EXIST.
Luna's heart was pounding, he closed his eyes and tried to breathe slowly to drown out the accusing writing.
When he was done, a voice softly said, Hey. Sorry for the detour, but you needed to see this.
Luna opened his eyes. "What is this?" He pointed up at the black hole.
Arachnos's heart. Not literally, the fox added quickly.
"And these?" He pointed at the ... gravestones or whatever they were that told him his existence was a crime.
Arachnos's core beliefs.
Luna's eyes widened and he stared at the monument to self-hatred. "Oh, gods," he breathed.
Yes. The fox gave Luna an almost pained look. You are ... special to Arachnos, I am hoping you can help to pull it out of here.
Luna's heart hurt. There were so many of them... He sniffled. "I don't know if he'll listen."
The fox gave a gentle smile. They will.
"I don't know. I'm scared, I'm alone, and my body feels like it's the wrong shape."
Actually, it may be the right shape. Look.
A mirror formed in front of Luna. He blinked. "I'm-"
A stallion. And rather a handsome one, as far as I am able to judge such things.
"Why did Arachnos turn me into a stallion when I entered his mind?"
Barks of soft laughter. They didn't, you did. That is your soul made manifest, what it is is the truth of you.
"You ... you mean I. No. I can't ... that's completely absurd! I ... I'm a stallion? Inside?"
Mmm-hmm. You can unpack that once you're safely out of here, but you, my sweet Lune-bug are a Prince, not a Princess.
Memories surfaced in Luna's mind, of preferring to wrestle the castle colts into submission as a filly than attend tea parties, preferring battle to suffering through etiquette lessons, of his mother having to force him into hatefully frilly dresses, of bonding with his generals almost as if he were one of them.
Luna let out a small gasp. Slowly, the corners of his mouth turned up. "I'm ... a stallion?" he tried again, less hesitantly. A long-buried part of him screamed for joy, it was almost taboo, but it felt so right to say, to think, to feel. He chuckled. "I'm a stallion." This time there was no question. He touched the glass. "Is this what I would have looked like?"
Yes.
Luna nodded approvingly. "I ... do look good. What now?"
The fox grinned. Go find out. The way up and out is over there. A small circle was carved into the stone.
Luna stepped into it. "You are ... more real than anything in here. What's your name?"
The fox smiled wide as the moon. Oh, that's simple, it's- The portal activated, and Luna was gone.
There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you! I called gratefully. I found the door while you were gone! It's just across that bridge there!
The door was indeed across a bridge over a looming chasm. Luna sensed a trap. I crossed it with no problems and beckoned him over.
Luna cautiously stepped onto the bridge and the earth began to rumble. Curse his instincts...
A massive shadow erupted from the chasm, nearly knocking Luna off the bridge. It unfolded into a familiar visage. "YOU LITTLE FOAL!" Nightmare Moon shouted. "YOU CAN NEVER BE FREE OF ME!" Luna took a step back. Nightmare Moon cackled. "Nothing to say from the sweet little Prince?"
Luna closed his eyes and grit his teeth. Breathe, just breathe, a voice whispered, you've got this.
Luna opened his eyes and stared at the part of himself he hated the most, the embodiment of his resentment of his sister, the being who had caused so much suffering, and his own monument to self-hatred. In a level voice, Luna said, "I do have something to say, and these are the last words I will ever say to you." He took a deep breath. "FUCK YOU!!!!" he screamed. His horn crackled to life and Nightmare Moon glanced up. A sword the size of a city block made of night sky descended and cleaved her apart before she dissolved away into faint whispers.
Luna panted and grinned. "Ha!"
I understandably had an expression of fear on my face at that display. Remind me to never piss you off. Glad you're feeling better...
Luna un-summoned the sword and nodded at the door. "Please be in my room in five minutes, it's very important." I nodded, and Luna stepped out of my mind and back to safety.
In his room, Luna shivered slightly as the feeling he didn't know was dysphoria settled over him again now that he was back in the body he'd been born in. There was a light knock at the window, and Luna let me in.
Luna took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I have a lot to discuss with you, Arachnos. For tonight, I will deal with one matter." My spine nearly broke as he telekinetically dragged my ear down to his mouth to yell into it. "YOU'RE GOING TO THERAPY IF I HAVE TO DRAG YOU THERE BY YOUR-"
I don't have genitals, I interrupted.
"Mane," Luna finished lamely. "And since I know that you will put it off, I will make the appointment for you for next Monday at 2. Be there, or I will hunt you down. The practice is in Canterlot, on the corner of Briddle and Hay. You no longer have the option to avoid this, is that perfectly clear?"
I nodded mutely. Luna continued. "After what I have just gone through, I will need extra therapy now, so you get to join me. I will be checking up on you to make sure that you are attending your appointments. Please let me know if you prefer another practice but give it a few weeks to make sure."
I nodded. "Good night, Arachnos," Luna said testily. "Please make sure that if I ever wind up in your mind again that it is a less hazardous environment. I will call you on Monday."
I flew away and Luna collapsed into bed. "I may never sleep again," he groaned. "Good gods is there a lot to unpack in there..."
I was tending to my garden the next morning when my phone rang. It had a very distinct ringtone. 'Let the sunshine, let the sunshine, the sunshine in, let the sunshine, let the sun-'
I picked up. Hello, Celestia. What's up?
There was a pause. "My ... brother has been up all day excitedly talking to me. It will take some getting used to, referring to him as such. But ... it honestly explains a lot. He won't tell me how he figured it out, and he's asking to speak to you."
Ah. I ... it does explain a lot, actually, Luna being a he instead of a she. I'll be right over. By the time I'd hung up, I was in the castle foyer. The guards showed me to Luna's chambers. Hello, Lune-bug.
Luna blinked. "It's strange, it sounded exactly like... Never mind." Luna set his cup down and cleared his throat. "I haven't slept in some time; I have been doing research. I believe I am ... trans? Is that the word? I am a stallion in a mare's body."
I nodded. Yes, trans is the correct term. How did you come to this realization? I blinked. You were a stallion in my mind last night, and in your dreams when I woke you up. I didn't even notice you were a stallion instead of a mare last night.
Luna chuckled. "Neither did I, I ... met someone in your mind last night who pointed it out to me, a strange fox shaped like a human, with a personality very similar to yours. Was that you?"
I blinked. Possibly. Or a part of me, anyway, I'm not sure. Once I'd shoved you through that portal, you were ... hidden from me. I think it helped keep you alive.
"The fox referred to you as 'they' instead of 'he.'"
I grinned. I've often felt more like a they than a he, gender is ... odd to me. Very fleshy, and the constructs around it are baffling. What may I do for you?
"Is it possible to turn me into a stallion? Permanently?"
I nodded. You are certainly not the first nor the last trans stallion in this world, there is indeed complicated magic to permanently help a pony of any gender transition. In your case, however, there's a problem. Luna frowned. Your magic is permanently tied to the cycle of night and day on this world. Changing your shape involves using and altering your magical signature since your physical form is a part of that signature. Altering it would have consequences to the physical nature of the world. The moon may stop orbiting, or worse. To perform that spell on you, you would need someone who has beyond an expert grasp of magical theory, especially transformative magic. Someone who has routinely performed that spell, and who often casts high-level, complicated magic. Someone like ... me.
Luna blinked. "You would do it for me?"
I nodded. It would be an honor, but I will not do it right away. You need time to adjust to this, and the world needs time to adjust to you.
"How so?"
How do you think the nobles of Canterlot would react if you became a stallion this exact second, with no warning or announcement? Luna's expression looked like he had swallowed a lemon and said it all. I nodded. Exactly. You can of course begin to transition immediately, but take it slowly. Let others get used to the new you as well. Begin by living and dressing as a stallion, and see if you desire a new name. I promise I will cast that spell well before the year is out, but I ask for your patience.
Luna nodded. "I have been thinking of taking the name Lune."
I like it! And it is not too great a change from your deadname, just a more masculine version. I will report my progress in therapy to you no more than an hour after my session, agreed?
Lune nodded. "I expect a full report, but only what you are willing to share."
I gave a slow bow. "Talk to you then!"
Monday came. I went to my appointment in the shape of a stallion to make things easier. Out of lifetimes of habit, I was chronically early to my appointment, which was a good thing as I was stuck outside the door rereading the brass plaque with a growing sense of horror. The office for the therapist I had been signed up for read, "Dr. Frank N. Furter, Therapist." I blinked. No, it hadn't changed.
I sighed. If I open this door and find Tim Curry singing "Sweet Transvestite," I am burning this city. After he finishes.
I headed in. Well, no Transylvania convention in sight, it just looked like a typical therapists office with encouraging posters on the wall and soothing paintings. I went to check in. "I have the two p.m. appointment? It's under 'Aaron Noss.'"
"Of course, take a seat an I'll let the doctor know you're here."
Moments later, a light blue stallion with green eyes and a pad and pencil cutie mark stuck his head out of his office. "Mr. Noss?"
I headed in and sat down on the couch, fidgeting slightly.
"How are you today?"
"Fine. Nervous. I ... have a lot of issues, but I want to work through them. I ... know they'll never fully go away, but hopefully they won't destroy me as much."
"Where would you like to start?"
"May I change into something more comfortable?"
Dr. Furter blinked, but nodded.
I stretched out into my liontaur Draconequus form, ducking so I didn't puncture the ceiling with my horns. To start with, the name I most commonly go by is Arachnos. I'm an immortal demiurge, I created this universe, and I'm also crackers, but I usually make it work for me, I finished with a grin. I sighed and continued. I have ... a lot of self-hatred, rather severe depression, I have Autism, I'm extremely anti-social even though I know it would help, I'm a disasterist, and I'm very self-sabotaging. When I was alive, a neighbor thought I might be bipolar. I really don't understand the way ponies and other creatures think and have difficulty relating to them. Where would you like to start unpacking that?
"Let's start with why the neighbor thought you were bipolar."
A lot of the time, I get so depressed that I can't move or do anything for weeks, and everything is hopeless, and I'm convinced that there's no reason to live. But then rarely, I get so happy that I feel like I'm full of electricity, and everything's wonderful, and I have to run around and do everything at once. I didn't sleep when I needed to, and I lose my self-control and inhibitions.
"Well, that does sound a bit like Bipolar II, but I'd need to meet with you for at least a month before I could begin to diagnose you."
That's fair. May I ask a question?
"You just did, but yes."
Your name. Frank N. Furter? Not exactly a typical name.
"My father ran a very large hot dog empire, all the kids got hot dog related names. My brother Hot Link is a model, and my sister Brat Worst runs a deli. I am a licensed Doctor, but I put 'Therapist' on the sign because it has warmer connotations."
That all makes sense.
"May I ask a question?"
I grinned. You just did, but yes.
Dr. Furter gestured at my lower half. "Why don't you have ...?"
A penis?
"Yes, that. It's a bit obvious since most creatures don't wear clothes."
I haven't had one since I died and came to this universe. I didn't enjoy having one, and often wanted it removed. It's easier to just not have a physical sex. I mean... I shapeshifted into a stunningly gorgeous mare, and then a movie-star handsome stallion. Neither gender feels like me. I'm more feminine than masculine, but I don't feel like there's a gender there. I just got shoehorned into being male by genetic lottery, and I've been trying to act that way ever since. Often failing. I don't get why your body dooms you to a certain role in society, and why you can never cross over and mix roles.
"This is something only you can determine, but it sounds like you may perhaps be nonbinary? It's something I'd be happy to explore with you in future sessions."
Is that your way of trapping me into coming back for more? I said with a smile.
Dr. Furter smiled back. "Yes."
I sighed. I've avoided this because I knew a therapist's lifetime would be much shorter than mine, but ... I'm looking forward to trying. I can at least do that.
"That's all I'll ask for. Just try the things we work on."
I smiled. I can do that.
Thing were looking like they might get better, but I still thought it best not to press my luck. |
The Element of Corruption | pre | "Yeah, well it seems weird that she just called us out randomly like that. Usually, she sends us a notice before we go to her." said Rainbow Dash, scratching the back of her head.
"Well, this is an emergency and whatnot." said Applejack reasonably, with a rope in her mouth. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
"Alright, sure. Should I get the others?" she asked. Applejack nodded, busy fixing a sandbag on the balloon. Rainbow Dash stuck her wings out and took off, racing to gather the other girls.
The rope that Applejack was working on suddenly unfurled, causing the sandbag to fall right next to her. Applejack cursed and lifted the sandbag up, getting ready to tie it up. Again.
Meanwhile, back to Twilight and Nightmare...
The entire castle garden was like a maze, with hedges running in all directions. The garden was surrounded by ten foot bushes, and a small gate was on the other side, providing a exit. Above, Royal Guards were hovering lazily, aiming searchlights in the hedges. In the background, the Castle was shining brightly, the many lit windows making a dazzling appearance of a magical realm.
At the northern side of the garden maze, Twilight and Nightmare Moon were standing silently, waiting for the guards with the searchlights to pass them. Finally, the light moved away from their direction and Nightmare beckoned Twilight to follow her.
"Stay silent. Be careful of corners, and stay away from the searchlights. We do not want to get captured by those guards." she whispered. Twilight acknowledged the order and followed her through the swerving maze...
In the skies above the maze...
Nucleon and two of his teammates were providing overwatch for Twilight and Nightmare. So far, they didn't find anything interesting. All three of them morphed into Royal Guards and were pretending to search for both of the mares.
"Any activity?" asked one of the changelings. Nucleon shook his head.
"Nope. All sides are clear. Got sight on both of them?" he informed, looking at the castle. The changeling to the right of him nodded.
"Yeah, they're almost at the center. I wonder what they are after?" he asked. The other changeling waved his hoof in disregard.
"Meh, it's probably something that the Queen wants. Probably nothing interesting for us." he said.
"I don't think so..." trailed off Nucleon, almost falling asleep. He was tired from a restless night of no sleep and early training, so naturally, he was exhausted. However, he was suddenly shaken awake by one of the changelings yelling something.
"Over there! Two guards have spotted them!" he shouted, pointing at the eastern side of the maze. Indeed, the searchlight was aimed down by one of the pegasus guards, and the other one was about to dive bomb them. The guard holding the searchlight shouted at them to hold their hooves in the air and stay silent. Twilight and Nightmare Moon had their hooves up in the air, looking shaken. Nucleon scowled.
"Not on my watch" he growled, suddenly jolting with speed and flew towards the guard. His friends followed suit, and he tackled the guard with the searchlight, knocking him straight out of the air and into the ground behind the hedge. The other guard was also tackled by the other two changelings, and they both disappeared over a shrub.
Back to Twilight...
Both of them watched the guards being knocked out of the sky and into the shrubs. All they heard were muffled yells and the sound of hooves hitting hides. Twilight couldn't help but appreciate the perfect timing by Nucleon.
"Thanks!" she yelled towards the source of the grunts. A moment later, Nucleon yelled out "No Problem!" and they both continued on towards the center...
At Canterlot Royal Castle, Princess's Chamber...
The five Elements walked into the Princess Celestia's chamber, and the Royal Guard behind them closed the door. They looked up to see the Princess sitting on her throne, a forlorn expression on her face. Another pony was briefing her with news from a recent attack.
"...Manehattan reported strange activity near the border, and the Cloudsdale just intercepted a message from one of those fly-like pony things." she read from the scroll.
"Thank you for your report, Red Velvet. I shall send a squadron of my guard to investigate this matter. For now, you are dismissed." she said. Red Velvet sighed in relief and walked past the Elements. She nodded at them and went through the door. Rainbow Dash turned to Princess Celestia.
"So, you called, Princess?" she asked. Celestia shook her head.
"Yes. I'm afraid my worst suspicions have come true. My sister has plans to awaken my long lost nemesis, Discord, from his eternal slumber. Once he awakens, I doubt we can defeat him. We will require all six of the Elements of Harmony to stop him. Since Twilight left us, this greatly reduces our ability to stop the Lord of Chaos. That is why you five will come with me to the Castle Gardens. My guards have reported somepony breaking in, and it will most likely be either Twilight or my sister." she said grimly.
All five of them stared at her agape.
"Then why dont'cha take the statue inside, Princess?" asked Applejack, puzzled. Celestia shook her head.
"I'm afraid I can't. You see, his statue is casting an aura of ancient magic. Magic that even I do not know that prevents me from moving it. I don't know why, but he knows that he will be free, so he is using the last of his energy to protect himself." she explained.
"That sounds dreadful. We must stop him!" exclaimed Rarity. Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
"That is why I shall appoint Rainbow Dash as the new leader for the Elements of Harmony. You will be the team leader, and they will follow. Our first priority is to stop Discord from coming back. If that fails, then we have to get Twilight back. And if that fails..well..we will have to go into hiding." said the Princess, her face dark.
"Don't think like that, Princess. You can count on me!" encouraged Rainbow Dash, saluting her. Her friends cheered in response, and Celestia smiled.
"Then we should make haste to the gardens. Follow me, please." she ordered, her horn glowing. Behind her, the walls shimmered and a door formed. The Princess opened it and it lead to the garden.
"How come we haven't seen that door before?" inquired Rarity. The Princess chuckled.
"Oh, you won't believe how many different secret passages are littered around this castle. Back to the point, let's go to the garden." she said, beckoning them to follow her. The five mares looked at each other and followed the Princess into the garden...
Again to Twilight...
"Here he is. The Statue of Discord." said Nightmare Moon, beholding the grand marble statue. The being was a Draconequus, a combination of all the creatures in Equestria. He was in a strange position, as if he was gloating. Small cracks were appearing on the body of the statue.
"Wow." whispered Twilight, amazed by the statue. Nightmare Moon grinned maliciously.
"Yes, he is very clever with his tactics and mischief. And now, we shall unleash him. See those cracks growing on his body? He is slowly starting to break free from his bonds due to the chaos that is going around in Equestria. It will not be long before he is free." she explained, gazing at him.
"That sounds nice. So, how are we going to set him free? Obviously, we can't have ponies brawling in front of his statue at this hour." asked Twilight, confused. Nightmare shook her head.
"Oh, Twilight. Remember, I am an immortal goddess. I can find a way. All I need to do is cast the Bond Break spell, and he will be free. Be warned, though. The spell will drain me of my energy. You will need to help me out after I cast it. Do you understand?" she said, giving Twilight a steely gaze. Twilight gulped and nodded.
"Very well. Stand back; I will cast the spell." she said importantly, her horn glowing with arcane energy. A moment later, a pale blue beam of magical energy burrowed itself into the base of the statue. Fine cracks started appearing from where the beam hit, until it started climbing up and around the statue. Crackling was heard, and bits of marble flew off from the statue. Nightmare gritted her teeth in pain.
"Almost...there..." she groaned, putting up every bit of strength she had to the spell. Twilight just watched, amazed by the statue slowly starting to take shape. The cracks kept climbing until it reached the head of the statue, and a bright flash of light occurred. Twilight yelped and covered her eyes from the sight until the light died down. She removed her hoof from her eyes to see Nightmare on the ground, panting and dripping with sweat. She looked up to see the stone pedestal, but now, there is no stone figure resting on it. Standing in front of them was no other than Discord.
He gazed around the surroundings, taking it in as if he was starving. He then averted his gaze to Nightmare Moon and Twilight Sparkle, who were staring at him, mouths agape.
"Well well well. Look who we got here. If it isn't Nightmare Moon." he said, eyeing her and stroking his beard. Nightmare stood up importantly and looked at him haugtily.
"A pleasure to meet you, Discord. I believe you haven't met my apprentice, Twilight Sparkle, have you?" she asked, pointing her hoof at Twilight. Discord turned to look at her and gasped.
"An Element of Harmony! And she possesses the magical one too!" he hissed, eyes burning with malice. Nightmare quickly shook her head while Twilight glared at him.
"No! She is on our side. Her magical element has been corrupted. Even if she does betray us, which I assure you she won't, the element will not work." she explained, coming to Twilight's rescue. Discord calmed down, but still eyed her suspiciously.
"Very well. Now that I am free, I can finally go around and cause some good chaos." he said happily, stretching his arms and legs. Nightmare coughed and Discord looked at her.
"Let me guess. You want something in return for freeing me?" he asked, bored. She nodded and walked up to him, whispering something to his ear. A moment later, he broke into a mischievous grin.
"I love that idea! Marvelous! We must get to work!" he shouted, dancing in the air. Just then, the grass behind them thudded and quickly turned to see Princess Celestia standing there, stunned. Behind her were the Five Elements, and they too were staring at Discord in terror and awe.
Discord snapped his fingers and a chair appeared in midair. He then sat on it and looked at the ponies below him with an amused expression on his face.
"I cannot wait to see how this ends up." he said, waving his hand. A bag of popcorn popped out of thin air as he sat back and started eating.
"Sister...what have you done?!" asked Celestia, fear in her voice. Nightmare laughed in ecstasy.
"I have done what you have feared, Celestia. Discord is out. Chrysalis is rallying her army against you. Us three shall reign supreme in Equestria. You and the Elements of Harmony shall be crushed." she said, glowering at them. Celestia growled, pawing the ground with her hooves.
"That will never happen!" she shouted, charging towards Nightmare and locking horns with her. Both sisters yelled insults at as they bashed each other with their horns. Twilight turned to look at her ex-friends, who were giving her a dirty look. Twilight smirked.
"Time to finish what I didn't do earlier." she said, her horn glowing with energy. Rainbow Dash flew in front of her.
"I'm going to buck you up for what you did to Fluttershy." she threatened, punching her hooves. Applejack came up next to her.
"Ah will help ya on that one, Rainbow." she said, glaring at Twilight. Pinkie Pie hopped up to both of them, not even glancing at Twilight.
"So will I!" she said cheerfully, cradling a rolling pin. Rarity came up and looked at Twilight as if she were a slug.
"As much as I think fighting is for ruffians, I shall stoop to your levels and enjoy pulverizing Twilight." she said disdainfully, her horn glowing. Only Fluttershy remained in the back, quiet. When the others asked her to help them, she just squeaked and jumped into a nearby bush. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
"That's Fluttershy for you. Prepare to be sent to the hospital!" she said. Twilight smiled.
"I think you should go there first." she said calmly before charging towards Rainbow Dash. Dash grinned and launched herself towards Twilight, her friends cheering her on, intent on getting revenge...
Up in the skies...
"Bro, is that who I think it is?" asked one of the changelings. Nucleon nodded gravely.
"Yeah. Looks like Discord is out. The Queen must be really desperate if she needs his help." he said.
"Yeah...hey, what's going on down there?" he asked, pointing a few feet below him. Nucleon looked down to see an all out brawl going on. His eyes widened in surprise.
"Ooh, a fight! Hey, isn't that..."
"TWILIGHT!" shouted Nucleon, voice full of worry as he quickly descended upon the fight... |
The Element of Corruption | Skirmish | As both of the Princesses wrestled each other, Rainbow Dash charged towards Twilight and tackled her against the hedge wall. Twilight grunted in pain as she stars in her vision. She pulled back her hooves and punched Rainbow Dash in the face, causing her to stumble back.
She then stood up and powered her horn, getting ready to incinerate her. All of a sudden, she was pushed over by Applejack, who bucked her in the ribs. Twilight yelled in pain, and when Applejack was about to bring her hoof down towards Twilight, she rolled out of the way and grabbed her by the tail. She then lifted her up and threw her against the stone plinth, knocking Applejack out.
Rainbow Dash quickly got up and growled.
"You're gonna pay for that!" she shouted, swiping at Twilight's legs. She yelped and fell over, and Rainbow Dash started punching her in the face.
All of a sudden, a black blur slammed into her and both of them went flying into a shrub. It was Nucleon, and when Rainbow Dash stared at him, horrified, he transformed himself into Rainbow Dash. He laughed as her eyes widened in surprise and he punched her in the gut.
"Why are you hitting yourself?" he taunted. Rainbow Dash scowled and landed her hoof in Nucleon's face. He stumbled back, his cheekbones throbbing. She then got up and landed a kick in his stomach, and he flew back and crashed into a bench, destroying it.
Twilight looked as Rainbow Dash and Nucleon fought each other. She then turned her gaze to Rarity and Pinkie, who were staring frightfully at her.
"I'll go up and blast her with my baked bads!" shouted Pinkie as she hurled herself to Twilight, a rolling pin in her clutches.
A few feet above from the fight...
Discord watched from above, amused with the chaos that is going on. He ate another piece of popcorn and winced as Pinkie smacked her rolling pin in Twilight's face.
"They will never learn." said Chrysalis, fluttering down next to Discord and watching the brawl below. Discord nodded.
"Yes. But then again, this is some world-class entertainment." he said cheerfully, throwing popcorn at the Princesses and goading them on. She rolled her eyes.
"You can say that. Wait-what's Nucleon doing down there?" she asked, peering over the edge. Discord shrugged.
"Looks like he's helping Twilight. Two versus Five? Sounds fair." he said, offering his bag of popcorn to Chrysalis. She levitated a piece and slowly chewed, watching both of them fight off the five elements...
Back on the ground...
As Pinkie fell before Twilight, she turned her gaze towards Rarity. Rainbow Dash was leaning against the bush, her wings mangled and her body cut and bruised. Nucleon was out cold, his body limp on the ground. Applejack was still unconscious from the attack, and Rarity tensed back, her teeth gritted.
"You will not be able to feel your limbs after I am done with you." she said before firing a beam of energy to her. Twilight deflected the first attack easily and quickly released another beam of energy. Rarity didn't have time to defend herself as the magic beam hit her directly in the chest. She gasped, suddenly freezing, with ice forming around her. Twilight smirked.
"Simple freezing charm. Now let's see, I think an implosion spell would look nice here, wouldn't it?" she said sadistically, her horn starting to glow. Rarity could only watch in horror as Twilight was about to unleash a devastating spell.
Suddenly, a squirrel clambered up to Twilight and started biting her. Birds soon followed and started pecking her flesh. Twilight yelled and started whacking the animals, but the sensation intensified. Twilight looked from the corner of her eyes to see Fluttershy directing the animals to attack her.
"Free her, little ones. I will deal with Twilight." she said softly to the small animals. They nodded their heads in acceptance and started to chew on the ice around Rarity. Fluttershy turned to Twilight, who was bruised badly from the animals.
"I thought you were too weak to fight!" taunted Twilight. Fluttershy shook her head.
"Oh no, I couldn't stand to see you hurt my friends." she replied, locking her eyes with Twilight's. She gasped. Whatever she was doing, it is something powerful.
"No..you can't do that to me!" stammered Twilight, trying to break the eye contact. Fluttershy persisted, her eyes drilling into Twilight. She shook her head.
"Yes I can. Don't avoid The Stare. I mean, if it's hurting you, you can turn away." she said politely. Twilight shuddered, and she suddenly got a vision of her past flashing before her eyes until she seized up and collapsed on the ground. Fluttershy lowered her gaze and stared sadly at Twilight.
"It was for the best." she said sulkily before turning around to see Rarity scrape off the remnants of ice around her hide.
"Thank you for your help, Fluttershy. I did not know you had it in you." she said gratefully. Fluttershy only smiled and and trotted to her other friends, waking them up. Rarity helped too, using her magic to revive her friends.
To the princesses...
Luna raised her horn and unleashed a sliver of pure energy towards her sister. Celestia quickly erected a shield of yellow energy that deflected the spell. She then fired a beam of arcane energy towards Luna, who gasped in surprise and fired her energy beam too. Both beams collided with each other and caused sparks to fly around. Celestia gritted her teeth in concentration.
"You..will..never stop me!" she shouted. Luna smirked, but there was fear in her eyes. She knew that her sister's magic is superior to hers, and she can feel the beam slowly inching its' way towards her.
"As if! I have chaos on my side!" she responded, sweat trickling down her face as she concentrated with all her might. But she started to worry when Celestia's magic started to beat hers as the golden rays overcame hers'.
Above the two princesses...
"Nightmare does have a point. I can just snap my fingers and knock out Celestia." he said smoothly. Chrysalis raised her eyebrows at him.
"Then why don't you? You're telling me that you could've saved us a lot of trouble just by doing that?" she asked, her voice rising. Discord shrugged.
"I didn't feel like it anyways." he said, but then he stood up and snapped his hands. The snap echoed throughout the maze. All the fighting ceased immediately as everypony suddenly fell into a slumber. Discord jumped down and walked leisurely through the bodies, a smug expression on his face.
"That was quick." said Chrysalis, looking at the sleeping Celestia. He nodded.
"Yes. Now, we must take them back to our base of operations. If the guards find out, it would cause too much problems." he said, snapping his fingers again. Twilight, Nightmare and Nucleon disappeared with a POP. He then turned to Chrysalis.
"Go tell your minions that they will have to return." he ordered. She nodded and ascended towards the sky. Discord then turned to the sleeping ponies and raised his claw. Red sparks started forming around it, and he shot it towards the pitch-black sky. It exploded like fireworks, lighting the sky up with tinges of red. Smirking to himself, Discord disappeared with a poof, but not before the Royal Guard hurried towards the source of the flare...
To the Royal Guard...
"Hurry!" shouted one of the guards. Shining Armor quickly followed his lesser as they navigated their way throughout the garden maze.
"What's the rush?" he panted, trying to keep up with the guard. He turned to him.
"One of our patrols reported unusual activity in the gardens. They saw a flash of light and sparks flying everywhere. However, when they tried to get close, everypony around a four mile radius suddenly fell asleep." he explained hastily. Shining Armor raised his eyebrows.
"Really? Then how come you weren't asleep?" he asked. The guard shook his head.
"I wasn't in the radius, sir. It must've been a heavy spell, though. Everypony was in a deep sleep, and when the guards woke up, they found strange hoofprints and a couple of smaller hoofprints." he said, making a turn at a junction. Shining Armor thought for a while.
"Well, it sounds serious. Are we there now?" he asked. The guard nodded as he made another left the hedge. Both of them walked into a large clearing, which was the center of the maze. He gasped when he saw the sleeping bodies of Princess Celestia, along with the Elements of Harmony.
"What in the name of Celestia happened here?" he asked, looking around. The surrounding were destroyed, with dents and broken wooden pieces of benches. A shrub was completely flattened in the ensuing chaos. He quickly ordered his guards to wake up the unconscious ponies while he checked to make sure the Princess was alright. He quickly cast a small spell that woke her up and she quickly jumped up, looking around wildly.
"You will never stop me, Luna!" she shouted. Shining Armor put his hoof on her shoulder and gently held her down.
"Princess, no need to worry. What happened? Why were all of you asleep?" he pressed her. She looked up at him.
"It was...Nightmare...she came."
"You mean Nightmare Moon? But...I thought Twi and her friends stopped her a week ago. What do you mean she came?" he asked, his voice starting to rise. Celestia shook her head.
"No, Shining Armor. I assure you, it was Nightmare Moon. Along with her were Discord and Chrysalis..and..and.." she faltered, her voice starting to tighten. How can she break the name of Nightmare Moon's last accomplice in front of her accomplices' brother?
Shining Armor looked at her in concern.
"Princess, if you're feeling sick, I can escort you back to the Castle. I'm sure Cadance won't mind with me staying a bit late out-"
"The last pony that came here and fought us was Twilight. She works with Nightmare Moon."
Shining Armor looked at Celestia in disbelief as she gazed at him sadly. He then started to chuckle nervously.
"Ha, good one Princess. But Twilight is probably asleep right now in Ponyville. You confused her with somepony else, maybe." he said. Celestia stared pitifully at him. How unexpected can one take news about something terrible.
"She's telling the truth, you know." said a quiet voice behind him. Shining Armor turned to see Rainbow Dash standing there, her figure battered. His eyes widened in horror.
"No...it can't be...how can Twily..." he said, suddenly taking a seat and staring at the ground. Pinkie and Fluttershy exchanged nervous looks while Applejack took a step forward and placed her hoof on his back.
"It's alright. We'll bring her back. She's evil, but ah'm sure-" she stopped when she saw Shining Armor's back stiffen.
"SHE'S NOT EVIL! SHE'S MY LITTLE SISTER!" he shouted, shoving her away. Applejack stumbled and crashed into Rainbow Dash as both of them collapsed onto the ground. Pinkie and Rarity looked at him murderously, but they met Celestia's eyes and retreated. He then stood up and quickly wiped his eyes. However, while he was wiping her eyes, he looked down to see a strand of purple hair. He picked it up and observed it. He then concentrated, closing his eyes while his horn glowed, emitting a strange blue light to the strand.
"I'm going after her. This is a strand of her mane. I've translocated her position through my horn. She will come back to me" he said, opening his eyes again. The Elements gasped at his outburst, but Celestia nodded understandingly.
"I understand how you are feeling, especially about little sisters. I wish you luck on your journey, and can you do me a favor and bring Luna back to me too?" she asked. Shining Armor nodded.
"Yes, I will bring her back too. Just...just watch and protect Cadance for me. If I don't come back, I want her to keep this." he said, handing his gold wedding ring to Celestia. She nodded solemnly and encased it in a glass box. Behind them, Fluttershy and Rarity teared up. Shining Armor looked at the Elements.
"I'm sorry for pushing you two, but it's crucial for all of you to protect Equestria and the Princess. I'm counting on you all." he said. All of them shook their heads in acknowledgement as he turned and teleported out of sight.
A flash later, he appeared on a hill at the outskirts of Canterlot. He groaned and rubbed his horn.
"Twilight is better at magic than me." he muttered. His heart stopped when he mentioned her name, and he resolved to find her and bring her back to light, no matter what. Nopony makes his little sister an enemy of Equestria... |
The Element of Corruption | Reconnaissance | Far far away from ponydom...
The low lying grass valley reflected eerily in the moonlight. There was nothing but an endless stretch of grass, as if it were a sea. The wind was rather low, lazily making the grass blades move occasionally.
A pop was heard and five forms appeared. Three of them were out cold, while the other two were surprised by their location. Discord looked around and smile to himself. A perfect place. He walked away from Chrysalis, who looked around, her eyes wide.
"Where are we?" asked Chrysalis to Discord, who was busy walking around the area and muttering a few incantations. He glanced at her.
"Some random location I thought of. We are very far from the nearest pony town, so rest assured we can recover here" he replied, raising his claws above his head. A moment later, faint orange dust swirled around his hand and shot into the sky before exploding with a small bang. The dust shimmered down, casting a faint orange aura around the location. Chrysalis was impressed.
"Wow..what was that?" she asked. Discord chuckled.
"A simple force field spell, my dear. Nopony can see us, hear us or detect us. We are practically invisible to them. They will never find us." he said smartly. She thought about it and agreed.
"Sounds good. Unfortunately, I have to leave you three for a while. My kingdom requires my presence." she said, her form glowing. Discord nodded.
"Very well. Come back when you are finished." he said. She smiled before disappearing with a flash of teal. He shielded his eyes until the lights dimmed and he opened to find himself alone with two unconscious changelings and a pony. He sighed.
"Time to wake these three up." he muttered, walking up to them.
Meanwhile, to Shining Armor...
Shining Armor trekked through the mountain range. He already left the borders of Ponyville and was headed to Appleloosa's direction. The sudden change of scenery from the bustling capital and small cottages to intimidating peaks and sharp cliffs amused him.
The wind blew hard around the mountainous regions of Equestria, and since winter was coming, the wind was freezing from the north. Shining Armor shuddered and pulled his light coat around himself.
"Curse me. I haven't stocked up on supplies since I left Canterlot..." he mumbled, keeping his head down against the wind. The cold wind blew into his face, making him feel numb.
As he battled against the wind, he came upon a rather large cliff face. On the other side was the continued path. Below the cliff face was a fast moving stream, with jagged rocks jutting out of the water. Shining Armor sighed. So much for luck on his journey.
Normally, he would've just teleported over the ravine and continued his merry way, but he was exhausted from his journey, so he couldn't cross the chasm by hoof, let alone teleporting over it.
"Guess I'll make camp and sleep in." he said, opening his saddlebag and pulling out a small collapsible tent. His horn started to glimmer and the tent quickly started to build itself until it formed a small, stallion sized abode. He unzipped it and went inside, where a comfy sleeping bag lay. He zipped up the entrance and snuggled in the bag before falling into a enjoyable sleep...
Back to Discord and his group...
Twilight opened her eyes and slowly got up, her breath paced. She looked around quickly for an enemy but realized she was in a safe area. She then stood up and saw Discord, who was looking at her carefully. She yelped and fell back. Discord chuckled and stuck his hand out as a gesture of kindness.
"Hey, don't worry. I won't vaporize you." he said calmly. Twilight looked at him thoroughly before taking his hand and getting up. She dusted herself and looked around, puzzled.
"Where are we? And where is Nightmare, Chrysalis and Nucleon?" he asked.
"Chrysalis had to leave for an important meeting in her kingdom. As for Nucleon and Nightmare, they are over there." he said, pointing at the two sleeping bodies. Twilight rushed forward to check on them.
"Are they...you know..?"
"No, they are not dead. Honestly Twilight, when will you learn? Nightmare is immortal, and I doubt Nucleon is dead. He took a beating, yes, but he isn't dead." reprimanded Discord, rolling his eyes. Twilight glared at him and he shrugged.
"Just saying." he simply said. Twilight looked down at Nucleon and then at his broken hoof. She started to bandage it with a few pieces of adhesive from her saddlebag while Discord started to walk around the location, muttering some ancient words...
Back to Shining Armor...
It was a beautiful sunny day in downtown Canterlot. The city was bustling with activity, as ponies ran to and fro through the market and stores scattered around.
Past the downtown district and the marketplace was a small neighborhood clustered between the city gates and the Royal Castle. At the end of the second street was a small house.
The door opened and the teenage Shining Armor stepped out and smiled. It was such a good day. He turned around and shouted back in the house.
"Twi! Let's get going. I want to get you something for your birthday!" he yelled. Inside the house was a small squeal and a moment later, a filly Twilight rushed out. She crashed into her brother, who stumbled back on the porch.
"Present? What is it? A new book? Is it the one on the planets-" she said breathlessly. Shining Armor quickly put his hoof on her mouth as she continued talking. She frowned and he laughed.
"Maybe. C'mon, let's get going. Did you tell mom that we are going to downtown?" he asked. Twilight nodded vigorously and both of them set off towards the loud downtown area...
Shining Armor gasped and got up, sweating heavily. He looked around and saw that he was still in the tent, and his alarm clock was ringing. He put it on snooze and fell back, wiping a single tear from his eye. That dream was so vivid.
He then got up and exited the tent. After collapsing it and stuffing it in his saddlebag, he faced the ravine and closed his eyes, his horn glowing. A moment later, he appeared on the other side of the cliff. He smiled to himself and trotted down the path...
Again to Twilight and friends...
"So did Celestia beat me or did I beat her?" asked Nightmare Moon. All of them were sitting around a campfire and were eating breakfast.
"Celestia was going to beat you, but then Discord saved all of us by putting everypony under a sleep spell." said Twilight crossly, eating another piece of egg. Nightmare thought about it but then nodded in approval.
"Well, that was good timing. I'd hate to see what would've happened if it wasn't for him." she said. Twilight looked up and caught Nucleon's eye before she turned away quickly, blushing. He coughed.
"I'm sorry for what I did to your old friend. I was trying to help you out..you know.." he mumbled. Twilight smiled.
"It's ok. You pushed off Rainbow Dash for me, which was a relief. But I didn't want to kill them..I almost killed Rarity though...I don't know what takes me over when I face my friends." she said, looking down. Discord froze when she said that.
"What do you mean?" he and Nucleon asked unanimously.
"Well, everytime I see them, I have this anger inside me that I want to release. It's like I want to hurt every single inch of them when I see my friends. But I would never do that. Hurt, yes for self defense. But kill? Never." she said sadly, staring at her plate.
"You will have to get used to it, Twilight." said Discord, shaking his head.
"I don't think so. We can spare lives instead of killing." objected Nucleon.
"I agree with Nucleon. That way, we will not attract attention by the mass killings." chimed in Nightmare. Discord sighed and crossed his arms.
"You guys are no fun." he huffed. Nucleon laughed and Nightmare stood up.
"Enough with the talking. We must organize our next attack. First, where is Chrysalis?" she asked Discord.
"She left because her kingdom needed help and other stuff." said Discord in a bored voice. Nightmare nodded.
"Very well. We will call on her help soon. Now, we must prepare to strike the smaller cities. When we went to Canterlot, our cover was blown. My dear sister now knows that we are going to attack, so she fortified the capital. However, when she increased security in Canterlot, she pulled out guards from the smaller cities. This makes them virtually undefended." she explained. Twilight nodded.
"Yes. That means we can attack Appleloosa or Trottingham. Possible Ponyville or Manehattan if we conquer the others." said Twilight, rubbing her chin in thought.
"What we really need is a spy. That way, we can get information from the cities and see what's going on." suggested Discord.
"Good idea. I think we have a perfect candidate..." said Twilight, looking at Nucleon. He backed up nervously.
"Er...why are you staring at me?" he asked. Twilight and Nightmare exchanged looks and smirked at him.
"Tell me, do you mind being a mare for a while?" asked Nightmare. Nucleon scratched his head.
"Well..um..it's alright-Wait, no I don't! Why are you asking me?" he demanded. Twilight giggled while Nightmare rolled her eyes...
15 minutes later...
"Nopony will suspect you of being a changeling now." said Discord cheerfully.
"Yes, now you look exactly like a normal Manehattanite pony." said Twilight, suppressing laughter as she applied makeup to Nucleon. He groaned.
"Why are you putting makeup on me? I can already generate myself as a random pony..." he muttered.
"Because if you randomly became a certain pony, that pony will probably point you out as an imposter. After that, your cover will be blown and our plot will be useless." explained Nightmare. Nucleon sighed.
"I better get payed for this." he said as Twilight finished applying the last bit of makeup to him. He changed himself into a mare, and after Twilight was done fixing him up, he looks very fancy, with his mane piled up and his tail curled.
"He looks good now." observed Discord. Nucleon glared at him.
"Don't get any funny ideas." muttered Nucleon.
"Enough boys. Nucleon, I shall teleport you to Manehattan. Also, take this crystal gem with you. We can communicate easily since the gem transmits your voice waves to us. Just rub it when you need to talk to us." ordered Nightmare, handing Nucleon a small blue gem that looks like a sapphire.
"Thanks. I won't fail you guys." he vowed, pocketing it.
"Get ready." said Nightmare, her horn glowing. Before he was teleported, Twilight surprised everypony by bounding up to him and kissing him on the cheek.
"Good luck." she whispered. Nucleon was speechless before he disappeared with a bang.
"That will affect our spy's performance. I don't think he's thinking of the mission now." said Discord, smiling. Twilight felt her face go hot.
"Never you mind." she said before turning around and looking for the small book that she was reading...
Meanwhile, in Manehattan...
Nucleon opened his eyes to see himself in a large city. Skyscrapers loomed over him, and carriages roared down the streets. Ponies walked past him and others were shouting their wares.
He was still speechless about what Twilight gave him, but he shook his head. Time to get serious. Suddenly, he felt something vibrating against his pocket. He pulled out the gem and found out it was glowing bright blue. He rubbed it and Nightmare's voice came through.
"Hello, Nucleon. Can you hear me? How is Manehattan?" she asked. Nucleon looked around and found a small alley. He went in there and talked with her.
"Yeah, I can hear you. Manehattan is nice, although it's going to be hard finding anypony that knows about the defense that Canterlot is putting up." he said thoroughly. Suddenly, he heard something behind him and turned quickly to see two stallions staring at him.
"Well, hello gorgeous." said one of them, taking a step towards him. Nucleon backed away.
"Oh..hey.." he said, trying to keep a distance between them.
"Where you tryin' to run off to?" said the other one, licking his lips. Nucleon kept backing away until he found himself against a wall. The two stallions were blocking his way.
"Nucleon? Can you hear me? What is going on?" asked Nightmare.
"Uh, I think we have a problem. Talk to you later." he said, quickly closing the connection. He raised his hooves, getting ready to fight...
> Preparations
As the two stallions slowly came towards him, looks of triumph on their faces, Nucleon quickly tried to figure out an escape route.
"Crap." muttered Nucleon as he was pushed against the wall. He looked around wildly for a way out, but he didn't find a way. As one of the stallions reached for him, he quickly grabbed him by the hoof and twisted it. The stallion screamed and fell down, his arm bent in an awkward angle.
The second stallion looked at his companion and then at Nucleon. He growled, putting his head down and was getting ready to charge him with his horn. As he galloped towards him, Nucleon dodged him and he winced when he heard a sick thud against the wall.
Nucleon turned around to see both the stallions laying on the ground. The one with the broken arm tried to get up and attack him, but Nucleon quickly stunned him with his magic. He did the same to the other stallion.
"But...how..can you fight? You're just a mare." gasped one of the stallions. Nucleon smirked.
"Don't judge a book by it's cover." he simply said before turning and heading out of the alley...
Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres...
It was a hot afternoon at the farm. The heat dried up the small creek at the edge of the farm, so the trees were slowly starting to dehydrate. At the farmhouse, the small weathervane creaked slowly. Sitting at the porch in her rocking chair was Granny Smith. She quietly observed the vast clusters of trees in front of her. Only a few have grown apples, while the others were empty. She sighed.
Hoofsteps was heard behind her and Big Mac appeared by her side. He too was taking the day off, as the weather was too hot to work for. Granny Smith seemed to acknowledge his presence.
"Such a hot day, eh Big Macintosh?" remarked Granny Smith.
"Eeyup." replied Big Mac, looking at the acres. A moment of silence went past.
"Applebloom's still at her friend's house?" she asked. Big Mac nodded.
"Ah, ok. Where's Applejack? Bucking trees?"
Again, Big Mac nodded.
"I hope she comes home quick. Who knows what 'appens to fillies in this weather..." she said before turning her head to face the front yard. Big Mac just stayed silent, watching the field in front of him.
To Applejack...
There was no point in harvesting the apples today, since the weather was practically burning. But on the side of the lake, where most of the apples grew since the trees were close to the water, Applejack was working diligently in order to sell the new batch to Ponyville, since there was going to be no business today.
Beads of sweat trickled down her face as she kicked another tree. The tree shuddered, and three or four pieces of apples fell into the basket. She smiled.
"That ain't bad for a tree in this weather." she said, wiping the sweat from her brow. Suddenly, she heard somepony calling her. Her ears perked up, trying to find the voice. After a while, the voice died down. She frowned.
"Musta been mah imagination..." she muttered before turning to the basket and picking it up. All of a sudden, she heard a splash behind her. She turned around to see a pink figure waving at her at the shore. Applejack sighed.
"Really Pinkie, what in tarnation are ya doin' in there?" asked Applejack. Pinkie grinned.
"I was just swimming when I spotted you. Oooh, I want you to read this!" exclaimed Pinkie, tossing a copy of the Ponyville Herald. Applejack caught it and unfurled it, not a bit surprised that the paper isn't even wet. She scanned the headlines, which informed her about a small incident in the Canterlot Royal Castle Garden. She frowned.
"Wait, how did they find that news out?" she asked Pinkie.
"Um...I think one of the Royal Guards talked about it. He wasn't supposed to do that!" she said crossly. Applejack shook her head.
"Sounds like we have to tell the others about this-"
"I already did, silly! I told Dashie, Flutters, Rare and you." she said, counting from her hooves.
All of a sudden, the sound of screaming air was heard. A moment later, a cyan pegasus landed in front of them. She shook her mane and slowly closed her wings, and trotted up to them.
"Pinkie told you the news?" asked Rainbow Dash, casually butting in to their conversation. Applejack nodded.
"Yep. Seems like there's ah spy in Canterlot." she said, scowling at the paper.
"We're going to smash him to a pulp!" said Dash cheerfully, rubbing her hooves. Another distraction appeared in the form of two silver sparks. A second later, the sparks intensified. All three mares quickly covered their eyes from the very bright illumination.
Finally, the lights died down. Rainbow Dash was the first to remove her hooves from her eyes to see a dazed Rarity and a cowering Fluttershy standing there. Applejack chuckled while Pinkie grinned. Rainbow Dash facehoofed herself.
"What in Celestia's name was that?" she asked. Rarity sheepishly giggled.
"I used the teleportation spell that Twilight taught me. I think I cast it right, but I need to improve on the arrival. Fluttershy, you can get up now. We're here." said Rarity reassuringly. Fluttershy looked up and breathed in relief. She shakily got up and greeted her friends.
"So what do we do now?" asked Rainbow Dash impatiently.
"I say we write a letter to the Princess. I'm sure Spike can do that." suggested Rarity.
"Ah don't think Spike recovered from his shock that Twi went against us..." reminded Applejack darkly. The others nodded in agreement. Rarity thought to herself.
"I'll think of a way to convince him. I'm sure I can flatter him." she said haughtily. Applejack rolled her eyes, while Pinkie started to jump.
"Oooh! While Rarity is doing that, we should make a plan in case that meanie Twilight attacks!" she shouted.
"Yeah, I agree with her. Since Rarity is working on Spike, me and Fluttershy will fly to Cloudsdale and try to convince the pegasi there that we are going to have an invasion on top of our heads." said Rainbow Dash, glancing at Fluttershy, who smiled in relief.
"Okay, I'll come with you." she said.
"Righty then, me and Pinkie here will fortify Ponyville's defenses and warn the mayor 'bout this case. Sound good?" she said, turning to Pinkie. She did a cartwheel.
"Ah think she likes that." said Applejack, suppressing a smile.
"Good. We'll meet at Sugarcube Corner in the afternoon." said Rainbow Dash, extending her wings out. Both her and Fluttershy took off towards Cloudsdale.
"I will see you all later. Good luck." said Rarity, her horn glowing. A moment later, she disappeared in a flash. Now there were two of them left. Pinkie turned to Applejack.
"Let's go!" she said, hopping past her. Applejack sighed and followed her, heaving the basket of apples that she will have to drop off at the front gate of the farm.
All the way to the Saddle Valley...
It has been a tiring journey for Shining Armor. He was hungry, tired and most of all, desperate to find a nearby town for shelter.
He has already traveled through Appleloosa and the desert landscape swiftly changed to the everlasting green valley. The sun was fiercely shining down upon him. Since Nightmare's spell only affected towns and cities that were controlled by Celestia, they were afflicted with the evernight spell. But regions outside of the commonwealths were normal, as if nothing stopped the sun from rising or descending.
Shining Armor crossed another large hill and he finally sighted a vast ocean stretching in front of him. He smiled and quickly galloped towards it.
As he went close to the shore, he took out a pair of binoculars. He raised them to his eyes and looked through to see a small speck of land there. Other than that, there was nothing beyond it. He put his binoculars in his saddlebag and charged his horn, getting ready for a teleportation spell. Hopefully, this will take him to the spot where Twilight was hiding...
Back to Nucleon in Manehattan...
The sun was slowly setting in the background of the big city, casting a faint, orange light across the sky. Ponies were slowly starting to return to their homes, and stores were starting to close. Nucleon quickly navigated through the city, dodging homeless ponies and others.
As he slowed down, a pair of mares trotted past him. They were discussing something rather loudly, and he was uninterested in their conversation until one of them mentioned Princess Celestia's name. His ears perked up as he quickly halted, trying to catch every word.
"...so I heard she is sending half of her Royal Guard division to Phillydelphia, while the reduced half will defend Canterlot. They'll be working overtime." she said to her friend.
"I don't think that's a smart move. Why reduce the numbers that protect your main city?" she said, shaking her head.
"No, it's clever. My coltfriend, who is in the Royal Guard, told me that Princess Cadence's guards are also providing undercover protection for both of them. So she basically has two layers of protection by her." argued her friend. They kept talking until their voices faded and they disappeared around the corner of the avenue, but that was enough for him. He stopped and took out his gem, rubbing it. It hummed slightly, giving off a blueish hue. A few seconds later, Twilight answered.
"Hello Nucleon! Did you find anything newsworthy?" she asked. He quickly explained to her what he heard, and a moment of silence followed that.
"Are you sure you heard correctly? I don't think it's safe trying to go there now." said Twilight skeptically. Nucleon groaned.
"Believe me, I heard correctly. This means we can go in and overthrow her. I'm sure Cadence's guards aren't much of a challenge anyways." he said.
"I don't know about that. Knowing my brother, he probably put the best of the best of his Royal Guard units to protect her. Speaking of my brother, have you heard about him lately?" she asked. Nucleon shook his head.
"No, not really. Although I heard from some ponies that he temporarily left his position as the Commander of the Royal Guards for something important. I don't know what, as that was most of the information I fished out." he said thoughtfully.
"Interesting...I might have to ask Nightmare to see if she can pinpoint his location. That way, I can find out if he is coming-"
She was interrupted by a loud yell. Twilight quickly twisted her head back to see a something fly towards her. She yelped and dodged, avoiding a frying pan that disrupted the connection a little. She got back up, shaken.
"What was that?" asked Nucleon, trying hard not to laugh. Twilight scowled at him.
"Discord again. He keeps pulling pranks on Nightmare. In this case, she was sleeping and he held her snout for too long. All I see now is a flurry of cooking utensils, which Discord is lazily flicking away." she reported, craning her neck to see the commotion.
"Well, I'll go get some sleep. I'll probably be back tomorrow. See you later, Twilight." he said.
"Take care." she said, smiling, before closing the connection. Nucleon looked up. It was dark. The only sounds were the occasional yells from ponies within their houses. He looked down and morphed back to a normal stallion before dashing towards the nearest hotel to relax in...
At Canterlot...
"...and remember to tell him to keep the left side of the wall on watch. It is the weakest part of the structure." ordered the Princess to her advisor. Ever since the threat of Nightmare Moon attacking Canterlot got out, all the ponies started panicking. The princess had to answer thousands of questions relating to the case, and she was exhausted. Just when she dismissed her fifth advisor, one of her guards burst into the room. He galloped past everypony and whispered something in her ear. She gasped.
"So it is true?" she asked the guard. He nodded.
"Tell the others to get ready. They will be deployed tomorrow morning." she said strictly. The guard nodded again and dashed off. One of the Princess's advisors looked confused.
"What is it, Princess?" she asked. Celestia just stared into space.
"Shining Armor. He has located my sister. And Twilight. Tomorrow, they will be brought back here to face justice..." she said. Her advisor nodded, taking note of what she said. Tomorrow will be the day of full on assault. |
The Element of Corruption | New Blood | "Go go go!" shouted one of the Captains of the Royal Guards. The pegasus regiment of the guards sprung their wings out started trotting, before breaking into a fast gallop and jumping into the air. They flew in a circle in the sky before turning north and flying towards the Saddle Valley.
The Captain looked on at his units that flew away and took out a scroll. He quickly scribbled a message to the Princess and whistled. A messenger landed next to him a few minutes later and took the scroll before taking off towards the tower of the princess.
As the messenger flew towards the tower, he quickly circled the tower once before landing on the balcony and knocking on the door. It slowly opened and the Princess stepped out. The messenger bowed.
"Princess, I have a message from the Pegasus Fleet Commander of the Royal Guard." he quickly said, handing the letter to her. Her horn glowed as the letter levitated off his hoof and went behind her.
"Thank you." she simply said before closing the door on him. She then turned around and quickly opened it, her eyes darting to read the writing.
To Princess Celestia:
I have ordered half of my pegasi to fly towards Shining Armor's location, as pinpointed by our mapper's coordinates. Captain Bronze Dagger has ordered the Earth Pony branch of the Royal Guard to go along with the pegasus, while allowing half of them here to provide guard duty. Finally, the Unicorn guards will be patrolling all of the Solar cities for suspicious activities.
Yours most sincerely
Capt. Spear
The Princess smiled. Everything is going to plan. If this works, she will soon have Luna and Twilight on her side, Discord petrified and Chrysalis banished to her plane. At least, that's what she hopes what will happen.
Her horn glowed and she quickly scribbled out a reply. After finishing it, she wrapped the scroll up and sent it on its way to the Commander...
Meanwhile, in Ponyville...
It was another normal day in Ponyville. The town was thriving with activity, and ponies moved back and forth to different stores. However, one building in the town was void of any activity.
Twilight's Library looked as if it was abandoned years ago. The windows were covered with dust, and cobwebs already formed around the edge. The tree itself looked like its life was slowly fading, as the leaves were turning dull brown and the branches starting to sag.
Inside the library, it was a mess. Books and candy wrappers were cluttered about, trailing the floor and the stairs all the way to the bedroom. The candles that were lighting the room melted, only showing a small puddle of wax.
Upstairs in Twilight's bedroom, a small purple figure was lying on the bed. His eyes were bloodshot and baggy, and his body was reeking unpleasantly, courtesy of not taking a shower for a week.
Spike was just lying on the bed, gazing at the ceiling with a fixed expression on his face. He never believed that Twilight. a pony he considered a sisterly and motherly figure to him, betrayed the Princess and left to join the dark side.
Ever since that happened and he heard the news a day later from a guard who dropped in to inform him, he was never the same. Spike never came out and became a hermit in his own house. He never answered the door, and neglected cleaning the library or keeping the books organized. It was as if he lost hope in the world.
He sighed, rubbing his eyes. Another day gone. He slowly got up and dragged himself downstairs to the kitchen to eat a snack.
While he was rummaging through the spoiled contents of the fridge, a gentle knock was heard on the door. Spike growled. When are these ponies going to stop bothering him?
"GO AWAY!" he shouted at the door. The knocking stopped, but a voice answered.
"Spike, it's me, Rarity. Let me in, I have to talk to you." answered a soft voice. Spike's anger slowly dissolved. Rarity? What would she want from him?
He walked over to the door and opened it, peering through the edge. Indeed, it was Rarity. She smiled at him, and he felt his heart skip a beat. Spike fully opened the door and invited her in.
"I knew you wouldn't ignore me." she said happily, trotting in. Her presence made the entire room light up, as if beauty was a source of illumination. Spike just nodded, and he suddenly realized how awful he looked to her. But if she showed any disapproval of this, she didn't. Instead, she sat on the chair and asked him to sit next to her.
"How are you?" she asked.
"Fine, as you can see by my condition." he grumbled. Rarity glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. Her horn glowed and he was suddenly up in the air. Spike yelped.
"Hey, let me down!" he shouted, squirming against her magic. Rarity chuckled.
"Not now, Spikey. You are in need of a major fashion overhaul." she said, focusing more energy on him. Bubbles started forming around him, along with steam. A flash later, the smell of lavender and roses drifted through the air as a glowing Spike was gently placed on the chair. His spikes were radiant, and his body was sparkling. He admired himself.
"Wow, uh, thanks! Didn't know you can do that sort of stuff." he said. She waved her hoof.
"Oh, I know a good collection of spells. Support and household spells, I mean. Not as good with combat spells like Twilight though." she said dismissively, watching Spike carefully for his reaction. Her hunch was right. As soon as he heard her name, his eyes slowly faced down and his smile dropped to a sad expression. He started playing with his fingers until Rarity placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. Spike felt his cheeks burning.
"Listen Spike. Twilight left us too. We all feel your pain. That is why I am here. We need you in this. I need you." she requested, locking onto his eyes.
"No thanks. I have no pleasure in finding Twilight. She left me here to rot, so why shouldn't I leave her out there? Besides, I'm not good at anything and I never will be." he said sadly before he turned and walked towards the bedroom. Rarity frowned and followed him.
"Spike, you have to come with us. What happens if we find Twilight? What if she comes back to our side? How do you think she will feel when she finds out her favorite assistant was not with us? Please, Spike, we need you on this. Don't bring yourself down on thinking you are useless. Pure muscle and looks are nothing compared to what you have in there." she pleaded, placing her hoof on his chest. Spike looked down on where her hoof lay, and then looked up at her strangely.
"My stomach? I had a danish for breakfast, if that's what you're asking for "what's in there"." he said, confused. She laughed.
"No, silly. I mean your heart! Out of all the ponies I met, you are the one with a pure heart. I mean, you're not a pony of course, but you do understand what I am saying, right?" she asked. He nodded, a sliver of hope flaring up within him.
"So will you help us? We will need somepony to help with messages, along with information on Twilight's whereabouts. And I am sure you would not mind since the Princess personally requests your presence on this task." she asked. Spike thought for a while until he nodded.
"Yeah, I will. No matter what obstacle they throw in our way, we will achieve our goal of bringing back Twilight to us. I'm coming." he said confidentially. Rarity smiled at him.
"Thank you, Spike!" she said cheerfully, kissing him on the cheek before trotting away. Spike had a dazed expression on his face as he felt the right side of his cheek, which was burning as if he touched it with hot iron.
"You-You're w-welcome." he stammered a few minute later until realizing that she left. He looked around and started gathering his things, his brain whirring on what he signed up for...
In Ponyville Square...
Applejack and Pinkie walked out of the Town Hall, confident with their meeting with the Mayor.
"Do ya think she'll buff up the defenses?" Applejack asked Pinkie. The pink earth pony nodded energetically.
"Oh yes! She has to believe us! The Princess is on this too, so she's forced to follow us!" she said cheerfully, bouncing up and down. Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Well, ah hope Rarity, Rainbow and Fluttershy are done with their jobs." she said. Just when she said that, Rarity halted in front of them, panting. Pinkie and Applejack exchanged glances with one another.
"So, what happened? Did Spike agree?" asked Pinkie. Rarity nodded, out of breath. Applejack raised an eyebrow.
"That quickly? Did ya enchant him-"
"Of course not! I am not that kind of pony! How could you ask such a thing?!" she questioned, recovering from her exhaustion as she glared at Applejack. She took a step back.
"Woah there, girl. Just askin'. Anyways, lets be off to Sugarcube Corner. We can all wait for RD and Fluttershy there." she said. Pinkie hopped excitedly.
"Free pastries on the house!" she shouted, bouncing towards the familiar frost covered building in the distance. Rarity followed Applejack.
"I am starving too. Let us be off." she said as both of them trotted towards the store...
All the way to Cloudsdale...
"....so if you see a purple unicorn with a dark mane, just tell us. Got that?" asked Rainbow Dash to a group of mares. They nodded and she exhaled in relief.
"Finally, someponies that understand. I wonder how Fluttershy is doing?" she asked herself as she flew through the sprawling cloud city...
Eastern District of Cloudsdale...
Fluttershy hovered around, trying to find somepony to talk to. She was nervous about informing random strangers about Nightmare's army. She looked through the crowd and spotted a stallion walking casually through the street. She smiled and flew towards him.
"Excuse me, sir. Um, if you don't mind, I need to ask you something." she stammered, landing in front of him. The stallion stopped and looked at her, puzzled.
"Er..okay. Make it quick, will ya?" he said impatiently. Fluttershy nodded and inhaled.
"Um...if you see a purple unicorn with a dark mane that is trying to kill us all, can you report her to us? I mean, if it's no trouble to you." she asked. The stallion looked taken aback until he burst out laughing.
"Ha, good one. Unicorns taking down pegasi. I haven't heard that one for years." he chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. Fluttershy shook her head.
"I'm serious." she said quietly. The stallion laughed even harder.
"If you say so. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work." he said, pushing her aside as he made his way to a large office building. Fluttershy sighed and flew to him, landing in front of him and blocking his way.
"This is real." she persisted. The stallion snorted and shoved her aside forcefully.
"Okay, stop bothering me." he said irritably. Fluttershy growled and landed forcefully in front of him again.
"YOU'RE GOING TO BELIEVE ME!" she shouted at him. He gasped, falling on his rear. Fluttershy towered over him.
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" she shouted. The stallion nodded hastily before taking off in fright. Fluttershy sighed and turned around to see a cyan pony staring at her. She gasped.
"Rainbow! You scared me, my goodness-"
"Scared you? You scared me! That was some yelling you had there. Next time, use that voice when you're cheering me on when I do a Sonic Rainboom." she praised, giving a noogie to her. Fluttershy smiled, and they both flew to Ponyville together to tell the others about how their job went on convincing all the pegasi... |
The Element of Corruption | Calm Before The Storm | Sugarcube Corner, Ponyville....
The day was ending in Ponyville, evident by the moon slowly going down, only for it to rise soon again. Ponies were now used to the fact that towns across Equestria are bewitched with the Nightmare curse, and were now going into their cottages. But past the Town Hall and down the road, the large bakery was full of life as lights were blazing out of the windows and laughter was heard inside.
All four mares laughed as Pinkie juggled ten pieces of pastries on her back. She trembled under the weight of the cookies, pies and other goodies and suddenly collapsed, making it fly everywhere. Most of it was caught by a quick Rainbow Dash, while the ones that she could not retrieve were blocked from hitting them by Rarity's magic. Applejack snickered at Pinkie, who was smiling sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
"Next time Pinkie, try to bring it one atta time." she said before tucking into a rather large cheese cake.
"Oh I will! Just watch, AJ!" she said, jumping up and down. A small creak was heard and Pinkie turned her head slightly to see Mrs. Cake standing there, yawning. Pinkie hopped over to her.
"Do you need anything, Mrs. Cake? Oooh, you're tired?! You need some sugar!" she shouted, about to make a dash for the kitchen. However, Mrs. Cake bit her by the tail, halting Pinkie from retrieving powdery goods from the pantry.
"No, Pinkie, I don't need any food right now. I just want you and your friends to stay quiet. Pound and Pumpkin Cake are asleep, and I am about to go to bed too. You can run the bakery, but please lower your voices. Can you promise me that?" she asked wearily. Pinkie nodded and Mrs. Cake smiled gratefully as she went up the stairs. Pinkie then hopped back to her friends.
"What was that all about?" asked Rainbow Dash, her face covered with blue, courtesy of Pinkie's Blueberry Blast.
"Oh, nothing. Mrs. Cake told us to keep our voices down. Nothing else." she said cheerfully, taking a seat next to Fluttershy and digging into an entire Cherry Danish. Rainbow Dash nodded, taking another bite of the blueberry pie. Suddenly, somepony coughed and stood up. It was Applejack, and everypony stopped talking and eating to listen to her.
"Alright, y'all. We didn't come here to fool 'round. All of us promised we would report our findings. What did ya'll find?" she asked. Rainbow Dash smirked at her.
"Who made you the chief?" she challenged her. Rarity sighed.
"Rainbow, please. Do not start an argument with Applejack again." she said, rolling her eyes. Rainbow Dash folded her wings and sat down, hooves crossed, a cold expression on her face. Applejack smiled slightly until Fluttershy raised her hoof. She nodded at her direction.
"Oh, um. Me and Rainbow Dash managed to convince a couple of ponies about Twilight and her plans, although I think some of them didn't believe us.." she said, looking down. Rainbow Dash came close to her and smacked her on the back, causing Fluttershy to squeal and jump up in fright. Dash chuckled.
"Convince? Nah, if you saw how Fluttershy yelled at that stallion, you would think far from convincing." she said, smiling. Applejack raised her hoof.
"Righty then, what about you, Rarity?" she asked, turning to the white unicorn. Rarity huffed and stood up, rather bored looking.
"I have managed to convince Spike to come with us. It took some time, but the poor dear was wrecked from the thought that Twilight betrayed him. It seemed as if he almost lost hope in himself, but I turned things around. He should be arriving here any second now." she informed, gazing at the clock. Applejack nodded, looking relieved. So did everypony else.
"That's one good news ah've heard in awhile." she said, leaning back. Pinkie suddenly jolted from her seat.
"Ohohohoh! Me and AJ convinced the Mayor to improve Ponyville's defense and to add some guards! She believed us and then shooed us from the room after that. So we will have guards here in a matter of days!" she whispered happily.
"Everything seems to be in order then." said a confident Rainbow Dash. A moment later, the door opened and a small purple figure was standing there. He slowly made his way to the five mares.
"I'm here. I've got everything packed for our adventure." said Spike, carrying a backpack. He opened it up to reveal several parchments, some quills and inkwells, along with food, clothes, medical kits and a flashlight. Everypony was impressed.
"Great thinkin', Spike!" praised Applejack, opening the backpack a bit further. She gasped when she saw the interior of the bag. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary backpack. But inside, it seemed like an enormous atrium. Books were organized neatly in the walls, along with reading tables, a small cafeteria, and an observatory, complete with a window mimicking the weather outside. The supplies that Spike mentioned were held in a different pack which was small. Applejack called the others to see it.
"How strange." said Fluttershy, peering into it.
"That's cool..but kinda freaky." said Rainbow Dash, hovering over the bag.
"Just imagine the sewing supplies I can store in there!" squealed Rarity, looking inside it. She realized her friends were frowning at her and she chuckled nervously.
"WOW! That's a nice quill, Spike!" yelled Pinkie, pulling a jet black quill from the bottom of the storage bag. Spike smiled to himself.
"Twilight enchanted this bag herself. She calls it the Portable Storage spell. I don't know how she cast it. I think she spent a few weeks studying weird formulas and other stuff to figure this out." he said, scratching his chin. All of them laughed as they stood up and slowly trudged out of the store, Pinkie being the last to follow as she turned the lights off, flipped the open sign to CLOSED, and locked the door as she hopped after her friends...
All the way to Twilight's encampment...
"This seems interesting..." muttered Discord, observing the shore on the other side with a pair of binoculars.
"What is it?" asked Twilight, coming up next to him. He ignored her as he kept scanning the horizon. Twilight rolled her eyes and her horn glowed. The binoculars glowed purple and flew out of Discord's hands and levitated itself in front of Twilight's eyes as she peered through.
"Hey!" he said indignantly, crossing his arms. Twilight pretended she did not hear him as she watched through the binoculars.
From her view, she saw a couple of tents, along with a few campfires. Ponies were walking around the area, and she noticed that all of them were stallions. As she was scouting, she saw saw a flash of a blue mane from the corner of her eyes. Her heart beating, she quickly turned to see it but lost view of it.
It must've been my imagination... she thought, watching them.
"You didn't tell us that they were hostiles." said Twilight, looking at Discord. He smirked.
"Oh. I forgot." he simply stated. She sighed.
"I'm going to inform Nightmare about this. Hopefully, we can move out before they try to attack us. If not..well, we can hold them back." she said, before turning around and trotting back into the camp. Discord nodded before taking the binoculars she left behind and looking through it more.
As she walked through the camp, Twilight saw Nucleon sitting on a small log. He was busy with something, as his horn was glowing with energy. A couple of logs were levitating around him. Twilight stopped to watch.
He closed his eyes and the logs rose higher until they started spinning around him. Soon, the spinning intensified, and shavings of the logs flew towards the ground, forming a pile.
A few minutes later, his magic slowly lessened and the logs stopped rotating above him. But they were not logs anymore. Assembled before him was a large boat, complete with two decks and portholes. The mast dropped a large sail with a crescent moon as its' emblem. Nucleon smiled to himself as he levitated the ship to the water and made a ramp for access.
Twilight suppressed a gasp as she watched with awe. She shook her head, thinking it's best not to bother him, before turning and trotting towards Nightmare's tent...
Across the place where Twilight was located...
The makeshift command post was lively with activity. Royal Guards were running past each other, yelling orders. A group of tents were standing, each with the Royal Guard insignia, their standards flying in the breeze.
One of tents were much bigger than the others. It had blue stripes along with a streak of purple. Inside it, Shining Armor was looking at a large map that was covering the table. Pieces of pony figurines were littered on the map, signifying the positions that the Royal Guards will have to take.
Nights of planning has taken a toll on him. His eyes were baggy, along with his ruffled mane. He also neglected his appearance, evident by tufts of hair growing around his chin.
He rubbed his chin and his horn glowed weakly. One of the figurines, a pegasus, levitated itself onto the top of the land with a red X marker, which showed the attack zone. That meant the pegasus ponies were going to fly over the area first and clear it out with cluster bombs.
As he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, the tent flap was pushed aside as one of his Captains came in and saluted him.
"Sir! Our guards are on standby. We are ready for your command." he reported. Shining Armor stood there, taking a moment to process what he said. He suddenly looked up and nodded.
"Yeah, let's go. Let me get ready, Captain Axe." he said, dismissing him. The guard nodded and left the room. Shining Armor turned to a small chest in the room and his horn glowed, unlocking it. Inside was his armor, made out of reinforced gold and carved with intricate designs. His magical aura surrounded the armor and the pieces flew up and perfectly fitted onto him.
As he was finishing strapping his hoof guard on, he saw a small picture in the bottom of the chest. He picked it up and saw that it was a picture of him and Candence during one of their honeymoons to Las Pegasus. He smiled, reminiscing the good days and the warmth of happiness he felt when he was around her. He then felt a small spike of pain in his heart. He has been away from her for too long.
"I promise I will be back, Candence. I love you." he said quietly before stuffing the picture into one of the many slots in his armor. He turned and grabbed his sword before leaving the tent...
Meanwhile, to the Elements...
"So..uh..where are we exactly?" asked Rainbow Dash. They were in a small mountain range overlooking a large lake. In the distance, large forests could be seen.
"Just hold on, I'll find it." said Spike, trying to read the map.
"It feels like we were walking in circles." chimed in Rarity. Applejack nodded in agreement.
"No we weren't! Wait-I've seen that mountain before-"
"Duh! We went past that mountain on the other side before, silly!" stated Pinkie, pointing the obvious. Spike blushed in embarrassment.
"It's not my fault we're hopelessly lost! If it wasn't for Pinkie trying to stop at that bakery in Appleloosa-"
"Cut it out, Spike. Guess we all gotta use some good ol' fashioned magic, eh Rarity?" said Applejack, looking at her. Rarity gulped and took a step back.
"Er..I think you have gotten it wrong. Basic spells, yes. Teleportation? Not so much." she said. Rainbow Dash laughed.
"Is somepony too chicken to show their powers?" taunted Rainbow Dash. Rarity flinched when she said that to her.
"Rainbow, please be nice." said Fluttershy quietly. Rarity turned to Rainbow Dash and glared at her.
"Very well. I will teleport all of us. I cannot guarantee if it will be safe, nor can I say if the spell backfires and we all end up in the Everfree Forest." she said crossly, her horn starting to charge. Fluttershy squeaked in horror when she said that.
"W-w-wait! The E-Everfree Forest? Um..I think I'll prefer staying here- EEP!" she yelped when the spell suddenly engulfed all of them and they disappeared in a flash of white.
Back to Twilight...
Nightmare Moon was rather amused by the ponies on the other side after Twilight told her what they might be planning to do.
"It might be too late to pack up and leave, Twilight. I can see that they are preparing to attack." she informed. Twilight's jaws dropped. How can she see-?
Nightmare smiled at Twilight's reactions.
"Very easy to spy, Twilight. A simple observation spell." she said, her horn glowing. Blue mist started forming in front of her until it turned into a frame that looked like a television. It flickered for a while until it showed stallions lined up in a single position.
"Royal Guards...hmph. I would have expected my sister to send in..ah..let us say, more able soldiers." she commented. Twilight focused her eyes on the projection. When she saw a sliver of a blue mane in the corner, her eyes widened.
"Nightmare, please move the view to the right and zoom in about ten percent." she said. Nightmare nodded, her horn glowing again. The camera panned right and moved closer. Twilight got a full view of a white stallion with an electric blue mane and a shield with stars cutie mark. She almost fainted.
"Shining Armor...." she whispered. Nightmare was apparently pleased with her reaction until the tent flap flew open and Discord came bounding in.
"Interrupted something? Oh well, too bad. Anyways, I was on the horn with Chrysalis and she said she's coming back in an hour or so. Huzzah! It will be a party!" he said, dancing in the air. Nightmare rolled her eyes and stood up from her desk. She walked to the window and looked out towards the ocean.
"Discord, a moment please? I need to have a word with Twilight." she said firmly. Discord stopped dancing and, noting her stiffness in voice, saluted her before disappearing in a burst of smoke. Twilight was still transfixed about seeing her own brother.
"You can take him on if he tries to attack you, right?"
She was snapped from her daze and looked up at Nightmare. She gulped and, after realization that it was for her own defense, nodded.
"Good. Prepare yourself. They will attack. And Twilight, remember this: Do. Not. Hesitate." she said before leaving the room, leaving Twilight to ponder around in her thoughts about her own brother coming to attack... |
The Element of Corruption | Sudden Offensive | The sun was slowly setting, casting blood red rays in the horizon. Shining Armor looked on at the descending sun before turning to his platoon of Royal Guards who were willing to fight for Celestia. He trotted forward and looked at each and every one of them individually.
"Guards! Listen up! Today is the day we have been waiting for. Today is the day we shall stop these fiends from attacking countless cities and towns and prevent them from causing any more destruction. Am I right?" he shouted.
"Sir, yes sir!" replied all of them, straight and rigid. Shining Armor nodded approvingly.
"That's what I wanted to hear. Now listen up. The Princess has specifically stated not to kill Nightmare Moon. If you see her, weaken her until we can capture her and send her back to Celestia. The same applies for Twilight Sparkle. If any one of you disobeys this rule and hurt Nightmare, or worse, Twilight.....I WILL RIP YOUR HEADS OFF AND SHOWCASE IT IN THE CANTERLOT TOWN SQUARE! Do you hear me, guards?" he thundered. Some of them gulped, but nodded their heads unanimously.
"Very good. Now, I want the Pegasi to carry the Earth ponies into the landing zone. The unicorns can teleport across the waters and provide long range support while the Pegasus and Earth ponies provide some form of defense for them-"
He was interrupted when a large flaming ball hit the barracks tent. Debris and flames flew everywhere as everypony tried to evade the flying shards of wood and fireballs. Shining Armor shakily got up, coughing. One of the guards on duty landed next to him to explain what happened.
"Sir, it appears that the other side has a catapult. They are loading another projectile and are cocking it back for launch." he said, panting.
"Send them out, White Wisp. Destroy the catapult before it decimates us all!" he ordered. White Wisp nodded before shouting commands to the infantry. They acknowledged the order and flew towards the land on the other side of the base....
Meanwhile, to Twilight...
Twilight was observing the effects that the catapult did to the guards camp on the other side. She smiled as she saw flames and smoke spiraling in the air and wreckage scattered everywhere.
"I told you I can build a catapult in less than a week." said Nucleon confidentially to Discord. They were both behind Twilight and were loading another round into it. Discord was deeply interested in the catapult.
"Very interesting. You see, back when I was in charge, we didn't have this fancy gadget. If we wanted to throw flaming balls, we had to construct giant slingshots. But this...I wonder if I can load cotton candy clouds and make it detonate when it lands, resulting in hot chocolate to spray everywhere...." he said thoughtfully. Nucleon laughed as he twisted the bolt back, priming for launch.
"That's not a bad idea, actually. We should try it soon." he said, standing back with a thoughtful expression on his face, looking across the stretch of water towards the enemy camp.
Twilight turned to look at them and then at the catapult. Discord raised his claw, which started to glow. A moment later, a column of fire flew out and ignited the ball. It erupted into flames. She had an impressed expression on her face.
"These things are very dangerous. I hope it doesn't backfire like the last time Nucleon tested it." said Twilight. Nucleon rolled his eyes.
"Relax, Twilight. It only exploded last time because I didn't fix the pulley system. But now, it shall send another flaming ball to those unexpecting guards!" he said joyfully before cutting the line. The catapult creaked and flung the ball, sending it streaking across the bright blue sky as if it were a black shooting star...
To the guards flying over the waters...
The guards spotted the flying ball streaking towards them.
"Projectile! 12 o'clock!" shouted one of the guards.
"EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" shouted White Wisp, swerving tightly to the left. The guards flying behind him followed suit as they turned swiftly to the left.
A squad of them. however, weren't so lucky. They turned too late, causing the ball to hit them and send them spiraling towards the waters. Wisp grimaced as he saw four flaming figures splash into the deep waters below.
One of his lieutenants flew up to him.
"Sir, we lost Echo squad. Shall I call for a rescue team to find their bodies and send them back to Canterlot?" he asked. Wisp nodded and his Lieutenant called out several commands to one of the squads, who obeyed his request and flew down to the waters to search for Echo team.
White Wisp returned his attention to the small camp that fired the catapult. He growled, pushing himself to reach it. They will pay for killing his men...
Halfway across Equestria to the Mane Six (or Five, to be correct)
"Guys, we really need a form of transportation." said Rainbow Dash, trying to warm her hooves by the fire. All five of them were camping out inside the Dark Forest, which borders Trottingham and the Crystal Snowlands. The cold winter breeze was coming down upon them from the Crystal Empire, casting a cold spell on the forest and dropping the temperature a few degrees. The day was also much shorter, and night was longer.
"I agree." said Rarity, a scarf draped across her neck.
"Me too." said Applejack, teeth chattering from the cold.
"Me three!" shouted Pinkie, who was roasting a marshmallow by the fire.
Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement, not saying a word. Applejack turned to Spike.
"How far are we from Saddle Valley?" she asked. He studied the map a bit further until looking up.
"Er...we have to go through here." he said, walking to the center of the circle and laying the map on a small log. The five mares gathered around him as he pointed a finger at a red circle.
"That's where we are. These are the places we have to cross" he explained, his finger resting on a long stretch of land with skulls on it.
"Griffin territory." muttered Rainbow Dash. Spike nodded.
"Yeah. After that, we have to go through the Zebra territory and past Saddle Arabia. It's going to be a very long journey, and even if we do get to our destination, Twilight and her gang may have already moved on. We really need a form of transportation, like Rainbow Dash suggested." he said sadly, rolling up the map and sticking it in his pack.
Suddenly, something rustled in the trees behind them. All of them quickly turned to find what it was, and the trees moved again. The sound of something falling was heard, and it gave out a small grunt before galloping away. It was definitely a pony, by the sound of the clopsteps and the familiar shape in the shadows.
"Wh-what was that?" asked Fluttershy, hiding behind a small tree.
"No idea. Hey, AJ. Let's go see what it is." said Rainbow Dash, glancing over at Applejack. She shook her head.
"I'd love to, Rainbow, but if that thing's dangerous, ah don't want to risk bringin' it back to camp. It could cause chaos 'round here." she said reasonably. Rainbow Dash smirked.
"Chicken much?" she taunted. Applejack suddenly became rigid and her eyes twitched as she turned to meet Dash's challenge.
"Alright, that's it. C'mon you. Let's go find that darned creature." she growled, trotting past her.
"Wait! What about us?" yelled Pinkie, hopping behind them. Rainbow Dash turned to her.
"Uh...you can stay here and watch the camp. If that thing comes here, I want you four to deal with it. Got that?"
"Sure thing, Dashie! Don't worry, girls! Pinkie Pie will take care of the ghosties!" she said cheerfully as both Rainbow Dash and Applejack disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Rarity rolled her eyes.
"That is what I am afraid of." she said, before turning to Fluttershy and pulling her out of a tree. Spike ran up to help, and in a few minutes, they succeeded in pulling her out. Fluttershy had her hooves over her eyes as she looked around wildly. She gasped.
"This isn't safe!" she yelped before jumping into the bushes again. Spike sighed and facepalmed himself. Rarity did the same thing as Pinkie hopped around them, laughing and giggling.
To the battle...
The Royal Guards have managed to land on the camp and are attacking the the enemies. Magic spells flew everywhere, along with the glint of swords weaving through the place. Nightmare was holding them off using her magic, along with Twilight, but it was no use. The guards were slowly closing in on them.
"We can't stay like this forever!" shouted Nucleon, uppercutting a guard who came too close to him. Nightmare nodded, sending another barrage of spells towards the guards, disintegrating a pack of them in an instant.
"I agree, we need reinforcements!" she yelled back. All of a sudden, one of the guards burst forward from the pack and unleashed a salvo of magic missiles that flew towards Twilight. She gasped and formed a shield, but the spell was so strong that it penetrated her shield and hit her on the chest, causing her to fly back and hit a tree from the impact of the spell. Luckily, she was still conscious, but the energy beam did it's damage. Her chest was severely burned, and a few droplets of blood were dripping from her wound. Nucleon gasped and flew towards her.
"No! She's hurt bad!" he shouted, pulling out a first aid kit and tending to her wounds. Discord turned back and saw that all of them have been pushed against the borders of their camp. He groaned.
"I'm sorry to say this, but we're doomed." he said. Nightmare was about to reply when all of a sudden, there was a sound of thunder. The sky turned teal and the fighting slowly ceased as everypony looked up in awe. Nightmare looked up and studied the anomaly. From the clouds above, green flames came down. But they weren't comets or meteors. As they descended closer, Nightmare can make out familiar pod-shaped objects. She smiled in relief.
"We are saved." she whispered. Discord looked up and grinned.
"Oh yeah. Finally Chrissy answered my call." he said jovially.
To the guards...
"Woah, what are those?" asked one of the guards behind Wisp. The pods crashed around the field, smoking from the heat and cracked by the impact. He didn't answer as one of the flaming objects crashed down in front of them. It was a small, pony sized rock, and it was smoldering from heat. Wisp turned to one of his guards.
"Hammer, take point." he called out. Hammer stumbled out from the crowd of guards and trotted shakily to the sizzling rock. He placed his trembling hoof on the rock, and it suddenly exploded, sending him flying back. Smoke engulfed them as a figure came crawling out of the rock. When they saw it, all of them gasped.
"Wh-what is that?" asked Wisp in awe.
It was a changeling clad in glossy black armor. It snarled at the guards before launching itself towards White Wisp. Before it could stab him, Hammer quickly jumped forward and punched it with his hoof. The changeling stumbled back and collapsed on the ground.
"Thanks." said Wisp gratefully. Hammer nodded before turning to the squadron.
"Whatever these things are, they are hostile. Everypony, go on offensive. Do whatever you can to stop them." he ordered as three more small meteorites crashed near them.
Meanwhile, to Spike, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity...
Fluttershy was still hiding in a nearby bush, but Spike and Rarity gave up on pulling her out since she keeps finding a new place to hide. Rarity was sitting on a log, a hoof file levitating next to her as she filed her hooves. Spike was pacing back and forth, worried about what's taking Applejack and Rainbow Dash so long. Pinkie was asleep, her body sprawled over a log while she snored.
"I hope nothing bad happened to them..." muttered Spike, wringing his hands anxiously. Rarity glanced up.
"Oh, don't you worry, Spikey. They will be fine. Besides, I haven't seen any creature take down Rainbow Dash or Applejack yet. The two of them must be a considerable force." she assured. Spike nodded, but still walked back and forth.
Out of the blue, the trees started to shudder, making the branches and leaves fall. Spike stopped pacing and looked at the area in fear. Rarity dropped her file and looked worriedly at the place where the noise happened and at Spike.
"Spike, I want you to take Pinkie inside the tent. Take Fluttershy too. You should also stay in there. I will go see what it is." she ordered, standing up and placing her file in her saddlebag. Spike's eyes widened with fear.
"No! I mean, it's not safe for you to stay out here. You should go into the tent with Pinkie and Fluttershy. I can take care of them." he protested. Rarity smiled and rubbed his head.
"Oooh, Spikey. So noble. But you are a baby dragon, dear. I know a bit of magic to hold them off. Please, just take them into the tent. Now." she said, a bit more forcefully. Spike sighed and nodded, before dragging a sleeping Pinkie Pie into the tent.
Rarity turned to the dark forest, her horn glowing with arcane energy. She furrowed her brows, anticipating an attack.
There was a moment of silence, and something orange galloped out. Rarity unleashed a beam of energy that narrowly missed it. The orange pony quickly tackled her down. Rarity tried to fight back, but the orange pony had a familiar voice. She then realized it was Applejack
"Are...ya...MENTAL?!" she shouted.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Applejack. I thought you were a bear or something." apologized Rarity in relief. Applejack shook her head as Spike and Fluttershy both poked their heads out of the tent.
"We're safe!" said Fluttershy happily as she burst out of the tent. Spike followed her.
"Where's Rainbow Dash?" he asked nervously. Applejack glanced at the forest.
"She should be here now...y'all can't believe who we found in that forest...."
"Is it Twilight?" asked Spike hopefully. Applejack shook her head.
The sound of branches snapping could be heard as a hovering figure came out of the shadows, carrying another pony-shaped form. All of them looked at her coming towards them.
"Hey guys. Look who we found spying on us." said Rainbow Dash smugly, dropping an unconscious pony in front of them. She was a unicorn, with a very light blue mane. Her hide color was light blue, with a star and a crescent cutie mark. Her cape and hat was torn in places, and she was bruised.
Rarity, Spike and Fluttershy gasped, while Pinkie poked her head out of the tent. Her mane was poking out everywhere as she yawned.
"Hey girls. What's going on-" she stopped when she saw the pony laying there.
"T-t-Trixie?" she stammered. Rainbow Dash grinned, flexing her hooves.
"Me and Applejack gave her such a beating for casting those spells in Ponyville. It was fun, right AJ?" she asked. Applejack nodded, looking at the unconscious mare.
"But why would you bring her here? Don't you remember all those things she did back in Ponyville?" asked Spike angrily. Applejack stepped up.
"First of all, she said she was sorry. Secondly, her magic rivals with Twi's. That should give us an advantage if we even come in contact with Twilight. Lastly, she has a carriage for transport." she explained. Spike still shook his head and turned away, crossing his arms. Rarity's eyes twitched as she looked at Trixie's unconscious body.
"She will pay for turning my mane green, and for making me wear that...horrifying dress." she said, her teeth gritted with anger. Pinkie hopped up next to her, glaring at the body.
"She removed my mouth! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!" she shouted. Rainbow Dash sighed.
"You can all get your revenge when she wakes up. Then all of you will be even. But right now, we need to sleep. Somepony needs to watch over Trixie in case she makes a move for it-"
"I will! I've slept a long time, so I'm not sleepy." volunteered Pinkie. Rainbow Dash nodded.
"Good. Time to hit the sack. See you all in the morning." she said, flying into her sleeping bag. Applejack did the same thing, followed by Fluttershy, Rarity and Spike as they all went into their tents.
Only Pinkie was left outside, sitting on a log, mindlessly stoking the campfire as she hummed a tune which sounded familiar to "Giggle at the Ghosties"...
Back to the battlefield...
The arrival of the changelings have greatly changed the outcome of the battle. Nightmare's team, which was previously held back from the guards, are now pushing forward with the assistance of the changelings.
Shining Armor was being carried by one of his pegasus guards. As they flew over the ongoing battle, he looked down and frowned as he saw his units being slaughtered.
"Drop me off over there." he shouted. The pegasus nodded as he slowly descended on a stretch of land far behind enemy lines.
"I'm going to let go now!" he said. Shining Armor nodded, checking his parachute. The pegasus let go as he fell towards the ground. The wind rushing past him felt like it was ripping him apart, and as the land came closer to his view, he quickly deployed the parachute and gently glided himself to the ground. He got up and dusted himself before looking at the large tent far away.
"Time to see what Twilight is up to..." he said, making his way to the tent, keeping a lookout for anypony doing patrols. |
The Element of Corruption | Sibling Confrontation | Shining Armor rummaged through the tent, trying to find anything worthy to send to the Princess. He opened chests and went through dusty scrolls. Most of them were old letters or irrelevant.
While he was searching through the small cabinet, he noticed a small, ornate engraving below the drawer. A closer look shows the Changeling Coat of Arms etched into the wood.
Seems strange for them to have their Coat of Arms here... he thought, placing his hoof on it in curiosity.
A small creak was heard right when his hoof made contact with it. The cabinet shuddered, and suddenly lowered itself to the ground until it became level with the floor. Behind it was a small hatch, with a small lock attached to it.
Shining Armor quickly picked the lock and it opened with a small click. The hatch swung open to reveal a small storage space. He expected to find treasure or some rare valuable gems, but the only thing that was in there was a shriveled old parchment.
Puzzled, he gently levitated it out of the compartment, for if he handled it with his own hooves, the parchment would've been damaged beyond repair.
On the edge of the scroll read: From Prof. Igor, Changeling Empire to Nightmare Moon, Location Classified.
A small postmark was stamped onto it, saying IMPORTANT INFORMATION: NOPONY EXCEPT RECIPIENT CAN OPEN.
"This is going to be valuable for the Princess..." he muttered, pocketing the small scroll into one of the many storage sections of his armor. He then had a weird feeling that somepony was coming behind him. The fur behind his neck tingled uneasily as he quickly went for his sword. Sadly, he reacted too late.
The sound of hooves walking across the ground was heard, followed by a low whistle. He suddenly felt an abrupt pain on the back of his head before his vision faded and he collapsed...
Meanwhile, to the Mane Five...
Trixie slowly opened her eyes. She was on the ground, and she tried to move, but to no avail. Her hooves were tied firmly in place. She tried yelling, but duct tape was masked over her mouth.
It was a starry night, with a small amount of shooting stars streaking across the pitch-black sky. Around her, the sounds of the forest could be heard, from the lowly chirping of crickets to the high screeching of foreign and strange beasts.
She looked around, trying to find a means of escape. It was no use. Her captors tied her up effectively.
"So, you're finally awake." said an amused voice. Trixie craned her neck to see a cyan figure with a rainbow mane standing over her with a smug expression on her face.
"Mmmph!" was only Trixie's reply. Rainbow Dash chuckled.
"Ha, this is too good. Hey girls! She's awake!" she shouted, waving her hooves. A few minutes later, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie and Spike were overlooking the bounded Trixie.
She shot all of them a look of despair, struggling frantically to break free from the ropes.
"What should we do with her?" asked Spike, biting back laughter as he watch her struggle.
"Ah say we give her another good beatin'!" suggested Applejack, flexing her hooves.
Pinkie nodded in agreement, a maniacal expression on her face as she pulled out a rolling pin seemingly out of nowhere. Rarity also agreed wholeheartedly, her horn charging with energy. Trixie's eyes bulged with worry as she started to sweat from the danger looming over her. Spike just covered his eyes, not wanting to see what was going to happen.
Before they could hit her, a loud "STOP!" rang out through the forest. All four of them lowered their posture as Fluttershy jumped in front of Trixie, her hooves out as if she were protecting her.
"Fluttershy, get out of the way!" said Rainbow Dash, growling. She shook her head in defiance.
"What's gotten into ya?" asked Applejack, tilting her head in confusion.
Fluttershy just glared at all of them as if they had done something terrible to one of her animals.
"We can't hurt her just to know why she came after us. If we beat ponies up to get information, then we are no better than her." she reprimanded, pointing her hoof at Trixie, who looked taken aback at that remark.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie exchanged unsure looks with each other, and Pinkie finally put her rolling pin down at the end.
"Fine. I don't want to be in the same level as her." said Pinkie. Rarity followed suit.
"I will not be classified as a barbarian, so I shall not lay a hoof on her." she said simply, her horn slowly losing charge. Applejack shook her head bitterly.
"If that's how it's gonna be, ah'll agree not to hurt her.." she said. Fluttershy nodded approvingly before turning her gaze to Rainbow Dash, who was staring at all of them in awe.
"Wow...you are all just going to stop like that? After what she had done to us and Ponyville?" she said angrily. Fluttershy sighed, and so did the others.
"Rainbow, you have to learn to stop holding grudges against other ponies. It won't help you. Revenge may be sweet for you, but in the end, you will end up broken and angry like her." she said reasonably.
Rainbow Dash just shook her head.
"At least let me be the bad cop." she snapped. Applejack facehoofed herself.
"Fine, ya can be the bad sheriff! Let's take her gag off, see what she has ter say." said Applejack, moving forward and kneeling beside Trixie.
"Now ya listen here, Trixie. I - I mean, all of us, don't trust ya. Now, I'm gonna remove the gag. Make an attempt to scream, and I'll buck you so hard in the gut ya'll gonna regret doin' that. Got it?" she said, slowly untying the mouth gag. Trixie sneered at her while she was doing the removal, and as soon she took it off, Trixie let out a barrage of colorful vocabulary words unheard of.
"Oh dear, I never heard these kinds of insults!" gasped Rarity.
"Wicked." said Rainbow Dash, grinning. Pinkie Pie hopped around Fluttershy, repeating every insult Trixie spewed from her mouth as Fluttershy covered her ears. Spike too was scratching his head in confusion.
Twilight uses foul language when she can't understand a book, but not this kind. he thought before walking up to them.
After ten minutes of constant, foul mouthed remarks, Trixie finally ran out of breath and stopped. Applejack sighed in relief.
"Sweet apple fritters, ya finally stopped. Now, listen here-"
"Trixie will not tell you anything! Begone, you foolish farmer!"
"I can tell this is going to be a long night of interrogation." said Rarity to Fluttershy, who nodded in agreement. Pinkie was quietly watching, eating a bowl of popcorn that she certainly did not have before. It's best for them not to ask where she got it from...
Two days later to Shining Armor...
Shining Armor groggily opened his eyes. The sound of water dripping could be heard, and he slowly looked around. He was in a small room-correct that, a small tent. He noticed the familiar pinstriped wallpaper.
He tried to move, but noticed that his hooves and legs were bound against the chair he was sitting on. The rope was strange; it was thick, teal colored, like the ones he saw during his wedding.
Oh no as a dreadful thought struck him Not them. Celestia please, not them.
Shining Armor's fears were proven when the tent entrance opened. Chrysalis and Nucleon trotted in. Both of them were flanked by a few changeling guards.
"Looks like our prisoner is awake." said Nucleon, observing Shining Armor. He bared his teeth angrily at him. Chrysalis laughed.
"Well, if it isn't Shiny. How are you and your wife doing? Not together, judging by the circumstances you are in right now." she said, smirking.
"Shut up, you witch! What did you do to my sister?! Let go of me!" he shouted, fighting against his bondage. The guards behind Nucleon and Chrysalis bristled with anger, but she raised her hoof to silence them.
She walked up to him and lifted his chin, looking at him dead in the eye.
"I did not do anything to your precious little sister. She chose it. She made her decision. If you wish to see her, you can't. She is busy composing a letter for Celestia about our recent battle with your guards. Speaking of the guards, our soldiers are clearing up their bodies now. Unfortunately, your Royal Guards fought valiantly, but lost. They did put up a fierce fight though. We still have a couple of survivors left for execution. Maybe you would like to see that?" she said.
Shining Armor's eyes widened as he took in all the information. Most of his platoon, dead or dying. A few survivors are still left. He had to save them. How would he look to Canterlot if everypony found out he was responsible for the deaths of his entire guard?
"Look...I - I want to make a deal...let my guards go, and I'll tell you everything there is about Canterlot! Secret passages, alternate entrances, everything!" he said, lying at the last part. Obviously he won't tell them everything about Canterlot. He will have to lie to get past everything.
Nucleon looked interested, rubbing his chin.
"Sounds interesting. Your highness, maybe we should spare the prisoners-" he was interrupted when Chrysalis glared at him.
"Are you thick?! He could be lying to us. As for you, Shining Armor-" she said, turning to him, "I cannot trust you. Your guards shall be mercifully executed. That reminds me, let us take him out to witness the aftermath." she said. Nucleon nodded and clapped his hooves. Four changeling guards trotted from behind him and grasped his chair, heaving it up and carrying it outside, followed by Chrysalis and Nucleon.
Shining Armor shielded his eyes from the sudden burst of sunlight. Being cooped up in a dark tent isn't the best way to be out cold. As he focused his eyes, he gasped at what he saw.
The plains, which was flat and grassy, is now covered with craters and were smoldering. A couple of trees were either bent or toppled completely. Changelings worked hard removing the bodies of the guards and dumping them into hastily dug graves.
"I was thinking of burning the bodies, but Nightmare said it is too...how do you say it...disgraceful to do it." commented Chrysalis. Shining Armor was just silent, taking in what he saw. As he shifted his gaze to the left, he saw a line of his guards with chains tied to their hooves. All of them were linked together, moving pitifully, stripped of their armor and dignity. They were shuffling towards a black tent.
"I have Nightmare's letter ready to be sent, Chrysalis." said a voice behind them. Shining Armor turned around to see his sister standing there, holding a scroll in her mouth. His heart jumped with joy, but then he became filled with anger as he realized his sister worked for them.
"TWILIGHT!" he shouted. Twilight turned and gasped when she saw her older brother, dropping the scroll.
"Sh-s-Shining?! I thought you were a random guard or something." she stammered, taking a step back. But he didn't hear her words. All he saw was a changeling mare with his sister's mane, eyes and personality. He almost fainted.
Twilight too was taken aback. She felt her heart pounding against her chest as she finally confronted her brother after deserting everypony she knew months ago. Shining Armor looked at her with a disgusted expression on his face.
"What have they done to you?" he asked quietly, looking at her as if she was a disgusting slug. Twilight too was still stunned.
"T-they didn't do anything to me, Shining. I chose this myself. This was my decision." she said shakily. He shook his head in disgrace.
I can't believe her. My own sister.... he thought before tears started rolling down his cheeks. Twilight noticed this and turned away, heartbroken. She chose this path herself, yet she does not want to see her own brother suffer. Nucleon stepped back, feeling as if this isn't the best place to be involved in.
Chrysalis ignored the gloomy atmosphere and asked for the letter. It took a moment for Twilight to finally agree to hand it over.
"Wait. I..um..made a few spelling mistakes. I'll be back with a revised copy." she said, turning around and galloping inside the tent. Chrysalis rolled her eyes, muttering "Fool." under her breath.
"So, Shining Armor, how do you like it? I trust that you will make an excellent ransom. We really do need a good amount of bits, as my kingdom's currency is not valid." she said, turning to Shining Armor. He just shook his head, staying silent.
About ten minutes later, Twilight came back, holding the scroll.
"I finished with the editing. Here you go." she said, hoofing her the scroll. Chrysalis took it and her horn started glowing as green flames spun around it before consuming the letter whole. It disappeared with a puff of black smoke.
"Where's that letter going to?" asked Nucleon. Chrysalis looked at him as if he had mental issues.
"Equestria to Nucleon, it's going to Celestia. How do you think that we're getting our bits?" she said, rolling her eyes. Nucleon had a sheepish expression on his face when she told him that. Somepony called his name as he turned to see Discord having issues with one of the prisoners, who was resisting his grasp. He sighed, shaking his head as he trotted over there...
Meanwhile, a day later at Canterlot Castle...
It was a gloomy morning. The clouds hung low in the city, casting a fog and making the weather humid. The city too was deadly quiet except for a few ponies going to their workplaces.
At the castle's dining room, Princess Celestia was slowly buttering herself a piece of toast, a butter knife and a vat of butter suspended in midair as it magically applied itself to the toast. A steaming cup of tea was sitting by the plate, her favorite cup adorned with the slogan #1 Princess.
Celestia could have asked her chefs for an extraordinary breakfast, but she preferred things simple. On the other hand, her sister would request something strange for breakfast, and if she did not get what she wanted, she would take it out on the chefs. Celestia smiled at that thought as she finished buttering the toast and took a bite. Not bad.
The only thing she wants perfect is the tea, as it is a daily morning necessity. One could question how a pony can survive a morning without a cup of tea. It keeps a pony energized and alert, ready to work. For the Princess, it is a lifesaver.
As she finished the toast, a green flame burst in front of her eyes and a parchment fell in her cup of tea, spilling it all over her. She gritted her teeth, her horn glowing as the tea magically disappeared from the table and from her body. Nopony interrupts her breakfast with letters.
"Somepony will go to the moon today.." she muttered, unfurling the parchment. Her eyes quickly skimmed through it until it stopped at the part where it stated that her Captain has been captured. Her heart skipped a few beats as she kept reading, her fears rising until it came to the part where it demanded her to send a million bits.
"Never!" she cried, alerting the guards outside as they rushed in, sword ready.
"Anything wrong, Princess?" one of them asked. Celestia shooed them away, assuring them it is just normal morning behavior.
As she kept on reading, she found it strange that it mentioned coordinates and, as a post signature, stated Please do not send counterfeit bits and/or any guards to rescue him, as we are still recovering from the battle and our changelings aren't too...bright.
Then it dawned on her who wrote the letter. She smiled to herself as she folded it up, thinking Twilight, you clever mare. You might be one of them, but you still have loyalties to me.
She called her guards in, asking them to take this letter to the laboratory for further analysis. The guard nodded, carefully taking the letter and safeguarding it.
"Whatever you do, do not show this to Cadence. It will be...unpleasant... if she sees that letter." warned Celestia.
"What was that?" asked a familiar voice. Celestia held back a gasp as Cadence stood behind her, frowning. She turned her gaze to the guard holding the letter, and he started trembling.
"Give me that letter." she said, stepping in front of him. He shook his head, taking a step back.
Cadence's eyes narrowed with anger as she suddenly grabbed the horn quicker than you can expect. Her eyes quickly read through it until it became filled with tears. She thrusted the letter to the guard, and he took off to the lab. She turned to Celestia, her eyes leaking tears.
"How could you hide this from me?! My own husband, held hostage!" she shouted. Celestia bit her lip, trying to say something. Strangely, nothing came to her. Cadance wiped her tears away as she sniffed.
"It doesn't matter. If you're not sending your guards, I'm going to take this matter in my own hooves..." she said defiantly, before turning around and galloping out of the room. Celestia shook her head, not worrying about that. Cadence may be royalty, but she doesn't have the security clearances to enter the barracks or any other parts of the castle containing military equipment.
As Celestia sat down and refilled the cup with tea, a small rumbling shook the castle. Celestia didn't feel it and drank the tea. Outside of the window behind her, a large, purple airship rose from one of the castle's many underground hangars. It was a blimp, and it turned slowly south and started moving slowly. Below, ponies looked up in awe at the airship, which darkened the city further with it's shadow as it moved to it's destination.
A normal pony thought it must be some battle-hardened Captain piloting the ship. Instead, Cadence was at the control station with a few guards she managed to convince. She jerked the wheel to the left and pulled a lever, giving the ship more thrust.
"I'm coming for you, Shining..." she whispered to herself, tightly gripping the steering wheel. |
The Element of Corruption | Rescue | A day after Shining Armor's capture...
It has been a hard night. Hours of questioning and yelling went past, but to no avail. No information has been extracted, as Trixie kept resisting attempts by Rainbow Dash, Applejack and the others. It seemed like she would never break out why she followed them.
Applejack sat down on the log, her forehead matted with sweat. Rainbow Dash kept pestering Trixie, her eyes baggy from the lack of sleep. Still, she kept giving a smug expression and shook her head at every request, saying that she won't give them anything followed by a couple of obscene words. Finally, Rainbow Dash quit interrogating her.
"I give up! She's impossible!" she shouted, flying away to a nearby cloud for some solitary time. Applejack sighed as she wiped the sweat from her brow. She turned to the others.
Pinkie was asleep, snoring next to Rarity, who too was quietly sleeping. Spike was lying across from them, gently sucking his claw. The only pony awake was Fluttershy, who was watching the entire interrogation process. She had been silent for the entire time, her eyes wide while she watched. Applejack thought that was unhealthy for such a pony to do.
"You should take a rest, Fluttershy. Me an Rainbow will take care of her." said Applejack, pointing towards Trixie. Fluttershy shook her head.
"No, I think you and Rainbow Dash should get some sleep. No offense, but you two look worse than me. I can watch over Trixie. I mean, if that's alright with you." she said quietly, looking down. Applejack thought about that for a while.
"Ah don't know, Fluttershy. With me an Rainbow asleep, who knows what Trixie can do..." replied Applejack, glaring at a smug looking Trixie. Fluttershy only shook her head.
"Don't worry about that. If she tries anything, I'll wake both of you up. Relax, Applejack." she said soothingly. Applejack nodded, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. She found a comfortable looking tree and sat down before leaning against the body of the tree and pulling her hat over her head.
"If ya need me, just holler." she muttered, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. Fluttershy smiled before turning to Trixie. She trotted up to her.
"You have been giving my friends problems. Why don't you just tell us why you followed us?" asked Fluttershy sincerely. Trixie stayed silent, looking at Fluttershy.
"I don't want to do this...but it's the only way..." said Fluttershy sadly. Trixie cocked her head in confusion.
"What do you mean? Tell Trixie!" she demanded. Fluttershy smiled softly before locking her eyes with Trixie's. She stiffened, trying to move her gaze away from Fluttershy's eyes, but there was no point. The Stare cannot be broken by the victim.
"Stop..." whispered Trixie as she started to sweat in panic. Fluttershy ignored her plea and kept her eyes on Trixie.
Trixie, on the other hand, was experiencing painful flashbacks. It was like somepony pried open a locked box full of memories in her mind and was searching through it. Memories flashed before her like slideshows...
A couple of years ago...
A small blue filly was crying in the bed of her room as both her parents were shouting at each other in the other room. She kept the pillow over her head as the shouting intensified before a yelp and the sound of glass breaking was heard...
Two years later...
"Get out! You will never be like me! You're useless, just like your mother!" screamed a light blue unicorn stallion from behind the door. Trixie was fighting back tears as she quickly packed up a small bag with her possessions. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, but her bruised eye she got from her own father prevented that. It hurt to touch it.
As she finished packing her few possessions, her eyes drifted to a small frame at corner dresser of her bedroom. It showed light blue unicorn stallion with the same color mane carrying a darkish blue unicorn filly on top of his head. Laughing next to him was a dark red unicorn mare with a rosy colored mane. The family of unicorns looked happy and overjoyed, but it took a few years for that to crumble and fall.
The sound of the door groaning under her father's weight was getting louder. Trixie quickly opened the window and gave one last sweeping glance at her room before jumping out of it and running into the night, accompanied by sobs and tears...
Back to the present...
Trixie snapped out of her dream sequence as she stared, horrified, in Fluttershy's eyes. Fluttershy did not give up her stare, and Trixie finally decided to let it all out.
"All right! Trixie shall tell you everything! Please, for the love of Celestia, stop!" shouted Trixie, waking everypony up with her yells. She was trembling as Fluttershy finally blinked and smiled pleasantly.
"I'm sorry for using the Stare against you, but it was for the best. If you had cooperated earlier on, I would've not used it. Sorry." apologized Fluttershy, looking down. She heard a couple of hoofsteps and turned to see Applejack and Rarity standing behind her, along with Rainbow Dash. Pinkie and Spike, however, were sleeping heavily.
"So she will tell us now?" asked Rarity, yawning. Fluttershy nodded and she sighed in relief.
"Thank Celestia! I thought she would never open up!"
"Alright, let's get to work. Why were you following us?" asked Rainbow Dash, stretching her hooves and keeping her eyes narrowed against Trixie. The blue unicorn took a deep breath before starting to explain...
Meanwhile, to Shining Armor...
It has been a couple of days since his capture, and Shining Armor's condition is terrible. His normally clean mane is plastered against his head, and his eyes were bloodshot. His fur too was ruffled as he constantly tried to break free from the chains holding him down. Three full days of being chained against a chair has taken a toll against him. He was hungry, cold and was sick. As he slowly drifted away to sleep, he overheard Nightmare and Chrysalis talking with each other.
"...the information we have extracted from him is appetizing. It may be the key to attack Canterlot!" said Chrysalis. Nightmare nodded in agreement.
"Yes, it does appear to match our reports. However, I have a different plan. One that involves the Crystal Empire." said Nightmare. Chrysalis looked at her in awe.
"I'm interested." she said. Indeed, so was Shining, as he kept his eyes closed but his ears alert, ready to take in any information about her plan...
All the way up to the airship, which is near the enemy camp...
The navigators aboard Cadence's airship have been right all along. After a few hours length of flying, they have finally reached the area where Shining Armor is being held hostage. Cadence overlooked from the observation deck as she saw the small, dark camp. The only thing that gave away the position of it was a small campfire. Other than that, it was completely oblivious to the naked eye.
A cough was heard behind Cadence, and she turned around. One of the guards was standing there. He saluted her before talking.
"Princess, we have arrived. Shall I give the command to deploy two of the guards down there to rescue the Captain?" he asked. Cadence nodded absentmindedly, and the guard turned around and walked out of the room.
About ten minutes after the guard left, she saw something move from the corner of her eyes. Two dark shapes were rappelling down a rope from one of the cabins connected to the airship. As she looked down, the dark shapes landed quietly on the surface and swiftly made their way to the camp.
Back at the Elements...
Trixie has finally finished explaining why she was following them, and in the process of explanation, she puzzled all of them. Rainbow Dash scratched her head in confusion.
"So you are telling us that you were camping in the other side of the forest?" asked Rarity. Trixie nodded.
"Yes. Trixie's camp is by the small creek. Trixie had stayed for two days, until a few nights ago, Trixie heard ponies talking. Thinking it might be a couple of foresters, Trixie silently creeped upon them. However, Trixie has alerted the ponies, who were obviously you five, and made a fool of herself by falling down clumsily. Unfortunately, the farmer and the pegasus caught Trixie before she could escape." said Trixie, exhausted from telling them this. Applejack glared at Trixie.
"For ya information, mah name ain't "The Farmer." It's Applejack." she said, stomping her hooves. Pinkie Pie laughed at that.
"Aw, don't be such a silly filly, Applejack. You are a farmer, after all!" she said cheerfully, bouncing. Applejack facehooved herself.
Trixie's explanation seemed to satisfy all of them. Now one pressing issue remains: Will she help them?
"Er...Trixie..we need a favor from you.." said Fluttershy hesitantly. Trixie looked at her.
"What do you require from The Great and Powerful Trixie?" she asked. Rarity rolled her eyes. Fluttershy exchanged looks with Rainbow Dash before turning to Trixie.
"Well...we are going after our friend Twilight Sparkle. You see, she is in league with Nightmare Moon. We were wondering if we can use your carriage as a means of transport to go where she is located?" she asked timidly. Trixie's expression was unreadable.
An awkward silence passed by for a minute until Trixie broke it.
"Your friend Twilight Sparkle...why is she with Nightmare Moon? Trixie is great and powerful, but even she is slightly afraid of becoming that mare's apprentice." she asked. Although unnoticed by Trixie, everypony suddenly stiffened around her when she asked that.
"It's a long story. We'll explain it to you if you agree." said Spike crossly. Trixie looked at each and everyone one of them before sighing.
"Well, Trixie is outnumbered. Besides, Trixie has nothing better to do. When shall we leave for this Twilight's location?" she grumbled.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack exchanged smirks with each other before looking at Trixie.
"We're leaving now. We've waited too long, and I want a taste of combat. It's too boring, camping in the woods." said Rainbow Dash. Applejack nodded in agreement.
"Very well. Follow Trixie to the carriage. Do any of you have a map?"
"Here you go." said Rarity as she levitated the map towards Trixie. It hit her smack in the face. Trixie took it off and scowled at her.
"Oops. I am so sorry." Rarity said in a mocking tone. Applejack shot a disapproving gaze at her, and she sighed before apologizing to Trixie for doing that. She smirked and all of them walked into the dark forest...
Back to Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon...
As Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis heavily discussed the plan, Shining Armor processed what he overheard, and was horrified by what they planned out. This is what he heard:
Chrysalis will be sending her drones to Canterlot, known in the plan as the Second Invasion of Canterlot. Celestia will use all of her military might against the swarm, recalling guards and greatly weakening the security of other territories that have Royal Guards stationed there.
While Canterlot is holding off the invasion, Nightmare, Twilight and Discord will travel to the snowy wastelands to conquer the Crystal Empire, which has a weaker army. Once the Empire is taken over, Princess Cadence will be overthrown, and a new rule will be temporarily established by Discord, who promised to seriously mess with the laws of nature with his pranks.
After everything falls in place, Nightmare and Twilight will go deep to the heart of the Empire, where she will trap Twilight in a small chamber and feed her powers to reawaken King Sombra. However, the new Sombra will be much stronger than the one that failed to take back his empire. Although both of them didn't mention what would happen to Twilight after Sombra is awakened, Shining Armor haphazardly guessed that she would become crippled for the rest of her life, or worse, die from the magical energy taken from her.
After Sombra regains power in the Crystal Empire, Canterlot has already fall to the Changeling Kingdom. Many towns and cities in Equestria will soon be occupied by Changeling drones, Celestia will be kicked from her throne and executed, followed by the Elements of Harmony. With those out of the way, Nightmare will rule from Canterlot under the name "Greater Lunar Republic". Sounds flawless, doesn't it?
"I don't know, Nightmare. The plans might have flaws. For instance, what happens if Celestia strengthened Canterlot's defense? I can't risk losing too many of my drones. Or what if Sombra is too weak to recover?" said Chrysalis uncertainly. Nightmare shook her head in defiance.
"Nonsense talk. This plan will work. However, Twilight must not know this. I only let you onto the plan, because Discord is not trustworthy." she said confidentially.
"He will find out sooner or later." said Chrysalis. Nightmare was about to say something in response when the sound of cloth shredding could be heard. Both of them whisked around to see the tent fabric behind Shining Armor being cut.
The fabric soon fell, revealing a dark orange pegasus stallion with an orange and white mane. Behind him was a white unicorn with a silver mane. Both of them are clad in white armor with gold trimmings. On the area of the armor where their cutie marks should be, a fiery red phoneix is engraved onto it, along with it appearing on their chest plates.
Shining Armor's eyes widened and slacked in relief as he knew that he was about to be saved. Those two ponies are part of a squad he commands.
The unicorn held up his longsword at both Nightmare and Chrysalis. The pegasus pulled out two small daggers and hovered above the unicorn.
"Don't make a move. We're here for Shining Armor." said the unicorn. The pegasus nodded, not keeping an eye off of them.
Nightmare chuckled. Chrysalis looked at her incredulously while both guards shared confused looks on their faces.
"You know who these ponies are?" she asked. Nightmare nodded, wiping a tear away from her laughter.
"Oh yes. Celestia's dear Phoenix Guard. They are the ones who go behind the lines and do special operations for her. But they are no match. Last time I remember, the entire squad is clumsy and weak. They were killed during the Equine Uprising, which was the first time they were sent in." she said.
The unicorn gritted his teeth, while the pegasus pony spoke up.
"That's not true! The first regiment was poorly trained during that time, and the insurgents had better weapons against us. Now, we are much better off than you can ever expect. Hand over the Captain, or face consequences." he said.
"What consequences?" asked Nightmare innocently. The unicorn took a step forward.
"I wouldn't suggest playing with us. Hand over Captain Armor, and we'll leave you alone. Consider this your final warning." he said, gesturing towards the hole behind him. Nightmare had a thoughtful expression on her face. Chrysalis stayed silent, not saying anything.
"Leave us alone after we hand him over? I don't think you're being honest about that. Last time I checked, Celestia's guards never leave a job unfinished. How about a no?" she said, her horn glowing. A moment later, four changelings walked in. When they saw the guards, they growled. The unicorn sighed and turned to the pegasus.
"Slips, tell them the diplomatic approach didn't work." he said. The pegasus named Slips nodded and pulled out a small gem.
"HPC Galaxy, this is Slipstream and Onyx. The captors are not cooperating. We need a round near the tent where we are. Coordinates are six-three-niner-two. Slips out." he reported. The gem illuminated brightly for a few seconds before it became dim again. Slipstream put it in his saddlebag.
"Well?" asked Onyx.
"They'll send a ballista round down. Command said the gunners are loading it up." he said coolly. Onyx laughed and turned to Nightmare.
"I think after seeing this, you will hand him over." he said. Nightmare had a puzzled expression on her face. Five minutes later, a huge explosion rang through the quiet night air. Chrysalis quickly pulled the entrance of the tent to look and gasped. The storage tent, which held the armor and weapons for her changelings, was completely obliterated by a large arrow. There was a small crater, and flames were dancing near the spot.
A familiar purple figure landed by Chrysalis, and she had a worried look on her face.
"What happened? I was asleep when this huge explosion rang out near my tent-" she was interrupted by a loud yell inside the tent. Both Chrysalis and Twilight galloped into the tent to see Nightmare lying on the floor, a small cut on her body. Onyx was quickly untying Shining Armor's gag and ropes, while Slipstream was standing guard over them. He turned to see Twilight and Chrysalis gaping at them, and he gasped.
"Quickly!" he shouted to Onyx, who finally untied everything and hoisted a unconscious Shining Armor on his back.
"NO!" screamed Chrysalis, releasing magical energy towards Slipstream. He deflected the blast with his sword as he covered Onyx's flank.
Twilight leaped forward and unleashed a salvo of pulse beams. Slipstream managed to block a few, but one of them hit him in the leg. He yelped in pain as he looked down at the singed leg before limping after Onyx.
"Rope, rope!" shouted Onyx, looking above. Twilight thought that was strange until she looked up and gasped. A huge airship was hovering above them, and the bottom hatch opened, dropping ropes. Onyx quickly tied up Shining and himself on the rope, and so did Slipstream. He pulled the rope two times, and it jerked them up quickly, swinging them around.
Chrysalis stood there, stunned, while Twilight took action. She lunged forward and managed to grab the rope before it left the ground. Slips and Onyx didn't gaze down at their surprise guest, as they were too busy checking to see if they are tied up securely. Twilight looked down at Chrysalis and made a gesture, as if to say Don't worry, I'll be fine. Chrysalis looked at her and nodded in respect and resignation.
Finally, all four of them disappeared inside the cabin and the hatch closed. The ship abruptly turned and drifted away. Chrysalis looked on as the ship slowly went into the horizon before turning around and returning to the tent to clear up this mess.
The camp was swarmed with confused-looking drones. It took a moment for Chrysalis to calm them down and send them to sleep. Discord was wide awake, standing on the air with a grim expression on his face. He shook his head at Chrysalis before turning and walking into his tent. She frowned and went to tend Nightmare's wounds, grimacing what would happen if she wakes up and realizes what went wrong... |
The Element of Corruption | Crash Landing | Thirty minutes after the rescue of Captain Armor...
The airship was going at a steady pace towards Canterlot, slowly being pushed by the turbulent air. Cadence was inside the pilots' cabin, overseeing their work. The two pilots, clad in golden armor, were professionally flipping switches and buttons on the dashboard.
The door to the cabin opened, and Onyx entered. Shining Armor was leaning against him, gritting his teeth against the pain. Cadence turned and her eyes widened before she rushed towards him. Slipstream let go of him as she grabbed and embraced him.
"Shining! Are you okay? What did they do to you?" she asked in a worried tone, softly stroking his mane. He just shook his head, staying silent. Cadence looked up to Slip, who shrugged unsurely.
Moments later, he finally answered.
"Where is Slipstream?" he asked.
"Sir, he is going under medical treatment. He was hit by one of your sister's spell. Fortunately, it only affected his leg." said Onyx. Shining Armor nodded before turning to Cadence.
"Well, you look beautiful as always." he said, smiling. She beamed at him before pecking his snout with hers.
"You have to be careful with what kind of tasks you do for the Royal Guard. Someday, you will end up hurting yourself." she playfully scolded him. He chuckled before shakily standing up. His hooves trembled before he fell down, but was caught by a quick Cadence.
"Are you alright? You haven't answered my previous question." she said. He waved her off.
"I'm fine. I'm just exhausted." he said. She nodded understandingly.
"Very well. The bunks are close by. Onyx, please take him there." she said. Onyx saluted her before holding Shining Armor as they both left the cabin. As they left, one of the pilots coughed loudly. Cadence turned to him.
"Princess, we are nearing Canterlot. I estimate that we will arrive in about one hour." he said, checking the instrument panel. Cadence nodded before telling them to keep up the good work. Just when she was about to leave, a low whistling was heard. She felt the fur on the back of her neck rise up. Something bad is about to happen-
Bang!
The ship shuddered before tilting violently to the left. Cadence almost fell, but she grabbed hold onto the door handle. The ship slowly regained its' balance, but now it kept shuddering as it moved. The stench of molten metal floated around the cabin.
"What just happened?!" she asked, frightened. The copilot looked at her in fright.
"Ma'am, engine one has been hit. The steam turbine has failed. We will still be airborne, but we will have to move at a slower pace. At this speed, I believe we will reach Canterlot in two hours." he said. Cadence growled.
"What caused it?" she asked. The pilot was about to answer her, but the cabin door slid open. Onyx galloped in, parts of his armor scorched with burn marks. He grimaced as he stood himself in front of her.
"Princess Cadence, we have been boarded by the changelings! They've blown through the exhaust vents and are slowly advancing towards the cabin. We've held them off at the ballista cabin, but they are nearing the steam room now-" he was interrupted when a second, loud explosion was heard. The airship jerked severely, tossing everypony inside like ragdolls.
"What now?" shouted Cadence to the pilot after getting up from being thrown against the window. It took a moment, but he slowly turned to her, a look of absolute terror on his face.
"Princess, the steam room has been severely damaged. The hull lining has been punctured, letting all the steam billow out. Without it, our ship cannot lift itself. I'm afraid we will go down." he said, trying to stay calm. Cadence stared at him silently before turning to Onyx.
"Corporal, evacuate everypony off this ship. We're not going down without a fight."
"But Princess-"
"NOW!"
He gulped before nodding in resignation. He turned and dashed out of the cabin.
"Losing altitude control...!" shouted the copilot. Indeed, they were slowly dropping through the air towards the ground, which was a large snowy forest. Cadence hoped for the best as the ship slowly descended...
Meanwhile, in the bunker of the ship...
Shining Armor stood by the window. The room he was sleeping in was small, but comfortable. A single bunk bed lay there, with a tiny cabinet. Other than that, the room was dull. Smoke was billowing from the rear of the ship, but he didn't notice that. He also didn't feel the last two explosions because he was asleep, but he did wonder why the airship was slowly floating down.
Probably a mechanical failure...these things are unreliable, after all. he thought. Just as he thought that, something black zipped past the window. That surprised him, and he looked more closely. When he saw the familiar purple streak, he almost fainted.
Twilight was hovering near the airship, directing swarms of changelings to attack the ship. She had a neutral expression on her face as they flew away from her. She looked up and saw Shining Armor staring at her from the window. She slowly flew up to the window and stared at him intently. He too stared back, not uttering a word. She put her hoof on the window, and he placed it where she had it. As they were doing this, the bunk door burst open. One of the unicorn guards trotted in, a serious expression on his face.
"Sir, we have to leave now. The ship is going down-What in Celestia are you doing with that thing?!" he said, jumping back and charging his horn. Shining Armor tried to stop him from firing, but was too slow. The guard unleashed a magical beam towards the window, and it shattered to pieces. Fortunately, his spell didn't hit Twilight, but Shining Armor decided not to take second chances.
As the guard moved forward for another strike, he tackled him against the wall. The guard squirmed under his weight, trying to break free and to attack Twilight.
"What is wrong with you?! Are you working for them?" shouted the guard. Shining Armor quickly subdued his yells and cast a simple sleeping spell. The entire room glowed bright blue before the guard fell limp. He was asleep.
As Shining Armor breathed heavily, realization flooded him with what he has done. He has attacked a fellow officer. No doubt that the guard will inform Princess Celestia with what happened-
"Thank you, Shining." said a voice behind him. He turned to see Twilight standing there, morphed in her normal, pre-conversion form. He frowned at her.
"Twilight, what are you doing here? You have to leave now. What I had just did to my fellow guard might cost me my job...and my honor." he said angrily, trying to control himself. Twilight took a step forward.
"I'm just here to say...I'm sorry for what I have caused for you. The conflicts I have created with my friends, the princess, my own brother and parents." she said, tears forming in her eyes. He stared at her incredulously. His sister, a changeling, coming to confess her mistakes?
"Twily, you're my sister. I love and care for you deeply, but you chose your own path...even if you come back, you will be arrested by the Royal Guard for treason. The Princess, she might not be as forgiving as you think. You might be imprisoned for years, or even worse, executed. And the worst part is, I cannot have any say about it. They know I'm your brother. Any statement I make that defends you will be counted as a biased defense." he said sadly. Twilight stayed silent for a while, letting that sink in. She then shook her head.
"If that happens, I will do all that is necessary to restore my honor in the Princess's kingdom." she said defiantly before leaping into the air and taking off out of the window. Shining Armor rushed to the window, wanting to say something to her, but the words were stuck in his throat. As he looked on, he saw that the ground was dangerously close. The tips of the trees were slowly brushing against the bottom of the cabin.
He turned and woke the unconscious guard.
"W-what happened?" he asked, dazed. Shining thought it was best not to answer that as he picked him up.
"We have to get going. The ship, it's going down!" he said, gesturing the guard to follow him. He jumped and galloped after him.
Both of them navigated through the corridors that were illuminated with candles. As they galloped past the ruins of the armory, Shining Armor saw the bodies of a few fallen guards. He picked up one of their swords and helmets before dashing off.
As they both made a left at an intersection, he bumped into Onyx and Slipstream, the latter who had his hoof bandaged.
"Sir! We have to get out of here!" said Slipstream. Onyx nodded.
"That's what we're doing. But I'm not leaving here without my wife. Is she still in the control room?" he asked frantically. Just when Slipstream was about to reply, a loud scream echoed through the hallway. Shining Armor gasped. He knew that voice.
"CADENCE!" he shouted, suddenly galloping towards the source of the scream.
"Wait! It might be a trap!" shouted Onyx as he made a grab for him, but he was too fast. Shining was already way ahead of them as he raced for his wife...
Meanwhile, to the Mane Five (With Spike & Trixie)
The carriage that Trixie always possessed is very fast. Already they had crossed past the mountain ranges and are now at the grasslands. Nopony questioned how it moved; It seems like the carriage was being pulled by invisible steeds.
Inside, it was magically enlarged, so it looks like the size of the Princess's throne room. From the outside, one could question how six ponies and a dragon can fit in there, but the interior explains it. Trixie had it decorated with her personal belongings, such as a few pictures of herself doing her magical feats and a small blue chest that was sitting at the corner. There was also a cozy couch and a few armchairs lying around, complete with a coffee table. Rarity, Spike and Fluttershy were sitting on one of the couches quietly. Rainbow Dash was looking outside the window with a dark expression on her face, Applejack was at the helm where Trixie was and Pinkie Pie was covertly shooting looks at the locked blue chest, as if she was trying to open it telepathically.
"Where are we now, exactly?" asked Rarity, breaking her silence and not enjoying the bumpy ride. Trixie was at the helm of the carriage, looking carefully at the map. She finally looked up and glared at Rarity.
"You know, your patience is that of a griffin's-"
"Enough. Ah'm tired of you two fightin' like a bunch of fillies." said Applejack sharply. Rarity sighed and went back to filing her hooves. Applejack turned to Trixie as she looked on at the map.
"So we are here eh?" she said, placing her hoof on the southeast corner of the map. Trixie nodded before placing her hoof all the way west on the map.
"If Trixie's calculations are correct, which it always is, we will reach the spot where your friend Twilight is residing. It will not be far until we reach our destination." she said confidentially. Applejack nodded before returning to sit on one of the armchairs. She looked at her friends, who mostly had stony looks on their faces.
"Ah reckon we'll be there soon." she said encouragingly, trying to lift their spirits. Rarity and Rainbow Dash only grunted in reply. Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes before turning away from them.
Meanwhile at the front, Trixie was studying the map as it was levitated in front of her. It seemed confusing, but she did place a marker on it for her carriage to go to. As she was looking at it, something caught her eye from the distance. She glanced towards the window and saw a cloud of black smoke.
Trixie got up from her seat and trotted towards the window, wanting to see a better view. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be an airship that was slowly losing power. Trixie looked back at the bored mares.
"All of you, come here. You should see this..." called Trixie. They got up and walked to the window. Trixie moved away so they can see closely. Their stale expressions faded as they looked on with awe.
"W-what is that?" stammered Fluttershy.
"Trixie believes it is an airship. It seems to be losing altitude, from the looks of it." she said. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie had one of her Pinkie Senses moments as her ears twitched, tail waved and hooves trembled, followed by her eyes blinking. Trixie stared at her strangely, wondering what the hay is going on.
"Turn the carriage to that ship!" she ordered. Trixie gaped at her in surprise.
"Are you crazy? Trixie thought all of us are heading towards Twilight" she said.
"I don't know about you, but I have a weird hunch that Twilight is there. Besides, I've never seen those things in my life. Oh, and if we don't go towards the ship, something blocking the path ahead will flip the carriage over." said Pinkie cheerfully. Trixie glanced at Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Spike.
"What is going on? Trixie is utterly confused!" she asked. Rainbow Dash coughed discreetly.
"Pinkie has one of those "moments" where whatever she predicts actually happens. I think it's best if you listen to her and go to that ship. I remember how Twilight ignored her warnings and bad stuff happened to her. So yeah, you should follow her." she explained. Trixie burst out laughing, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Oh, that is the craziest and funniest thing Trixie has ever heard! But if you insist, it is your loss." she said before her horn glowed, illuminating the carriage with bright blue light. A moment later, the carriage slowly leaned to the right.
"We are heading towards the airship." reassured Trixie. Everypony sighed in relief as they took a seat, waiting to arrive...
Back at the ship...
The screaming persisted down the hallway as Shining Armor fought his way to the cabin, followed by Slipstream and Onyx. The guard that was along them had to leave to help support the guards holding back the changelings.
"CADENCE!" he shouted, almost making it towards the door. Just when he reached for the handle, the ship tilted sickeningly, sending him flying back down the corridor. Luckily, Slipstream caught him and held him until the ship balanced itself. After it regained its' balance, Shining Armor ripped himself from Slipstream's hooves and smashed himself against the door. It groaned under his weight before collapsing. Smoke flew everywhere as he coughed, waving his hoof to fan it out.
When his vision cleared, he saw Cadence held down with a gel-like substance that the Changelings used during their first invasion of Canterlot. Five drones surrounded her, licking their lips. The pilots were dead, holes peppered across their chests as their bodies leaned against the seat.
"You will taste good. You full of love" said one of the drones. Cadence squirmed against the gel holding her down. She growled at them.
"My husband will destroy you!" she screamed. One of them laughed.
"Ha! You funny! Ship going to crash. We take you out now. Your husband die with guards when ship go boom-boom." he said, which sounded like it was one of the longest sentences he has ever said.
As Cadence opened her mouth to retort, the changeling clamped her mouth with his hooves.
"Enough! We send you to Queen Chrysalis and Miss Twilight. They take care of you." he hissed. Her eyes widened with fear when he mentioned Chrysalis' name.
Shining Armor took a step forward and growled at them. The five changelings turned around, surprised to see him.
"Love princess husband! What you doing here?!" asked one of them, his voice filled with worry. Shining laughed as Slipstream and Onyx stood by him, their swords drawn. His horn started glowing with magic.
"Taking my wife back!" he shouted, before lunging towards them. The first three changelings charged towards them, baring their fangs. Shining Armor swatted one aside easily, his hoof fiercely connecting with the changeling's cheek. It collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Just when he was about to land a strike against the second changeling, he was tackled by the third one. It pushed him down and snarled at him, getting ready to take a chunk of his flesh out. Just when it was about to bite, it had a dazed expression on its face before it fell over. Shining Armor looked behind to see that Slipstream punched it behind the head.
As the last changeling tried to make a jump for Slipstream, Onyx jumped in front of him and speared it in the chest with his horn. The drone screamed as blood gushed out before falling to the ground..
The last three changelings looked at horror as the three stallions made an advance towards them. Right then, one of the changelings made a sudden movement and released the gooey substance towards them.
They were too slow to dodge it, and it hit all three of them, pushing them back against the wall as they were imprisoned inside the thick shell. The drone laughed as they struggled weakly against the gel.
"Ha! You will not get out in time! You! Take her out of ship! It going to crash!" he shouted, ordering his comrade to whisk Cadence away. The changeling nodded, slowly undoing the goo that was holding Cadence. While it was doing that, a low whistling sound was heard. The changeling perked its ears. Something was off...
Suddenly, a precise beam hit the drone that was untying the Princess. It didn't even have time to scream as it quickly disintegrated into dust. The changeling that was standing by it looked around wildly for the source, but it too was hit by the beam again. As it burst into dust, the last drone looked up and gasped.
Hanging from the ceiling was Twilight. She was using the sticky resin on her hooves to hang upside down, and her horn was glowing red and sizzling. She pulled herself off and landed gracefully on the floor, a neutral expression on her face.
"You will not hurt my brother or Cadence." she said, walking slowly up to the changeling. It trembled, trying to retreat.
"You kill friendly drones! You traitor! I tell Chrysalis about this." it said before jumping out of the broken window. Twilight tried to stop him, but was too slow as he quickly flew away. She sighed, turning to Shining Armor, who was quickly breaking the gel that was holding Cadence. He finally broke it and she hugged him, sobbing. Slipstream trotted to the window and his eyes widened.
"Um...guys? I think we should leave. Now." he said. Twilight looked out the window and gasped. The ship was gently scraping against the ground. She turned to everypony.
"Leave now! I'll see if I can try to slow it down-"
She was interrupted by the sound of wrenching metal. The ship suddenly shook, throwing debris around. All of them stumbled and fell over as all the windows shattered from the impact. Flames started forming as the cabin skidded through the ground, leaving a trail like how a meteor does after it crashes into land. Trees around the flaming ship collapsed as it tore through them.
Inside, Twilight clung onto one of the handlebars until she felt the cabin slowly turn over. Cracks started forming on the floor, followed by a few explosions. That was the last thing Twilight heard before everything blacked out for her.... |
The Element of Corruption | Recovery | Darkness. Silence. That was all Twilight could see or hear. That is, until she groggily opened her eyes and found herself lying on the floor of the wrecked cabin. She tried to move, but to no avail. A large piece of rubble has fallen on her legs, and it was slowly starting to pain. Her head and hooves were aching from the crash, and she felt her legs slowly losing blood circulation as the rubble blocked the blood flow to her legs. Both her wings were broken too. As she tried to move them, pain flared through them. She yelped and stopped trying to use them.
She weakly tried to get up, but collapsed. Mustering all her energy, she gave out a small shout of help. A few minutes passed, but nopony replied. Twilight rested her head against the floor and looked up at the starry night sky, which was filled with the blazing inferno from the ship's ruins. The crackle of flames was heard in the distance as it consumed the ship.
As her vision started to fade, she heard faint hoofsteps nearing her. She didn't care if it was a friend or foe, as she resigned to the fate that she will die under from the freezing cold..
What an embarrassing way to die.... Twilight thought. As that thought went through her mind, she caught a white figure standing over her. She squinted at it, trying to make out who it is.
"Shining?" she asked. The figure trotted closer until he was standing over her. It wasn't Shining Armor. He was a unicorn with a silver-grayish mane that was matted over his head, but he shared a common white hide like Shining. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, and his golden armor was ruined with dents and parts of it gone. He shook his head when she asked that.
"No, it's Onyx, a Phoenix Guard. Your brother and his wife are safe. He sent me and Slipstream to find you." he said. She nodded before looking down at the rubble covering her. He followed her gaze and gasped. The debris glowed and it quickly levitated itself off of her.. After he removed it, he grabbed her hoof and pulled her up.
"You okay?" he asked as Twilight dusted herself off. She nodded again.
"I'm fine. My hooves just ache and my wings are broken, but that's it." she said. Onyx nodded.
"Let's go. Thank Celestia this part of the ship didn't fall down into the chasm when I came to find you." he said. Twilight stopped in her tracks and stared at him in horror, hoping that it was a sick joke.
"Are you telling me that this side of the ship is hanging off a cliff?!" she asked. Onyx nodded, and faint creaking was heard from the ship's weakened chassis. He winced.
"Yeah, I think we have to go. I don't think this part of the ship will stay up longer." he said, navigating past a fallen steel beam. Twilight was still in shock as she followed him.
Suddenly, the cabin groaned. Both of them froze as it slowly tilted. Twilight lost her balance and started sliding towards the gaping hole of the ship, which opened up to a deadly chasm. Pieces of the ship fell into the pit, disappearing as the fog covered it. Onyx quickly grabbed a piece of the frame that was jutting out of the ceiling and hung on. Twilight felt her heart pounding against her chest as she slowly slid down into the maw of the pit.
Onyx looked around in desperation for something to help her. He looked to his side and found an iron rod hanging on the side of the cabin. He grabbed it with his hoof and ripped it from its' socket.
"Twilight! Hang onto this!" he shouted, dangling the rod towards her. She looked up and tried to reach it, but she was too far below. Twilight looked up at him with pure fear. She was going to fall into the chasm any minute. The ship shook violently, and Onyx felt himself losing grip on the frame. He looked up, and his face suddenly broke out in terror as cracks started forming on the spot where the frame was sticking out. He closed his eyes as the frame broke free and sent him tumbling down towards Twilight, who too fell down before him.
As she fell down in front of him, Onyx willed himself to propel a bit forward through the air using his magic. He finally reached Twilight and grabbed hold of her by the waist. She put her face in his shoulder as both of them fell like rocks, screaming.
"Twilight! Use your wings!" he shouted. He looked down and saw the ground was slowly nearing them. Twilight had tears flying from her eyes as she shook her head.
"I-I can't! It hurts too much!" she cried, holding onto him. Onyx cursed to himself loudly..
"Please, you can do it! Think what will happen if we both die!" he yelled back, almost breaking into full blown panic as the ground closing on them rapidly. Twilight pulled her head back from his shoulder and stared into Onyx's eyes. They both looked at each other for a while as they fell through the air, contemplating their last moments. Twilight suddenly felt a tug inside of her, and she yelped. A moment later, her eyes and horn glowed white, followed by her wings. They flared to life, reducing the speed of both of them falling.
Onyx, who was staring at her in awe, felt themselves reversing as Twilight looked up and propelled herself and him through the air at an astonishing speed. They both flew straight up like a rocket before landing on a ledge that overlooked the pit. Onyx watched as the entire cabin of the ship tilt and fall into the chasm, disappearing completely by the blizzard. A faint boom was heard as it crashed into the ground below.
Twilight's eyes slowly lost the white glow as it returned to normal. She moaned and leaned her head on Onyx's chest, exhausted. He looked at her with a surprised yet thankful look. Feeling drained of energy, he leaned his head back against the cliff face and closed his eyes, hoping to take a small break...
Meanwhile at the ruins of the airship's cabin...
Changelings were scavenging the ship, looking for any survivors or corpses. The drones were sifting through metal and pieces of cloth in hopes of finding something to feed off of.
Chrysalis overlooked this operation as she watched from a small snow mound. Nucleon was standing next to her, ordering the drones to look thoroughly. He had a stony expression on his face.
One of the changelings landed in front of them. He held out a shard of gold. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be Royal Guard armor.
"Guards again. When will these fools learn to stop interfering with our plans?" hissed Chrysalis, pounding her hoof in anger. Nucleon took the shard from the changeling and inspected it carefully.
"Your majesty, I believe this isn't Royal Guard armor." he said, turning it over and studying it. Chrysalis rolled her eyes.
"Well, what do you think it is? A Royal teacup?" she asked in sarcasm. Nucleon shook his head.
"No. This appears to be a fragment of Phoenix Guard armor. This narrows our search down to two ponies. The two stallions who snatched Shining Armor in front of our eyes. It must be one of them." he said coldly. Chrysalis smiled at him.
"You're not as dumb as you look. Very well Nucleon. I will order my swarm to look for those two. They cannot be far from the wreck." she said, turning to the drones and raising her hoof. All of them stopped doing their jobs as they noticed her signal. They made a straight line and shuffled towards the Queen, waiting for their next orders.
In the distance, a dark figure appeared. The blizzard is at full blast right now, impairing their visions as the figure slowly limped towards them. Nucleon was the first to notice as the figure made its way up to them, panting. He glanced at two of the drones, who nodded and landed in front of Chrysalis.
"Halt! Who are you?" shouted one of them. The second one crouched, ready to attack if needed. The figure in the distance raised both its' hooves in the air.
"Wait! No shoot me! I on your side!" it shouted. Nucleon stepped forward.
"At ease. He is a changeling. What brings you late to the search? The Queen ordered all drones to search this wreckage." he said, trotting up to him. As Nucleon neared him, he noticed that one of his wings were bent at an odd angle. His eyes had bruises and his body had cuts.
"Don't trust Twilight. She work for pony!" he said, breathing heavily. Nucleon's eyes narrowed and Chrysalis looked at him sharply.
"What do you mean she works for the ponies? Twilight has made it clear that she was going to sabotage the airship, and she succeeded." said Chrysalis. The drone shook his head.
"No. Ship crash because of us. We blow up engines. Twilight work for pony because she killed two allies. She going to kill me, but I escaped." he said.
"But do you have proof for this? We cannot just take this by your word." said Nucleon. The changeling shook his head, looking down at the ground. Chrysalis gazed at him.
"You know, I just realized that Twilight was supposed to report here hours ago. I sent a notice to all my drones to rendezvous here, yet she didn't respond. Maybe she has defected from us." said Chrysalis thoughtfully.
"No she didn't." said Nucleon stubbornly. Chrysalis smirked at him.
"My drones will search for any evidence that relates to this changeling's report. If it matches, then I will hunt her down to the ends of Equestria if I have to for betraying the hive. No changeling has ever left under my rule." she growled. Nucleon's eyes widened when she said that. Hopefully, the search will turn up no results.
To the Elements...
"We have arrived!" declared Trixie. Indeed, the carriage had pulled over by the flaming wreck. Snow was falling furiously as the six mares disembarked from the carriage. Spike took a peek outside and immediately moved away from the door, insisting that he has to keep the carriage warm. They laughed as Trixie locked the door of the carriage before following them.
"This is awesome!" said Rainbow Dash, barely containing her excitement. Rarity looked at her strangely.
"You are calling the crashed remains of an aircraft awesome? You have a sick sense of enjoyment, Rainbow." she said. Rainbow Dash shrugged and flew ahead of them.
"Oh my." said Fluttershy quietly as they walked past a huge turbine. Its' sides were charred and burnt, and the tips of it have melted.
"Ah have a bad feeling 'bout this..." muttered Applejack. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. As they made a turn towards the forest, they encountered an amazing sight.
"Wow! What is THAT?!" said Pinkie with a mix of enthusiasm and fright. In front of them was a large tail rudder, firmly embedded in the ground. Flames were eating away at the fabric, slowly revealing the metallic skeleton underneath. However, under the rudder were the remains of a Royal Guard armor. Rainbow Dash flew forward and rummaged through the armor. Minutes passed and she shouted at them, a small note clamped in her hooves.
"Guys! Check this out!" she said, landing in front of them and holding up the note. It glowed blue until it was levitated from her hoof and onto mid-air as Trixie read it.
"All guards, go to your stations. This is not a drill. We have been boarded by changelings. I repeat, this is not a drill. Closer sightings have confirmed that Twilight Sparkle is among the enemy. If found, capture her alive and bring her to the bridge. Until then, pony your stations." she read. The last part of the note was unreadable since it was burnt. Applejack scratched her head.
"So that means...Twi is near here?" she said.
"Trixie believes so. If she did crash with the ship, she cannot be far off." said Trixie.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" said Pinkie excitedly, hopping towards the rudder.
"I am not participating in this search. I do not want to get my hooves filthy, thank you very much." said Rarity. Trixie glanced at her and laughed before turning around and following Pinkie Pie to the rudder.
"Whatever you say Rare." said Applejack, trotting after Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash...
Back to Twilight...
Twilight slowly opened her eyes. She found herself lying next to Onyx, and she quickly jumped up, feeling her face go red. What just happened?
As she scrunched her face in thought, she remembered. Both of them were plummeting towards their deaths, but Twilight felt a surge of energy and saved their flanks from being splattered.
As she stood up, she coughed. Her throat was really dry from the lack of liquid. That, and the fact that she did not feed from anypony's emotions, which made her very weak.
Whenever changelings have enough love in their system, they can regenerate any injuries they have been afflicted with. It also enhances their strength and agility, making them competent fighters. Since Twilight had a measly amount of love in her, she was exhausted from the events that happened. She looked at Onyx and bit her lips. Regardless of how wrong it is, she still has to do it to survive.
Twilight walked over to him, letting her eyes travel over his body to find a good spot. The side by his ribs seems like a good spot. Her horn started to glow, and then she proceeded to make a small cut, not too deep but not too shallow.
Changelings who were learned in the skill of feeding did not need to make physical extraction of love from their prey. All they did was absorb the "love aura" that was being emitted from the being using their horns. That is how Chrysalis was able to quickly morph into Cadence and defeat Celestia, as Shining Armor and her had a tremendous amount of love that she absorbed.
Once she made the cut, Twilight went down and placed her mouth over the cut. She slowly sucked out a small amount of blood. A wave of nausea washed over her, and she felt like throwing up, but it was for her survival, so she continued.
As she continued drinking, the metallic taste of blood gave way to a sweet and milky taste of emotion. Twilight smiled as she continued to drink her fill, letting the sweet taste of love fill her up.
As she finished and wiped her mouth, images she had never seen before flashed before her eyes. It depicted a small colt with his parents, and then it moved on to him as a stallion, with a mare that shared his appearance. Twilight blinked, and the images disappeared.
She looked at the incision she made on Onyx, which was bleeding, and spat on it. The cut slowly started to heal itself until it nothing more than a mere scar.
A feeling of warmth started to spread around her body, like a fire being ignited in her stomach. It felt comfortable, and soon, her aching hooves and broken wings were mended. Twilight felt like Pinkie Pie after drinking a mug of Applejack's Apple Anodizer (which is not for sale to the public due to the energy spike in the consumer. That and the ban by the Equestrian Health Commission to prevent sales in stores.)
As Twilight stood there, letting the warmth cover her body, Onyx stirred. He opened his eyes and got up, clutching his head.
"Ugh...what happened? I had this weird dream of a vampony drinking from me." he muttered. Twilight suppressed a giggle as she helped him up.
"That's very strange." said Twilight, playing along. Onyx just shook his head and turned to a clearing of trees. The snow was really going in now. The wind speed picked up, followed by a distant whistle. He shivered. That whistling was strangely familiar.
Twilight's ears perked up. Since she possessed much more advanced hearing than a normal pony, she was able to pick up the sound waves, and it didn't seem to comfort her mood.
"We have to go where my brother is. Now." she said, her expression frozen in fear. Onyx cocked his head in confusion.
"What's the rush? We can get there by just trotting-"
"No Onyx. That whistling sound...do you hear it?" she whispered. Onyx raised his ears and heard carefully. Frankly, the whistling was getting louder by the minute.
"Yeah, I hear it. What's wrong with it? I mean, it does sound familiar, but I suppose it's just the blizzard." he said. Twilight shook her head.
"That's the sound of a changeling signalling another changeling. We have to get back to where my brother is. I sense a swarm of them arriving to our location." she said, her voice on the edge of begging. She tugged Onyx to follow her towards the small clearing, and he heeded her request as they both turned to make a dash.
Just when they almost reached the clearing, something black darted past them. Twilight quickly stopped, and Onyx crashed behind her. Both of them fell on top of each other in the snow. As Twilight tried to get up, a changeling burst out of a nearby snow pile and flew towards her, eyes filled with malice. Since she didn't have anything to protect herself with, she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
All of a sudden, something jumped in front of her and uppercutted the changeling. He flew back and crashed against a tree, unconscious. The figure turned and looked at Twilight.
Twilight opened her eyes, curious about what happened. When she saw the pony looking at her, she squealed with joy and rushed into his hooves. It was Shining Armor.
"Sis, are you alright?" he asked. Twilight nodded as she continued to be held in his embrace. Shining Armor laughed sheepishly as he gently pried her off of him.
"Enough with the sappy stuff. Cadence would be jealous. Anyways, let's get going back to camp. Slipstream found some berries and Cadence cooked them. I've already called for an evacuation from the Royal Guard. They will be here soon." he said. Twilight smiled at that. Onyx soon got up, mumbling to himself and brushing the snow off. When he noticed Shining Armor in front of him, he quickly saluted his superior.
"Sir!" he said, standing stiffly. Shining waved his hoof.
"At ease, Corporal. Let's get going. I'll explain to you what happened." he said. Onyx nodded, following Shining Armor past the clearing and into a small enclosure.
Unknowingly to Twilight or Onyx, Shining Armor's eyes seemed to glint with a teal color before it reverted back to blue. He smiled as he led them back to the "safe haven" |
The Element of Corruption | Surprise! | As the trio walked on, the snow seemed to lessen. The icy wind was stinging Twilight's face as she followed her older brother through a small bush. Soon, they made a left at a pine tree and spotted a large cave entrance. Twilight was the first to notice the light of the flames bouncing around inside, and as they got closer, the seductive aroma of a well-cooked meal. Her mouth began to water, and so did Onyx's, as he licked his lips in anticipation.
Finally, they reached a cave where the encampment was located. Once they went inside, it was cozy and dry. A single campfire lay there, throwing sparks in the air as the smoke wafted into the air and through small ventilation cracks in the ceiling of the cave. Flat stones were propped around the fire, and a pink alicorn was busy with the fire, not noticing the three ponies that just came in.
"Hello Cadence. Where's Slipstream?" said Shining Armor as he walked in. Cadence looked up to see him and she nodded to acknowledge his presence..
"He went off to get more firewood. Take a seat, I just made these toasted oats. Slipstream found them while he was searching the galley of the ship." she said. Shining nodded as he took a seat on the flat stone, stretching his legs in comfort. He motioned for Twilight and Onyx to take a seat. Both of them sat down. Onyx stared at the skillet as Cadence cooked the oats, but Twilight stared at her brother.
"There's something off about you..." she noted, looking at him. Shining Armor almost fell off his seat when she said that.
"W-what? T-there's nothing wrong with me!" he said hotly. From the campfire, Cadence shot him a scathing look, her eyes flashing teal before switching back to pink. He gulped. Twilight shook her head.
"Never mind. It's probably the snow playing with my eyes." she said. He breathed in relief and looked at her owlishly.
"Yeah....so, um..we're going back to Canterlot." he said. Twilight nodded, deep in thought. Onyx's head snapped up when he said that.
"Of course we're going back to Canterlot! Why do you sound so hesitant?" he asked, confused.
Cadence and Shining Armor exchanged dark glances with each other before turning to Twilight. They ignored Onyx's remark.
"We will go to Canterlot. That is the plan-"
"Hey guys, I finished tying up- I mean, I got the firewood!" said a voice. Slipstream appeared from the entrance of the cave,, balancing a pile of sticks on his back. Shining Armor facehoofed himself as he got up to help him with the wood stack. Cadence levitated the cooked oats to the small plates and they floated their way to Twilight and Onyx. Twilight's plate is loaded with the oats, while Onyx received a measly amount. He glared at Cadence, but she ignored his eyes as she tended to the flames.
Twilight, being so hungry, ate ravenously. After a few minutes, her plate was wiped clean. The same went for Onyx's food.
She leaned back, sleepy and with a full stomach. Now all she needs is a pony sized waterbed...
"You are full." observed Cadence. Twilight nodded sluggishly.
"Yes. That was some good food." she said. Cadence laughed, and Twilight swore she saw a set of fangs in her mouth. A blink later, it disappeared. She dismissed that as a trick of the eye.
However, Onyx didn't miss that laugh. He saw the fangs. His eyes widened, before turning to Twilight. He was about tell her something when he felt a pair of strong hooves on his shoulder. He looked up to see Shining Armor standing there, smiling creepily.
"Relax, Onyx. Let the food settle. Now, you were saying Cadence?" said Shining Armor. Cadence nodded before looking at Twilight.
"We are going to Canterlot. You and your friend will come with us. Of course, you know when we are going to..ah..enter the castle and help Celestia...go somewhere, right?" she said. Twilight nodded, not hearing anything clearly. It wasn't important to her. Cadence looked at Slipstream, and he nodded before turning around and trotting deeper into the cave before the darkness swallowed him whole..
Onyx was now in full blown panic as he gently nudged Twilight. Something was very wrong. Her eyes were starting to close, but his nudge jolted her awake.
"Yes mother, right after me and Smarty Pants have our hourly book time!" she yelled before falling asleep instantly. Shining laughed as Onyx poked her harder again.
This time, Twilight woke up with a "Ow!" and she looked at him crossly.
"I had a good dream!" she said. Onyx stood up, breathless.
"I..er..have to go. Nature's calling." he said. Shining Armor grasped him and forcefully pushed him down to the seat.
"Calm down. The food didn't give you a bad stomach. Now, why don't you sit and listen to our quee-I mean, my wife?" he said, his voice starting to be menacing. Onyx glanced helplessly at Twilight, who was fortunately awake to hear this. It then dawned on her that something is off. She jumped up and formed a defensive stance against Cadence, who had a meager expression on her face. Shining Armor quickly pulled Onyx up and held him with his hooves behind his back. Onyx yelped in pain.
"Who are you and what did you do to Cadence and my brother?" she said, her horn starting to glow.
"Why Twilight! I never thought you would treat your old foalsitter like that!" exclaimed Cadence, standing up and trotting towards her. Twilight walked back, still keeping her horn aimed at her.
"Stop! If you come any closer, I will vaporize you!" she warned, channeling her magic aura through the horn to add an even threatening effect.
"She's not kidding." added Onyx, who was being held by Shining Armor. Cadence snickered.
"Ha. You are so gullible Twilight. I had my doubts when one of my minions created this plan. I thought you would never fall for it. But here you are now.." she hissed, ignoring Twilight's warning and making her way towards her. Twilight looked at her in anger.
"I guess I have no choice." she said before leaping forward and unleashing a bolt of magic. The entire cave was lit with purple light as the spell flew through the air towards Cadence. She disappeared in a burst of greenish fire and where she once was, the spell flew by and impacted with the cave wall, taking a chunk out. Twilight looked around frantically for her.
"Where did she go?!" she said, her eyes darting around the cave. As soon as she had said that, a burst of green temporarily blinded her as a pink hoof caught her by the horn. Twilight screeched in pain as she felt the surge of magic she once had stop. Cadence has grabbed Twilight by the horn.
"No!" shouted Onyx, fighting against Shining Armor, who was struggling to hold him back.
Cadence laughed maniacally as green fire started to form around her. It soon engulfed her entire form until it faded away, revealing a black carapace with holes around the legs. Her colorful mane turned dark teal, followed by an addition of fangs and a sinister horn. The same went for Shining Armor as he magically morphed into a changeling. He seemed familiar, until Twilight's eyes opened wide.
"Nucleon? What are you doing? Set us free!" she shouted. Nucleon shook his head.
"I will not disobey my Queen. I'm sorry, Twilight." he said, turning his gaze away from her. Twilight balled her hooves in anger.
"You-"
Chrysalis laughed gleefully as she held onto Twilight, which interrupted her. She twitched when Chrysalis did that.
"Dear dear. It appears that Twilight has betrayed us. For what cause? You have chosen another wrong path, and now you will be punished for it. Nightmare would be pleased to see you in chains." she rasped.
Twilight only whimpered as the pain and magic was starting to slowly build up around her horn. Sooner or later, it will explode due to the amount of magical pressure being held.
From the corner of his eyes, Onyx saw that Nucleon had loosened his grip on him. He was also distracted.
Now's my chance he thought.
Onyx quickly released himself from his grasp and punched Nucleon in the face. He collapsed on the ground, unconscious from that one-hit knockout. Chrysalis averted her gaze from Twilight to see that incident. In doing so, she released her grasp on Twilight's horn, which allowed Twilight to stumble away from her. Onyx soon reached her side as both of them backed away from a very angry Chrysalis.
"That was not clever, but I admire your bravery." said Twilight. Onyx blushed in the light that they might be killed.
"Two ponies! I wonder how love will taste like from both of you!" said Chrysalis in anticipation, licking her lips as she made her way towards them. Onyx turned to Twilight.
"Got any magic spells? Something that will kill a changeling queen and save us from this place?" he asked. Twilight shook her head.
"I know a couple, but my head hurts too much. I can't even cast a simple levitation spell, let alone do a teleportation or vaporization spell." she said sadly.
"Yeah, I can't cast any spells either. I think the food we ate probably sapped us of our magical energy-"
"Enough talking! Both of you will die!" shouted Chrysalis, leaping towards them. As she flew at them, her fangs bared, a rainbow blur tackled her and she crashed into a pile of rocks. Chrysalis had a dazed expression on her face when she got up, rubbing her head.
"Huh? What? Who did that?!" she snapped. A cyan pegasus landed in front of Onyx and Twilight, her wings out in defensive position.
Rainbow Dash grinned at the Changeling Queen, who instantly recognized her.
"The Element of Loyalty! You have come to help your friend that stabbed you in the back?" she said indignantly. Dash's grin dropped as she looked at Twilight, who kept her eyes down in shame.
"I'll admit that saving Twilight is the last thing on my mind. But she was once my friend, and we did have good times when she helped us organize Ponyville. So yeah, I'm helping her out." said Rainbow Dash. Twilight felt her eyes water. Rainbow Dash, coming back to her after she left her side? She was touched.
Chrysalis just laughed.
"You are hilarious. I suppose another source of love won't do any harm either. You cannot take me down by yourself!"
"Maybe I can't. But I do have a couple of friends." she replied before putting her hoof in her mouth and letting off a sharp whistle that echoed throughout the cave. A moment of silence soon followed, until the wall in front of them rumbled violently before collapsing, sending a storm of dust everywhere. After the dust cleared out, it revealed a soot covered Applejack and a very cross-looking Trixie, who was trying to brush the dust off her hat and cape.
"She's not alone!" shouted Applejack, taking a step forward. Trixie nodded as she took a stance, lowering her horn defensively. Twilight wondered who she was. Chrysalis giggled.
"Another two! You are really asking for a death wish, aren't you?" she said, ridiculing them. As if she asked for something, a loud yell of laughter can be heard. Twilight's ears perked up. That cheerful laughter sounded familiar...
From the entrance, a slow yellow figure was flying slowly with a pink figure on top, which was goading it to go faster. A closer look shows a very exhausted Fluttershy carrying an ecstatic Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy crashed into the ground as Pinkie dismounted from her. She looked at Fluttershy apologetically before turning to the group.
"Make that three!" she yelled. Fluttershy raised her head weakly and muttered "Four." before passing out. The Queen of the Changelings is now showing visible fright to the reinforcements.
"I-I can handle all of you!" she sputtered.
It was like Celestia was listening to her as a spark of white light flashed across the cave before it dimmed. Where the spark was now stood Rarity with Spike holding onto her back.
"Five times the charm." said Rarity, fixing her mane from the spell. Spike was still clinging onto her, his eyes closed and his teeth chattering. She turned to him and told him it was safe to dismount, and he shakily got off.
Chrysalis was in full blown panic. The six mares were slowly closing onto her. Since she wasn't cornering Twilight and Onyx, they slipped behind the ponies. She looked around and looked up. Strangely, she burst into a wide grin. The mares were confused.
"Why are you smiling? I mean, smiling is great but why are you doing it now?" demanded Pinkie Pie. Applejack looked to where Chrysalis was smiling at and gasped. High above, encased in teal colored shells were the real Shining Armor, Princess Cadence and Slipstream. They had surprised looks on their faces as the light reflected off of them. Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack and followed her gaze before gasping, taking a step back. All the ponies followed suit.
Unfortunately, this was enough time for Chrysalis to take advantage of them. Her horn glowed, signalling the nearest changelings to come. Slipstream landed next to her. A burst of green flame followed, until Nucleon appeared by his side. Slipstream's hide slowly started to dissipate until it disappeared in a greenish hue and was replaced by a gleaming black carapace. One of Chrysalis' drones was soon hissing at them.
"These two drones are my best fighters. Let's see you handle them!" boasted Chrysalis before the air around her shimmered. She soon disappeared with a few sparks, leaving the Elements with the two changelings, who were walking towards them, backs arched. Nucleon's horn glowed until a swarm formed around the ponies. He chuckled.
"Oh, this is going to be easy." he said with a sinister voice. As soon as Spike saw the army of changelings that appeared before them, he turned tail and ran out of the cave, yelling something that sounded like "Sweet tiara of Celestia!"
Rarity shook her head, muttering "Silly Spike."
Nucleon growled. His clones copied him.
"Prepare to die!" he shouted, lunging towards them. Now the action begins!
A drone was flying towards Fluttershy, who quickly covered her eyes. Before it even reached her, a strong set of legs bucked it into oblivion. The changeling crashed into the wall and exploded into pieces of lint. Fluttershy removed her hooves from her eyes and saw Applejack smiling at her. She grabbed her by the hooves and lifted her up.
"C'mon, Shy. Let's destroy them!" encouraged Applejack.
"Um ok. As long as it doesn't hurt." mumbled Fluttershy as she flew behind Applejack.
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was piloting a very dangerous Rainbow Dash. The duo made a frightening mix of speed, agility and chaos. As Rainbow Dash flew past a changeling, Pinkie swung out her rolling pin and smashed it over the drone's head. It fell down before disappearing into a pile of lint.
"Weeeeeeeeee!" shouted Pinkie, waving a bloodied rolling pin. Dash quickly swerved above to avoid a magic spell from one of the drones below.
As the two mares were causing havoc above, Rarity and Trixie were having fun casting strange and unpleasant spells on their enemies.
"Hmm..I think a new dress will do." said Rarity, her horn releasing another barrage of spells that transformed the nearest drones into piles of fabric that fluttered in the breeze. Trixie laughed at that until a drone snuck up and grabbed Rarity by the throat. Thrashing helplessly against the changeling's grasp, the drone proceeded to cut her throat. Before it could do that, a large claw reached out and smashed the changeling into a pulp. Rarity fell to the ground, gasping for air. When she looked up, she saw Trixie's horn glowing as she controlled a spirit bear that was ripping through the sea of changelings like a bulldozer. Rarity smiled in relief and reminded herself to thank Trixie for the unexpected help as she punched one of the drones that was trying to reach out for her.
Nearby, Applejack was bringing down changelings, Apple family style. She grappled with one of the drones, who was begging for mercy under her headlock. Applejack choked it to death and wiped sweat from her brow. She glanced at Fluttershy, who had a group of petrified changelings lying around her. The Stare seemed to be very effective against them, as they quickly turned into stone as soon as they met her eyes.
While Applejack was looking at her, she heard a bang behind her, and felt confetti land on her. She turned around to see a changeling struggling under a pile of pastries. Apparently, it tried to sneak up to her, but failed. Applejack looked up to see Pinkie sitting on Rainbow Dash's back, manning a mini party cannon. As she watched, Pinkie swung the cannon around and fired with a deafening bang of pastry aroma and streamers. A group of changelings were instantly wiped out by the baked bads.
"Captain, targets have been eliminated!" said Pinkie. Rainbow Dash laughed gleefully.
"Readjusting flight route." replied Dash, and both of them flew off to decimate another group of drones.
Twilight and Onyx were not part of the fight, but they were doing the most important task: Freeing their imprisoned friends.
As Onyx worked on breaking the seal holding Cadence, Twilight has already succeeded in releasing her brother. Shining Armor gasped as he looked around wildly.
"Where am I? The last thing I remember was this awful shade of black-"
"Brother! Help us free the others!" said Twilight, pointing towards the others encapsulated. Onyx already freed Cadence, who was gazing down silently. Shining Armor struggled against the cocoon and broke out of it. He moved on to Slipstream's capsule while Cadence flew towards Twilight.
"What happened, Twilight? And what's going on down there-"
"No time to explain, Cadence! We have to get you and my brother out of here. My friends are distracting the changelings below, but they won't last long. Both of you have to leave now!" said Twilight quickly. Cadence looked affronted, but she nodded her head understandingly. She flew over to Shining Armor and they had a quick discussion before he got onto her back. He turned to Twilight.
"Go to Canterlot. We'll have a proper chat there. I'll see you later, Twily. You'll make me proud." he said. Twilight smiled at that compliment as she bade her brother goodbye. Cadence flew off with surprising speed, and soon both of them disappeared outside of the cave. She then turned to Onyx and Slipstream, who were cleaning up the stragglers in the battle. Fortunately, her friends survived the skirmish with only a few bruises and scars. Just when Twilight was about to regroup with them, the cave shuddered. Pieces of rocks and stalagmites fell from the ceiling. Everypony looked around in confusion until Applejack yelled out "The cave is collapsing!"
Hell broke loose as the six ponies quickly galloped towards the entrance, jumping over wounded drones and dodging falling debris as the cave went down. Twilight too flew after them, followed by Onyx and Slipstream. As the entrance came closer, a huge piece of rock fell on top of Twilight, knocking her out.
Slipstream ran for the entrance, but Onyx stopped and grabbed hold of Twilight, dragging her through the cave. Slipstream turned back to see Onyx carrying her. At this rate, the entire cave will be on top of them if they don't make it in time. The six mares are already safe, waiting outside for them.
"There's no time, Onyx! Leave her!" shouted Slipstream.
"No!" yelled back Onyx as he avoided a dangerously sized rock that fell near him. Slipstream cursed to himself as he ran back into the cave to help Onyx pull Twilight out.
"If we die down here, I'm blaming you for this." said Slipstream. Onyx only gave him a hollow smile as the cave fell around them before darkness swallowed them whole... |
The Element of Corruption | Just Like Old Times | "Hurry girls! The entrance isn't far from us!" encouraged Pinkie Pie. The six of them were making a mad dash for the exit of the cave, which was slowly collapsing upon itself.
"We're not going to make it!" shouted Rainbow Dash, flying as fast as she could and kicking aside the falling rubble from her friends. Sadly, she was right. Right when they reached the exit, a large shockwave caused the mouth of the cave to fall upon itself, effectively blocking their only way to escape.
"Horsefeathers!" cursed Applejack as she halted herself before the exit, which was now piled high with rocks. Rainbow Dash moved towards the blocked exit and tried to move a large boulder, but it was too big and bulky.
"It's too heavy." reported Rainbow Dash. At that moment, everypony else started to freak out.
"I don't want to die!" cried Fluttershy, hyperventilating. Pinkie Pie pulled her into a hug and comforted her. Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash glumly while Rarity sighed in resignation.
As the situation looked bleak, a ray of light suddenly penetrated from the cave ceiling. The mares looked up to see a rather large clearing, with the outside view of the sky. Descending upon them is...Trixie's carriage?
Everypony was too stunned to speak, except for Trixie, who shouted "Hooray!" with joy and rushed forward.
Finally, Rarity broke the silence.
"Is that...your carriage? And it's flying?" she asked in disbelief. Trixie nodded when she said that. As they looked up, the window opened and nopony other than Spike stuck his head out of the window and waved at them, a smug expression on his face.
"What's up guys? Like the new ride?" he asked, tapping his claws against the windowsill, a look of amusement on his face.
"Wow! Spike, how did you turn it into a balloon?" shouted Pinkie.
"Well, after I ran away like a coward before the fight, I went back into the carriage. I was pacing around inside, thinking of a way to help you guys when I found this weird button that said flight mode, so I pressed it and now here we are-"
"Enough chatter Spike! Get on board everypony!" shouted Trixie. Spike ducked back into the carriage and the bottom hatch opened. A coil of rope was dropped and soon everypony was climbing up to the balloon carriage.
After the ponies were on board, Trixie beelined for the dashboard and sat down, quickly flipping the controls.. The carriage slowly tilted and lifted itself in the air. It was then she realized that somepony was missing.
"Wait, where's Twilight and those guards?" asked Trixie. Spike gasped and looked at the mares.
"We didn't let Twilight on? Lower the ship, Trixie! We have to get her!" said Spike. Trixie hesitated before pulling a lever down, which lowered the ship down.
Rainbow Dash flew to the door and pulled it open. From their view, it seems like they have a few minutes to escape at least. There was no sign of life ahead of them in the dark maw of the cave, and Spike stood by the door, keeping his claws crossed, muttering "C'mon.."
Meanwhile, to Twilight and Onyx...
The two stallions have made a steady progress so far, skillfully avoiding the falling debris. Onyx was the first to notice the floating carriage, and he quickly motioned to Slipstream to pull Twilight while he discharged a bright green flare from his horn. The flare illuminated the cave, signaling that they are coming.
As he finished the signal, Onyx heard a yelp behind him. He turned to see Slipstream on the ground, a large rock covering his right wing. He was in apparent pain as he gritted his teeth. Onyx rushed forward to help, but Slipstream waved him off.
"Go! Take Twilight and get the hay out of here!" he shouted, tugging his wing from the heavy rock.
"No! I'll get you out of this. Stay still!" he commanded. Slipstream shook his head, his mane matted against his head and his face bruised.
"There's no time Onyx. Take her and get out of here-"
"He is right, you know." said a voice behind him. Onyx whirled around to see Nucleon standing there, gasping for breath. His face contorted to rage.
"You!" he screamed, lunging towards him. Nucleon quickly reacted by forming a shield, and Onyx bounced off of it harmlessly. The shield that surrounded him slowly dissipated as Nucleon glared at him.
"Are you insane? I'm here to help!" he protested. Onyx chuckled in disbelief.
"Help? Didn't you attack us? You are the enemy. Get out of here before I neutralize you." said Onyx, taking a stance and not noticing the rapidly shaking cave. Nucleon looked frustrated as he gripped his mane, trying to control himself. Finally, he answered.
"Look, I wasn't at the fight. I don't even know what you're talking about. All I know is that one of the drones impersonated me and tried to kill you guys. I noticed the cave shaking from afar and flew as fast as I could to support you." he explained. Onyx raised his eyebrow.
"How do I know you aren't an imposter?" he asked cautiously. Nucleon sighed and lifted his left wing, revealing a small but prominent scar across the carapace.
"The drone you were fighting did not have this mark. Believe me, I wouldn't harm Twilight." he said, his voice in an almost pleading tone. Onyx looked at him thoroughly before accepting the fact he was being honest and soon, he mounted the unconscious Twilight on his back.
As he did that, he saw Slipstream crawl out from under the rock. His wing was a bloody mess as he clutched it, trying to suppress the pain. As he stumbled towards Onyx and Nucleon, a loud hiss was heard. Nucleon's eyes opened wide when he heard that.
From the darkness, another changeling came. This one looked exactly like Nucleon, except that he hissed at the ponies menacingly. Onyx exchanged worried looks with Slipstream. Which one is the real one?
"There is no escape. Surrender yourself and you will be taken to safety." he rasped. Nucleon took a step forward, glaring at him.
"You're not the real Nucleon. I am." he said. The drone laughed.
"Stop playing around. I know what you are going to do. Convince them that you are good and attack them while they have their guard down-"
"I will never do that!" he thundered. At that moment, Onyx intervened.
"Lift your left wing. Now." he said softly. The drone cursed and lifted his left wing, revealing a plain shell. Onyx's horn glowed and he launched a spell that vaporized the drone into a pile of lint and dust before the drone could react. Nucleon looked at Onyx gratefully.
"Thanks." he said.
"Don't think that I'm keeping my eyes off of you-"
He was interrupted when a low pitched whistling was heard from deep within a cave. Nucleon's ears perked up, and his eyes widened with fear. He hurried to get themselves together.
"A swarm. They are coming. Quick Onyx, grab my tail!" he shouted. He thought that was a strange request until he saw a flash of teal. The entire cave went black as changeling reinforcements flooded the cavern. Onyx ran forward and bit down on Nucleon's tail just when he took off in a burst of speed. Both of them went into the air as fast as they can, avoiding the flying circus of changelings.
Spike was the first to notice a black figure flying speedily towards them. He turned to Dash.
"There they are! Open the door wide!" he shouted to her. She nodded before pulling the door wide open. A black streak flew past them before crashing into the inside of the carriage. Spike quickly closed the door as Trixie lifted the lever, allowing the balloon to levitate itself out.
Onyx, Nucleon and Twilight were all in a pile. He got up, dazed. He then noticed the carriage ascending, so he made a dash for the window. The rocks were falling like mad now as he saw Slipstream hold off the changelings from attacking the balloon. He turned to the balloon.
"Why are you still here?! GET OUT!" he screamed, before taking one of the changeling's magic beams to his left leg. Slipstream crashed to the ground, but he put up a good fight, taking down a few drones that were trying to approach him despite his fallen state and bloody stump of a wing.. Onyx opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Trixie.
"Here we go. Hopefully, the rocks will not puncture the balloon's outer layer." she shouted as the carriage suddenly flew up. Bolts of spells whizzed past them as they went up.
"No! Get back down!" he shouted, rushing up to Trixie. She shook her head firmly.
"We are not going down there. If we do, we will all die!" she responded, slapping his hooves away from the control panel as more and more rocks fell down past them. The entire carriage turned dark until they burst from the ground. Rays of sunshine penetrated from the window, flooding the entire room with a golden light. Onyx backed away from the window and looked at it. He cannot comprehend what happened.
"Slipstream...Slipstream..." he muttered before falling asleep from exhaustion and disbelief. Rainbow Dash shook her head as Spike ran towards Twilight, who was slowly stirring. She slowly opened her eyes and evaluated her surroundings.
"Wh-where am I?" she asked. Applejack glared at her.
"Rainbow, tie her and that changeling up." she ordered. Rainbow Dash did a double take on that order.
"Um..what?" she said unsurely.
"Do it!" she shouted. Rainbow Dash flew a few feet in the air before grabbing a coil of rope and tying it around Twilight.
Twilight was visibly startled.
"What? What are you doing? I thought we were friends-OOF!" she said as an orange hoof smashed against her face. She tasted blood in her mouth before spitting it out. Spike stared at Applejack angrily, as if he wants to roast her with his dragon breath.
"What in hay are you doing, Applejack?" asked Spike. She pointed at Twilight.
"She has some explaining to do. And ah don't trust that changeling for a second. Tis' better if we have 'em tied up like a pig." she said. As Spike was about to say a retort, Rarity took a step forward.
"Although I do not agree with Applejack, this occasion is an exception. Twilight has left us for a reason, and it is understandable for us to...extract the information from her. Also, that changeling has to be taken to Canterlot for immediate interrogation." she said. Spike was still not convinced, but Twilight spoke up.
"Spike, thanks for your support, but I think it's best that I answer each and every question they ask me." she said. He nodded, defeated. Twilight then looked on at Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
"Ask away." she said, ready to be bombarded with questions.
Canterlot Castle...
It has been another busy week for the Princess. Local complaints and news of uprisings from nearby colonies have kept pestering her. Just when she dismissed her fifth adviser the door to her chamber burst open. One of her Royal Guards galloped in and halted before her, hastily bowing.
"Your highness, I have news. Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadence have arrived. They have news about the current whereabouts of Twilight Sparkle...and they have even more dire news." he said, gasping for air. It took a moment for her to absorb the information, but she heard it correctly. Princess Celestia stood up and dismissed all her advisors, who were lined up, assuring that she will get to them very soon.
"Bring them to the Conference Chamber." she said before trotting outside of the chamber, two guards by her sides. The guard nodded before dashing off to where they are located...
Twenty minutes later, at the Royal Conference Chamber...
"Glad to see you two in good health." greeted the Princess. Shining Armor was sitting across from her, right next to Cadence. He nodded his head once to acknowledge that.
When both of them have landed in the Castle courtyard, it caused chaos for the guards. Going through security checks and identity scans were hard enough, but to get audience with the Princess was thought "impossible" by Cadence.
Luckily, the guards took pity and allowed them inside to meet Celestia.
Shining Armor stood up and looked at her in the eye.
"Princess, we have a very big problem." he said. Celestia raised her eyebrows and leaned forward at the table, clasping her hooves together.
"Really? What is the trouble?" she asked. He exchanged looks with Cadence.
"Princess Celestia, the changelings have a big plan. They are going to invade us. Again." he said. Celestia looked intrigued.
"Again? Didn't they learn their lesson the last time they tried to invade us?" she said. Cadence then stood up.
"Aunt, it's an even bigger issue than you think. I don't think they are that stupid to repeat the first invasion. You see, my husband told me that they are going to infiltrate the Crystal Empire to revive Sombra, and with his assistance, they will overtake Canterlot." she said, visibly shaken.
Shining expected the Princess to be serious, but he was surprised when she burst out laughing.
"Oh, good one dear niece. But you see, they cannot bring back King Sombra. He was blasted into smithereens after the Elements of Harmony dealt with him. I doubt he can come back to life that easily." she explained.
Frustrated that Celestia isn't taking him or Cadence seriously, Shining Armor marched to where the Princess was and pounded his hooves against the smooth wooden table.
"They will succeed. Do you know why?" he asked, trying to hold his temper. Celestia shook her head.
"They. Will. Use. My. Sister. Twilight will die. They are going to extract her magic and use it resurrect him. Are you going to sit here and wait for that to happen?" he said, his teeth gritted. Cadence gasped. Under the Royal code, nopony is allowed to speak like that to the Princess. Even if they are the Captain of the Royal Guard.
Celestia stared at his angry face coolly. She sighed before standing up.
"You will have full control of the airship fleet. Give the infantry the green light to board the ships." she said, glancing at the guards standing next to her. They heeded her orders and walked out of the doors. Cadence coughed, which caught Celestia's attention. She looked at her.
"Do you have something to say?" she asked. Cadence had a flushed expression on her face.
"Well...erm...if you are sending your guards out to my kingdom...who will deal with your sister?" she asked, a nervous tone in her voice. Shining Armor widened his eyes at her.
Celestia stiffened with a frozen look on her face. She didn't say anything. Shining decided it was best that they leave.
"C'mon, Cadence. Let's go." he said, urging her. She followed after him, but looked back towards the Princess. Celestia was still staring off into space. Cadence shook her head and left, gently closing the door...
Back to the Mane Six...
"I estimate we have about half an hour before we reach Canterlot." announced Trixie to the ponies. They broke into a cheer, and had a good reason too.
Hours of questioning Twilight has come to an end. She tearfully went through all the details, telling them how she was bewitched by Nightmare Moon and how she had no choice but to accept. When it came to the part where she attacked Fluttershy, Twilight's voice almost broke when she said that she could hear conflicting voices in her head telling her to either do it or not. After that, she explained her encounters with the guards in the maze and how they held off everypony during the skirmish.
After her explanation, the Mane Five in turn explained how they found Twilight and everypony else in the cave. Apparently, they were by the ruined steam room when a distant rumble was heard. Trixie detected a spike of thermal energy with her horn, and they followed her until they found the cave with the ponies in it.
Feeling that the scores were settled, Twilight's former friends were satisfied with her explanation.
"Ah've never thought of it that way." she said, untying her bonds until she was free. Rainbow Dash then flew in front of her.
"Between you and me, if you try doing that again, I will hurt you really bad. Nothing personal." she said menacingly, before breaking into a grin and punching Twilight on her shoulder. Just when Twilight was about to reply, she was pulled into a hug by Pinkie Pie, who was ecstatic with joy.
"Twilight is back! Yay! Group hug, everypony!" she shouted. She then felt five bodies thump against her as her friends laughed and embraced each other. Even Trixie was begrudgingly pulled into the hug by a very insistent Pinkie, and Spike jumped into the center of the group of hug.
A few seconds later, a muffled Twilight said "Guys? Can you get off now?"
They got off and went back to their regular routine. Twilight trotted up to Nucleon's unconscious form.
"What will happen to him?" she asked quietly. Rainbow Dash shook her head.
"I dunno, but I think he's going to go through trial. Maybe they will execute him." she said hopefully.
"Rainbow! That's not nice!" interjected Fluttershy. Dash laughed as she hovered above them. Twilight shook her head.
"I don't know. He did attack us, but my gut tells me something is off..." she trailed off, her eyes glazed. She turned to Onyx, who slowly came back to them.
"Ugh..what happened? The last thing I remember was crashing inside a flying carriage." he groaned, rubbing the back of his head. Twilight went over to him.
"Onyx, you need to tell me what happened in that cave. All of us need to hear what went on down there." she said soothingly. He scrunched his face in concentration.
"Well, you were hit by a rock. I was dragging you back to the carriage while Slipstream-" he stopped when he said his name. It then dawned on Twilight that Slipstream wasn't in the vehicle with them.
"Onyx...where is Slipstream?" she asked. He just shook his head, not believing what happened to his comrade.
"He's dead, Twilight. He died trying to fend off those drones that were going to disable the carriage. The entire cave collapsed on top of him." he said sadly. Twilight looked down. Behind her, Applejack took her hat off and held it by her chest. Everypony became silent until Twilight broke the silence.
"When Nucleon attacked us, what did-"
"Nucleon wasn't attacking us. One of the drones was impersonating him, as he claims. He seemed sincere, though. He showed me a small scar under his wing that the drone didn't have, and he helped me drag you out of there." he explained. Twilight looked at Nucleon and felt a twang of affection.
"Rainbow, untie him please." she said. Rainbow Dash saluted her with her hooves and flew over to him, quickly cutting the rope. His body fell sideways, and Rainbow quickly put his body in a leaning position. Trixie turned towards them from the cockpit.
"We are here. We are at Canterlot. Prepare to disembark." she said, pulling a lever from the top of the control panel. The ship descended just when everypony rushed forward to the windows to see the signature Royal Castle glistening in the sunset.
Onyx took off his broken armor and discarded it. He agreed to carry Nucleon, and he levitated him on his back and firmly secured the body.
Twilight felt butterflies in her stomach. Although it has been exactly eight months since she left the Princess's side, she feared Celestia's wrath. Also, she was scared of facing the local citizens, who were informed of Twilight's defection.
As everypony got off the ship, Twilight stayed behind. She felt a hoof on her shoulder and turned to see Trixie smiling at her.
"Nervous?" she asked. Twilight just nodded. Trixie let go of her and stared at the castle too.
"It's just like stage fright. If you were a regular performer and popular with the audience, such as I, and you suddenly disappeared for almost a year and made a reappearance, you would be afraid to perform. The same applies here. You must conquer fright, Twilight." she said.
"I'm just afraid of the Princess and how everypony will think of me." she said sadly.
"Trixie went through your hoofsteps. Trixie too was ridiculed back in Ponyville. Do you know what happened?" she asked. Twilight shook her head.
"Trixie came back a few months later. Trixie might've been a laughingstock, but nopony can undermine the Great and Powerful Trixie's self-esteem!" she exclaimed. Twilight hesitated before nodding in determination. She followed Trixie out of the carriage...and both of them followed the five ponies and the baby dragon that were slowly walking towards the large castle... |
The Element of Corruption | Confrontation | It was yet another beautiful day in Canterlot. The sky was cloudless, the sun was bright and the city was full of activity. So why did Twilight feel so nervous?
She was back where she belonged: Close to her friends, close to her family, close to her mentor. And two of the three seemed to have forgiven her already. Despite her utter betrayal, despite her alignment, and even despite what she's physically become, her friends walked by her side.
As for Princess Celestia... She had always been a fair ruler. For as long as Twilight knew her, she had been a beacon of forgiveness, and acceptance, even against her enemies.
So technically, there was no reason for Twilight to be nervous. Right?
As the group of ponies walked up to the main gate, Twilight spotted a poster that had a mugshot of her on it, with a heading: "Wanted alive. Highly dangerous. Offering 50,000 bit bounty for information leading to capture."
"Wow...you really are famous, aren't you?" remarked Trixie. Twilight just gulped. Scratch that thought about the Princess being forgiving.
As they neared the gate, Onyx stopped and turned to Twilight.
"I suggest you disguise yourself as somepony else. It's not very smart to waltz right in as your original form." he said. She nodded and closed her eyes. A burst of green fire later, she transformed into Slipstream. Onyx glared at her, and she chuckled sheepishly before transforming again into a random mare with a green mane and a dark yellow hide.
"No offense Twilight, but that mane color is hideous!" said Rarity.
"I don't know Rarity, I think it suits her." said Rainbow Dash, snickering.
"What's taking you slowpokes so long? Let's go!" shouted a very eager Pinkie Pie, who somehow got extremely ahead of them. Onyx stared at her.
"How did she-?"
"You don't wanna know." said Applejack, trotting past him. He just shook his head and everypony continued to the gate.
When they finally reached the gleaming white gate, there were two guards standing side by side outside the gate. Both of them were clutching razor sharp spears. As Onyx walked up to them, they both quickly drew their spears at him, stoic expressions on their faces.
"State your name and business. The same applies for the mares behind you." said one of them. He looked above them and saw another pair of guards eyeing him from the guard tower. Both of them were armed with crossbows and seemed keen to fire a bolt at him.
"Sergeant Onyx of the Phoenix Guard." he said, his horn projecting his service record as proof. The first guard studied it before he gasped, while the second one gaped at him. Both of them suddenly became still and saluted him rather hastily.
"Sir, welcome to Canterlot! Enjoy your stay here." barked the guard. Onyx grinned as his service record faded. The guard looked up and showed the gate guards a hooves up sign, and the gate slowly raised itself.
As Onyx went in, he noticed the startled expressions of the guards, and followed their gaze to the changeling on his back.
"I captured this one outside while on a mission. Just going to show it to the Princess." he explained to them. The guards around him relaxed and laughed, ushering him in. Behind him, the Elements were stopped by the guards, who blocked the entrance with their spears.
"State your name and business-"
"You know who we are." said Rainbow Dash crossly, nudging the spear out of the way as they made their way in. He realized it was the Elements of Harmony.
"Sweet Celestia, it's the Elements of Harmony." muttered the first guard, saluting them. The second one almost fainted.
"I've always wanted their autographs." he mouthed over to his partner. He shook his head.
Twilight felt extremely jumpy as she felt the eyes of the guards on her. After she passed them, she felt her heartbeat return to normal.
With that out of the way, Twilight looked at her hometown. She breathed deeply. Home sweet home. It has been too long. They walked a few clicks forward before Onyx stopped again.
"Well, this is where we part ways. I have to go drop him off at the dungeon and...well..break him for any information. I then have to write a report to Princess Celestia explaining to her what happened...and about Slipstream." he said, shaking all of their hooves. He hesitated at shaking Twilight's hooves, but he managed to. She felt a pang of regret for Nucleon, but it was for the best.
"Good luck." he told her before his horn glowed white with energy. Both him and Nucleon disappeared in a shower of sparks. Pinkie Pie started to hop.
"Are we going to see the Princess yet?" she asked.
"I hope so." replied Fluttershy, gazing up at the great castle. As she said that, a group of guards galloped past them. The leader of the group was shouting orders as they turned left and disappeared around the cafe behind them.
"What was that all about?" asked Twilight. Applejack shrugged.
"Beats me. Let's get goin', girls." she said. Heeding her orders, they all walked to the path that winded to the castle.
Study of the Princess, Canterlot Castle...
Princess Celestia watched from the balcony of her personal study as the guards assembled themselves. Out of the army of gold plated stallions, she spotted one with a blue trim: a Captain.
She looked as Shining Armor barked out orders for his guards to quit being "mares" and line up properly.
Somepony knocked on her door.
"Come in." she shouted. The door creaked open and one of her servants walked in, bowing to her.
"Princess, Sergeant Onyx is here, and would like to seek an audience with you. He also brought a changeling, which is currently in the dungeon." he said. Celestia thought about it.
Onyx and Slipstream... Both had boarded the airship that Cadence commandeered, and were gone for eight whole months, without her permission. That alone could result in insubordination, or even a discharge from the Royal Guard. The Princess had half a mind to just end his career right now. However, it was wrong to do something like that unless she hears them out first.
In the end, she sighed.
"Let him in. I want to speak personally to him, in my study." she said. The servant nodded before leaving the room to call him in.
Miles under Canterlot Castle...
The dungeon was a dark and musty place. Water dripped from the ceiling, and the floor was covered with ages of grime and dust. All the cells were carved into the stone, with no view to the outside due to the dungeon being subterranean. Torches illuminated the hallways, with shadows bouncing around.
At the farthest end of the corridor was a large cell, with only one occupant. Two armed guards stood outside, swords at the ready, keeping watch on the changeling inside the cell.
Nucleon looked around the cell. There are no windows to let sunlight in. His bed was a flat piece of stone. At the corner of the cell was a small hole, which served as the bathroom. Great.
He sat down and looked at his hooves. They were chained to a large weight with thick, heavy chains. They also told him that teleporting out is useless because of the enchantments that disabled any magical powers.
As he stared off into space at the wall, he thought about his decision. Leaving the hive. Betraying the queen. All for saving the life of a mare he loved.
But was she worth saving? Worth leaving the Queen for? mused Nucleon. He shook his head. No, it was for a greater cause. He was helping the ponies from Nightmare Moon.
Yet, he couldn't imagine himself facing his brothers in combat. He knew he was screwed both ways. Princess Celestia might execute him, and Queen Chrysalis would do the same too if he tried to return back to his hive. Maybe it would be better if he just committed suicide right now, to leave all this behind.
That's cowards talk, Nucleon. Get a grip on yourself. If I'm charged for execution, I'll fight with my last breath before they could kill me. Better dying with a fight than dying of cowardice. he thought.
Nucleon's stomach growled in hunger. He sighed and lied down on the cold flat stone. What he will do for a clean bed and a hot meal...
Back at the Princess's study...
Onyx walked into Celestia's study. He was unsure why she called him into her personal abode, but he knew it was something serious. He looked around. She was nowhere to be found. Her chair behind the desk was empty, and there were two chairs in front of it for guests. He didn't sit down, thinking it would be rude.
The shelves were filled with ancient tomes, and intricate gadgets were lined up against a shelf. A couple were whirring and making strange noises, but some were off. A window behind showed the sun high up in the sky, with double doors leading to the balcony.
A squawk made him jump. He turned to see Philomena sitting on her perch. She squawked again and disappeared in a column of fire. Onyx relaxed a bit. It was just the Princess's pet phoenix.
Suddenly, the room was filled with golden light. He shielded his eyes as the light grew brighter, and finally, dimmed down. He lowered his hooves to see the Princess standing before him. Onyx clumsily bowed to her until she told him to steady himself.
"Sit down." she ordered. He quickly sat down. Her anger was apparent from the tone of her voice.
Princess Celestia studied him with her wide magenta eyes, as if she could see through his body, which made Onyx feel uncomfortable. Finally, the Princess spoke.
"Where have you been for the last eight months?" she asked. He stayed silent, looking down at his hooves. She leaned forward.
"Onyx, I want a reply. Why were you gone for almost a year? Why didn't you tell me you were going? Most importantly, where is Slipstream?" she asked, her voice lessening to a kind tone. Onyx hesitated before answering.
"Um..you see Princess, I went with Slipstream and Cadence to rescue Captain Shining Armor." he stammered. Celestia raised her brows.
"And that took you that long? Please, don't hold anything back from me. I do not want to use an alternative method of extracting information from ponies, but if I must, I will. " she said, her horn glowing with a golden aura.
"I am answering truthfully, ma'am! Very well, I won't hold back anything." he pleaded. She leaned back, her horn slowly losing charge. She seemed relieved of not using the mind extraction spell.
"Thank you. Explain to me in detail what happened over that time." she said.
"I was in the barracks with Slipstream when Princess Cadence came in. Normally, she didn't have the security clearance to enter, but she somehow got in. She came up to us because we were the highest ranked in the barracks at the time. Cadence took us and a couple of others to the hangar, where we snuck in through a back entrance and boarded the airship. Naturally, she plotted the flight route to where the Captain was." he said, his mouth running dry from explaining.
Celestia absorbed all of this before letting him continue.
"After we arrived, me and Slipstream dropped in to and managed to pull the Captain out through the ruckus. We left by ship, but the drones didn't want to let us go that easily, so they boarded our ship. We tried to stop them, but they disabled it and we crashed. We were all scattered, but I rescued Twilight and brought her back to my superiors, whom were actually changelings. The real trio were frozen in the capsule they created." The Princess raised her hoof to stop him.
"Hold on. Are you saying that Shining Armor and my niece are changelings?" she asked. Onyx shook his head.
"No, ma'am. The changelings disguised themselves as them first, but we rescued the real ones shortly after I fought them with Twilight." he said, reassuring her. Celestia told him to continue.
"Eventually, reinforcement came in the form of the Elements of Harmony, who helped us fend off the attackers. The fighting made the cave unstable so it started to fall upon us, so we had to get out. Twilight was knocked out by a falling rock, so I had to drag her. Slipstream's wing got hit by a boulder, so he was down. Nucleon arrived shortly and after a small argument, he helped us escape from the falling cavern and into the balloon that unicorn summoned. After we got in, Slipstream-" he stopped there, unable to continue.
Celestia sensed something was wrong.
"Onyx, what happened to Slipstream?" she asked gently. He just looked away from her.
"He-he died, your Highness. He sacrificed himself so we could escape. He held back the drones that were trying to kill us." he whispered. The Princess hung her head in silence.
"He will be remembered, Onyx. I will make sure that my guards find and retrieve his body. He will have a proper funeral, especially since he served under my personal guard." she said kindly. Onyx nodded, wiping his snout. Hopefully, the Princess will be merciful and let him off the hook. Celestia seemed to feel the same way.
"I sense you are telling me the truth. You are dismissed for now. Be as it may that I have not personally demoted you. However, you shall be on bathroom duty for the next four weeks."
"But ma'am, not bathroom duty! Anything but that-" She raised her hoof to silence him.
"You should be grateful I did not strip you of your rank or discharge you from service. You may leave now. Oh, and before you forget, I want you to send up Nucleon from the dungeon." she said firmly. He nodded in defeat and walked towards the door. Before he left, he said without turning around "By the way ma'am, Twilight is here. You should see her.". After that, he left through the door and closed it gently.
Celestia froze when she heard that. She quickly broke out of her trance and tapped on a gem shard that was sitting on her desk. The piece glowed, and she spoke into it.
"Guards, if the Elements of Harmony come into the castle, tell them to send Twilight Sparkle up to my study. Escort her with the highest priority." she commanded. A crackle of static later, one of the guards answered.
"Will do, your highness." responded one of them. The Princess had a neutral expression on her face. Twilight would have a lot of explaining to do...
A few floors down the castle...
The Elements reached the main entrance to the castle, which was a large wooden door flanked by two guards holding spears. Both of them were still as a statue. Pinkie Pie hopped up to them and started making faces and funny noises.
"I love playing this game!" she yelled, sticking her tongue out at them. As if on cue, the guard instantly lowered his spear and aimed the tip against the pink pony's throat. Pinkie stopped and had a terrified look on her face. Her friends too shared the same expressions. The guard soon spoke.
"Stay back and state your business." he said sharply. Rarity stepped forward.
"We are the Elements of Harmony. I am Rarity. Those behind me are Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle. Oh, and that unicorn is Trixie, but she is not an Element." she said. The guard narrowed his eyes.
"Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack are recognized by the gate. Trixie is not recognized. Welcome to the Royal Castle." he said, moving the spear aside and letting them in. Twilight glanced at Trixie, who was held back.
"Don't worry, I'll be at my carriage with Spike." she said sadly before turning around and walking away. She then turned back to her friends and trotted through the lush courtyard. A large fountain welcomed them, and the sunlight glimmered off the water, revealing a rainbow. Neatly trimmed hedges lined the paths, and the aroma of flowers wafted through the air.
However, their visit was cut short when a guard halted them. He was clutching a piece of parchment.
"Which one of you is Twilight Sparkle?" he asked. Twilight raised her hoof. The guard looked down at the parchment and then at Twilight, obviously confused.
"Your appearance doesn't match with the picture. Are you sure you are Twilight Sparkle?" he said. She sighed in resignation before morphing back to her original pony form. He jumped backwards, dropping the piece of parchment.
"This matches the picture! Twilight Sparkle, you are hereby summoned personally by Princess Celestia. She would like to meet with you." he said. Twilight's heart started to pound heavily again as she started to tremble. She glanced back at everypony. Rainbow Dash nodded her head, while Pinkie Pie gave her a huge smile. The others had blank expressions on their faces. She turned to the guard with a determined look on her face.
"Let's go." she said. The guard turned and led her to another doorway. Before she left, one of her friends shouted "Good luck, Twilight."
She didn't need to turn around to hear who that was. The quiet, timid voice already had revealed itself to Twilight. Smiling to herself, she went through the door, and the door closed after her.
I've left the Princess, served under Nightmare Moon, freed the Spirit of Chaos, transformed into a changeling, supported the changelings in the fight and somehow involved in the capture of my brother. The least she can do is banish me to the Everfree Forest she thought sadly.
Meanwhile, at the dungeon...
Nucleon looked at the tray of food given to him. Under normal circumstances, he would eat anything that looked edible. But the jail food was... disgusting, to say the least. Half of it wasn't even solid to chew.
He made a face and threw the tray away. It splattered against the floor, spreading the contents out everywhere. Just then, two burly guards appeared in front of the cell, the first one swinging a large set of rusty keys.
"The Princess would like to see you." said one of them, unlocking the cell door and swinging it open. Nucleon shuffled out of it, trying to move in his locked state.
"You know, taking these off would've helped." he said. The second guard laughed, as if he made a joke.
"You 'earin this fool? Sorry mate, but this is for ya own good." he said, pushing him so he can walk forward. He sighed. So much for compassion.
"Why does the Princess want to see me?" he asked cautiously. The guard shrugged.
"Beats me. Maybe she wants to execute you." he said gruffly. The guard next to him burst into a sadistic smile.
"'Magine he was executed? Serves 'im right. Changelings don't deserve to be in Canterlot" he said.
"How touching." said Nucleon dryly. Hopefully, whatever the guards were saying won't happen to him. But he heard about the Princess, so he won't take any risks that will set her off. At least, not the ones that involve her beheading him in front of a large crowd in Canterlot. |
The Element of Corruption | Judgement | Nightmare Moon watched from the ridge that overlooked the Crystal Empire. She saw swarms of changelings flying en masse over the empire. The citizens of the kingdom looked up in terror as the drones caused havoc by breaking property and smashing various artifacts. The guards were trying to keep the chaos at bay, but they were no match for the drones. As Nightmare watched, a pair of changelings shoved one of the guards back until he fell, and quickly tied him up with their special sap.
Most of the houses were invaded by them, and a couple of changelings dragged out the ponies hiding within. As if on cue, the large fountain in the Plaza exploded, showering the ponies with water and ceramic as the statue mounted on top of it collapsed. The changelings were very hyperactive.
Nightmare felt a burst of heat wash over her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Chrysalis standing there.
"My changelings have successfully captured the Castle. Unfortunately, Shining Armor and Cadence are not there." she reported.
"That is good. This means Princess Cadence cannot activate the castle defense." replied Nightmare. Chrysalis looked affronted.
"How's that good? My poor drones are starving. They found no source of love to consume and survive!" she said angrily. Nightmare raised her hoof to silence her. She then pointed down at the chaos happening below.
"I do not see them starving." she said. Chrysalis followed her gaze and saw a couple of changelings feasting from the bodies of unconscious crystal ponies.
Chrysalis was speechless. Nightmare smirked.
"Where is Discord?" she asked. Chrysalis snapped from her gaze.
"He's inside the castle at the moment. He said he will open the entrance to the Crystal Cavern." she said. Nightmare Moon nodded.
"My plan is progressing smoothly." she said. However, Chrysalis looked at her strangely.
"But Twilight Sparkle has left our side. You said that she is an integral part of our plan!" she objected. Nightmare only chuckled and her horn glowed. A small black box popped out of the blue in front of her. It opened, and a small black tiara slowly levitated out of the box. It was the Element of Magic, except for the color scheme. The corrupted tiara pulsed with arcane energy as she held it in her magical field.
"We do not need her. This tiara imbued Twilight's magical prowess. However, I have cast a charm on it that allowed the Element to be tied to her soul. When we sacrifice it, she will die. We get to kill two birds with one stone, as she'll be getting her comeuppance for leaving me. Besides, even if she manages to survive, I will personally hunt her down and eliminate her from the face of Equestria."
"Aren't you clever..." muttered Chrysalis, averting her gaze to her swarm that successfully overtook the Crystal Kingdom. Drones were rounding up the crystal ponies and were sending them to a large, fenced area, possibly to use them as a love source.
Nightmare placed the Element of Magic carefully in the chest and locked it before she warped it to somewhere safe. She then told Chrysalis to get busy and to disable the Crystal Heart, which would prevent it from sending a distress beacon to Cadence and would decline the morale of the kingdom's residents. She nodded, teleporting with a bang. Nightmare had a dark expression on her face as she looked on.
"Run, Twilight. The clock is ticking, and King Sombra is waiting." she said quietly.
Meanwhile at Canterlot...
After climbing up several flights of stairs, the guard stopped at a small brownish looking door with an intricate lock. He inserted his horn and twisted it sharply to the left. The door hummed with energy, and it slid open with a hiss. Twilight followed him through the door, which closed behind her. She was impressed.
They must have improved security a hundredfold since the last time I was here. she thought. It seemed like the guard read her mind, because he told her the door is made out of "Strengthened imperial bronze, able to withstand the most extreme kinds of pressure. It is also resistant to fire, explosives and many other ways to get around it."
Both of them were in a long corridor. Small golden lamps lit the way, brightly illuminating the hall. Paintings of ponies dotted the walls. Twilight recognized one of them: it was Starswirl the Bearded. The figure was painted in oils, but she had an odd feeling that it was watching her. Guilt racked up inside her. How would Starswirl think of her at this state if he was here with her?
The guard that was taking her was silent. A few minutes of trotting later, they reached a set of golden doors. Two guards clad in a special type of golden armor stood side by side. Both were armed with sharp swords that flickered blue and white. Twilight looked quizzically at their weapons.
"Arcane swords. They are charged with magical energy. Only Elite Guards use them. You do NOT want to get stabbed by those swords." said the guard escorting her, answering Twilight's puzzled expression. She nodded understandingly.
The guard walked up to the two Elite Guards and showed them his identification. They scrutinized his ID and nodded, parting their swords. The door swung open, letting both of them in. It was a study, filled with books and gadgets. Philomena sat on her perch at the corner of the room, cooing occasionally. Two chairs were in front of them, which faced the polished wooden desk. The occupant behind it had her back to them.
"Your majesty, Twilight Sparkle is here." he announced, bowing. Twilight felt jumpy. She felt her mouth run dry. How is she going to explain the events that have happened?
"Good. You may leave." she said, without turning to them. The guard nodded and trotted out of the room, closing the door behind him.
It was now Twilight and Princess Celestia in the room. An awkward silence passed.
"So. Twilight Sparkle. You came back." said Princess Celestia, breaking the silence and turning around to face her. Twilight immediately dropped her gaze. Celestia frowned at her.
"Please look up." she asked. The lavender pony raised her head and looked at her. She searched for malice in her eyes. She knew that the Princess must be eager to punish her for what she brought upon Equestria. She kept staring at Celestia with fearful eyes, looking for signs of betrayal, anger,and hate, all of which she deserved. Yet, she found none of those. Instead, the Princess' expression was full of pity.
"I want to know why you chose this path." she said. Twilight kept quiet, her eyes glued to the floor. This went on for five minutes until Celestia sighed and stood up. She turned around and faced her window, which offered a fantastic view of the sun setting in Canterlot.
"Princess...I was...bewitched by Nightmare Moon." croaked Twilight. The Princess turned around, a look of understanding on her face.
"Why? Bewitchment charms usually put up a fight with the host's own opinions and ideas. Strong minded ponies can sometimes overcome it. What made you turn against me and accept the charm?" she asked, her tone becoming urgent. Twilight inhaled deeply and finally let it out.
"Forgive me, Princess! I thought you were using me as a pawn, to do your biddings! The voice in my head...it kept telling me that you only took me as your student because I had strong magical powers! It-it told me how my friends only liked me because I was your student. I-I thought everyone was using me!" she screamed, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Celestia looked surprised as Twilight cried, tears dripping to the floor.
As she wiped her eyes with her hooves, she felt something warm over. Twilight looked up to see the Princess covering her with her wing. She had a warm smile on her face.
"Twilight, I would never use you. Yes, you possessed strong magical talent since the very first day.I took you in as my student, because I wanted to teach you how to master your abilities, and help you reach your full potential." she said gently.
"B-but that v-voice-"
"She was manipulating you, my little pony. Look at me. Look at me, Twilight." said the Princess. A pair of lavender eyes locked with the magenta eyes, and Twilight realized that her mentor's eyes were filled with compassion. Right at this moment, a small, golden wisp was slowly seeping out of the Princess. Twilight looked at it curiously as the small cloud floated towards her and wafted into her snout.
It felt like a fire had ignited inside of her heart, and she felt a feeling of warmth spreading through her body, tingling her senses and filling her up with something...was it hope?
She sobbed and buried her face onto the Princess's wing. Celestia, not noticing the vapor, patted her on the back, trying to calm her down.
"Twilight, you have chosen the wrong path. But your mistakes can be rectified. Aid me in stopping my sister and her allies. I have already forgiven you, but the entire kingdom is still thinks that you are the enemy. This is your moment to earn back their trust." she said. Twilight looked up. The tears have dried up on her face, but a look of determination soon filled it.
"Yes, I will do the right thing for the kingdom." she said firmly. The Princess smiled at that remark. For Twilight, those words meant a lot for her. She felt a huge burden lift off of her as she smiled for the first time. And it was not a fake smile. She genuinely had a feeling of joy.
"You will do excellent, my faithful student. But before I dismiss you, you are going to need a partner for the task that I will assign you." she said.
"Pardon, Princess, but why me? I thought you wouldn't task me with anything from now on. How are you trusting me that quickly?" asked Twilight, confused. Princess Celestia ignored that question and her horn glowed. The door of her study glowed with a golden aura, and it swung open. Two Royal Guards carried Nucleon into the room, who kept struggling fruitlessly against his chains.
"Let me go!" he shouted. "One of the guards let go of his hoof and punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of the changeling's lungs, effectively shutting him up. Nucleon doubled over in pain, his face contorted in agony, unable to breathe for a moment. The guard who had punched him looked apologetically at the Princess.
"My apologies, your highness. This one was giving us issues when he dragged him up here." he explained. The Princess raised her hoof to cut him short and dismissed both of them immediately. As the door shut behind Nucleon, he glanced at Twilight and froze, feeling his heart skip. Fortunately, he controlled himself and managed a subtle nod, before ignoring her eyes. She too nodded back. He then turned to the Princess with a calm expression on his face.
"Am I going to be executed?" he asked. Princess Celestia shook her head.
"Unlock." she said sharply. The chains that held his hooves together simply slid open and clanked against the floor.
Nucleon felt his hooves and rubbed them in relief. He looked up, puzzled.
"So I'm not going to be executed? Why-"
He fell silent when Princess Celestia glared at him.
"Take a seat. We're going to have a long talk relating to Nightmare Moon and the Crystal Empire." said Princess Celestia, pointing at the chair next to Twilight. He rolled his eyes.
"What if I don't? What's the point of helping you? You've forgiven her, so my job is done." he said. The Princess laughed at that, and leaned forward.
"You know, I would love to keep you in the dungeon. But Onyx told me you may be a valuable asset to us. So sit down." she said.
"Either way, I'm bucked. I can't go back to my Queen, she will shun me from the hive. I don't know about helping you. For all that matters, you'll probably turn turn around and tell them to kill me after I help you." he said indifferently. Princess Celestia leaned back and raised her brows at him. Finally, she answered.
"Very well. I have an offer. You will help us reclaim the Crystal Kingdom and stop my sister along with her friends, and I'll offer you asylum in Equestria. Your former Queen will not do this for you. You have my word, as a Princess never breaks a promise." she said, sticking her hoof out.
Nucleon thought about it. She was right about Chrysalis. The Queen doesn't tolerate traitors, and if he goes back, she will at the least publicly humiliate and/or kill him. Yet, he doesn't think that he will fit in with the normal pony folks if he accepts Celestia's offer.
Hey, at least it's still better than going back to the conditions of the Hive. Queen Chrysalis never treats us well. This might be my chance to start anew. he thought. He finally decided to accept her offer, and he shook her hoof. Princess Celestia had a smile on her face as Nucleon took a seat next to Twilight, ready to hear what she has to say.
Back at the Crystal Empire...
Nightmare Moon strolled through the bottom of the castle, where the Crystal Heart was mounted. She was amazed with the architecture as she looked around. As she admired the underbelly of the castle, she spotted a few changelings that surrounded the heart, looks of hunger on their faces.
"Shiny and filled with love" rasped one of them.
"I agree. Let me try some." said the other one, reaching out towards it. Before he could touch it, the air around them shimmered and Discord appeared, looking oddly serious. He clicked his claws and Nightmare felt a sense of vertigo as the castle flipped upside down. The drones yelled in surprise and crashed into the ceiling. Luckily, Nightmare reacted before she fell and opened her wings, allowing her to hover.
"Don't lay a hoof on the Crystal Heart! I still have to do a few more enchantments and disable the defense mechanism before you can feast on it. Until then, no touching!" he warned them. The changelings acknowledged this, frightened looks on their faces. Discord, satisfied with their response, snapped his claws again and the castle righted itself. The changelings fell to the ground, groaning in pain. He looked over at Nightmare.
"Sorry about that. If they touched the heart, it would've created a chain reaction that wouldn't be pretty." he said.
"That is fine. Where is Chrysalis?" she asked. Discord had a thoughtful expression on his face.
"I think she's busy overseeing her changelings. It must be a headache; they're too annoying." he said, glancing at the pile of changelings that were lying on the ground.
"Very well. You should continue with the work. By the way, how much longer will it take to reach the bottom chamber?"
"Judging by our pace, it'd take about a day. I'll continue working on that." he said, disappearing in a puff of smoke. Right when he disappeared, the magical dome surrounding the city started to flicker erratically. The sky too changed with it, turning from clear blue to stormy gray. Finally, the shielding failed and the once beautiful sky became filled with gloomy clouds. Snow started to flutter inside the kingdom, piling up everywhere.
Nightmare just laughed.
All according to plan... and not a moment too soon she thought as she calmly walked out of the castle.
Back to Twilight and Nucleon...
"...that is how we can stop the changelings from invading us." finished Princess Celestia. Nucleon gaped at her, while Twilight had a stunned expression on her face.
The plan that the Princess just told them was full of daring and insanity, possibly even suicidal. But it could just work if it was timed and executed perfectly. Although the three of them were brainstorming, Nucleon seemed to not hold himself back.
"Excuse me, Princess, but this plan is outrageous!" he exclaimed. Celestia stayed quiet and beckoned him to continue.
"First of all, we can't be sure that they won't have defenses set up against us. Second, we're going to need tons of firepower if we are about to take on Chrysalis and at least make a dent so that our allies can enter. Finally, no offense your majesty, but standard issue guard armor won't really protect us from the drones. When I was fighting for the other side, I have seen the magic beams make swiss cheese of your poor Royal Guards armor." he said.
Princess Celestia absorbed that and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Finally, she answered.
"Although I am confident that this plan will be done correctly, I agree with you about the armor. I would've gladly issued higher tiered armor to my guards, but that would be too expensive. I don't think my citizens would like being taxed heavily."
"This is a time of war. You can tax your ponies heavily." said Nucleon.
Twilight chose this moment to cough discreetly. Both of them turned their heads towards her, and she stood up.
"I agree with Nucleon with his first two reasons, but I agree with the Princess on the last one. The cost will be too much, and we can't afford losing the support of the population. I suggest we alter the plan a bit." she said.
"How so?" asked Nucleon. The unicorn exchanged glances with the Princess.
"Me and Nucleon will go behind the lines and shall try to activate the Crystal Heart. Obviously, this will be a covert operation, so we're going to have to go in silently. If we are successful, we'll manage to cripple Chrysalis' changelings due to the burst of love energy and let our guards in to mop up the remainders. That will leave you time to deal with your sister and Discord while Nucleon handles his former Queen." she explained. A long minute of silence passed after she had finished explaining.
Princess Celestia seemed amused by the plan, and Nucleon nodded, seemingly approving that idea.
"You'll need some heavy firepower and protection if that's your final plan." said a voice behind them. The Princess looked behind them and had a mysterious smile on her face. Both Twilight and Nucleon swiveled to see Onyx leaning against the door sill. He had overheard everything they were talking about, and soon walked into the room and closed the door, making sure it was locked before proceeding towards them. He bowed to the Princess.
"Sorry for eavesdropping, your Highness. I was walking down the hallway when I couldn't help hearing what you three were talking about." he said, pulling up a chair and taking a seat.
"Doesn't matter, Onyx. What do you think we can do about this situation?" asked Princess Celestia. He smirked before standing up and trotting towards the window, gazing at the castle grounds. He then spoke with his back turned.
"I don't know about the weapons, but I do know about the armor, your Majesty. I mean, we certainly don't have a pair of prototype class M armor that, judging from both Twilight's and Nucleon's sizes, could fit them and are located somewhere down in the laboratories." he said with a sarcastic tone.
Twilight and Nucleon seemed highly interested, but Princess Celestia put a stop to it.
"Enough, Onyx. You've just told them valuable information. I've half a mind to incinerate your service record." said the Princess sharply. Onyx shut his mouth and didn't utter a single word. Twilight raised her hoof.
"Excuse me Princess, but what prototype armor? Does it work?" she asked. Celestia waved off her question.
"You shouldn't concern yourself with that-" she was interrupted when Nucleon slammed his hooves against the table.
"Damn the concerns! A fleet of changelings are attacking your niece's empire. Your kingdom is on the verge of war, yet you're still refusing our ideas? What kind of protection will your inadequately trained guards offer? I'm sorry to say this Princess, but you are acting foolish." he said, glaring at her. Celestia stiffened at that outburst, a look of utter disbelief on her face.
Onyx & Twilight gasped. Nopony talked like that to the Princess. They were both waiting for the Princess's response, which was probably imprisonment for speaking out against higher authority.
However, she surprised them by exhaling deeply. Her horn started to glimmer and a roll of parchment popped out of thin air in front of her. She quickly scribbled something with the quill before rolling it up tightly and levitating it to Onyx, who caught and held it as if it were a relic.
"Show this parchment at the security checkpoint once you reach Subbasement III. Tell the guards down there that Twilight and Nucleon are vouched by me." she instructed. Onyx nodded dumbly before bowing to her and leaving the room, taking the two ponies with him. The guards that guarded the door closed it and ushered them out.
"Sub Basement III?" asked Nucleon, confused. Onyx nodded excitedly as he opened one of the doors that went down the castle tower.
"Yeah. I've only been to Sub Basements I and II. Rumors have it that SB III holds some crazy things the Princesses scavenged over the years." he said, leading them down the spiral stairs.
"Do you think we can find what we need down there?" Twilight asked. Onyx laughed.
"Oh, just you wait. You'll be in for a surprise, I assure you." he said. And with that notice, the trio continued down the ever-descending flight of stairs...
Back at the Princess's study...
Princess Celestia paced back and forth in her office, a feeling of dread spreading over her. The decision she had just made could easily cost her reputation, or could turn out to be the best decision of her life. Whatever the case was, she was still worried.
"Don't fail me, you two." she muttered to herself.... |
The Element of Corruption | Before The Storm | Onyx led both Twilight and Nucleon down the winding staircase. Their hooves clattered noisily down the steps, and the torches on the wall cast an eerie glow, as if the shadows themselves were dancing.
All of them were quiet, waiting to see what would be unveiled to them. Finally, after minutes of descending down the stairs, the trio stopped in front of a gory painting of Witherwing the Bloodthirsty beheading one of his enemies. Onyx stepped forward and started running his hooves over the canvas, as if searching for something.
Twilight seemed confused. What is Onyx doing by that painting? Maybe there is something strange about it? The same thought struck Nucleon too, and both of them exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, Onyx muttered "Aha!" and placed his right hoof on the bottom left corner of the painting. His hoof caved into that spot. The sound of heavy gears turning could be heard followed by clouds of steam billowing out of the door cracks. The three of them coughed and waved the blinding cloud away.
After after their eyesights have restored, they were staring at a dark hallway instead of the painting. The hallway seemed like something out of a horror movie.
"Er...are we going in there?" asked Nucleon. Onyx nodded, his horn lighting up. Twilight followed suit, and both of them entered the gloomy hall, which was brightly illuminated by their horns. Both of them walked only a few meters when Twilight noticed Nucleon wasn't next to them. She turned around and saw him standing outside, avoiding gazing at the dark tunnel.
"C'mon Nucleon!" urged Twilight. He shook his head and took a step back.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Onyx, impatiently tapping his hooves. Twilight shrugged. Finally, Nucleon spoke.
"Um...I have a thing about confined spaces. Especially dark, cramped places." he muttered. Onyx glanced at Twilight and he burst out laughing. Nucleon glared at him, and then at Twilight, who cocked her head in puzzlement.
"But you were down in the cramped dungeon before, and you didn't seem to mind." she said. He shook his head.
"That's because there was light streaming in from the windows. However, this is all dark. No thanks." he said, still keeping a foot away from the hall.
"We'll go through this quick, I promise. Just do it for me, please?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Onyx scratched his head. That seemed so...un-Twilight of her. It suddenly dawned on him that something is going on between them two and he smirked to himself.
Nucleon, on the other hand, took a deep breath moved forward.
At last, he took a deep breath and placed a trembling hoof inside of the hallway and made slow progress towards the two ponies. However, Onyx, impatient as he is, lunged forward, grabbing both Nucleon's hooves and dragging him inside.
He yelped, trying to break free, but Onyx had an iron grip. He then took the squirming changeling towards the end of the hall as the door closed, engulfing them in darkness. Twilight followed Onyx's silhouette closely, trying to comfort a struggling Nucleon.
For Nucleon, it felt like the world was closing around him. He felt his heartbeats intensify, as if it wants to break free from his chest. He was also hyperventilating and trembling, the wings on his back fluttering while Twilight tried to make him relax.
"I-I'm scared." he stammered. Immediately, Nucleon wanted to kick himself. There goes the brave and courageous rebel changeling.
Twilight gently put her hoof over his mouth.
"It's okay. I would feel the same way too if I were claustrophobic. Just close your eyes and take a deep breath. One of the books I've read stated that it's a good way to relieve stress." she said. A muffled Nucleon nodded and closed his eyes. Twilight removed her hoof when he took a breath. At last, he stopped fighting against Onyx's grip.
After walking a certain distance, Onyx raised his hoof to signal them to stop. They halted and Onyx looked around the room carefully before his horn started glowing. It then unleashed a beam of energy upwards into the ceiling, which absorbed it and started glowing with a blue aura.
The wall at the front slowly lowered itself. Beams of light escaped from the cracks, temporarily blinding them.
As the wall fully lowered itself into the floor, it revealed a dazzling and spacious marble hallway with many doors. Strange floating orbs lighted the way, and weird noises were heard from these doors. The smell of foreign chemicals wafted through the air, stinging their snouts. At the front entrance, a carved statue of Princess Celestia & Luna, clad in armor, stood on each side. A couple of unicorn ponies in white laboratory coats trotted past them into a room. The sight made them all speechless.
"What is this place?" asked Twilight, astounded by it.
"This is the Canterlot Experimental Research Facility, home of the greatest scientists and engineers in ponydom." replied Onyx.
"Well, at least it's roomy." said Nucleon, sounding relieved.
"You are correct. Welcome to the CER!" said a cheerful voice next to him. Onyx turned to see a mocha colored unicorn stallion with a lab coat grinning at him. He had glasses on, and his cutie mark was a beaker with bubbles in it. The pony stuck his hoof out towards him.
"Ah yes, I knew you would come here eventually, Sergeant Onyx of the Phoenix Guard." said the lab pony, shaking his hoof. Onyx seemed surprised that the pony knew his name, but he merely nodded at him. The pony turned to Twilight and gasped before rushing towards her, hooves sticking out.
"The Legendary Twilight Sparkle. Oh dear, you became a changeling?" he asked. She clasped his trembling hooves and shook them with a tight smile on her face.
"I don't know about the legendary part, seeing as most of Canterlot considers me a heretic. Regretfully, the changeling decision was entirely my own." she said sadly, dropping her gaze. The pony laughed.
"Nonsense! I, for one, welcome you as a citizen and a rightful Element of Harmony. However...I will try to rectify your situation of being a changeling." he said. Twilight felt her spirit rise. Even though the majority thought of her as treacherous, there were ponies who still believed in her. He even addressed her issue of being a changeling. Not that she minded being one, but Twilight was tired of the constant glares and whispers she gets for being something different.
Lastly, the scientist turned his gaze to Nucleon. He frowned at him.
"Nucleon the changeling. You have joined our cause, have you not?" he asked. Nucleon nodded in acknowledgement.
The lab pony took a step towards him.
"I don't trust you, but if the Princess believes that you have changed, then I will too, unfortunately." he said. Nucleon had a startled expression on his face when he said that, but Onyx quickly intervened.
"Who are you and how do you know our names?" he asked. The pony laughed.
"Nothing enters or leaves the CER without me knowing it. Alas, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Proton, Professor Proton." he said.
Onyx decided not to question him further about knowing their names.
"Well, now that we have gotten the formalities out of our way, let me lead you to our main laboratories. Your equipment is waiting there." he said, turning around and trotting down the hall. The two changelings and the pony followed suit, with Professor Proton explaining the history of the Research Facility.
"This place was built a few centuries ago when the Princess, in her infinite wisdom, decided that in order for us to survive as a species, we would need to research new technology and harness it to our advantage. From then on, we have produced many things you all take for granted in Equestria." he explained.
"Interesting...things like what?" asked a curious Nucleon.
"The Communication Gems, airships, royal crossbows. I could go on and make a list, but I don't think you want to hear that, right?" he said. Nucleon shook his head.
"So what about the thing we are about to see?" piped up Twilight. The Professor smiled, as if he was waiting somepony to ask him that for ages.
"I will tell you once we reach our designated lab room. Ah, here we are. Just need to pass the security checkpoints." he said, stopping them in front of a thick steel door with an ornate centerpiece fashioned into the head of a phoenix.
Professor Proton reached for the head and pressed it three times. The beak of the phoenix suddenly opened, and a loud musical voice wallowed out of it.
"Please answer this security question: What came first, the phoenix or the flame?"
"Hmm... What do you think?" said the Professor, looking thoughtful.
"What? Isn't there just a password?" asked Nucleon.
"Oh no, you've got to answer a question," he said, glancing at him.
"What if you get it wrong?" said Onyx.
"Then you have to wait for somepony to get it right!" said Proton. "That's how you learn."
"Trouble is, we can't really afford to wait for anypony else, Prof. We are mobilizing for war." said Twilight.
"No, I see what you mean," said The Professor seriously. "Well, I think the answer is that a circle has no beginning."
"Well said" said the voice, and the door slid open with a hiss, revealing a cavernous room. Desks filled with drawings and notes lined the walls, while the center of it showcased two mounted, pony-sized suits that closely resembled those worn by the Royal Guard. Ponies in lab coats were in a rush. A couple of them were at the desks, furiously scribbling notes and calculating figures while others were around the suits, tweaking it and making sure it operated correctly.
"This" said the Professor with a great deal of enthusiasm "is the culmination of ten years of sweat, blood and tears. I present to you: The Celestial Armor!"
"Sweet Celestia! It looks like it weighs a ton!" exclaimed Nucleon. Professor Proton ushered them towards the suits. Twilight and Onyx were amazed by its streamlined design.
A closer look showed that it had intricate carvings on it. The armor seemed to cut back on the basic gold worn by the Royal Guards. Instead, it was coated with a pure, silver-like substance. It also had shoulder plates and hoof guards. Finally, the helmets were fully covered, with only slits for the eyes and dotted holes for the mouthpiece.
"What is this made out of? I know my armor is made with lightweight gold, but this is another story!" said Onyx, feeling it.
"Well, we had to make the armor as light as possible, yet sporting heavy protection against physical and magical attacks. It is coated with titanium alloy ninety-four, with a central core made out of silvthrilite ore. This alloy is very light and extremely conductive towards magic-based attacks, yet durable enough to withstand punishing melee attacks. It also has the same level of hardness as normal titanium. We've also made two versions: a stallion and a mare type armor." he explained. However, Nucleon was confused.
"Hang on, if it's conductive, doesn't it mean that it will fry the operator inside of it? And what in the name of Chrysalis is silvthrilite ore?" he asked. The Professor raised his hoof.
"I am getting there. It all started when our miners discovered a new type of ore buried deep under Fillydelphia. It absorbs magic and can properly store it, and it is a hybrid between silver and mithrilite. Silvthrilite can also act as an extremely powerful distributor, allowing machines to be built with that particular ores core. That is why we have considered using it as a core for the Celestial Armor. Of course, the silvthrilite protects the wearer with its absorption properties, so no worries there. Allow me to demonstrate." he said.
The Professor stepped up to the armor. His horn glowed along with the armor. Suddenly, a long steel sword popped out of the arm slot and started to crackle with energy.
"Is that an integrated arcane sword? I've handled those before; I wouldn't touch one again. Very dangerous to use!." said Onyx, squinting at the sword.. Professor Proton nodded.
"Yes. It comes equipped with an integrated arcane sword. It draws power from the silvthrilite core, which in turn is powered by magic conducted by the titanium coating. It also possesses anti-sway & shake stabilizers to prevent unwanted accidents. You can say this makes an excellent combination!" he said proudly.
And they say being a Phoenix Guard gives you perks. thought Onyx.
"Does it fit changelings?" asked Nucleon.
"Of course! Changelings and ponies have similar structures, so you and Twilight will be able to wear it." said Proton.
At that moment, two lab ponies ran up to him. One was a Unicorn, while the other was an Earth Pony.
"Professor, one of our engineers crashed the test glider!" said the Unicorn, a checklist levitating next to her.
"Did you trace his distress beacon?" asked the Professor. The pony nodded and flipped through the checklist.
"Ponyville, near the apple orchards." she reported. Twilight's eyes widened with surprise.
"Send out one of our recovery teams, and make sure every piece of that glider is removed from the crash site." he ordered. She nodded and dashed off, her checklist flying behind her. The earth pony behind her came up.
"Prof, direct message from Princess Celestia herself." he said, holding up a scroll. It levitated out of his hoof and the Professor unfurled it, his eyes darting through it.
"Very well. Twilight and Nucleon, I want both of you to equip the armor. Onyx, you are dismissed." he said seriously. Both Twilight and Nucleon exchanged gleeful looks with one another, but Onyx was outraged.
"What?! Why can't I stay here?" he asked hotly. As if on cue, something started ringing near him. Onyx pulled out a small gem and listened to it, nodding. He then put it away.
"Fine, I'll leave. Your brother was on the line, Twilight. I have to go for an important meeting. Twilight, Nucleon, I hope to see you soon." he said bitterly before turning and trotting out of the door. The Professor stared at the door where he exited.
"He will be alright. Onyx is just jealous that you two get to try out the armor." he said, chuckling.
"So can we try it now?" asked an excited Nucleon. The Professor glanced at him, then nodded at two of his engineers. They galloped towards Nucleon, grabbing him and dragging him towards the armor pedestal.
"Wait-what are you doing?" he asked. Proton smiled.
"Don't worry, my two engineers are here to prevent any...accidents from happening." he said, reassuring him.
The two ponies made him stand perfectly still as they took measurements, which didn't take long to do.
Next, they helped him wear the suit. This was hard for the engineers, as Nucleon's claustrophobia started acting up again when they began the process. The body was not one whole piece. Instead, it came with different pieces. It strapped on smoothly, each interlocking with one another like jigsaw pieces. It made a satisfying click after all the parts have been assembled.
Finally, they handed Nucleon the helmet and told him to put it on. He nodded and put it gently over his head. It hissed before making a satisfying locking noise. The eye slits and mouth holes flickered until they gave off a steady teal light. The engineers backed away as Nucleon moved his hooves, testing it out.
"Wow! I feel so much lighter. My arms move much faster and...smoother! Hey Twilight, you getting this?" he said, his voice sounding slightly robotic as an arcane sword popped out of his arm.
Twilight smiled. The heavy armor made him look burlier than usual, and that's saying something. Of course, her preference lies within a physical build of a stallion, not a changeling drone.
"Okay, now it's your turn, Miss Sparkle." said Professor Proton. She let the two engineers grab her by the hooves and lead her up to the awaiting armor. Nucleon walked off the pedestal to make room for her and to let another group of engineers do some last minute tweaking on him.
It felt uncomfortable when they took measurements of her, but like Nucleon's, it was quick. The ponies took each piece of the armor and installed it over Twilight, making sure it fitted in with one another. This was a tedious process.
After the last piece was equipped, she felt her body grow warm, then cool down slightly. The abrupt change made her yelp "Hot!"
"Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the armor has an automatic temperature adjusting system!" called out the Professor. Twilight acknowledged that and made a note to herself to set it to cool. She then heard Nucleon's voice.
"Hey Professor, how is Twilight going along-BY CHRYSALIS' CROWN!" he yelped, his eyes seeming to pop out of their sockets.
Twilight's armor was much more streamlined than Nucleon's. Powered by her magic, its chestplate glowed dark purple, an addition that was missing on his armor, and it seemed a bit curvier than Nucleon's. Ornate carvings were also present on her armor, giving it a mystical feel.
"How do I look?" she asked, turning around and trying to look at herself. He only blushed and turned away to prevent her from seeing it. Twilight felt a burst of warmth around her and she suddenly felt her mood rise. This was a relief for her, since she was weak and thirsty for love for a week.
That's nice of him. He must be attracted to me, since he is releasing so much love energy she thought.
Finally, the engineer gave her the helmet. Twilight took it and let it fit over her head. The exterior of it seemed small, but it was surprisingly spacious inside. The slits actually enhanced her peripheral vision, and the helmet was nicely cooled. She raised her hoof and an arcane sword slid out. Twilight examined it.
" Hmm...refined steel blade with a hint of iron charged with magical ion beams. Not the best combination. I would have recommended a small amount of gold instead of iron in order to induct the ions properly." she said out loud. Nucleon looked confused while the two engineers stared at her in awe.
"I didn't think of that...did you get a note of that, Light Bulb?" said the Professor to the yellow pegasus who was taking notes. He nodded and scribbled it down.
From the outside, Nucleon stared as her helmet received charge. The eye slits and mouth piece came to life with a purple glow. She stepped off the pedestal and a couple of scientists quickly did a checkup before they gave her a hooves-up.
"Both of you are ready. The Princess has requested your presence in the Barracks. It has been an honor working with you." said the Professor, sticking his hoof out. Twilight shook it, and he extended his hoof to Nucleon, who grudgingly accepted the hoofshake.
"Are we going to see you again?" asked Twilight. Professor Proton just laughed.
"Time will tell, Twilight. I'm sure we will cross paths in the future. But for now, you must hurry. I don't think it's a good idea to keep the Princess waiting. Especially during a time like this." he said good-heartedly. Twilight nodded and went for the door, followed by Nucleon.
It was an awkward moment for both of them as they trotted through the long hallway. The scientists didn't seem to be surprised to see them in their armor.
Nucleon broke the silence.
"This is it." he said, taking his helmet off and glancing at Twilight, who had a thoughtful look on her face.
"Yes. I just want to get this over with." she said, also taking her helmet off and shaking her head, letting her mane flow casually. Nucleon couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful she looked in that armor. Beautiful, yet deadly.
Twilight noticed that he was staring at her and he quickly looked away, whistling awkwardly. The familiar feeling of warmth filled her up again. She gave a small smile and opened the hidden door, revealing the dark hallway. Nucleon sighed, but then he felt somepony's hoof wrap around his. He saw Twilight holding him, and she smiled back.
Nucleon suddenly felt brave enough to overcome his claustrophobia. They took a step forward, the gloomy dark hallway suddenly alight due to the armor glow. Nothing seemed scary now. It was as if both of them are watching each other's backs, lighting the way for one another.
They reached the end and opened the door. Torchlight flooded the castle tower as the door behind them shut quietly, becoming nothing but a painting of a war-hungry stallion.
"Um...which way are the barracks?" asked Nucleon.
Twilight, with her knowledge of the castle, pointed downstairs. She vaguely realized that she was still holding Nucleon's hoof. She let go, and Nucleon too pulled his back. They both proceeded that way, preparing to meet the Princess and end this once and for all while avoiding each other's gazes. |
Your human and you - Gryphon half a chance | pre | Her squeaking grew louder and more high pitched, and her pussy drank harder and harder from my cock until with a final deep backwards thrust and telling intake of breath, her front hooves almost collapsed under her and she let loose a torrent of mare cream that coated the insides of my thighs, dripped down our legs and pooled on the floor.
If she hadn't just raped me, I'd be congratulating myself. I mean, if I hadn't just fucked a goddamn pony, of course.
"Oh Luna, yes!" she gasped, pulling herself off me with a loud, obscene shlurp.
I didn't know whether to feel dirty, elated, horrified or what. I mean, I'd just been forced into sex with a pony. By the pony, which... kind of made it alright in the whole 'not your species' thing, I guessed, since she was sentient, unlike humans, but that didn't at all make up for the forcing and... oh my god if I ever wanted sex again I couldn't have sex with any Equestrian 'humans' because humans are the animals here and it meant I'd just be fucking with a sex toy animal and oh my god I was just raped, used and abused, like some sort of living, breathing dildo then cast aside like yesterday's fashion...
I looked in horror down at my treacherous cock -- still hard, glistening with mare fluids -- and my hands, chest, crotch and legs -- dusty and dirty with mare sweat and hair -- and started shaking. Penny's magic faded, and I fell onto the floor in a heap, whimpering and crying.
Only one thing could have made this worse.
"What the absolute fuck are you doing with Dent!?" shrieked Gilda, slamming the door open.
Yep, that's the one.
.oOo.
"What the fuck are you--!" Gilda was shrieking. For my part, I scampered away from the pair of them, my leash loose. I couldn't let her see me like this. I couldn't let her know I'd been... sullied, that I'd betrayed her.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was just--!"
Hey, that's my line.
"That's my human! That's my... that's my human! You've just! That's! He's! --!" Before I could do anything, not that I could do anything, Gilda turned and fled. I turned and glared at Penny, showing my teeth. If I'd been... one of those pit fighters I'd heard of, if I'd been a real man instead of a dildo, I'd have strangled her. As it was, I just wanted the earth to swallow me up.
"Oh Hades bells and buckets of blood," Penny swore. It was a gryphon oath I'd not heard a pony use before. "I better... come on, you." She picked up then tugged smartly twice on my leash, and led me through the building through a tortuous route that was obviously designed to avoid the rest of the help, since she and I both were still dripping from our escapade. I didn't exactly want to go anywhere with her, but had little choice. Besides, she was taking me where I did want to go. I tried to ignore her, almost as hard as I tried to keep from falling over.
Eventually, we made it to Gilda's bedroom, where Penny knocked, softly.
"Go away!"
"I... I've brought Dent. I'm... sorry. I didn't mean..."
The door was flung open. "What do you mean you didn't mean it!? You... you fucked him!"
I'm sorry, Mistress! I'm sorry! It wasn't my fault! I didn't mean to! Please, please, please...
"But it doesn't mean anything! I was just... I... I'm sorry. It's the lights I have to use. They start my season off midwinter!" Penny was crying. I almost felt sorry for her. Bitch.
"Bu-but h-he w-was m-my human! A-and h-he w-won't w-want... y-you sp-spoiled..!" Gilda was shaking with fury, bawling her eyes out. I wanted so badly to run to her and comfort her. I wanted so badly to kill myself, like never before.
"Look, I... please, I'm sorry. I won't touch him again. You can fire me if you want, I'll just go..."
"I don't care ab-about you po-ponies ha-having sex with humans, j-just n-not m-my human! Mine! He was mine! And you to-took th-that--"
Wait, Gilda didn't care that these ponies apparently use humans for sex? That was a new one. Maybe she would still have me.
Penny took a deep breath. "I'll... make it up to you. You can have the necklace for him, and I'll make you three sets of clothes. One for the cold, one for better weather, and one to make him handsome. Just for you, okay? Okay? And we'll never have to speak about this ag--"
Gilda wasn't listening. "H-he wo-won't want--"
"Nonsense." Penny reached up her horn and did... something, and my collar fell off. I glared at her and picked up both collar and leash. I wanted to strangle her with it, but I was pretty sure that rape of a human was a victimless crime in this world, but murdering a pony wasn't. I settled for spitting at her. I'd have shit on my hands and thrown it at her, but I was all crapped out.
"I'm sorry, big guy," said Penny, shying back and wiping her face.
I bared my teeth at her, flexing my fists. Damn right you're sorry. Try that again and I'll kick you right in the cunt!
"I didn't mean to upset your mistress. Go on now."
I didn't know whether it was better or worse that she still didn't care about what she did to me. Gilda did though, didn't she?
"Take him," called Gilda, from further inside the room. She was on the bed, head covered in pillows.
My heart sank. I bared my teeth at my rapist again, and then smartly strode inside and shut the bitch out out, locking the door. Dumping my collar and leash on the floor, and the necklace on the dresser, I then turned to Gilda. She was still sobbing gently. I'd heard her words, but I knew Gilda.
What are you supposed to do at a time like this? I was the one who'd been raped, but it was my owner who was the more distraught.
I'm a coper. I always have been. It would probably have been very different if it had been a stallion, or if I'd been a woman, but us males -- myself at least -- seem to have a more practical approach to sex. Namely, if you can stick your dick in it and it feels good, it doesn't tend to bother you what it is. Other than not sticking your dick in crazy, of course, which is what made me mad about Penny.
I took a deep breath, still shaking, as I looked at my hands. I was pretty sure a psychologist would have a field day with this, but I was about to rationalize my way out of having a breakdown. I was also pretty sure I'd be horrified once whatever dregs of adrenalin in me wore off, and you know what they say about scars that don't heal...
I was an animal, to these ponies. Penny hadn't been trying to hurt me, she hadn't wanted to degrade, injure, beat down or otherwise dominate and destroy my spirit. She'd wanted to get her leg over, and the nearest suitable object had been me. Because she didn't think of me as a pony.
I hadn't been raped... I'd been used for sex, because Penny didn't care about me at all. Rape is all about power and domination, which is why it's so painful. It takes something so very special and personal, and destroys it utterly, knowingly and deliberately.
Penny didn't know or care, she'd probably rationalized that I, being a male human, had wanted it too.
I hadn't, but that hadn't stopped her. And now Mistress was hurt, and to be honest, she was hurting far more than me.
I took another deep breath, still hurting, and pushed it all out of my head. Mistress needed me. Walking over to the bed, to stand behind the sobbing lump of fur and feathers that was my Gilda, I put my hand down, very slowly, and stroked her buttock.
The feeling was electric.
I'd touched her before, but I'd never really... touched her. I ran my fingers through her fur, it was a thick and gorgeous sable, like her father, but with a hint of pink that made her just that much more... feminine.
I hadn't noticed it before, the curves of her body, the softness of her feathers, the silkiness of her fur. As her tail whipped up in surprise, I took a sniff of the tuft. If you could bottle the savannah, this would be how it smelled.
"D-dent?" Gilda whispered. She snorked, not a pretty sound through a beak. "Stupid Dent." She leaned on me, the pain still apparent.
Oh, that did it.
I knelt swiftly down and, for the first time ever, planted a kiss on her lips.
Yes, those lips.
Her wings shot out in surprise, and a caw caught in her throat. Before she could do anything, I flicked my tongue out and teased at her netherlips. Her pussy was small and tight, so very different and yet recognizably similar to a human's. It was soft and warm, and hairless, like chamois leather, surrounded by fur. As I lapped at it, it became engorged.
"D-dent wh-what are you d-doing... oh Dent..." Gilda moaned, "Tha-that's n-not..." but she made no moves to stop me, so I carried on.
I kissed her gently, nibbling and nipping ever so lightly at her pussy lips. A woman's vagina is very delicate, and that of a gryphon is no different. I could feel her shuddering before me as I licked and teased and bit and played with her nether regions, running my hands through her luxurious fur, grabbing huge handfuls of it as we tussled.
Finally, as I felt the momentum growing within her, I concentrated on that little nub, just inside her lips at the base of her cunt, between her legs, flicking my tongue over it, moving in circles, caressing it with growing force.
Gilda was shuddering now, quaking wordlessly with every application of my mouth, letting little whimpers escape her muzzle, her wings unfurling to their full length before, finally, she tensed all over, all the fur on her body standing on end, and I was rewarded for my diligence by a spray of hot gryphoness fluids. They were sticky, musky, and strangely sweet. I licked my lips and face, drinking in her scent, taking it into me, making it a part of my being. I wanted to be hers, and wearing her scent would mark me properly as her chattel. This is what I wanted. This is who I wanted to be. I was Gilda's pet, nobody, nopony, else's.
I didn't stop licking her, as even though I'd already sent her over the edge, a female can enjoy so much more than the initial explosion. However, I licked slowly, lightly, and very, very gently, each miniscule touch on her gorgeous, steaming lips sending waves of pleasure racing throughout her body, each nip a new foray into an orgasmic world of sensual delight.
Yeah, I am that good. And I didn't need that little toy from that hussie.
"By the Emperor's jade egg!" groaned Gilda, finally pushing me away and collapsing into her bed. I slunk up next to her, worming my way under her wings, kissing all along her body as I went. "Where on Equus did you learn to do that?"
I just smiled and gently kissed her all over her beak, holding her close until the trembling stopped.
And finally... she slept.
.oOo. |
Your human and you - Gryphon half a chance | Abracadabra! | Your Human And You
Gryphon Half A Chance
Ch. 6
I forced open my eyes and stretched, wriggling. I'd fallen asleep in the wet spot, apparently, and dummy Dent was... where?
Okay, something was wrong: everything looked kind of weird, I was sleeping on my back, somebody had been screwing with my bed and not only was the ceiling further away than I remembered, but somebody had replaced my lacy curtains with... some sort of odd decoration?
"Wharrkk?" I exclaimed, then coughed and cleared my throat. "What on Equus is going on?" I squeaked, before holding my claws to my throat. What had happened to my voice!? With surprisingly loud footfalls, Dent appeared above me to peer down at me.
"I dunno, Mistress, you tell me."
"Dent, you're... huge!" I squawked. Then, almost as an after-thought, I added, "and you can talk!"
"Yeah, well, I don't plan on telling anyone. I don't exactly know what'll happen if they find out humans can talk. There's this thing called vivisection, and..."
"Wait, wait... how long have you been able to talk? It's not just... whatever happened here?"
Dent took a deep breath. "Mistress," he began, "I have no idea what happened this time, but before I came here, to your world, I could talk perfectly well, thank you. And then I couldn't. And then you... bought me."
As he leaned down towards me, reaching out his enormous hands, I shivered slightly, leaning away.
"Hey now, I just want to pick you up!"
"But you're... big. And scary."
A fleeting look of disapproval crossed his normally expressionless face. He paused for a moment, then shrugged. "So was your dad. And he did a lot worse than just pick me up."
"I... I know. I never really thought about it, it's just something we do to male humans to keep them out of trouble."
Dent shrugged his shoulders again, then gestured to his complete, and impressive, undercarriage. From my point of view, he could give a stallion a run for his money. "I got better, apparently. Shame you're too little to enjoy it, huh?"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, once I could look away.
"Sleepy head, haven't you noticed anything yet? Some huntress you'll grow up to be..."
He grinned like an idiot, then stood up straight, crossing his arms over his chest. I tilted my head, then took a long look at my surroundings.
The bed was huge... but compared to Dent, it was smaller than it had been before. I was smaller than I had been before. A lot smaller. Looking left and right, I finally cottoned on that there were upright bars on either side of my bed, and that the decoration up above me was a mobile.
With trepidation, I lifted up the thick, downy comforter. "What. The fluff."
Dent just nodded. "Yep. Come on, princess. I think somebody needs a change."
I hadn't so much been sleeping in the wet spot as... wetting the spot I'd been sleeping in. I was wearing a diaper, of all things, and it was soggy. Someone would pay.
"But... no, what? I don't... I haven't..."
Dent just lifted me up, ignoring my mewling cries, before taking me over to a large, padded table that, just the night before, had been my dresser. Right now, some douchenozzle had switched it. "You do and you have. Don't ask me why, just go with it. When I found myself in this land of talking ponies and gryphons, I just got on with it, and I had a lot more painful things to worry about than a rash, which I'm trying to stop you from getting. So stop fussing."
"But I don't need those... things, you dork!"
Dent mercilessly untaped the shameful article, removed it from my body, then held it up. "Evidence says otherwise. But hey, prove you're as housetrained as I am -- and if we ever get things back to 'normal', you owe me that much at least -- then I'll let you go without. During the day at least."
I growled. "You're dumber than that dweeb Dash and her dorky pony friends."
"I'm also bigger than you and deserve a little payback. So today, you're getting dressed in the biggest, pinkest, froofiest dress I can find."
"You wouldn't dare!"
"And if you bite or scratch me, I'll have you declawed."
Humans are the evilest, stupidest, smelliest, dorkiest, dweebiest brutes in Equus. Ever.
They're also vindictive monsters.
"How do you put up with this thing?" I whined, as the beast led me down the corridor on a leash. I clawed at the collar around my neck angrily. It was pink, with little silver bells in the shape of hearts on it, with the name "Snowbelle" on the tag. And it fit me. Whoever had done this would die by slow roasting over a small fire.
"Oh you get used to it. Especially when you have no damned choice," he added, grumbling low.
"I'm... sorry, Dent. I didn't know. You never told me."
"I couldn't, could I? First thing I find out after coming to in the desert is that I couldn't talk. Second thing was that somepony had removed... my..."
The pony in front of us stopped stock still. And the human holding her leash screamed.
"...clothes," Dent finished. "Sorry, sorry, I, uh... lovely weather we're having. Bit, uh, breezy..."
"Quite..." her voice was high and tight. She finally closed her mouth, then found the rest of her voice. "Quite alright, milord," the humaness said, turning around, her face going bright pink.
Milord?
The pony just stood there stupidly. I glared at it angrily, but the dumb creature just... stood there. I looked up at Dent. He looked sideways down at me, and almost imperceptibly nodded. Gathering what aplomb he could, we headed back to my -- I guess his at the moment -- bedroom.
"I should have remembered," he groaned. "God, I'm so stupid. Clothes!" He threw open my -- his! -- closet, and pulled out... the oddest collection of furs and fabrics I'd ever seen. "Oh wow, it's all here! All of it! Even my phone! Oh gosh my phone!"
To my utter amazement, he pulled an odd object -- flat like a slate, shiny and perfect like a mirror, but dark and black -- out from a pocket. It lit up as he did something to it. I squawked in surprise, and felt a little warmth between my back legs, and a lot of shame between my ears. I was no mewling chick! I was a fierce warrior! I stepped forwards, then shrunk back again as loud, raucous almost-music blared out of nowhere.
"This is awesome! And it's got a full charge! And... and no signal. Well fuck."
"Signal?" I croaked, clacking my beak nervously. "What is that thing?"
"It's... uh... do you have ways of talking to people a long way away? Anywhere in the world?"
"Y-yes, but..."
He snorted. "Yeah, but not like this. I get it. Whatever." He pocketed it inside some sort of dark outer jacket made of animal hide -- damn, that was a good look for him. That sort of thing could really catch on, with gryphons. Ponies... not so much -- then... kind of ruffled his feathers until he looked neat. And commanding. I felt a new, different warmth in my hindquarters that reminded me of... something. I shook my head. A confusing day all around, and we'd not even got to breakfast yet.
My tummy rumbled.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mistress. Come on, let's get you fed." He scooped me up in his arms and strode purposefully down the corridors of my home -- his home? -- in search of the kitchen.
He was... not all bad, I suppose.
Actually I take that back. I will kill him, skin him, then use his hide for curtains.
"Come on, princess, nummy nummy num nums! You'll not grow big and strong if you don't drink your bottle!"
"Meat, now!" I growled. He took advantage of my beak opening to put the heavily chewable nipple in. Trying to spit it out only got the bottle's contents over my beak and down my head, which he washed off expertly with a damp cloth.
"Not going to work, princess. I used to babysit my cousins. I never was that good with diapers, but you wriggle a lot less, so I hope you're good in that area," he said, with a pat.
Once I'd finished the bottle because the meanie pants was merciless and not at all because it was warm, sweet, tasty and filling, I glared at him. "Meat."
"Okay, but only because you've been good. And only if you burp."
"Only if I whaa-aaaaarrrrppppp!" I opened my beak wide in shock as he held me against his broad shoulders and patted my back.
"There, such a fussy little kitten."
"With claws," I hissed, in his ear. He was, however, as good as his word. He put me down in a padded playpen with a bowlful of freshly diced meat whilst he scouted out the territory. The meat tasted like... well, we're not supposed to know what pony tastes like, so the less said the better, but it tasted like what I expected pony would taste like. Which was worrying.
Shaking, I looked up from my dangerous meal and glanced warily around the room. Humans were everywhere, passing through, chatting, cleaning... it was like they were... people. And the few ponies I saw were always on leashes, eating out of troughs or nosebags or...
Whack. Thump.
In an adjacent room, I saw a chef-human bash a pointed metallic bullet into the head of an oblivious pony. It went down without a sound, twitching. One quick slice later, and red blood was flowing into an oversized bucket. With alarming efficiency, the body of the pony was denuded of hooves, tail, head and finally hide, before having its entrails pulled out and a sluice of water run over it to clean the rest of it off.
The humans were almost gryphonic in their neatness. A world where humans are gryphons, and gryphons are humans? And ponies are just... meat?
This is what Dent sees, said a treacherous little voice in my head. All the time. Every day. He sees his kind slaughtered, prepared, cooked and eaten. You saw him when you had that suckling human cub last moon, didn't you? You tried to ignore how upset he was, how he didn't want any of it despite normally eating from your claws...
Oh, Dent... this was so much worse than Dash and her dumb pony friends. So much worse. Wait... Dash... was she just a pretty hide or something wurst in this world?
What about Daddy!?
"Dent!" I hissed, as he reappeared, "Dent please! Please! We have to go see--"
"Shh," he hushed, a worried look on his face, before picking me up and heading to a private nook. "What's up Mistress?" he asked, once he made sure we were alone.
"I have to see Daddy! I have to! Do... do they eat gryphons? They eat ponies here!"
"Woah, woah, it's okay, he's okay. They don't eat gryphons here, it's like my world. We don't eat predators very often. Their meat is bad."
"Is this... where you're from?" I asked. To think his world was... like mine, right down to the house!
"Oh, no, I'm from... well, a long way away... but this place is similar. We eat ponies there too sometimes. I thought this might be some other country in my world at first, but... there are still pegasi and unicorns here. And you, of course." he nuzzled my beak like Daddy used to when I was little, then smiled a little sad smile at me. "There aren't any of those where I'm from." He seemed so sad.
"Do you miss your home?" I asked. He nodded.
"I do. I love you, Mistress, and despite everything, you've been kind, but I miss home. I had so hoped..." he sighed. Then he brightened. "But I can help you. Come on, you want to see your Dad? Well, don't say I didn't warn you, but you might not like what you see."
I opened my beak wide in worry. "I-is he okay?"
"Oh, he's fine, he's just... just hush now, you'll see."
I did see. Outside were more humans and more ponies... and more gryphons. And further out the back, away from the crowds, was a large stable. And in the stable was a single, proud, haughty looking gryphon, his feathers and fur shining in the sun. His halter was brightly waxed, and his gait was proud. And his eyes were completely empty.
"Best I can figure, he's... still your father. He's a stud. By all accounts, an award-winning champion breeder."
There was a nervous cough from behind us. Dent straightened, then turned, smiling brightly. "Yes, Sharon?"
"Milord Gryphon... is everything okay?"
"Oh yes, yes, perfectly fine," Dent replied. "Just showing little Snowbelle her father. She's going to grow up to be a beauty, don't you think?" He held me out. I growled and hissed.
"Oh, of course, milord. Gryphon Keep does produce the best in racing gryphons."
Dent kept smiling. Then, a moment later, added, "you're dismissed, Sharon. Good work, I'm proud of all of you."
'Sharon' curtsied -- giving such names to humans! How bizarre! -- and disappeared.
"Gryphon keep?" I asked.
"Apparently I raise the best racing gryphons in the world. Of which you are sure to become the best of the best of the best. All the cocks--" he choked, suddenly red in the face. A very strange human, my Dent, "--you could want. You sure you want to get this all back to normal?"
"Of course I do, dorkbreath!" I said. "Living like this, it's... demeaning!"
"Guess there's nothing for it, then," he replied, coldly. Oh guano.
"I... didn't mean it like that."
"I know."
"Of course, you should... go home too if you could... and I don't mind that you can talk, and..."
"Just leave it, silly beak," laughed Dent. "Let's just go find out what happened. You think this has happened everywhere?"
I tapped my beak thoughtfully with a claw. "I know one pony who might know exactly what's happening. If she's still got her smarts like I have. And if anypony does, she does."
"Who?"
"Twilight Sparkle."
"Who!?"
.oOo.
"Let me get this straight," Dent asked, as he fussed above me.
"Must you?" I grumbled, trying not to meet his eye.
"Oh hush, I've seen it all before," he admonished, and kept on cleaning my fur with a cool, damp cloth. "You've got big cities, newspapers, a passable excuse for television... and medieval castles, dragons and dangerous monsters. And steam trains like this one," he said, ignoring my protests.
"What do you mean?" I huffed, crossing my claws over my chest.
He finished taping up a new diaper, rolled up the old one, then slam-dunked it -- amazing humans could do that without magic or flight -- into a trashcan. "Not to mention disposable diapers. I half expected you guys to have, like... uh... rags or something."
"Rags!?" I exclaimed. "What kind of backwards bizarro world do you come from?"
"Aww, who's a fussy little kitten, huh? Who needs a nap?" He picked me up and held me close, wrapping my body in the loose, large carrying cloth he called a kanga. Which apparently made him a kangaroo, whatever that meant. The idiot had laughed himself silly over it anyway.
"'M not sleepy!" I protested, then yawned, horrified to find a little mewl come out at the end of it.
"Uh huh. Well even if you don't need a nap, I do. Looking after you is exhausting. And you're way too small and pretty to go wandering around alone. Somepony might steal you."
I glared at the shut door of our carriage. Good point. I burrowed deeper into the kanga.
"D'you think I'll ever get back home again?" I asked, eyes closed.
"I dunno. Will I?" He was silent for a while. I thought he might have fallen asleep, but then he spoke again. "Is this train like in your world? It's a lot like mine."
"Really?" I asked, yawning until I cheeped. "Yeah, this is the same. It's all the same. It's like somebody took my world, fiddled with a few details, then put it back wrong."
He chuckled. "Same here, kitten. Hey, do you think we've got enough diapers and baby formula?"
"Augh! Why'd you even bring them!" I complained.
"Says the kitten who's used half a pack already."
"I have n-- have I?" I peered out from my nest, searching around our cabin. Sure enough, a half-empty pack of "Desert Dawg's Li'l Dreamers" sat next to us.
"Well they're too small to fit me, kitten," replied Dent, a smirk on his heavily lidded face. I pouted at him. "Oh relax, it's the curse. Or whatever. Besides, little bit like you, it's a lot easier on me this way. When you wake up in the middle of the night and need a bottle, I don't have to go far. It'd be easier still if you were bigger, but then we'd not need this whole trip, would we?"
"Augh I hate you! How can you be so calm when everything is just... just..."
He just smiled a tight little smile. "Fussy kitty. Come on, I wanna sleep. Tell you what, you go explore our cabin as much as you want if you're really not tired."
He unceremoniously dumped me out of my warm nest. I squawked indignantly, doubly so when he patted me on my well-padded tush, then waddled out of swat range to go explore. It was like the games we'd used to play before... before Dash moved away. Hide n' seek in the most mundane of places when you're kid is... magical. Everything was super big, even the seats were so high that getting up on them was an effort. Scrabbling, heaving my padded waist up, I rolled head-over-heels and almost slammed my beak into the glass of the window. The world outside sped past quickly as I clambered up to look. It made me think of... happier times. Before. With Dash. Before she left. And now I was going to meet here, again, of my own free will... even after what had happened last time.
After a while of clouds, mountains, goats and trees whizzing past, I got bored. I scampered back to my warm nest, cuddling up with Dent as he pulled me closer. I rubbed myself against him. My eyes were wet with... dust, or something. Stupid Dent.
.oOo.
"Last stop o' the evenin'! Manville! I repeat, last stop! Eeeeeeverybody out!"
With loudly resounding clanks, the train came to a halt. I fussed as Dent gave my behind a quick pat to check how full my diapers were, snuggling closer. The night air was cool and I wanted none of it. Then I felt him stand up straight, collect our luggage, and head out of the train.
"Shh, princess, just sleep," he whispered.
"Dun wan' s'eep," I mumbled, struggling a little, but I couldn't fight it. I drifted in and out of consciousness as the pleasant torch-lit darkness of Manville -- what a dumb name. Even dumber that Ponyville -- surrounded us.
"I'm sure there's somewhere we can stay. they must have some sort of... motel or something. Oh, hey, I think I see a light... wait, is that a tree!?"
Oh no, oh no, anywhere but--
My silent lamentation was cut short by his knocking, and the bottom half of a two-part door opening to reveal a dweeby little dragon.
"If you've come to return a book, please don't... please don't. Twi'll make me put it back." He rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"I... a library made out of a tree? A tree... with books inside it. I'm not sure if that's ironic or deep," Dent said. "Look, we're in need of a place to stay, and I saw the light, and..."
"Who is it?" called a masculine voice from inside the library. "If they've got a book--"
"They don't have a book!" the dragon shouted desperately. Then he whispered, "if you do, just... say you don't."
"Then what do they want?"
"A place to stay!"
"Oh, uh..." footsteps came closer, human footsteps.
"Let me put it this way," Dent said, "you're not feeling quite yourself, right?"
"You could say something like that," said a human male, weakly. His hair was purple with a violet and pink streak.
"You're Twilight Sparkle?" Dent asked, confused.
The man nodded, then coughed. "Sorry, I'm a little hoarse... Right now, I'm better known as Dusk Shine, I guess. And I'm normally a unicorn. Or sometimes an alicorn."
Dent just dropped his bags. "You're a pony. Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be. Well, I'm always a talking human. Except when I'm not. And this bundle of fluff is Gilda. She's normally a lot bigger."
Fingers gently peeled back the kanga. "You're a lot cuter when you're not ruining one of Pinkie's parties, you know." Dusk was silent for a moment, then he looked left and right, and nodded, seemingly to himself. "You'd better come in, we've been waiting for you."
Twilight's -- albeit Dusk, or something, at the moment -- treehouse looked just the same as it had last time I'd stormed out. Only a lot bigger. With her being an alicorn -- seriously? When had that happened? -- I'd expected she'd be living in some sort of shining crystal castle or something like the rest of those royal blowhards. Then again, the nerd always loved her books. She'd only give up living in this dumb treehouse if the whole thing burned down... and as crazy as Ponyville was, I didn't see that happening any time soon.
Heh. As if.
"Okay, I don't care," said Dent. "I just wanna go to sleep. The couch is fine."
"Oh, don't be stupid, we have a guest bedroom--" Dusk began.
"Is it upstairs?" Dent countered. Dusk nodded. "Then I'll take the couch. Unless that's upstairs too?" Dusk shook his head. "Good. Lead the way. A pillow, a blanket... I'm used to a lot less right now, you wouldn't believe the last few months I've been having."
"We have our suspicions, but nothing definite..." Dusk began. I tuned them out. Hating naps or not, I was tired of the trip too. It took a frighteningly short time before darkness claimed me.
.oOo.
"...Shh shh shh, it's okay, don't fuss li'l Gus," said a voice, interfering with my slumber. "Or should that be Gus-ess? Only that doesn't rhyme. Hmm."
Even as more of a baritone, I knew the owner of this voice. Opening my eyes, I came face to beak with what just had to be Pinkie. And he was cuddling me in his arms.
"Oooh's a widdle monster, hmm? Ooh is? Ooh is!"
I snapped at him, barely missing the dangling fingers.
"Careful," interjected Dent, sleepily, "she's a bit of a biter. Or a pecker."
"I help around Scotch's. Every so often we get a gryphon chick... I know just how to deal with 'em! Whoosh! Tickle tickle tickle!"
I squawked out giggling as he so unfairly applied his fingertips to my belly. I couldn't help it, squirming to get away just didn't work.
"She piddles too, so watch it." Dent added. I shot him an angry glare, but he just grinned from his nest on the sofa.
"And the Cake's have me... have me... uh... apparently I foalsit. I also changed her just after I fed her, so she's all clean!"
"You remember being... Pinkie?" I asked, before my brain caught up on the other points I was supposed to be mad at him about.
"Not really, but I don't worry about it. Dusk'll get it sorted out. He says we've been waiting for some seventh imminent or something..."
"That's element, Berry," said Dusk's voice as the front door opened, "and I don't understand it because there are only six. Come on Scotch, we'll need you too."
"B-but I... you s-said it was Gilda? I... don't want to. I need to wash my bear."
"Butterscotch, we need to get this sorted out! Washing your bear indeed..."
"B-but I do! He's so dirty!"
There was a roar from outside -- not an angry one, more a question. I craned my head to look out the window, and sure enough, there was a bear... in a poncho.
"It's okay, Harry, you just run along now. I'll give you your bath later."
"Does he talk too?" I asked, raising a few eyebrows.
"Barely," replied Butterscotch, nodding.
I opened my mouth to retort, when more humans started filing in. I started feeling rather... scared. All these strangers...
"Come on li'l bit, back to Dada," whispered Berry diplomatically, as he set me down on Dent's lap. I found myself scooching down into his lap as tightly as I could, shivering, as around my island of sanctuary appeared more and more faces. Was this, again, what it was like for Dent?
"Oh, ohh... she is r-rather cute," said Butterscotch. "Can't we keep her like that?"
"Actually I'm not sure what'll happen to... all this," replied Dusk, waving his arms about. "My Magic Resonance Imager says this is a meta-stable alternate universe almost exactly like our own. When we leave it, it might all snap back to how it should be with us all ponies again... or it might carry on with the us who are meant to be here staying in it. It's Chaos magic that's got us into this mess... so Scotch, is Eris going to help?"
"Or better yet, explain herself?" complained a blue-haired boy.
"Blitz, calm yourself," said a man in an immaculate suit. "I am sure Dusk will get everything sorted forthwith."
"Easy for you to say, Elusive, you can still do magic. I can't fly, I have to walk on these two... things. And I have dangly bits. Ugh. You have no idea how difficult it is to sit dow... okay, you probably do I'll shut up now." Blitz tailed off as Elusive glared at him primly.
Okay, that was Dash and Rarity. And that leaves Applejack as the muscular guy in a hat and not very much else. Figures.
"So we're all here, all except her." muttered Dusk, crossing his arms and glaring at Butterscotch, who gave an apologetic little squeak as he shrugged his shoulders. Before I could ask 'her who', a very pastel pink woman in an odd flat little hat and lots of flowing ribbon-like robes that were more climbing apparatus than clothing (especially around her bare midriff), complete with almost entirely see-through leggings, appeared in the centre of the room. Inside a very large puff of pink smoke.
"Good morning master!" twittered the woman brightly, as she threw herself upon him.
"Eris," moaned Butterscotch, as they collapsed in a heap on the sofa, "I'm not your master!"
"Does that mean I can unleash my phenomenal cosmic powers upon Manville like I used to before I moved into your itty bitty place?"
"His place isn't that itty bitty," grumbled Blitz in the background.
"No!" 'Scotch said, apparently having problems breathing. This was probably due to Eris' roving hands.
"Pity... oh, my master is so tense this morning! Let me give you a massage!" she said, and she leaned in and began nibbling on his ears.
"Ahem!" Dusk said impatiently. "Eris, we've talked about this. Please stop teasing 'Scotch, he'll be incoherent for the rest of the week if you don't."
"Oh you're no fun. He is though. Or will be, later. Tonight. When I find the special box of toys."
I noticed with some amusement how Butterscotch was slowly turning pinker than Eris' clothing.
"Who is that?" I chirped up. "And why do we need her here if she's just going to make that guy pass out from blood loss to the brain?"
Instantly, Eris fixed her gaze on me. I shrank back from it's power. "Oh, my, my, my, what do we have here?"
"She's my gryphon, lady, and if you hurt her I'll break you," growled Dent. "Who the hell are you and what do you want?"
"Oh I don't want much, just a little fun, you can be certain of that."
"Ain't nothing certain in this life but death and taxes," Dent quipped, "so which are you?"
"Well, I have many forms," Eris replied, smiling pertly then sticking her tongue out. "And one of them might have accidentally possibly maybe sometime somehow had a teensy little bit of a part in bringing you here. Both of you."
"You?" I squawked. "I doubt it. Who in hades are you?"
"Oh, I'm Eris, little chick," the woman replied, instantly inches from my beak. "Empress of chaos. I can do anything. Why, I once started a war that lasted for decades... with an apple. They raised no temples to me, when I dwelled in the land of young..." she paused only momentarily, her eyes flashing, "Dent here, but everyone knew my name. I was loved, feared, adored... even the others of my kind trod lightly in my presence."
"And you're incredibly sweet and kind and we would all absolutely love it if you could help us fix things? Please?" asked Scotch, his eyes going wide and bright, "Pretty please?"
Eris turned, and the fight went out of her. "Oh all right. You never let me have any fun."
I blinked. "Can you, uh, put me back to normal then?" I asked.
"Oh, easy peasy," Eris replied, as she crossed her arms, screwed up her eyes and nodded.
"Oh, no, wait, wait, wa--" Dusk began, but was cut off.
There was a burst of pink smoke and Strange place help no where home father gone bad people! Hiss! Claw! Climb! Fly! No sky! Want out! Where and then the smoke cleared and Eris had a contrite expression on her face.
"What?" she asked, "I gave her exactly what she asked for!"
"What... what am I doing up here?" I asked, looking around the bookshelf I found myself perched on. Below me were a pile of books and scrolls. I fluttered down to land in an unceremonial heap on the floor. Dent picked me up, then patted my padded backside comfortingly. And to check on my 'status'. Ugh.
"Eris... turned you back to normal, for this universe," Dusk explained.
"Which was what she asked for!" Eris complained, pouting.
"But not what she wanted. You know what you've done -- this world isn't ours. We all want back to our own universe."
"I... want back to a different one from... uh... are you guys all from the universe Gilda's from?" Dent asked.
"Which Gilda," interjected Eris. "Dusk Shine is normally a pony named Twilight Sparkle... unless he's a stallion named Dusk Shine. Or a dragon named Topaz Dream. Or a gryphon. Or a human girl... and Gilda's a world famous racing gryphon, or a human, or a gryphon who fell out with her old friend Dash. None of you are where you should be, and all of you belong here. So..."
"So first of all, what did you do to the elements of harmony?" Dusk growled, crossing his arms.
"Nothing," replied Eris, before she caught sight of Scotch's expression and wilted. "Oh alright. I added a new one. Behold, the Element of Umami, yada yada tadaa poof."
I felt something heavy appear around my neck. It was 'my' collar that we'd left back at home, but with some sort of broach on it featuring a bowl of... soup?
"What," replied Dusk flatly.
"Look, I'm sorry. I thought it would be hilarious. There'd be some monster from some place all whoosh flame roar and then you guys'd get together and waa waa, nothing happens, then poof I'd come in and save the day with the missing element and then... you'd... uh... all... kinda like me a bit more and... uh..."
Was she blushing?
"Only it didn't quite work like it was supposed to, huh?"
Eris shrugged, smiling weakly, "Chaos magic. Sometimes it just... eh."
"Oh come here, pumpkin," said Scotch, and he pulled Eris into a hug. "We all love you and forgive you. Now... if you could just undo what you did, then we can all go home, right guys?" There was a mumbled half-hearted chorus of assent. And then Scotch glared. I don't know what he did, but it made everybody stand up straighter, give each other nervous glances, then loudly proclaim agreement.
"See? Everything's fine. No harm done."
"I... get to go home?" I asked. "I mean, to my home, with Daddy and everything back to the way it was? W-with Dent?"
Dent held up a hand, "Wait, if we're all going home... then I really want to go to my home."
Suddenly my stomach felt very cold, small and hard. "You... you don't want to c-come home? With me?"
Dent's eyes fixed on mine as he picked me up and turned me around. "Gilda, this isn't my world. That world wasn't my world either. My world is... my world. I want to go home too, to my home. And I can't take you with me. I can't do to you what you did to me."
"But... but..." I said, choking back sobs. "I l-love you..."
Dent shook his head. "You love a pet. As a pet. I'm a human, this type of human. Your world... I don't know, I could grow to like it, in some ways... but not as a pet. As I am, your world is horrific. I was tortured, beaten, mutilated, raped and treated like... like a toy. I love you too, Gilda, but not enough to be your toy. I want to go home, where I have dignity and freedom. Eris, please send me to my world."
"Oh alright. When I dissolve the seventh element, all this will cease to be. You'll go back where you belong. I don't know quite what you were doing in her world, but... if you've had enough, then I guess I can send you home. If you give me a kiss."
"Eris..."
"A peck on the cheek? Oh, alright. A hug then."
"I can do a hug," snorted Dent, and he put me down... and strode over to Eris, giving her the biggest hug I'd ever seen. I couldn't help it, I started bawling. He was my human! Mine! And I was losing him and I'd never see him again and everything was going wrong and I was so far away from home and Daddy was in a stall and, and, and...
And suddenly, Dent was hugging me again, holding me tight. "It's okay, princess," he said, softly, kissing my beak. "It's okay. I'll always love you. You always treated me well, always... but I can't take you back to my world, you'd die alone a million miles from anything familiar. And that's why I can't go with you either. Because I'm alone. So very, very alone. And as shitty as my world can get... it's home. Please forgive me. Eris, do it."
"Everypony hold on," said Eris, as she crossed her arms, screwed up her eyes and blinked--
Please don't go Dent, please no, Dent, please stay, please, I love you Dent. Don't go Dent! Stay Dent, Dent, Dent-- |
Your human and you - Gryphon half a chance | I Had A Dream | Your Human And You
Gryphon Half A Chance
Ch. 7
"Dent! Dent! DENT!" Gilda opened her eyes to find me staring into them in concern. Her thrashing about had woken me with a start, bringing back brief, painful memories of my arrival in this world.
"Hey stupid," she said, after a few moments of blinking and working her beak soundlessly. If I hadn't known her as well as I did, I'd have been angry. I grinned, impishly, and tweaked her beak. She shied back and shook herself, feathers fluffing up.
"Get off, dummy," she said languidly, but failed to move.
I crooned happily back, stroking her body. Uncharacteristically, she hugged me, a full-body embrace. "Don't ever leave me," she whispered, "please..."
She pulled back, so I leaned forwards and kissed her on the beak. This made her chuckle.
"You're in a chipper mood, still feeling frisky, huh?" Gilda got up, groaning with pleasure, and rolled out of bed, stretching. "Well tough, because I've got to--" She paused as she spied the necklace on the dresser. She clicked her beak thoughtfully, then picked it up and padded back to the bed with it. "I was going to... do something. Say something. About you," she added. "But I don't remember... I had this really weird dream, Dent. You were in it, and you could... you could... you went..." She stopped, her eyes unfocusing.
I got up off the bed and walked over to her, slightly worried. Maybe she was ill? I guess gryphons could get sick, right?
"Ah, it doesn't matter. It was just a dream. And you're here." She reached out the claw carrying the gem and moved to put it over my head, I shied away. I may not have been able to talk, but that didn't mean I couldn't communicate.
Gilda sighed as she looked down at it. "Okay, I guess you wouldn't want to... not after that. I just thought, I thought... oh well." She turned to take it back, but I caught at her wing and pulled. She looked at me curiously.
"What is it, boy?"
I took hold of the necklace gingerly, looking at it this way and that. Laughing, Gilda held it out to me.
"It's okay, boy. I won't make you... I won't make you do anything you don't want to. Here, keep it, throw it away. It's yours. Just don't eat it."
That's what I wanted to hear. I pulled it from her grasp, and slipped it over my neck, then wolf-whistled, flicking my eyebrows suggestively. Gilda blinked, then burst out in a squawking laugh.
"Where did you... " she shook her head, then hopped her foreclaws up on her bed and shook her rear end. "I give up trying to understand you. Come on, boy, I guess we've got time for a little fun. If you're... if you want. It's okay. I promise. I won't hurt you. I won't force you. I won't... n-not like that pony."
Gilda was angry, jinking from paw to paw to claws, her wings fluttering, but not as angry as me. I didn't let it show, though, because I wasn't angry with her. I sauntered up behind her, already at attention, and put my hands on her hips, one on either side of her tail which was brushing my nose teasingly.
I moved closer, slowly and carefully. I could feel Gilda's taut attention, riveted on my presence. She warbled, clacking her beak nervously. I heard her gulp.
"It's okay," she whispered, "it's okay. Easy now. It's okay. If you want, gently..."
I leaned in closer, widening my stance. I could feel the heat from her nether-regions like a blast-furnace on my crotch, my cock aching to penetrate her soft mound, pulsing with my heartbeat as I thrust ever so slowly forwards until--
Knock knock!
Gilda turned, and squawked out a loud, angry rough, "What!?" at the door.
"Uh, your highness," came a hesitant voice, "Lord Abraxis wishes to kn-know i-if his daughter will be at-attending dinner?"
Gilda's head snapped round to the clock on her dresser. "Guano! It's that late?" she hissed, under her breath. Then, louder, at the door, she called, "Yes, yes, of course, I will. We will," she added, looking at me. "Dent was feeling a little poorly after his visit with the vet this morning and I, uh, felt a little sleepy. So we both slept together--"
I cringed. That particular choice of words wouldn't have been first on my list...
"--uh, I mean, we both t-took a nap--"
"Of course your highness," replied the voice, even and non-judgemental. Suspiciously so. I rolled my eyes.
"--and I didn't realize what the time was. I shall be down at once." Gilda craned her head round to look at me. "Well, as soon as possible. Dent needs a shower."
I sniffed myself. I stank of sex, feathers and fur. If even I could smell the stink of Gilda all over me, I was pretty sure the ponies and gryphons could. A shower was a good idea.
"Very well."
I heard the pony on the other side of the locked door turn around and leave. I huffed, then turned my head to the en suite.
"And where do you think you're going?" intoned Gilda. She ruffled her head-feathers then swished her tail. "We've got time for a shower, but we've also got time for... if you want..."
Oh, well then.
I grabbed onto her haunches again, holding tightly, I heard Gilda croon encouragingly and I watched as her wings fluttered.
You really want this, huh? Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't. You're my Mistress, and you deserve things that make you happy. And, just perhaps, so do I...
I moved closer, inch by inch, getting myself into position before gently, ever so gently, placing my cock at the entrance to her pleasure cave. Rubbing it up and down sensually, I felt her juices coat it. Still sticky from earlier, the sickly sweet stink of pony juices were replaced by the coarser, wet and spicier smell of gryphon. Gilda's crooning turned from breathy and slight to full-throated as her cuntlips engorged. I moaned with her, and in a single, slow thrust, eased my cock inside her tight depths.
She was tight, much tighter than the pony had been. Not really surprising -- shut up, I doubt any of you are hung like a horse either -- but very welcome. Tight as she was, though, she was slick with juices, and as hot as a soldering iron. I could feel her heat penetrating my body, flowing up and down my legs and chest much as her maidenly juices coated my skin. She was thrusting with me, eagerly meeting my motion.
As her heat enveloped my fleshy rod, I sunk into her body, laying myself onto her back, nibbling and nipping all her her fur and feathers, licking and kissing at my Gilda's body. as I hilted deep inside her, I mock-growled and bit at her haunches, pulling at her ruff with my teeth. She threw back her head and squawked long and high, her wings fluttering out fully.
Reaching under one wing, I grasped the inner ridge and pulled myself tighter. The other arm I threw first across her back, then swept under her belly to rub and pinch her soft, downy underbelly fur. Rubbing my whole body against her back, I penetrated her folds with joyous abandon.
"Oh Dent, oh first egg... first feathers... fire and frost! I... never... knew... oh yes... just... like... oh... Dent!" Gilda was finding it hard to speak, mostly because every time I hilted inside her, she'd give a little squeak and tense up, clamping down around my cock, forcing it back out as I pushed in, and milking hard on it when I tried to pull out.
Schluck, schluck, shluck, our mating continued apace. It was bestial, raw, urgent... and mutual.
It was with a squeak of surprise that I pulled her and myself up onto the bed, where she rolled on top of me. I didn't miss a beat, and just kept on keeping on. She wriggled, pulling herself free of my grasp, before standing above me, flicking her tail. She looked down, under her body, at my Little Dent, before looking back up at me.
"Oh this is so.... so naughty! We're doing it human style!" she cried, as she lowered her haunches down, rather awkwardly, and speared herself once more on my cock.
I reached up around the barrel of her body and snuggled her closer, thrusting upwards into her warm depths, the neck charm giving me unparalleled sexual stamina. It wasn't, however, giving me physical stamina. Our love-making moved into a slower phase, not that this deterred Gilda. Her "doing it human style" just inflamed her passions even more.
"Oh this is so... dirty! Mmf! Rrf! Oh yes! Come on!"
I have to admit, it was rather... dominating, to have her on top like that. I liked it, but I can't say her particular anatomy was making the physical aspect all that easy. So I rolled on top of her, growling and biting at her chest. This succeeded in making her squeal and squawk louder, and then she rolled us over again, growling back, nipping at my shoulder and arms. Not about to let her win the match, we rolled again... onto the floor.
We growled and snapped, biting and nipping until we ended up against the wall where, with a clatter as we shoved the dresser and her dressing screen out the way, Gilda raised up on her hind legs and put her foreclaws up high. I grabbed around her chest, found my mark and hit the spot.
Moments later, a hot flood of fluid poured out between her legs as the pair of us climaxed as one. She slumped against the wall, tongue hanging out the side of her beak. I leaned up against her, honestly shaken, as I scrabbled to remove -- and drop -- the necklace.
That was quite enough of that.
"Tartarus' halls!" Gilda gasped as she dropped to the floor then dragged herself to the bed. She lay there, gasping. "I didn't know... that it could be... like that!"
I sniffed myself. I smelled worse than before. Or better -- it depended who you asked, I guessed.
Turning to Gilda, I raised an eyebrow, then thought about it a little -- lions had sex for about sixty seconds a pop. We'd been going for close to thirty times that. She was all sexed out.
There was a hesitant knock on the door, followed by, "Er, miss?"
Oh crap, the shower before dinner! Which we really, really needed!
I sprinted to the en suite and just turned taps until a black and stormy little cloud meandered out of the overhead spouts. It sent a small spray of lightning sparks into the bathroom, and then proceeded to rain hot water into an oversized tub. I shrugged -- when in, uh, pone. Thankfully the nosy help got the message. I heard her turn around to leave again.
"Okay! I'll just leave you to it!"
I snuck back out to come face to beak with Gilda. I grinned.
"Ohh no, you need a shower too. Get in." Swiftly, she closed the door, blocked any potential exit, and manhandled -- was it gryphonhandled? -- me into the shower. Gratefully, I washed myself down, working the warm and refreshing water into every nook and cranny. And then, when I'd finished working soap into my own body, I started working soap into Gilda's. Rubbing my whole body against her, I wasn't sure if we were getting rid of the evidence or making it worse. Either way, it was nice to be that close and intimate. Without the necklace, I was thankfully no longer at attention. To be honest, it was starting to hurt.
Some time later, Gilda turned the water off. Then she grabbed me tightly and pushed a button.
I don't know if you've ever been in the middle of a hurricane, but I can bet it was sort of like this. Only... not so useful. Warm air blasted throughout the room, scaring away whatever droplets were left, scouring them from our bodies. In moments, Gilda went from sopping wet, to dog-smell damp to glistening and dry. I raked one of her brushes through my hair -- much to her disapproval -- and then turned my attention to her fur. Tigers may not be able to purr, but gryphons can. Very reluctantly, she eventually had me stop.
"Enough, enough, I'm ready you doofus. Cawed, you'll make me sleepy and then we'll be even later for dinner! Come on."
I dutifully followed my mistress out of her bedroom and through the house, until we came to the dining room. And there I discovered we had guests.
My first thought, upon seeing the enormous white mare seated demurely at the table, was they come that big!?
My second was, wait, they can come with both wings AND horn!? |
Your human and you - Gryphon half a chance | Flappy Princess Unicorn | Your Human And You
Gryphon Half A Chance
Ch. 8
Whilst my brain was going bigwhitehorseflyingunicornwhathuh, Gilda had stiffened, then curtsied. Even to my 'finely tuned' senses, I immediately knew something was up -- after all, nothing flusters a gryphon.
"I-I'm sorry we're late, Celestia your majesty. My dork of a human was, uh, being difficult about his bath."
The huge winged unicorn, named Celestia apparently, stood up demurely and covered her muzzle with a hoof to hide the smile, then took a breath and replied, "That's quite--" she paused, and her nostrils flared exactly once "--quite alright." Then she just... smirked, as she took a sip of tea. She hid it well, but that was a real, bona fide smirk.
I'd just been in a shower, surely she couldn't smell...
"Oh don't worry Gilda dear," Celestia said smoothly, "I know just how humans can be." And then she very definitely winked, with her eye on the side opposite Abraxis, where he couldn't see.
Did she just... no, surely not...
"You have met my daughter?" Abraxis asked in surprise, looking from his prodigy to what had to be some sort of queen-horse and back.
"Oh no, not in the feathers," Celestia replied, "but my former pupil and her friends did have the pleasure whilst she stayed in Ponyville a while ago."
"Oh? I thought..." Abraxis looked at his daughter, thoughtfully, troubled.
Celestia shook her head then said, diplomatically, "Meeting old friends after a long time apart can be... hard. Ponies change, as do gryphons. But I know, Gilda my dear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that my little ponies in Ponyville are just as much ready to be a friend to you as they are with each other. It is... part of the reason I am here. To personally invite you back. Rainbow Dash misses you."
Gilda turned her head, looking away. "I... can't. I'm... it's all different now. I'm different."
"We're never the same people we used to be. I'm sure you're as different a Gilda now than from the Gilda you were when you last visited us." Celestia took a sip of tea again. "But that isn't why I'm here," she continued, turning to look straight at me, her gaze piercing. "I came because I have a business offer for your father, Lord Abraxis."
"No, you may not purchase my daughter's human," Abraxis stated simply, before tearing into his plate of steaming meat. The implicit threat was palpable. I took a step back at the force of it.
"What? Oh, no! Ah ha ha!" Celestia laughed brightly and honestly, covering her muzzle with one hoof. "I wouldn't think of separating this human and your daughter like that! Oh goodness me, no. I came to order a shipment of fine silks and cloth for a minor renovation project in the West wing. Seeing as this initial investment may lead to further business relations, I thought it prudent to judge your character first hoof. Seeing your remarkable pet is merely a side-benefit."
Abraxis leaned his head forwards in interest, far over the table from his low divan-like seat. "A major purchase? With more to follow? I am intrigued. Go on."
"Quite. And... between you and me, I envy your ability to travel. I may not be able to go on such merchant tours as your good self, but... one can perhaps live vicariously, harmlessly and fruitfully through another? Would you tell me of your travels, my good Lord Abraxis? Perhaps... start with this human? I hear he is a new addition to your household."
I narrowed my eyes. So, that's how she's playing it, is she?
"A... meeting of purposes is it, then?" Abraxis asked, slowly smoothing his ruffled feathers.
"Of course! I must admit that I am very interested in hearing more about your remarkable sport human. My chief human ethologist was most insistent I learn more about him. If I don't write her a satisfactory report, she will be most vexed." Celestia chuckled to herself.
"A princess, interested in humans?" stated Abraxis, in some disbelief. It was all I could do not to echo it with a snort of disbelief.
So it's Princess Celestia, huh?
"I have a passing fancy in the creatures myself of course," Celestia replied, in an off-hoof manner. "They're very important to our economy. Not in... quite the same way as for you gryphons, given your unique diets, but still very important. There have been discussions amongst our breeders to aim for a larger stock, or stronger... or smarter."
And then she looked at me. Right at me. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...
"Oh? Oh my, oh hohoho, then I'm sorry to inform you that your journey may have been wasted. My daughter's human may be a sport, but he's also been gelded. He was a wild-caught male, after all."
Celestia choked on her tea, hiding her shock behind a swift dabbing of her napkin. "Oh, oh my," she said, finally. "How did he, uh, respond?"
"Oh a bit grumpy at first, weren't you, boy? Come on, Dent, come here. Good boy, Dent, Come on," Abraxis said to me. "He's very well trained," he continued, to Celestia. "Looks like he's a bit shy."
Truth be told, I was shaking. I could tell that the creature in front of me -- this huge, winged and armoured equine with a unicorn's horn -- could throw me around like a ragdoll from across the room, or snap my bones like twigs with barely a thought.
"I'm afraid many humans find me intimidating. I can't really figure out why, I wouldn't hurt a fly."
Somehow, I didn't quite believe her. Slowly, fearfully, I walked up to Abraxis. I kept my eyes on the ground and shrunk in close to my Mistress' father. He batted my hands away from my crotch. I'd been naked for months, but in front of Celestia... it mattered.
"Stop fussing, Dent. I want to show you off!"
In the end, Abraxis set me lying down on the table so he could show off his handiwork. I just lay back, eyes closed.
"See? Neat incisions, sutures to prevent blood loss... Princess, I beg of you, teach human anatomy -- and pony anatomy -- in greater detail to your subjects. I know your ponies are not... like us gryphons, but if you wish to improve the lot of your humans, your ponies must learn more advanced surgical techniques. Your current level of medical knowledge is barbaric at best, leading to suffering, and I do so despise making our livestock suffer."
Celestia seemed unruffled at such bluntness, though I thought I noticed a momentary flicker of... annoyance? Shame? "Oh my, that is... neat. You say he didn't complain much?" Celestia looked frankly and without disdain at my shame, then up at Abraxis.
"No, no. Recovery time was a few days, his... ahem, postpartum treatments have been few and far between. He's a happy chap, aren't you Dent? Good boy, Dent."
"May I... approach him personally?"
"Oh, I think so. He won't bite. Lay stillnow, Dent. It's okay. She won't hurt you."
I shivered, eyes still closed, shaking, as Celestia stepped closer. I felt her hot breath rove across my body before tickling my neck as she bent her mouth close to my ear, and whispered, "I know."
My eyes shot opened as I looked up into her face. She winked.
Suddenly ignoring me, she stepped back. "Yes, my dear Lord Abraxis, you do indeed have a wonderful specimen here. Tell me of his discovery?"
"Why so much interest in a sport, though?" Abraxis replied cheerfully.
"Well I always worry about my little humans, taken out of everything they know, out of their own worlds, and brought into ours."
Oh shit oh shit oh shit...
"Wild humans have it rougher, far rougher, of course. Their lives are often nasty, brutal and short... but for domesticated humans, they are taken into our homes, into our very families. They require special attention, so far from everything they know. Even those hardy chaps you have in your stables are amongst their own kind, but for family pets... we are all they have. We must act as their spokesmares, their confidants and their protectors. I have often wondered, you know, just what they could tell us... if they could speak."
That was my cue. "Eeh ooh, ooh aah aah!" I squawked, before flipping off the table and scuttling back to Gilda. I hid under her wing, pulling it around my body.
"Oh get out of it you dork! Stop misbehaving! Sit at the table, Dent, and have something to eat like a good human!"
Reluctantly, I left the relative safety of her wings and perched on a chair like a bird, not sitting as I usually would. I bent my head down in quick, watchful bites to snatch mouthfuls of my meal. They'd given me meat again -- not human, of course. They'd tried human once, then spent the rest of the day trying to get me to come down off the highest bookshelf I could find -- in a big bowl with my name on it. I was loud and messy, in best 'toddler Dent' mode that I usually only used when I knew they wanted me to stay clean and I was feeling rather contrary. I could tell Gilda was trying to melt into the floor, Abraxis just laughed and ignored it. Celestia, though, was unreadable, but I swore I caught her glancing in my direction more than once, smiling with mirth as well as... something else.
"You know Gilda, you really should come to see Ponyville again. In fact, should your father's business and mine proceed apace, perhaps you should come in person to Canterlot to present yourself! I know Rarity would just adore the challenge of whipping you up some fantastic outfit to wow my increasingly vapid nobles." Celestia rolled her eyes as Abraxis choked on his leg of... whatever-it-was. "Oh I mean it! And bring your human, otherwise Tin Berg, my royal ethologist, would simply never give me a moment's peace! She does get rather... enthusiastic. But don't worry, she's perfectly discrete." Celestia winked again. Subtlety, thy name is mare.
The meal went on, with Abraxis speaking of his travels, waxing poetic and long-winded. Celestia seemed genuinely interested, passing the time with neatly placed compliments and smalltalk which eventually translated to full on business dealings. I soon lost interest in trying to understand what was being said, and concentrated fully on why this strange flying unicorn was here. Though my Spider Sense was tingling the whole time, nothing more was said to or about me, personally, and I was left with the echo of those two words -- I know -- to haunt me long after I slipped gratefully from the room as Gilda made her excuses and left. |
Your human and you - Gryphon half a chance | Just can't have a normal day... | Your Human And You
Gryphon Half A Chance
Ch. 9
Gilda stalked along the corridors of her family's home, grumbling to herself. I couldn't really make out the words, but then it was partly because I was struggling to keep up. A sassed gryphon is a barely contained bundle of fury and feathers that moves surprisingly quickly when it wants to.
The words from Gilda that I could make out, however, sounded a lot like variations on 'Celestia' and 'nose bigger than her horn'.
I almost ran up her butt when she stopped outside her room and announced, loudly, "I'm going out! Dent, stay!"
I wasn't having any of it today, though. With Celestia still on the grounds somewhere, I wanted to be elsewhere if Mistress wasn't there to deflect attention. Not to mention I was still more than a little paranoid about... attention from elsewhere. I slipped past her and fetched my leash from hooks on the wall then returned. I couldn't clip it to my collar so I bit the end in my teeth and held out the other end.
"No! No, Dent, you stay."
Not this time, princess, I told myself. This time, I would use my most fearsome weapon... puppydog eyes! After a few long seconds of taking in those deep pools of forever flowing sadness, she wilted.
She sighed exasperatedly and snatched the leash from me. "Fine!"
Smirking, I followed her out. She hadn't even bothered to attach it. ***
With how long I'd been in this strange world -- at times it felt like mere days, others like it had been years already, funny how time flies -- I didn't think I'd ever get used to seeing talking horses acting like beasts of burden. I know, weird, right? I mean here I am, talking human -- almost at least -- being treated like a beast, whilst admittedly not beast-of-burden creatures are... look, the talking ponies still pulled wagons. The mind boggles.
Mistress and I sat in the relatively comfy open-top wagon as the miles slid by. I had bundled myself up in furs and regretted the whole 'being naked' thing almost immediately. It wasn't cold -- for some reason, out here, there was no winter. Apparently the townsfolk didn't want any of that snow truck -- but it certainly was breezy. I was pretty used to things by now, but was still missing my clothes. Even though they'd been made by a rapist.
Oh damn.
Sitting in the cart was giving me time to reflect. Shit. I could feel myself starting to shake now that everything was catching up to me... I'd been raped. And then I'd tried to drown out the recollection by dumb-ass rationalizations and bestiality. Man, I was such a piece of shit...
"Oh Dent, I'm so glad you live with me," Gilda whispered, suddenly.
What?
"You know... I do get lonely sometimes. I know, I know, we're gryphons. We're supposed to be strong, powerful, independent creatures... nothing like those namby pamby ponies, right?"
I heard a soft whicker of laughter from one of the two pulling the wagon. "Don't you go thinkin' you need to be a rock, little miss," said one of the pair. "But even rocks get worn down by those walkin' on them. You just need friends, they lift you up. Like your human there; he's a real keeper. I can see it in his eyes, so deep it's like... I don't know. Let him be your herd, you know what I'm saying?"
"I think I do, Breezy," Gilda replied, sighing.
"My little girl wants a human," the pony called Breezy added, "but I just haven't found the right one. I hope I don't have to go as far as your father did to find that one."
Nothing made sense; I was a piece of shit, my made-of-iron mistress had a warm and gooey center... what next?
It turned out that 'what next' was the pony village I'd heard about from Gilda.
Well, I say 'pony village' but there seemed to be a number of gryphons, trolls I was reliably informed were called 'diamond dogs' and even what looked like stags and minotaurs around too, and all of them were hawking their wares in some sort of faire.
One minotaur was selling knitted hats. I picked one up as our party of four split down to two. I was astonished, to see such a human-looking garment on display. It had long floppy tassels on the ears. I put it on.
"Oh, Dent, put it back!" scolded Gilda. "Honestly, why did I bring you?"
I grinned at her apologetically and went to take it off, but the minotaur -- an incredibly large individual that towered several feet above my head -- just gently put it back on again. When the ringing in my ears had stopped, I understood that he wanted me to advertise his store.
He tied a little fetish resembling his sign to one tassle, then shooed me off. Goofily, I hugged him -- carefully, he wasn't wearing much either -- then sauntered off whirling the other tassle.
Gilda, behind me, put a claw to her beak and sighed, pinching the bridge of it.
Pretty soon, I learned that being a human at an open market rocked. So long as I was cute, I could get away with murder. Well, less 'murder' and more 'armfuls of free treats, food and gifts'. People -- ponies, gryphons, everyone -- were lining up to give me things just so long as I acted adorable on command. It was like taking candy from babies.
Don't look at me like that, I never said that I actually took candy from babies. In reality, I gave half of my growing stash away to the foals, chicks and pups that followed me around ceaselessly. I found myself swapping candies for the bows that foals put in their manes and tails, or small combs, shiny beads... I snagged a totebag from a laughing salespony into which I upended most of my stuff, not that it stayed there; I had to keep the show up, after all, so was constantly offering things to everyone.
The faire was huge, it looked like it was a real put-on deal rather than just an everyday things, not that I could be sure, even with the presence of armoured militia ponies milling about to keep the peace. Streamers and bunting hung from every available site, snatches of music floated past on the wind and everywhere I looked, people of all shapes and sizes -- humans included -- were enjoying themselves.
This made it all the more painful when it all went pear-shaped. Suddenly, in the midst of all the fun, there was a single shriek, which quickly turned into a concerto of screams. My head snapped around as, behind a rapidly growing stream of creatures thundering past me, I saw a strange-looking human stagger out of the nearby brush. Even in the powerful sunlight, his pale skin seemed to glow with sickly colours where pulsating veins of black and red criss-crossed his body. I thought I could even see tendrils of black emerging from very sunken eyes, and a tongue that was almost purple protruding from a slack, slathering mouth.
"Luna's moon," I heard one pony say with a sharp intake of breath, "Black Vine! Fern! Feerrrnn!"
"Save the humans! Get them back! Get everypony back!" cried another.
Black Vine? I wondered, save the humans? This sounded serious. Still, more serious than that was that a little green earthpony was currently hunched up onto her hind legs, ears splayed back, only feet from this obviously aggressive human. Nothing good could come of that, I thought to myself, as the crazed human snarled, leaped forwards, picked up the foal... and bit into her flank.
Oh shit, dawg, not on my watch.
Grimly, I put the totebag down. There's aggressive, and then there's rabid, and then... and then there was whatever this was. I leaned over and picked up a spade from a nearby stall, hefted it thoughtfully and then made my decision. Moments later, I was thundering my way towards the squealing, screaming, bleeding pony and the savage monster that was trying its best to eat her alive.
I eyed the spade in my hand, then shook my head. I was about to do the unthinkable... no, I was about to do this creature the same courtesy any good farmer would. I was going to put it down. This wasn't a human, not any more. I didn't know what was up, but the phrase 'cannibal zombie' didn't seem too far fetched, given everything else I'd had to put up with, not that the 'zombie' part needed to stick.
Despite screams behind me which moments later I realized were from an incredibly concerned Gilda, I was closing the distance between myself and what was left of the human. Something was very, very wrong with it. It looked like a bad case of raging hentai had exploded over a box of kale, which had subsequently had an illicit one-night stand with a cadaver, giving birth to an unholy mess of skin, bones, glowing tendrils and pus.
And it was eating a living foal, tearing chunks out with its teeth. With a shriek that belied belief, I saw it wrench at a leg for a bigger helping of meat.
This was going to end now.
"Rrrroaaaaarrrrggghhhhh!" I shouted as I closed the distance between us, and swung the shovel with full force. The creature looked up in surprise at my battle cry, an almost comical expression on its face, as the flat of the blade connected. The foal dropped like a sack of wet meat, mewling pitifully, as the body of the human somersaulted around my makeshift weapon.
Breathing heavily, I spat at the twitching mess, then turned to the foal. She was hurt badly, but alive -- for now. I mumbled to her as best I could, wishing that just for one moment more my ability to speak would return. I looked up as I heard tentative, heavy hoofsteps clip-clop towards us.
"Do you... think he's been bit?" asked an armoured militia pony.
"Chalk, we're gonna have to know real soon now..." replied the other. "Did you find us a vet? And the rest of the town guards? And are there more infected? Troll's teeth, it's blackvine! There's never just the one! Never! Where's it coming from?"
"I dunno Amber, but better safe than sorry... better to put him down now rather than watch him turn into one of... oh Luna's left nipple ring!"
The thoughts that ran through my head were swift and sparkling in their intensity. Put me down? What? Wait... they're not just upset about me, but about--
I turned, picked up the shovel and stood in one smooth move as what I thought had been a cadaver got up off the freaking floor. Its neck was broken in several places, most of its teeth were decorating the fairground, and the less said about its nose, the better... and it was still fucking moving!
Only one thing to do.
CLONG!
I hit it in the face again, and watched it go down.
CLANG! SPRONG! THUNK! THWACK!
"Don't just stand there you idiots, put it down! Hit it again! Make sure it's--" a voice rang out. I was only to happy to oblige; whatever this was, alive was something it wasn't.
I hit it. I hit it and hit it and hit it and hit it until it stopped moving. And then, carefully putting the blade at shoulder level, I stomped on the shovel with all my might until I heard something crack and split like an overripe melon. And then I fell back, weeping, curling myself into a tight ball of despair, wailing into the ether.
Dimly, I began to be aware of voices.
"I think he's okay. Please, please... please, I think he's okay!" That was Gilda.
"Miss, we should be--" began one of the two guardsponies, Chalk or Amber, I wasn't sure which. I didn't care which.
"Step aside, gentleponies," said a new, prim voice. "I am Celestia's royal ethologist, here on business. I have great experience with not only humans, but the worst effects of Blackvine Infection. I can tell you right now, without the shadow of a doubt, that this human is not infected. He does, however, need medical attention. You, go make sure that little filly is okay, and you -- keep everypony back please. At once."
There were murmurs of assent, and then I heard one of the two guardsponies barking orders. And then there was silence, but only for a moment.
"It's him, isn't it?" said the prim voice, though now it held a quiver that hadn't been there before.
"Him who?" asked Gilda. The tone of her voice was almost enough to make me immediately uncurl from my tight ball with curiosity.
"The sport. The sport! The sport Morticia wrote me about! Oh my, my, my... come on handsome, let me get a look at you! There we are..."
Under the admittedly tender ministrations of a large, prim-and-proper earthpony mare, I uncurled and, slowly, stopped shaking. When my vision had cleared, I noted that her mane was black and her body was white, with what looked like some sort of staff with a snake as a butt tattoo. A medical pony, but for 'animals', I mused. She put a hoof to my head, and gently wiped away a few spatters of blood and grime.
"Yes, yes, I can feel it, his body heat! ninety eight point six! And... yes! Incisors! Oh, I knew it! I knew it! Another one!"
I gagged as she put a hoof past my lips, gently forcing my mouth open and depressing my tongue, but repressed any and all urges to do anything hasty. Questions about being put down still rang heavy in my mind.
"Another... wait, what? And... is he gonna be okay? Please tell me he's gonna be okay, that... that was blackvine! Am I... is he... is he gonna die?"
"Oh, no, my girl, no. He's special, so very, very special." Furtively looking around, the pony leaned in close to Gilda and hissed quietly but intensely, "he's immune!"
"He's what!?" sputtered Gilda, causing the earth pony to twitch in alarm and furtively look about.
"We had a case, just like this, a few years ago. The same sub-species... they might be an entirely different species, actually... but they're immune to blackvine infection! Oh this is incredible! I never thought I'd... and then Celestia didn't let me visit with her, said I should wait for an opportunity, called me pushy, hah! But I came anyway! I just never thought...! I mean... oh, yes, the foal, this is... terrible, but... so awesome!"
I raised one eyebrow reflexively. This pony was crazy.
"Tin," said the pony, suddenly.
"What?" asked Gilda.
"Tin, Tin Berg. Royal Ethologist, at your disposal," she said, out of the corner of her muzzle. She hadn't taken her eyes off me for the last few minutes. I felt like the last pastry in the box.
"I don't suppose you could get your hoof out of my pet's mouth, then?" asked Gilda.
"Oh. Well, I... I guess," said Tin, taking one last wistful look at my teeth. "He's special," she repeated. "One of very, very few examples of his kind I've heard about. I bet he's smart, right?"
"Well he's...clever," said Gilda, suspiciously, "but... he's just a human."
"No, no, he's different. Teeth, body temperature, height, strength... intelligence. Watch!"
Reaching her head into a shoulder-bag I hadn't noticed before, the crazy pony pulled out a small squeaky ball. She squeaked it a few times, then pointedly put it back into her bag. I turned to Gilda as if to say "what?"
"See, a normal human... squeaky toys? They love them. He'd have been all over me to get it."
"He's... he's still... you're practically sitting on him! And he's well-trained!"
"Let's see, shall we?" Tin moved back, then got two objects out of her bag; the squeaky toy and a smaller bag, a packet even, of tools, gauzes and other medical-type implements.
"I'll give you this, young man," said Tin, squeaking the ball playfully, "if you let me take a closer look at you. Gilda, isn't it? I've heard of your father. How is he if you take his toys away?"
"What? Why?"
"I want to take a blood sample, to verify he really is clean of infection -- he's going to be under quarantine until we can be sure -- and I want to take your temperature, don't I, boy? Don't I! Yes I do! So open up!"
I obediently opened my mouth.
"Too bad it's a rectal thermometer," she added, eyes shining.
Snap! My teeth almost shattered with how fast I closed my mouth.
Tin just leaned closer, eyes glowing with mirth and conquest. "I knew it!" she whinnied triumphantly. "Oh, I have so many questions for Celestia... so many! So many! All the questions!"
Tin's euphoria was tempered only by the arrival of more guards, unicorns this time dressed in fancier, different garb. They swiftly set about blanketing the place with spells that smelled like mouthwash and bleach, whilst two more oversaw incinerating the remains of the poor creature I'd executed.
Amidst all of this, a distraught mare shoved her way up to our little group, despite protestations from the guards.
"No! I have to... I ju-just have to say... thank you. Gilda, isn't it? Abraxis' chick? Thank you, y-your human, he... if he hadn't... little Fern, my foal, is going to be okay. Sh-she's hurt, she might lose a leg, but... she'll live. Thanks to... he's your human, isn't he? Is he going to be okay?"
"Yes, my dear mare, the human is safe, he's fine. Nothing to worry about. He's not been infected, thank Celestia, but please do keep your distance, and advise everyone with a human to go home immediately, and to report any suspicious behaviour at once." Tin was back to being prim and proper, instead of the giddy nerd she'd been mere moments before. Nervously, the mare bowed her head, then retreated.
"So for now, Gilda, I want to check up on him tomorrow. Tonight he will stay here, under my observation. If he truly shows no symptoms tomorrow, a second blood test will tell us for sure he is as clean as I utterly believe he is. Nurse? Nurse!" Tin called out. An answering whinny brought hooves thundering closer. "Stage one decon of this lovely fellow, and then I want him asleep until dawn tomorrow. We're under general quarantine. Send orders immediately for a cleanup crew to find that blackvine and burn it out! I want to know if this was an attempt on Celestia's life or just a random encounter, and I want to know yesterday!"
"Wait, you're going to put him to sle--" I heard Gilda begin, and then I felt a mild shock and everything went black. |
Your human and you - Gryphon half a chance | There is research to be done... | Your Human And You
Gryphon Half A Chance
Ch. 10
Have you ever gone from zero to firing on all six cylinders in a single moment? This was kind of like that. All of a sudden, and the world was just turned back on, like a lightswitch.
I sat bolt upright, rigid with anticipation of a zap that had been and gone some hours ago, by all accounts, before slumping slowly. "She fuckin' tazed me!?" I complained aloud, or rather tried to. It came out as a mixture of screeches and spitting growls.
I remained sitting up in the bed, where I'd woken a few scant seconds ago, blinking as the world swam into focus. The bed was in a tent. The entire bed and all of its coverings were white, it was utilitarian, comfortable and warm. The tent, too, was white. Only the floor was still green, though covered in something that looked like thick, heavy-duty carpets making walkways through what would have otherwise been mud by now, I guessed.
As I turned my head, I found myself surrounded by a collection of Equestrian fruits, chocolates and other gifts. And what looked like a card signed, in very wobbly mouthwriting, Fern.
I laid back, thoughtfully. Fern. She was the reason I was here. She made it, then.
Weird machines stood around the bed, most of them went beep or ding or otherwise whooshed, clicked and ticked.
Pulling out what looked like a pretty standard needle hooked up to what to all intents and purposes looked like a normal saline drip, I quickly removed the last of the apparatus hooked up to my body before swinging my legs around.
As I moved, I realized something felt weird.
Apparently even in Equestria, there's only one really useful way of dealing with an unconscious patient's bodily functions. I could feel the equestrian diaper's warm, sodden mass between my legs, bunched up around my buttcheeks and swaddling my crotch. It was an unwelcome, uncomfortable reminder of my station... or maybe that was unfair, they probably had exactly the same things for ponies.
Idly, I wondered how that would work. Would they have special holes for the tails? Would they need to sling further forwards for the stallions? How absorbent would they have to be!? Crikey! These ponies were smaller than Terran horses, but they could still pee like, well, racehorses. I bet the diapers here were fantastically absorbent.
Oh... oh no. Maybe they were magically absorbent? It might be days before I got a change. Ugh!
I jumped off the bed, stood, then almost fell as a wave of nausea and vertigo swept through me. Too bad the thumping in my head was quickly drowned out by the unified complaints of every single piece of magical technological hardware in the tri-state area.
"Augh! Huargh! Aargh!" I grumbled, batting ineffectually at them all, trying to find an off switch.
"Quickly!" came a cry, as three ponies tumbled into the structure. "Turn them all off, get him restrained, those are expensive. Calm him down! Give him something to eat, he's probably just hungry!"
Ah yes, little miss happy-tazey. I pointed a finger at Tin and growled.
"On second thought," said Tin, "sedate him."
Oh shi--
For some reason, I felt a lot better about everything this time. Well, everything except what I was still wearing. Moving to get up again, I realized all four limbs were tied down, and that try as I might, I couldn't bend enough to even think of biting at the straps. I struggled weakly trying to get myself free, but to no avail. Thrashing, I did manage to reveal that both my diaper and my body restraints were the same kind of magically reinforced and operated deal as my collar. No luck there, then.
To think, I thought grimly, some people would pay a lot of good money for something like this...
"The subject is awake," whispered Tin, as she slipped in the flap-door, hoping I hadn't seen her. "Shows some minor signs of distress, but is otherwise normal. Body temperature normal -- for this subspecies -- and blood work is clean. Subject 'Dent' does indeed appear to be immune to blackvine infection. Presence of infection rapidly dropped in the first few hours, plateauing only at unmeasurable levels."
I turned my head and looked at her, and glared.
"Dent seems aware of what has happened to him. He is not struggling overly against his restraints and seems calm. Urine tests show odd chemistry, low sugar levels as should be expected, no blood. No signs of other infections."
Hey!
"Stool samples are also..." Tin turned her head and pressed a stud set into a bridle with a hoof. I felt a strange tingle near my tailbone. "...relatively normal. No sign of blood, no sign of bacterial, viral or phagal abnormalities."
Oh... oh god. Does it even have a wetness indicator and a stay dry core on top of everything else? I bet it has hearts, moons and probably kittens, too. Kill me now. Just... just kill me.
"I am going to release the restraints on the subject, and attempt interaction. He may still bear a grudge about sedation. It appears he has associated my appearance with negative occurrences. I will see if I can rectify that."
Tin approached, slowly, then placed a hoof on a restraint, and twisted somehow. First one hand came free, then, as she replicated the maneuver, all the others. I sat up slowly, rubbing my wrists.
Then an idea came to me.
I picked up one of the restraints, then closed it around my wrist. As I thought, it kind of melted closed again, causing Tin to sigh in exasperation as she moved to open it once more.
I snorted with glee. Now all I had to do was be exceedingly charming. Time to try Toddler Dent, I thought to myself. Playful Toddler Dent. Playful, innocent, harmless Toddler Dent. ***
Five minutes later, humming to myself, I walked out of the tent, right past Chalk and Amber. I waved to them happily as I waddled nonchalantly through what had been a fairground and looked more now like a battlezone or crime scene, complete with investigators.
Chalk and Amber, for their part, took one look at each other and then, incredulously, peered inside the tent.
Upon the bed, spread eagled unceremoniously on her back, was a fuming Tin. Each hoof was restrained gently yet firmly in an unopenable set of reinforced belts, and an oversized adult equestrian diaper was inexpertly fastened around her midsection. Another diaper had been fastened -- loosely but effectively -- around her muzzle to prevent her shouting from being heard.
"Well this certainly makes... a change." said Amber.
"No," said Chalk, facehoofing . "Just... just don't. Get her free."
Amber took the diaper off Tin's muzzle.
"Quickly you fools! Get him! Don't worry about me!"
"You get her free," said Amber, "I'll go catch the human." He turned tail and fled the tent, with a whinny that sounded suspiciously a lot like laughter emanating from his lips as he went.
I didn't make it far, but at least I had a cushioned landing.
For the third time in what seemed as many minutes, blackness stole the world away. ***
"Rather a good jape, Dent my lad, with old Tin back there," said a voice. It was awkward, floating in nothing, not having any real way of knowing where anything was at. I thought I caught a glimpse of a top hat, a monocle and a cane. Also of feathers, scales and horns.
"Wh-who are you? What are you?" I asked, without asking.
"All good things, my friend, all good things."
"Why am I... is this real? This is real, isn't it?" I stuttered, scrabbling mentally for purchase. "Why did you let them do that to me? Why did you... you brought me here, didn't you?"
"I am sorry, friend, I don't work in rainbows and kittens. I work in japes and puzzles, in equations and butterfly wings. I work in chance. I work for The Lady. And you, my friend, do too. Now... wake up!"
"...Wake up, wake up, sleepy head. Wake... Dent! Woah, it's me, you're safe, okay?"
I opened my eyes, to see Gilda towering above me. I chirped happily, hummed a few bars of Rule Britannia, then hugged her leg.
"You feeling okay? That diaper's almost had it, so if you'll let me I'll get you out of it, okay?"
I lay back down, relaxing, as Gilda spoke softly to me. She seemed worried, and despite everything she didn't deserve my anger. Something seemed oddly familiar about this... almost as if it had happened before. Very swiftly, my nethers were once more breezy rather than warm.
"Faugh! Wow, I almost wish I'd let them deal with you, I just didn't want them tazing you again. I need your brains as unscrambled as they get, Dent, I want you home for good. Listen," Gilda said, urgently in between wipes, "I need you to behave, okay? Please? For me?"
I chirped my version of assent, looking anywhere but at her face. Not now, not like this.
Eventually, she stood back. I stood up.
"Shower now, then come with me." She pointed, I nodded, then obeyed.
The shower washed away the last of my shame and most of the fugue that still shrouded my head. Stretching languidly, I got out from under the magical little black raincloud and dried myself off. Gilda stood there watching, then threw some pants, a jacket and some sort of oddly bag-like shoes for me, before lifting my best collar up, the one she'd bought herself.
"I need you on your best behaviour, okay? No tying up the nice mare. She's not like... she won't hurt you, okay? I promise. I'll be watching the whole time."
I chirped, managing to put in a questioning note as I put on clothes for almost the first time in forever.
"We're going to go have fun, okay? Fun. Plenty of games."
I wolf-whistled, raising my eyebrows. I swear her beak blushed.
"Not that sort of games!" she hissed. I just looked at her. "Later maybe," she said, finally. "If you're good." ***
It turned out that Tin Berg had invited herself to Abraxis' estate. Apparently Celestia was no longer in the building -- whether she was fleeing from or directing the search-and-destroy mission for this 'blackvine' stuff was unclear -- but her royal ethologist was just dying to get a proper look at me.
I didn't like her.
On the other claw -- hand, I corrected myself, I'd been around gryphons a lot -- I didn't get quite the same predatory vibe as with Penny. Penny wanted me mounted -- hurr hurr etc -- on the wall. Tin wanted me in an itty bitty tutu doing tricks.
I grumbled as Gilda led me into one of the libraries.
"Now, now, none of that," Tin said. She stood at attention respectfully far away. She smiled, hopefully. "I won't hurt you, I promise. I just want to take a look at you, okay? Your mummy won't be far away, now, okay? She'll be, ah..."
"I'll be right upstairs, Dent, okay?" Gilda pointed at the second level of this tall, circular room lined with books. "Right upstairs. You stay here, do as Miss Tin asks, okay? Be a good boy, Dent."
To tell the truth, she didn't seem as dangerous or threatening now that I'd seen her in diapers. Very few things do, to be honest.
I stood, several feet away from her, as she slowly walked forwards and put a colourful puzzle in a frame on the table, from a trolley full of brightly coloured objects. I moved cautiously towards it. It was made up of nine hefty wooden pieces painted delicately in bright, playful paints. It showed three ponies; a foal, a stallion and a mare. The foal held a balloon.
"Subject appears to recognize the whole scene, showing three distinct pauses for each character. Let's see if he can put it back together."
Tin upended the puzzle on the table, then stepped back. I picked up a piece, sniffed it, then chewed on it methodically. Not showing a hint of exasperation, Tin put one, then two, then three of the pieces back in the frame. Gesturing, she asked me to put my piece back in. I put it right in the middle. And then I flipped all the pieces and made a cube out of six of them.
Tin didn't even blink. "Subject shows advanced knowledge of spatial relationships, appears uninterested in standard responses. Hmm. Stage two."
I sat down in a chair and crossed my arms as a roughly football-like shape was placed before me. It was made of wood painted a dark blue, with what looked like twenty faces, each bar one sporting a shape -- squares, triangles, crosses and circles. Inside the ball were wooden pieces that had to be fitted through the corresponding slots.
I looked at the baby toy in wonder. It could have been purchased at almost any quality toyshop anywhere in the world on Earth, and nobody would have batted an eye. And yet here it was.
I don't know how she did it, not having fingers and all, but Tin opened the blank face and tipped out the shapes. Closing it, she put one back through before giving a shape to me.
I pointed to my mouth, then rubbed my tummy. No way was I about to play monkey without my banana. Grudgingly, a bowl of what looked like boiled sweets were placed just out of reach. I sat there, then deliberately picked my nose and flicked the result. Impassionately, she put another shape through the corresponding slot in her baby toy, then pointedly took a sweet from the bowl, and mugged enjoying it.
Oh, so that's how it is, huh?
I opened the flap, put all the shapes back in, then reached for the bowl. Muzzle open in surprise, she let me have one. I could've taken the whole bowl, but I took just one, smiling. This made her flatten her ears back in shock.
"Subject is... if I didn't know better, I'd say the subject was toying with me," Tin stated to whatever recording device she was using. I couldn't see anything, but I doubted she was talking to herself.
Lady, you have no idea...
"I think... I have to try something different. No human has ever shown any real aptitude for such a test as this, but I have a good feeling about this one."
Dropping the ball toy onto the trolley, where the pieces spilled out, Tin swapped it for a very familiar puzzle; the towers of hanoi. I had no doubt they called it something else, but I was just as sure that it worked the same. Tin put five rings on the first of three pegs. The rings were large, friendly looking pieces of brightly painted wood. Very slowly, she went through the game. She waggled a hoof as she put a larger ring on a smaller, and nodded enthusiastically as she put a smaller on top of a larger. And then she gave the puzzle to me.
First, I took all the rings off. Then, I put them all back in the right order on the last peg. She sighed, showing me again how it was supposed to work. For an answer, I moved rings about until there was just a mess, then beamed at her. She was almost put off enough by a human smiling, again, that she fell on her rump. And then, of course, I solved the entire puzzle perfectly... but upside down. Before she could react, I pulled all the rings off once more, grinning like an idiot.
She put a hoof to her forehead, sighing heavily. "Subject is... doing everything wrong. Everything. Perfectly wrong. Perfectly... wrong." She looked up. "You know what all this is, don't you?" she asked. I just continued smiling as I played with the rings again. Almost too fast for her to realize, I first solved and then un-solved the towers problem, not even bothering to ask for another reward, not even acknowledging what I'd done.
"Okay, that's it for today," Tin stated, flabbergasted. "Time to clean up."
I leaped to my feet and helpfully started putting things away. First, of course, by putting all the puzzle pieces back into the frame where they belonged, then by slotting all the loose shapes back into the baby toy ball-thing first try. I could do nothing about Tin's jaw lying on the floor, however.
"Is that it?" called Gilda from somewhere upstairs.
I chirped, and waved.
"I guess so. I don't know what to say. He failed every test... well, kind of. Nobody would believe me if I told them what I think, what I saw today."
I pretended to lose interest as Mistress fluttered down from above, wandering around the library, looking at Tin's equipment.
"Soo... is he okay? Not infected? You said he might be smart?"
"I really don't know," replied Tin. "Not infected, no. He shows signs of intelligence, but... no, it's not possible."
"What?"
"The way he looked at me, the way he... the way he didn't do the tests. It can't be, he can't be that smart."
"He, uh, failed the tests, so that makes him smart?" Gilda looked over at me. I blinked innocently, then took out a book and carefully gummed the spine before flicking through the pages. The book was upside down.
"I... uh," Tin began, as I decided to start making a pillow fort under her wheel-in serving tray. "I..."
As I clambered into my fort, I dislodged something from on top. It was a small cube featuring squares in multiple colours. I gingerly picked it up.
No way!
It was instantly recognizable to me as a toy from my youth. I owned several of them, and could solve them in about a minute. This one looked well-worn. Turning it around in my grasp, I took a look at the current layout, patterns forming in my mind. Twisting and turning the layers, I shortly had every face sporting a square of the same colour.
I looked up to find both Gilda and Tin looking at me with beak and muzzle respectively almost dislocated from how far they'd fallen.
"I've never been able to solve that," said Tin, breathlessly.
Well, shit. |
Innocent | pre | "When we changed form, we lost our physical characteristics." Jason explained. "I suspect that our heightened senses are still intact but any trait that depends on..."
"Sure, whatever." Zacon dismissed him with a wave of his hoof. "I just think it's unfair."
"Who said anything about fair?" Cor raised an eyebrow at him.
"You know," Jason chuckled. "If you're feeling left out of the 'still got my weapon' club, you could always try to summon the Axe."
"I'm not feeling left..." Zacon began indignantly, but stopped to consider the prospect. "Actually, I'm going to try it." He turned and started for the door.
Cor and Jason looked at each other.
"We should probably keep an eye on this," Cor said.
"That's your department." Jason picked up a few books with his magic. "I'm going to see if there's anything I can do here."
Cor took a deep breath before heading out after Zacon. The streets were mercifully light on traffic at the moment. Zacon was standing at the edge of the roadway, preparing to call down the Axe. Cor watched curiously. He didn't have to do anything except make a request for the item. That was all it had ever taken before. Would it be the same now? Would the Matriarch be able to send it to this world?
Cor glanced at the few ponies on the street. It appeared that they could sense something was about to happen because they were all watching and waiting as well. Cor almost hoped nothing would happen, except that would mean they would look crazy instead of dangerous.
Zacon raised his head to the sky and called out in a strong, clear voice, "High Queen of the Dragons, grant me your blessing that I might bring glory to your name!"
Silence answered. Cor looked all around and saw nothing. Zacon simply stood expectantly where he was. Cor noticed the other ponies begin gathering to whisper. He couldn't hear what was said but it was all suspicious. Suddenly, a glow appeared in front of Zacon. He grinned triumphantly back at Cor. The Axe materialized before him, floating a few inches off the ground, apparently waiting for him to take it up.
The Axe was a wide double blade at the end of a four foot staff. A single large emerald set in a heavy golden head adorned the end of the pole. The pole itself was a deep red wood and was polished to a shine. The body of the Axe was a glowing gold with brilliant silver blades and a platinum spearhead. The head was shaped as a rising dragon.
But that wasn't all.
The same glow as before appeared around him. A second later, the Armor of the Dragon Matriarch formed as well. Only, it was fitted for a pony instead of a Dragonite. The gold plates streaked with silver bands covered him from the shoulder to his flanks and hung midway down his legs. A loose fitting plate hung across his chest, allowing freedom of movement. The helm cupped his ears from behind and let his mane flow from a gap down the back. The mouth was unobstructed but the top of the muzzle was adorned with a plate that extended to the nose.
The plates that ran over the shoulders were tipped with silver blades meant for charging a target. The hooves were booted, with the lighter pair in the front and a heavier pair in the rear. Cor boggled at it. Zacon regarded it with mild curiosity before smiling broadly with confidence once more. The armor locked firmly in place and settled. The Axe remained suspended in the air.
Zacon's grin wavered slightly for a moment. "Cor?" he said, half turning to his friend. "How am I going to carry this?"
That was when Cor realized Zacon wasn't a Unicorn.
"Um, maybe you should ask Jason about that."
Zacon stared at the Axe for another moment. Then he just took it in his mouth and walked back inside. Cor paused to observe the street-goers' reactions before he followed. They were muttering still but the tone now seemed to be that of awe. Cor did not look forward to explaining this one.
Back inside, Zacon was holding the Axe before him proudly while Jason expressed his surprise and congratulations on his success. Zacon spun the shaft in his mouth around expertly and planted it solidly on the floor. It remained there, motionless as it waited for its master's touch.
"I guess it wasn't that hard to figure out after all," Cor said.
"No," Zacon responded. "Once I had a hold of it, it became clear how to wield it, as if I'd done so my entire life. It seems the Matriarch truly blesses me in my service, for even in this form, her grace allows me to serve her. It even feels nearly weightless on my teeth when I hold it."
"Have you tried your hooves?" Jason suggested.
Zacon looked at his hooves for a moment before rearing up on his hind legs. After gaining his balance, he reached out and let his forelegs rest on the shaft of the Axe. He waited another second before gripping it with both hooves and lifting it. He was able to grip it behind the heels of his hooves and it seemed that the boots of his armor were designed to accommodate this arrangement.
He swung the Axe once and it whistled through the air. He took a step and wobbled. Setting the pole across his back and holding it steady with one foreleg, he dropped back to the ground.
"You're a natural," Cor said, with a hint of sarcasm. "Now will you stop your bellyaching about being in this world?"
"Very well. I'll deal with it for the time being," Zacon said. "Just find a way back."
"Well Jason?" Cor turned to his friend. "How are we doing on that?"
Jason glanced at Twilight. She was pushing a stack of books away and turning to another. Spike set another stack down beside her.
"Not much closer than we were a few minutes ago."
"There isn't by chance anything we could do to help?" Cor asked.
"Not unless you suddenly became knowledgeable in the workings of sub-physical fluctuations and leyline parallelization." Jason tilted his head sideways as he read the title of some of Twilight's notes.
Cor made a face and sat down. "Your what hurts?"
"Exactly. In fact, I think I'm out of my league by more than a few levels here." He backed away from the workspace as Twilight bustled past him without glancing up from the three different tomes she was poring over.
"Why don't I take the two of you someplace where I can fill you in on some things."
"Sure," Cor shrugged. "Things making sense sounds good for a change. Zacon?"
The warrior glanced over from his improvised practice session on holding objects. "Whatever. Can we get something to eat while we're at it?"
"Twilight?" Jason called. "We're just going to leave you to it then. Alright?"
There was no response from the Unicorn but Spike gave a thumbs-up before diving back into the books behind him. Jason took it as good enough.
"Where are we going?" Cor asked as they shut the door and started down the street.
Jason pointed with a hoof. "To Sugarcube Corner." |
Innocent | Act I: Chapter Three: Welcome to the Neighborhood | Zacon's face scrunched up at the sight of the 'meal' that had just been set in front of him by Mr. Cake, the co-owner of Sugarcube Corner. Three plates, sporting a sandwich of daisies and a hay shake each, were laid out on the table. A small, frosted cake sat on a serving dish in the center, complimentary.
The table they were at was out of the way and near the far corner of the eatery. While waiting for their food, they been passed the time discussing the town's features. Zacon had grumbled the entire time about how long it was taking for them to be served, but now that they had been, he looked as if he wouldn't mind if the food had never come.
"This is some sort of sick joke." He looked from one to the other, but both Cor and Jason remained straight faced.
Jason turned to his food without a word. He did not hesitate to eat and made no reaction to the unusual diet, so after watching for a moment, Cor joined in. He chewed slowly at first and gave his plate a curious look. Shrugging, he continued. Zacon stared at them both in disbelief.
"How can you even swallow that grass pulp? Is it because you tree climbers are already practically herbivores? I'll have you know that a real warrior requires more hardy sustenance than...this." He pushed the plate away.
"What do you propose they serve you?" Jason asked with exasperation. "This is the type of food they eat."
Zacon looked around the cafe, giving everything a withering glare. He came to rest on one pony in particular.
"I wouldn't mind a bit of meat," he said, lazily licking his lips.
Cor followed his gaze and practically spit out his food. It was the pink pony that he'd run into before finding Jason.
"Zacon! You can't even be serious!" He paused to lower his voice. "You're not eating a pony."
"Why not?" Zacon returned casually. "We Dragonites hunt much larger game back home. Even your people take prey of greater size."
"If you hadn't noticed, we aren't back home and for all intents and purposes, you're not even a Dragonite right now. You probably can't eat meat anyway."
Zacon stiffened. "What do you mean I can't eat meat?"
Jason put his drink down. "He means that you're a pony and ponies can't eat meat. They're vegetarian for the most part. The ones in this world seem to be able to handle a more complex diet, but none of it involves meat."
Zacon grumbled for a moment, glancing from his food to his friends to anywhere else that allowed him to avoid their eyes. After a few muffled curses that caused Cor to look around in alarm to be sure they weren't overheard, Zacon took a bite of the sandwich. He chewed with a look of disgust on his face, but as he did, it turned to a look of disappointment. He looked down at his plate almost sadly.
"Okay. So it isn't that bad." When he saw Cor and Jason exchange a quick smile, he added, "But when we get back to normal, I'm going hunting for some real food."
"Hey there!"
The pink pony appeared beside Cor, nearly causing him to fall over in surprise. She was on the side of the table farthest from Zacon, but it was unclear if this was on purpose or by chance. Jason noticed that Zacon's jaw tightened significantly.
"I hope you're all having a good time and that you're not busy like you were earlier. It's not fun to be in such a hurry that you can't even stop to talk. I'd rather spend time with friends than doing something that's stressful and you both seemed like you were doing something super duper stressful. So what were you busy with anyway?"
She was talking at a mile a minute and Cor could hardly keep up, let alone form a response. Zacon was in danger of straining a muscle with the intensity of his glare. Jason cleared his throat.
"Actually, Pinkie, they were on their way to meet me. These are my friends, Cor and Zacon." He gestured to them in turn.
Cor made an effort to shake the hoof she held out but was practically yanked out of his seat by her enthusiasm. Zacon didn't even move and she made no attempt to approach him.
"Pleased to meet you! New friends are always a joy to see. They're like old friends that you've never had a chance to look forward to yet. Well, have a sunshine-a-rific day! See you later Jason...Again!"
She cartwheeled away. Cor righted himself and stared after her.
"What was that?"
Jason smiled. "That was Pinkie Pie. She's the town's unofficial joy-maker. It's her personal goal in life to make everyone she meets smile. And she's persistent about it. Everyone in town knows her and is used to it. I met her just this morning myself. She made the introduction so fast that I didn't see the surprise she had brought with her. I took a cannon-full of confetti to the face and we've been friends ever since." He laughed.
"She shot you with a cannon?" Cor asked, his eyes widening. "And you're okay with that?"
"Sure. She knows how far is too far...most times. She doesn't do anything too dangerous. I've asked around and everyone I talk to says the same thing; she loves fun, smiles, and making everyone's day better."
They both watched her bounce around a party of ponies at a different table. Most were laughing along with her and the rest of the patrons were watching the merriment with amused smiles. Cor shrugged his acceptance and went back to his meal. Jason's telekinesis lit up his saddlebag and produced a small cluster of golden coins which he laid on the table.
"Where'd you get that money?" Cor asked between mouthfuls.
"I've been lending myself to any task that could use another, um, hoof. Some of the ponies I helped insisted on paying me, and I needed some money, so I didn't argue. They're called Bits by the way."
"Maybe we should go along next time. Having some money could be handy."
Zacon snorted. "What could we possibly want to buy in this world?"
"How about the food we're eating?" Jason fixed him with a sharp eye.
Zacon only grumbled.
"I know what I'd buy; a sling for my bow. Balancing it on my back is a pain and I can't levitate it very long." It was surrounded by a faint green aura as he lifted it slightly.
Jason glanced at his sword critically. He had to admit, Cor had a point. Carrying them around with magic was a strain and Jason physically couldn't put the sword on his back. They would need to do something about that. And soon, he thought, noticing a few uneasy glances directed at them by the ponies at nearby tables. Carrying weapons in the open was drawing too much attention.
"So this world we're in; is there anything else important we need to know about it? Or have we covered everything?"
"Only that Equestria isn't the only country in this world, but it is by far the most prominent," Jason said, turning his attention back to the original topic. "Its influence reaches to the farthest corners of the lands. The dealings with the surrounding lands and the creatures that dwell in them have been peaceful for the most part though, especially in the last several hundred years."
"Hmm," Cor murmured thoughtfully.
"Are we done here?" Zacon broke in. He was still eyeing Pinkie Pie warily.
"Not quite." Jason held him off with a wave of his hoof. "We still have a few things to discuss. Like what we'll be doing while we work on a way back."
"You mean like jobs?"
"Well, yes. And a place to stay too."
"We could always just do what you've been doing; odd jobs and random work." Cor suggested.
"Maybe, but I was thinking something a little more consistent."
"You'd be the one to know what that would be."
They were silent for a moment. Suddenly, Jason slapped his hoof down on the table.
"I might have it. I already have a place to stay. I might be able to get them to let you two stay there too."
"Where's that?" Cor asked.
"Sweet Apple Acres. It's a farm outside town."
Zacon had already finished the food in front of him. He stood up and glanced around.
"Can we get going?"
Jason got up as well. "I suppose we could head out there now. Applejack and her family own it. She's the one I've gotten most of my information from so if we're going to answer any more of your questions about the town or this world, it'd be nice to have her around as a reference."
They gathered their equipment and started for the door. Cor stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth and looked at the cake still in the center of the table. After a short pause, he levitated it with him.
~*~*~
The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was filled with question after question and Jason did all he could to answer them. Cor was the only one asking but Zacon was at least paying some attention. Most of them were random interesting quirks that Equestira offered.
"And they can just push clouds around? With their hooves?" Cor's brow ruffled as he pictured it.
"Yes. And they are the only ponies who can stand on clouds without assistance. Some Unicorns can cast spells that will allow them to, but that's only temporary."
"How does one learn these spells? Is it different from our magic?"
"Not as far as I can tell. It's a magic energy that you will into a form. I do know, however, that they use a different mana pool than ours."
"Oh, very interesting."
"Yes," Zacon rumbled. "It's so very interesting. Look, I don't plan to build a summer home here so I don't really care about any of this that doesn't get us back. Please tell me if there is anything in your newfound knowledge that pertains to that. Otherwise, I think I'll just tune it out."
Jason and Cor watched Zacon kick pebbles moodily for a moment before picking up where they were as if he hadn't said anything.
"And not only that, but it seems that the only real limits are the caster's ability to concentrate on the spell."
"Well, I bet you flipped when you found that out." Cor laughed. "Does that mean that you can cast just about anything?"
"Not quite. My mental training makes it easier but I have my limits just like anyone. Besides, I'm not accustomed to using magic this way."
Cor was about to bring up another question but they were interrupted by a voice to their right.
"Looks like ya'll managed to find each other. How're you doin' Jason?"
Applejack was leaning against the fence separating the orchards from the lane, watching their approach.
"Hey Applejack. I take it you've met my friends?"
"That I did. Helped 'em find their way to town this mornin'." She glanced at Cor and Zacon but ended up staring. "What in tarnation?! Is that some sort of armor? And are those weapons!?"
Cor looked at his bow guiltily. Zacon shifted his axe but made no other move. Jason looked at them for a moment and then down at his own sword.
Yep, they were drawing way too much attention.
"It would take some explaining." He tried to smile but it felt more like a grimace.
"I'll bet it'd make a first rate story over a campfire too." She continued to eye the weapons warily.
"We're in a bit of an unusual situation, alright? I don't even know most of it yet. If I tried to explain it, it might raise more questions; questions that I really can't answer. If you give me a chance, I'd try to..."
Applejack sighed deeply as she interrupted him.
"I don't need to hear an explanation, Jason. I felt from the start that I could trust you and I'm gonna keep trustin' you. I might want to know what you're all about and it might seem shifty from where I stand, but if it's some sort of secret, I won't push it."
Jason was again grateful for her understanding, but this time he shook his head.
"I would actually like to try to explain. You've been so accepting that I feel you've earned the right to know. Perhaps we could talk it over after sorting out accommodations for my friends?"
"If they're friends of yours, they're welcome here. Ya'll can head inside and find a room for each. Any one of the vacant ones will do. I'll see how you're settlin' in after I finish with today's apple buckin'."
"Hold up," Jason called her back before she could trot off into the trees. "I seem to recall insisting I pay my way. And if I'm not mistaken, harvest was one of the work items that were proposed. My friends and I are ready to start if you have the time to show us the process."
Applejack chuckled. "You did insist, didn't you? Oh, alright. Follow me."
She turned and started into the trees once more. Jason jumped the fence with a short running start. Cor hesitated for a moment before performing a similar stunt. Zacon jumped the fence easily with a look of boredom. The three then ran to catch up to Applejack.
They grouped around a tree that sat deep within the vast expanse of the orchard. All around, the fruit gleamed in the light, highlighting the branches' green cover with pinpricks of red. Birds sang out of sight, filling the air with a spattering of intermittent song. Baskets were laid out at the base of every tree in this part of the orchard.
The baskets were the only visible sign that civilization had touched this place. Even the farm's buildings were obscured by the tree-covered hills. Jason glanced at Cor and saw his shoulders relax visibly. Even Zacon's eyes softened slightly as they took in the surroundings.
"Well, this is the area that ya'll can start on. Now, the way you buck apples is to give 'em a good...solid...buck!" She punctuated her words by rearing up on her forelegs and coiling her hind legs for a mighty kick. She delivered it to the trunk and was greeted by a shower of apples that fell into the baskets.
"You don't need to worry too much about gettin' 'em done in a certain time," she said as she picked up the few that had missed their targets and deposited them in the nearest basket. "We could finish on time even without your help. But with ya'll cuttin' harvest time down a bit, we can use that time for a few extra projects that have been neglected some."
"Could you show me that again?" Jason asked, studying the tree intently.
"Well, sure. 'Tain't nothin' to it." She approached another tree and kicked it squarely.
This time, Jason studied the effect closely. From the point of contact, a vibration was sent up the trunk. The branches made a sharp whipping motion as the vibration passed through them. The whipping motion was directed nearly straight down and caused the apples to fall neatly into the waiting baskets.
Jason nodded to himself and backed up to a tree. Taking aim, he struck with one precisely placed hoof. He watched as the vibrations passed through the tree and looked for any variations. There were none and, just as he'd planned, every apple that fell landed in a basket. He turned to see the others make their first attempts.
Cor planted both hooves on the trunk but his blow was only strong enough to shake half of the apples down from the branches. Zacon, who had removed his boots, scoffed at him and delivered a kick to his tree that caused splintered bark to fly in all directions.
"Careful now!" Applejack exclaimed. "We don't want to damage the trees!"
Zacon looked at her and then back at the crushed bark of his sylvan victim. He muttered an apology that could barely be called halfhearted. Cor kicked his tree a second time and was greeted by the remainder of the apples pelting him mercilessly.
"We've got this now, I think." Jason said.
Applejack smiled and trotted off. Jason turned back to the others. Zacon set his axe in the air, where it once again hovered. As he found another tree, Cor deposited his bow gently in the grass beneath the axe. Jason set his sword alongside them and the three began their work.
~*~*~
The light of the setting sun turned the whole hillside into the crimson and gold canvas of a master painter. Birds sailed lazily overhead, winging their way to their evening roosts. The rustling of the leaves in the soft breeze mixed with the sound of hooves striking bark.
As Applejack watched the three ponies working below, she shook her head in amazement. When she had told them to work this side of the orchard, she hadn't expected to find them halfway through the entire north grove by the end of one day. She and Big Mac were on their way in for the day but these three were still forging ahead on the harvest. A line of full apple barrels had appeared along the trail leading back to the farmstead and it continued to grow as she watched.
They couldn't have taken a single break all day with the amount of progress they'd made. In fact, the only word she'd had from them the whole time was Jason asking where they could find more barrels. When she saw them setting yet another barrel alongside the others, Applejack decided to go down to meet them.
When they saw her coming, they gathered together and waited for her. A sheen of sweat shown on their coats but they did not appear fatigued. Cor's slightly labored breathing was the only sign of strain among the three of them.
"Well, I'll be. Ya'll have done a mighty fine job out here," she said when she was near enough to speak. "I reckon you three could use a rest."
"Yeah, I suppose we could," Jason replied, smiling back at the others. Zacon and Cor nodded. "Where should we bring these barrels first, though?"
"We'll take 'em up to the barn. After that, we've got supper just about ready."
After ten trips with the cart, they were able to get the last of the barrels stored away properly. The sun was now below the horizon. Deep pools of shadow draped themselves across the yard as they trotted inside. The smells of baking filled their nostrils the moment they were through the door.
"At least it's real food this time." Cor heard Zacon mutter when a pie was carried into the room and set prominently on the table.
Applejack went into the kitchen to help Granny Smith bring the meal out, refusing Jason's offer to help. Though they were in another room and speaking with hushed voices, Cor had no trouble hearing them.
"Well now, ain't they the finest bunch of strappin' young stallions," Granny Smith remarked after peering out at the three around the corner. "I imagined when you brought the one home ya'll had gotten lucky findin' him. Now, though, you've got your pick of fit stallions."
"Well shoot, Granny. Don't go 'round actin' like I'm shoppin' for a new hat." Applejack said, making shushing sounds. "They're guests, not merchandise. Besides, it ain't like I'm looking for somepony to settle down with just now."
"Oh fiddlesticks! A young mare like you has got to find somepony."
"Maybe, but I'll do it on my own time."
"You might want to make the time when the pickin's this good."
"Will you just let me do that myself?" Applejack came back into the room with a steaming loaf of bread and set it on the table. "Come and get it," she called.
Cor glanced at Jason, but there was no sign on the other's face that he'd heard any of it. He tried to ignore the awkwardness of it all as the meal began.
The rest of the Apple family gathered and Cor and Zacon were introduced. They didn't give any details and, just as had been done for Jason, the subject wasn't pursued. Conversation was limited because everyone was tired from the day's work. As a result, Apple Bloom made up for the lack of diversity with quantity. Cor made the mistake of showing interest in the exploits of the group she and her friends had founded. Thus, he was the target of the entire fusillade of stories recounting their attempts to earn their Cutie Marks. Jason simply watched Cor's face through the whole thing, trying not to laugh when Cor realized what he'd gotten himself into. Zacon seemed to thoroughly enjoy the meal, but afterward refused to admit it.
A compliment to the cooks, another refusal of their help with the dishes, and the three companions were making their way to their rooms. They had left their weapons and Zacon's armor in the orchards to avoid alarming Applejack's family. Zacon went to sleep upon finding his bed, so Cor and Jason met in Cor's room to work out what they were about to do.
When they heard Applejack in the hall, Jason called her inside the room. She entered curiously.
"We hoped we'd be able to explain our situation, if you can spare a few moments?" Jason began.
"Oh, is that all? Sure, I'll hear your story."
"To start with," Cor said. "We've been changed from our actual forms into those of this country. You see, where we come from, we aren't supposed to be ponies."
Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Then what are you supposed to be?"
"We are called Elves. We..." Jason hesitated, wondering how much to tell. "...are closely attuned to nature."
"Zacon isn't an Elf though," Cor added. "Members of his race are known as Dragonites. Our two races are allies."
"I thought as much. Him not bein' close to nature I mean." Applejack mused. "But I've never heard of Elves or Dragonites. Where'd you come from?"
"Well, you must understand that we don't know everything about what's happened yet either." Jason said. "The way we got here wasn't of our choosing. What we are sure of is that we have been sent here from another world."
"Now, when you say another world...?" she said hesitantly.
"It was some kind of teleportation that brought us here." Cor replied, shuffling his hooves awkwardly. "We're still working on it."
"We're working with a Unicorn in town in fact." Jason added. "A Miss Twilight Sparkle?"
"Twilight? Why, she's one of my best friends!" Applejack's face lit up. "To be honest, I was havin' a time getting' my head 'round all this, but if she's got her hoof in it, I suppose I'll go along with it too."
Cor let out a sigh of relief. Jason smiled in appreciation.
"You have our sincere thanks for that," Cor said, grinning. "You have no idea how worried we were about how you'd respond."
"You may have been worried," Jason interjected. "But I had faith in her."
They continued to smile all around until Jason cleared his throat.
"Did we miss anything?" he asked, turning to Cor.
"How 'bout them weapons ya'll had?" Applejack suggested. "Cor's bow wasn't so much when I first saw it but when ya'll showed up with the rest, I couldn't help but feel uneasy 'bout it."
"Yes, of course." Jason sighed before explaining. "We are warriors. We were in the middle of a battle to protect our people when we ended up here."
"Those are just the weapons that came with us," Cor said. "The rest of our equipment must still be back in the cave where the battle was. The fighting may be going on even now but I'm sure they can manage without us for a while."
"That means they may not know what's become of us either," Jason continued, nodding. "But it also means there isn't much pressure to find a quick way home. In my case, staying here for a while is just fine. I've only seen a fraction of this world and already I find its beauty breathtaking."
"I don't know," Cor rubbed a hoof under his chin. "I think keeping Zacon content, or at least restrained, is going to get harder the longer we're here."
"Hmm, I see your point. In any case, we've begun research with Twilight to find a way back and need a place to stay until answers can be found." Jason bowed slightly to Applejack. "I feel I cannot say enough how much your hospitality and understanding are appreciated."
"Likewise," Cor said, with a similar bow.
"Well, shucks," Applejack said, blushing slightly. "I'm just lendin' a hoof where it's needed is all."
"I hope we've explained ourselves adequately," Jason said. "I felt it would be wrong to keep such a secret from you after all the help you've given. Now, we've taken enough of your time and we could all use some rest."
"Of course," she replied, nodding as she backed out of the room. "G'night then."
"Good night to you."
When the door closed, Cor turned to Jason. "That seemed to go well. Do you think she really believed us?"
"I would have had trouble believing us," Jason said. "She did, but in large part due to the fact that we mentioned Twilight, I think."
"You know," Cor began wryly. "We really need to get a plan of action for meetings like this instead of just winging it. If we'd had the same luck as I did with the Dragonites..."
"Ah, yes." Jason chuckled grimly. "And you remember my meeting with the Humans?"
Cor laughed. "That went okay by comparison; that is, after you woke up from getting hit by that car."
"Even so, I don't think we'll get any of that sorted out tonight." Jason said, heading for the door.
"Jason." Cor said, stopping him. "I was thinking I'd go out into the forests, just in the morning for a while. You didn't have any plans I need to be part of, did you?"
"No, just checking on Twilight's progress and seeing if there's some obscure way to help that I've missed thus far. Oh, and smuggling our weapons up here. To be honest though, I'd like to take an afternoon just to walk a wooded trail myself. It'd be nice to meditate somewhere so peaceful."
"Well, maybe I can point you to a good spot when I get back. 'Night."
Jason nodded as he shut the door behind him. |
Innocent | Act I: Chapter Four: Playing it Cool | Cor woke with the sunrise. Gazing out the window, he watched the colors of the world return to full vibrancy as the shadows retreated deeper into the farthest corners of the land. The smells of earth and farm and orchard mixed pungently and Cor breathed them in contentedly. As he came fully awake, he listened to the gentle creak of the house and the whisper of the wind past the open window. It was a truly magnificent morning.
Rolling out of bed, Cor forgot that he was still a pony. The resulting thud sounded as if it would wake the whole country in the stillness. Groaning at his lack of finesse, he made his way downstairs. He heard movement in the kitchen as he reached the ground floor. It registered somewhere in the back of his mind that his normal combat instinct would have switched his stance to stealth or defense. This did not happen and he only found a deeper sense of peace because of it. He found his fellow early-riser was Applejack, busy fixing a morning meal.
"Ya'll are up early," she greeted. "I expected you to stay in for some extra shuteye after the work ya'll did yesterday."
"I just wanted to get a start on the day sooner than later." Cor shrugged indifferently. "I plan on sampling the local scenery. Do you have any suggestions?"
"I rather like the trails of White Tail Wood," she said as she leveled a tray of food onto her back. "It's the prettiest sight you ever did see in the fall, but it's mighty nice this time of year too. It's just west of here."
She set the tray on the dining table and gestured Cor to join her. Nodding his thanks, Cor sat and they both nibbled at the jam on bread slices and apple crisps. Bird song flitted in the window, announcing the rest of the world joining them in celebrating the splendor of the new day.
"What about the woods to the south-east? I saw them from a hill in the orchards. They looked different somehow."
Applejack swallowed and responded slowly. "Them trees sure are different. That's the Everfree Forest. I don't think you'd want to go for a stroll in there."
"Why?" Cor asked.
"It's just, in that forest, things don't work the way they do in the rest of Equestria. It just ain't natural."
She stopped talking as if she didn't like to dwell on the subject. Cor pondered his choices. He'd planned on taking a relaxing walk and enjoying this wondrous morning but the mystery of the Everfree Forest was pulling at him. Glancing outside, he came to the conclusion that such a perfect morning couldn't be wasted on the fanciful exploration of some unnatural forest. He'd get to that later. He just had to spend time in some honest, pure woodland.
After finishing his meal, he took care of his plate and made his way toward White Tail Wood. The walk there was pleasant enough by itself as he passed through the gentle hills. He didn't bring anything with him so travel was unhindered and his step was light. As he crossed the boundary into the Wood, he noticed a distinct elevation in the amount of wildlife.
More birds and squirrels scurried and flew in the branches. Rabbits and mice danced through the underbrush. As Cor went, their number increased and they began to draw close to him curiously. They bounded along beside him and winged through the air overhead. Their chittering and chirping was a music of its own. Bright eyes followed his every movement, and when he smiled, he could swear they smiled back.
The canopy thickened as he continued on. The morning light filtered through in bright, shifting beams. The leaves murmuring and the swaying branches brought the trees to life. Cor stopped at one tree and placed a hoof against the bark. Druids had the ability to commune with nature at the deepest levels. He didn't have extensive training, but being a Ranger, he was still able to connect to forest life at a basic level.
The tree he touched was so peaceful that it almost seemed asleep. As far as he could tell, nothing had ever caused it distress. Its connection to the surrounding trees was profound and he felt along the pathways to many of its neighbors. Breathing with them as one, Cor closed his eyes. What he would do to spend even just a week here...
The wind shifted slightly and a different music reached him over the forest sounds.
"La ah ah. La ah ah ah."
The birds around Cor answered with a similar melody. The voice sounded again and this time, Cor could tell where it came from. He wound his way through the trees, following the singing. He came at last upon a second group of animals gathered around a Pegasus. Her mane was long and pink, and her coat was pale yellow. Her voice was soft and gentle, but clear as a bell as it carried among the trees. She floated above the ground and over the heads of her companions, singing out and listening to their answer. He watched from the cover of the tree trunks, taking in the song.
The song came to a high note as they all sang together and slowly faded off, coming to an end. The Pegasus landed and spoke to the animals around her.
"That was really good everyone. We've definitely improved on our timing since last time. I just noticed that the finch section was a tiny bit fast in the bridge. We'll have to remember to work on that next week. See you all then."
She waved as a good portion of the birds took to the air. Most of the rabbits and squirrels left as well since the performance that had drawn them all together was over.
"Huh," Cor said to himself. "A woodland choir practice. Who'd have guessed?"
He stepped out of his concealment and approached.
"Hi. I heard your singing and..."
The Pegasus let out a yelp and sprang into the trees. Peering through the leaves Cor could see her hanging from a branch. Her legs were wrapped tightly around the limb and she was watching him with a look of panic.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you." He took a step back. "It's just that I heard you and the animals. I wanted to say that it was a lovely performance."
She hesitated for a moment before disentangling herself for the branch and settling gently back to the ground. She refused to make eye contact. Instead, she watched a point just to Cor's right. In a voice so soft that Cor could barely hear her, she said, "You really think so?"
"Well yeah." Cor said. "It was as if the normal sounds of the forest had been tuned to perfect harmony."
"Thanks," she said, blushing.
"So do you put on these concerts often?"
"No. Actually, we don't perform very often but we practice regularly. I just don't like to be in the spotlight. That was why I chose this as our place to practice. Nopony comes out here." She shuffled a hoof and glanced at Cor for a brief second. "Almost nopony."
"I swear I didn't mean to intrude. It was such a perfect morning that I decided to take a walk. I've always loved the woods and I haven't had a chance to take my time in one for a long time."
She looked at him now. Then she looked at the animals that had followed him there. She seemed to relax a bit. "I've always loved the forest too, especially the animals. From the first moment I saw them, I've been friends with all the creatures of the woods."
"If you don't have any plans," Cor said, "sharing such a wonderful morning with a friend is better than just enjoying it by yourself. Would you care to join me?"
"Oh, um, I...well, okay."
They started off together. For a time neither said anything. The path wound through the trees and rolled with the gentle hills. A small contingent of animals padded alongside them. The sun's rays cast beams of green-tinted light across the path. The slightly damp smell of the early morning was fading under the fragrance of flowers that grew along the trail.
As the sounds of the forest came alive with the morning's full awakening, Cor broke the silence between them as well.
"My name is Cor," he said, glancing over.
She looked at him and swiftly locked her eyes on her hooves.
"I-I'm Fluttershy." She let out a breath as if she had just passed a difficult task and was glad to see it behind her.
Cor chuckled to himself. Shy. It was in her name.
A pair of birds landed in front of them and chirped urgently to Fluttershy.
"Oh my," she gasped. "You poor things. Of course I'll help."
"Allow me," Cor said, stepping off the path toward the fallen nest the birds had indicated. His telekinesis picked up the bundle of twigs and settled it back in the branches.
Fluttershy looked at him curiously. "Can you understand them?"
"Mostly. I don't understand everything but it's enough to get the general idea."
With a flash of green energy from his horn, Cor took a wider stance and concentrated on the branches around the nest. The bark rippled slightly as the wood beneath moved and changed. In a creeping motion, the branches extended and twisted themselves into a form that prevented the nest from falling again. Fluttershy just gaped at him.
"Oh, and I can use my magic to manipulate nature."
"Now I see why your Cutie Mark is a leaf." She pointed a hoof at his flank.
Cor hadn't even thought about that mark since Zacon had noticed it the first day, though he recalled Apple Bloom making a big deal about them. Did it have some significance he was unaware of? He made a mental note to ask Jason about it.
"So," she continued. "Where did you learn how to do that?"
Cor shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I was trained by my mentors in that kind of magic along with a bunch of other things. I was trained in general forest lore and, because I had some talent with magic, I was taught this as well. Where I come from, we all have strong roots in nature."
Cor blinked a few times. "Pardon the pun."
Fluttershy smiled slightly. "I wish I'd been taught like that. Most of what I know I figured out on my own. I used to live in Cloudsdale. The first time I came down to the ground, I just fell in love with the animals. I couldn't leave. You don't think you could teach me something do you?"
Cor looked around briefly at the plants and animals. After assuring himself he actually knew them all, he nodded. "I'd be happy to teach you what I can."
They went on again. Cor would point out a particular plant from time to time and explain the uses it had. He would give a few details about it and answer any questions Fluttershy had. She didn't ask many but almost every one of them involved proper cultivation and care. Fluttershy also demonstrated her abundant knowledge of the forest and its characteristics. Cor listened and made observations of his own.
Their chatting gradually turned from facts and teaching, to simply enjoying their surroundings. A few other animals greeted them and went on their way. They talked sparingly, choosing to listen and look instead. When they did talk, it was to point out some aspect of the woods around them that one of them felt was particularly interesting.
By noon, they had walked all the way to the forest's edge. They were left on a tall but gentle rise a few miles from town. They stopped to look down on it and watched the distant movements among the buildings: Ponies going about their day. None of the sounds traveled up to them. There was only the creaking of the branches above and the rustle of the grasses all around.
A sharp gust of wind whipped Cor's mane. He looked to the sky and found a dark bank of clouds building right over the town. He caught sight of the sun just as it disappeared behind the gathering front.
"That came out of nowhere," he observed with a frown.
"Oh, my goodness, I forgot all about the rainstorm today! I need to get ready." Fluttershy jumped up and started flying east. She turned in the air.
"Bye, Cor. It was nice to meet you." She waved a hoof and spun back to her original course.
Cor raised a hoof in parting and left it there until she was out of sight. He heaved a sigh and started toward town. He should meet with Jason at the library. He'd hate to miss the moment they actually found something new.
~*~*~
The pitter-patter of rain on the windows was starting to get heavier when the door opened and Cor stepped inside, dripping and windblown. Jason glanced up from the notes he was looking over. Cor shrugged off the majority of the water and walked around to the table in the center of the room.
He examined the various implements and materials scattered across its surface. Stands held a collection of gemstones and crystals, some of which were scorched or shattered. A set of mounted magnifying glasses were positioned over the one that looked to be most recent. Notes and open books lay over the entire collection. The sound of hooves running to and fro on the floor above could be heard.
Cor couldn't make heads or tails of any of it so he sat down and turned to Jason.
"Can you explain any of this?"
Jason looked at the table and then at him. When he opened his mouth, Cor added, "So that it makes sense to me?"
Jason closed his mouth again and went back to his notes. Cor glanced around. Zacon wasn't there. He was slightly concerned about that. He was about to ask Jason where he was when hoof steps announced Twilight on the stairs. The Unicorn catapulted herself into the room and hip-checked Cor out of the way. She rifled through several of the pages and threw a book aside.
When she turned to speak with Jason, she saw Cor and looked at him as if just noticing he was there.
"I'm sorry. I was just in such a rush to check this..." She smiled in apology.
"That's fine," Cor said, picking himself out of the stack of books he'd fallen into. "Do you have any answers here?"
"Well, if you count knowing some of the crystals that won't work, then yes." She looked down on the table's scattered contents ruefully. "We're trying to find ones that have the same refractive index and lattice structure as the ones you say were in the cave you came from. Jason was describing the angles that the magic bolts were bouncing around at to the best of his memory and then we..."
She stopped talking when she noticed Cor's face. He was just staring at her blankly and had obviously been lost somewhere along the line.
"What is it?" she asked with some annoyance.
"I might have gotten half of that. What did you say about an index?"
"Their refractive index?" She tilted her head to one side incredulously.
"Yeah, um, that. What is that?"
"Argh," she growled, losing what little patience she'd had. "It's how much a wave of light or energy changes direction when it passes from one medium into another."
"Oh, right," Cor said sheepishly.
Twilight turned to Jason, who made sure he looked like he knew what he was doing.
"What we'd do then is focus a beam of light through it to simulate the magic and find the maximum energy it can take before fracturing. If it can't take as much as the magic that the cave's crystals did, we know that it can't be used to send you back." She hung her head slightly as she continued. "What we haven't even started on is finding out if the crystals have the right magical properties to make the teleportation effect happen. And we can't start on that until we have a starting point to experiment on. We haven't found one that has the capabilities we're looking for."
"We get to the part where the light is angled correctly," Jason added. "But when we try to focus larger amounts of energy through them, they crack, over-heat, or explode."
"The good news is," Twilight went on. "We can refract the beams at the right angle through a good deal of samples. Odds are that one of them will be what we're looking for. We just have to stay at it until we find it."
"Wait." Jason interrupted her before she could start in on another of the books she had brought with her. "What was that thing you were checking when you came down here?"
"What? Oh, yes!" She flipped to another page in the book. "This might turn out to be more good news. I was comparing the scorch marks on these samples here to the recorded reactions in other experiments. I think we might be able to prevent the damage and increase the tolerance of the crystals to channeling energy. That would mean that some of the ones we thought were no good could turn out to be what we need."
Jason levitated a box full of shards from across the room. He peered inside as he spoke. "That means we'll need to retest these samples. I'll sort out the ones that can be reused and get replacements for the ones that can't while you set up for the next tests."
He sat down off to one side and started picking out crystals and putting them in piles based on their condition. Twilight cleared the table and began setting up an apparatus that looked like it held the crystals in place. Once it was ready, she positioned the first crystal between the lenses. After triple checking the alignment, Twilight's horn glowed softly and the apparatus hummed with energy.
Cor came closer to get a better look and noticed that the temperature dropped significantly. Twilight placed her horn between a pair of cushioned stands that held her aim steady as she pointed at the first lens and projected a thin beam of purple light into it. The lens focused the light into the crystal which redirected its path slightly. Twilight turned a knob with her hoof and the arm holding the crystal rotated in response.
The redirected beam moved closer to the center of the second lens and from there was projected onto a target at the edge of the table. Twilight continued to adjust the knob until the beam was exactly in the center of the target. The light from her horn faded and she stepped back for a moment before beginning the next step. Jason put his task aside and came over to observe.
"As I thought," Twilight began. "The reduction of the temperature impacted the amount the beam was refracted. It is just enough that we may find some different matches this time around, but overall, I think it will make very little impact on the results."
"Will cooling them be enough to allow them to handle the kind of power we need?" Jason asked.
"Only one way to find out," she said, stepping up to the table again.
Taking aim again, she projected the beam through the crystal once more. This time, the beam gradually gained strength. As it did, the crystal began to glow from the energy it held. As Twilight fed more and more magic through it, it shone with a brilliant light. Cor was forced to shield his eyes as it lit up the entire interior of the tree house.
A high-pitched hum became audible after a moment. It built in proportion to the energy it channeled. Just as the pitch of the humming peaked, a burst of light enveloped everything and faded away. In its place was a crystal pulsing with an inner purple light and emitting a low throbbing sound. Twilight's horn continued to glow with residual magic for a few seconds after she backed away from the table.
"It seems to be stable," she said, sounding exhausted. She sat down to catch her breath. "It looks like it worked."
Cor approached the table curiously. "So we found what we needed on the first try?"
"Not quite," Twilight responded, getting up. "This is a possible candidate that we can test. We'll want to find more first. Then, one of them is bound to work."
"I wonder if anyone noticed anything," Jason said, peering out the window. A flash of lightning lit the sky and a boom of thunder shook the glass. "Or maybe, we couldn't have timed it better?"
"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Twilight said, walking around the table looking at the crystal from all angles. "The whole town knows that I'm a bit of an experimenter."
Levitating the crystal out of its mounting, she set it gently in a small box. The box was otherwise empty so Cor assumed it was for the matches they had found thus far.
"What do we do about the energy it's holding?" he asked.
"It'll just fade away with nothing keeping it there. It isn't enchanted to store the energy after all."
Of the next few tests, only one had aligned properly. Unfortunately, it crumbled into a fine powder after only a slight amount of energy was channeled through it. Twilight was beginning to tire out from her constant exertion and called it a day. Glancing out the window, she noticed the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds again. Twilight told them she'd collect and prepare the rest of the tests for tomorrow and see them again then.
Jason left Cor at the door, hurrying off to find a bite to eat before it was too late for lunch. Cor was more interested in the weather. He noticed that it was in the process of being cleared. He spotted a team of Pegasi and ran to catch up. As he was pulling up under them, one accidently kicked a cloud at the wrong angle and a short burst of rain fell. Cor tried to stop but the mud beneath his hooves carried him directly under it.
The Pegasus swooped down and stammered an apology.
Cor just grinned and shook it off. "Don't worry about it. I was trying to get your attention anyway."
Another Pegasus descended to hover beside the first. Her mane was a rainbow in the most literal sense possible. The brilliant bands of color hung about her in a disheveled tangle as if permanently ruffled by high winds. Her cyan coat blended with the sky behind her. Pink eyes held a mischievous glint. Cor noticed her Mark was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt.
"What's going on here?" she asked.
"I wanted to see how the weather was controlled. I guess I got as firsthand of a demonstration as I could have asked for."
"No kidding," the Pegasus said, looking at Cor's dripping coat. "So you want to know how it's done, huh?"
"Yes. I suppose it would take a lot of training to direct the weather. Where is that taught?"
"Training? As if! There's nothing to it. Anypony with wings could do it if they tried."
The Pegasus did a loop and landed in front of Cor dramatically.
"Take me for example." She indicated herself with a hoof and threw her head back proudly. "My name's Rainbow Dash by the way. I'm the captain of the weather team in Ponyville and I was hardly taught anything about it. It just comes naturally."
Cor gave her an unconvinced look. "You mean you aren't given any instruction on the workings of the weather or the techniques used to control it?"
"Well, we grow up hearing all about it," she admitted. Then added quickly "Pegasi do, I mean. And I guess there are academies and camps where they teach some of that stuff. But I never needed them and most ponies just go there to say they did, not because they need to."
"So," Cor said slowly. "You Pegasi just wing it?" He blinked once. "Dang it! That's the second time today!"
Rainbow sniggered at the bad pun as she responded. "We know that not every pony can be as awesome as I am. Everypony just has to do their best. That's about it. We've got some pretty amazing fliers and we've got some that are not quite so amazing. They're all valuable parts of the team. Besides, when has anypony learned how to control something like weather better in a classroom than they would by being out here with their hooves in it?"
Cor thought about it for a moment. "I have to admit, that's a sound argument," he nodded concurringly. "Now, what I really want to know is how you do the actual manipulation. Like, can any...um...pony...just kick a cloud around if they get up next to it?"
"No, I think it's just us Pegasi that can do that." She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe Unicorns have a spell for it but I wouldn't know."
"What about the weather itself? You and your team put it together but how do you decide what to make?"
"We coordinate with Cloudsdale's weather factory to make sure we get the right amount of rain and sun so that everything stays healthy and growing. After that, we make things as pleasant as we please. There's really nothing to it."
"So you don't have any bad storms?"
"Not unless something goes wrong at the factory or if the weather teams mess up real bad. Most times it's just like this." She spread her hooves to indicate the whole sky.
Cor looked up and realized the storm clouds were nowhere to be seen. The only clouds he could find were a pair of white wisps high above. A pair of Pegasi winged their way over the rooftops and the ponies of the town were venturing forth from their dwellings once more. The sun was shining down on them all with soft warmth. The colors of the flowers and grasses, so dull in the downpour, now stood out in sharp contrast.
"This is truly a beautiful place," Cor said to himself softly.
"Hmm, I guess so."
Cor had momentarily forgotten his companion and swung back around to regain a grip of the conversation.
"I'm sorry. You don't mind me asking all these questions do you? I'm not keeping you from something important am I?"
"You kidding?" she laughed. "There isn't much I'd rather be doing than talking to somepony who can appreciate all the work we do to keep everything running smoothly. It's great to know somepony realizes how important our job is. The other ponies just look up at the sky and see the weather as it is. They never really think about how much work our teams put into making it."
"I understand. It is always easier to see the system and accept it than it is to get to know how it really works. You've done a magnificent job and I hope you know the respect I hold for you and your team."
"Well, um, thanks. But even as seriously as I take this, this is only a day job type of thing. What I really want to do is join the Wonderbolts!"
Despite her obvious excitement, Cor didn't have a clue what she was talking about and it showed on his face.
"You can't be serious. You don't know who they are?" She was looking at him as if he had declared that up was down. "They're only the greatest fliers in all of Equestria since ever!"
She pointed at a wall that held a poster that Cor hadn't noticed before. It depicted stylized pony figures set against a bright background with "Wonderbolts" stretched across the bottom.
"They perform at the most important celebrations and hold the best air shows in the whole country. They only accept the most skilled Pegasi, but that's why I'm sure to get in."
"You're that good?" Cor replied.
"You better believe it! I'm one of the fastest fliers in Equestria. I even won the Best Young Fliers competition."
"Did I hear someone say 'fast'?" Jason's voice sounded from behind them. He trotted across the street to them, Applejack at his side. "I've been known to run a good race."
"Is that a challenge?" the Rainbow asked curiously.
Cor and Applejack spoke at the same time.
"Ya'll don't want to try it, sugar cube," she directed at Jason.
"You might not want to tempt him," Cor smiled up at the Pegasus.
They looked at each other and balked.
"You really think he can compare to her?" Applejack said doubtfully. "Take the word of a pony who's run a lap with her; she makes you look like you're haulin' a full cart of apples on the track."
"You don't understand what Jason can do." Cor countered. "He might as well be the definition of speed."
"You might think that until you see Rainbow Dash here in action. She can..."
A cough interrupted her. Jason was smiling with amusement and Rainbow Dash was hovering a few feet off the ground with her hooves crossed in front of her.
"I can brag for myself thanks," she said. She turned to Jason who resumed a serious expression. "So you think you're good enough to race me? You know I have wings right?"
"I'm sure I could handle it. I have a few tricks of my own."
She raised an eyebrow at his horn. "You don't mean your magic do you? Because that'd be cheating."
Applejack made a huffing sound.
"I know how we can make it fair," Jason began.
"I'm not tying my wings up."
Jason took a second to process that comment before continuing.
"No, I meant holding two separate races. In one, we would both run on the ground, no wings or magic; nothing except leg work. In the other, we can both use whatever we want. If you can do it, it's fair game. What do you think?"
"I think you're just going to teleport."
"I will not," Jason said indignantly. "That's not racing. I assure you I will cover every step of the way with my own t...er, four hooves."
"I suppose that's fair enough. You've got yourself a race. Now, where should it be?" She looked around thoughtfully while gaining altitude. "How about from here to Sweet Apple Acres?" She pointed down the road at the apple trees just in view.
"Naw, that's not far enough." Everyone jumped as Pinkie Pie poked her head between Cor and Applejack. "They're going to be going the goingest you've ever seen! They need more space to go in."
Applejack, having recovered from Pinkie's sudden appearance more quickly than Cor had, said, "The trails of White Tail Wood are perfect for a race. Aren't they Rainbow?"
"Yeah," the Pegasus laughed reflectively.
Jason leaned over to Cor and whispered, "Do you know anything about those trails?"
"Actually, yes. They're wonderful. It's perfect for anything you could want to do. As for racing? Well, I'd rather walk but that's because I'd be enjoying the scenery."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Jason said to the group at large.
"Great!" Rainbow Dash said, flying a loop in excitement. "When do we start?" |
Innocent | Act I: Chapter Five: The Best of the Best of Both Worlds | The early morning was filled with birdsong, as if the winged critters heralded the event to come with their own anthem. The sun peeked over the mountains in the east to light the gently waking town below. Bright beams of sunlight advanced across the fields and hills, warming the coats of the ponies up so early.
A group of mares enjoyed these ambient effects as they made their way up into the low hills leading out of town. Their fellow early risers greeted them as they passed, pausing to wonder where they could be going with such high spirits at this hour. The two Unicorns walked at a gentle pace, talking and laughing together. The Pegasus followed a step behind, not saying much. The Earth Pony bounded in circles around the whole group, drawing on some source of energy that knew no limits.
"So, this race?" Rarity said, bringing the conversation around to the reason for their trek. "Rainbow Dash and this new pony in town are going to actually compete?"
"That's what I heard," Twilight replied. "Isn't that what you said, Pinkie?"
"Yep-sir-ee!" Pinkie Pie quit circling and instead bounced alongside them. "And it's going to be speed-a-rific!"
"I'm not so sure, darling," Rarity said cautiously. "A Unicorn racing a Pegasus, and a Pegasus like Rainbow Dash no less, doesn't sound like much of a contest."
"I wouldn't be so quick to count him out," Twilight said mysteriously.
"Oh?" Rarity raised an eyebrow.
"It's just that you never know what a pony can do just by looking at them. I've got a feeling you'll be surprised."
"Do you know something you're not telling, Twilight?" Rarity inquired suspiciously.
"It's just a feeling," Twilight shrugged nonchalantly. "A feeling I have reason to believe is accurate, but still just a feeling."
Rarity was unconvinced but she let it drop.
"At least we know he's alright," Fluttershy's voice came unexpectedly.
"What's that, darling?"
"Mr. Faircastle is feeling well enough to run a race so he must have recovered from his injuries," she explained meekly.
"I suppose so. To think," Rarity pondered aloud. "He shows up on the side of the road covered in bruises, and three days later, he's challenging Rainbow Dash to a race."
"He's that new to town?" said a voice just over their heads. "He must be from really far away too if he thinks he has a chance against me."
Rainbow was lazily gliding a few feet above their heads. She landed to walk beside them.
"Now Rainbow," Rarity chided gently. "You must at least take it seriously. It would be rude to act like he isn't a real competitor. Although I would agree that his chances are rather slim."
"Fine, but even if I'm not saying it, we all know. This is going to be a snap!"
As they came to the top of the hill leading into White Tail Woods, a second group of ponies joined them. Jason walked with a confident step and nodded to Rainbow respectfully. Rainbow smiled a friendly challenge in return. Cor and Applejack had been discussing farm matters, but broke off when they neared the others. They fell in beside them, and together, the group continued along the trail.
There was virtually no talking among them and the tension and excitement was palpable as it built up in the group. They reached a wide, cleared space where the path led into the Woods and set up the equipment from Applejack's saddlebag. Soon a blue ribbon stretched between two stakes and a set of many colored flags on either side marked the finish line. Cor, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack settled down to wait, waving as Jason, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight continued deeper into the woods.
"The two of you will start on my mark," Twilight explained. "I'll be the only one at the start because I can teleport to the finish in time to see the end."
Jason nodded in understanding. Rainbow hardly acknowledged that she was listening. They walked on in silence for many long minutes. The branches at the tops of the trees swayed in a gentle wind and caused the shadows across the path to dance. The early morning chill faded as the sun warmed the air and earth around them. Several small animals gathered to watch them pass before scurrying away.
Rainbow noticed that Jason was paying a lot of attention to the Woods, his head turning every which way at once as if determined to miss nothing as he passed by. She could even hear him inhale deeply from time to time, followed by a contented sigh each time. It was a little weird, but then, so were some of her friends, so she dismissed it. Twilight seemed content to let the silence hang between them and Jason was too absorbed in his surroundings to say anything, so Dash decided to look around a bit herself.
It was a nice day for a race; thanks in no small part to Rainbow telling the weather team that if one drop of rain interrupted her while she was competing, she would hold them all personally responsible. Maybe it was a bit harsh though. She would try to remember to apologize to them later; after she won, of course.
The air smelled heavily of earth and bark and leaf which only served to invigorate her more. Her heart was beginning to pound in anticipation. Giddiness welled up inside her and she felt lighter than normal. The cool rush of adrenaline filled her, bringing the world into sharp focus. She smiled to herself as she thought of the feeling she would have when it was actually time to start. She couldn't hold it in any longer without doing something so she broke the silence.
"Are you ready to see why they call me 'Dash'?" Rainbow teased playfully.
"Are you ready to let your legs do the talking?" Jason returned smugly.
Rainbow just grinned. She was starting to like this Unicorn's attitude.
The sun peeked over the treetops precisely when Twilight signaled that they had arrived, lighting the whole scene with golden rays. She made a line in the path with chalk from her own saddlebag and stood to the side as the competitors took marks facing back the way they had come.
"It's a straight shot all the way back," Twilight began. "No forks or crossed paths and a clear trail the whole way. In this race, you must run the entire way. No shortcuts, magic, or flying. Are you both ready?"
"I was born ready!" Rainbow said.
She glanced over at Jason and saw that his eyes were closed. A ripple passed through his entire body as muscles clenched and relaxed. He took a deep breath and slid into a starting stance.
"Ready," he said softly.
"Okay. On your marks!" Twilight's horn lit up with a purple glow.
Rainbow dug her hooves into the soft dirt and gravel of the path.
"Get set!" Sparks of energy jumped from the end of Twilight's horn as the spell built up.
Rainbow took a deep, steadying breath and locked her eyes forward. Her vision narrowed until only the path existed. Nothing else in the world mattered but the way forward and the buzz of magic that counted down the time until all the tension pent up inside her would be released in a burst of pure speed: Pure pleasure.
"GO!" A bang like a firecracker sounded as the spell erupted into the sky.
Like a snapping branch, everything went at once. Rainbow was around the first bend in the path before Twilight's spell stopped echoing. It wasn't the same as feeling the wind rippling through her feathers but the connection with the ground, the shock of her hooves against the pathway, produced an equivalent rush. Each time her hooves touched the ground, she was propelled farther; faster!
She was so lost in the thrill that she didn't hear Jason churning the dirt right alongside her until his nose pushed forward into her peripheral vision. She pushed harder and he matched her pace. They rounded a bend neck and neck and Jason came out of it a nose ahead. Rainbow saw him keeping an eye on her as he controlled his speed. She feigned a slower pace long enough to get Jason to ease up before surging ahead.
He was with her almost instantly and now was smiling in amusement. Trunks flashed by as each fought for an advantage over the other. A curve to the right and Jason was ahead. A curve to the left and Rainbow was in the lead. Every time one pulled ahead, the other closed the gap and refused to let up.
Suddenly Jason put on a burst of speed that left Rainbow lagging badly. She kicked her pace up a couple of notches but almost immediately found herself careening into a sharp turn. Jason had already dropped back to take the turn more easily. A few patches of grass were torn up as Rainbow struggled to stay on the path but she managed to keep her footing.
Rainbow glanced over at Jason and found him grinning at her.
He did that on purpose! She thought. Now I really like his attitude.
She laughed out loud and crowded him toward the edge of the path. His grin widened and, just as he was about to be forced into some low-hanging branches, he jumped forward and rolled right across her back. Now on her left, he took advantage of her surprise and gained a length on her.
She fought to regain her position but he refused to give it up easily. By the time she had come back alongside him again, they were both visibly fatigued. Her breathing was ragged in her ears and her legs were beginning to grow weary. Each step shuddered through her body. Jason panted at her side, no longer wasting energy grinning or looking at her. Rainbow would have laughed again but it would have cost her badly needed energy.
He was starting to reach the point that the body wanted to give up. She was too, but she had a secret weapon: It only made her try harder to push herself. The only part of competition that she enjoyed more than winning was when she broke through that barrier in her mind and body that kept other athletes from going on. She would push herself to the breaking point and then push harder. It was the pinnacle of her competitive drive; to become better. Not just better than others but herself, better than she'd ever been before.
Keeping control of her pace, she stayed with him. Every turn, every step; they took them side by side. Rainbow's hooves were throbbing from the hammering they had endured at this pace and Jason was obviously fighting his own battles with his body, but neither faltered. Their minds were bent on the path ahead and the competitor at their side. It was at that point that Jason pulled ahead dramatically. Rainbow was momentarily at a loss as to why he would do something like that or how he had the energy to do it.
That was when she realized the finish was just around the next corner. He had kept himself at a steady pace to save energy for a final sprint! She tightened her resolve and drew on her own reserve of strength kept for just this moment. He was ahead by four lengths when she started to close the gap again. She was still back by two lengths when they took the corner. The edge of the forest was in view now and their waiting friends could be seen cheering them on. No sound reached their ears through their determination.
She caught him as they broke from the trees. She was blind in the sudden light of leaving the Wood's shade but it was a straight line from here and she poured on the last of her heart and soul to reach the finish. She didn't know exactly how far it was she had gone but the ribbon that broke across her chest told her she'd gotten there first. Skidding to a halt, she forced herself not to fall over.
Her eyes finally adjusted to the light just as her friends' voices broke through the fog in her mind. They crowded around her excitedly, shouting encouragement and congratulations. The words were lost to her but their intent was all too plain. She stood unsteadily in the center of them as they patted her back and hugged her. Her eyes found Jason lying in the grass, breathing heavily.
His chest rose and fell in massive breaths and his mouth was open wide to allow his lungs all the oxygen they could manage to take in. Cor stood beside him, asking questions that the other couldn't yet answer. Rainbow walked over to them. She was somewhat dazed still by the sudden change in activity and her blood thundered through her head. Still, she managed to part her friends and approached her opponent.
"You...ran a...good race," she spoke between panting breaths. "For a Unicorn."
Jason turned his head toward her and, taking a steadying breath, responded. "You're quite the runner yourself. For a Pegasus."
They grinned at each other in exhausted respect. Jason raised a sportsmanlike hoof to her and she took it without hesitation. They shook once and broke away. Rainbow allowed herself to collapse at last, stretching her legs in the grass to relieve the aching.
One thing was for sure, she thought. She'd underestimated him. Maybe it was her opinion of Twilight as an egghead that had done it. In any case, he was a tough opponent and a real threat on the track. She decided that in the second race, she wouldn't hold anything back.
~*~*~
Cor glanced at where Rainbow Dash had disappeared beneath her friends' triumphant embrace. It had been close. Closer than Cor had thought it would be. A single pace had separated them at the end. He hadn't expected Jason to win the first race hands down, but now he was beginning to have doubts that he could even win the second one.
Jason rolled over and pushed himself up as his breathing returned to normal. Cor gave him another second before trying to speak with him again.
"So, what do you think?"
Jason was silent for a minute.
"She's got the guts to push herself hard. Really hard. I don't know if I could have won that race. We were even the whole way. And this was the ground race. Her abilities in the air will be extraordinary to be sure."
Cor waited for him to continue but he just stared off into space, lost in thought.
"Do you think you can win?" Cor said, bringing Jason back to reality.
"Of course I think I can." Jason said dismissively. "Am I right? Maybe not. It will be interesting."
"But you can't lose this...can you?" Cor pressed.
"I'm going to win this one if there is a way to do it. If she's so fast that not even I can beat her, she wins it fair and square and she'll be duly congratulated. Otherwise," Jason grinned mischievously. "I'll need you to help me stay standing after I win. I'm putting everything I've got into this one."
~*~*~
Noon had come and gone and the sun was sliding lower in the sky. The finish line had been reset and the racers were rested and ready to begin the second event. Rainbow joked and boasted extravagantly on the way back to the start point. Jason said little, but smiled to himself the whole way.
"You and I came close in the last one, but you've got to know this one will be nothing like it. It'll be over as fast as that!" She illustrated her words with a sudden pounce and a flourish.
"Of that I have no doubt." Jason replied.
Rainbow puzzled over that. What was his trick? He'd said specifically that he would run the whole way and she trusted him not to cheat. What could he possibly be hiding that made him so confident? She decided she would just have to make sure it didn't matter.
"You might not have heard of me wherever you come from," Rainbow rolled on. "But I'm the fastest Pegasus around. One time, when Twilight here first came to..."
"That's enough Rainbow," Twilight interrupted. "I've had enough of you talking up your win and I didn't even lose to you."
Rainbow trailed off into silence. She hadn't meant to annoy her friend. She was just so energized by her win that she couldn't contain herself. She had to do something and there wasn't anything to do but talk until the next race started.
And it was about to start, she thought. Her body responded to the anticipation as it had before but now it fed on her recent victory as well. The combination was exhilarating. Despite this, she forced herself to remain quiet. She was struck by a sudden thought; maybe this was what Pinkie felt like. She always bounced around like she couldn't sit still and talked so much it wore on everypony's nerves. Was she constantly this ecstatic? It was a great feeling but Rainbow didn't think she'd want to feel like this all the time.
They rounded the final bend and the start line came into view once more. Twilight redrew it to account for the dirt that had been kicked up in their last run. Rainbow stood looking back at the trail, reliving the last time through. Every twist and turn played out in her mind. She kept it fresh so that she would hardly have to think about it this time.
Jason appeared to be preparing himself mentally as well. He stood perfectly still with his eyes closed. His breathing was deep and slow. A wave of tan energy washed over him and dissipated. He smiled and opened his eyes.
They both stepped up to the line at Twilight's urging. Rainbow sank into a low crouch and unfolded her wings. She beat them once in show before setting them high over her back in readiness. Just as before, she saw Jason's body shudder and slide into his own starting position.
"Ready?" Twilight asked.
Rainbow gave a barely perceptible nod. Jason made a low humming sound as an affirmative. Their eyes locked forward, their concentration too focused to give more attention to their responses, both waited for the release.
"Alright. On you marks!" She started to charge her spell.
Rainbow felt the cool rush of adrenaline course through her once more.
This time, she thought to herself.
"Get set!" Twilight's voice cut through the silence of the forest like a knife but only managed to be heard as a whisper in the thunder of the racers' heads.
This time, I'm going to show this Unicorn real speed.
The exact moment Twilight yelled "Go!" Rainbow Dash literally exploded into motion. The shockwave of the Sonic Rainboom bent the trunks and whipped the branches of the trees to either side of the path, a prism of color lighting up the sky behind her. Her wings snapped smoothly from one position to the next as she took each corner. Her hooves, extended out in front and back of her, whistled in the air currents. The ground stayed within feet of her as she blazed down the path.
It was ecstasy. She was pushing her speed to the limit. The constant change in the landscape in front of her as trees blurred past made it seem as if she were moving faster than she could in the open sky. Each point of reference was there and gone in the same instant. She reveled in it all. Her heart hammered from excitement as much as exertion. Shifting her wings closer to her body for more maneuverability, she prepared to take several quick, sharp corners. A slight air current from behind brushed her but she didn't pay any attention. Nothing mattered except the rush, the thrill.
As she came out of the curves, she spread her wings back to their full span and rippled the air with each powerful beat. She figured that she wasn't going to have an excuse to go this fast for a while so she might as well milk the moment for every drop of enjoyment she could. Come to think of it, when did she need an excuse to go faster? The thought only made her feel more wild and unbound and she poured on the speed with renewed vigor.
The low hanging branches she'd tried to steer Jason into came and went without obstructing her. She laughed out loud at the thought. She wondered for the first time where he was; if he hadn't in fact just given up when he saw her speeding away ahead of him. She didn't like to think she wasn't even racing him anymore. She didn't feel good about the possibility of making him feel bad about losing either, but he'd challenged her so it was all part of the game.
Another corner faded away behind her and she recognized where she was. She was only a turn from the finish. She'd known it would be a fast race but now that it was almost over, she couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disappointment. She shook it off quickly and took the final stretch at break-neck speed.
When the finish came into view, she smiled. She'd hold her speed right up to the end and stop dramatically just past the line. It was showy, but she kind of liked showy. Then her mouth dropped open so far that it looked like it had fallen off her face. Coming to a grinding halt, she couldn't believe what she saw.
In the midst of the commotion at the finish line, framed by the broken ends of the tape, was Jason. Rainbow's heart just about stopped as she watched her friends crowded around him in wonder. She walked slowly in to where they were gathered.
"That was the most incredible, indescribable, completely-mindblowingly-outofthisworld-able thing I've ever seen EVER!" Pinkie shouted as she threw herself into the air repeatedly.
"I don't even know if I believe it," Twilight said with a light laugh. "And I was there when he took off and here when he finished."
"It really was quite a surprise," Rarity commented. "We hardly had time to see you as you approached. It was really something.
"Um, guys?" Rainbow mumbled. None of them seemed to hear her.
"I'd have never thought it was possible for somepony to beat Rainbow but..." Applejack broke off as she noticed Rainbow for the first time. "Oh! Rainbow Dash!"
Everypony turned to her with somewhat guilty expressions. Dash could only stand in shocked silence as she tried to find the words. Jason stepped forward but seemed unsteady. Jason's eyes had a hard time focusing on her and he stumbled slightly. His smile was shaky but sincere.
"It was a...good race." He hesitated a bit before finishing. He seemed to be having difficulty concentrating.
"But...but how...I never even saw you!" Rainbow managed in a voice riddled with confusion and hurt.
With a visible effort, Jason pulled his expression together and spoke normally.
"You didn't? Then my plan worked."
"You can't have run the whole way!" Rainbow raised her voice indignantly. "You can't have run that fast!"
"He did," Twilight broke in. "I saw him. On the subject of what I saw though, would you care to explain how exactly you did that?" Twilight turned to Jason and everypony followed suit.
Jason nodded seriously. "I have trained for years to master an ability that allows me to warp time around me. While everyone else sees time at normal speed, I see it at a much slower rate. I'm able to react quicker to things around me and do things before those around me can react. I still see myself move at a normal pace so I did honestly run the whole way myself. It took just as long by my perspective, but to all of yours, it was much faster."
"Now that's an ability!" Twilight said, engrossed in the concept of such magic. "How much can you slow down time?"
"Almost to a standstill," Jason responded. He paused to catch his balance, which he had inexplicably lost again. "The only drawback is that the more I attempt to slow time, the more effort it takes. On that subject, I...may have...."
Jason fell flat on his face, unconscious. For a whole second, nopony moved. Then Cor sighed and stepped forward.
"He's fine."
Doubtful looks greeted his words.
"No, really. I've seen this before." He looked down at Jason. "Too many times it seems."
"What happened to him though?" Applejack asked anxiously.
"Like he said," Cor explained as he pulled Jason into a more dignified position. "It takes greater effort the more he slows time. He's been known to push it so hard that he knocks himself out. He told me he was going to do it before the race started."
"So he used magic to make time go slower and then he could run faster?" Rainbow hovered just off the ground with crossed hooves. "That seems like cheating."
"And just what in the hay was he supposed to do against you and your wings?" Applejack returned crossly. "We saw and heard that Sonic Rainboom. It wasn't as if anything on four legs should have been able to keep up. He managed it somehow and he deserves some credit for it."
"Are you just taking his side because of our race?"
"No," Applejack said. "It's only fair. The rules were put down at the start. Ya'll should've accounted for him havin' a trick or two."
Rainbow huffed moodily.
"Now Rainbow Dash," Rarity admonished. "Try to look at the brighter side of it. You were both marvelous. Each of you had one win. And besides, it was all in good fun, right?"
"Yeah, sure." Rainbow landed and turned away dejectedly. "I just hate losing."
"I can't think of anyone that enjoys it," Cor pointed out. "It's good to lose every once in a while anyway. It shows you that there's still someone out there who can give you a challenge."
Rainbow looked at him skeptically.
"At least that's how I look at it," Cor finished somewhat lamely.
Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, I guess. And it was a good race."
She looked around at her friends expectantly.
"It certainly was," Twilight said. "And your Sonic Rainboom was flawless; starting from a standstill no less."
"And if the Wonderbolts had seen it," Dash went on. "They'd have insisted that I sign on right away!"
"Right after they got done signin' Jason up," Applejack amended.
"But...he's got no wings...," Rainbow said, struggling to find the logic.
Rainbow's friends burst out laughing. After a moment Dash joined in herself. Cor chuckled as he hoisted Jason over his back. The finish line was packed up and the group turned toward home. Cor watched them walking ahead of him, laughing and joking about the day's excitement. He felt detached from it, as if he hadn't been part of it at all. He'd only been a spectator after all. This wasn't even his world.
And yet...
There was something there: A bond of some sort. It had been a while since a group of strangers had begun to feel so familiar. As he and Applejack had walked out here, they had talked openly. It didn't matter how different they were when they had interests that matched. In fact, as they had waited for the races to begin, they'd all chatted pleasantly. It was a sharp contrast to the way he'd been lately; closed, curt, and on edge. Now these ponies had helped him realize what a relief it was to be relaxed around others. He could almost call them his friends.
Thinking of friends, Cor became aware of how long it had been since he'd seen Zacon. What was it now? A day? Two? Far too long in any case. There was no telling what kind of trouble he could have gotten into. As the town came back into view, he half expected to see smoke rising from the rooftops. Of course, no such sight greeted him.
Jason shifted slightly, reminding Cor that he wasn't done with his current predicament. He decided that if Zacon had been on his own for this long, he could wait another hour for Jason's sake. |
Innocent | Act I: Chapter Six: Of an Unusual Nature | The weight of a pony on his back slowed Cor down on his trek back to town. The others had waited up for him at first, but at his urging, they had gone ahead. Carrying Jason was harder than he'd expected. He'd thought being a pony would allow him to haul loads with ease but this apparently wasn't the case. He huffed along resolutely, one hoofstep after another.
As he walked, Cor thought through where he'd begin looking for Zacon. He wasn't likely to be hanging around Sugercube Corner, not with Pinkie Pie spending so much time there. He may have holed up in the library or back at Sweet Apple Acres. The library would be his first stop. Then there was the possibility that he'd simply left the town all together. If he had, Cor would have a hard job of tracking him down: Hoofmarks all looked the same.
Jason groaned and seemed to be coming to. Cor lowered him to the ground behind a house off the main street. Jason's eyes blinked open but he made no attempt to sit up.
"That went about how I expected," he said tiredly. "Dash didn't take it too badly did she?"
"I don't think so. They all seemed to be in good spirits when they left."
"That's good. I'd hate to have bad feelings between us. It was an enjoyable experience."
Cor laughed. "Says the guy that took a nap while I gave him a ride to town on my back! You keep pushing yourself to the brink, and then who has to clean up? Me." He shook his head in amusement and then took on a more serious tone. "You need to be careful. That's a dangerous ability you're messing with."
"I'm not just messing with it. I know exactly how far I'm pushing and how far is too far." He looked away uneasily. "And I don't need to hear it all from you too."
"Sorry. You know that she only says it because she cares. And so do the rest of us."
Jason didn't respond. His expression was that of anger but Cor knew it was directed inward. He also knew better than to press the subject. Instead he resumed his musings about the kind of trouble Zacon might have caused and where he could be at this moment. He didn't have to worry about Zacon's whereabouts for long. The grey stallion came charging around the corner, spotted them and galloped to their side.
"There you two are! I've had the damnedest time trying to track you down." He looked back over his shoulder as if expecting to be followed. "This town is crazy! I've been caught in the middle of three flash mobs in the last hour alone!" He glared at Cor as if he were personally responsible for this grievous injustice.
"Flash mobs?" Cor raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Zacon said with an un-equine growl. "I was looking for you two around the library when every one of the ponies in the street started singing and dancing on top of buildings and through the windows and everywhere. And by the time one of these displays ended, another would start up. I'm just thankful that pink one was nowhere to be seen."
"She was with us this morning."
"Small mercies," Zacon grunted, glancing the way they'd come from. Then he looked closely at Jason for the first time. "What happened to you?"
Jason made an effort to rise but could only manage to prop himself up on his haunches. "I pushed myself too far again. You know the drill."
"I do know the drill, and it involves something interesting!" Zacon's gaze was baleful. "You two were off doing something worth paying attention to and you did it without me?!"
"It was just a race with a local Pegasus," Jason said, trying to downplay it.
"Just a race you burned mana for." Zacon huffed. "At least I won't have to wander aimlessly now. What's our plan?"
Jason leaned against the nearby wall and closed his eyes, still recovering from the effects of his spell. Cor thought for a moment.
"I was thinking of exploring the woods."
Zacon scowled. "Really? A walk in the woods? Talk to some trees? You Elves need to find some real hobbies."
"Like dismembering and devouring small animals?" Jason spoke softly, his eyes still closed.
"The creatures of my people's lands are anything but small and you know it. And hunting is more than a hobby; it's a way of life. " Zacon frowned at him.
"Well, what do you think communing with nature is? Reclusive habits dying hard?" Jason retorted.
"You two need to just cool it. Zacon, you know what our connection to nature means to us, so deal with it. Jason, I'm the Ranger so I'll do the arguing about the merits of bonding with forest life." Cor stared them both down until it was clear the argument was over. "Besides, I didn't mean a cheerful stroll down the path. Applejack told me the Everfree Forest was unnatural somehow. I'd like to look into it."
Jason opened one eye to look quizzically at Cor and Zacon's ears shot up.
"Unnatural how?" Jason inquired.
"She didn't say and it was clear she didn't want to."
"Ooh, this is getting better all the time." Zacon grinned wickedly. "I'll go get our stuff."
"What?" Jason balked. "You think we need weapons? What, is a tree going to look at you funny?"
"You know," Cor interjected. "I'd feel better about having our weapons with us on this one too."
Jason sighed. "Fine, bring 'em."
Zacon ran off without another word.
"I'm not sure if it's a good thing that he's this excited," Cor said with a frown. "It makes me uneasy somehow."
"I know what you mean, but isn't this better than the alternative?" Jason offered.
Cor took a breath to respond, but ended up giving a nod in concession.
~*~*~
The woods were ominously dark even though the light was only just beginning to fail. The three warriors stood at its border, eyes trying to pierce the gloom. The growth began rather abruptly. The countryside was an open grass field right up to the edge of the overgrown tangle that was the Everfree Forest.
None of this gave the warriors much pause as they started in. They scanned the shadows for danger and their ears twitched at the slightest sound. Weapons were held at the ready and the blades glinted where stray beams of light fought through the canopy. Vines choked everything and what little path there was offered treacherous footing at best.
Cor led the group with Jason in the middle and Zacon bringing up the rear. Cor picked his way through the trees with no sense of haste. He watched small animals scatter at their approach. The creaking of branches surrounded them, but the wind did not reach below the tops of the trees it moved. The air was still and chilling. There was a sense of being watched from every dark corner and the sound of larger animals reminded them that not all of the eyes they felt watching them were imagined. Cor found he was holding his breath at several points and made a conscious effort to calm himself.
Two steps farther back, Jason walked cautiously. His sword hovered above him where he could send it flying to either side at a moment's notice. His eyes picked out the movements of every creature through the foliage, tracking them until they proved to be no threat. He stepped purposefully around the roots and vines that tangled the path, head swiveling to watch every direction at once.
From the back of the group, his axe balanced over his back, Zacon watched the Unicorns press ahead. He made no effort to conceal his movement and didn't even glance behind him as he went. First of all, he didn't think anything would have the guts to attack such a well armed party, and second; he almost invited an attack. He relished the thought of real action after so much...whatever you'd call the past two days. He didn't care much about their direction and left thoughts of navigation to Cor. As long as they could finally do something besides sit around, he'd follow anywhere Cor led.
They'd gone a mile in and the light was nearly gone. The shadows of the forest cloaked everything in purples, grays, and deep blues. The path was badly obscured by undergrowth and at times, disappeared completely. Cor didn't hesitate as he pushed farther into the trees and his companions didn't question his judgment. The sounds of night descended on them and as they did Cor realized something that had been poking at the back of his mind since they'd come here.
He halted suddenly, causing the others to scramble to identify the disturbance. When nothing presented itself, they looked to Cor for answers.
"What's the deal?" Jason said, casting glances all around.
"This forest is unusual...because there's nothing unnatural about it," Cor stated.
"Would you mind running that by me again?" Jason turned to give Cor his full attention.
"Don't you see?" Cor faced them both in the darkness. "This world's nature is controlled directly by the ponies. So wouldn't it be the logical if they thought a place that takes care of itself was unusual?"
"I hadn't thought of that," Jason admitted.
"Aw, you mean this is just a walk in the woods?" Zacon let his axe fall to the ground where it bit a deep gash through the vines at his feet.
"I'm afraid so," Cor nodded. "It's a bit over-grown, sure, but it's still just a normal forest." He placed a hoof on the bark of the nearest tree. "These trees are active and free of any obstructing influences."
"That's just great." Zacon sat down to one side and glared at the darkness.
"Still," Jason said. "It does feel more oppressive than a normal forest."
"It'll be the fact that the ponies don't come here. Being totally neglected and even shunned will do that. That being the case, I feel an urge to walk its paths a bit farther."
Zacon heaved himself up and shouldered his axe again. They started off at a normal pace now, despite the darkness. Weapons were held loose and they no longer watched every movement. They struck up conversation after a ways, more to fill space than anything else.
"I slept in a few hours," Zacon began in his description of the time they were apart. "And by the time I was up, you had both disappeared. I knew we needed to get the equipment somewhere safer so that's what I did first. I got them up to the rooms easy enough but that big stallion, Macin-something, asked me to help with a few things. After noon was well behind us, he ran out of tasks. That was when he suggested we have a few friendly contests."
"They were simple but entertaining in their own right," Zacon said grinning. "The hoof wrestle was by far the most enjoyable. We seem to be evenly matched, he and I. I wouldn't have thought him up to it just to look at him, but after working beside him, I knew otherwise. And he makes good use of it too. We were deadlocked for almost a minute. Of course, the strength of this body is nothing compared my own but I still triumphed in the end."
"Then we fixed the table and I started looking for you two. It was already late so I gave up quickly. By the time I got back, the evening meal was over but I managed to grab a scrap or two." A hint of scorn crept into Zacon's voice, directed at his companions. "The next morning, you were missing again and I had no choice but to look everywhere for you. You left no notes, you made me aware of no plans, and you didn't wait to fill me in on anything."
Jason and Cor glanced at each other guiltily.
"So I wandered the streets for a few hours before things got weird. You'd think a spectacle of that scale would need to be coordinated somehow but they just seem to know exactly what all the steps are as soon as it began." Zacon paused, remembering. "And who sings a four minute song about growing flowers anyway?" He looked at Cor especially but the Ranger had no answers for him.
"At that point it became a matter of dodging these ridiculous displays. I still haven't figured out what sets them off but I've become quite good at evading them. You two showed up just as I was about to make a break for the library."
"I'm sorry Zacon," Jason apologized. "I guess we were both so caught up in the race that we forgot to keep you in the loop."
"Well, do better next time and I'll forget about it," Zacon dismissed it with a grunt. "Did you two find anything about how to get back?"
"Not exactly," Jason frowned. "We're trying to recreate properties of the blast using crystals that we've..."
"A straight yes or no will do," Zacon cut him off.
Jason sighed deeply. "No."
They were silent for a long time, simply walking together in the now comfortable darkness. Cor picked his way along the path with ease and paused from time to time to examine the life around him. Jason let the sounds of the forest wash over him in a soft ebb and flow of living energy. Zacon, for his part, was tolerant of his friends and did nothing to disrupt them.
Cor was just about to suggest they head back when he saw a strange look on Jason's face.
"What is it?"
Jason's muzzle scrunched up in puzzlement. "Is that a chicken? Over there in those bushes?"
Cor followed his gaze and, sure enough, a chicken was peering out of a stand of shrubs a short distance from the path.
"Hmm, I didn't think a chicken would be in a place like this."
"Well, it isn't alone," Zacon rumbled. He indicated another patch of undergrowth with three more chickens shuffling around in it.
"Something isn't right," Jason said as he spotted two more back the way they'd come.
"What are you worried about?" Zacon asked. "Being pecked into submission? Are they going to drown us in egg goo?"
Jason gave him a hard look. "This is clearly no accidental encounter and they have us outnumbered." He noticed several more moving amongst the trees behind the grey stallion.
"You really think they're setting up an ambush?" Zacon muttered doubtfully. "If this is the best this land has to offer, I don't think I'll shame myself by becoming involved."
Before they had time to discuss it further, their attackers were on them.
~*~*~
While all six of them had tried to keep the results of the race quiet, by morning of the following day, the friends found that everypony in Ponyville seemed to know there was a new Unicorn in town that had supposedly beaten Rainbow Dash in a contest of speed. Those who claimed to know the details always said they heard it from somepony who was there, but never seemed to agree with another's story.
Rainbow was taking it badly and had retreated to her cloud home. Twilight was of the mindset that spreading the truth would help things calm down, so she and Applejack had been going around town setting everypony straight. Fluttershy had understandably declined being involved in the inevitable arguments that followed.
Rarity would have been out silencing idle gossip right alongside them, but most of a day lost to the race had put her behind on outstanding orders and she couldn't spare the time. Three finished products stood in a line beside the window of her inspiration room. The sunbeams that danced across them brought out the yellow bands of silk that flowed from the first two, a matching set for a pair of sisters in town. The soft blues underneath subtly provided the slender form of the outfit itself without distracting from the overall effect. The other was a dashing suit for an equally dashing stallion who had ordered it for a dinner in Manehattan. Its red velvet vest with black linings and brass buttons were bold and stern, accented by the gold-trimmed white shirt worn beneath.
Her current project was harder to pin down, both figuratively and literally. It was a complex interweaving of embroidered folds and trailing sashes worked through loops to create the effect of decorative ribbons hung around the wearer. It was a detailed custom order, something she was generally against, but the customer was quite specific about her needs and Rarity would never disregard a patron's specifications.
The body of the dress was a light pink and the sleeves were silver. The collar was pale lavender and the hanging sashes were sky blue. Using so many soft colors without something to offset it was outside of Rarity's normal style but she thought she was at least pulling it off. A string of tiny sapphires adorned the hem, an addition the customer had allowed at Rarity's suggestion. It gave the piece at least one sharp color to balance the rest without imposing on the eye.
A last set of folds was refusing to hang correctly and one of the sashes kept twisting up. Even with telekinesis, she was having trouble keeping all of the pieces out of the way to make the necessary adjustments. Without taking her eyes off the spot she needed to shorten, she reached over to a side table to pull the cup of pins closer. She misjudged the distance, however and the cup tipped over the table's edge, pins spilling in every direction.
Rarity flinched in anticipation of the clatter and mess that would follow, but it never came. When she opened her eyes to look, she saw the whole mishap suspended in mid air. She looked all around and found her rescuer in the open doorway. Jason's horn was lit with tan energy that carefully replaced the cup and its contents on the table as he approached.
"Oh, you are simply a lifesaver, Jason," Rarity beamed. "Would you be a dear and help me with one other thing?"
"Of course."
"I need to pin this fold here."
She directed Jason to the problem area and he began pinning it in place.
"Yes, just there. And there. And one last one right here. Perfect!" She took the piece off of the manikin and brought it over to the worktable. "What brings you here today?" she asked as she shortened the marked parts.
"I was wondering if I could have an outfit made for Cor and myself."
"Oh, and what is the occasion?"
"No occasion, we just wanted something to wear." Jason said with a hint of self-consciousness. "I see that you're rather busy though. If another time would work better..."
"Nonsense!" she interrupted. "I'm nearly done with this and I don't have any other projects lined up. I would be delighted to put something together for you and your friend."
"I'd also like to request it in a specific material."
"Of course. I have a wide variety to choose from. You can look through them over there." She gestured to a cabinet against the far wall.
Jason glanced at it before speaking. "I was actually thinking of a material that we had prepared."
"What material would that be?"
Jason hesitated further. "Leather," he said at last.
The sound of the sewing machine stopped suddenly. Rarity turned slowly to look at him.
"Leather?" she repeated with no small amount of shock. "Where did you get leather?"
"Cor, Zacon and I were out in the Everfree forest and..."
"What in heaven's name were you doing there?!" Rarity interrupted.
"We were just having a look around. It wasn't as bad as we had heard...until we were attacked by a pack of cockatrices. Once the fight was over, we figured it'd be a waste to just leave the bodies there, so we, or at least Cor and Zacon, began the tanning process. Once they were sure the hides would be of usable quality, I came here to see if you'd make something of them. They should be along in a few minutes."
"Well, I...um...I suppose I could." She grimaced slightly. "It just seems so...ghastly. To use the hide of another creature; I simply cannot believe some stylists favor the practice. And worse still, that there are ponies who would consider wearing it." She saw the uncomfortable expression on Jason's face and felt the need to apologize for being so forthright in her opinion, but she couldn't find the words.
"I kind of figured you'd feel that way." Jason sighed, turning to leave. "If it bothers you so much, forget I asked."
"Wait. I would still be willing to make the outfits for you. It just caught me off guard, that's all." Rarity paused to reflect. "And it would be a waste not to use the hides, right?" She gave an uneasy smile, hoping it would be enough to cover for the uncomfortable moment.
It was in that exact instant that hooves announced Cor and Zacon entering the boutique.
"Is she ready to work our tanned hides?" said Zacon in an unusually cheerful voice the moment they were through the doorway.
Jason flinched visibly and Cor stopped to stare at the big stallion's impertinence. Rarity's smile slipped another notch. After an awkward pause, Zacon seemed to realize what he'd said.
"I'll just wait outside then, shall I?" He dropped his share of the leather beside the door and left with a mischievous smile.
Cor followed Zacon's exit with a suspicious gaze. Jason cleared his throat and helped Cor move the leather onto one of the worktables. Rarity floated a measuring tape and a notepad over.
"I'll need measurements from the two of you," she said as she wrapped the measure around Cor's midsection. The pencil flashed across the paper as Rarity moved around them.
"What would you like these outfits to be?" she queried.
"I was thinking a simple vest and a shirt of a finer fabric to put on over the top," Cor mused.
"Would you prefer any particular material for the shirt?" Rarity pressed.
"A blend of rayon and cotton, I think," Cor said after a short pause.
"Rayon and cotton blend," Rarity repeated, her pencil tracing the words on the notepad. She moved on to Jason. "And you?"
"A vest sounds good but it'll be a silk shirt for me." He mulled something over for a moment. "And could you make the whole outfit black?"
Cor stifled a laugh while Rarity fixed him with a questioning gaze.
"You want the whole thing to be black?" she asked. "But your coat is such a light color that it would clash horribly, if you'll pardon me for saying so."
"I just prefer black," Jason said simply. "It'd just feel more...normal."
"Well, it looks like we won't be able to give Zacon a hard time about feeling abnormal anymore. I'll have mine in a dark tan."
Rarity shrugged and took down the requests. Having all the measurements she needed, she turned to the leather. She shied from it visibly as she first handled it but eventually managed to ignore her discomfort. She levitated each piece into the air in turn, marking them for the necessary cuts.
"Did you say that the shirts go over the top of the vests?"
"Yes we did."
"That seems an odd way to wear a vest," she pointed out.
"It's the way we've always worn them," Cor insisted. "Decoration on the outside, functionality on the inside."
"What function would that be?" Rarity asked, glancing at him.
"Armor."
She frowned. "What would you need armor for?"
"In case we get jumped by another pack of cockatrices," Cor snorted.
"I should think staying away from the Everfree Forest would do the same job," she countered.
Cor nodded in concession to her point. "Still, I'd rather have the option of protection in case we happen to cross their way again."
"Mmm," Rarity acknowledged, still not fully agreeing.
Cor looked at the door. "I think I'll go make sure Zacon isn't doing something we'll regret. If you don't need anything else that is." He looked at Rarity for approval.
"Not at all, darling." She smiled as he nodded and turned to leave. "And I should have these completed in a day or so."
Jason walked over to the window and stared out at nothing in particular. Rarity began cutting the leather into the shapes that would become the vests. The snip and tap of her tools working were the only sound in the room for a long time.
"Is there something else you wanted?" she asked when she noticed he was still there.
"Hmm?" He looked over, shaking his head as he returned to awareness. "Oh, no. I was just thinking about something."
She waited for him to elaborate but he didn't. She tried another approach. "I'm glad that your little mishap a few days ago wasn't serious."
"My mishap?" Jason tilted his head in confusion.
"When you stumbled into that ditch," she explained.
"I wouldn't say it wasn't serious actually."
"Well, you were a bit of a mess. But you've cleaned up very nicely." She looked at his mane. "Mostly."
"That's not quite what I meant but..."
"I know a lovely place where you could have your coat and mane redone. I'm a regular with them so I know they're simply marvelous."
Jason was trying to find a response when the door was thrown open suddenly, framing a frantic Twilight.
"I've been looking everywhere for you, Jason! You need to come right away. You too Rarity. She called for all of us."
"All of who?" Jason asked cautiously. "And who has called us?"
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried, as if they should have somehow already known. "She's asked all six of the Elements and you three to meet with her in Canterlot as soon as possible! I've already told Cor and Zacon. Come on!"
"Oh, if only you'd asked for these outfits a few days ago," Rarity moaned. "At least you'd have had something decent to wear."
Jason raised an eyebrow as she draped herself over a couch, wallowing in dramatized grief. Twilight just hid her face behind her hoof. |
Innocent | Act I: Chapter Seven: Under Moon and Star, Part 1 | While waiting for the train that would take them to Canterlot, Twilight darted to and fro anxiously. Rarity held a notepad before her, sketching concepts for a new outfit. Pinkie Pie bounced alongside Twilight, matching her movement step for step. Applejack was lying back against the station building, her eyes closed and her hat pulled down over her face. Fluttershy and Cor were waiting off the platform, discussing something in low voices. Between them, Cor was waving his hoof over a flower that turned and swayed at his direction. Zacon had fixed the horizon with an unblinking stare, straining to catch sight of the train. Jason watched Twilight's steady descent into hysterics with a wary eye.
"For crying out loud Pinkie! Will you just sit still?!" she exploded suddenly.
"But you're going around in circles too," Pinkie pointed out.
Twilight had no response so she just groaned and kept pacing.
"What's bothering you so much?" Jason asked.
"We're taking too long. We should be on our way to Canterlot right now." She rounded on him. "We can't keep Celestia waiting!"
"How long ago did you get the summons?"
"It came this morning, around ten o'clock."
Jason glanced at the clock tower in town. It read half past one. "That isn't that long ago. She can't expect you to get your friends and guests together from all across town and set off for another city in one afternoon, can she?"
The face she gave him made it clear Twilight expected exactly that.
"Spiiike! Where are you?" she called out to the platform. Despite her plea, it remained empty of dragons. "I told him exactly what to get. How hard could it be to bring it down here?"
"What did you need to bring for a meeting with the Princess, darling?" Rarity asked absently.
"Just my research notes on the experiments," Twilight shrugged. "I figured if she's asking for these three, she'll want to know about the work I've been doing with them."
Rarity lowered her notepad to look at her. "And what work is that?"
"Oh, that's right! I haven't told you all." She swept them all with her gaze and prepared to speak but then turned to Jason. "Of course, if you'd rather I didn't..."
Jason shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. They're your friends. If you don't think they'll react unpleasantly, then by all means."
Beaming, Twilight took a deep breath...and was interrupted by Zacon.
"Train's coming. It's about a mile out."
Before Twilight could express her irritation, a distant, shrill whistle confirmed his report. Resuming her frantic pacing, she called out for Spike again with no more luck than before.
"Oooh! If he's not here, we'll miss the train." Her hooves produced a rapid pattering sound as she danced in place nervously. "Or we'll have to leave him behind. No, we won't leave him. We can't leave him. Ooh!" She continued to worry herself into a panic.
"Did anypony notice Rainbow ain't here either?" Applejack spoke up, scanning the skies.
This new realization only caused Twilight to begin hyperventilating. The smokestack of the train was now visible, the steadily approaching steam cloud that gently billowed above it made sinister by their friends' absence. As the engine itself chugged into view, a gust of air and the clatter of hooves announced Rainbow's arrival. And down from her back climbed a book-laden dragon.
"Thanks for the lift R.D." Spike said, speaking through a thick layer of paper. "I wouldn't have made it otherwise."
"No problem. I'd never leave one of my friends hanging." Rainbow brushed it off with the wave of a hoof.
With a gasp of relief, Twilight lunged at her assistant and wrapped him in an affectionate hug. "You made it! And you brought everything. I knew I could count on you. And you too, Rainbow. You're a lifesaver."
"It was nothing. Seriously, any time," she said, but it was obvious she relished the praise.
The whistle sounded again and they were joined by Cor and Fluttershy. All together, they watched the train pull into the station. A hiss of steam and the shouts of the conductor welcomed them to board. They took seats in one of the otherwise empty cars. Cor leaned against the window, gazing out at the countryside. Zacon sat next to the door, as if being close to the exit would make the trip go faster. The others piled into two rows and shifted around excitedly, discussing what the Princess wanted.
Jason settled into the first seat he reached and faced the wall in front of him. The train lurched as it pulled out of the station. He let his eyes glaze over as he too contemplated the meaning of this summons. She had asked for the three of them specifically. It couldn't be a coincidence and he wasn't inclined to believe that Twilight's experiments were the only reason. She had to know. And if the Princess knew, did she have a solution? Would she be able to send them home? Or would she insist on it?
The thought of leaving was suddenly unpleasant. He'd grown to like this place. He glanced over his shoulder as a bout of laughter from the ponies drew his attention. They were so happy; so nice and thoughtful and peaceful. He wished he could share it with them longer.
He shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. She might not be planning to send them back. She might only wish to know where they came from, what they were doing there. That could end up requiring a long winded explanation and he was barely able to make sense of it himself. He would have to put it in order in his own head first if he was going to explain it to someone else. He was interrupted in his efforts by Cor falling off the seat in front of him.
"How are we supposed to sit with these things?" He waved a hind leg in the air from where he lay.
Jason blinked down at him as he shifted in the seat he was having no difficulties occupying. Zacon walked over to look at him, his amused smirk speaking volumes of payback for his discomfort in recent days.
"Oh, shut up." Cor righted himself and plopped back into the seat defiantly. Zacon just chuckled. His cheerful attitude had stuck around for an unusually long time. Ever since the fight in the Everfree, he hadn't complained about anything. If that was what it took to keep him happy, Jason didn't regret it. He just hoped he wouldn't have to repeat the experience.
As if reading his thoughts, the conversation turned to reviewing the fight.
"If only your dexterity in battle could be displayed everywhere else," the warrior rumbled.
Cor grimaced as he caught himself from slipping again. "Yeah. Battle instinct is one thing but managing this body is weird. I'm so used to being able to lean backwards, but I can't do that with my legs pointed this way. There goes half of my dodging tactics!" He waved his hoof at the mentioned tactics as they flew out the window. "On that subject, thanks for covering me. I still don't have arrows or I'd have dropped those last two myself."
Zacon shrugged. "Not at all. You were off balance and they had you flanked. No warrior honest with himself would have left you to stand alone. And you returned the favor when you took that one off my back. He was quite irritating."
"Still, I probably owe you for drawing the attention of most of them in the first place," Cor returned. "The way you jumped into the middle of that group kept the pressure off me long enough to get ready."
"You two can talk about how many assists you got off of each other until you decompose where you sit," Jason interrupted them lazily. "I don't hear anything about how much you owe me."
"Your assistance is appreciated but a given. It's your job." Zacon looked down his nose at him. Cor nodded in sarcastic agreement.
Jason balked at him in mock disbelief.
"I do want to thank you though," Cor said, returning to serious discussion. "Their eyes...I just looked at one and it looked back, and I felt so cold. It was like it was freezing me solid."
"That's not far from the truth. I saw you stop suddenly and I knew something was wrong. When I cut it down, I saw that your hindquarters had begun to turn to stone."
Cor swallowed apprehensively at the thought.
Zacon frowned. "Are you saying that's what I was feeling? Being turned to stone?"
"You felt it too?" Cor asked.
"Well, yes, I think. I stared down a good deal of them and I felt very cold every time. It didn't cause me much pause though."
Jason glanced at him with a grin. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Because you admit that my strength has merit your speed cannot counter?"
They locked eyes on each other for a second in good-natured challenge. Then they both chuckled. Jason's laugh was a bit darker because he knew that Zacon was only half-joking. Their rivalry knew no bounds, from battle to battle, and now, from world to world. He shook his head with a sigh.
"I feel a little worried," Cor said suddenly.
"Why would that be?" Jason said, pulling his legs up to lie on the seat lengthwise. He looked out the window, seeing the tree-spotted valley Ponyville rested in spread out below them. They had traveled into the mountains now and left the small town behind.
"We fought a small battle inside the borders of a foreign country." Cor answered. "We killed denizens of this land. I wonder if the princess is somehow displeased with this."
"They attacked us," Zacon stated as if it left no room for argument.
"Even so, this is their country," Cor pressed. "What if their laws state we aren't allowed to fight those creatures?"
"Not allowed to fight them?" Zacon repeated in disbelief. "How could a law be put in place that would stop citizens from defending themselves?"
Cor held up a hoof defensively. "I'm just saying. I've seen weirder laws, you know. And we aren't citizens either."
Jason thought it over for a moment. "I can hardly believe that's the reason. Why would the others be along?"
Cor had no answers and shrugged. "I'm just speculating. We should be prepared for anything."
Jason grunted and looked out the window. "You mean you should be prepared. I'm just an officer, remember? You're responsible for all of my actions."
Cor frowned at him. "Thanks. Now I feel much better."
Cor happened to look over at the others and stopped. The group had fallen silent momentarily. Applejack was looking back at them appraisingly while Rainbow Dash had crossed her forelegs and fixed them with a stare of scorching suspicion. Though she hid behind her mane when they saw her, Fluttershy's eyes were wide in surprise. They weren't as wide as Rarity's though. She seemed torn between shock and enchantment.
Pinkie Pie seemed to be completely absorbed in a different dilemma. She frowned in annoyance as she closely inspected the back of the hoof on her left foreleg. Twilight was giving them an apologetic smile. Spike was hardly paying attention, only looking up from a book he'd snuck in amongst the notes when all talking had stopped.
"I probably didn't explain that very well. Maybe we should wait to hear from them," Twilight said, throwing the other three a pained look. "I have a feeling it will come up with the Princess anyway."
The rest of the trip was spent in an uncomfortable silence. The two groups kept apart, not as much out of suspicion as for a sense of familiarity. Zacon sat on his haunches beside the door, staring at nothing. Cor shifted every minute or so between sitting positions, trying to get a handle on one. The girls all huddled together, casting a glance at them from time to time. Jason watched the valley grow distant through the window as they traveled higher into the mountains. His view was impeded when they went through a series of tunnels.
When they emerged, Canterlot stood before them. Cor now joined Jason at the window to look at it curiously. A large portion of the castle-city hung over the edge of the mountain, supported either by some masterful design in the architecture or the power of mysterious magic. Spires rose up against the sky from behind gold-capped alabaster walls. The minarets were plated with gold and bronze and ornamented with flagpoles and sculptures of stars and flowers. The sun glinted off the rooftops and windows, making the entire city sparkle.
A waterfall cascaded down the slopes behind the castle, filling a small lake that ran past the gates and spilled down the mountainside. The wide arching gates were open wide, the portcullis raised, and the drawbridge down. Ponies crossed in and out in a light but steady stream under the watchful eyes of a small squad of guards in gleaming gold armor posted at the gate and on the battlements.
The train pulled onto a bridge that led to an access in the walls and began its deceleration. Once they were through, the rest of the city, which had been hidden by the high mountain walls that surrounded it, was revealed to them. In a vale tucked back into the face of the mountain, residences and businesses extended out from the visible portion and tapering off into open parks that led smoothly up to the mountain. There was much more to the city than they had been able to see from the approach.
The train rode the border of the buildings into a rail yard. With a last bump, it stopped and the doors opened. Zacon was the first one out. His face was impassive but his haste betrayed his impatience. Cor and Jason exited and stood in appreciative silence as they took in the feel of the city.
Their six pony companions shuffled out onto the platform as if falling into a routine of sorts. Twilight glanced around with wistful reminiscence while Applejack scanned the big city streets and buildings critically. Rarity's attention homed in on the nearest ponies' outfits, obviously comparing them to some mental image.
Everything Fluttershy looked at except the ground was given a look that seemed afraid of insulting it somehow. She gave the ground a look that seemed to apologize for staring at it so much. Rainbow Dash took to the air and drifted above them. Pinkie Pie just bounced alongside the group as they left the platform and started up a main street toward the palace. Spike huffed along under the books and papers without complaint.
The first thing Cor noticed was the change in the ponies' attitudes. Most held their noses in the air and were all well-dressed. Their steps were measured and sure and implied superiority. Cor felt sick at the thought of being forced to speak with them. If it were possible, they looked more snobbish than the courtiers of his own country.
The roads were seamless flagstones, pale green in color to resemble grass. Unlike Ponyville, the streets were straight and lined by sidewalks and lamp posts. The shops were all high class and served luxury wares almost exclusively. Another thing that Cor noted was that almost every pony he saw was a Unicorn. A Pegasus or two happened by, but there were next to no Earth Ponies. He frowned in thought as they went on.
Zacon glanced with disdain at the ponies they passed. They all looked as if they thought themselves to be the center of their worlds. He repressed a hearty laugh at their self importance. His mind had worked through several plans to show them how wrong they were before he realized Cor would stop him somehow. He made the decision not to try any of his plans but kept thinking up new ones for the fun of it.
Jason's eyes were locked on the palace they were fast approaching. Its high walls and towers were imposing in the strength that emanated from their very stone. Despite this, they seemed to look down on the surrounding buildings with benevolence. Guards patrolled the battlements and countless banners snapped in the wind atop poles on the walls and towers. There was a precision to it that drew him in. It was almost hypnotic. He took almost a minute to figure out why.
It was the familiarity of military drilling, his element, and he could follow it easily. It was the last thing he expected to find in a place like this. He shrugged at it, realizing that it was foolish to assume anything about foreign worlds. As they passed through the gates, Jason noticed that the guards nodded in recognition to Twilight.
Jason had been told that she was the one to talk to about magic and she was obviously respected in Ponyville, but now that he saw this, he began to suspect she was more than a well known librarian.
There's more to her than meets the eye, he mused with a slight grin. Much like ourselves.
The ponies walked with a sense of familiarity, Twilight most of all. They didn't gawk at the towers reaching high above them nor did they give more than a passing glance at the magnificent sculptures in the courtyard. They trotted briskly through the wide double doors that swung open at their approach.
Cor and Zacon both silently appraised the palace, exchanging mildly impressed glances from time to time. Several passages left the entrance hall from the first level but the group passed them by and ascended the magnificent, sweeping stairs into a long hall with high ceilings. Pillars adorned with a multitude of banners and tapestries separated the floor length windows. Deep plush carpeting ran down the middle of the hall to another, more imposing double door. A pair of Unicorn guards flanked it in a state of unblinking attention.
At their approach, one of the guards spoke. "State your business."
"The Princess has requested our presence," Twilight stated confidently.
The guard nodded and he and his counterpart lit up the door with their combined telekinetic grip and it swung inward. The throne room was much the same as any of the other halls in the palace. It had lavender walls with gold trim and floor length windows spaced by pillars and banners. Its ceiling was vaulted and a luxurious carpet ran down the center of the room.
The thing that made it different from any other room was the radiant Alicorn sitting on the throne at the top of the dais across from the door. Even the light streaming in through the many windows that lined the hall seemed dull and dim in her presence. The purity of her white coat was at once strikingly intense, yet invitingly soft. Her mane flowed gently even though there was no wind in the hall. Its range of soft colors stood out sharply against her coat.
A golden crown rested behind her horn and a gold collar set with a single amethyst hung from her neck. Gold shoes were fitted to her hooves. Her expansive wings were tucked back gracefully. Her Cutie Mark was an intricate sun. Her pink eyes looked back at them warmly but the warriors could feel them probe and measure them.
Twilight ran in ahead of the others, who walked in leisurely. Jason, Cor, and Zacon followed their lead and stayed in the back of the group. Twilight closed the distance between herself and the Princess before speaking.
"Princess Celestia!" she said enthusiastically. "We came as quickly as we could."
"Twilight." The Princess gave her a genuine smile of amusement. A palpable ripple of energy crossed the room with the sound of her voice. Like a wave on the shore, it was gentle and soothing but held hidden power. "You treat every request of mine like an emergency of the highest urgency." She rose and strode down the steps to nuzzle Twilight affectionately. "That is why I know I can always count on you."
"So, this isn't an emergency?" Twilight asked.
"That is what I intend to find out." She turned to address them all. "Through the means at my disposal, I have become aware of the presence of outsiders in Equestria. Not just from another country but from another world. I wish to know who they are and what their intent is."
She paused for a moment and looked at them all expectantly. Jason, Cor, and Zacon stepped forward. Twilight's friends moved aside to let them approach the Princess. Twilight stood just to Celestia's side. Cor bowed low to Celestia as he spoke.
"I am Cor Hightalon, Prince of the Elven Alliance. This is Zacon Crimsontide, Prince of the Dragonite Pact. And this is Jason Faircastle, an officer under my command." Zacon and Jason bowed briefly in respect as they were introduced.
The ponies stared in surprise at hearing the titles. Celestia simply nodded to each them.
"And what is your reason for coming to a world other than your own?"
Cor took another step forward. "Actually, your Highness, our being sent here was unintentional. We do not know the exact cause but we have theorized that it resulted from a magically charged explosion. With the help of Twilight Sparkle here, we've begun searching for a way home. Twilight has been immeasurably gracious in helping us not just in research but in acclimating to our new forms."
Celestia raised an eyebrow at this.
Jason stepped forward. "Our forms were changed from what we are in our world to that of ponies. Twilight and her friends, the ones that know at least, have been accommodating beyond our greatest expectations." Jason smiled at Applejack, who returned it with a hint of embarrassment mixed with pride.
The others continued to look more and more surprised with each new piece of information. It was one thing to hear that the ponies they knew weren't at all who they had thought them to be. It was entirely another to hear it discussed and accepted so nonchalantly.
Celestia beamed. "I am glad to hear that my little ponies have made your time here agreeable. I would also like to offer you any assistance you may require in your journey home."
Cor looked back at Twilight. "Is there anything you might need to continue?"
"I don't know," she said. "A little help wouldn't be unwelcome. I just don't know what kind I need. You see, I don't have any experience with other worlds."
She looked at Celestia imploringly. The Princess seemed to lose focus, staring off into space as her mind worked through some unfathomable process. At last, Celestia closed her eyes and sighed.
"I cannot tell you any more than you already know. But I have every confidence that you will find what is needed, my faithful
student." She gave Twilight a bright smile.
Twilight nodded with determination.
"Now," Celestia went on. "Have you found accommodations for yourselves? I'm sure I can find a place in Canterlot for you to stay until it is time to send you home."
"We have accommodations in Ponyville, although we wouldn't want to intrude on their hospitality." Cor glanced at Applejack.
"Shucks, it ain't nothin'." Applejack shrugged. "And all the help ya'll have been 'round the farm is more than enough to compensate."
"I see. Do any of you have anything to add?" Celestia turned her gaze to the others.
They all remained silent as they attempted to get past their shock. Only Pinkie seemed to have resisted being overwhelmed completely and she was still scrunching up her muzzle as she worked through it all. Celesita smiled at them.
"It seems you wish to have some time to process what you have heard. Very well. My intentions in this meeting have been fulfilled. I will not keep you from your own undoubtedly full schedule." She turned to address the warriors. "Your being here is most unexpected and it was essential for me to determine the nature of the incursion. It is plain to me that you are not here on hostile business. While I hope for you to be returned to your home swiftly, I also hope that you find the time you spend here to be pleasant."
With that, she bowed to them all in dismissal and they filed out.
"That seemed a little brief for all the hurry we put into getting there," Cor observed as they made their way back through the castle. "I don't know of any court meetings that I've attended that were shorter than an hour."
"She likes to keep things concise," Twilight said.
"Ah, I see. She needs to keep to her busy agenda."
"Well, yes," Twilight nodded. "But that's not the whole reason. She doesn't want to waste our time. She doesn't care for formality when it distracts from helping the ponies she is taking the time to help."
"Huh. What a concept." Cor muttered. "If only our courtiers could think that way."
Silence fell over them as they each mulled over what they had heard.
"Wait," Spike spoke up suddenly as they came into the train station. "I carried these notes and books all the way here for nothing?"
"No, not for nothing," Twilight explained patiently. "You carried them here in case we needed them."
"But we didn't," Spike replied, incredulously.
Twilight turned and strode onto the train imperiously. "There's no harm in being prepared."
"Yeah, no harm except to my aching back," he muttered, but he kept his voice down so nopony would hear him. He dutifully loaded the books and papers before following them all aboard.
As they took their seats again, Cor noticed that Rainbow Dash was staring at him suspiciously. Cor glanced around uncomfortably. The train got under way and still she would not stop looking at him.
"Yes?" he asked slowly.
"You're a prince." She made it a statement rather than a question.
"So it would seem," he said ruefully. "What about it?"
"We've been hanging around royalty for a couple of days now without knowing it, that's what!" She threw her hooves in the air in exasperation. "You didn't think it might have been important information to mention a little earlier?"
"Why would it matter to you what our titles are?" Cor responded aloofly.
"How could it not? Two princes and a, um, whatever Jason said he was, just down the street isn't nothing."
Jason chuckled. Cor just frowned and looked out the window.
"And you!" Dash rounded on Twilight and pointed an accusing hoof. "You seem to have been in on this the whole time. Did you plan on telling us some time?"
"I didn't know about them being princes, honest," she said, backing up defensively. "We were just doing some experiments. And they told me they were from another world...and that they weren't actually ponies...Okay, so there was a bit that I didn't tell you, but I swear I didn't know about any titles until now." She smiled apologetically.
Rainbow groaned and slumped back in the seat. Rarity took the break in the conversation to pursue her own curiosity.
"Being Royals, it must be quite thrilling with the excitement of the court, and the attention of other nobles, and servants waiting on your every word, and the celebrations and the parties and..." She trailed off in a squeal, tugging on her mane with both hooves.
"Actually," Cor said. "I tend to spend as much time as I can out of the courts. They're all just looking for a nod from someone higher up so they can get some advantage or position. I can't stomach it."
He looked out over the edge of the mountains to the forest spread out below them and sighed. He didn't know which one it was but it didn't matter. It was as inviting to his eyes as a soft bed after a long day's work.
Rarity sat back in puzzlement. "How can you let such revelry pass you by?"
He looked at her in mild disgust before looking back out the window forlornly.
Jason leaned over. "Being a prince is somewhat of a sore point for him. He doesn't like to talk about it and I'm not inclined to explain it for him. It's best if you don't talk about it around him."
She tried to form a response several times but eventually gave up, unable to comprehend how Cor could feel that way.
"You know, Twilight," Jason said, changing the subject. "I actually noticed that you hold a position of your own. For instance, you seem to be quite familiar with the Princess. Care to explain?"
"Oh, that?" Twilight said, genuinely surprised. "I'm so used to it that I tend to forget sometimes." She sighed, reflecting on her memories. "I am the personal student of Princess Celestia. I have been since I was just a little filly. She said I was gifted beyond most Unicorns she had seen. She invited me to live in the Palace to learn under her and she's taught me so much. I've been allowed to pursue any area of study I wished. Recently, though, I was given a new assignment. She told me to make friends in Ponyville and report to her on the Magic of Friendship. She trusts me completely and..."
Zacon snorted loudly. "Wait, did you say the 'magic of friendship'?"
Twilight nodded slowly. "Yes. Why?"
Zacon's face worked itself into an expression of skepticism moving toward resentment. "You're not joking are you?"
"No. And to be completely honest, I didn't always believe in it myself. Before I met my friends in Ponyville, I didn't appreciate how important friends were." She looked at each of the others and smiled affectionately. "Now that we're linked by the Elements of Harmony, it couldn't be more obvious that, for all of those years, I was missing out on the best thing in the world ."
Cor looked over, beginning to regain interest. "The Elements of Harmony?"
"That's the six of us!" Pinkie piped up, pulling the mares into a tight embrace.
Applejack disengaged with a grin. "It's not really us. The Elements are actually in those necklaces."
"We just embody their traits," Rarity said, also slipping free of Pinkie's grasp.
"Yeah," Rainbow said as she popped into the air and dove across the car to land with a flourish. She indicated the others in turn. "Rarity is Generosity, Pinkie's Laughter, Applejack is Honesty, Fluttershy is Kindness, I'm Loyalty,..."
"And I," Twilight interjected. "Represent the result of these fundamental traits of friendship in union: Magic."
"We fit them so perfectly," Pinkie squealed. "It's like we were born for them."
Twilight nuzzled Pinkie companionably and stepped away. Fluttershy stayed in the hug a moment more before realizing the others had moved off. She backed away bashfully. Pinkie just bounced into a seat with a giggle.
"Their power is one of the most potent in all of Equestria," Twilight went on. "Even Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, whom Celestia couldn't defeat alone, was no match for them."
Zacon raised an eyebrow. "You six fought and beat a powerful spirit that your leader failed to defeat?"
"Yep!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It was easy-peasy. Right after we undid his grey-shaded opposite-of-how-you-normally-act touch-you-on-the-head-and-make-you-mean trick, it was sunny skies the whole way." She paused thoughtfully. "Except for that chocolate milk rain from those cotton candy clouds. That was good stuff too and all, but I don't think I'd call it sunny skies." As she continued to ponder it, she started to drool. "Sweet, cottony goodness filled with rich chocolaty bliss." She trailed off licking her lips.
Cor and Zacon exchanged an uneasy glance at this off-the-wall train of thought. The others watched her to see if she would go on. When she did not, Twilight took over again.
"Well, that's mostly right. He was able to turn us on each other with his corrupting influence, but with a simple memory spell and the power of our friendship, we were able to pull together and turn the Elements on him."
"And you six were just given this amazing power?" Cor asked skeptically.
"No," Twilight shook her head. "We sort of found it." She sighed. "This might be a long explanation."
She looked between her audience members to assess their enthusiasm. Cor glanced out the window.
"It looks like we have some time. I'll hear it."
Twilight beamed. The other ponies sat back with amused expressions.
"Here she goes," Applejack muttered.
Twilight began with a deep breath. "I was looking into a legend that foretold of the return of Nightmare Moon, the banished Princess of the Night. In Ponyville, where the Summer Sun Celebration was to be held on the night of her return, I met the ponies who would become my best friends. When Nightmare Moon appeared, we came together to try to stop her from bringing eternal night to all of Equestria. We traveled into the Everfree Forest to search for the Elements because my research said they were the only thing that could stop her."
"We weren't exactly friends going in, but as we faced the obstacles in our path, we grew closer. We found the ancient Palace of the Pony Sisters and where the Elements' were held but we didn't know how to activate them. I tried to do it on my own but Nightmare Moon came and attacked. When they came back to try to help me, I realized how glad I was to hear them, and that they had been displaying the Elements' traits the whole time. When I realized this, I was able to activate the magic of the Elements and together, we used them to turn Nightmare Moon back into Princess Luna. We've been linked by them ever since."
Cor blinked several times as the narrative came to an end. Zacon had lost interest half-way and was picking bits of grit out of his hooves. Jason had been held spellbound by the whole thing and had to shake himself back to the present when it ended.
"So you're attuned to the Elements and are the only ones who can use them? And they're the last line of defense for your country? I guess that makes you six some kind of special defense group."
"I don't know if I'd go that far," Twilight shrugged. "We're just doing what we can to protect Equestria."
"At least that explains why they were all called in," Cor whispered to Jason. "The Princess didn't know if she'd need them to handle us."
Jason considered the concept of having a weapon called "Harmony" turned on him and found it laughable. The sound of the whistle signaled their arrival. The train pulled into the station and the doors swung open, allowing the group to file out and onto the platform. As Spike passed her carrying the stack of notes, Twilight took one and looked through it critically. Fluttershy tapped Cor on the shoulder so lightly that he wasn't sure at first that he'd felt anything. Once she had his attention, she spoke just above a whisper.
"I would love to continue our discussion but I really must get back to my animals. I need to get them all ready for the rain later tonight. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," he said, shrugging. "If you find the time, I'd be glad to tell you more."
Fluttershy took to the air and waved to them all as she headed home. Rainbow stared after her for a few seconds before making her own departure.
"That reminds me, I've got to get the weather team ready to get the rain together. See ya, and try to stay dry!" She zipped off without another word.
Applejack watched her go wistfully. "I suppose I ought ta get on down ta the farm an' close up the shutters 'fore the rain hits. I'll see ya'll later."
"I too must part company," Rarity said. "Your outfits are barely begun and won't finish themselves. I was wondering though, if I might be able to take a few liberties with the overall esthetics of the designs. You did give very little detail on it."
"Sure. We really don't have much of a preference beyond what we've said." Cor looked at Jason, who nodded his agreement.
"Wonderful. I'll see you both when I've finished."
As the three watched their pony friends head off across town, they noticed not all of their companions had departed. Twilight was still standing in the middle of the platform, scanning the pages of a journal, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
Spike set down the notes and tugged at her. "Uh, Twilight?"
"Yes Spike?" she said, looking up at last.
"Maybe you should get out of the way before reading."
Spike pointed at the ponies stepping around her to board the train. Twilight smiled in apology and moved.
"What's so interesting that you have to read it right now?" Spike stood on his toes to read the journal.
"I was just looking at the last set of statistics I gathered from the experiments. I think I might have just noticed something in them that will help us. I believe that, with a few adjustments and another simple test, we might just be ready to try this."
"Try what?" Cor asked.
"To send you three home. That's the whole reason we're doing all of this, right?" She gestured at the pile of notes Spike was preparing to haul back to the library.
"Oh, yeah. Of course," Cor said sheepishly.
"So should we get going?" Jason asked.
"It will take a little while to get it all set up." Twilight thought for a moment. "Let's say, an hour from now? Be at the library then and we'll give it a shot."
"Sounds good," Jason smiled. He waved as she trotted off. "Well, we seem to have an hour on our..." He paused to chuckle. "Hooves. What'll it be?"
"Food," Zacon said simply.
Cor nodded grudgingly. "We haven't had anything decent to eat all day. I'm with the big guy."
"We're about to be sent home and you're only thinking about the last time you ate?" Jason gave them both a reproving look. "We might never have another chance to see this place. I think we should make the most of it."
Pinkie Pie, who had remained under their radar until that moment, threw a hoof around his shoulder.
"I agree! There's so much to see and so little stopping you from seeing it!" She made a wide gesture with her other hoof that encompassed the entire town. "I mean, the lake, the streets, the woods, the flowers, the houses, those blades of grass; it's all just waiting for you to get right up close and stare at it!"
Jason took her enthusiasm in stride. "Exactly! Come on Cor, you know this place is a welcome break from our troubles back home. Don't you think we can spare a moment to soak it in?"
"I've seen enough of this candy-colored world already," Zacon growled. "It's beginning to hurt my eyes. I'm used to hard light and sharp color. This place makes me feel like I'll go soft if I stare at it too long."
"There are lots of colors of candy so I suppose the world has some of them in it, but I don't see how that's a problem." Pinkie tilted her head to one side. "It actually makes me want something sweet to eat more than anything. And how can it hurt? Hard and sharp are good but soft and light hurt? What kind of logic is that?" Pinkie shook her head at him in disappointment. "Anyway, I have some serious business to attend to."
"What would that be?" Jason asked.
"This is going to be one fantasti-super-pendous rainstorm and I can't afford to miss it! I need to map out all of the likely spots in town so that I can tell where the best puddles are going to form. After that, I'll have some serious splashing on my hooves and I have to be ready. Bye!"
She bounced off the platform and into town, leaving Jason and Cor behind in a state of bemusement.
"Well," Zacon said, as the muscles in his jaw unclenched themselves. "At least she'll be busy. There'll be less chance of running into her."
Turning back to Jason, Cor tried to reestablish their conversation.
"I understand what you're saying, and I admit I've enjoyed their company." Cor put a hoof to his chin in consideration. "But this isn't a vacation. This is their world and they've been more than hospitable toward our little intrusion. We need to go home. It's been days after all. The others must be worried about us by now."
"We're not going to be any slower getting back just because we spend our remaining time enjoying this place. Besides, there's food at home."
Jason gave Zacon a meaningful look. Zacon stepped up and put his face right up against Jason's.
"No. Food now, home later."
"Okay," Jason sighed. "You two can just go off and spend your time eating. I'm going to have one last look around the town."
Cor and Zacon left the platform and headed toward an eatery they'd seen earlier that day. Jason picked a random direction and started walking. |
Innocent | Act I: Chapter Eight: Under Moon and Star, Part 2 | Of all the days to ruin with a rainstorm, why did it have to be as perfect a day as this?
Jason watched the azure sky begin to fill with dark patches as the Pegasi brought in the clouds that would give the land around Ponyville its quota of rain. Most of the ponies on the ground were busy pulling in lawn ornaments or closing up windows. Umbrellas were closed and brought inside, tables and chairs were moved out of the wind, and fillies scrambled about frantically collecting toys from the yard under the stern direction of their parents. Jason watched them as he passed by.
But then, when one controls the weather to a T, he supposed they would have their pick of perfect days. The Pegasi flew in pairs as they dragged tufts of cloud into position. Jason watched in fascination as each one was plucked from its place in the sky and pushed to another. They obeyed without resistance and stuck where they were placed. Otherwise, they were completely inert.
He walked down one street and turned a corner to keep a particular group of Pegasi in view while they worked. Without the Pegasi to control it, he supposed weather, and thus all of nature, would cease to function. Unlike his own people, who were protectors of nature's balance, nature in Equestria depended completely on the ponies that cared for it. It took a dedication of a different kind. While they might have accepted it as the way of life just as his people had, it required them to maintain every aspect of their world without fail.
He wondered suddenly if his people were as essential to their world. Would it fall into chaos without them? Could it survive without its wardens to protect it? It was a troubling thought. If the answer was no, would that mean that their service to nature was unnecessary? He shuddered to think of all that had been sacrificed to the Oath when it might be a trivial thing.
He took a deep breath and pushed such thoughts from his mind roughly. Now was not the time to dwell on his world; he needed to take in every bit of beauty this world had and hold it close for the return to his world. He didn't want to forget even one detail. It was at that moment that he detected an odd sound. His ears perked up automatically as he tried to pinpoint the source. He found it a moment too late.
"Oh, no! Look out!"
The sound of wings trying and failing to regain control of their flight was cut off as their owner braced for impact. Hit from the left by a soft body that carried an unusual amount of weight, he was thrown off his hooves and slammed into the side of the nearest building. With a grunt, he slumped to the ground, stunned. Dimly, he was aware of hooves rushing over to him and voices from nearby.
"Oh gosh! Oh dear! I'm so sorry. Are you alright? Can you hear me? Please say something!"
Another voice joined the first and Jason caught hostility in the words that surprised him even through the ringing in his ears.
"What have you done now? You've gone too far this time Derpy. You're a danger to society."
"I'm so sorry. Please, it was an accident! Oh no, oh no, oh no. Please be okay," the other pleaded desperately.
"You are a disaster on wings. It would be better if you just stayed on the ground forever. Although you'd probably still find a way to mess things up, wouldn't you?" The venom in the second voice drew a sob from the first.
"Don't blame her. I wasn't paying enough attention," Jason said as he struggled to make his head stop spinning.
"Oh, thank Celestia!" the first voice gasped with relief at his response. "I tried to level out but there's this odd package and it threw me off. It was an accident, I swear."
He managed to raise his head and looked at the two ponies that stood over him. The first mare had a blue mane and yellow coat. Her heavily styled mane curled around her horn in a manner that could only be called pretentious. Her stance over the Pegasus mirrored that impression.
The mare speaking to him had a blonde mane and a gray coat with wings that were tucked tightly against her body. Her mouth remained open, trying to form the words she meant to say but only managing to stare at him in a mixture of worry and apology. A tan satchel hung from her side, stuffed with envelopes and parcels. A blue cap rested on the ground just behind her, obviously dropped during their collision. Her eyes were yellow...and pointed in nearly opposite directions.
"It's always an accident with you," the other pony said harshly. "In fact, you're an accident all together."
The Pegasus stopped pleading for Jason to say he was uninjured and blinked at her accuser. Her eyes shifted independently as they attempted to focus on her. Tears welled up and her jaw snapped shut in mortification. Her lip trembled and she looked down at the ground to avoid seeing the anger on the other's face.
"Ease up," Jason said. "It wasn't her fault."
"Not her fault?" the other snorted. "This kind of thing is all too common. She needs to just stop failing at everything she does!"
At that point, Jason had had it. He sprang into a standing position despite nearly blacking out. He fixed the Unicorn with a withering gaze and advanced on her.
"I said stop talking!"
The Unicorn's eyes widened in surprise and she took a step back. Then she took another because Jason didn't stop moving toward her.
"If you say one more word to her, I will show you how much damage intentional harm can do! I don't see you trying to help the situation. All you've been doing is condemning her. At least she's worried about the one who's hurt!"
The Unicorn opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. Jason came within a foot of her and stopped. He scowled deeply. "Why should anyone care what you think of anything if you are so hostile and apathetic?"
The Unicorn scurried backward away from him before turning and running away at a gallop. Jason snorted at her retreating form once before turning back to the Pegasus. She flinched and cowered under the hard glint in his eyes. He realized that she probably thought he was angry at her too. With a guilty glance at the few nearby ponies that had stopped to look, he leaned down to the Pegasus.
"Are you alright?" he spoke softly.
"Huh?" She looked up at him with what might have been confusion, but with her eyes so lopsided, it just ended up being cute.
"I know I'm not hurt that bad." He shrugged at his injuries despite the fact that his head was still throbbing. "But what about you?"
"I...I wasn't hurt really," she muttered, refusing to completely meet his gaze. "I've kind of gotten used to it." She rubbed her shoulder with a slight grimace.
Jason was reluctant to mention her eyes, figuring she'd heard it all before. He chose to ignore it because he knew enough on the subject already.
"Your name is Derpy?" he asked, recalling the name the Unicorn had used.
The Pegasus winced. "Yes and no." She looked away.
"I'm sorry? How so?"
"Well, they call me Derpy Hooves. But my name is Ditzy Doo." She looked at him bitterly. "Do you know what 'derpy' is supposed to mean?"
Jason thought for a moment. "I know of several implications. I assume you've been subjected to the more negative of them?"
Ditzy nodded.
"Well don't listen to any of that." Jason glanced at where the Unicorn had run off. "What they have to say doesn't matter. If it did, they wouldn't be saying such harsh things."
"Thanks, that's kind of you." She tilted her head to one side. "You aren't angry with me for running into you? Not even a little?"
"Are you kidding? Of course not," Jason said, batting the air lightly with a hoof. "This is how I've met half of my friends here in town. It almost seems like a customary greeting."
Ditzy giggled. "I almost wish it was. That way I wouldn't have to worry about it."
Jason rubbed the side of his head. "Maybe, but only after we make helmets the standard headwear."
They both laughed again. Jason picked up Ditzy's hat with telekinesis and set it on her head again. She tossed her head to adjust it to a preferred position.
"I should finish delivering these packages before the storm." She glanced at the sky, which was now completely grey and turning darker.
"You don't mind if I tag along do you? I was just walking around aimlessly."
"No, I suppose not." She turned down the street. "I think I'll stay on the ground now anyway. Wouldn't want to get mixed up in a thundercloud, you know?"
"You aren't part of the weather team?" Jason asked as they set off.
"No, I'm a mail courier. I was part of the weather team once and I still help with Winter Wrap-up, but I guess I put one too many lightning bolts in the wrong spot." She laughed nervously. "So now I deliver the mail. It's not a bad job and it keeps the mouths at home fed so I don't mind."
"How many mouths are there?" Jason asked.
"There are three of us. Me, of course, and my little muffin, Dinky. And then there's the Doctor."
"Doctor...who?" Jason pressed.
She laughed at him for reasons he couldn't fathom. "He's called Dr. Whooves."
"Ah. So he's your husband then?"
"Um, no." She looked away uncomfortably. "We're not married. Not yet at least." She brightened up again. "He helps me take care of Dinky. I honestly don't know how I'd manage without him. They get along so well that it just seems natural having him around the house. They call him Dr. Whooves because he's living with me, seeing as I'm called Derpy Hooves. The difference is because we aren't married. His real name is Time Turner."
They stopped at a house and Ditzy slipped a parcel into the mail slot.
Jason hesitated before speaking tentatively. "He's not the father is he?"
"No," she said, hanging her head. "But that foal will never be half the stallion the Doctor is. He's been so patient with me, so understanding and helpful. And Dinky just loves him. He might as well be her father."
Jason puzzled through this strange twist. It was one thing to have a pony ridicule another for making mistakes, but to hear of them abandoning a mare with foal? He'd never have thought it possible. Not from what he'd seen of this place.
They walked in silence for several minutes as Ditzy delivered packages to various houses. When ponies greeted her, they usually used "Derpy" and she would just smile back at them. Jason took the time to observe the ponies more closely. Their chatter was still cheerful and the smiles they offered were all sincere. He didn't see anything more sinister than mischievous laughter shared between friends. Yet it seemed that they were just as capable of malice as any of the races from his own world. The thought put a damper on his view of this world. This place was still a breath of fresh air after all of the hostility in his life, but it was less crisp now, so to speak.
After a long while, Ditzy glanced over at Jason.
"Um, I'm nearly done with my route." She let the statement hang there, waiting for him to catch its meaning.
"Yes, well," he cleared his throat. "It's been a pleasure. I may be leaving town soon, so I suppose I'll say goodbye. Take care of yourself Ditzy."
"Thank you. It was nice. And it's too bad you're leaving. I'm sure you and the Doctor would have gotten along wonderfully."
They arrived at her last destination and Jason blinked twice and then he laughed.
"What is it?"
"Oh," he said after his laughter died down. "This just happens to be where I needed to end up."
He walked up to the door and knocked. The stallion who answered it looked down at him with disdain.
"Do you have business here?" his voice rumbled.
"Yes, we are here to deliver an important parcel."
The stallion glanced at Ditzy and nodded. "Very well. Bring it in."
Jason looked at Ditzy expectantly. She pulled the package out and Jason took it with his telekinesis. He nodded to her in parting and she smiled and waved back. Jason walked inside and shut the door.
"Who was that," Zacon asked once they were back inside the library.
"The local mail courier."
Jason looked around for an open table to put the package but none were available. Every desk and table in the room was occupied by metal stands. More were anchored to the walls or hung from the ceiling. Magnifying glasses, reflective panels, and crystals were fitted into the stands at various angles. On the central table, several crystals had been placed tightly bunched together.
Twilight and Spike were making adjustments to one of the reflectors while Cor checked the positions of the others against a notepad he carried with him. Zacon took a seat where he had obviously been waiting the whole time. His armor and all of their weapons lay next to him, although the axe floated erect a few inches above the floor.
"Ah, Jason. You've arrived," Twilight greeted when she noticed him. "We're just finishing our second triple-check and if the third one doesn't turn anything up, we'll be ready to go."
Cor looked over in mild surprise. "A third? Really?"
"We don't want to miss something, do we?"
Cor sighed and began walking around the room again, rechecking everything.
"So how'd your meal go?" Jason asked Zacon.
"I found it edible at the very least. How was your walk around town? Anything worthy of a poem catch your attention?" Zacon rolled his eyes.
"No, nothing as sentimental as that." Jason paused to reflect. "But I was acquainted with some less than ideal aspects of this world."
"Something in this world isn't one hundred percent perfect all the time? You don't say?" Zacon snorted and sat down. "Well, what was it that didn't meet your standards?"
"It started when I ran into the mail courier, Ditzy. Or more accurately, when she ran into me."
Twilight looked over. "You're not hurt are you?" She walked over when he signaled that he was well and took the package to inspect it closely. She opened it to reveal an intricately shaped prism. "This doesn't look damaged either. That's lucky. Ditzy's track record isn't the best. And there just had to be an incident the time a key component is involved." She set the prism in a stand in the exact center of the arrangement.
"On the subject of her track record," Jason continued. "Our little mix up attracted the attention of a nearby pony that had some colorful opinions of Ditzy. I was shocked to say the least that ponies displayed such hostility."
"Some ponies are like that," Twilight shrugged. "You meet some good ones and some not so good ones."
"It just seemed strange to me after spending time with you and your friends."
Twilight smiled. "I guess you got lucky to have met kinder ponies. I know I was. My friends remind me of how wonderful ponies can be to each other every day."
Zacon made a gagging sound.
"She also mentioned..." Jason hesitated. "...some personal situations that seemed unfitting. Can your world really be as good and happy as it seems and still have examples of such infidelity?"
"Of course. Ponies I know tend to be happy but that doesn't mean we all have to be." Twilight smiled again. "Life happens, you know? What did you expect?"
"I guess this world is so much more peaceful than our own that I forgot that it wasn't perfect." Jason looked at his hooves and shuffled them despondently.
"Perfect? Not hardly." Twilight shook her head. "What's your world like that makes you say that?"
Cor and Jason looked at each other for a moment.
"I think we'd rather not go into it." Cor said.
Jason nodded grimly.
"Okay, if you say so," Twilight said and dismissed it. "Since that last piece is here and everything is in its proper place, I think I'll go through what I've planned."
They all gathered around as she flipped through a notebook.
"I was looking over a set of calculations I had done and found that I could increase the output of each crystal by almost two hundred and twelve percent. I had already planned on using mirrors to reflect the energies back through the crystals but saw that I could also use the crystals themselves to reflect into each other at close range for greater effect." She gestured at the formation on the center table.
"They will be the focal point of the whole thing. When they are charged, they will also begin charging each other. The power will build up faster and reduce the chances of overheating. I've set up chilling devices to further reduce that risk. I'll produce the beam from over here." She walked over to a stand that held the cushion that would hold her aim steady.
"You three will be in the middle since you will be the target of the reaction. I've prepared a few protective spells as well, so don't worry about anypony else getting caught up in this." She smiled reassuringly. "What do you think?"
"I think we've left some things unfinished." Jason looked out the window.
"Like what?"
"For one, Rarity was making us those outfits. I feel guilty leaving her hanging like this."
"Don't worry," Twilight said. "I'll explain it to her. She won't mind too much."
Cor looked at his hooves. "I told Fluttershy that I would continue our discussion if she had time."
"She'll understand that you had to go home. I'll take care of any business you leave here," Twilight said solemnly.
They all looked at Zacon.
"What? You think there's something here that I'm not glad we're leaving behind?" He walked over to his armor and tapped it with a hoof. It swung up and latched itself into place. "Let's just go."
"Alright. I hope you didn't suffer too horribly while you were here." Twilight bowed sarcastically to Zacon. Then she continued more seriously. "It's been an honor to meet you three. I'd like to think we might meet again someday. Here we go," She said as she took her position.
Jason stood perfectly still, watching her every move. Cor glanced more than once at the crystals next to him. He chewed his lip nervously. Zacon sat alert. His eyes were intense with expectation. Twilight took a deep breath and set her horn to the stand.
"Maybe this isn't the best idea," Cor said suddenly.
Twilight let her breath out and stepped away from the stand.
"What? Why?" She looked around, trying to detect the problem.
Jason looked at him curiously. "I was under the impression that this was the only idea. How could it not be the best?"
Cor shifted from hoof to hoof awkwardly.
"Well, I was thinking...What if we just got lucky last time? What if it was a fluke that we ended up here?"
"What are you saying?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"What I'm saying is," Cor stressed the words impatiently. "We don't really know how this works. For all we know, we could just be getting ready to blow ourselves up. And even if we're right and this will teleport us, how do we know we'll be sent home? If we're off by just a little bit on just one tiny detail, we could be sent somewhere completely different."
"Are you saying you don't want to do this?" Twilight asked incredulously.
"I'm saying that if something goes wrong, we might not get another shot."
Zacon walked over and shoved Cor back on his haunches.
"I've had enough waiting around. If this is the way home, I say we get a move on and find out. If not, then there's no use standing here getting our hopes up talking about it."
Twilight regarded Zacon intently before speaking.
"As odd as it may sound, I agree with Zacon. Nopony needs to tell me twice about how iffy this whole thing is. But we've prepared for everything we could think of. It's time to see if we were right."
Cor started to argue but realized it was pointless. There was nothing else to gain by waiting. He nodded to Twilight and she took her position once more. Her horn lit up as she took aim and a beam of purple energy shot forth. It struck the prism and split into multiple beams that danced between the reflectors around the room. The beams passed through the surrounding crystals and redirected back into the formation in the center.
The crystals began to pulse with energy and glow brightly. The center of the reaction was a brilliant ball of magenta light. Cor actually had to close his eyes against the brightness. Jason and Zacon squinted through it. Twilight gritted her teeth in the effort to press more power into the beam. The whole room began to pulse with the energy.
The walls of the library resonated with a deep humming sound that increased in pitch as energy poured into the crystals. Through it all, a dark spot appeared in the focal point. It grew until it enveloped the center table. Jason took a half step away as its event horizon reached out to him. He looked directly into it and thought he could see light different from the blazing purple around him.
All at once, the dark sphere collapsed back into its center and all sound stopped for the span of a second. Then the crystals cracked audibly and the whole reaction spiraled into chaos. Waves of energy pulsed outward and the beams twisted in their wake. Twilight gasped and tried to stabilize the energy's flow but the crystals burst into fragments, releasing their stored energy.
The reflectors shattered all around the room and the stands that held them flew apart. Bands of violet energy cascaded from the ruptured crystals. They scorched the walls and floor and burned furniture into matchsticks. Twilight abandoned her attempt to stop the reaction and dove for cover. Cor just stood in the middle of it all, staring in shock at the destruction until Jason tackled him out of the way and rolled them both behind a desk. Zacon stood facing the conflagration with his axe held before him like a shield.
One of the bands raked the place where Twilight had hidden. There was a sound like glass shattering and Twilight shrieked in fear. Zacon was pushed back against the wall by the waves of energy and the desk hiding Jason and Cor ignited, causing them to back away from it quickly. With a bang like a cannon, the crystals stopped spitting fiery energy and crumbled to dust.
With all of the light and sound suddenly gone, the room seemed to stand still. Bits of debris littered the room. Smoke rose from dark trails in the floor and small fires on pieces of furniture. Every window had been blown out and chunks of the ceiling had fallen in. Not one of the books was damaged, although a good many of them had fallen to the floor.
They slowly crept out of their concealment. Cor and Jason stood side by side as they stared at the shallow, black crater in the center of the room. Twilight peeked from behind an overturned desk timidly before walking out to inspect the damage as well. Her mane and tail had been scorched and a good deal of it was missing all together. Zacon's axe and armor sizzled with heat but otherwise he was untouched.
"I...I...," Twilight tried to speak but was interrupted by the back door opening sharply.
Spike stood framed in the doorway. His jaw dropped halfway to the floor at the sight before him. "What the...What happened?"
They all looked at each other and then at Twilight.
"I...," she tried again and cleared her throat. "I'm not sure. Remember that you said the crystals that sent you here exploded too. I'm just not sure how...." She looked disconsolately at the library and trailed off.
"I step out of the room for a few seconds and everything goes to pieces," Spike grumbled as he started sifting through the wreckage.
"So that's it? We failed?" Cor looked at his hooves dejectedly.
"No."
They all looked at Zacon.
"No, damn it! I will not spend the rest of my life in a world that looks like a rainbow cut itself open and bled out on everything. I'm going home!" He advanced on Twilight. "Send me back!"
"I'm sorry." Her ears flattened themselves against her neck as she backed away. "I don't know how. This was the surest bet we had. I simply don't know enough about the mechanics of inter-dimensional travel."
Zacon towered over her and glared silently. He glanced at his axe, and then back at her. His eyes had a fevered glint. He worked his mouth in an attempt to form words but couldn't manage it. Without warning, he turned, grabbed his axe in his mouth and kicked the door off its hinges. He trotted off without looking back.
Cor looked between Twilight and the departing Zacon several times. "I'm going with him, if only to keep track of him." He ran off in pursuit.
Twilight sank to the floor. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Jason was silent for a long time, just observing.
"It wasn't your fault," he said at last.
Twilight looked at him and nodded even though she looked like she might have been on the verge of tears. Jason looked around for something to say and found several books in a disorderly pile next to him.
"How did these survive?" He flipped one open to see the sharp writing on the crisp, clean pages.
"I put protection spells on them. There were a few incidents here before and fireproofing them was a logical precaution."
"How about yourself? Are you alright?" He gestured to her mane.
"It's just a little singeing. My shield spell blocked most of it." She looked back at the room, still unable to grasp it all. "It just wasn't quite enough to block it all."
Jason stared at the hole in the center of the room. "I thought I saw something right before it all collapsed. It was like I was looking through a keyhole."
"Really? Then maybe we didn't fail. Not completely anyway. We just didn't quite make it all the way."
He looked at her doubtfully. "Are you suggesting we try it again?"
"Unless you want to look for a different way back, and that would be going back even farther than the drawing boards."
"So, we just set it up again then?"
Twilight's ears fell. "Um, actually..." She looked at the wreckage again. "It's not going to be that easy. I had to have several components made specially and I'd have to replace them. On top of that, I'll need to get another set of crystals. That will take some time since these were all of them I could get my hooves on."
"Oh. But then we can try again?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, but...," She sighed. "I can't think of what we can do differently. I mean, what if the spell that set off the original reaction is important to how the transportation effect worked? I have no way to know. We might end up getting the exact same results if we don't know what we did wrong this time."
"You're making this sound impossible." Worry lined Jason's face.
"I'm not trying to say that, I'm just being honest about how hard this is." She stopped to breathe a moment and smiled. "I'll gather what data I can from this trial. And then I'll look over the information you gave me again and see if there's anything I missed." She put a hoof on his shoulder. "I'll do everything I can."
"Yeah," he said simply. His jaw tightened as the weight of their failure settled over him. Their only idea had literally blown up in their faces. The possibility of not going home was now more real than ever. "I...think I need to take a walk. Alone."
"I understand." Twilight nodded and watched him leave.
Then she turned to the rubble-strewn library behind her. Spike had already moved the broken desks and shelves into a pile and was sorting the books into stacks. She walked over and ruffled his spines affectionately.
"What would I do without you?" She smiled down at him. She joined him in cleaning up....or she would have if ponies hadn't rushed in through the ruined door and swarmed her with frantic questions.
~*~*~
Jason walked without looking where he was going. He didn't even glance at the ponies that crowded around him. Their words fell on deaf ears and he pushed past them without pausing. His head hung low and his mind was filled with the faces he might never see again. His family, his friends, the officers under his command; they all flashed before him, like a long line turning up to say goodbye.
He couldn't accept it but he couldn't find a reason to deny it either. He would likely spend the rest of his life here as a Unicorn. A sudden thought occurred to him. Was he still immortal? Elves were, but he wasn't exactly an Elf now. Would he age and die like any other moral race? The idea had never occurred to him before. Now, he wasn't sure if it scared him or comforted him.
To live forever removed the worry about not achieving all that you hoped to before the end. But all that he hoped to achieve was in another world. To come to the end of one's life was a bleak prospect because it means leaving behind your loved ones and all that you enjoyed in life. But it would mean rest at last; rest from his long and painful life.
But would he find rest? If he died in this world, would his soul find its way to Ilarinel? Could he enter the Kingdom of the Light if he was not an Elf? He shoved those thoughts away roughly. The Lord of Light would not forsake his faithful followers no matter how far they roamed.
He looked up at the sky. So why do I feel like we've been abandoned here?
As if in answer, a raindrop hit his face, causing him to flinch. The dark sky had been filled with its quota of clouds and they were fit to begin their work. Jason watched them for a moment as the drops fell faster and thicker around him. His mane was soon slicked back on his neck and he could hardly look up for the drops falling in his eyes.
He started walking again. All of the bright colors around him, which had so infatuated him when he'd first arrived, were dull and lifeless. The sound of the rain falling in the dirt around him was a rhythmic tapping at first, but as the ground became saturated, it turned to an unpleasant splattering. It seemed that the world was painting his mood and then rubbing his nose in the canvas.
A splash nearby broke his stupor for a moment. Pinkie was bounding down the street and jumping in any puddle that had formed in the short span of the downpour. Her mane was still inexplicably poofy but the rest of her was drenched and mud stained. Every time she scattered a puddle, she would giggle and snort at it and bounce on to the next one as carefree as could be. He almost smiled as he watched her. But he didn't. Even her unquenchable enthusiasm wasn't enough to lift his spirit.
He kept walking without a destination in mind. He didn't even look at his surroundings. He just put one hoof in front of the other because he couldn't stop. If he did, he might not ever find the will to start again. It seemed to him that no time had passed but when he finally took stock of his location, he found that he'd ended up at Sweet Apple Acres.
He walked to the house and lay down on the porch. He looked back into the curtain of rain and tried not to think. It proved to be impossible. Thoughts of home would not let him turn them away. He felt an aching in his chest at the thought of his mother, being told that he wasn't coming home. He missed his brother, Arlan, and that reassuring arm around his shoulders.
He closed his eyes and he was a child again. He was watching his brother leave for war. He was afraid of never seeing him again. But Arlan just smiled and promised to be back. That was all it took. Jason never doubted him. And he kept that promise too. No matter how uncertain or difficult things were, Jason could always count on Arlan to make it right. He wished he could be here now, to tell him it was alright, that it would be just fine in the end.
The sound of thunder rolled over him and he looked up to watch the clouds light up. It was just a gentle thunderstorm, only a necessity of nature. It had felt so oppressive when it began, but now it was soothing.
The patter of rain on the roof above him and the flicker of lightning in the distance relaxed him. He bowed his head and felt the rumble of the thunder pass through him. He felt the minute vibration in the boards beneath him and the change of light through his eyelids. The rain blended into a single sound, soft and cool. It drowned out the troubling thoughts and filled his head with its simplicity. He lost himself in it so completely that the voice behind him made him jump.
"What are ya'll doin' out here?" Applejack stepped through the door and stood beside him. "You're soaked. I'll get you a towel and you can come inside by the fire."
Jason settled back down. "No thanks, I'd rather stay out here."
She frowned at him in confusion for a moment before following his gaze out into the yard. "Is somethin' the matter?"
"No," he answered almost automatically. He'd just managed to stop thinking about it and he wasn't inclined to start again.
Applejack settled herself next to him. "I always liked to listen to the rain. It was such a steady sound that I'd just fall asleep to it."
"Hmhmm," Jason nodded and let his eyes close again.
Applejack looked over at him and studied him closely. His mane was smoothed down by the rain and his coat shimmered where the dim light caught it. His breathing was slow and even. As calm as he appeared, she couldn't help but notice a certain vulnerability. His posture was rigid as opposed to his usual relaxed stance. His brow was tense and sometimes clenched as if in thought. He was struggling with something. He'd seemed down when she'd first met him but she knew why now. Judging from his reactions, this was different, worse somehow. And he was hiding it.
She decided to try talking to draw him out. She wouldn't ask him to share his troubles directly but she felt like she should try something to reach him.
"This one time," she began. "There was a big storm. Not too long ago either. The weather teams were behind on the rains that week and they had to have a big ol' thunderstorm to make up for it. Rarity and I got caught in the middle of it."
Jason nodded almost imperceptibly.
"We had to take shelter at the library with Twilight. We'd had a bit of a disagreement so it made things interesting to be cooped up together. We were both a little at fault but we found a way to see eye to eye in the end. But it was such a bad storm that a tree was knocked over and half of it ended up comin' in the window. It was the most adventure I've had in a library, I'll tell you that."
She waited for Jason's reaction. His lip curled up slightly and she thought she heard him chuckle once. He made no other move and she was at a loss for what to try next. She figured she'd just talk and hope for the best.
"When I was just a filly, I was woken up by a storm. The thunder and lightnin' was so close ta the farmhouse, the windows were shakin'. I was scared senseless and started crying...this was back when I was really young, mind you...anyways, I could hardly hear myself over the storm, but somehow, they did."
"My Ma and Pa, they came in to my room to calm me down. They said it was just thunder and it was nothin' to be afraid of. But the glass kept rattlin' and I just couldn't believe them. So my Pa walked over to the window and told me to stand next to him. At first I wouldn't go, but he told me to trust him, so I did."
"We looked up into the sky and we saw the storm clouds above the farm. In the middle of it all, there was a group of Pegasi. The weather team was up there keepin' it under control the whole way. I saw them pushin' and buckin' them clouds into place and dodgin' in and outta the lightnin'. It was amazin'."
"My Pa said they were up there makin' sure it was all safe for us ponies on the ground. They were doin' their jobs so we didn't have to be scared. We watched them at it for hours. I wasn't afraid no more, and now, I'm hardly afraid of any stormy weather. It's even kind of fascinatin'. I'll always remember that night, though. My Pa was always teachin' me lessons about bein' strong and brave and he'd teach me by showin' too, not just tellin'."
"My Ma was the same way. She taught me to be gentle and to care for things that couldn't care for themselves and to treat other ponies kindly. They didn't keep my brother and me from getting' into trouble, and when we did, they always made sure we learned what we'd done wrong. They didn't fix it for us either. They told us the right way and made us stay at it 'til we did it right."
"I owe them almost everythin' I know; everythin' that makes me the most dependable pony in Ponyville. I miss them sometimes. I really miss them."
Applejack realized she'd started crying at some point and that Jason was now watching her intently. She sniffled and looked away.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get all gloomy like that. I guess I just opened my mouth and forgot to shut it."
She felt Jason's hoof on her shoulder and looked back at him. What she found was understanding clearly etched in his eyes.
"What you said; that you owe who you are to them? I know, for that reason, that they are proud of you."
He wiped her tears away with his hoof. She smiled at him and nodded.
"I know what it's like," he said. "My father was killed in a border skirmish with one of our enemies."
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Now it was Applejack's turn to offer a sympathetic hoof.
Jason looked out into the rain again. His voice was flat but still echoed with a shadow of pride. "Don't be. He died defending our people. He was a shining example of our people's devotion. He's the inspiration that prompted my brother to join the army, which in turn was mine. I was very young when my father died. It was my brother who taught me most of what I know."
"It looks like we have more in common than ya'd think, bein' from different worlds and all." Applejack had felt a connection to Jason from the start and now she could put a reason to it. "Why, I'd reckon there's more to make us similar than we'd find that's different."
"I don't know about that," Jason smiled. "But I'd bet it would be enough. You know, if you hadn't offered to let me stay here, I don't know if I'd have been able to handle this. I know I've been doing this constantly, but I need to thank you again."
"And I told you before; it's my pleasure to offer a helpin' hoof."
"But now I really mean it. This might be all I have."
She processed that for a long time. "You're feelin' stuck here aren't you? You want to go home."
"Yes."
"You're gonna get there soon. Ya'll are workin' with Twilight after all. She's got a knack for this sort of thing. She'll work it out, just wait and see."
"That's just it, Applejack. She thought we were ready today. We tried to go home and," he looked down at himself. "It didn't work."
"Oh." Applejack hadn't expected that. "But that was just one try, right?"
"It was the best we had. It was the only real idea we'd managed to come up with."
"Jason," she said, cutting through the dark path his words were starting to take. "There was a way that brought ya'll here. There'll be a way back. You just have to find it. It'll take some time, sure. But you can't give up just 'cause it's hard. I know Twilight; she ain't gonna give up easy. And if ya'll are willin' to stick to it too, I have faith that you're gonna find the way."
"You sound so sure. I just wish I could share that conviction." Jason sighed heavily. "I don't mean to be such a defeatist. I just keep thinking of what it would mean to never go back." He looked at her directly. "You really are the reason I can cope with it. I don't know what I'd have done if not for you. Thank you."
She could feel her cheeks turning red. The light was still dim and she didn't think he noticed. They lay beside each other for a long time and just watched the rain. Shallow pools of water had formed in the yard and a gutter sputtered somewhere out of sight. The lightning had let up and the storm had faded to a gentle shower.
The porch creaked comfortably as a slight wind brushed past the house. Jason caught a sprinkling of rain that swung in on the wind and Applejack's face was tickled by a few stray drops. Jason turned his face into the rain and smiled fully at last. Applejack found herself smiling too.
The grey curtain was beginning to thin out as the clouds released the last of their contents on the lands below. The sun found its way through just above the horizon. The rain drizzled to a stop and a flight of Pegasi began sweeping the sky clean. In the fading light, everything was glazed with crimson and gold. Long shadows stretched across the lawn, creating sharp contrasts of blazing orange and damp blue.
"It always seems so bright and beautiful after a rainstorm," Applejack observed. "All them colors comin' back sharper than before and all. Even though it was dark and grey just a short while ago, the whole world brightens up and shows you how rich it really is." She looked at him pointedly.
Jason got up and stepped off the porch.
"You're right. This storm is over and the world is brighter." He smiled at her. "I needed to hear that. I appreciate it. I'm going to stay out for a while still. I'll see you in the morning then?"
"Of course. 'Night, Jason."
She stood and trotted back inside but paused in the doorway to watch him leave. He glanced around a few times before picking a direction and walking off at a leisurely pace. His mane was nearly dry and had started to shift back into its usual state of disorder. It made him look almost fuzzy the way it stood halfway up. She giggled behind a hoof and closed the door.
~*~*~
When Jason finally picked a spot, it was fully dark. He came to the top of a hill looking down at the border of Whitetail Wood. A small pond at the forest's edge and a formation of stones near the crest of the hill were his only company.
He sat there, looking up into the depthless sky. The moon was almost full this night and the stars twinkled brightly. They were totally detached from the world and yet so much a part of it. His breathing had become as rhythmic as the soft sounds of the evening and was just as subtle. Jason let himself detach from his own troubles. The sense of solitude he felt was so complete that he almost believed he could stay in this feeling and leave his worries forever behind him.
If it weren't for his exceptional senses, he would have thought he really was alone. The rustle of wings, even as graceful as their bearer was, could not escape his detection. The voice, when she spoke, was what caught him off guard.
"What do you see?"
The sound of her voice rolled over him with the smooth ebb and flow of a tide and the soft caress of silk. There was a power hidden just beneath that was unmistakable but the gentle tone kept him at ease none-the-less. Without looking at the speaker, Jason responded.
"I see a vast, open canvas, its shades of darkness sprinkled with pinpricks of light. The emptiness and quiet encompass the whole world in a blanket of comfort and peace. The moon in particular radiates an exquisite beauty. Though it is the crown jewel of the sky, it does not intrude or impose. The soft light reflected off its face illuminates the world in such a way that it dulls all the sharp edges. It is a grand masterpiece the likes of which I cannot hope to do justice to with my words."
Silence followed. A soft breeze stirred Jason's mane. The crickets raised their chorus to the stars before dying back down to a vague hint of sound.
"Is that really what you see?" she spoke at last. She sounded doubtful. Or perhaps hopeful.
"Yes," he said, turning his head to respond. He had intended just to glance at her, but found that he was unable to look away. Standing just to his right was the night sky. At least that was his first impression. She had a coat of deep indigo and eyes of aquamarine. Her navy mane seemed insubstantial like thick mist and billowed gently but against the breeze. Contained within it were thousands of sparkling points of light like stars. A mantle depicting a crescent moon hung around her neck and a pitch black crown rested behind her horn. Her wings were folded against her sides.
An Alicorn, he thought. He squirmed awkwardly as he realized whom he was addressing. His previous words seemed imprudent somehow.
"There are not many who share that sentiment." Luna considered him curiously. "The night is often overlooked by ponies. They do not see its beauty. Just as they once did not see the beauty of winter..." She trailed off sadly.
After a moment, she shook her head slowly to dispel some troubling memory.
"I have seen you and your friends in the day, marveling at the beauty of this land by daylight. Yet you are the only one who partakes in the splendor of the night. Why is this?"
Jason looked at her but was unable to form the question adequately. She answered it unbidden.
"I know that you are not of this world. Your dreams are not that of a pony."
Jason remained confused, if not more so now than before. Mercifully, she elaborated.
"I can see into the dreams of those who sleep under my moon. Yours are not of the making of a pony mind. That, and my sister and I have spoken of your meeting."
"Oh," he said simply. "As for your question, I can't answer for my friends. What I can say is that I deeply appreciate the beauty of silence and the smaller sounds that are missed by those too busy to listen. I trained myself to feel and hear and see all that is around me. There are many simple joys in life that others overlook. I just take the time to pay them due attention where others do not."
The Princess of the Night was silent for a long time, considering what he had said.
"It would do everypony some good," she said at length. "To slow down enough to see what wonders they miss all around them."
"That's funny," Jason chuckled. "Everyone I know says I'm the fastest person they've ever seen. And yet I'm the one to appreciate slowing down the most. It was part of my mentor's teachings, actually. He said that in order to reach true speed, one must master true stillness. I haven't mastered anything yet, but he was right. The more I learn about the silent and the still, the more I understand movement and quickness."
"I wish I could teach such lessons to my subjects," Luna mused. "I often feel my night is overlooked when it should be enjoyed and valued for what it is: Peace and quiet and rest."
"If the night is for peace and rest," Jason looked at her inquiringly. "Isn't it right that ponies sleep soundly at night?"
"Yes," she conceded. "It is fulfilling its purpose in that respect, but not one of them seems to realize that it is so. Were it to vanish, they would plead to bring it back. But until then, they would go on as if it weren't there. There is simply no recognition for it."
"Not all things need to have high praises sung for it," Jason countered. "Some of the kindest deeds are never seen by those it helps. In some ways, that makes the deed all the better. If there is no reward expected, why should one do anything? Because it is for the good of others, that's why. I'll bet that, if asked, ponies would have many kind things to say about the night. If they think about it, they are sure to realize what a masterpiece it truly is."
Luna let her head droop slightly. "Still, it would be nice to hear it myself once in a while."
Jason thought for a moment before standing and facing her. "May it be noted that I truly appreciate all that the night stands for and that it is the model of subtle, graceful splendor."
Luna half-smiled. "Thank you. But now it is time for you to find the rest that the night has to offer. Let it wash over you and carry you to the brightness of tomorrow."
Her voice drifted away and Jason's entire body felt heavy. He blinked his eyes once and struggled to open them again. He tried to find Luna, but she had vanished. He was vaguely aware that he had settled back to the ground. His eyes blinked shut again and this time they did not open. |
Innocent | Act I: Chapter Nine: Settling In | A cool breeze carried sweet birdsong through the open window, and with it, the start of the day. Jason rolled over and tried to stop the dream from fading. But the harder he tried, the faster it slipped away, until it was finally lost. Even just waking up, he couldn't recall more than a vague impression of what it had been about, but he knew he hadn't wanted it to end. He savored the last of the feelings it had caused as his mind came fully awake.
He watched the shadows on the ceiling dance and play as a branch outside swayed to and fro. The wind played a simple melody as it passed by and the shadows kept time. He glanced outside and could see that the sun had just risen over the mountains. The walls were painted starkly by the beams that were cast across the room...
Room? Hadn't he fallen asleep outside?
He shrugged and figured Princess Luna wouldn't have left him out in the cold all night. He said a silent thanks to her for that. He swung himself out of bed and paused for a moment to look down at his hooves. It was still a bit of a strange sight but he was getting used to it. He heard the clatter of smaller hooves in the hall. They descended the stairs and Apple Bloom's exuberant voice carried back up to him.
"'Morning Applejack!"
The reply was indistinct but warm. Jason headed down to the main floor himself. Apple Bloom was seated at the table gulping down a hearty breakfast. Applejack and Granny Smith were bringing their own meals in from the kitchen.
"Hiya Jason. How you feelin'?" Applejack asked.
"Much better, Applejack. Very much better." They exchanged a smile. "Any chance I could get something to eat?"
"Sure thing. I left a few things in there. I'd planned on bringin' 'em up to you if you didn't join us, but since you're here, ya'll can go ahead and help yourself."
Jason nodded and entered the kitchen. A short stack of pancakes and a jar of syrup, a glass of apple juice, a big red apple, and a fresh muffin waited for Jason on the counter. It seemed that Applejack had been serious about preparing him a meal. He shook his head with a smile. At this rate, he was going to start being a nuisance with all of his thanking. As he carried the food back to the dining room, he caught sight of Apple Bloom's tail disappearing out the door.
"See ya after school!" she yelled as she raced out into the yard.
Applejack turned her attention to Jason again. "Well, what do ya reckon yer plan is today?"
"Hmmm. Well, I need to find Cor and Zacon. I didn't take yesterday very well, but Zacon was livid. I'd like to do something to help him deal with it." He chewed on his muffin thoughtfully.
Applejack nodded. "I think we can put somethin' together to make him feel more comfortable. Now, what can we do to show him Ponyville ain't half as bad as he says?"
"I was thinking that you and your friends might be able to come together with a few things that he'd appreciate. For example, you've served food that he had no complaints about. That's significant for sure. A lunch set up especially for him would take the edge off of things."
"You know, I think I can manage that."
They continued to talk through breakfast, exchanging ideas and making plans. Afterward they set about contacting their friends to bring it all together. The whole while, Granny Smith watched them and smiled at her granddaughter fondly.
~*~*~
Rainbow Dash hovered high in the air over Ponyville, scanning the roads for any sign of her quarry. She passed over Sugarcube Corner and shook her head at the ponies below.
Twilight sighed as Dash flew off again. It had been nearly a day since anypony had seen Cor or Zacon. Nopony knew where they had gone or even which direction to start searching in. They could only wait and hope they would be back.
Pinkie Pie was entertaining herself at the door by bouncing a balloon at Gummy the Alligator and watching him snap at it. Applejack was inside putting the finishing touches on the buffet table with the Cakes. Rarity was upstairs, presumably fretting over some minor detail or another. Jason was sitting in the middle of the road with his eyes closed.
When Twilight had tried to ask him why he'd chosen that spot, he'd just shrugged. He'd been very unresponsive about the whole plan. And while he had insisted that Rarity and Pinkie be involved, he'd made it equally clear that it would be best if Fluttershy were not present. She was certain that Jason had a reason behind it all, but Twilight was at a loss as to what it might be.
Rainbow Dash swooped in again and hovered just off the ground.
"I saw them on the road coming out of the Everfree Forest. They're on their way into town."
Jason nodded but didn't move otherwise.
"Well?" Dash waved her hooves in the direction she'd come. "Aren't you going to do something?"
Jason shook his head.
"Jason?" Twilight approached him. "What is the plan?"
"The plan," he said as he stood up at last. "Is for me to take Pinkie inside and start cooking." He smiled at their expressions and walked into the shop. Pinkie let Gummy have the balloon and followed Jason inside.
Twilight and Rainbow were left outside in confusion.
"Why are we even doing this?" Rainbow asked as she settled to the ground. "Does it have something to do with the library blowing up?"
"It has everything to do with that." She frowned. "And it didn't blow up. It was just scorched internally and shaken by the blast."
"Whatever. All I know is that in the middle of starting the rain, the whole place started going flash and bang and zap, and then the windows all blew out. I thought somepony had accidentally let loose a bunch of lightning bolts."
"We had been trying to send them home." She sighed. "Obviously, it didn't work, and Zacon was very upset. Applejack said this was all about making him feel better."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Make him feel better? Zacon?! You'd have better luck with a rock. He's always so cold toward us. I don't see why we'd even bother."
"Rainbow, this is one of Jason's friends. Zacon is not our friend, per se. But Jason is our friend, so we're helping him with this because he thinks it's important."
"Fine. I just don't see how us reminding him that he's still here is supposed to make him feel better about not going home when he never liked us to begin with."
Twilight couldn't come up with a response. She had to admit that she was of the same mind. But she was going to trust Jason's judgment on this. He did know Zacon after all. If he thought this would work, she'd defer to him.
"There they are," Dash said, pointing.
Cor and Zacon turned the corner a block away and spotted them. Cor made his way over with the reluctant Zacon following in his wake.
"Hey there Rainbow. Hi Twilight," Cor greeting. He glanced around. "Is something up or are we all just standing around?"
"No, we were just waiting for you two to turn up. We're here to invite you to a little gathering we put together." Twilight gestured toward Sugarcube Corner.
Zacon's frown deepened into a scowl.
Cor smiled placidly. "We'd be happy to join you." He nudged Zacon forward until he grumbled his own consent.
They walked together into the eatery. The main room was decorated in royal blue tablecloths and long, hanging banners. The lights were dimmed slightly and it gave the whole room a subdued feeling. Tables laden with food on silver platters were set up around the edges of the main floor space. Bright fruits and glazed treats glistened beside rich, ripe vegetables. Steaming pies and heaping salads towered over trays of crackers and sliced cheeses. The faint aroma of scalloped corn and baked potatoes wormed its way into the subconscious. Large mugs waited in orderly rows next to an array of punch bowls. Applejack and Mr. and Mrs. Cake stood on call beside the food.
"What is this?" Zacon asked slowly as he took it all in.
"It's not exactly a party, but...," Twilight said smiling.
"We heard how things went," Applejack finished. "Ya'll never seemed to be too pleased with things bein' the way they were and when you didn't get to go home yesterday like you planned, we figured it'd be right to try to make you feel more welcomed."
"I...suppose this is..." Zacon's eyes traveled around the room, still not sure what to make of it all. He settled for a nod of appreciation, deposited his axe by the door and started perusing the buffet.
Cor walked over to Applejack and took her aside.
"You did all of this for Zacon? Just to make him feel better about yesterday?" Cor sounded equally suspicious and impressed.
"It's for you too I suppose." Applejack grinned guiltily. "It's just, Jason was kind of aimin' to help his mood more since he would
probably need it."
"True enough. That's what I was doing myself while we were out there." Cor looked back at Zacon, who had loaded four plates with food and was busy on a fifth. "This might be a bit over the top, but as long as it works, then whatever it takes, I guess."
"By the way," Applejack asked. "What was it exactly that ya'll were doin' out in the Everfree Forest?"
"Do you remember how you told me that it was unnatural?" he began. He waited for her nod before continuing. "For us, there's nothing unnatural about it. Where we come from, all of nature works pretty much like it does in there."
Her eyes widened. "How do you manage to live with that kind of chaos all the time?"
"To tell you the truth, we don't see it as chaos. We see it as balance. It keeps itself in check for the most part. Even though it isn't under our thumbs the whole time, it has its own kind of order. We've learned how it works and how to live alongside it."
Applejack made a face and mouthed the word "thumbs", but seemed to get the idea and nodded anyway.
"Since the Everfree is so similar to forests in our world, we went out there for the sense of familiarity. He just needed to be somewhere he understood, you see?"
"Of course. Everypony needs to feel like they know what's goin' on. He must feel like a fish out of water around here. And how 'bout yourself?"
"Me? I can't say I'm happy with the way things have gone but I'm not too upset either. I suppose I need to be getting back home so that I can...well, I am the crown Prince after all." He laughed. "I'm sure they'd make a big deal about my absence, even though it's a superficial role until a succession is called for. And Elves are immortal, so..." He trailed off smiling.
Applejack laughed along with him even though she looked a little unsure of some of the things he'd said.
They rejoined the rest of the group as they helped themselves to lunch. Zacon had ferried his food to a table with some help from Mr. Cake and was laying into it with gusto. Rainbow had taken her food to a table on the other end of the room and was watching Zacon warily. Twilight was trying somewhat lamely to engage Zacon in conversation. After he stopped to glare at her with a mouthful of food, she gave it up. She took a plate of food and settled down next to Applejack and Cor.
"He seems...less angry?" Twilight raised an eyebrow uncertainly.
Cor shrugged. "For him, that's like dancing in the streets. I've been around him for a long time. Trust me; this is working." He nodded at Zacon.
The others glanced over at him too. He was pausing to decide which plate to devour next. As he picked the one with half of the scalloped corn on it, they heard him groan in anticipation.
"Where is Jason anyway?" Cor looked around for his friend.
"He and Pinkie Pie went into the kitchen a few minutes ago." Applejack said, gesturing toward the door in the back of the shop.
"He mentioned something about cooking," Twilight added.
"Jason? Cooking?" Cor considered it. At last, he heaved an expansive shrug of acceptance. "I've given up on being surprised anymore. But does he really think we'll need more food?"
"In fact, I do." Jason had snuck up behind them unnoticed.
Mr. and Mrs. Cake cleared away the dishes that Zacon had finished with and he slumped in his seat contentedly.
"And here it comes." Jason nodded to the kitchen door, which swung open at that moment.
Pinkie bounded into the room with a large serving dish balanced on her head. She came to a stop next to where Zacon waited and set the dish down in front of him.
Zacon looked at Pinkie suspiciously and then at the dish even more so. "What are you doing?"
"I'm serving you food, silly. Duh." She giggled at him behind a hoof.
"I know that," he said defensively. "What I want to know is why?"
"Why? Well, I started out thinking how I could get you to smile and then I decided the best way to get you to smile was to give you a friend to smile with. You have some friends already but you don't seem to smile around them, so I thought you needed a new friend. Since I can't make another pony be your friend, I figured I'd be the one to do it. I like making new friends anyway. Then I wondered how I could become your friend and that's when it hit me: You like food!"
Zacon shifted awkwardly and glanced around at the debris from his meal. Cor made an effort to muffle his laughter.
"Applejack was already making a bunch of yummy things so I started thinking about what else you'd like to eat and I thought of cookies and candies and cupcakes and caramels and coconuts and popsicles. But none of them seemed right and I really wanted to be your friend, so I asked your friend Jason what he thought was a good idea. And he said 'Well, I don't know' and I said 'Aww, please?' and he said 'Alright'."
Zacon was leaning back as far as he could without falling over backwards. Pinkie was bouncing up and down in excitement and had inched uncomfortably close as she spoke. Her words rushed on, heedless of any form of filter.
"So we went into the kitchen before you got here and we started making something. I don't know what it was. I don't think he said. But he magic'd something right out of the air. POOF! And then he told me how to prepare it. The meal that is, not the magic spell. And here it is!"
She pulled the lid off of the platter and a thick cloud of steam billowed out. Zacon's eyes went wide and his nostrils flared sharply. He looked at Pinkie and then at Jason and then back at the dish in front of him. It was a mostly shapeless mass of pasty material that was a vaguely charred pink color. Cor made a face and looked at Jason questioningly. Jason just smiled and nodded back at Zacon. Zacon sat there, transfixed and inhaling deeply. Twilight and Applejack watched curiously and even Rainbow was paying close attention. Pinkie waited on baited breath for his reaction. Slowly, Zacon's muzzle spread back into a wide, toothy smile and his eyes glittered with a feral hunger. Then he dove face first into the platter and gorged himself greedily. Pinkie stood beside him, smiling in the midst of the splattering goop.
"Okay, explain." Cor made it sound like an order as he turned back to Jason.
Jason laughed as he responded. "It's simple in the extreme and it's also the most convoluted thing we've ever done."
"Um, explain better." Cor shook his head in bewilderment.
Jason pulled himself together and cleared his throat. "He can't eat meat and it's the one surefire thing that would make him happy. So I did the only thing I could. I made an artificial meat. I constructed all of the taste and smell of meat while keeping it edible to a pony. It's even fully nutritious. It took some serious effort though. That kind of spell isn't my specialty." They hadn't noticed before, but he really did look tired.
"Meat?" Applejack looked a bit queasy watching Zacon.
"Zacon is a Dragonite," Jason nodded. "They eat meat almost exclusively. That's part of why he was having trouble being a pony. And why I made a big deal about using food to help him deal with being stuck here. I decided not to make it look like meat for obvious reasons."
Twilight and Applejack exchanged an uncertain glance as they watched the three visitors but made no comment. Despite the generous size of the dish, Zacon polished it clean with his tongue in a matter of minutes. He let his head rest on the table and sighed with satisfaction. The others spoke sparingly as they finished their lunch. Rainbow joined them after several minutes.
"Where's Rarity? What could be taking her so long?"
"Maybe one of us should go check on her," Twilight suggested.
"No need." Rarity walked down the stairs and over to their table. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting but I was worried I had used the wrong thread. It was only a trick of the light though."
"Is everything ready?' Jason asked.
"Yes, and I believe you will all be quite pleased with it. Shall I bring it down?"
Jason looked over at Zacon who was now lying under the table staring at what was left of the buffet with a wistful smile. He patted his visibly full stomach with one hoof and slowly twirled a plate around on the floor with another.
"Naw, let him sit for a while."
Pinkie watched Zacon for a moment before jumping behind the buffet and picking random foods. She held them up for Zacon to see, trying to guess which one he wanted next. He shook his head lazily at most of them, but nodded at the cinnamon buns and peaches. The others watched in amusement. Zacon lifted himself up to the table once more while Pinkie brought him his choices. The two of them then began reducing the contents of the platters to crumbs. It seemed that, despite the amount of food they had already consumed, they had no trouble continuing to eat the large helpings.
"Okay, I can only watch him eat for so long." Cor looked away from the display of gluttony. "What was it you were getting ready Rarity?"
"Oh, it's the outfits you ordered." Her horn lit up while she talked. "I was able to finish them during the evening yesterday, and since I had some extra time on my hooves, I decided to try a little something more. I think they turned out lovely."
A clothes rack hung with coats and gowns floated down the stairs and came to rest beside them. Rarity picked out a pair of vests and tunics and held them out for Jason and Cor to see.
The first vest was jet black on the outside and had a tan interior lining that looked like fine cotton. Jason pulled it on to see the full effect. It was a bit stiff from not being worn before but it had a freedom of movement that Jason immediately warmed to. The leather was segmented and layered to move as individual pieces but cover each part of the body in at least two layers at any given place. Its foreleg guards were strips of leather that hung loose down to his knees. The body of the vest extended back to the croup and hung past his flank.
The matching tunic was black with silver stitching near the hems that flowed and swirled like wisps of wind. It was shorter than the vest and let some of the back and leg guards show. The collar was loose and wide, letting the outfit breathe and preventing it from overheating. Jason adjusted it here and there while admiring it.
Cor took the second vest and tunic and tried it on. The tunic was a woody brown with stylized leaves stitched in a soft green across the flank and sleeves. The collar was tighter than Jason's and the sleeves were shorter. The color of the leather vest was unaltered and the style was nearly identical to Jason's. The only difference, besides the decorative touches, was the guards on the forelegs were banded layers instead of hanging strips. Jason's had abstract sweeping designs across his collar where Cor had a pair of lilies.
Both of them were more or less speechless and stumbled through their words of thanks awkwardly.
Rarity beamed. "It was my pleasure. And even though I don't know anything about making armor, I think it turned out well enough with some help from a selection on the subject that Twilight was kind enough to lend me."
Cor continued to gawk at himself. "That's an understatement. This is some of the best workmanship I've seen in a long time."
Jason nodded. "It's got a certain feel to it." He traced the stitching with a hoof. "You know, it's that han...err, hoofmade touch."
Cor got a grip of himself and bowed low to Rarity. "We are most grateful to you, Miss Rarity. Now, how much will these cost us?"
"You're too kind. I knew you'd love...Wait, cost? Oh, heavens no! I wouldn't charge you for these. They're a gift."
"You're sure? We're entirely willing to pay." Cor looked at Jason, who nodded confidently.
Rarity shook her head. "Fashion is not about making money. It is the creation of beauty and expression through the art. Besides, I make enough money through other orders that I can treat my friends every now and again."
Zacon made his way over from the remains of his table. Pinkie was draped over her chair with a dazed grin on her face and a glaze of sugar around her mouth. The table itself was empty except for the serving trays.
Zacon looked Cor up and down once. "It's bad enough that you have to talk about 'trees this' and 'forests that' all the time. Do you really have to try to look like them now too?"
Cor just frowned at him.
"And now for yours, Zacon." Rarity held up a third tunic.
"Wait, but I...I didn't order one." Zacon stammered in confusion.
"A fact that I couldn't help but notice. So I took it upon myself to rectify that discrepancy." She smiled.
Zacon just stared at her. Rarity waited a moment before holding it out to him.
"Are you going to try it on?"
"I'll stay in my armor, thanks," he said impassively.
"Oh, come on," Jason said in exasperation. "She went through the effort of making something for you. At least try it. Think of the
rest of this stuff. It was better than you thought, right?"
She offered the tunic to him again, her smile obviously begging for approval. Zacon just considered her with all of the emotional expression of a rotting log. As his unblinking gaze bored down at her, Rarity's smile became increasingly pleading.
"You're not going to give up on this are you?" he asked dully.
She responded by turning her smile upside down and letting her lower lip stick out an absurd distance. Her eyes shone with tears and her lip quivered slightly.
"Fine, I'll put it on once." He rolled his eyes and grumbled something incoherent but certainly not nice about Cor and Jason. He flexed his shoulders and the armor slid off of him with a rattle of buckles and plates. It hit the floor with a clatter and he stepped away from it.
Rarity let out a squeal of delight and slid the tunic over his head. It fit like a second skin: tight but not constricting; flexible and yet still firm. He looked down at it in surprise. It wasn't just comfortable; it was almost like having his scales back.
It was long, extending all the way to his hips and midway up his neck. The sleeves reached his elbows. The entire outfit stretched with his every movement and never felt strained. Even his muscular chest and shoulders were completely accommodated. He turned a full circle in an attempt to look at himself more closely.
The silver fabric rippled in the light and the faint gold stitching flashed. The design on the collar, chest, and shoulders resembled scales. Zacon was unable to speak through his amazement. He kept shifting his expression between gaping and smiling awkwardly. He realized how silly he was acting and forced a straight face.
"It's...nice." He tried to leave it at that but couldn't contain himself. "But, how did you know?" He gestured at the tunic broadly.
"It wasn't easy." Rarity smiled at how off guard she had caught him. "The fabric is something of my own design that I've been working on for a few weeks now. It seemed to fit your needs perfectly so I decided you would be its first trial run. I hope it will be adequate."
"It's more than just adequate. This is next to divine." Zacon was once more lost in wonder at the feel of the tunic. He flexed and stretched to his limits and the outfit matched his movements with ease.
"Oh, thank you. Now, the designs were tricky. I wanted it to be something more personal but you gave me very little to work with. Even so, I was able to pick up a few things from idle chatter that allowed me to create these images. And the size was a chore. You never let me take measurements after all. I had to use one of the largest templates I had and trust the fabric's traits to take care of the rest."
They were all silent for a moment as the warriors basked in the glow of their gifts. At long last, Cor cleared his throat.
"Thank you once more Rarity." He bowed to her and she curtsied briefly in return. "And Zacon? How are you feeling about all this? Looking better now, isn't it?" He nudged him teasingly.
Zacon groaned and rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure. It's not hell."
"YAY!" Pinkie burst into the air, raining confetti down on their heads. "That's the best thing he's said about us yet!" She hung in the air longer than was logically reasonable and put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully as she dropped back down. "At least I think it is. It's so hard to tell with him. Do you like us? Are we your friends now?"
"No," he said flatly. "But I will...tolerate you, I suppose." He looked at the others and then away again quickly. "You aren't as bad as I first thought," he mumbled.
"That's close enough for me!" Pinkie pulled everyone in the room together into one broad hug.
Zacon squirmed at first but resigned to his fate in the end. Twilight laughed at Pinkie's antics right along with Cor and Rarity. Rainbow grinned at her while shaking her head in amusement. The Cakes smiled in mild embarrassment amidst the happy group.
Applejack and Jason were pressed cheek to cheek by Pinkie's euphoric hooves. She could feel his smile as much as see it. Her rapid heartbeat echoed his as they kept time beside one another. When he tried to look around, their noses met and they both withdrew in surprise. She giggled and her cheeks turned bright red while he grinned like a madpony and laughed hesitantly.
When they all disengaged, they turned to the task of cleaning up. Zacon made himself scarce and took his armor, axe, and new tunic with him. Cor and Jason bused dishes into the kitchen and the Cakes and Applejack packed up the remaining food. Twilight and Rarity rearranged the furniture and cleaned up the floor while Rainbow took the decorations down. Pinkie seemed to help all of them at once, switching tasks faster than the eye could follow. Through it all, they couldn't stop smiling.
When all was said and done, Cor and Jason walked out of Sugarcube Corner in high spirits. Zacon's mood was improved enough that they weren't worried where he'd run off to. Twilight informed them as they left that their other weapons were still at the library and that they would need to pick them up tomorrow. They promised they would and waved goodbye to their friends before heading back toward Sweet Apple Acres to get a few hours' work in before nightfall.
Their plan was to lie low while Twilight put the materials they needed together. It would take a week or so, after which they could make another attempt at returning home. With the information gathered during the last trial, they could make whatever adjustments they found necessary. The intervening time was no problem for either Jason or Cor. With newfound optimism, they looked forward to spending time further exploring this world. And now that Zacon seemed to have found a way to cope with the fact that he was still in Equestria, they would be able to spend it in relative calm.
The mid afternoon sun smiled down at them and the friendly chatter of the ponies around them provided a relaxing backdrop as they walked. They had a clear road ahead, a light load to bear, and friends all around. What worries they had left behind and those they would likely return to were thoughts for another time. Now, it was time to enjoy a well-earned rest in the most peaceful place either of them had seen in decades.
~*~*~
The land of Equestria was spread out before him. Its rivers and lakes sparkled in the sunlight cast down from the azure sky. Wispy clouds drifted lazily over roads and fields, dragging their shadows with them. At this distance, miles away, the waving of the tree branches in the wind looked like the slow peaceful breathing of some huge sleeping creature.
In many ways, that is exactly what it was. The tiny villages and hamlets below were tucked away in the forests and hills at the base of the mountains like children at rest. Even the cloud city floating just above the distant horizon hardly hinted at commotion; tiny dots floated through the air, the Pegasi that lived there going about their day. Not one would be thinking of struggle or hardship. Few would even be able to truly conceive the concept.
To put it simply, the whole of the land was steeped in serenity and quiet.
Small, deep-set eyes, sitting high on the broad face, narrowed in disgust. He hated them all. He hated what they had. Most of all, he hated that it came to them so readily, so naturally, that to take their peace for granted was akin to breathing. It was something his people had never known.
They were survivors of a harsh and hostile land where strength meant life and even a hint of weakness meant certain, if not, instant death. Only those with immense fortitude and considerable courage could sustain themselves. And his people had endured for hundreds of years where countless others had not. There was no peace to be found there. To stop fighting, even for a few moments meant becoming prey to the watchful predators or succumb to the unforgiving elements.
Ironically, it was exactly this that put them in perfect position to take from Equestria what they had so long desired. At his signal, his troops descended from the heights and into the unsuspecting lands below. |
Innocent | Act II: In the Path of the Storm | Only a week has passed. To the warriors, it feels as if they've been gone from their homes for a lifetime. Though they long to return home, they find an affinity to these Equestrians who have welcomed them so graciously. But like gathering clouds in the distance, a great danger is drawing nearer. The ponies of Equestria will need to meet this threat if they hope to preserve their homes and families. By their sides, these warriors will stand to protect a land they too have come to love. But what price will war demand? |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Ten: A Foul Scent on the Winds | The early morning light that filtered into the throne room through the stained glass cast a dazzling array of colors across the floor and the ponies that occupied it. A meeting was in progress and the delegates of the visiting party presented their information and received a response in turn.
The former Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor, stood at attention beside the throne itself. The light reflecting off of his white coat gleamed almost as brightly as on the gold edges of his purple-plated Captain's uniform. The multi-shaded bands of his blue mane swept back from the crest of his helmet. He may be a Prince now through his marriage to Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire, but he was an officer at heart. While visiting Canterlot to see his parents, he'd dropped by the palace to look in on his old command.
After some jokes and good natured prodding from a few friends in the ranks, he'd asked Celestia if he could stand in as Captain for old time's sake. Of course, she graciously agreed. Now, his eyes studied every movement of every pony present as his training insisted, but he didn't really expect to see anything. It was only the representatives of the towns in eastern Equestria meeting with the Princess to report the regions' latest news.
It was a monthly event and hardly high profile; one of the reasons he'd even considered requesting to stand in. He didn't neglect his duties just because an incident was unlikely, but he didn't stand rigid the entire time either. Besides himself, there were ten other Guards on call. Two outside the great-doors and two inside, two flanking the dais the thrones of the Princesses rested on, and four at intervals along the walls. It was a fairly standard roster for a scheduled meeting such as this and was almost entirely for show.
The concerns raised in these reports were hardly ever more than mundane inconveniences. Shining Armor had heard some of the Guards, mostly the ones who hadn't been around the Royal Sisters very long, question why they even bothered with such things. Minor concerns could be dealt with just as well by a lower ranking official, they argued. He disliked this kind of talk and put a stop to it whenever he overheard it.
Celestia was aware of these opinions as well. The one time Shining Armor had mentioned it, she had told him that there was no need to discuss it. She had reassured him that it was harmless talk and that she would not wish to discourage openness of opinions among her subjects. She did, however, make her reasons clear to all very shortly afterward. Calling the entire active Guard together, she made a formal announcement.
She held personal audience with her subjects because she wished to show how much she cared for each and every one of them. No matter how small the issue or simple the question, she wanted to be there for her little ponies. It was not only her duty but her joy to help them in any way she could. When she let them speak to her in person, it helped remove a barrier between Royal and subject that she had never been fond of.
Shining Armor took no small amount of pride in his Princess and had been almost overwhelmed when he'd learned that he'd been chosen as the Captain of the Guard. He had been one of fifteen candidates. When the decision was made, Celestia called him to her and told him the news herself. He was so overjoyed that he could hardly contain himself. For the rest of the day, the rest of the week in fact, he'd felt in danger of crying out his happiness and dancing for joy. He smiled even now thinking back on it all.
The reports were just concluding and the representatives were preparing to leave when the doors burst open from the outside. Two Pegasus Guards landed and bowed before the Princess. Once she had acknowledged them, the leader stepped forward and hoofed her a scroll.
"This was given to me by a scout who says he was on patrol near the western mountains. He's being treated for his injuries now and is unable to deliver it himself." The Guard bowed and backed away from the throne. "His comrade escorted him to the infirmary but will report here after his companion has been seen to."
Celestia nodded gravely and unfurled the parchment. Her eyes widened with every line they passed over.
"What is it, your Highness?" Shining Armor asked, stepping closer.
She put the scroll aside and took a steadying breath. "It appears there are hostile creatures in the northwest. They have crossed the Equestrian border in force." She looked around at her Guards. Her face tightened with sadness. "The patrol was attacked on sight. Of the five ponies, only two made it back."
The other Guards began muttering amongst themselves. Shining Armor was shocked. He hadn't quite pulled himself back together before another pair of Guards entered. The first was helping the second limp in. The other was bloodied and partially bandaged. Before they reached the throne, Celestia left it to meet them halfway. Her eyes softened at the sight of his injuries and she frowned in concern. He attempted to bow but she interrupted to spare him the strain.
"Your Highness, I apologize for the delay. My commanding officer was in need of medical attention," the wounded Pegasus said.
"Your apology is unnecessary. I am glad he is being tended to," she replied, nodding her approval. "Do you have anything to add to the report?"
"Yes. The report does not include numbers or what they are. I've been on the high mountain station for several years now and I know that they are a species of troll. Their fur patterns point to a cold but dry climate and the build of the upper body suggests a hardier breed. My guess would be the Deep Troll from the caves in the northern peaks."
"Trolls? What could they be doing here?" Shining Armor asked, crossing the room to stand beside the Princess once more.
"I can't be sure," the guard shook his head. "But it could be that they are looking for new resources. The north is relatively barren, especially the mountainous regions."
Celestia nodded. "Your knowledge of their traits and territory will be invaluable in the coming days. I would request that you remain to give counsel on our course of action."
The Guard bowed as low as he could manage. "I would be honored, Princess."
"Also, I believe you mentioned numbers?"
"Yes," he said, straightening once more. "We saw their camp from a distance and were ambushed by their sentries. We estimate that there are more than three thousand of them."
If Celestia's coat wasn't already pure white, Shining Armor was sure he would have seen it pale. Her eyes went wide and lost focus. She took a few steps away and stopped. Hanging her head slightly, she asked, "Shining Armor? Even removed from your position as you are, I would ask for your experience in this. What do you think our chances are?"
Surprised by the negative tone of the question, all eyes turned to him expectantly. He met their gazes while he did some mental calculations. He saw fear and conviction in almost equal parts. They were loyal, there was no questioning that. But even so, they could still be afraid. He took a breath to steady himself before speaking.
"Our forces include four hundred Royal Guard and, if pressed, the Wonderbolts, who number about fifty." He winced at the next words he spoke. "We cannot stand against such numbers. There simply aren't enough of us to stop them all."
Celestia nodded as her fears were confirmed. "What do you recommend?"
Shining Armor hesitated again. "Your Highness, I wish I could think of another way. But the only solution I see is to increase the number of troops available to us. We need to draft an army."
Mutters filled the hall. A draft? There had never been a draft.
Celestia was silent for a long time. The room grew tense as they waited for her answer.
"I will not force any pony to go to war against their will. We will ask for emergency volunteers. I consider a draft our last option." She turned back to the scout. "Do you think it is possible to negotiate peace?"
"No," he answered immediately. "They attacked us without provocation and were savage fighters. They obviously had no interest in peace."
"I hadn't thought so. But I must still try. I won't give up any chance to keep my subjects from harm. I will do everything in my power to protect my little ponies." She met the eyes of all of her Guards. "All I ask is that you will do the same."
Shining Armor stepped forward. "You don't have to ask us that. We would never do anything less!"
Cries of agreement and approval rang from the others.
Celestia smiled even as tears filled her eyes. "Thank you. Your devotion will give me the strength to see these dark days behind us." Straightening to her full height, Celestia suddenly radiated a commanding energy. "Sergeant White Hail! Assemble a group of your swiftest fliers. Warn the cities and towns on the border of the danger and tell them to evacuate. I want you to send them before the hour is out."
The officer at the door saluted and left in a flurry of wing-beats.
"Lieutenant Flourishing Banner! Muster the entire Guard. I want them equipped and ready for action by tomorrow morning. We will not let them simply march into our lands unopposed." She turned to the nearest guard. "See that Corporal Heralding Winds is treated for his injuries."
The startled scout was led away by the guard, boggling at her as he tried to recall if he'd ever mentioned his name to her.
She swept the throne room with a hard gaze. "Everypony else, make preparations for war." As the others scattered, she took Shining Armor aside. "I hesitate to ask this of you, but I wish you to lead the Guard at my side. Captain Gallant Lance will have the new army to train and I need your experience in the field."
Shining Armor nodded. "Of course, your Highness."
"Good," she smiled briefly. Turning to a stunned scribe who still lingered after the original court session, she spoke crisply. "Take note. This is to be the announcement sent to the citizens of Equestria to ask for their service in the army."
The startled scribe whipped out a roll of parchment and readied his quill.
~*~*~
It was just after midday and the scattering of wispy clouds that dotted the sky over Ponyville drifted lazily in the cool breeze. As he, Cor, and Zacon walked through town, Jason noticed a large group of ponies near city hall. Trotting over, they spotted Twilight and her friends.
"What's going on?" Jason asked in greeting.
"There's some sort of trouble in the far west," Rarity answered. "The Princess sent out these declarations to every town in Equestria."
"It says that there are reports of 'mountain trolls', and that volunteers are being called on to join the army," Twilight said, reading the notice pinned to the announcements board over the heads of the ponies in front of them. "We haven't had a standing army since...um...actually, I don't remember reading anything about an Equestrian Army. It's always been just the Royal Guard."
"I wouldn't have thought this land had enemies," Cor observed.
"We don't really. I mean, the Changelings count I guess, but they're probably the only ones," Twilight said, concerned. "I wonder who these trolls are...and why they would attack us."
Before the speculation could continue, Rainbow Dash burst into the air to emphasize her words. "It doesn't matter who or why! We've got an enemy who thinks they can mess with Equestria and we'll show 'em how wrong they are!"
"Easy now, dear. We aren't about to go charging off this very second." Rarity waved a dismissive hoof at Dash's performance. "Besides, it'll be the army that'll 'show them'."
"Well, maybe that's where I want to be." Dash crossed her hooves indignantly.
Rarity started in shock but not as much as Jason did.
"What?" Jason exclaimed. "You're thinking of joining the army?"
"Well yeah! They want volunteers. What kind of ponies did you think they're looking for?" She jerked her eyes in Fluttershy's direction. The bashful Pegasus blushed in embarrassment.
"I don't like it," Jason said. "Do you even know what you're getting into?"
"If I don't, does it make any difference?" Dash shot back. "I've never hesitated before and now that there's something really, truly important, I'm not about to start. Getting into the Wonderbolts has been my dream since forever and I've been training to be the best for just as long. That makes me a perfect candidate to volunteer. Maybe this is what I'm meant to use my talent for."
Unable to come up with a response, Jason turned away bitterly. Many of the ponies around them began turning their attention to the exchange. They glanced back and forth between the defiant Pegasus and the concerned Unicorn. Some whispered their own thoughts on the matter to their neighbors but most waited to see what would happen next.
At last, without turning back to Dash, Jason said, "If you do this, you'll lose something sacred."
"Sacred?" she repeated skeptically. "What would I lose that's sacred? I'd be doing what I thought was right, and that's helping everypony. I wouldn't lose anything."
"Everyone holds something sacred," he replied curtly, still not looking. "For me, it is innocence. And that's precisely what you'd lose."
"Hah, that's rich coming from you. Didn't you say you were a warrior yourself?" Dash spread her hooves in exasperation. "Why would you care about something like innocence?"
Jason rounded on her and practically yelled, "Because I've spent my whole life defending innocence while losing my own!" The moment the words left his mouth, his face crumbled under the weight of restrained emotion that refused to be hidden any longer. He looked away again quickly. It had cost him dearly to admit it.
Dash hovered for a moment longer before dropping back to the ground, stunned. Any of the ponies who had been talking fell quiet and looked on with concern. The same uncomfortable silence had fallen over the rest of the group. Fluttershy was on the verge of tears. Rarity was covering her mouth to suppress a gasp. Twilight's eyes were as wide as saucers. Applejack had taken her hat off and was holding it before her to conceal her expression. Pinkie seemed to be having trouble understanding what had happened, but at a glance from Rarity, she made an effort to contain herself.
"I didn't mean...I just...," Rainbow Dash said, trying to put a hoof on Jason's shoulder. Jason jerked away at the touch. Tears stained the ground, shaken loose by his movement. Dash looked to her friends for help.
Twilight walked around in front of Jason and lifted his chin to look her in the eyes. He had regained control of himself but his eyes still showed the turmoil within.
"I'm sure Dash didn't mean to upset you. Would you like to talk about it?"
Jason let her hold his gaze for a moment longer and then turned away gently. Twilight looked back at the others, none of whom knew what to do. She then turned to Cor and Zacon to try to gauge how his friends were reacting. Zacon was a statue, his powerful form rigid and immovable. His eyes and ears followed them all and missed no detail but she could not divine any of the thoughts that lay beneath. Cor was fiddling with a stone near his hooves. There was a knowing cast to his expression and he directed sad glances at both Jason and Twilight's friends from time to time.
They obviously knew what this was all about, or at least Cor did. They didn't look any more likely to offer any explanations though.
Before Twilight could do anything, Pinkie Pie reached her limits of self-restraint.
"What did Jason mean by that? I don't get what he lost. It wasn't a favorite toy, was it? I would hate to lose a really fun toy. Maybe we can help you look for it!"
"Pinkie! Shhhh!" Applejack cut her off before she could get too much momentum.
To their surprise, Jason chuckled. "No, it wasn't a toy, Pinkie." He turned back to them as he continued solemnly. "It's a state of being. Innocence is something you happen to have in abundance. And no, you cannot give any of it to me," he said, cutting off her offer before she could make it.
"Yes, I am a warrior. I've fought in several wars, which means I've killed. I've never enjoyed it but I've done it, many times. You lose a part of yourself when you kill. When you take another's life, you lose some sense of the value in it. To look at another living being as just an 'enemy' and not as a being with a soul and a mind and a family is a terrible thing, but many soldiers do this so that they can accept the fact that they are killing them.
"I've fought all my life to stay above that way of thinking. I know how easy it is to fall into it. And I don't want that to happen to you, Rainbow Dash. When you've lost your innocence, you can't get it back; you can't un-see the horrors of war."
Rainbow thought for a moment before answering. "You're talking about desensitization to killing others, but they're just troll. They aren't ponies, so fighting them wouldn't be the same as..."
"No, Rainbow Dash!" Jason wasn't yelling, but the edge in his voice produced the same effect. "They are not ponies, but what difference does that make? It isn't a long step from 'not ponies' to 'not Pegasi' or 'not Unicorns'. Have you forgotten that I am not a pony? What of my people? Since they aren't ponies, fighting them wouldn't be like that, is that right?"
"N-no. I...I'm sorry. I didn't...Uhhnng!" Rainbow Dash dragged her forehooves across her face in frustration. "I get it, okay? War is bad. But Princess Celestia sent out a call to arms. She's asking for ponies to defend Equestria. If I don't go, how will I ever face those who did, knowing that I could have done my part? How could I live with myself knowing that I just hid back at home while other ponies are out there fighting to keep me safe? I want to join up and fight. I want to protect others; my friends and our homes and all of the ponies in Equestria. Don't you see, Jason?"
Jason sighed. "Yes. I do understand; more than you know. And though I still wish you wouldn't, I can't stop you." He looked at her intensely. "But if you fight, so will I. This may not be my country, but you are my friends and I would protect you with my life."
Dash and her friends were greatly surprised but they weren't the only ones. Zacon's ears stuck straight up and Cor started in astonishment.
"You will?" Cor asked, stepping forward.
"Look, even if we had a way home right now, I'd still stay until this land was safe once more. Since we don't have the option of leaving in the first place, I won't do anything less."
"In that case, I'm in too," Cor declared.
All eyes turned to Zacon. Zacon cast a glance around before he spoke.
"With all due respect to Jason," his bass voice rumbled as a small grin appeared, "Regardless of my feelings for this place, I've never felt right sitting out a fight. I would be insulted if you believed I would do so now."
Other ponies around them began voicing encouragement and even declarations of their own resolve to join. Jason realized that the idea had been romanticized by the exchange but he couldn't possibly downplay it now. Not after what Rainbow Dash had said. They would see it as a solemn responsibility, an honorable duty. Were they wrong? No, he admitted to himself. But they weren't even half right. They saw glory in being the ones defending their homes. They hadn't yet thought of what it would require.
Three ponies emerged from town hall and the crowd fell silent. Mayor Mare, a Royal Guard Pegasus, and a Pegasus in a blue and yellow jumpsuit stood at the top of the steps looking down at the waiting ponies. They exchanged a few words quietly.
"Is that Spitfire?" Twilight asked as a wave of whispers passed through the crowd.
"As if it could be any other pony," Dash said reproachfully. "The real question is, what is she doing here?"
"Fillies and Gentlecolts," the Mayor began. "It is my grave duty to inform you that Equestria is under attack. Princess Celestia has requested that volunteers step forward to join the Army. She stresses that no pony will be forced to fight but she implores you all to consider joining if you are able. Even now, she is leading the Royal Guard, under the command of Prince Shining Armor, to meet the threat. With me here are representatives of the two branches of the army being formed. I will turn it over to them to explain the situation."
The Mayor stepped aside and the Guard took her place. He considered the crowd before speaking. His deep voice was soft but grave.
"In the service of the Princesses, my fellow Guardsponies and I have sworn an oath to defend Equestria. Now, we find ourselves in a dire situation and must ask for ponies to take up this responsibility alongside us. Any pony who believes they can serve in the defense of our country is encouraged to step forward and join the army. None of you are required to do so, but we as a country need brave souls to stand beside us."
Mayor Mare set a table next to the city hall's stairs and placed a quill and parchment on it. She and the Guard stood beside it.
"Anypony who is willing should sign up here."
Spitfire stepped forward.
"Any Pegasi that want to join the Air Corps specifically are to talk to me. The Wonderbolts have committed themselves to the army as well. We are looking for new members with considerable flight experience to join us."
Rainbow Dash didn't even try to hide her gleeful expression. "I'm going to join the Wonderbolts?" she whispered to herself. "The actual Wonderbolts?" She made an effort to keep herself on the ground, but was having trouble doing so.
"We will wait for the rest of the day before the first group of recruits is sent to the training camps," the Guard continued. "We will still accept later applicants, but we cannot wait long before moving to form the army."
The crowd buzzed as friends and families discussed their options. A few ponies stepped up to the table to sign on and Rainbow was at the front.
"I'm here to join the Air Corps, ma'am," Rainbow announced with a sharp salute.
Spitfire considered her for a short moment. "You're Rainbow Dash right?" she asked casually.
"Yes ma'am."
"I thought I recognized you. From the Best Young Fliers Competition I believe. It will be good to know that we have some real power in our new wings." She scribbled Rainbow's name on the parchment and her voice turned businesslike. "We'll be meeting here again at seven o'clock sharp to ship out to training. You have until then to make preparations to leave." Spitfire turned to the next applicant.
"Um, ma'am?" Rainbow asked hesitantly.
"What is it?" she replied without looking up from the name she was jotting down.
"Does this mean I'm a Wonderbolt?"
Spitfire stopped and looked at her squarely. "Listen, the Wonderbolts need numbers to be any help to the army. You aren't a member of the flying team; you're a member of the Air Corps. I've seen you in action and you've got the talent to try to make the team, but now isn't the time."
With that, Spitfire considered Rainbow dismissed and she continued taking down names. Rainbow felt a bit crestfallen at first but she buoyed back up on the vote of confidence Spitfire had shown toward her. Strutting off like she was already dressed in the blue and yellow flight suit, Rainbow made her way through the crowd.
Jason watched as more than a dozen ponies approached the table and had their names recorded. He thought back to when he joined the army. It was hundreds of years ago...
Has it really been that long?
He too had flocked to the recruitment desk and penned his name onto the list of eager young Elves. They would fight the enemy; defend their homes; save the country! It was a bitter thought, thinking back on how bright their faces had been and how cheery their voices were. It was eerily similar here. He looked over at Cor to avoid memorizing the image, lest it torment him in the future.
Cor took it as a sign that Jason was ready for their own preparations. He nodded to Zacon and they all started walking. Twilight saw them leaving and called out to them.
"Where are you going?"
"To the library," Cor replied.
"But the registry for the army is over here," she said.
"We know."
"You said you'd help us fight. Why are you going to the library instead?" Twilight trailed off in confusion.
"Because our weapons are still there. In either case, we're not about to become foot soldiers in your military." Cor blew a raspberry. "Two of us are royalty for crying out loud! That would be the most degrading demotion in history."
Zacon nodded in agreement.
"Then what are you going to do?" Twilight asked.
"We'll fight alongside you," Jason explained. "But not as part of your army. Think of us as mercenaries."
Cor grimaced at that term.
Jason noticed and shoved him gently. "Deal with it. It didn't turn out half bad last time, right?"
Cor muttered crossly but the words were indistinct.
Twilight was nonplussed, but they didn't expand on it and she moved on. "Alright. And what is your plan?"
"We need to gather equipment and supplies, learn about the lands we'll be fighting in, and find a way to coordinate with the army, for starters."
"I have maps you can use, and depending on what you'll need, supplies should be easy to come by. As for communicating with the army, it would probably be best to talk to them." She gestured at the Guard and Spitfire.
Jason nodded. "We appreciate it. I just hope we'll be able to find everything we'll need."
They all headed toward the library as the line to sign on with the army thinned. Most of the ponies who had decided to go were saying goodbyes to their neighbors before hurrying off to pack.
~*~*~
Ponyville was an anthill of activity for the rest of the day. The blacksmith, under normal circumstances, would see enough business in the course of a week to stay busy. Now, it had to take on every skilled apprentice in town full time to keep up with the new orders. Any business that could contribute had gone into overdrive to produce whatever they could for the army's use. In just a few short hours, the town had turned from a quiet village, to an industrialized camp.
But despite the clamor during the day, it was unusually quiet that evening. The birds of the day retired early and the birds of the night seemed reluctant to rouse themselves. The wind was dead calm and the insects had gone into hiding. Nopony roamed the streets. They had all retreated to their homes following the departure of the ponies who had volunteered to fight.
The recruits had left to fanfare and cheering just after seven o'clock. The recruits gathered at the north side of town and their families saw them off with extended farewells. The Mayor gave a stirring speech about bringing glory to Equestria and the hearts of Ponyville going with them. Then Spitfire led them out of town toward one of the nearest training camps that had been set up for the new army. In total, forty ponies had left. It wasn't a huge number compared to the rest of the town, but to the families it affected, it was half of the world.
When Rainbow had waved to them from the head of the group, Fluttershy had burst into tears. It took Cor, Applejack and Twilight more than an hour to calm her down. The absence of their friend left them all in a subdued mood for the rest of the day. Even with all of the preparations yet to be made to support the army, they didn't have the heart for it. Nopony in town felt much like continuing to work either. Their thoughts were on their departed friends. It was decided that everypony would leave their work for tomorrow and take the night to observe the solemn occasion.
Long after sundown at Sweet Apple Acres, Cor and Jason sat in the living room, piles of materials and equipment scattered around them. They were still awake and working, knowing that they needed to finish their own preparations as soon as possible. Cor was preparing arrows, seeing as his bow hadn't come with any. Jason was putting a sheath together for his sword from the spare leather used for their outfits. Cor worked soundlessly but Jason kept putting his materials down and staring off into space.
"You're worried." Cor made the question a statement as he fitted another arrowhead to a shaft.
"You heard them. They don't have any concept of what war really is." Jason looked up the stairs that Apple Bloom and Applejack had gone up less than an hour ago. "I'm not worried. I'm terrified."
"Why?"
"How could I not be?" Jason picked up the leather strips again and secured a bronze clasp to one end.
"We've protected civilian populations before. How is this one different?"
Jason dropped the sheath again. "I'm not sure. This place...It seems different. Special somehow."
Cor stopped working and considered him critically. "I think I know what you mean. It's like it needs to be protected? It's too pure to be violated?"
Jason nodded absently while staring at nothing. "Yes. Like that."
Cor nodded resolutely. "It's the same feeling as standing in one of the Sacred Glades. That need; to defend it from any intrusion? It's not unusual. And plus, we've only just arrived here a week ago. It's bound to feel unspoiled, right?"
Jason contemplated the idea silently until Cor waved the sheath under his nose.
"You'd best keep working or this'll never get done."
They worked for a long time without saying anything. The Apple family had gone to bed shortly after sundown. Big Macintosh had been the last one when he returned to the farm with the cart full of supplies Cor and Jason were now working with. Bronze buckles and clasps, steel arrowheads, and iron rivets fresh from the blacksmith, as well as the leather from Rarity and feathers donated by Pegasi who weren't going to fight.
In addition to handpicking each feather, which the Pegasi showed surprising amounts of patience for, Cor had gone into the woods with Fluttershy to find a tree. He had consulted her on his choice to be sure it was alright to use it, and when she gave him her consent, he converted the entire tree into arrow shafts with his magic. It had left him badly drained, but he was beginning to recover now.
On one side of the room were the raw materials in sorted stacks. On the other were finished products. Three quivers that Jason had already completed held the arrows that Cor was done assembling. Each one held twenty arrows and a stack of fifty more waited beside them. Cor put the last one on the pile and stood up, stretching.
"It's late and I'm out of arrowheads." He counted the arrows. "I'll need more but we'll have to wait until morning to do anything about it." He yawned. "Will you be turning in soon?"
Jason fidgeted with a strap before answering. "I'll finish these first. Good night."
Cor nodded and walked upstairs. Jason fitted the last clasp onto the sheath and held it up for inspection. It was broader than strictly necessary for his blade, but that was intentional. It had a catch that would hold the guard in place and keep the blade from rattling in the sheath. Otherwise, it was a simple sheath of unadorned leather and bronze.
He slid the blade in and snapped the catch closed. He held it before him and contemplated it. He looped one of the belts he'd made through the sheath and strapped it to his armor. Then he slipped it on and looked himself over. It fit together without restricting him and was easy to access. He undid the clasp and drew the sword in a fluid motion. The black blade gleamed in front of him.
He twirled it slowly to experiment with his control of it. The path of the blade grew wider and his twirling turned to full swings. He stepped this way and that as the blade danced around him. Without needing to hold it in a hand, he could move it from one side to the other seamlessly. Each stroke flowed into the next almost without effort. Jason flourished a swing and launched into a full offensive practice routine.
The air hissed as the blade cut through it and Jason spun across the room in its wake. Even on hooves, his movement came naturally. The unity with his blade, the feel and sound of each cut and stroke; everything clicked like clockwork. It was a dance as much as a combat form: Art as much as war. He and the blade were held together by only his telekinesis, but they moved simultaneously, one shadowing the other.
With a final flurry, Jason spun in a wide arch and sheathed the blade in the same motion. When all was still again, he became aware of Zacon watching him from the front door.
"At least your form isn't lost."
Jason put the sword aside and pulled more pieces of leather to him.
"I'm not sure if it's easier not having to hold it or harder not being able to hold it. Somewhere in between I think?"
"I've encountered no such dilemmas. My bond with the Axe is as strong as ever." Zacon hefted it on his shoulder. "I was able to find a comfortable stance and balance while I was practicing...and we won't need to worry about firewood for a long time."
"Just as long as you didn't cut down any trees you weren't supposed to." Jason looped the leather into a sling and used thinner strips to tie it off. He slipped a clasp over the end to keep the loose ends together.
Zacon was suspiciously silent. He just stood at the bottom of the steps for a second before walking up. Jason sighed. He tied another sling together, longer this time. They would be connected by a larger piece to form a pouch to hold Cor's bow. But now, he only finished the slings. He felt tired. More tired than normal. He supposed it was because of all of the thoughts weighing on his mind right now.
He put the pieces down and decided that if he was going to be of any use tomorrow, he'd need a decent night's sleep. He climbed the stairs reluctantly, and left the makings of a war behind him. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Eleven: The Breath Before the Plunge | The morning couldn't have been more glorious. Radiant beams of light spilled over the mountaintops as the sun hid behind them. The clouds dripped with liquid gold and the sky blushed purple and crimson. As the sun peeked over the horizon, the light gently fell across Equestria in a soft blanket that nudged its inhabitants awake. The darker shades of night gave way to the brilliant blues and whites of day. A new day had dawned, and the Royal Guard rose to greet it.
They had marched from Canterlot within hours of the order to mobilize and made good progress before stopping for the night. With the rise of the sun, the army was underway once more. Resplendent in their full golden plate armor and silver weapons, they had left the city in grand fashion. But now that they were in open country, they had stripped off the heavy equipment in favor of lighter traveling uniforms. They were loose enough for free movement but not so much that they were unprofessional. It reflected the Guard's colors of gold and blue and left the rest to functionality: Thin and flexible to prevent overheating and made to handle the wear and tear of the road.
The weapons and armor were loaded into carts and hauled in the middle of the column. The Earth Ponies packed an array of swords, spears, lances and shields. The swords could be held in the mouth while the other weapons could be locked onto the side of the armor or held in the hooves. The shields would then be fixed to their armor on the opposite side. Unicorns had a similar array of equipment minus shields and armor mounts for weapons.
They would hold their weapons with magic or forgo weapons all together and support the troops with spells. Their armor was lighter than that of the Earth Ponies. Instead of full plate mail, they had plate helmets and plated guards for their chests and legs but only chain mail to cover their backs and flanks.
The Pegasi had the lightest armor with only the basic plates on the chest and forelegs and a plate helmet. Their weapons consisted of a sling of javelins and retractable blades fitted to the cuffs of their leg guards. Their rear hooves also had heavy shoes made for landing on opponents and delivering devastating kicks.
All but a handful of the Guard were marching toward the border to intercept the Troll army. The remainder had been dispatched across Equestria to rally additional forces. For everypony's sake, Celestia still held onto hope that she could find a way to stop these invaders without endangering more lives. She walked at the head of the column as it wound its way through the countryside, following the roads whenever possible. Shining Armor walked beside her, a grim frown frozen on his face. He hadn't said anything since they had departed from Canterlot.
Since he'd said goodbye to his parents.
They had met him by the gates as the Guard was leaving and waylaid him with tears. He'd hung back and talked to them until the last of the troops had passed out of the city. He'd been in the city less than two days on a weeklong visit. It had been almost a month since he'd last been able to escape from his duties in the Crystal Empire and now he was leaving again, this time for battle. When he caught up again, he said nothing of what had passed between them and it stayed that way. Celestia was worried that the encounter was bothering him somehow.
But she had far too many other worries on her mind and she couldn't afford to stop to address it. The column of ponies marched on.
~*~*~
Ponyville came alive with activity as soon as it was light enough to see and the work that had been put on hold yesterday resumed. Shortly after dawn, a messenger arrived with an order form detailing supplies that the army was requesting Ponyville to provide. Weapons, armor, food, and other materials and equipment were all spelled out.
The blacksmith set to work to fill the equipment orders and the region's farming families pooled surplus food to be shipped out to the troops. Other ponies around town donated items from their own homes for the soldiers to use and anypony who found scrap metal turned it over to the city to be melted down and smelted into a blade or a shield.
Cor and Applejack took to the orchards to bring in the apples in the southern orchards while Big Mac headed into the western orchards by himself. Granny Smith went into town to coordinate the food packing and Zacon was even convinced to haul the carts of apples away as they were harvested.
Jason was later to rise after a fitful night. The nightmare had been a mix of old and new fears and taken forms somewhere in between. He was aware of Princess Luna's attempts to help him overcome them but it was still a draining experience. He rolled out of bed and dragged his hooves down to the kitchen. The house was empty and he found a few items were left out from breakfast so he prepared himself a small meal. He fixed the wall across from him with a stern gaze as he ate and went over the implications of recent events.
He'd left a war in his world and entered a world where war felt foreign. He'd made friends in a surprisingly short period of time and he felt as comfortable around them as some of his oldest comrades. Now he was preparing to march into battle to defend them. It had been a week. Just one week and so much had happened.
He finished off his breakfast and turned into the living room to finish the equipment he'd been working on the night before. It was dull work. Once he was done, he had a sling for Cor's bow and one for Zacon's axe. He put them with the stack of quivers and turned to find his sword. It wasn't there.
He looked around the room to make sure he hadn't missed it somehow but it didn't present itself. He knew Cor wouldn't take it anywhere without telling him and Zacon respected a warrior's weapon more than he respected most things, so he wouldn't have touched it. Now Jason was worried.
He walked outside, intent on finding someone who might know where it was, but he hadn't gone far before a bout of laughter attracted his attention. Apple Bloom and her friends were running around the barn together shouting and giggling. As he got closer, he saw what they were doing with a pang of disgust.
"You will lose!" Scootaloo growled in an exaggeratedly deep voice.
"Never!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
"No mean ol' troll can defeat..." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle came together in one voice. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
They charged forward and tackled Scootaloo into the grass. They rolled around for a moment before Scootaloo pushed them off and tackled them back. Apple Bloom ran off while the other two wrestled.
"I have you now!" Scootaloo snarled at Sweetie Belle. Sweetie squealed and batted her hooves in the air to ward off Scootaloo's pokes and tickles.
"Help me!" Sweetie yelled.
Having run all the way around the barn, Apple Bloom reappeared behind Scootaloo, this time with a toy suit of armor on. "Have no fear. The Cutie Mark Crusaders: Defenders of Equestria never leave a pony behind!" She ran forward and undid the clasp on the sword. As the black blade slid free, Jason's eyes widened.
"STOP!" he screamed and charged forward.
His telekinesis ripped the sword out of her grasp and the accusation in his voice caused all of them to back away from him submissively.
"We were only playin' Jason," Apple Bloom said in a tiny voice.
"Not with this you weren't." He held up the blade. "This is my sword. A real sword!"
The filly's eyes expanded with the realization. Scootaloo gulped and Sweetie Belle glanced between them nervously.
"Why did you think you could just take it?"
"There wasn't a sword with the toy armor," Apple Bloom explained. "We saw it sittin' there and we didn't think it was real."
"You couldn't tell by the weight?!" Jason balked at them.
"Now you mention it..." She shuffled her hooves sadly.
Jason closed his eyes to try to collect himself.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be yelling at you." He looked between the three of them solemnly. "Anyone can make a mistake."
"We're sorry too." All three of them hung their heads.
Jason sighed. "And I guess I did just leave it sitting out there, didn't I?"
They all stood around looking guilty. Applejack and Cor came racing around the corner a second later.
"We heard yelling," Cor said breathlessly. "What happened?"
"There was a bit of a misunderstanding, but we cleared it up." Jason snapped his sword back into its sheath.
Cor eyed the sword apprehensively. Applejack followed the same train of thought.
"What exactly was the trouble?" she asked suspiciously.
Jason shrugged. "I left my sword out overnight and they thought it was a toy. They know better now."
"Do they?" She gave them a hard look. "That's a mighty serious mistake, you three."
They looked up at her with round, teary eyes that were hard to stay angry at.
"Oh, come here." Applejack hugged them all together. "Nopony got hurt and that's what's important. Ya'll be more careful now, you hear?"
"We promise!" they said in unison before scampering off.
Jason watched them go while Cor and Applejack turned back toward the orchards.
"I wish they wouldn't pretend at war. It's bad enough that so many ponies are going off with their heads filled with images of glory. Younger minds shouldn't be dwelling on it at all."
"And what do you reckon you'd do to stop 'em?" Applejack looked at him quizzically. "Are you gonna tell them they're not allowed to play? Let fillies be fillies."
Cor put a hoof on Jason's shoulder and nodded. Jason glanced after the young ponies one last time and let it drop.
"Now," Cor said, businesslike. "Applejack says she and her brother can handle the rest of the harvesting as long as Zacon will pull a few more wagons worth. That leaves us open to do something else useful. So what's our plan?"
"Help down at the blacksmith, run carts around town, find some other odd job? Take your pick," Jason shrugged.
"I meant when are we going to head out and find a battle?"
"I was thinking of leaving with the next group of recruits. I heard some ponies in town talking about joining up now that they've had time to think it over."
"Good. Good." Cor nodded and looked out at the road in search of Zacon.
"You sound eager." Jason added an accusation to his tone.
"I'm just anxious to get this started. Now that we've decided to go to war, I feel edgy about getting into it."
Jason frowned at him but didn't have a chance to express his disappointment.
"There's our packhorse," Cor said, pointing at Zacon's distant but approaching form.
His armor glinted in the sun. He'd taken to wearing it at all times since the news of war had arrived. The wagon full of empty barrels trundled along behind him. He pulled it through the gate, spotted them and walked over to meet them.
"Is there another load?" he asked gruffly.
Applejack nodded. She started back toward the orchard and they followed her. Once there, they began loading the cart.
"We think the plan is to leave town with the next group of recruits," Cor said to fill Zacon in.
"Soon then." Zacon smiled with a wicked anticipation.
"Am I the only one around here who isn't looking forward to this war?!" Jason huffed.
"Yes," Zacon said simply.
Jason glared at him. When they had finished loading the wagon again, Jason and Cor followed Zacon back toward town, intent on picking up an order from the blacksmith and fetching a few extra supplies. Applejack waved as they left and returned to the orchards. She walked among the trees and wrestled with a difficult question that had been bothering her since this trouble began. She'd had to keep the farm safe from all manner of dangers in the past, but this one was much bigger and she wasn't sure she could handle it.
It was relaxing to walk beneath the branches, down worn and familiar paths and around the gentle hills that she'd grown up in. To any other eye, the trees in one part of the orchard looked much the same as in any other part. But to her, every acre was its own world, full of dear memories. She reflected on them as she passed.
Only just behind that stand of trees, she'd first learned how to catch the falling apples just right so that they wouldn't roll all around or get bruised. On the other side of the hill was where she liked to lie in the evenings to watch the sunset. Up the path a ways, she remembered the day she found out her parents wouldn't be coming home. She brushed a tear out of her eye, just as she did every time she walked up this way.
Memories of her filly years mingled with more recent ones. She hid among the trunks while Big Mac pretended not to be able to find her, her giggles echoing through the years to bring a smile to her face now. Friends both new and old had met beneath these leaves to share work and fun. Apple Bloom learned at her side what it took to bring in a harvest and the meaning of honest hard work.
As all of the moments this orchard had given her to hold in her heart paraded by, she made up her mind.
Just ahead, Big Mac was loading the last barrels of the western harvest into the cart. He had collected easily as many barrels on his own as she and Cor had together, but that wasn't unusual. Applejack strolled up and cleared her throat. Big Mac glanced over as he worked.
"I've been thinkin'," she began. "What with this talk of able bodied ponies joinin' the army and all..."
She trailed off to steel herself against her own words. Big Mac remained expressionless and continued to stack barrels.
"I've decided to be one of 'em."
Without missing a beat, Big Mac replied. "Nope."
Applejack started in surprise. "Pardon?"
Big Mac set another barrel down with a dull thud. "Nope," he repeated sternly. "Ya'll ain't gonna go off and fight."
Applejack recovered from her shock rapidly. "And I suppose you figure you're the one that gets to decide that for me?"
"I reckon maybe that's just how it is," he replied curtly.
"Ya'll may be my big brother, but that don't mean you can stop me from doin' what I think is right!"
"I can stop you from doin' this."
Applejack set her jaw for an extended argument but he turned his back on her and dropped the last barrel into the cart.
"You're not goin' and that's the end of it."
The way he said it made it clear that he was done with the discussion. Applejack sputtered her indignation while he hitched himself to the cart.
"You think I can't handle it?!" she exclaimed suddenly. She turned and marched away. Calling back over her shoulder, she declared, "You couldn't be more wrong!"
Big Mac just shook his head sadly and trudged off toward town.
~*~*~
Applejack fumed for almost an hour before deciding that she didn't care what Big Mac told her. She was going to join the army to protect her home. And if he objected because he thought she wasn't cut out for it, she'd just have to be ready to prove him wrong. She walked into town with her eyes fixed on her destination. The sound of hammers on metal and the hiss of steam acted like a beacon as she wound her way through the ponies hurrying from place to place on their own business. Jason and Cor stood just outside the doors of the blacksmith, loading saddlebags with freshly forged equipment. Cor spotted her and was about to ask what she was doing there when he saw the look on her face. It was the kind of serious determination that told him to get out of the way and stay there.
"Jason, I want you to train me to fight," she announced with no preamble whatsoever.
"You want me to do what?" he asked, his eyes widening.
"I want you to teach me how to fight so I can join the army. Big Mac doesn't think I can handle it, so I need to..."
"Out of the question." Jason went back to tightening a strap on his bag.
"Oh no! You ain't gonna shut me down like he did!" She positioned herself directly in front of him. "Jason, I want to fight. I gotta protect my home! And I gotta know how to fight to do that. You said ya'll were fighters an' such, right?" She glanced at Cor, who nodded slowly. "Well, who better to teach me? Rainbow's off becomin' a soldier right now and I'm sittin' around here, buckin' apples out of trees. I can't just let everypony else go off and then do nothin' myself. It's my home that's in danger too. And I'm fit and strong enough to fight. Hardly anypony in town is a better candidate for soldierin'. You have to train me so I can do my part in protecting Equestria."
Jason contemplated her crossly for a moment before answering. When he did, it was with a bite of incredulous ire.
"Let me get this straight. You want me to train you in the art of the most vicious action a living being can take against another so that you can charge off into the most destructive event in civilization's repertoire? And the reason I should do this is because Rainbow Dash is already on her way to the same thing, even when I made it clear how I felt about it?" Jason paused long enough to allow his words to sink in. His frown deepened as he went on. "The only reason Rainbow left for war is because I didn't have a say in the matter. But you want me to help you out the door for the same thing? I couldn't watch you put yourself in danger like that and I certainly won't help you do it. I will not train you. I'm sorry. Not much, but I am sorry."
"But you have to," Applejack pressed. "I need to fight. And I'll need to know how to do it. You wouldn't have me goin' out there without teachin' me the basics at least, would you?"
"That's the point. I don't want you to go at all, so it won't make a difference if you know how to fight or not."
"But Jason," she began with a hint of desperation. She bit her lip. "I thought if anypony would help me with this, it'd be you. Don't you want me to be safe out there?" Tears welled up in her eyes at this sense of betrayal.
"I want you to be safe, Applejack." Jason's voice softened as he wiped her tears away with a hoof. "But I don't want to teach you to fight if it will only let you put yourself in danger. I can barely stand seeing Rainbow out there. Please, don't make me worry about you as well."
Applejack turned her face away from his hoof. "Maybe you don't want to train me." She looked at Cor. "But what about you Cor? Could you train me instead?"
Cor took one look at Jason and shook his head. "I'm not stupid enough to go against what Jason just got done saying," he grinned nervously.
Applejack let out an exasperated huff. "For cryin' out loud. You're a prince! Don't you outrank him or somethin'?"
"Maybe," Cor nodded slowly. "But think about this. If you outranked Fluttershy, would you go around contradicting her and doing what she said she doesn't want you to do just because you can? He's my friend before he's my subordinate. Always has been, always will be."
Jason nodded impassively. Applejack looked between them, trying to think of an argument that would sway them. And then, she realized the answer. Without another word, she turned about and headed back to the farm.
~*~*~
Just as she thought, she found Zacon on his way to return the cart to the farm after the last batch of apples. She caught up quickly and fell in step beside him. He gave her a cursory glance but said nothing. Applejack didn't speak right away either. She took her time to marshal her thoughts before making this last attempt. And she realized this would be her last chance to ask for training from anypony. If Zacon wouldn't do it, there wasn't anypony who would. Without prior training, she could kiss goodbye any chance of Big Mac letting her go quietly. She grimaced inwardly at the prospect of that confrontation. No, she would have to convince him that she would be ready to fight and her best bet was Zacon.
"Zacon, I was wonderin' if you'd do me a favor." She approached the subject tenderly in light of the other reactions she'd received.
Zacon gave her a queer look. "What kind of favor?" he asked slowly.
"I need you to train me to fight so that I can join the army."
Genuine interest mixed with deepening suspicion as he responded. "Why?"
"I've got to defend my home, that's why!"
He shook his head. "No, not that. Why should I train you?"
"Oh. Well, I was talking to my brother earlier and I told him I was goin' to join the army. He refused to let me, so I'm lookin' to get some trainin' in first to show him I'm ready."
Zacon stopped the cart and turned his full attention on her.
"You think you can handle war? You really think you're ready?"
"That's just what I'm tryin' to prove. If I get some trainin' from a warrior like you, he won't be able to doubt that I can handle it."
"Handle battle? Handle death and carnage? Handle everything that is war?"
"Come what may, I'm prepared for the worst."
"Prepared for the worst? Really?"
"Yes," she hissed. Applejack was growing tired of everypony doubting her abilities and her resolve. She made an effort to keep her temper in check. "I'm ready to fight this war. I'll do whatever it takes."
"HA! Says the one who has never seen battle!" Zacon's laugh was mirthless and cold. His eyes glittered malevolently. "Are you prepared to feel their blades cut into your flesh? To feel the agony of your bones breaking under the force of their blows?"
Applejack swallowed against the images that flashed through her mind. She stood up straighter to convince Zacon of her confidence as much as to convince herself. "Yes. I'd defend Equestria no matter the cost. I'd die to keep my home safe."
"You say you are prepared to die for your friends, but are you prepared to watch your friends die?"
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Fighting isn't hard. Any creature can fight when they are scared and threatened." He paused to smile darkly. "And no soldier honest with themselves is completely unafraid. No, battle is a simple thing. Brutal, bloody and merciless, but simple. You fight your opponent, and you either win or lose."
"It is the aftermath of the battle that the inexperienced soldiers are not prepared for. After the dust settles and the rage fades, they see the bloody corpses of their slain enemies. Enemies who suddenly look very much like themselves. And then they see their fallen comrades." Zacon paused again for emphasis. "Many were considered friends, some were family. All were brothers-in-arms, now mangled beyond recognition." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a deadly whisper. "That is what I'm asking you. Are you prepared for that?"
Applejack closed her eyes and fought down the fear that had crept into her as the big stallion spoke. She let out a shallow breath when she had herself under control again and opened her eyes. "If they're gonna die out there, I'd better be willin' to do no less. I'd rather have a chance to help 'em instead of hear 'bout horrible things happenin' while I do nothin'."
Zacon considered her silently for a long time. She stood rigid under his scrutiny, afraid that one wrong move would mean failure of whatever inspection he was making. At long last, he nodded.
"If your resolve holds and your confidence is not made up of ignorance and bravado, you might just be able to do what you say you will. I will train you."
Her excitement over her success was muted by the tone of their conversation so she simply nodded in thanks. They started off again.
"But I must ask," he added after a moment. "Why did you come to me? I was under the impression that you were more comfortable with Jason or Cor than with me."
"Um, actually, I already asked 'em. They kind of refused. Mostly Jason. He didn't want me in the fightin'."
Zacon frowned deeply in thought.
"It is not usually wise to cross Jason..." the bass voice rumbled.
Applejack felt her heart sink.
"...But the choice to defend your home is still yours. I see no reason that you shouldn't be given the best chance to survive that I can provide."
Applejack was rocking on a sea of mixed emotions and she bubbled back to the top again. "Alright then! When do we start?"
"There is no better time for anything than the here and now. Your training has begun."
With a turn of his head, he swung his Axe down from the cart where he had left it. It whistled wickedly and she realized it was heading straight toward her. She only barely managed to duck it by rolling through the dirt.
"What the hay?! Ah said train me, not kill me!"
He swung the Axe back up onto his shoulders to free his mouth. "That was lesson number one: An attack can come from anywhere, anytime, and with no warning. You are either ready or you are dead." He slipped the Axe back into the cart and walked on as if nothing had happened. "Set your mind at ease. It was a test only. The training will be much more grueling."
Applejack stared after him nervously before following. She wasn't sure what she'd gotten herself into but she wasn't about to back down now.
~*~*~
Zacon watched her walk beside him on their way back to the farm. She kept her eyes downcast the entire time. She would be sorting through her thoughts now. It always took a little while for a decision like this to sink in. He expected her to come to terms with it sometime tomorrow morning, when the aching set in. As he watched, he did some quick judging. She'd already proven that her strength was greater than it appeared. Anyone who knew farm work would have been able to guess that. She also showed a level of control over her power; an essential trait. He thought back to his first impression of her. His opinion hadn't changed much, but now he was beginning to see potential as well.
After Zacon felt he'd let the silence hang long enough, he broke it.
"You'll need a weapon to train with, of course."
She started slightly as he interrupted her thoughts. They'd reached the barn and set the cart aside. Zacon walked into the barn and came out with a pair of short swords a moment later.
"How long have those been there?" she asked.
"About a day. I felt it was wise to be prepared for anything so I made a point of having weapons stashed in likely places."
"Should I know about any more of these 'likely places'?"
"Maybe if you can prove you can handle them." He dropped one sword in front of her.
She took it in her mouth and looked at him expectantly.
"Now. Your second lesson is called 'you are not ready'."
She blinked at him and cocked her head to one side.
"Hit me," he said.
She blinked again and moved the sword so she could speak. "But I don't want to hurt you."
"Don't worry, you won't. Now hit me," he said in a commanding tone.
She hesitated a moment longer before rearing back and bringing the sword down on his armored shoulder. It struck with a dull clink and sat on top of the plate mail. Zacon remained unmoved due to the armor plates absorbing all of the force effortlessly. In fact, he wasn't even watching her.
"I'd ask if you'd hit me yet if it weren't for my ears," he said, looking back at her again.
Applejack shook her head in frustration. "Consarnit! If you only mean to tell me I'm bad at it, I might be better off teachin' myself!"
"What was the name of the lesson?" Zacon asked calmly.
"'I am not ready'," she practically spat.
"Exactly. I'm showing you what you're getting into. I told you to hit me and I hardly noticed. What do you think your enemy will do if that's the best you can do to them?"
She mustered herself to retort but let her breath out in submission. "I get it, okay? Now can we do something that doesn't make me feel like I'm as useful as a corral with no gate?"
"I'm trying to show you that you need to be better than you think you need to be. Now how about I teach you what you did wrong and how to not end up dead by doing it in battle?" He turned to look out at the orchard. "We'll need something to practice on. Usually a tree works best."
He left the suggestion hanging.
"Not on my apple trees you don't. We'll find a different set of trees out in the hills outside of town."
"Very well."
It didn't take long for them to pick a spot. Once the trees weren't full of apples, Applejack had no problem finding a suitable grove of victims. The ash trees stood in resolute silence, defiant of the impending danger. Zacon started by having Applejack sit and watch him. He took his sword and explained how her swing had been stopped by his armor. He showed her how the force was redirected through the plates and away from the wearer. He pointed out that the spot she struck was designed to be one of the strongest points and, in fact, could be used to intentionally block incoming attacks.
Next, he gave some advice on noticing weaker parts of a set of armor. The spaces between plates were the most obvious. And wherever there was a joint on the body, there would be fewer plates. He also explained that most armor was held together by straps and other connecters that could be severed to knock the pieces loose. He mentioned in passing that his own armor was not susceptible to such weakness. He was not too specific in any detail, preferring to give an overview of concepts because it was unlikely the finer points would be applicable to Applejack so early in her combat experience. For her part, she tried to absorb everything he told her. He was generally impressed with her retention when he asked her to review what they'd gone over.
He then moved away from the topic of armor and into weapons.
"Finally, the part that I'll be needin' to show Big Mac that's I've got the spunk for this."
"Hmph." Zacon frowned. "As long as you keep in mind that this is for more than passing an inspection."
"Of course." She smiled apologetically.
"The first thing you need to improve on is your form. You don't just want to hit your opponent. You want to actually damage them too." He took the sword in his mouth and swung it into the tree next to him. It sank into the trunk two inches with a dull thud. "This is what you need to be able to do."
Applejack stepped up and took a swing. Bark flew as the sword bit half an inch into the tree.
"Not bad I suppose," Zacon nodded. "You'll need to develop your power on your own with hard practice. For now, we'll work on the control you'll need to use it properly."
They spent the next few hours learning to read an opponent's weapon stance for an opening. Zacon was rough and often threw Applejack to the ground when she struck at the wrong time. Each time, she would grit her teeth and pick herself up. After he was satisfied that she had the concept clearly in mind, he switched them over to parrying and blocking.
Applejack was exceptionally skilled at this exercise. Zacon swung hard enough that she would have to stop his blow in order to avoid looking for a bandage but she had the strength to meet him. Building off of her observations and lessons about openings, she closed her own and anticipated his attacks better than he thought. An hour later, Zacon gave in and concluded he wouldn't be able to challenge her without putting her in real danger.
"Let's begin one of the most important lessons: Striking."
"We already did that didn't we?" Applejack asked in confusion. "Lookin' for openings to attack?"
"That was recognizing the time to strike. This will be a lesson in dealing a meaningful blow." Zacon brought up his sword and took a defensive stance. "You will try to land a blow. I will stop you."
He stated it as bluntly as ever and Applejack did her best to simply accept it. Her first few swings tested his defense and were tapped away negligently. Her next few attempts were swatted back with grunts of annoyance. As she continued to swing cautiously, Zacon had had enough.
"Are you trying to pester me to death or are you going to actually attack soon?"
"I'm gettin' to it!" she shot back.
"Well, get to it faster."
They returned to sparing. Applejack advanced on Zacon with a series of thrusts that he turned aside with hardly an effort. She turned to wide swings and the air rang with their blades' protest. She could feel her stamina draining after the long day of work but she didn't let it slow her down. She couldn't let Zacon think she was weak. A stroke slipped under his blade and made a clinking sound as it bounced off the plates. Applejack had to block several quick swings and only barely kept her footing.
"It isn't enough to touch the armor. You have to hit hard enough to stagger your opponent," he said as she collected herself.
"I know." Applejack stepped up again and drove into Zacon with renewed vigor.
Zacon only parried and blocked with a bored expression. When she thought she had an opening, he closed it down just as she was about to get through. With a growl of frustration, she pushed forward with aggressive thrusts that forced Zacon to take an involuntary step back. At last she saw a gap and went for it. Just before it connected, she saw that he wouldn't be able to block it in time and she would succeed in hitting him...right under the plate over his heart.
She pulled back in time, but her blade received a sharp rap from the flat of Zacon's sword that knocked her grip loose. Without pause, he brought his foreleg around and took hers out from under her. She fell to the grass with a grunt.
"You held back," he said, standing over her.
"Only because I didn't want to skewer you!"
"Exactly. You lack intent."
"Intent? What do you mean?" Applejack tilted her head to one side as she picked herself up.
"The intent to kill."
"I was supposed to try to kill you?! Are you crazy? Why would I do that?"
"I told you to hit me. I am more than capable of protecting myself. If you are worrying about my safety, you will never be able to seriously strike me."
"I'd have put that one into yer heart."
"No. I let you have that opening to see what you would do with it. You need to concentrate. I am your opponent and you must defeat me. If you don't have the will to do so, you will not survive."
He returned to a defensive stance and waited. Applejack took her sword in her mouth again and stepped up. She looked past his face and only concentrated on his sword and footing. She didn't know exactly what he expected her to do. It was almost as if he wanted her to really hurt him. Applejack pushed Zacon's defenses more boldly and was met with reprisals. She was forced to ward off his blows in turn for each parry and block he made. When she missed a block, she received the flat of his blade on her forelegs and shoulders, and once, even the pommel across her forehead. And even when she managed to strike him, she was reprimanded.
"Harder," he barked every time her sword clanged off his armor. "Harder!"
After minutes of enduring his punishment, she couldn't take it anymore. She swung, not at his armor, but at his sword and knocked it sideways. Whirling around, she planted her hooves and kicked before he could raise the weapon again. Zacon's head snapped back and he staggered. His sword fell from his mouth and blood leaked from his lips. He simply stared at Applejack with wide eyes. She stood her ground breathing hard for a moment but as he remained silent and continued to stare, she felt uneasy.
"Now," he said at last, stretching out the word slowly. "Now, you may be starting to get it." He spat a gob of bloody spittle and grinned at her.
"Ya'll were waitin' for me to do that?" She cocked her head to one side. She was starting to get a crick in her neck from all of the confusing things he'd said.
"Or something along that line, yes. You see, not once during all of our sparring did I feel threatened by you. And it was because you never meant to harm me. Without the intent, you would never succeed in doing so. But just now? You had the intent. I pushed you until you wished to hurt me, and suddenly, you could." He brushed more blood from his lips with a hoof and nodded at the stain. "It was a good blow too."
"I don't quite get it. I was tryin' to hit you the whole time. I just couldn't manage to get past you enough to satisfy your standards."
"That is because you were doing it mechanically. By the letter of the training I'd given you. You need to be able to fight in the heat of battle, not the calm of practice. By teaching you how to find an opening, and having you concentrate on that idea while pushing you to anger, I set you up to deliver a precise and dangerous hit at the right time and with the will necessary to hurt me."
Applejack shook her head slowly. "Ya'll really are crazy if that was your plan all along."
"Yes, maybe I am. But you are the one who came to me for training." He chuckled. "Doesn't that make you at least as crazy? And more importantly, aren't you getting what you wanted?"
Applejack opened her mouth but stopped to consider the prospect. Then she smiled. "I suppose you're right. This is what I asked for."
"Good. This is the most important lesson I can teach. You must want to hurt your opponent; want to kill them. I am finished here for today. You are not. I want to see these trees carved to splinters before I return tomorrow." He stuck his sword into one of the ash trees and left it there. "Attack them as if they meant to burn your town to the ground. Kill them as if they meant to kill you. You must do enough damage to each that they would no longer be living if they were a real enemy."
Zacon turned and left. Applejack glanced at the sword stuck in the tree beside her and then at the dozen trees around her. Despite how tired she already was, she approached one grimly and began to attack. She did not relent until after the moon had risen. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Twelve: First Blood | As the sun crept back into the sky on the third day of their march, three hundred seventy ponies followed Celestia to the top of a broad, gentle hill that looked down on the edge of Greenspring Glade, a thick forest shrouded in deep shadows. Her scouts had flown out at first light and rejoined them as they traveled with news of the enemy's movement. Everything pointed to this spot as the best place to attempt to stand against them. The Troll army had pushed into Equestrian territory relentlessly, leaving the border where Celestia had intended to hold them far behind.
The scouts flew out again and camp was set on the far side of the hill. Armor was donned again and weapons were fitted. Lines were drawn up in preparation of the enemy's arrival. They arrayed themselves along the top of the hill with the lances in front followed by the bulk of the swordsponies. The Pegasi waited near the rear for the order to take to the sky and the Unicorns who would support with spells readied the necessary components. A reserve element of Guard consisting mostly of swordsponies was held in the camp with the supplies. The scouts returned within the hour and reported the Trolls were only a few miles away.
Celestia stood at the crest of the hill and looked back to survey her troops. Equestrian banners held throughout the lines snapped sharply in the wind. Armor creaked and buckles jingled as the Guards shifted anxiously. Their gold plates flashed in the late morning sun. Shining Armor stood stoically by her side, one hoof around the pole of her battle standard. It was an old design, unchanged since before Sombra first fell: A simple sword facing downward over a sunburst on a cream field.
Shining held it firmly while his eyes scanned the tree line. His massive blade hung in its scabbard and his pike was fitted to his side, set in parade position. He was so intent on his vigil that he didn't notice her watching him even as minutes crawled by.
"Captain?" she asked suddenly.
He turned to face her. "Acting Captain, your Highness."
Celestia allowed herself a small smile. "Technically, you are my nephew-in-law. But I will always think of you as my Captain."
Shining shifted awkwardly between pride and embarrassment. "What was it you needed, your Highness?" he said after he managed to regain a professional air.
Celestia turned to look back out over the Guard again. After a moment, she responded. "I am afraid."
"Your Highness, I would never let them harm you." Shining stamped the standard against the ground in emphasis.
"I do not fear for my own safety. I fear for yours. I do not know if I can protect you."
Shining was at a loss for words at this sudden reversal of roles.
"I fear that this battle will claim many lives. I wish to protect all of my little ponies. If I could, I would take it all upon myself and spare all of you from pain." Celestia bowed her head sadly.
"We are very alike then."
She looked up and found his head inclined in sympathy.
"I would protect all ponies in Equestria, even at the cost of my own life. And I know that every Guard here feels the same way. I've known most of them for years. They stand with you to the end."
The silence returned as the words hung in the air between them.
"Captain?" Celestia said again.
"Yes, Princess?" Shining accepted the title this time.
To the inattentive eye, she was the epitome of confidence. She stood straight and tall with her head held high. Her eyes were directed out over her troops. Framed by her billowing mane and illuminated by her own inner light, she commanded the hilltop without challenge. But her voice was now barely above a whisper.
"Will you be my courage?"
Before anything more could be said, a group of scouts returned and landed just behind them. One approached cautiously. Once Celestia nodded for him, he cleared his throat.
"They've arrived, your Highness."
They all turned to face the dark wave of movement approaching through the trees. Indistinct figures milled about for a moment before settling. As one, they marched into the light. Their front row extended a quarter of a mile along the forest's edge. They advanced until their ranks had cleared the trees.
The Trolls were head and shoulders taller than a pony and heavily built in the upper body and their arms hung to their knees. While their legs were much shorter, they seemed fully capable of supporting their large frames. Broad faces with deep set eyes gazed back at the ponies as cruel iron axes and spears were shifted in their clawed hands. They wore little armor besides leather pauldrons and straps from which they hung their weapons. Their furs were varying shades of gray that covered their limbs and loins thickly, but only thinly over their chests. Their skin, where it was visible, was pale.
The two sides silently observed each other across the grassy divide. Celestia nodded to Shining Armor and the two of them started forward slowly. Shining Armor tried to keep his face clear of expression but his eyes kept darting over the enemy ranks.
There are so many of them! Much more than the scouts had originally indicated.
They stopped half way between the two armies. Then Celestia spoke in a voice that rippled the air with power.
"You have violated the sovereign territory of Equestria. As one of her Princesses, I ask that your leader step forward. We must not let this continue in bloodshed. In the name of peace, let us put aside our weapons and reach an understanding together."
Silence was her only reply. The Trolls remained as expressionless as stone. Celestia and Shining scanned their lines vainly for some indication of a response. A minute dragged by slowly and became two. Then a harsh horn sounded from within the trees. The Trolls raised their weapons and voices in a coarse and thunderous battle cry.
Celestia stiffened as she realized that she and her hopes of peace had been given a flat refusal. Shining frowned deeply.
The horn sounded again and the Trolls advanced in a shambling mass. Shining Armor planted the standard firmly and drew forth his sword. It rang with a pristine note as it cleared the scabbard and glinted in the light as it hung beside him in his telekinetic grip. He flicked his head to one side and his pike dropped into charge position. Behind him, fifty lances followed suit.
Celestia bowed her head in a gesture that at first resembled despair. But when her eyes clenched tightly shut and her horn began to glow, it couldn't be mistaken for anything but intense concentration and steely determination. She lifted her horn skyward and the sun flared. The corona expanded until it covered the entire sky and flashed again. When it had faded, everypony was surrounded by a golden aura.
The Trolls came on steadily. At Celestia's nod, Shining Armor lifted his sword high. A horn blew a clear note from the Equestrian lines and the Pegasi lifted off. When the Trolls were directly below them, they unleashed volleys of javelins. The Trolls attempted to respond with thrown axes and spears of their own but their weapons came up short and fell back to the ground. The Trolls' howls of pain and frustration echoed through the flurry of wing beats and the hiss of javelins.
The front of the Troll lines continued forward resolutely but the middle of their ranks faltered as the aerial assault took its toll. Seeing the enemy stretching thin on the front, Celestia nodded to Shining Armor again. This time, he swept his sword out to the side. The lancers and swordsponies started forward at a slow trot.
Celestia's horn flared again and the glow around everypony renewed itself in response. Shining swung the sword forward and pointed it boldly at the Trolls. The lancers broke into a charge and the rest of the Guard swept in behind them. As the line was coming abreast with Celestia and Shining Armor, they started forward themselves. As they hit full stride, they led the line by a pace.
Just as the two forces were about to collide, Celestia reared in mid-gallop and fired a bolt of brilliant gold energy into the foremost Trolls. It blasted dozens of them backwards and left them scorched and unmoving. The Unicorns all along the line fired their own bolts of force that knocked Trolls sprawling and broke their ranks apart. With the Trolls scattered and unreinforced, the Equestrian Guards drove them to the earth in heaps and left them behind. Blades and lances clove and pierced while hooves trampled the enemy under.
Their momentum carried them farther in until they met with the ragged middle lines. Still reeling from the Pegasi, they gave little resistance. They held their ground stoically and fell like wheat. When the Guard reached the rear lines of the Troll forces, Celestia realized the danger. Up until this point, not a pony had fallen. The Trolls had been too thinly spaced to offer enough challenge to even slow them. Any blow that did land simply glanced off of the shield Celestia had placed around them all.
But in her haste to push what she had seen as a momentary weakness in her enemy, she had run headlong into the middle of the entire enemy army. Her lines were not as wide as theirs and their flanking elements were folding in around on the sides of her troops. Whatever advantage there had been in exploiting the confusion following the attacks of her Pegasi would be lost if she didn't do something to stop them from being surrounded.
The Pegasi, for their part, had fallen back to collect more javelins and hadn't returned to the battle yet. Unicorn mages still perched on the hilltop could also see the danger and began bombarding the flanks in an effort to stall them, but there weren't nearly enough to turn back the tide. The front of the Equestrian lines collided with the solid ranks of the Trolls' reserve forces.
Lances and swords rang as they found their marks but now axes and spears clashed above the yells and cries of battle. The ponies still stood under the repeated blows of their enemies but Celestia felt each stroke as she held her shield in place.
So many blades striking so many ponies, she thought in dismay. It was becoming difficult to hear through the strain of stopping them all.
"Celestia!" She heard Shining yelling in her ear as if he were a great distance away. "We need to do something. They're coming around on us with fresh units. Are we to hold here? What is the plan?"
They were close enough to the front of the fighting that Shining had to turn and face down a Troll every few words. Some were borne to the ground by the weight of his greatsword alone and its keen edge cut the others down swiftly. Celestia stood rigid as she maintained her spell and could hardly move, let alone observe the field enough to form a plan.
Realizing she could not hold on forever, she lessened the strength of the shield to free up her concentration. Almost immediately she felt it being pierced a dozen separate times. She flinched visibly as a pony's cry of pain carried to her through the cacophony.
"We must fall back to the hill again," she managed. "Take the higher ground against them."
Shining nodded and called to his officers to spread the word to retreat. The Trolls, however, had a different idea. As the ponies disengaged, the Trolls' flanks converged to box them in. Celestia's forces threw themselves at the enemy blocking their escape but there were too many to be pushed back.
Ponies began to fall as Celestia's shield failed further. They were completely surrounded now and the Trolls continued to block all paths to freedom with waves of fresh bodies. The Pegasi had returned and were hammering the Trolls in an effort to clear the way but the hail of javelins was producing little headway. In desperation, some of the Pegasi performed dive-bombing attacks with their spears and hooves. Though they managed to devastate small pockets of Trolls in this manner, it was still not enough for the Guards on the ground to win free of the melee.
Worse still, some Pegasi paid with their lives as Trolls dragged them to the ground or hacked them out of the sky with thrown weapons when they came within reach. The mages on the hill were a blur of light and color as magic rained down on the Trolls resolutely. The Trolls decided they'd had enough of being harassed and sent a contingent of troops to crush the Unicorns.
Celestia noticed the Trolls' attention go to the hilltop with murder in their eyes and she caught her breath. The whole field froze for her as she watched her army disintegrate. Her lancers were struggling to remain above the tide of Trolls while her swordsponies barely managed to keep fighting against numbers they couldn't hope to stop. Her Pegasi fought and died in blazes of glory that would forever be tinged with the horror of their torn bodies in her memories.
Shining Armor seemed to be everywhere at once, beating back knots of Trolls that threatened to overwhelm elements of the Guard. His blade flashed and his pike plunged while blows were returned at him with little effect. But as he passed by Celestia time and again, she could see his strength waning. Blood trailed from a dozen small wounds across his flanks and a deep gash in one leg bleed freely. He simply staggered on through the raging battle, oblivious to the toll it was taking on him.
She could take the sight of her ponies dying no longer and raised her horn to the sky. She flared her wings and lifted clear of the ground as her magic gathered strength.
"SHIELD YOUR EYES!" her voice boomed.
With no more warning than that, she unleashed a blinding blast of light. The entire field dissolved. A single piercing note, so high that it could hardly be heard at all, cut through the thunder of battle and left all present in silence.
~*~*~
Mornings on the farm were always busy. The past few days' preparations for the war had put normal operations in the back seat. This morning had been a time to catch up on the tasks that had been neglected for too long. Jason and Big Mac had been up before the sun to fix a section of the barn roof that had been slowly coming loose for weeks. Cor headed out to the farther fields to round up a pair of stray pigs. Jason talked Zacon into pulling hay bales into the barn loft once he and Big Mac were through.
They all came back to the house afterwards and sat down around the table for a late breakfast. As they passed the plates around and chatted to the tune of clinking glasses and silverware, Applejack made her first appearance of the day.
"Mornin' everypony," she said, stifling a yawn.
"You're risin' a mite later than usual," Big Mac said inquiringly.
"I was out later than usual."
"What kept you? Important work?" Jason asked between mouthfuls.
Applejack hesitated and most of them noticed. "Yeah. It was important," she said, trying and failing to not sound evasive.
"Right." Jason remained doubtful but couldn't find a reason to press.
Applejack tried to exchange a furtive glance with Zacon but the big stallion showed no interest. She took a plate from the kitchen and helped herself to food. Most of the others finished and excused themselves. Zacon lingered at the door long enough for Applejack to notice and then headed out towards the woods.
She ate hurriedly and cleaned up so she could catch him. She met him at the edge of the trees and they silently returned to their training site. Bark carpeted the sparse undergrowth like newly fallen snow. One tree leaned heavily against its neighbor and both were in danger of toppling. Every trunk was scored with the slashes of a sword. Most were cut all the way around and several inches deep. One sword lay bent and dulled beside one slightly less dull.
Zacon took in the scene and nodded in approval. "You've done well enough. I expect you to continue to show this level of determination as you carry on your training."
"I sure will," Applejack beamed. She was starting to think that was as high as his praise went. "And with just a few more days of your trainin', I'll be ready to ship out to the army."
"I won't be training you any longer," he said matter-of-factly.
"What? Did I do somethin' wrong?"
"No. In fact, you've done everything right. Since an officer is coming into town to check on the volunteer lists, Cor, Jason and I are planning to leave today with the other recruits."
"But my trainin'...?" Applejack frowned.
"...will continue," Zacon finished. "You will work on your own to improve the skills you have already learned."
"You think I can train myself?"
"Of course," He said with the same expressionless tone. "I knew you could from the beginning."
She looked at him suspiciously.
"You see, I knew that all it would take was to get you started. A solid push in the right direction. Once you had a grasp of how to fight, there was no stopping you from improving yourself. And you've impressed me even more than I thought you might."
"I've impressed you? But you never gave me any clue that I was gettin' it right. All you ever gave me was 'do it better' and 'hit harder'. You can't be serious that ya'll were actually impressed."
"A teacher should never tell a student how well they are doing until after they have learned the lesson. By concealing your success from you, you felt that you had to work harder to succeed. And by doing so, you have progressed considerably. I am proud to call you my student."
Applejack was speechless for a second. "I'm mighty thankful, Zacon. I'll keep makin' you proud," she said with a firm nod of resolution.
"See that you do," he said gruffly but the hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth. "Keep working your strength and practice the footing for parrying. Those will likely be your most important skills." He strode off toward town, leaving Applejack to her work.
~*~*~
In what felt like no time at all, Applejack was tired out again. Her muscles protested being worked so hard after such a short rest. Almost limping on her exhausted legs, she made her way to the farm. A glance at the sun told her how much time had actually passed.
"Nearly time for lunch," she said to herself.
"Eeyup."
Big Mac had heard her as she passed him near the barn. He was rearranging the contents of a wagon he had brought in from town. He was too caught up in his work to turn around. Applejack was about to leave him to it when she spied something suspicious in the wagon.
"What's all this?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.
Big Mac stopped and turned then. He regarded her with a calm, thoughtful gaze. The fact that there were weapons and armor in the wagon didn't bother Applejack. What did bother her was that there was only one set and it looked like it was fitted to Big Mac.
Applejack sputtered before finding her voice again. "You're packin' up to join the army?!"
Big Mac said nothing.
"Why of all the..." She stamped her hoof in frustration. "Ya'll tell me 'no' so fast I hadn't even said it yet and then you just up and get set to leave the very next day? Ya'll have got some nerve!"
Big Mac continued to remain silent.
"If ya'll think you're fit to go fight and I ain't, you got another thing comin'."
Big Mac didn't flinch under her ire. In fact, he seemed to have been expecting it. "You need to understand why I'm doin' this," he said patiently.
"Understand? Oh, I understand it right enough! You think I can't handle it. That you're better suited to fightin' than I am. Well, I've been trainin'! Zacon's even been teachin' me! What do you have to say to that?" She smiled at her triumph, sure that he hadn't been ready for that and couldn't possibly find a reason against her now.
"It ain't about trainin' and such. It's about me tellin' you that you're not gonna fight."
Her confidence ignited into anger. He was being more impossible than she'd anticipated. "And why the hay can't I?!" she exploded. "If ya'll are packin up and marchin' out and Rainbow's already joined up, why can't I?"
"Listen," he said with a huge sigh. "We're both able ponies and I'd wager we can play the part of soldier better than most ponies in town. But we can't both go off and leave the farm. I know Granny can still pull her weight and Apple Bloom is growin' into a strong young mare but they'll need lookin' after."
"If I don't come back, it'll be down to you to keep the farm together. If it were you that went off to fight and somethin' happened to you? Why, I don't think I could live with that." His deep voice remained as even and calm as ever but he lifted a hoof to wipe his eyes before they could betray his feelings. "So it's got to be me. 'Cause they need you here more than they need me. It's you that keeps Sweet Apple Acres afloat. It's you that's always goin' through the most trouble to make sure we've got what we need. And you've got to keep at it, for me. Please, understand Applejack. I can't worry about you puttin' yourself in danger like that."
"I'm sorry," Applejack said with a tear in her own eye. "I guess I never thought of it like that. It seems mighty selfish now. To think I fancied myself ready to fight and I hadn't even thought about those I'd be leavin' behind."
Big Mac reached over and put a hoof around her shoulder. She let herself be held in his embrace.
"I don't like the idea of lettin' everypony else go off and fight while I stay here," she sniffled. "It don't feel right to leave all the fightin' to them when it's my home too. It feels like I'm actin' the coward not bein' out there with 'em."
"It ain't cowardly, sis. You know that. Fightin' ain't the only way to protect our home. With so many ponies away fightin', we need ta know there are dependable ponies holdin' everything together so we can come back to the same homes we left. It ain't worth fightin' for if it's just gonna fall apart while we're gone."
Applejack nuzzled him slowly. She was trying not to cry openly and struggling to find a way to convince him to let her go with him, but truthfully, she had already given up because she knew that he was right. As he hugged her tighter, she let the last vestiges of her resistance fall away and wept into his shoulder.
After a moment of silence between them, Big Mac gently moved away. "I need to get goin'. The others are gatherin' at city hall to sign the recruitment papers and I can't miss the officer when he takes us to the camp."
Applejack smiled at him while wiping her eyes. "At least wait long enough for me to pack you something' for the road."
~*~*~
Ponies across town came together in the town square. The Army Sergeant had arrived an hour ago and the recruitment papers had been signed by those who had made the weighty decision. Now, loved ones said their final farewells before friends and family left for war. There was much less pomp and circumstance this day. Fewer ponies remained to watch their neighbors leave. The void the first group had left was a fresh ache. Now the second was leaving and they could feel the emptiness expanding.
Near the center of the crowd, the Apple family huddled. Applejack had her hoof around Granny Smith's shoulder while the elder gave a teary last lecture to Big Mac about keeping his mane clean. Apple Bloom hugged Big Mac's foreleg while screwing up her face in an effort to keep from crying. Big Mac patted her head while stoically absorbing their distress in an oddly reassuring way.
Several stallions stood nearby in a loose group with mugs on hoof, talking over memories. Two of them had bags beside them and their friends kept glancing at the heavy sacks before taking a long drink and trying to turn the conversation to happier times.
At the edge of the crowd, a Pegasus and a small Unicorn walked up to an Earth Pony from behind and the mother cleared her throat to get the stallion's attention.
"Ditzy!" The Doctor cried as he turned to her. "I wasn't sure you would be here."
"I wouldn't have been able to stay away if I'd tried," she said softly.
She tried not to look at him directly. The Unicorn regarded him impassively and didn't say anything. He fidgeted awkwardly for a moment.
"I'm glad you did. It means the world to me."
Ditzy smiled briefly. "You mean the world to me...to us," she amended and nuzzled Dinky.
The Doctor smiled at the filly but she simply remained silent. He glanced away as his smile faltered. He was being unnerved by her stare. It was like she was asking him a dreadful question with her eyes. He turned back to Ditzy, who was shifting from hoof to hoof slowly and biting her lip.
"I'll miss you," he said. "I'll think of you both every day."
He stepped forward and delivered the hug Ditzy was barely containing her need for. She threw herself into it and latched her forelegs behind his head. He grunted with the force of her embrace and started stroking her mane in an attempt to comfort her.
"Don't go," she whispered in a muffled voice just behind his ear. "We can't lose you. I can't lose you."
He smiled into her neck and pressed her closer. "And I can't lose you. I won't let these things come near you two. I promise." He pulled away and picked up his bags to join the others as they lined up to leave. "And I will come back. I promise that too."
She nodded as she tried to return his reassuring smile. As they watched him blend into the ranks, Dinky spoke for the first time that day.
"Mommy?" her little voice squeaked. "Where is Daddy going?"
"He has to go with the army, my little muffin." Ditzy nuzzled her daughter gently.
"But why?" the filly pressed.
"Because there are bad things out there and he has to go and make sure they can't come here."
A short silence passed between them, lost in the clamor around them.
"He's not leaving forever, is he?" Dinky asked.
"No. He'll come back, my muffin." Ditzy said softly. She kept following his mane above the many ponies that now separated them. When she finally lost sight of him, she lowered her voice to a whisper and closed her eyes against the tears. "He promised."
~*~*~
A mare sat alone next to the fountain, tying her bag shut. She received an odd glance or two since she was the only mare among the recruits that day. She brushed her teal mane back and tried to ignore them. Experience had taught her how to find something to concentrate on so that she wouldn't be tempted to meet their eyes and see the judgment just beneath the surface.
She wasn't worried that they would see shame in her eyes; she was beyond feeling shame for her choices. What other ponies thought meant little to her when she knew in her heart that she wasn't doing anything worth the scorn they directed at her. Not then, and not today either. It was no different now than it had been before, except she would actually be fighting battles for what she believed was right.
No, she was worried they would take it as a challenge, an act of defiance, and that it would set them against her even more firmly. She was doing this for them too, to prove that she was worth more than they were willing to admit. She wanted them to see it that way. After all, when she got back, they would still be her neighbors. She would have enough enemies to worry about out there without upsetting the ones she already had at home.
Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through her melancholy mood.
"Lyra?!"
An Earth Pony with a curly pink and navy blue mane and creamy coat pushed through the ponies around her to reach the minty green Unicorn.
"Why?" she asked, not needing to elaborate for Lyra to understand what she meant.
Lyra glanced around furtively. "Bon Bon, not here." She had hoped to leave before the other mare could reach her. It had been hard to make the decision to leave without saying goodbye in more than a letter but she felt it would have been best. It seemed that plan was moot.
"Why not here? You didn't give me a chance anywhere else. All I got was a note on the table that said you might never be coming back!"
"You know that's not what I wrote...," Lyra tried to interject.
"It might as well have!" Bon Bon cut her off with a stamp of her hoof. "I want to know why you would do this. Why now, just as we've settled in together. I thought we'd be able to relax, that finally, after all we've had to deal with, we'd be able to live happily." Her eyes grew moist. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Of course that's what I want, Bon Bon." Lyra got up and lifted the other's chin with a hoof. "But we can't relax yet. Not when Equestria, and our home with it, is in danger."
"Let them worry about the rest of Equestria!" Bon Bon snapped. "It isn't for us, and they've made that clear enough. We've fought for our home and we'll live there peacefully."
"You know that's not how it works. This problem isn't going to stay away because we ignore it."
Bon Bon cast a glare at the ponies around them. "Why should you risk yourself to protect them if they only ridicule and mock us? It's not fair."
"No, it's not. But I can't just leave it to them to protect us either. Do you want to sit here hoping they manage to win? Worrying that the war will not find its way to our doorstep? Praying that we'll be spared when others are not?" Lyra sighed as a tear made a damp trail on Bon Bon's cheek. "I don't mean to preach doom at you, but I'm not about to let anything destroy what we've built just as we thought we were through the worst of it. You're everything to me. If this is what I have to do to keep you safe, I'll do it gladly."
Bon Bon nodded forlornly. Lyra tried to think of something more to say but the Sergeant called out for the recruits to head out. Lyra hesitated for just a moment longer. Throwing caution to the winds, she grabbed Bon Bon and kissed her as hard as she could without knocking her over. Bon Bon squeaked in surprise and then melted into it, putting her hooves around Lyra's shoulders. Too soon, it was over. Lyra turned to pick up her bag, paused to give one last smile and then trotted off after the departing group.
~*~*~
As the line of ponies followed the Sergeant out of town, their well-wishers filed after, waving and calling out encouragement and listening to the shouts of reassurance in return. Apple Bloom and Granny Smith sat next to each other on the steps of Town Hall, having already said what they could and now trying to find comfort in what was left of the family around them.
Applejack stood listlessly by their side, going over her own attempts to join up. All of her effort in training had been wasted and it tasted bitter in her mouth. But Big Mac had been right. She couldn't have done that to them. The knot of worry that she felt in her stomach told her that much. They would have felt the same way for her, except Big Mac would have harbored guilt for letting her put herself in danger.
He was so sensitive about such things. She had to keep reminding herself of that fact because of his reserved demeanor. As big and gruff as he seemed and as quiet he was about everything, it was surprising how perceptive and compassionate he was. Applejack smiled thinking about him. His presence had a measure of confidence in it, as if simply being there with them was enough to hold them together. They all felt it, and they would all miss it.
Applejack blinked when she noticed three figures walking in the wake of the other recruits. Jason, Cor and Zacon were leaving, a saddlebag over each of their backs. Their weapons hung in their new slings along with a few extra pieces of equipment. Applejack hesitated for only a second and then bounded after them.
When she caught up, she matched their pace. She smiled in greeting and said, "It seems like ya'll were just walkin' into town yesterday. Now you're leavin' to fight for Equestria."
"It was only a week or so ago," Zacon rumbled unhelpfully. "It may as well have been a day."
Applejack frowned at him before continuing. "I'm grateful that ya'll are willin' to help us fight off them Trolls. It means a lot to me that you think we're that important, even after just this long knowin' us."
"Of course," Jason said straight-faced. "But how long we've known you isn't what's important. It's whom we've gotten to know that is. And I'm not going to war to defend a country. I'm not about to fight for a flag or a crown. I'm fighting for you: You, and your friends, and every pony in Equestria. I fight because you are special to me; because you are worth any amount of danger."
"I fight because I haven't had a good fight in more than a week," Zacon interjected.
Cor grinned at Jason, who shook his head in disappointment. Applejack rolled her eyes. She took a moment to put her words in order before pulling Jason aside.
"I know you're a soldier and all, and you've likely heard this before, but I just got to say it." She worked up a smile. "Ya'll be safe, you hear? I'll be thinkin' about you every day. And tell Rainbow she's in our prayers too when you see her."
"I'll make sure I do," he smiled back at her. "We'll watch out for each other, don't you worry. We might seem a bit dysfunctional but we've got each other's backs when it matters."
Applejack still looked troubled despite her attempt to smile.
"Applejack, listen. This place is too special for me to let it come to harm. I'll defend it as if it were my own home and as if you were my own people."
"I know you will. I just wish I could know ya'll were safe."
"We'll be safe," Jason laughed. "This is what we were doing before we got here. But it will be harder if I have to think that you're worrying about me. Promise you'll try not to worry?"
Applejack nodded halfheartedly. He pushed her hat back and kissed her forehead briefly. She blushed with wide eyes as he turned and ran to catch up with the others. The sun may have passed through the sky a hundred times for all she cared. She watched the road long after he was out of sight. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Thirteen: On the Dark Horizon | The ponies traveled north from Ponyville at a forced pace. There were twenty recruits in all. Some recognized each other from around town but most were not formally acquainted. They didn't try to break the ice either since the mood didn't encourage conversation; they had left their words with their families. The black-coated Earth Pony Sergeant that led them, who had introduced himself as Obsidian Blitz before they'd set out, had a grim face and a stern gaze that seemed to accuse everything they looked upon of dire insult.
Then there were the three ponies who trailed behind. They acted like they were part of the group but kept a distance that suggested otherwise. They wore their armor and weapons with familiarity and confidence and spent their time closely observing the other recruits. The ponies marched along in silence, uneasily under the scrutiny.
The moment Ponyville was out of sight, it felt as if it were a world away. Some of the ponies had never been this far from home. It staggered some of them to see the world stretch away from the top of each hill. Although it was not actually a very far distance, the atmosphere of their travel made it seem to take an eternity to reach their destination.
"The Camp" had been a foreign place when it had been just a vague idea in their minds. Now that they were there, it took shape and form. The camp lay in the lee of a small mountain, just between the foothills and the adjacent woodland. Tents stood in rows, neat and orderly, along the patches of level ground across the hillside. In the more open places, just before the tree line, were fields obviously staged for training exercises.
There was movement everywhere. Ponies drilled in the fields and walked among the tents. Shouts and the ring of weapons on the wheel could be heard above the dull bustle. The Sergeant led them straight through to a parade ground at the center of the camp. A Pegasus from the Wonderbolts, now wearing a set of lightweight armor in the style of the Wonderbolt uniform, was waiting for them. He separated out the Air Corp recruits and led them to a separate camp higher up on the mountain.
Sergeant Blitz ordered the remaining recruits to line up and they quickly complied. He noticed the three stragglers hanging off to the side and approached them. After he'd barked at them for not lining up, one of them proceeded to respond in a voice too soft for the others to overhear but was obviously dealing a stinging rebuke.
The Sergeant retreated with poorly concealed chagrin. However, he was back in command shortly, informing the recruits in a harsh shout exactly what they had signed on for. Through the ringing in their ears, they were told what would be expected of them and what each of them could expect over the next few days.
They were soldiers, they were told. And as soldiers, they would be expected to give everything they had, not just for the Princesses or even for their families and friends, but for everypony in Equestria. Their time in camp would give them the skills to defend and serve. Their effort would determine their success.
Sergeant Blitz continued on to outline their daily schedule of weapons training and field drills as well as a regiment of conditioning exercises. The moment he finished with those formalities, he was shouting them into action. He drove them into an agility course and didn't hesitate to berate their skills. Most of the ponies floundered under the pace and pressure.
Big Mac impressed those who knew him and surprised those who didn't. Despite his bulky physique, he managed to keep up with the more lithe ponies as they wove through pylons and jumped hurdles. Other less fit ponies fell behind him and watched as he completed the course's best without breaking a sweat.
Jason, Cor and Zacon hung back, discussing how to proceed.
"It's just basic training," Jason pointed out.
"But it's for these bodies," Cor reminded him. "And I'm still not entirely used to it."
"So get going." Jason gestured at the course. He sat down as if to watch.
"What do you mean 'get going'? You two are coming with me if I'm going out there."
"Is that an order?" Jason raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, it is. Now let's move. Both of you." Cor glared at Zacon, who was barely paying attention.
"I don't take orders from you," Zacon grunted.
"You know what I mean!" Cor said, jabbing him with a hoof.
"Are you insisting that I make you look bad when you fall on your face?"
"You can try," Cor grinned, trying to make it a challenge.
Evidently it worked. Zacon set his axe aside and approached the course. Jason got up and followed them reluctantly. Despite his banter, Zacon became frustrated shortly after beginning. His build favored power over agility and he crashed from obstacle to obstacle like a pinball in slow motion. He progressed faster than Cor by sheer force of muscle but both appeared laughably clumsy.
Jason was hardly attempting to complete the course. Instead, he was carefully navigating each section and closely examining it before moving on. Cor took his stumbling stoically, having gone in expecting failure.
The Sergeant sauntered over and casually observed that the recruits had already moved to a field exercise. If the three of them were having too much trouble with the agility course, they were welcome to join them in the other drills. He left laughing and Zacon filled his departure with a string of venomous curses.
Jason kept at his slow plodding pace as he experimented with the limits of his body's ability in a vaguely amused manner. Having been greatly discouraged, Cor and Zacon left to watch the others train. Both refused to admit they had given up on the agility course but neither would risk further humiliation by continuing.
They seated themselves at the edge of the field and silently observed.
~*~*~
The ponies stood together on the field with their new equipment and awaited the start of the drills. Harnesses for spears and shields had been passed out and donned. Lyra held the spear in her telekinetic grip and turned it over experimentally. She'd never held a weapon before, bread knives not included. It was no mystery how it worked, but she still eyed it like an alien artifact. Perhaps it was her habit of ignoring voices of criticism, but she didn't realize the Sergeant was yelling at her until he came right up in her face.
"Get in line instead of standing there like a rotted log!"
Lyra quickly sidestepped over to the others where they waited while her heart skipped a beat in embarrassment. She hadn't been made a fool of in a long time. Worse, she hadn't felt that she'd been in the wrong in a long time. The Sergeant plowed ahead, addressing the group while pacing up and down their line.
"Those Unicorns here can do their magic bit to twirl their weapons but you Earth Ponies listen up. Your armor has mounts to hold your weapons in place so your hooves can concentrate on getting you around the field. You'll need to learn how to make use of them if you intend to do any good out there."
It took them half an hour to make sure they all knew how to draw and mount their weapons properly. Many dropped them repeatedly before getting it right. With a short drill of drawing, sheathing, drawing, mounting, dismounting, and sheathing again, they finally were able to keep a hold of their equipment.
He led them through thrusts with a mounted spear and charges as a large group. They ran the length of the field dozens of times before moving to the next exercise: Swords. A line of magically molded clay figures that vaguely resembled some sort of animal were their targets. The Sergeant walked up and down the line as they hacked at them and barked corrections to their form and stance.
As the recruits worked, bits of clay flew off of the figures and magically regenerated. Lyra was mesmerized by it as she would chop away at it only for her progress to vanish a moment later. It created a sense of futility and she became frustrated rapidly. She attacked haphazardly and became exhausted in minutes while ineffectually striking the target with poorly aimed swings. Despite this, she pushed on with maddened determination. When the Sergeant passed her, he paused to watch and then walked on without a word.
Big Mac was turning heads with his powerful strokes that left chucks of clay around his hooves. His coat glistened with sweat just like every other pony around him but he was not showing the same signs of fatigue. His breathing was even and deep and his motion was smooth. Others were panting and haggard and swung with jerky movements.
The training was wearing them down, just as it should. Sergeant Blitz was silently pleased with their effort. He was not the only one. From across the field, Cor and Zacon deliberated in hushed tones the worth of what they saw.
~*~*~
The late afternoon turned rapidly to dusk under the haze of hard training. Most of the recruits could hardly stand when their Sergeant released them for the day. They trudged, and in some cases hobbled, over to the mess tent. Rations were dealt out mechanically by a team of stallions who looked as tired as the others felt: A bowl of thick vegetable soup with a half loaf of bread and a mug of water. Upwards of a hundred ponies passed through the mess tent before spreading out across the camp.
Lyra and Big Mac stood side by side trying to decide where to go. They stuck together because they had been next to each other all day and the familiarity was a small comfort to them. Camp fires sprang up as darkness fell with ponies congregating around them in clique-like groups. Another pony who'd signed on with them approached.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked.
"Not at all," Lyra said. "There's not much to exclude you from in any case." She looked around again, still unsure where they belonged.
Big Mac started walking and they followed him automatically. It felt better to be moving. It gave the illusion of purpose. They'd passed a fair number of fires before one group called out and waved them over. The voice was warm and welcoming and they gratefully joined the circle of half a dozen ponies.
"You're from around Ponyville?" their host inquired in greeting. The Earth Pony's coat was cream and even in the failing light his sky blue mane, which matched his eyes, was so light it seemed to glow. He was a slighter pony but he seemed comfortable in himself.
"Eeyup," Big Mac said.
"I thought I recognized you," he nodded. He gestured to his companions around the fire. "We're all Ponyville here. What say we get better acquainted? My name is Goldengrape."
"It's a pleasure, Goldengrape," the stallion who'd tagged along with them spoke up. "I'm Time Turner."
"I've heard of you," one of the ponies around the fire observed. "Aren't you also known as Doctor Whooves?"
"Hehe, yep."
"Any particular reason?"
He grew solemn. "Do you know Ditzy Doo? Well, Ditzy and I...it's a bit complicated."
"Why 'Doctor' though?"
Turner sighed. "Some ponies think of Ditzy like she's sick or damaged. They say I'm a doctor because they look at me like I'm treating her. I didn't coin the phrase."
"Sorry. I won't call you that if it bothers you."
"No no. Not at all. I'm quite used to it. It's a funny little name really."
"And how about you?" Goldengrape asked Big Mac.
"My name is Big Macintosh but most everypony calls me Big Mac."
"From Sweet Apple Acres?" a thickly built pony asked. He was grey-coated with a darker grey mane and his voice was deeper than Big Mac's.
Big Mac nodded.
"Yeah, I've seen you pulling those heavy carts through town." He looked Big Mac over critically. "If I were a betting pony, I'd say you'll put us all to shame when it comes to fighting."
Big Mac shrugged modestly. Eyes turned to Lyra. She could see the change on their faces when they looked at her closely for the first time. She cleared her throat and spoke with as much confidence as she could muster.
"My name is Lyra Heartstrings."
She addressed the campfire to avoid prompting any particular pony to respond by making eye contact. The fire responded by spitting a shower of sparks as a log snapped and fell onto the coals. It was the only sound for several seconds.
I hadn't expected it to be this bad, she thought.
She didn't look up as she heard them shift and fidget. Most of them seemed to find their current seats suddenly uncomfortable.
"Well," one pony began, breaking the brittle silence. "Not too many mares in the ranks, eh?"
She glanced up at his voice and saw him looking around at his fellows for approval. There were nods and grunts of agreement but nothing more substantial. Lyra frowned, reading their looks, both at her and each other. She found signs of doubt and hints of disapproval. Whether what she saw was real or merely conjured up by her previous struggles never occurred to her. Several sharp rebukes were forming on her lips when Big Mac spoke.
"My sister Applejack would have been here but she had to stay and keep the farm runnin'."
"Aye," another stallion with an orange mane and tan coat said. "And that lass, Rainbow Dash was her name I think, she was among the first of the volunteers. With the Air Corps if I'm rememberin' correctly." His tweed cap turned this way and that to see nods of agreement from all around.
Lyra held her breath but the conversation turned away from her as the others introduced themselves and the meal was finished. She listened in but drifted somewhere outside of the group. As the night deepened, a few broke away and took to their tents. Lyra found herself sitting next to Time Turner. She let silence reign while she debated certain possibilities. When she'd found her mental footing, she turned to him.
"You said something about a complicated situation earlier?"
"What?" he said, sounding startled. He'd been staring at the fire with an intensity that usually accompanied deep thought.
"It's just you mentioned things between you and Ditzy were complicated. Would you mind if I ask how?"
"I suppose I don't mind." He went back to gazing into the fire. "I'm just tired of the way she's treated. You know her reputation as a bit clumsy?"
Lyra nodded slowly. "From what I've heard, it's more than a bit."
"That's just what I mean." He shook his head. "It isn't as if she drops everything she holds, but that's precisely what ponies expect of her. I've lived with her..."
He cleared his throat self-consciously behind his hoof and glanced at her to see her reaction. She hadn't even blinked but continued to watch him expectantly. He paused for a second longer.
"I've lived with her for nearly two years now. So I think I know her better than just about any pony in town. She's not clumsy. Not really. There are times that she makes a mistake or loses her balance, but I'm convinced ponies think so poorly of her because those are the only times they pay attention to her." He frowned. "That's the problem with ponies sometimes. They make a judgment based on the events that catch their attention but ignore the rest of the time. It doesn't seem to matter what they're really like, who they really are. Only what stands out as odd."
He looked directly at her as he finished speaking, expecting to find one of the expressions he usually found. Instead, Lyra was no longer looking back. She was fighting tears and a bitter frown. Turner was silenced by curiosity.
"I'm sorry," Lyra said when she realized he was staring at her. "But I know exactly what you mean. Back in town, I'm not exactly the star citizen in the eyes of my neighbors. All because of the pony I love. They don't care that we're happy together. It doesn't matter to them that we aren't hurting anypony just by being together!"
They shared a reflective quiet while she wiped her eyes.
"What you're doing for her, for Ditzy? It's really brave. I know what it's like to go against the grain. Standing by her so she doesn't have to go it alone is the most admirable thing I've seen a pony do."
His brows creased. "That means a lot. But still, I've been thinking and I'm wondering if it was right to come here. I know that the Army needs ponies willing to fight but I can't help thinking I've abandoned her."
"It was the right thing to do. She'll understand that you needed to do this." She managed to smile reassuringly.
Turner took a deep breath. "Thanks. I appreciate it." He looked around to find they were nearly alone at the dying fire. "I'll turn in for the night if that's alright."
"Of course."
As he walked away, Lyra saw Big Mac making his own way toward a tent. She decided she might as well keep up her search for answers. Catching up just as he was dropping his bags under the canvas covers, she got his attention.
"Big Mac?"
He turned and regarded her quizzically.
"I have to ask," she said, glancing around to be sure nopony was close enough to overhear. "That comment back there, about your sister?"
She left the question hanging, hoping he would take his meaning. The way he nodded, she got the impression he'd been waiting for her to ask.
"I could see that you felt singled out, bein' the only mare here. It looked to be botherin' you enough you might get defensive. That leads to arguments."
Lyra leaned in, begging for him to continue. He nodded again, seeming to understand easily.
"I mentioned my sister so they'd have to contend with us both if they had a problem with mares in the Army. They'd be less likely to make a fuss about it that way."
Lyra blinked. She felt a pang of shame for such an honest and thoughtful answer not to have occurred to her.
"I...that's..." she faltered. "Thank you. It's been a long time since somepony has stuck up for me. I've had to fight my own battles for years."
"We're all gonna be fighting battles side by side in the near future," Big Mac replied ominously. "We might as well start by being on each others' side when we do."
She smiled and nodded. He excused himself and she went in search of her own tent, which had been assigned to her when she'd received her meal. Each one had a number printed on its side. Hers was 97. She found it high on the hillside looking down over most of the camp. Like all the rest, it was just big enough for her to lie down in.
She rolled into the blanket on the tough pad that she found inside. It had been a long day but she had hardly realized how tired she was until she was lying down. So many thoughts were trying to run through her mind that she didn't think she'd be able to sleep. No sooner had she made that prediction that she drifted off into dreamless rest.
~*~*~
Ponies fought and fell around her but Celestia did nothing. It was as if she were frozen, unable to act. In horror, she watched as Trolls pushed in and ponies fell under them. Blades flashed and blood flew, each second captured clear as crystal and thrust before her eyes. Brave and loyal to the end, her Royal Guard thinned until only Shining Armor stood beside her. His blade swept right and left and cleared the enemy away, warding her from harm. But in only moments they were back and he had to swing again just to find room to breathe.
She fought against her panic, thinking that was what held her in place. But the harder she willed herself to move, the tighter her muscles felt. Shining Armor turned to her desperately, his strength failing as the battle wore on.
"Your Highness! What are we to do? We can't win!"
Celestia tried to tell him to run, to save himself, but she found that she couldn't even open her mouth to speak. Shining had turned his back on the Trolls and they rose up in a wave behind him, weapons raised to strike him down. She called out in the frantic silence of her mind to warn him but no sound escaped her lips. Shining repeated his plea for orders and his words echoed in her ears, mocking her inability to act. The Trolls came down on him and dragged him from view. Celestia tried to scream but her throat strangled the sound before she could get it out.
Princess Celestia stood in the middle of her fallen army, ringed in by a sea of Trolls who leered at her and growled dark threats to the remainder of her subjects. They told her of the suffering she had failed to stop and the death she could not escape. They closed in and buried her with sheer numbers until everything went black.
Then, out of that blackness, a face rose. A pony's face. He whispered to her and she struggled to hear. She blinked and the face was Shining Armor's...except he was bloodied and torn. Flesh had been stripped away by blades and crushed by fists and hammers. His bright eyes, where she had always found resolve, were empty of everything but blame.
"You led us and we followed you. We trusted you. You brought us here to die. How could you Celestia? How could you betray us like this?" His lips moved but the voice came from inside her own head.
"No!" she tried to scream, to do anything, but his whispers cut apart her protests as if she were nothing more than a breeze in the face of a hurricane.
"It was you. All because of you. Tell my parents, you killed us."
Celestia closed her eyes, the first thing she'd been able to do since this began.
"Sister."
Celestia opened her eyes at Luna's voice. Princess Luna stood where Shining Armor's head had been.
"Wake up, dear sister. You must not let these thoughts plague you. End it now!"
Celestia jolted upright and threw the blanket from her sweat-soaked body. She stood panting as the last of the episode faded into the back of her mind. She flexed a wing experimentally to reassure herself that it had truly ended. It had been a dream: A dire reenactment of her worst fears. The battle was a day behind them and they were nearing Canterlot. Their retreat was a somber one and they were all wearied.
The light of a single candle burned on the table on the far side of the tent. Her bed cushion was askew from her abrupt awakening. The tent flap was still closed and the guard outside had not been alerted to her distress. She slowly scanned the room for any trace of the specters that hung in her mind. She only saw one thing that was out of place but it brought a smile to her lips.
"I would have come sooner but there have been many nightmares to quell." Luna stood on the other side of the tent. She looked as weary as Celestia felt.
"Dear sister," Celestia said softly, nuzzling her. "This is all so horrible. So many lost so quickly and so much still in danger. I cannot face this alone."
"You do not face this alone. We are together in this and together we are strong. We will overcome them."
Luna spoke with that same tone of confidence and determination that Celestia had always relied on. Her sister was a wall of confidence once her mind was made up. She let her faith lean against it for a much needed rest.
"Now tell me sister, what has happened in the battle. I've had no time to learn of it yet."
Celestia very nearly told her not to ask just now. But she knew that she needed to spread the news, so she approached the table that contained some hastily drawn maps of their position as well as rosters and supply lists.
"We met them on the edge of the Greenspring Glades. They didn't even give me an audience to discuss peace. The battle began well but we were surrounded and forced to retreat. I blinded and deafened the enemy so that we could make our escape. We were forced to leave the dead. Our scouts say they've given no pursuit but I know that will not last long."
"This offensive was meant to be a delaying action only and our plan was to return to Canterlot and march again with the Army. Now, I shudder at the thought. We lost one hundred fifty Guards. I should count myself lucky to grieve so few given the number we faced, especially with the number we vanquished. But I cannot do that. And their families..."
"Did they fight well?" Luna interrupted. "Were they brave to the last?"
"Yes, but..."
"Did the plan work? You said the enemy does not yet advance. Was this not the goal?"
"It was."
"Are your troops not more heartened by this victory than they suffer their losses?"
"I...don't know," Celestia admitted. "I haven't been able to see through my own shock yet."
"Hmm." Luna eyed her critically. "That is important, sister. You must keep their spirits up. If this is a victory as you have indicated, you must let them know it. Don't allow them to dwell on loss when their sacrifice has not been in vain, in fact, has done everything we hoped it would. Perhaps with their minds on the success of their mission, I will not need to fight so much despair, yours included."
She turned to leave. Her mane wrapped her in diamond encrusted mist and her eyes cast the luminescence of the moon on the canvas walls of the tent. "I have many ponies to assist still before morning. I will be back again, sister. Hold fast."
With a flash, she was gone. Celestia considered lying back down again but knew she would find no more rest that night. She went back to the table and stared at the documents without seeing them. Luna had told her to remember the victories of yesterday. But it was still small comfort to her in light of the lives lost to achieve them. She heard the wisdom of her words however, and agreed that her ponies needed to think of this as good. She would pretend for them if she must.
Therefore, she spent the rest of the night seeing the faces of the ponies lost in battle. She heard their voices in the hallowed silence of her mind. She whispered their names as she said goodbye to each one. As the hours passed, the weight in her heart lifted marginally and when she felt it was time to raise the sun, she also felt she had come to terms with her grief enough to smile again.
She stepped outside and turned to the east. As she reached out to the sun with her magic, connected to it as intimately as another limb, she was soothed by the routine. It was a comfortable, familiar exercise and she lost herself in it this morning. All of her sadness and pain as well as the sense of calm that had come over her flowed through her and into the sunrise.
When she opened her eyes, it was like looking into a mirror. The light touched everything with a feather's softness. At first, the sun seemed smaller as it came up from behind the mountains but it was really the world that seemed bigger. Color bloomed like a sudden spring after a barren winter. Sounds started soft and distant as the first of the day's birds took to the air. Her country came awake and she felt a part of it more deeply than she usually did. The blood spilt for all she held dear made it that much more valuable.
Her ear twitched when a sound closer to her intruded on her serenity.
"Your Highness?" Shining Armor announced himself as he approached, his helmet held at his side. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"
"No," she replied slowly, tucking the last of her morning's sanctuary into her heart.
He hesitated as if he knew that he had interrupted, despite her response to the contrary. "I needed to ask about something on a personal matter and I feel it can't wait."
"Of course. Go ahead." Celestia turned to give him her full attention.
"I've been thinking about how fast this is all happening. We went off to battle without so much as a day to pack. It's too rushed."
"You wish you had more time," Celestia nodded in understanding. "We all wish there had been more time. But then, we also wish this had never begun at all."
Shining let his shoulders slump tiredly. "I suppose you're right. It's just that some time would have been better than none. I can't stop thinking about the last words we had together and what it would mean to never come back. To have those be the last we saw of each other."
"I'm sure your parents know that you had no choice," Celestia assured him softly. "We had to leave as swiftly as possible or you would have taken more time to speak with them."
"It isn't what I said to my parents. We talked about me leaving long enough to resolve all of that. Besides, they've always understood what being in the Guard meant." He scuffed the ground with a hoof and looked away despondently. "No, it's Cadence. Last time I saw her, when we said goodbye, we hardly spoke. I was late for the train and I rushed out." He lowered his voice sorrowfully. "I gave her a peck on the cheek and galloped off. I don't even remember the words she said to me."
Now Celestia knew what had been bothering him on the eve of the battle. She had been wrong about the cause but more or less correct about the effect it was having on him.
"There was no way to foresee this happening. I suppose the lesson here is to treat every moment with those we love as the most important one of our lives. It may just be our last. But I do not believe it was your last. She knows how strong you are and you know how strong she is in turn. When you see her again, it will be the more joyful for having been separated so."
Shining still looked a bit doubtful. So she bent close and spoke softly near his ear.
"Take it from somepony who knows from experience. My last words with my sister before her banishment still leave a bitter taste in my mouth. But the day of her return was one of the happiest of my life. There will be time to make amends for our absences after we have made our homes safe."
Shining looked at the ground thoughtfully. Celestia gave him a moment before turning to the business at hoof.
"I need your opinion of our morale."
"You mean the Guard?" Shining asked, putting his own troubles aside. "They've been taking it well enough. We're all still with you if that's what you mean."
"Not quite. I want to know if they feel they've succeeded. We've paid a dear price for what I must see as a victory. As you know, we never intended to defeat the Trolls in this one battle. And given the odds against us, we were most successful in our goal of slowing them. I want you to make a point of expressing that to the rest of the troops. They need to take heart in our victory instead of dwell on our losses."
"I'll be sure to set that tone, your Highness."
They stood together overlooking the country. The tops of the tallest spires in Canterlot were just visible as the sun rose over the mountains to light them with the fire of morning. They both watched as the towers came into the light as minutes passed. Sparkling windows among the gold and white walls from this distance gave the illusion of enchantment.
Like shattering glass, a Guard raced toward them, saluted the Captain, bowed to the Princess, and gave his report without pause.
"Our long-range scouts have returned. Three more enemy hordes have been spotted. All are of nearly equal size to the first and underway at a forced march."
"Wh-where?" Celestia's voice faltered with the suddenness of the news.
"One is moving through western Equestria in a southward direction. One is coming close behind the force we've just faced and looks to reinforce them. The other is making directly for the Crystal Empire."
Shining's helmet fell to the ground beside him. He turned to Celestia with a look that needed no words.
"Thank you, Sergeant." Celestia nodded to Shining Armor reluctantly. "Yes, Shining. You must go and warn the Empire. Lead them in the defense of the north. And see to it that you spend some time alone with Cadence. I have a feeling this will be a longer road to peace than we thought."
Shining's face was set in granite as he put his helmet on and called out to several officers. He descended back into the camp and gave orders to arrange the shift in command with his departure. Celestia fought back a wave of despair. She had thought the end was in sight, that with the army, she would be able to push the enemy out of Equestria. Now it seemed they were more hopelessly outmatched than she had feared.
So much for fortifying the troops' spirits, she thought, looking back at her golden orb lifting clear of the far peaks. Its light did little to warm the chill that was passing through her. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Fourteen: It’s Never a Good Time | The pages of the tome turned with a crisp swish. The scratching of a quill, the scrap of bindings across the table's surface and the subtle hum of magic were all the sound in the world at that moment. Twilight punctuated the end of the sentence and rolled up the parchment. She walked across the room and set it in the neat stack of similar scrolls on one of her many writing desks. Each one was a report to Princess Celestia on some subject or another that she'd been meaning to complete for weeks.
They were arranged by date completed and patiently awaiting delivery. She was planning to send them as soon as...as soon as the Princess wasn't so busy. Twilight levitated the book back to its place on the shelf and took a moment to reorder all of her materials. All of her ink set to the top left of the desk with the open one just slightly forward, rolls of parchment on the right and facing toward the writing surface, extra quills at the top angled for the most convenient access. She straightened a bent filament on the one she was currently using and set it down. All was in order.
Another book floated down and laid itself on the table, open to the first page. She unfurled a new sheet of parchment, inked her quill and settled in for her next report. It would be her twelfth in the day and a half since the second group of recruits left town.
It was busywork. Just something to keep her mind occupied so that it wouldn't dwell elsewhere. She took refuge in the simple task of reading and writing. Her thoughts were focused and concise. The outside world did not intrude. Indeed, it could not. She'd constructed a magic soundproof barrier around the library to keep the hammers of the blacksmith and bustle up and down the streets from driving her mad with distractions. Or was that reminders?
She turned the page and skimmed through a technical section that she knew by heart. The subject was relative speeds in magical transfers. It covered the time a Unicorn might spend "in transit" when using teleportation spells as well as the delay on teleporting an object. According to the author, physical distance had no measurable effect on the time. Twilight was cross-referencing his theory with her experiences. He insisted that the familiarity of the caster with the subject of the spell, whether a point in space or an object, would be the determining factor in the time for the object to materialize at the desired location.
While there was no way to prove if this theory was accurate since there was no way to measure a pony's familiarity with something against another's, Twilight was trying to see if his observations correlated with hers. She knew that one had to picture the result before the spell would be successfully cast but she was unsure if any delay afterwards was the result of the same limiting factor. This particular report would likely require significant practical tests. She relished the challenges of setting up a control group and immediately started hypothesizing ways of measuring the...
A shudder passed through her and broke her train of thought.
She looked out the window at the part of her barrier that had been disturbed. A single Pegasus was looking back at her. The sight of his armor would have had her racing down the stairs for the door to let him in, but seeing the distress in his eyes, she skipped all of that.
With a sharp pop, she was beside him. "Yes? What is it?" she asked with enough apprehension to raise her voice an octave.
"I've come with a message for the visitors to Equestria that have been in your company."
He sounded a bit unsure as he spoke, as if he'd been told to use those particular words. Twilight took a second before responding to get over the sudden increase in volume around her.
"I'm sorry, why did you need them?"
"Princess Celestia requests an audience with them immediately in Canterlot. It's urgent," he added unnecessarily.
"They aren't here actually. They left to prepare to fight the Trolls."
"It is imperative that I find them. Do you know where they've gone?"
"I was under the impression they'd gone to the Army camp with the other recruits from Ponyville."
"Thank you. Also, the Princess has requested your presence as well. You should make your way to Canterlot as quickly as possible." He turned, spread his wings, and lifted off, leaving Twilight to work through her puzzlement alone.
~*~*~
After a full day in camp, Cor and Zacon had mastered the agility course. Or so they claimed, since they had only practiced when they were sure no one would be in attendance. Jason had long since moved on to the target fields to get a better feeling for engaging enemies without moving for each swing. He'd even begun using two swords at once, each whirling through the air in opposite directions. He hadn't used his own blade, preferring to practice with the standard swords issued to the other ponies.
Zacon had been so amused by the clay statues that he'd hardly left the field even to eat. His dexterity with his Axe was becoming fluid and controlled enough that Jason didn't avoid standing near him anymore. But not all of them were adjusting to these new weapon styles so easily.
Cor found that aiming a bow with his hands was quite different from aiming a bow with his mind alone. Having been shocked and appalled by his first few practice shots, he'd done nothing else since. Now, he was able to hit a moving statue, levitated by a helpful Unicorn, from thirty yards. He refused to acknowledge his improvements, insisting anything short of his old skill was a failure.
This day, they had worked to fine-tune the skills that they were not yet fully comfortable with. Each had kept apart for the morning, but as noon eased slowly nearer, they had come back together on the hillside looking out over the camp. Jason was winding down from his early morning routine. His swords turned over and around in a simple coordination exercise. Zacon lazed against a large stone, watching the camp's inhabitants go about their business. Cor was working the fletching of an arrow that had been damaged in practice.
Idly, they discussed what they'd seen of the pony recruits since they'd arrived.
"I'm sure they are capable of learning," Zacon drawled. "What I'm saying is that they are not going to."
"We can see from right here that they are learning." Jason pointed with his hoof at the drills in the field below them.
"Yes. We can see them marching around and swinging at quaint little targets. But that's just following orders. Learning would be applying these lessons in a real battle."
"Oh, stop your griping," Cor interjected. "It's not like you care, right?" He gave Zacon a mocking smile.
Zacon instantly shut his mouth and looked off at the mountain as if it had interested him from the start and these illogical simpletons had distracted him from its study.
"By the way," Jason said to Cor. "I'm still not quite onboard with this place even having war at all."
"And I still don't really care. What are you going to do about it? Tell them it's not allowed just because you don't like it? Besides, we've finally got something to do. And I even understand it! I'm as content as I need to be."
"Wading into a war?" Jason tried to keep his voice even, but a momentary rise in volume betrayed his disapproval.
"Yes." Cor said it simply and without any real feeling.
"Oh, I forgot." Jason's tone turned suddenly hostile. "You're used to running straight into bloodbaths as long as you have a goal in mind."
Cor looked at him sharply. "Don't talk about that. Ever! I've moved past it and I expect it to be left in the past." He looked closer at Jason. "What's really bothering you?"
"It's..." he began, but his eyes drifted to something behind Cor. "What's bothering me is that there's a guard headed right for us and he looks..."
The guard landed before Jason finished speaking. His feathers were ruffled from hard flying and he was breathing heavily. He wiped his brow before attempting to speak.
"I've come...with a...message." He took a huge gulp of air and tried to stand a little straighter. "Princess Celestia asks that you come to Canterlot immediately. She urgently requests audience with the three of you."
His knees gave way and he fell on his side in the grass, gasping for breath. They blinked at him for a few seconds but he made no further attempt to speak.
"Didn't we clear everything up with her before?" Cor muttered.
"Tell her we gave at the office," Zacon grumbled.
"Things have probably changed in..." Jason stopped and looked at Zacon. "Wait, what did you just say?"
"Isn't that the human expression for 'we did it already'?"
"Well, yes, but why would you say that?"
"She is requesting that we meet her in Canterlot. She was leading the Royal Guard against the Trolls last we heard. Obviously that battle has concluded and she has returned. If it's urgent and she's asking for us, we can assume she's asking for our help. But we're already preparing to fight." Zacon delivered the explanation in a bored tone. "Thus, we gave at the office." He looked at them for any sign of dissent.
Cor and Jason glanced at each other uncertainly.
"Oh come on!" Zacon snarled. "You think I haven't been paying attention? I'm not stupid, you know."
They shrugged and moved on.
"So we're headed to Canterlot." Cor made it a statement of fact while looking around for consent.
"It appears so." Jason nodded.
"I don't think we need to," Zacon said. "We're perfectly capable of assisting in the war from where we are. We don't need the Princess trying to give us orders."
"This isn't going to be about orders," Jason replied.
"Oh? You know so? Enlighten me."
"Her mannerisms didn't give me the feeling that she would take that approach. If anything, she'd make it a request."
"Oh, excuse me for insulting your 'feelings'. I wasn't aware they were so perceptive about the rulers of other worlds. Any other deep insights they want to share?"
"Cut the crap," Cor said, stopping any other snide remarks. "We'll go there, see what she wants, and come back. Simple."
"Fine," Zacon said. "But we're not going to be sent off anywhere else just as things are about to get interesting."
Jason set his training equipment aside and strapped his own sword back on. Cor slipped his arrows back into their quiver and stuck his bow in its sling. As they made their way down the hill back toward Ponyville, Zacon roused himself and followed, putting his Axe safely at his side again.
The messenger, who was just getting his hooves under him again, called out.
"Wait! I have transport for you."
He reached under his armor and drew out an amulet. It was designed with a pair of wings in the center of an intricately stylized circle. Its teal material glowed softly. The Guard whispered something into it and it flashed brightly. Almost at once, they noticed a dot of movement as something took to the air over Canterlot in the distance. They waited in silence as it came steadily closer.
~*~*~
When the chariot flew in, nopony paid it more than a passing glance. They were hard at work with their training, after all. But one pair of eyes caught and held when the chariot took off only seconds later. There was an urgency in its departure that triggered some instinctive unease.
Lyra nudged Time Turner and pointed.
"Aren't those the ponies that followed us here?" she asked, trying to discern details on the now distant figures.
"I believe so," he said.
They continued walking on their way to the armory to have their swords sharpened after the day's drills.
"What do you think it was about?"
"I'm sure I don't know," Turner replied, sounding equal parts annoyed and amused by her persistence.
"You aren't the least bit curious?"
"I don't expect to find the answers here and now, if that's what you're asking."
"So...you do want to know what that was?"
"You don't give up do you?" he asked with a sideways smirk.
"Not when it's something important. And a chariot ordered to pick them up seems pretty darn important." She frowned in thought. "Who are they anyway?"
"If I'm not mistaken, one of them was the Unicorn that raced and beat Rainbow Dash."
"That actually happened?" Lyra asked in surprise.
"According to her closest friends even," he nodded. He chuckled before adding, "They were out in the streets correcting the ponies that got the details mixed up."
"Huh. I guess I didn't pay any real attention to it. And those other two?"
"I don't know specifically. They were with him when the recruiting started. They had an argument with Rainbow Dash in front of half the town about joining the army."
"What did they say?"
"What, are you writing a newspaper column on it? That's all I know." He gave her an amused shake of his head.
She let the matter drop there and they deposited their equipment with the stallion marking inventory at the armory. They started towards the tents to find a few minute's rest before evening drills but a shrill whistle summoned them back to the central fields. The four Sergeants at the camp and a Royal Guard officer waited for the camp to gather. The officer consulted a list from time to time while the Sergeants spoke to each other in low tones.
When they were all assembled, the officer called for them to listen up. By this time, it was an unnecessary gesture, as he was the undivided center of their attention.
"I am Lieutenant Long Watch. This platoon will be under my command when we take the field. You will be assigned an official squad under one of the Sergeants here. Form up as you are called and get familiar with those in your groups. We'll start with Sergeant Iron Link in First Squad."
He went down the list, calling out names and watching as the pony would trot hesitantly over to their new group.
"I hope this doesn't change us around too much," Lyra said in a whisper while Sergeant Flint Gray gathered Second Squad. "It would be a pain to get used to formations with some ponies and then get stuck with others."
"Savoir Fare...Caramel...Davenport..." the officer went on.
"I agree," Turner nodded.
"Third Squad with Sergeant Obsidian Blitz...Goldengrape...Night Watch...Big McIntosh..."
"But it would be unlikely for it to work out exactly," Turner continued. "We'll likely get a few new faces to contend with."
"Lyra Heartstrings...Carrot Cake...Time Turner...Jack Hammer..."
The Lieutenant paused to flip the page and started Fourth Squad. Neither of them heard him though because a jolt had gone through Lyra and from the look on his face, she could tell Turner was having a similar reaction. Hearing her name read off had made it official in her mind somehow. She was going to war and she was not turning back. Turner's jaw worked for a moment before they walked over to the rest of their squad. Goldengrape was the first to greet them.
"It's good to see familiar faces by my side!" He beamed at them both and they found themselves smiling back. His bold cheerfulness was infectious.
"Felix...Coco Crusoe...Eiffel...and Karat," the Lieutenant concluded. "You'll continue to practice field drills and weapons training with your new squads until we receive our orders. Good luck, all of you."
He turned in time to see a pair of Pegasi landing behind him. The larger one was having trouble staying aloft. The other approached the Lieutenant and spoke to him in a low voice. With a glance that conveyed volumes of disappointment, the lead Pegasus took off again. The Lieutenant spoke briefly with the remaining Pegasus and made a change to his lists.
"Sergeant Blitz!" he called.
They spoke, after which the Sergeant and the Pegasus walked back over to the rest of the squad.
"We've got a late addition," Sergeant Blitz growled.
The Pegasus had a white coat and a dull bronze mane. His body rippled with tight muscle and his sheer size would have been menacing if not for one detail. Every eye was drawn to his wings, which were several sizes too small for the rest of him. His chagrin at this obvious discrepancy generated a less than imposing demeanor.
"This is Bulk Biceps," the Sergeant said.
Goldengrape reached out a hoof. "Great to have you with us, Bulk."
He waited but the Pegasus didn't accept the greeting. Instead, Bulk glanced around guiltily and tried to hide his wings.
"Why isn't he with the Air Corp?" Lyra asked bluntly.
Bulk descended into full mortification.
"He hasn't got the wing power to handle their flying requirements," the Sergeant said. "They need to fly tight formations and carry equipment quicker and higher than he can. So says the Lieutenant that threw him out. But here, he'll be a powerhouse with a card up his sleeve." He turned to Bulk. "And if you aren't one yet, we'll make you into one."
Bulk nodded defeatedly.
"Don't you worry, we'll get you set up right." Goldengrape patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.
"I'm glad you think so," Blitz grinned. "Because you're assigned to him to make sure he gets up to speed on the things we've already covered. I want you all down in the field in an hour to drill with the new squad. See where we still work and where we need a bit of oiling. Dismissed!"
~*~*~
The chariot landed in the Canterlot Castle courtyard. A Guard was waiting for them and led them to the throne room. The group hardly glanced at the decor this time. The doors to the throne room were closed and a pair of guards flanked it. Twilight was waiting there and sporting a bulging saddlebag. She informed them that another audience was being held and they would need to wait until it concluded. They were silent, Twilight lost in anxiety, and the others having dispensed with idle chatter on the way there. The audience concluded within minutes and a small collection of professionally dressed, but civilian-looking, Pegasi left with haste.
Cor glanced after them as he, Zacon, Jason and Twilight entered. Their escort remained without. Princess Celestia sat on the throne, this time with Princess Luna standing at her side. A dozen guards stood along the walls. Excluding Twilight, their eyes followed the visitors with suspicion, lingering on the fine weapons they carried. The group came to the base of the dais and bowed.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Celestia began.
They all noticed weariness beneath the power in her voice. The light that had shone from her in their last meeting was muted now and the tone of the room became grim with it.
"First, to the three of you, I realize that I am hardly within my rights to make this request," she said slowly. "But the situation has become desperate. Understand that I would not be asking this of you if I did not think..."
"We haven't the time to be delicate about this," Luna interrupted, speaking firmly over her sister.
Celestia fell silent and Luna took over.
"We seek your assistance in the defense of our country. No doubt you have defended your own homelands from invaders. You must understand our need to protect our ponies. Will you help us?"
Both Luna and Celestia waited for their response. Cor and Jason looked at each other and then at Zacon. Zacon simply raised an eyebrow at the Princesses.
"As it happens, we were already preparing to assist," Cor said. He shrugged his quiver and it rattled at his side. "We've been in one of your training camps, waiting to see where we could do the most good."
"That is wonderful to hear," Celestia beamed. "I had been hesitant to ask for fear of overstepping the license of courtesy. And it is true you have military experience?"
Cor made an effort not to laugh at what he obviously felt was an understatement. Zacon did no such thing.
"There is less blood in my veins than military experience," he said slowly, stressing their term with contempt. "My people are hunters from birth and theirs are born into war. We have all of the military experience you could ask for."
Luna glanced at Celestia, concerned with the tone of his response. Celestia ignored it. She got up from the throne and gestured for a servant. The pony brought a table and set a box of scrolls and maps on it. They gathered around. Twilight, who had been hanging back, joined them when Celestia gestured her over.
"Let us give you an overview of the situation."
Celestia spread the map of Equestria and placed several figurines of horse heads and swords in certain positions.
"These are the last known positions of the enemy forces. According to our latest reports, they were moving thus," she said, indicating the sword figurines and the directions of their advance. She then pointed to the horse heads. "Our own forces are concentrated in Canterlot and in the camps, awaiting orders."
From the scale of the map, they could see that the Trolls were pushing three fronts and that the closest one was within forty miles of Canterlot; little more than a day's forced march. No pony forces were in position to oppose them.
"Tell me," Zacon began, examining the map closely. "What sort of warriors are they? You've faced them in battle; what do you make of them."
"They are brutish and relentless. They seemed to relish battle and cared nothing for the deaths of their comrades. They relied on physical strength alone and sheer numbers to overwhelm us. Even when our scouts first encountered them near the border, they attacked on sight. We had originally thought it was but a single force, but since the discovery of these three hordes, we fear there could be more. My hopes to find a peaceful way to end this were dispelled at our first battle when they refused an audience with me. My hopes to end it quickly were similarly lost with the discovery of additional hordes."
"Did you say 'peaceful way to end this'?" Zacon asked slowly. A hideous grin spread across his muzzle. "Ha...haha...hahahaHAHAHAHA!"
Everypony present eyed him with growing alarm, including Cor and Jason. Luna was just about to object to his behavior when he snapped back to a serious expression.
"You must forgive me your highnesses, but what did you really expect? You said it yourself that they attacked your scouts without provocation. Why would peace still be an option?"
Celestia frowned deeply. "I will not just write off a chance to protect my ponies. All I wanted to do was get them to cease their attacks. I would be willing to negotiate an agreement with them to spare my subjects from harm."
"You think that they have conditions, common ground, terms of surrender?" Zacon sneered. "I have seen their type in my own realm. The only thing they want is all of your corpses on spits."
"And what then would you suggest we do to stop them?" Celestia asked contemptuously.
"Fight them. That much should go without saying." Zacon rolled his eyes.
"We've already faced them once and it was a victory, more or less. But with this many of them, and so few of our Guard left, I fear they will be too much." Celestia walked over to the window and looked out at the city. "This army I've raised; they do not know what awaits them in battle."
Jason gave Cor a meaningful look. Cor frowned at him.
"That much is obvious," Zacon grumbled.
"What makes you say that?" Celestia asked. "I know that these times of peace have made my ponies ill-equipped for war. What makes you so sure?"
"I've spent a mere ten days around them. But that's more than enough to know there is not a shred of a fighting spirit among them..." He paused thoughtfully. "With one exception, and I wouldn't risk money on that bet. They can learn to fight, sure, but none of them are warrior stock."
The Guards around them were beginning to glare at the grey stallion as his remarks became more and more offensive.
"Ponies were not made for war," Celestia said simply.
"Again, that is obvious. I may only have seen a small part of your country, but it is enough. Just look around your capital! It's the heart of the country and the seat of power and not protected by more than a company of troops. It's as if you don't believe anything threatening will ever present itself."
"Few have before. Not that required a more significant military presence than we possess."
"And how is that working out now, your Highness?" Zacon pressed with a smirk.
"Enough!" Luna stepped forward. "You will watch your tongue or you will lose it."
Zacon looked her up and down as if daring her to try it. Cor put a hoof on his shoulder.
"Ease off. They know they're not prepared. That's why they're asking for our help in the first place."
"Exactly. They asked us here for our help, and that is what they are getting from me. And the first thing they need to hear is what they've been doing wrong so they can fix it."
"We're working on it," Cor hissed before he could continue. "And the first step is to stop running your mouth at foreign royals."
Zacon huffed in derision.
"Perhaps you should keep the beast on a leash as well, Prince Hightalon," Luna observed mildly. "Lest he continue to bark at polite company."
"And yet you stoop to the same level so quickly, Highness," Zacon laughed.
"Can it Zacon! We need to focus on..."
"Not this time, Twiggy!" Zacon cut him off. Cor's eye twitched dangerously at the nickname. "I'll say whatever I want to them. We've all got crowns here."
"But this is their country," Jason reminded him. "Our ranks don't carry nearly as much weight as back home."
"And you'd do well to remember your place, Captain," Zacon barked. "I've waited too long to tell them exactly what's wrong with this place and I'm not about to be stopped by you."
Jason made a face at the affront but said nothing more.
"I hardly think now is the time to be arguing about this," Celestia said.
"You're right." Zacon's brows creased as he turned back to her. "That time has long passed you by. Now all we can do is put out the fires."
"Now hold on." Cor pushed Zacon roughly. "Who made you the judge of their society?"
"The body count they asked for help with, that's who!" he said, pushing back.
Luna's eyes narrowed with scorn. "And just what do you find so lacking in a victory tallied at forty to one, oh Prince of Wars?"
"Only the fact that you seem to be out of troops."
"We have raised an army..."
"That will be carved up and served medium rare in their victory feast," Zacon interrupted with a laugh.
"Stop it! Right NOW!"
Up until then, none of them had been paying attention to Twilight. They all turned to find her glaring back at them.
"We can't do this. We can't argue like this! Not when we need to stand together if we hope to win." She looked between them. "Please, ponies' lives are at stake here. They're depending on us!"
A minute passed in which they all considered each other thoughtfully.
"Your Highness," Cor began, tentatively breaking the silence. "In what way can we be of assistance to you?"
Celestia did not answer right away. When she did, she seemed to be coming back to reality from very far away.
"I hoped you could give us another opinion of our plans. We've prepared a defensive strategy but would like to be sure that it is sound."
"Oh fine," Zacon growled. "Let's see it."
Celestia frowned but let his tone pass without comment.
"The enemy will have to cross this river as they approach Canterlot," she said, indicating the map. "They will reach it near noon tomorrow. We've sent word for our troops to form up on the opposite bank to engage them."
The three stepped closer to study the area more clearly.
"There's a danger over here," Jason said. "If they decide to ford here and here, we could be flanked badly on this side."
"Those are rapids," Cor pointed out. "They could try it, but they'd end up down river too far to do much damage for hours. Not to mention risk drowning a good portion of their troops."
They were silent again, pouring over the map. Nopony interrupted them, waiting instead to see what conclusion they would draw.
"Could this bluff here offer more coverage of the bank?" Cor asked. "See how the slope would force them to circle around in range of anyone at the top."
"It might," Zacon agreed. "But if we put enough troops up there to do any good, we might as well abandon the water's edge without a fight. There are too few of them to make use of it."
"What about as a fallback point?"
"No," Jason said. "There isn't enough room for a retreat to make it up there without being caught halfway and nowhere to run once we do."
"I see." Cor went back to scratching his chin in thought.
"What if we tried to draw them back this way after they cross?" Jason began, tracing a route with his hoof. "We could harass them and keep them busy while the rest of the army fortified another position."
"No, no." Cor waved the idea down. "Even I'd need a large team of Rangers with me to get their attention."
"Hmm."
Again, silence.
Cor gestured to a spot for Jason to look at. Jason saw what Cor was meant and shook his head.
"If we had a week to prepare, I'd say go for it. But as it is, we'll be lucky if the army can all be there when they arrive."
"Damn," Cor muttered.
They looked the map over for another minute before turning back to the Princesses.
"We don't see any holes in this arrangement. In fact, we're hard pressed to find a way to improve it."
Zacon snorted in disdain.
"Do you want to add something?" Cor asked, giving him a mock gesture of permission.
"It's passable," he said grudgingly. "And they don't have time for better."
Cor turned back to Celestia.
"It seems all that is left is to make it so. We ask your permission to join your defense of the river as an independent command."
"You have my permission, Prince Hightalon. The assistance of you and your allies is most appreciated. I shall see you in the field."
Cor and Jason bowed. Cor elbowed Zacon hard and the grey stallion bowed as well. They left to make final preparations.
Celestia watched them go with a small frown. Luna's scowl was much deeper.
"Why must we resort to enlisting their help?"
"There is no one else, sister."
"Still," Luna let her head droop. "Did they have to be so...so...?" She trailed off with a sigh.
"Combative?" Celestia suggested playfully.
Luna half smiled at the joke. "I'll see to it that our forces are ready to be underway at first light." Her smile faded again. "I wish you luck
tomorrow, sister."
She left then. Celestia took a deep breath and held it for a long time. When she let it out, she found Twilight still standing beside her, shifting anxiously.
"Um, Princess?"
"Yes Twilight?"
Twilight glanced around the room as if to confirm that something was missing. "Where is my brother?"
"You needn't worry. He is on his way north to assist in the defense of the Crystal Empire. He is the Prince after all."
"Oh. I was just worried he'd been..." The word caught in her throat.
"He was injured," Celestia said. "But his most serious wounds had recovered enough for him to travel yesterday."
Twilight tried to respond but couldn't bring herself to say anything more. Celestia waited sympathetically, giving her time to sort out her feelings.
"Was there anything you needed me here for?" Twilight asked at last.
"Actually, yes. There is an important request I have for you." Celestia took a deep breath and then smiled sadly. "You have been my faithful student for years now and have mastered many forms of magic. I know your training has not prepared you for this, but you are still a highly talented Unicorn. I'm afraid I must ask you to serve alongside our mages in battle. We will need all of the spell power we can get."
Twilight gulped. "Serve in battle? I-I don't know if I can."
"Twilight," Celestia said softly, standing next to her and putting her wing around her. "I know you are a gentle spirit and that fighting is against what I've taught you. But this war has changed everything. Equestria needs you. I need you Twilight." Celestia nuzzled her gently.
Twilight nuzzled Celestia back and tried to keep her voice from quavering. "I'll try." She stepped away and smiled, making an effort to sound resolved. "I won't let you down Princess. You can count on me."
"I know I can. Now get some rest. We leave at dawn."
Twilight left the throne room at a measured walk. She made it around the first corner and out of sight before she had to collapse against the wall and breathe.
No more hiding behind books and barriers, she thought to herself spitefully. The real world called and it's not happy to have been ignored.
"Celestia needs me to do this," she said out loud. "She needs me. I can't back out." She shut her eyes tightly. "No matter how much I want to."
She stood up straight again and took a deep breath. With her resolve firmly in place, she marched around the corner intent on gather a few materials she would likely need. So intent in fact, that she almost walked into the guard coming to find her. She squeaked in surprise.
"Miss Sparkle," he said with a salute that ignored her reaction with perfect professionalism. "Celestia sent me to help you in your preparations. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Twilight recovered her composure quickly. "Yes, I believe there is." She whipped a checklist out of her saddlebag. "I'll need all of the items on this list ready by the time I leave tomorrow. Can you get them for me?"
He gave the list a cursory glance. "I'll see to it. Is there anything else?"
"No," she began but stopped. "But perhaps you could make sure a guest room is ready for me tonight?"
"No need. Your room is already prepared."
She blinked. "Oh. Well in that case, that should be all I need. Thank you."
The guard saluted again and left. She watched him go, still fighting the urge to run. But she didn't know where to. She didn't even know what from.
This war?
Impossible, she reasoned. I wouldn't run from my obligations to Equestria.
From Celestia's request then?
Equally preposterous, she admonished. Celestia wouldn't ask me to do anything I couldn't handle.
Perhaps it was being pulled away from her studies?
No, she answered immediately but hesitated.
She wasn't so attached to her work that she thought it was more important than the safety of the country, but the thought of leaving it was nearer to the cause of her anxiety. It was leaving the familiar and entering the unknown.
Or the 'known to be bad', she amended.
Twilight stayed where she was, alone in the hall, empty except for herself and her troubled thoughts. When the setting sun coming in the window made her blink, she realized how long she'd been standing there. With a shaky breath, she made her way down the familiar path to the last good night's sleep she expected to get for a long time. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Fifteen: Soft as a Lightning Strike | When Twilight opened her eyes, she let out a sigh. It was a contented sigh, born of comforting memories awoken by her surroundings. The last few days' worries could not intrude on this sanctum of her foalhood.
Like any place she'd resided, her study devices stood out in the room most prominently. A large desk with a well-worn stool dominated one wall, ringed with reference books of all subjects, magic and mundane. Bookshelves filled with familiar titles flanked the desk. She could see the empty spaces that her favorite books had once occupied. They were now in Ponyville with the closest of her treasured personal items. The volumes she'd left behind had been given to her as part of her general studies and had less sentimental value than the others.
The walls held star charts and maps that she'd been most interested in. Her old telescope sat by the floor length window, waiting to carry her imagination into the stars once more. Every object had a practical purpose in her studies except two. The pair of pictures hanging side by side were the only purely sentimental items in the room. One was of her family; her mother and father beside her brother in his new Captain's uniform. The other was a painting of Starswirl the Bearded. It was an original copy from an artist commissioned by Celestia to capture his image. It was also a gift to her that Celestia had given when Twilight had shown interest in the old mage. Enchanted to protect it from age, it was in perfect condition.
Every surface in the room was free of dust even after more than a year away, hinting at the castle servants who had taken the time to care for her things in her absence. She was on first name terms with a number of the castle's staff but it still touched her that they would go out of their way to do something like dust her unused shelves and desk.
She blinked at the ceiling for a time. She was nearly fully awake now. She knew she would have to get up sooner than later but she wanted to hold onto the feeling of waking up in this room for a moment longer. When she did roll over and put her hooves on the floor, she walked over to her desk, sat down and looked back at her room silently.
Everything was exactly as she left it except that the waste basket was empty. She smiled at it wistfully. There had been dozens of crumpled papers in it when she'd left. All of them were rejected versions of the last report she'd made before moving to Ponyville. She turned her gaze slowly across the room with those days in mind. It was almost possible to believe that she had stepped back in time. That she was still an excitable little filly running around the castle for the first time. That the biggest trouble she got into was being late for a lesson with the Princess. That she wasn't being catapulted into events that would rewrite the way she thought about the world she lived in.
She got up and accepted the inevitable start of the day. Opening the curtains, she looked out over the waking city. The whole of Canterlot was in shadows and the last of the stars were still fading from the sky. The sun on the other side of the mountain hadn't reached them yet, but the farther lands were just being touched by its golden fingers. Grey clouds hung over those lands, limp and old. Twilight realized that the Pegasi who normally kept them in check had fled the Trolls who were storming across the country.
A knock at the door told her that she was out of time to wish for better days. The guard she found outside had a box and a bag with him. He passed them to her and saluted before leaving wordlessly. Inside the box she found a folded outfit that she recognized as a mage's uniform. Wrapped in the clothing was a set of light armor. She looked at it expressionlessly before setting it aside. The bag was filled with the items she'd requested last night.
She checked all of them and rearranged them into a more logical order before slipping on the uniform. She hadn't brought herself to put on the armor when Celestia knocked.
"It is time, Twilight." The Princess spoke softly, as if hearing the conflicts in her pupil's mind.
Twilight took a deep breath and let it out slowly before donning the armor. She looked up at Celestia with as much determination as she could muster.
"I'm ready."
~*~*~
The sun was not up. Lyra believed she shouldn't be up either. She trudged along with the other ponies in her platoon as they made their way north. The dull red on the horizon was enough light to see by.
But not enough to wake up to.
"It's not all that bad," Goldengrape said encouragingly from behind her. "It's quite beautiful in this part of the country. This early in the morning, we get to see a different side of the world with the colors just coming into focus and..."
While she appreciated the gesture, Lyra tuned him out. She hadn't realized she'd spoken aloud. Seven o'clock was usually pushing it for her. This was closer to five. Not getting a full night's sleep was not agreeing with her. She'd been startled out of her bedroll by Blitz before there had been light on the horizon.
"Urgent news," he'd said. "New orders."
Now they were marching, all one hundred and twenty or so of them. Recruits from Ponyville made up a third of their number while a couple of communities south and east provided the rest. Lyra didn't know half of the names from just Ponyville and hadn't started to learn the others'. She walked beside Goldengrape and just behind Big Mac. Time Turner was ahead a few rows. Their names were enough for now.
She glanced around and found Canterlot looming above her. She blinked. They were closer to the mountains now than she'd thought. A glance behind her told her that she didn't remember most of the journey. The sun suddenly crested the top of the mountain, dragging the lands below from the muted cover of the twilight and thrusting it into the sharp focus of the day. Lyra blinked in surprise and squinted ahead.
The lightly wooded foothills below the mountain tapered off into grassy flatlands leading down to the river. The opposite bank was thick with trees and the river itself was bordered by rocks and tall grasses. They were headed for a rise overlooking the river just at the edge of the hills. Other ponies could be seen bustling about between the rise and the river. Lyra woke up in a hurry when she realized how many ponies she was looking at.
From the river's edge to the base of the rise, what must have been three or four hundred ponies were setting up lines of tripwires in the ground or digging narrow trenches and covering them with grasses. On the rise itself, easily twice as many ponies were milling about, donning armor and distributing weapons. At its center was a row of flags surrounding Princess Celestia and a contingent of the Royal Guard.
The sounds of the army carried all the way to them even before they had reached the river. Voices, indistinct from one another buzzed with excited energy. A shout occasionally rose above the rest, giving a hint at the work being done. As they made their way into the camp, a few ponies waved to them in greeting. But most ponies only watched them briefly before turning back to their tasks. Lieutenant Long Watch wasted no time leading them right to the top of the hill and ordering them to line up.
The Lieutenant approached the Princess and announced himself.
"Your Highness," he said with a bow. "The Ponyville-Southshire-Woodview Platoon has arrived and is standing by for your orders."
Celestia nodded as she looked over the recruits. "Very good, Lieutenant."
She looked behind her expectantly and Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, producing a long scroll. The Unicorn had on a short silver breastplate over a close-fitting navy blue shirt with silver etching. Silver plates traced up the sides and back of her neck. Her hooves were fitted with silver shoes whose star-shaped extensions protected her forelegs. She held the list up so that Celestia could examine it.
"You will join Third Company on the left flank as its second platoon. Set up your supplies here and then make your way to your positions." Celestia looked out to the west and frowned. "I expect we will not have much more time to prepare."
The Lieutenant saluted and ordered the platoon to unpack their supply wagons. Lyra shuffled along with them, taking in the commotion around her all the while. Everypony was strapping on armor and fitting lances to their mounts. Lyra accepted her sword as it was passed to her and belted it on. She pulled her armor from the stack on the wagon and did up the clasps. She looked herself over when she was finished and wondered at it all.
The plates on her forelegs and back, with the chain coif under her helmet were more than she'd ever envisioned herself wearing. They were plain steel, not nearly as grand as Twilight's or any of the Royal Guard's armor. But as she walked back down to the river, surrounded by more than a thousand similarly equipped ponies, she felt as if she were radiating glorious light.
They wound their way through the traps leading to the banks and lined up facing the trees opposite them. Up and down the lines, ponies from across the region took stances alongside a scattering of Royal Guard lancers and swordsponies. The wind played with the leaves and coaxed a soft rustle from the branches. The river swept by smoothly, mirroring the clear sky above. To Lyra, it seemed too peaceful for a place that was about to become a battlefield.
A pair of Pegasi flew over them from the other side of the river. They landed near Celestia and spoke with her. When they backed away, she stepped out to a prominent vantage point. Her voice carried out to them like a roll of thunder.
"Stand fast, my ponies. Our enemy is upon us. We, the brave protectors of our great nation, will halt their advance here and turn them back from our lands. They are here to destroy us and all that we hold dear. Our homes, our families and our dreams; all are in danger. But we are here to stop them. We are here to safeguard our futures. We are here to defend Equestria!"
A great cheer went up from the ponies and the waters of the river seemed to shake with their voices. Lyra joined them vigorously.
I'm here to defend you, Bon Bon, she thought, focusing all of her determination on the thought of the mare, at home and waiting for her.
She drew the sword and twirled it experimentally. To her left, Big Mac set his lance, biting his lip nervously. At her right, a few ponies down the line, Turner's head was lowered and his eyes were closed. He seemed to be whispering something to himself but Lyra couldn't hear it over the shouting ponies that separated them.
Goldengrape, standing just next to him, noticed her looking and caught her eye. He nodded to her with a faint smile. She returned the nod. With a crease in her brow and a frown on her muzzle, Lyra set her gaze on the opposite bank. She was ready.
~*~*~
Rainbow Dash looked down on the flashing plates and clinking metal below her. The army was in position along the river and the scouts had just reported the enemy was forming up for the attack. From where she was, high on the hill behind the army with the rest of the Air Corps, she could see the whole of the lines. The noise rising up to her was a mere buzzing in the back of her mind. Her thoughts were drifting through the past few days.
The moment she'd left Ponyville, it was all business. Spitfire's words were still fresh in her ears, and Rainbow meant to prove that she was as good as she was expected to be.
It will be good to know that we have some real power in our new wings, Spitfire had said. I've seen you in action and you've got the talent to try to make the team.
The strutting didn't last long though. Once they reached the camps, the work began. They were fitted with their armor; a mesh jumpsuit that felt like tiny rings against her coat. She brushed at it absently with a hoof. The plates were worked directly into the material, covering the shoulders and chest. The entire outfit was streamlined and the plates swept back to allow for tighter maneuvering.
The shoes were heavy and the forehooves were fitted with retractable blades. She flicked one open and examined it. Eight inches of steel sturdy enough to chip a boulder into pebbles; it was an intimidating weapon to see plummeting from the sky. Their training had concentrated on learning how to use them. Since one of the requirements of the Air Corps was being a strong flier, there was no need to work the recruits in that area. The entire time was spent flying formations in full equipment, as well as learning the signals for orders in flight and the methods of attacking the ground without landing.
Rainbow let the lessons play back in her mind, superimposing them over the field before her. She could see the places her squadron would be covering. The river swept out of the mountain with a fury and snaked westward several miles before turning south again. As it passed their position, it became shallower and wider. It offered a deceptively obvious crossing point since the river was still just as swift. The unwary could lose their footing and be carried away easily.
Upriver, the east bank was sheer and rocky, offering no beach to cross to. Downriver, the river itself was enough of a barrier: Rapids that could rip a raft to bits even before it hit the pillar-like rocks that stuck up in odd places as if teeth were jutting out to snare the unfortunate. This was the best crossing for miles, so they would hold them here.
Rainbow knew this much because she had paid attention during the briefings. From what she'd heard after arriving here, the Air Corps was being treated differently than the Army. It was giving out more details to its members than the ground forces. It was obvious that they believed that the fliers needed more information than the swords and lances on the ground. Rainbow didn't have any opinions on the subject but she'd noticed it quickly enough.
She glanced over at Spitfire. The Wonderbolt leader had seemed so smooth and quick in her performances while calm and relaxed in social events. Rainbow had seen a totally different side of her in the past five days. Harsh and impatient, she was at every throat to get their squadrons ready for the call to action. Even though she'd cut back on shouting in everypony's face since they'd received their orders, it had been replaced by a different kind of tension in her voice and her stance.
Spitfire was rigid, looking out at the landscape. She wasn't looking toward the trees where the enemy was approaching. She was looking back the way they'd come. The hard line of her mouth and the crease in her brow were the only sign of whatever struggle was going on in her head. Rainbow might have asked her what she was thinking if she weren't expected to wait in formation for the order to attack with her squadron.
As it was, her squadron, consisting of fifteen other ponies, was spread out around her in groups of four, shifting from hoof to hoof as they watched the forest. They whispered encouragements back and forth and, since most of them knew each other from various weather teams, they were earnest words.
Rainbow didn't speak to any of them. She was beyond excitement or nervousness. All she needed to be ready now was to find one pony in the sea of soldiers below. He wasn't hard to spot. His completely black leather armor stood out prominently from all of the steel plate around him. Jason was looking back at her. From hundreds of feet away, they locked eyes and nodded simultaneously. They both knew what the other was about and they needed no words to finalize it between them.
This was a moment of truth for her. She needed to prove that she could do this. That no matter what came, she would not back down. She was determined to protect everypony she cared about, regardless of what he said it would mean. She was strong enough to do this, she told herself. She would not lose herself. She recalled his words now as well.
If you do this, you'll lose something sacred. She could still remember the tightness of his jaw and the intensity in his eyes when he'd told her this central belief in his life. I've spent my whole life defending innocence while losing my own!
She breathed in deeply through her nose and let it out from her mouth slowly.
I'm not going to war just to answer some question about myself, she thought fiercely. I'm not going to be taking lives for some internal fulfillment. I am here to protect my home and the homes of those I love: My friends, my family, my town, my country. This is for them. This is for our future. This is for...
A clear picture sprang into her mind. It was an afternoon in Ponyville, though she couldn't remember exactly which one. Most of her friends were there and they were all smiling and laughing and just sharing the moment. It filled her with such a feeling of togetherness that she smiled in spite of herself. Almost at once, the distance separating them stung her like a void opening in her stomach and she felt a tear at the corner of her eye. She sniffed once and wiped her eyes with a hoof.
And that's something I'd kill for.
She took another breath, sharper this time. The trees seemed to be crawling with dark shapes that undulated like waves on a black ocean. A war horn sounded, and another answered. The front ranks of the Trolls marched into the open and stopped just shy of the water's edge. The two armies stared each other down for long moments. Growls reached the ears of the ponies over the shifting of plates and weapons.
"This is it, fliers!" Spitfire was suddenly at the head of the Air Corps, calling back over her shoulder. "Wings up!"
Wings flared and hooves scrapped the dirt. Satchels of javelins, lying in wait in the grass beside them, were slung over their shoulders. Rainbow shook off her thoughts and focused in on the task ahead. A glance to the right and left put her wingponies in mind. Star Hunter, Cerulean Skies, and Cosmic nodded back at her when they met her eyes. Rainbow knew Star and Cerulean were both strong fliers since they were Ponyville weather team veterans. Cosmic was less familiar but he'd kept up with them in training.
They're a smooth unit, she thought to herself. We can handle this.
She checked herself one final time and dug her hooves into the ground for traction. At the head of each squadron was a member of the Wonderbolts, providing experienced leadership to each group. Sergeant Fire Streak headed her squadron. He made a quick motion with his wings to indicate the direction of their takeoff.
Down on the field, the horns sounded again, blowing long, energized notes. The Trolls raised their weapons in challenge and surged forward. They waded into the river, the water reaching their chests but only slowing their powerful forms to a fast walk. Occasionally, one would slip and go under, but most kept their footing.
Spitfire was airborne the moment they touched the water. Her squadron, entirely Wonderbolts, followed her up and over the middle of the field. The others took to the air and spread out to their designated zones. Rainbow took her flight in just behind the leader with the other two on her sides. Fire Streak rose directly over the enemy lines and began circling around to attack from immediately behind them. The wind drowned out the sounds from the ground and Rainbow wasn't able to keep an eye on the pony lines while she was with her squadron.
Rainbow noted the other squadrons on their flank taking similar positions. Spitfire and her squadron were already diving, javelins falling amongst the Trolls as they cleared the tree line. Rainbow didn't have time to see any more because her squadron pulled into a shallow dive and she led her flight in with them. She pulled a javelin from her satchel and drew back. They threw them all together. The projectiles whistled toward the enemy and struck home. Howls were just barely audible beneath the canopy. Still diving, they readied another javelin each. They threw them again and could hear the roars of pain clearly over the wind in their ears.
A movement from Fire Streak signaled them to ready their blades. Rainbow flicked hers open and picked a target from those just emerging from the trees. The squadron broke formation and dropped out of the sky. She hit her Troll with bone jarring force. The blades cut through the matted fur and thick muscle of her victim and she felt blood splash over her hooves. With a kick to the shoulders of her enemy, Rainbow lifted off again, pulling away from the shouts of anger that chased her.
An axe passed in front of her muzzle, close enough that she could see the carved notches in the blade. She watched it for one heart stopping second as it twirled away and fell back into the mass below her. She ascended as fast as she could and looked around to find her flight again. They regrouped and climbed higher. The rest of the squadron was circling around for another pass but Rainbow and her wingponies were out of position. They hurried to catch up but by the time they began their dive, the others were pulling away.
Rainbow made a split second decision and pulled up. Her wingponies followed her and thus avoided the hail of weapons that had been anticipating them. They wheeled around to rejoin the rest of the squadron, who had taken a position higher up. Fire Streak seemed to be looking for an opportunity to strike without incurring the wrath of the Trolls who were now expecting them. Rainbow took the opening to scan the battle herself.
The other Air Corps fliers were raining javelins on their targets or returning to the Equestrian side of the field to grab another satchel. Only Spitfire's squadron was still diving into melee near the middle of the battle. As Rainbow watched her flight, her eyes were drawn to the ground forces. The edge of the river was a mass of bodies. The pony lines, who had intended to hold the Trolls at the water's edge and catch them in the restricting current, had been forced back hundreds of feet.
The steel plates of fallen ponies stood out prominently from among the grey furs of the dead Trolls. Magic rained from the hillside where the mages stood but made little headway in the enemy ranks. The Trolls pushed forward relentlessly and the Equestrians were giving ground rapidly. Looking downriver, Rainbow was horrified to see the water running red and thick with bodies. She shook her head to try to ignore it all and pulled up closer to Fire Streak.
"Sergeant!" she yelled. "We have to get in there and help them!"
He looked at her sharply. "You think I don't know that? We also need to do some good. That's why I'm looking for the right spot to hit."
She would have said more, but he gave her a withering glare when she opened her mouth again. She dropped back into formation and bit her lip. She could see the Army being pushed back with each passing second. She saw Celestia herself charge down the hill surrounded by the remainder of her Guard. Her heart leapt for a moment to see the golden light of the Princess' horn streaking toward the enemy. But they met the Troll lines as if they'd struck a wall. Celestia carved away at her enemies only for more to take their place. The Trolls continued to advance steadily.
Rainbow ground her teeth as she watched helplessly. At last, Fire Streak turned into a shallow dive and she followed eagerly. They threw javelins as they passed over the enemy. Headed straight for the front lines, Fire Streak called back to them.
"Don't pull out right away. Just keep flying and striking!"
With that, he rolled over and dove hard. The squadron rolled with him and they plummeted into the midst of the Trolls. Just before they struck, they leveled out and flew just above the heads of the enemy. Their blades reached out to clip the Trolls, causing a swath of casualties to reel from them as they passed.
When they pulled away and circled over the pony lines, they heard a ragged cheer from their friends on the ground. Rainbow frowned. From the air, she could tell that their attack hadn't slowed the Trolls for more than the span of a breath. But all the ground forces saw of it was the Air Corps felling enemies. It gave them hope and the impression that their fight was getting easier. It was far from the truth.
They pulled back to a higher altitude and hovered there. Fire Streak signaled them to throw the rest of their javelins. Rainbow pulled one and scanned for a target that would make a difference. What she saw almost made her wings stop flapping. In just the few seconds she'd looked away, the entire pony line had fragmented. Whole platoons were breaking off and retreating.
No, she corrected herself. They're fleeing.
The right flank, where Celestia held the base of the hill and backed up by the mages, was the only hard point in the Army left. Rainbow cast about desperately to find anypony still standing elsewhere on the field. That was when she saw the remains of the left flank. Easily recognizable among the Army steel was the leather armor worn by Jason and Cor. They stood on opposite sides of the remaining troops, their weapons blurring as they turned from Troll to Troll.
Cor swung a sword to stave off the enemies closest to him so that he could take clear shots with his bow. Jason's blade was a dark streak that slipped smoothly from one enemy to another. It was almost mesmerizing the way it turned and spun around him. Zacon stood alone atop a mound of bodies just beyond where the rest of the ponies stood, shouting unintelligible yet clearly audible challenges to his foes. His gold and silver armor was painted crimson with blood and his axe clove the bodies of any Trolls that got too close to him.
The ponies around them fought with intense fervor, perhaps spurred on by their perceived success alongside the three warriors. While the Army caved in around them, this small contingent stood its ground. And while they remained impossibly outnumbered, they did not seem ready to yield. As moments slipped by, the gap between them and the rest of the Equestrians widened.
"Retreat! Fall back to Canterlot!"
Celestia's voice barely rose up to them over the fighting. She and her Guard were desperately trying to disengage from the crushing waves of Trolls. The mages on the hill behind her turned and bolted as soon as she gave the order. Rainbow blinked when she saw one of the mages hesitate. Armored and uniformed, Twilight looked back at Celestia apprehensively, torn between following her order and helping her escape. Rainbow was momentarily distracted by her surprise that the Unicorn was even here.
"We've got to stay with the others, Dash!" Cerulean shouted in her ear.
Fire Streak was calling for them to attack the area around the retreating Princess. Before the squadron could dive, Rainbow cut them off.
"What about them?" She indicated the other group, which wasn't even attempting to withdraw. "They need our help more than the Princess."
Fire Streak looked as if he was going to pop a vein. "Are you questioning my orders?!"
Rainbow froze for a second, knowing that she'd overstepped her bounds but unable to back down.
"Nopony is close to them except us. If we don't get to them, they won't even know to retreat. They'll be left behind without..."
Streak didn't wait for her to finish.
"I don't have time for this. Everypony to the Princess!"
He turned and sped off. Most of the squadron followed. Rainbow just hovered there while every squadron in the sky converged on the Princess and her Guard. She glanced behind her and was surprised to find all three of her wingponies waiting for her. At once, she took on as commanding a stance as she could.
"While they're all busy getting the Princess out of here, it's up to us to let this group know that the retreat has been sounded."
The three of them nodded firmly.
"Let's go," she said, wheeling and pulling into a sharp dive.
The four Pegasi dropped onto a cluster of Trolls and cut them down. With Rainbow in the lead, they catapulted themselves parallel to the ground and through the Trolls separating them from their allies. Rainbow spun her body in a tight spiral as she wove between Trolls, trying to put enough momentum in her blades to pierce the tough hides. Each time her blades contacted a body, she could feel the force of it through her whole leg.
When she knew she couldn't keep swinging, she pulled out and turned to see her wingponies. They emerged from the throng intact and unharmed. A single axe followed them up but Star Hunter grabbed it out of the air and threw it back.
"We've got to let them know that they need to get out of here. Spread the word!" Rainbow shouted.
They all dove again, this time to hover near the ground and scream at the ponies on the ground to retreat. Most of those that heard gave them a glance and kept fighting. The others were too caught up in the melee to notice the Pegasi at all. Rainbow found Jason and tried to get his attention.
"Jason! Celestia's ordered the Army to fall back. You've all got to get out of here!"
Jason swept his sword in a wide arch and earned just enough time to respond.
"It's not like we wouldn't leave if we could. They've got us boxed in!"
Rainbow could see that he was right at a glance. They were being pressed on three sides and the Trolls were trying to wrap around behind them to cut them off completely.
"I'll think of something! Just hold on," she yelled.
Jason didn't even acknowledge her. Trolls continued to fall around him while he deftly twisted away from their attacks, but he was running out of room as they closed in tighter around the ponies. Rainbow swung around to the other side of the fighting. Cor was backing away from a pair of Trolls hastily while he readied another arrow. He stumbled on a fallen pony and nearly went down. The Trolls leapt forward to take advantage of the opening. Before Rainbow could move to help, they thrust their spears at him.
Both spears were knocked aside at the last second by a large stallion barreling into the Trolls from the side. With a sword in his mouth, he parried an axe while kicking the two half-trampled Trolls into the dirt. Cor nodded to him and fought on. Rainbow's heart jumped into her throat when she recognized Big Mac's copper mane beneath his helmet. She only hesitated for a moment though.
"Cor!" she called to the archer. "We've got to find a way to get everypony out of here! The rest of Army is retreating."
He looked up at her in surprise.
"Why didn't someone say so?"
He looked around quickly and his eyes widened when he saw that the rest of the Army wasn't anywhere near them. He frowned critically and then nodded to himself. He pulled one of the few arrows left in his quivers and called out loudly.
"Everyone get ready to make a run for it! I'm going to give us an opening!"
A few ponies called out brief affirmatives. He drew the arrow and aimed it over the heads of the Trolls between them and the rest of the Equestrians. The air around his bow crackled with energy as his horn lit up brighter. When the arrow's entire shaft was glowing brightly, he released. The arrow flew from the bow and rocketed into the enemy mass, hissing and sputtering. With a thunderous bang, it exploded over the heads of the Trolls. Most of the Trolls were knocked to the ground by the force of the blast alone. Others close to the center were ripped apart by shrapnel from the enchanted arrow.
Everypony turned and rushed in that direction as if a floodgate had opened. The remaining Trolls tried to pursue them but the gap widened as the ponies accelerated into a full gallop, leaving the shuffling Trolls behind. Rainbow hovered for a moment longer to watch the last ponies disengage. Jason had to yell at Zacon repeatedly before the big warrior followed. When she was sure they had escaped, Rainbow and her wingponies wheeled after them. She flew over the field slowly, gaining altitude and trying to get a picture of the whole battle.
The forested side of the river was littered with Trolls impaled by javelins. There were less than Rainbow had thought. She frowned and turned her gaze to the river itself. The shores were a killing zone. Trolls that had been caught in the water had been helpless to stop the spears and lances waiting for them. But sheer numbers appeared to have won them the beach, and with it, the ability to swing back. Where the front of the pony forces had been, there was a definable line of first casualties.
From there, it became clear that the ponies had not stopped falling back. The bodies thinned out only because the Trolls had gained ground too fast to cover every patch of grass. Most of the traps had been sprung but appeared to have merely inconvenienced their advance. For every few Trolls that were sprawled across the ground, a pony's torn body could be found next to them. Rainbow tried desperately not to look for familiar faces among them.
The four Pegasi left the field as quickly as they could. None of them looked back, each just concentrating on making it back to Canterlot. Behind them, the Trolls had already abandoned the pursuit and were moving the remainder of their troops across the river. The pony forces trickled back together, though some never returned. They made the slow journey back to Canterlot in relative silence. The wounded were helped along by their companions and every eye was downcast. As the day wore on and the noonday sun passed overhead, Equestrian scouts reported that the Trolls had made no move to advance. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Sixteen: Between the Flash and the Boom, Part 1 | It was high noon when Rainbow Dash and her flight touched down in the barracks grounds in Canterlot. At once, castle servants rushed to them, calling for medical aid and trying to lead them inside like elderponies. They ignored repeated insistence that none of them were hurt until Cosmic spoke up that it wasn't their blood.
The servants backed off hastily with that. That was when Rainbow actually noticed the state her companions were in. They were covered from muzzle to hoof in Troll blood. It looked like they'd bathed in it. It was no mystery why the servants had thought they were injured. Rainbow looked herself over and suddenly wished she could crawl out of her skin.
They stood looking at each other for a long moment, just letting shock numb their minds. The sounds of screaming ponies and shouting Trolls hadn't stopped ringing in their ears yet. The slowly dripping blood falling from their manes onto the grass was hypnotic. Try as she might, Rainbow couldn't bring herself to speak. They needed to get back to the rest of the Air Corps. They needed to assist the rest of the Army. They needed to take a bath.
But she couldn't say it. She didn't want to speak again. To do so would be to acknowledge that what had happened was real and that she was still in the middle of it. She didn't want it to be real. She felt a rivulet of blood run down the back of her neck. She didn't even want herself to be real if it would get her out of this. Her legs trembled beneath her. As her mind slowed down, her body was catching up. She was exhausted and aching and on the verge of collapse.
Even as she realized this, Cerulean toppled over and lay comatose in the grass. As if that was some sort of signal, the rest of them allowed themselves to relax enough to sit down. The long silence continued its reign during which they all tried not to look at each other or themselves. Some of the servants still hovered nearby, waiting for what they thought was an inevitable call of their assistance. When the silence became unbearable, Star Hunter spoke up.
"We lost?" His tone gave the question little room for doubt.
Cosmic considered him solemnly. "This battle? Yeah. Badly. And that might as well have been the entire war."
Rainbow's stupor shattered with those words. "Don't talk about it like that," she said commandingly. "We're still here and that means we can still fight."
"Still fight?" Cosmic repeated. "You can't be serious. You saw what those things did to us out there. You want to go back and do it again?"
"It's better than standing aside and letting them get to our families at home without doing something," Rainbow shot back. "Listen, we need to get back to the others so that we can help out when the time comes. It's not like we're just going to lie down and give up, right?"
She looked them hard in the eye. Star Hunter nodded his concession to her. After a grudging and somewhat guilty pause, Cosmic nodded as well.
"Oy," Rainbow shouted to the servants, who scurried forth to heed her. "Help Cerulean get cleaned up and find him a place to rest."
As the servants lifted the downed Pegasus back to his hooves and escorted him into the nearest barracks, Rainbow, Star and Cosmic lifted off stiffly. They drifted out to the front gate of the city and found the Army shuffling in. The Air Corps fliers, who were by far in the best condition, were hauling supplies and helping the wounded walk. Spitfire stood with Captain Gallant Lance beside the gate, coordinating the operation.
Rainbow landed near them and approached when Spitfire motioned her over.
"I take it that you're not as hurt as you look since you flew in under your own power," the Wonderbolt said as she eyed all of the blood. She was in a similar state of uncleanness herself. "It's good to see you made it. Some of us didn't." She looked back at a list the Captain was holding. Her ears dropped. "A lot of us didn't."
Before Rainbow could say anything, Fire Streak landed next to them. He gave Rainbow Dash a venomous glare before clearing his throat for Spitfire's attention.
"Yes Sergeant? What do you need?" she asked.
"Ma'am," he began crisply, pointing at Rainbow. "You should be aware that this flier not only questioned my orders in the field but also disobeyed the call to defend the Princess during the retreat. I request that she be ejected from the Air Corps for endangering her flight and destabilizing the command structure in a critical combat situation."
Spitfire blinked at him and then at Rainbow and then back to Streak. "That's quite the accusation. Do you really think it's that serious?"
"I do, ma'am," he said without hesitation.
"Hold on a minute," Rainbow interrupted. "You want to kick me out of the Air Corps? For what?"
"For holding us up while we were trying to protect the Princess, that's what!" Streak said, gritting his teeth.
Spitfire stepped between them. "Both of you cool it. I'm not making a decision about this until I've heard it from somepony else." She turned to Cosmic and Star Hunter and pointed at them. "You two. Did you see what happened?"
"Yes, ma'am," Star Hunter said, snapping to attention. "Rainbow Dash approached Sergeant Fire Streak on multiple occasions to clarify our squadron's next move and delayed the squadron's flight to the Princess to suggest a different course of action."
"Which was?" Spitfire raised an eyebrow.
"To warn another element of the Army that a retreat had been sounded," Comsic reported. "They hadn't been able to disengage with the rest and were being left behind. No other squadrons were in position to assist them, so we did."
"Wait, we?" Spitfire asked.
"Yes, ma'am. Star Hunter, Cerulean Skies and I followed her in the assistance of their retreat."
Spitfire looked around. "Cerulean? He didn't make it?"
"He did, ma'am," Star Hunter said. "He's been taken to the barracks to rest. He collapsed shortly after we returned."
Spitfire paused to consider what she had heard. She glanced between Rainbow Dash and Fire Streak multiple times and paced a short distance away. They waited for her in tense silence. Even Captain Gallant Lance was watching cautiously. When she came back, she was frowning deeply.
"Why didn't you follow your orders, Rainbow Dash? Especially when you were ordered to protect the Princess?"
"The Princess had the Royal Guard all around her," Rainbow said. "And all the other squadrons in the air were headed for her. She didn't need us as much as that other group did. If we hadn't told them about the retreat, they might not have made it out."
Spitfire turned to the other two. "And why did you two follow her?"
"We figured she was right. Besides, she's our flight leader. We couldn't just fly off without her."
"Hmm," Spitfire said, rubbing her chin and eyeing them appraisingly. "The last thing I want cleared up here is what you thought was so important that you needed to add extra pressure to your commanding officer while he was making field decisions," she said, back on Rainbow Dash.
"Maybe I was pressuring him, but he didn't seem to be making up his mind very fast. We spent half the time hovering, waiting on him."
Spitfire rounded on Cosmic and Star again. "Would you agree with that assessment?"
They both looked at each other and then at Fire Streak. The anger in his face caused them both to hesitate.
"Answer me," Spitfire pressed.
"We would, ma'am," they said just out of synchronization.
Fire Streak was about to shout something when Spitfire glared him down.
"Sergeant, you are relieved of your command of the 7th Squadron and are hereby reassigned to third flight's second wing under my command in 1st Squadron, effective immediately."
He balked for a second before responding indignantly. "But I can't be assigned that position. I'm a Sergeant. That's flight leader at the least!"
"You're right." Spitfire's tone was icy. "We can't have that. So you're also demoted to Corporal. Dismissed."
He sputtered on the edge of arguing but Spitfire's growl made it clear that she was done with him. He retreated bitterly. Rainbow waited until Spitfire had cooled off before speaking again.
"Ma'am? I'm not quite sure what just happened."
"It's simple," she replied. "I've just promoted you to Sergeant and put you at the head of 7th Squadron."
Rainbow's eyes shot open. "How is that simple? I thought I just barely avoided being kicked from the Corps."
"Rainbow, I've seen enough of you to doubt any accusation of disloyalty in the field. If you disobey an order, there's likely a damn good reason. And there was, the way I see it."
She pointed out at the Army's ragged columns as they passed through the gates into Canterlot.
"We only just made it out of there with our feathers attached. And the ponies on the ground had it worse. Your actions saved lives, and that's not a small thing."
"I know that it worked out in the end," Rainbow said with a frown. "But the way Serg...er, Corporal Streak put it, I messed up by questioning him like that."
"What you did was take one look at the situation and make a solid judgment: A platoon was in trouble and no one else could do the job. Fire Streak missed that. He only saw that the Princess was retreating under fire and he didn't consider other options. Don't get me wrong," she continued quickly when Rainbow opened her mouth to object. "Moving to protect the Princess is a good decision. But he neglected to notice a more pressing detail. And that's not all. All three of you agreed that he wasn't keeping your squadron engaged. There's a time to be cautious and a time to be decisive."
Spitfire waved the other two in closer and lowered her voice.
"I looked up once or twice to see how everypony else was doing and of all of the things I saw out there, your flight was the one that drew my attention. You were pulling out of a dive that had come in too far behind the others. You might not have noticed, but if you hadn't pulled out, you'd have been ripped to ribbons. They were watching for you after the others came through. Rainbow, you spotted that danger didn't you?"
"Um, yes ma'am."
"That's what I thought," Spitfire nodded. "And that's why you're being given this job. You could feel that Streak was holding back too long in his attacks, and yet you were able to see when it was wise to wait for a better time. That's a good instinct to have in a leader. You three should get some rest. I want my best fliers to be ready for anything when the time comes." She winked at them as they turned away.
"Oh! And Sergeant Dash? One more thing."
Rainbow hung back and waited. Spitfire glanced around to make sure nopony was in earshot.
"I want it understood that this would have been a whole lot different if you'd gotten anypony in your flight killed pulling that stunt. They all made it and a whole platoon owes you their flanks. You did a good thing but I don't want you relying on luck like that. Keep your eyes on the goal and your fliers in mind when you're up there. They'll be counting on you. Dismissed."
Rainbow saluted and walked down to the gate with the others, feeling one part giddy at her promotion and two parts nauseous with how close she'd come to messing up royally.
~*~*~
Ponies moved past them without a second glance. None of them had the heart to do more than walk through the city's gates on leaden hooves. An army that had once been one and a half thousand ponies was now reduced to little more than seven hundred. Still bloodied from the battle and many limping from wounds, their heads were hung in defeat.
Lyra sat just inside the gates and off the road a few paces, barely paying attention to them. She was changing the bandage on one of her forelegs. It was the worst of her injuries. The bruises that had resulted from her armor blocking blows throbbed whenever she moved but were otherwise manageable. Big Mac, whose only visible damage was a series of deep dents in his armor, stood beside her and just watched faces as they passed. She preferred to ignore them. It helped her to deal with her own dark thoughts.
They'd all been so full of confidence just a hoofful of hours ago. It was hard to believe that they could be brought so far down so fast. Where had their spirit gone? Where was their determination to stop this invasion and protect their homes? Hers was tattered and torn. It was stained with the blood of the ponies she'd watched die beside her. She still wasn't sure how many from her platoon were still with them but she couldn't believe it could be more than fifty.
A harsh voice broke through her thoughts and drew her eyes.
"I don't care if she's having a seizure from this. I'm going to see her now!"
A powerfully built grey stallion in grand gold and silver armor marched past her but was stopped when a more slightly built tan-coated Unicorn in what looked like black leather grabbed his shoulder and forced him to turn around.
"The Princess needs some time to herself, Zacon. She's still coming to terms with this right now. We'll be able to speak with her when she's ready."
"Ready?" Zacon scoffed. "By the time any of these pathetic creatures are ready, I'll have been able to walk home. I'll tell her what she needs to hear and she'll deal with it. I didn't say I cared if she could handle it."
"You can't just kick the door in and demand that she listen to you," the Unicorn said in exasperation, looking to a deep green Unicorn in a tan leather vest for backup as he joined them. "And this is the worst time for you to do something like that. She's distraught. Half her army just followed her into battle and died. How would you feel if your people suffered such a loss?"
The Earth Pony's eyes narrow suspiciously. "Are you suggesting that there's an enemy that could face my people in open war and inflict comparable casualties?"
The tan Unicorn lost his composure for a brief moment. "Don't even start, Zacon! Even you aren't stupid enough to think that you're invincible!"
Zacon looked like he would hit the other but the green Unicorn beat him to it. The punch landed solidly and the tan Unicorn reeled. Zacon's grin vanished behind a second hoof as soon as it appeared. While both of them were rubbing their chins, their assailant adjusted the bow slung at his side and addressed them both icily.
"I am not dealing with you two right now." He jabbed Zacon. "You're an asshole and you need to shut up about this place and all of the shortcomings you insist it has." He rounded on the other. "And you need to realize that this can't be done gently. They're tougher than either of you have been treating them."
He gestured at the nearest ponies, who happened to be Lyra and Big Mac. Lyra blinked back at them while Big Mac considered them impassively.
"They've just proven that much a dozen times over. They were the ones holding the ground on either side of us, for the Light's sake!"
The first Unicorn was guiltily silent and Zacon returned Big Mac's gaze before nodding in concession.
"So it's agreed. Their leadership is the reason they are failing to defend themselves."
Zacon acted as if he couldn't see the two of them seething. The green Unicorn made an effort to not start hitting him again while the other just walked away in disgust.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," the archer said, his eyes closed and his teeth set. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find a place to lie down. I used a lot of mana out there, so don't bother me for a while. You're going to find a way to make yourself useful in the meantime."
He walked off a bit unsteadily. Zacon watched him go half interestedly. The big warrior then cast about momentarily before picking a direction and leaving.
Lyra had been holding her breath since they'd looked at her. She let it out once all three of them were out of sight. It had been unnerving to hear them talk the way they did. She'd recognized them as the three ponies who followed them to the training camp and remembered them fighting near her in the battle. It had been obvious then that they were outsiders, tagging along with them but not really being part of their group. What she'd just heard sounded like they weren't even Equestrian at all.
She puzzled over what that could mean for long minutes. Time Turner came over to them, though she was only vaguely aware of him.
"Mac," he said hoarsely with a nod.
"Doctor," Big Mac returned.
Turner was bandaged around the throat where an axe had collapsed his armor, nearly choking him. They discussed the movement of supplies and eventually left together to rest. Lyra only looked after them when the sound of their voices was completely lost in the clamor. The two of them were the only ones here that she felt she could be open around. She was glad they made it. She was suddenly thankful she hadn't learned many names yet. She would only have been forced to dwell on them.
Possessed by a sudden impulse, she got up and made her way toward the medical tents. There was one other pony that she was comfortable around. And besides, she knew Goldengrape would be happy for the company.
~*~*~
Jason fumed for nearly an hour, wandering the streets without seeing or hearing where he was going. Zacon's attitude got under his skin in the best of circumstances and these were anything but. He didn't seem to be capable of appreciating anything that couldn't rip a creature's arm off. Didn't he know that was the opposite of the way Jason felt?
He stopped suddenly, overcome with grief.
For just a moment, he lamented in his mind. Not even a whole week, I thought I had found someplace free of violence. I've seen so much of it; done so much of it. Can't some place be left untouched by bloodshed?
He clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth to prevent a sound from escaping him. Ponies passed by him, oblivious to his pain, only sparing an odd glance at his stricken expression but too caught up in their own worries to stop. As minutes crawled by, he regained a measure of control again. He opened his eyes and realized he was standing beside the wall of the palace. Twilight was coming up the street, still dressed in her mage's uniform. She entered the palace as if worried she was being watched. If she hadn't been acting so unusually, he might not have looked close enough to see the books held protectively behind her.
He debated briefly if he even wanted to get involved in anything right now. In the end, he figured it would be better than stewing in his thoughts. He followed at a quick trot so as not to lose her. On his way, he also noticed that the halls were completely empty of guards and servants. Twilight was making good time and Jason could hardly muster the vigor to keep up. Each time he rounded a corner after her, she was a bit farther ahead. He was about to give up when she turned into a room and closed the door with a snap.
He stopped, wondering if it was wise to listen first or to just knock. He approached the door cautiously, still trying to decide. He never made up his mind because Twilight opened the door again suddenly.
"Jason! I...well, I was just, um." She glanced inside the room uncomfortably. "What did you need?"
Jason mulled the question over while she fidgeted. "I may have followed you because of the secretive manner in which you brought those books up here."
"Oh. Right." She rubbed her shoulder guiltily, not meeting his eyes. "I just didn't want to have to try to explain what I was doing." She managed to glance at him. "Least of all to you."
"Why me?" he asked.
"The things you said to Rainbow Dash made it clear how you'd feel," she said.
"You're making preparations for battle?" he asked wearily.
She hesitated a long time before replying. "Yes."
"Why would that be a problem now?"
"Well, you said that you didn't want Rainbow to put herself in danger or to fight and kill and all that. I just figured you'd feel the same way about me doing it." She raised an eyebrow at him.
"But you're already fighting," he said with a nod. By saying those words out loud, he had just admitted it to himself. And with that, he made a decision that he'd been trying to deny since the fighting had begun. "And I'm convinced that we are going to need every advantage we can get. Is there any way I can help you?"
"I suppose. I mean, yes. Yes, please. Come in." She held the door open to let him though. "I was just looking through some spell tomes that I thought would be useful. Admittedly, we don't have many offensive spells but I figured it was still a good idea to look."
Jason took in the room with a glance. It was halfway between bedroom and study; the bed and dresser on one side and a desk with adjacent bookshelves on the other. Implements of science stood sentinel at every turn. Jason walked over to the tomes, which had been set down hastily on the desk. He scanned the covers and nodded again.
"You're right. These aren't likely to be very useful in combat."
She waited for him to continue. He took that as permission to forge ahead.
"If you'd like, I can teach you magic that can be used exclusively for fighting. It will require you to be comfortable with dealing damage to an opponent in excess of killing them. Our enemies don't often give us the time to make clean kills after all."
Twilight nodded, though Jason noticed hesitation and apprehension.
"Very well. My people's spells concentrate on the raw elements of Nature; earth, water, air and fire. Or, as some interpretation of physics would insist, they are solids, liquids, gases and energy. We bend the world around us to create and manipulate these elements for our use. Most times, we use a gesture to direct our control. Since a pony's form is inconvenient to that standard, I won't be teaching you those specific techniques. We'll have to rely on your natural skill in visualization utilized by telekinesis, which you've already mastered. Though, I'll still use simple gestures. Old habits, you know?"
Jason was more than slightly amused when Twilight nodded her acceptance of his explanation without hesitation. To be honest, he was racing to put together a lesson plan. After all, it wasn't every day that one had to explain the inner workings of a force basic to one's race.
"We'll need some elements to work with. A glass of water or two, to be specific."
He hadn't finished speaking when a popping sound announced the arrival of a dozen glasses filled with clear water on the table beside them. Twilight smiled at him benignly as her horn's glow faded.
"Alright then! We'll start with a simple, yet potent technique: Frost."
Jason raised one hoof and pointed it at one of the glasses. As he lifted his hoof higher, the water in the glass rose with it, leaving the glass itself behind. He then pulled his hoof to his chest sharply. The water pulsated in response and froze solid. Twilight looked between him and the globe of ice several times before gasping.
"Your horn! It wasn't glowing!"
"No," he smiled. "It wasn't. Our magic flows through every part of us. It does not need to be focused specifically through any part of our body, though we tend to use our, erm...forelimbs."
He pointed at the ice again and a wave passed through it like a slow ripple on the surface. It changed back to water and followed his direction back into the glass.
"I might normally show off a few tricks to give you an idea of what is possible, but I think it wise to conserve mana in case I need to exert myself extensively in the next few days."
"Mana?" Twilight inclined her head curiously.
"I can't believe I didn't even mention that." Jason put his hoof to his forehead with a dull thunk. "I guess we'll have to start a little more basic. Mana is what we call the energy of our magic." He held up a hoof and after a moment of concentration, a small, bright ball of bluish white light appeared. "This is pure mana energy. We either use it to direct our control over objects and elements or to create elements or specific effects."
The ball flashed and became a flame.
"Creating something out of pure mana is usually more potent than just manipulating the elements around us but at the cost of using more of it," Jason said, letting the flames roll over his hoof as he rotated it.
Twilight regarded it critically. "If you use this energy without a horn, will I be able to use it at all?"
The flame vanished.
"Some races in our world are unable to use any form of magic," Jason frowned. "But those who can are able to learn all of its aspects with enough time and study. You already have control of a form of magic so I believe you will have no trouble using it."
"But your magic comes from another world," she reminded him. "What if I don't have mana?"
"We took on the forms of your world when we came here. Elves and Dragonites are not of this world so we could not remain in those forms. But we retained our magic, so that form of energy must not be foreign. Perhaps it is just undiscovered."
Twilight mulled it over. "I suppose you could be right. Now how do I use it? It seems to require a very different kind of control than Unicorn magic."
"Ah, but it doesn't," he said with a faint grin. "I have had the opportunity to experiment with both and I can confidently say that the only real difference is that ours has a definable limit on how much we can use it. The concentration takes the same kind of effort. The feeling of connection to the objects interacted with is nearly identical. All you have to do is find the mana within yourself and tap into it. I may be able to help with that."
"How?" she asked. "It's energy. It's not like you can just point to where it is and have me grab hold of it."
"Actually, it will be something like that. If you will allow me, I can send a current of mana through you that should be able to help you feel your own flowing."
Twilight made a face. "That sounds a bit, um, weird."
"It'll also be much faster than having you try to find it on your own," Jason said with a shrug. "Standing here and talking about it isn't going to help you feel something you've never felt before."
"Alright," she conceded. "Just to be clear though, I'll feel your magic flow through me and that will help me connect to my mana?"
They stared at each other, blinking occasionally.
"You know, when you say it like that, this does seem odd." Jason laughed a bit. "But then, we're dealing with magic from two separate worlds so everything is odd, isn't it?"
"I guess you're right," she said.
Jason stepped in front of her and placed a hoof on her shoulder. She nodded her readiness. He leaned his horn close to hers and closed his eyes. A spark jumped between them and he felt Twilight flinch. A tendril of mana passed down the length of her horn, over the crown of her head and down her spine. When it reached her heart, it turned and completed the circuit with Jason's hoof. They both took a deep breath simultaneously.
The cord of mana reached out with a feather's touch as it searched for a pathway to follow. It fanned out until it felt the tug of another magic. All at once, the cord was carried outward into the rest of Twilight's body, dragged along by a current of magic so swift that Jason almost lost his hold of it. They both gasped. Jason was amazed to find that more of his mana was being drawn out of him as the cord's limits were reached. As he let it go, his mana began spreading outside her body, molding to the contours of the magic that was emanating off of her. He stopped it there, feeling his mana being drained to maintain the link.
After carefully withdrawing his mana back to the original cord, he let the energy flow through and severed the link. When Jason opened his eyes again, he noticed a faint coloring in Twilight's cheeks. It was gone almost immediately.
Perhaps that was a bit more intimate than I had intended, Jason thought with chagrin he hoped was well concealed. He cleared his throat self-consciously.
Twilight was staring fixedly at a point in space, her eyes wide. Jason waited for her and she eventually came back to reality.
"That was...I don't even know how to describe it!" She looked around herself as if the right words were hiding somewhere nearby. "I feel it! I can't believe I never noticed it before."
"I was surprised too," Jason said, stepping away to sit down.
"Surprised by what?"
"Your mana reserves are highly concentrated. So much so that I had difficulty staying connected to the current." Jason inclined his head curiously. "You're even giving off a faint aura of magic, as if you cannot contain it all within you."
"That's a good thing, right?" Twilight asked apprehensively.
Jason chuckled. "Yes. It is a good thing. Most mages among my people would envy you that trait."
"So now that I can feel my mana," Twilight said, eager now to push ahead. "What do I do with it?"
"You need to be able to direct it," Jason instructed. "And you should be able to do it as easily as with your Unicorn magic. Visualize the effect and will it to happen, but be sure to specifically focus on your mana alone."
He pointed at the glasses of water.
"Try to levitate one of them without your horn."
Twilight screwed up her face in concentration. A spark flew out of her horn, caused perhaps by her Unicorn magic trying to rise to meet her demands.
"Feel the energy and will it to reach toward the glass," Jason urged, sensing the balance of the air shifting. "Surround the glass and feel the connection."
Twilight closed one eye and puffed out her cheeks. The glass quivered.
"Your magic is an extension of your mind. What you think is made real through your mana. It is in your grip now as much as when you use telekinesis. You only need to give it a push."
All at once, the glass shot upward. It shattered against the ceiling and would have rained shards of glass down on them if Twilight hadn't also reflexively put up a purple barrier. Jason watched bits of glass and droplets of water glance off of the shield and drop to the floor. Twilight looked at him apologetically.
"Maybe a bit too much push?"
"A bit," Jason agreed with a smile. "Once you made the connection, all of that effort went into the force on the glass. Making the connection next time should be easier, allowing you to control the force better. Of course, as with anything, practice is key."
Twilight nodded and cleared the floor with a sweep of telekinesis. Then she took a stance and locked another glass with a steely gaze.
~*~*~
Zacon spent an hour hauling supplies, carrying messages and just generally doing what he thought would satisfy Cor's instructions. He'd even taken time to clean the blood from his armor. But after that hour, he'd exhausted his patience for such things. His only reason for persisting so long was the dull ache in his jaw. As that faded, so too did his wariness of aggravating a repeat encounter. Still, the time he'd spent around the Army's camp had given him a chance to ponder the merits of both Cor's and Jason's words.
These ponies had, for the most part, made a show of force worthy of his respect. They'd put themselves in danger willingly and some had survived, even stood their ground long enough to hold the enemy at bay. Despite his first impressions still mostly holding, he would need to adjust his view of them in this new light.
He decided he'd find a place to sit and mull it all over. The battle to come would find him wherever he chose to wait for it. The medical tent seemed like the most interesting choice, if for no other reason than because he would be able to further gauge the ponies' resilience. Closing his eyes, the voices and movement of the ponies around him blurred until it could have been the sound of any camp preparing for war. It was just an illusion, but to him, it was a welcome one. The military language, the striking of metal on metal, the general commotion, it all stirred comfortable memories of his earlier campaigns.
One pair of voices was close enough that he could hear them distinctly. He listened absently until the details started to interest him. If he was not mistaken, they were referring to the part of the battle he himself had been in. If these ponies had been among those to stand their ground, then he was very much interested in what they had to say about it. Leaning around the corner of the tent, he perked his ears forward.
~*~*~
"You're not in need of one of these beds yourself," the stallion pointed out, gesturing to the bandaged foreleg of his companion.
Lyra covered the injured limb self-consciously. "I didn't think it was a big enough deal to worry somepony else over. I've been in enough scraps of my own to know how to take care of myself."
"Then I suppose you're the one I should be least worried about." Goldengrape was smiling despite the large swaths of bandages covering his body.
"Those of us that made it aren't the ones I've been worried about."
"Lyra," he said, cutting her off before she could say any more. His smile remained but it was more solemn now. "We can't change what's happened. All we can do is make the best of what is to come. Don't dwell on it. It will only put you in a foul mood. Our troubles will need to be faced regardless of how we feel. Best we feel up to it when the time comes, don't you think?"
She nodded reluctantly. Goldengrape shifted in the bed with a grimace. Lyra knew how badly he'd been injured. It astounded her that he could be talking about good moods when he escaped death so narrowly. True, she didn't want to think about everypony that had died. But it was still nagging her and it wouldn't let go. So many leaving their homes and so many never to return: Her mind shied away from it.
"At least it wasn't for nothing," Goldengrape said suddenly. "We certainly made 'em pay for getting across that river, didn't we?"
"Actually, from what I've heard, we didn't do so well at all."
"But we must have done something," he argued. "For how long we held that spot, it can't have been that bad."
"We did well. But that was just our platoon. Most of the Army ran away."
Goldengrape's smile slipped for a moment.
"And as much as I hate to say it," Lyra went on. "I don't think it was really us who did the holding."
"How do you mean?"
"When we were out there, I saw some ponies that I recognized. They'd come to the camp with us from Ponyville though they had just been visitors in town. They had their own weapons and everything."
"I think I know the ponies you're talking about. Three of them right?"
"Yes. I've been hearing things about them and now that I've seen them in battle, I think those rumors might be true. They're not from Equestria."
Goldengrape thought it over.
"They do seem a tad unusual don't they? But is that really a basis for such an assumption?"
"It's not just the rumors. I overheard them just inside the gates not long ago. They talk like they're not even ponies."
Goldengrape laughed briefly before wincing in pain.
"Now Lyra," he admonished after he'd recovered. "That's just absurd. I've seen them myself, too. They are most definitely ponies."
"But they don't act like it!" she insisted. "That one called Zacon was screaming at the Trolls and standing out by himself like he didn't even care. He said just a bit ago that he wanted to go yell at the Princess for being a pathetic creature or something like that."
"Well, I don't know anything about that," he said, waving a dismissive hoof. "What I do know is that they did more than their share of the fighting. And if ponies like those are going to stand with us, I have no doubt we'll get through this."
"How can you be so confident?" Lyra asked the floor. "We barely make it out with our manes attached and you don't have any doubt?"
"It's not about what happened. It's about what I know will be. Equestria will be made safe again and we won't give up until that is so."
"Sounds like blind optimism to me," Lyra mumbled.
Goldengrape lightly rapped her on the hoof in reproval.
"Not remotely. Having a clear goal in mind is one of the most important steps in making it a reality."
He turned her chin up so that she was looking him in the eye.
"Don't you know what you want? Where you want to be when this is over?"
Her eyes softened with memories that were all too far away and dreams that never seemed to be in sight.
"Yes. I know where I want to be," she said in a whisper.
"Then you know that's where you will be. You just have to get there is all." He leaned back into his pillows with a sigh. "It'll be hard, sure. It might not get better for a while. But rest assured we will get there."
She was silent. If he thought that wishful thinking was going to cure their ills, he was crazy. But the lure of hope was strong and she didn't have the heart to fight it.
"You're right. We will get through this. And with the Princesses' help, one day, these Trolls will give up and we'll be able to go home." She smiled as brightly as she could manage, proud of her decision to reject despair and thankful that Goldengrape had helped her to do so.
~*~*~
Outside the tent, Zacon had reached a decision of his own.
Any creature can fight to save its own skin, he thought. They may have risen to the occasion at our sides this one time, but that means very little if they do not have the will to seek total victory.
He continued to brood as he walked away.
Not only do they not have the stomach for fighting. They don't even understand what it will take to win! 'One day, these Trolls will give up'? What nonsense. And with the help of the Princesses no less!
He made his way farther into the city. His frown deepened to a scowl. Anypony that saw him coming moved quickly to avoid him.
This war won't end itself. Not with an enemy such as this. If they expect to trudge through it until it's over, they will never make it to the end.
He could tell by the way those two had given themselves over to the fantasy of a coming peace that they had no idea what it was really going to take to end this. Jason was right, in a way. They weren't prepared. They weren't equipped to handle it. The problem wasn't physical weakness. He'd seen enough to know that. It was their entire outlook on the fighting itself.
He knew that Cor would disagree, but he also knew that if this nation was going to see next spring, they would have to fix how they were approaching this fight. And since they weren't about to do it on their own, he'd have to whip them with their mistakes until they did. With the determination of a freight train, he set his sights on the palace and marched. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Seventeen: Between the Flash and the Boom, Part 2 | None of the Guards were present in the throne room. They'd left of their own accord, sensing that staying would have been intrusive. Even though the rest of the city was humming with activity, this one room was silent. Silent that is, except for the soft rustle of feathers and an occasional sniff. Luna lay next to her sister with her wing wrapped around her tightly. Celestia had given up trying to speak of her pain, since her voice broke every time she began. Instead, they just nuzzled and took comfort from the warmth of the other's closeness.
Luna could think of nothing more she could say that would lift the burden on the shoulders beside her. When the Guard had stood and fallen beside her in the first battle, it had nearly broken Celestia's resolve. Luna knew that her sister would do anything to keep everypony safe. She also knew that it had been impossible. As much as their deaths had stung her, the feeling of helplessness and guilt were what truly hurt. This last battle had been more than she could handle.
She had made it all the way to the throne room retaining some semblance of composure. Luna had been waiting for her there. The instant their eyes met, Celestia had collapsed. It had been so sudden that they'd feared she was injured. Unfortunately, the injury was of the spirit and while it would not kill, no medicine could cure it. A Guard, recognizing the time was not right to speak, passed Luna a report silently before he and the others left the Princesses. Luna had read it after Celestia had regained some control of herself. There had been little in it from which to draw reassurance.
A disturbance outside the room brought Luna back to the present with a start. The voice of a Guard was heard and then a deeper voice answered. There was silence and then the door swung open. Prince Zacon stepped through with a Guard trailing after.
"Your Highnesses," the Guard bowed hastily. "He insisted on an audience with you."
Luna gently disengaged from Celestia and stood. She caught Zacon's disdainful glance directed at Celestia and her eyes narrowed.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly.
"We're dispensing with formalities already?" Zacon asked with amusement. "Good. Straight to the point then."
He gestured for the Guard to leave. The Guard gave him a look of indignant disbelief and then turned to Luna questioningly.
She nodded. "You are dismissed, Corporal. We would have no one else in attendance for this meeting."
The Guard's surprise was quickly concealed and he bowed out of the room. The doors swung shut again. The two Royals remained separated by the vast room, measuring each other. Luna didn't like what she saw. His gaze was confident and direct. Whatever he was here for, he was not going to be turned aside lightly. Luna resisted the urge to glance at Celestia's still form behind her. Zacon would likely have taken it as some sign of indecisiveness. But while the Guards could be sent away from what would likely be a bitter and heated argument, Celestia could not. And in her fragile state, Luna was not sure how she would cope.
Zacon started forward as he spoke. "I hope you know why I'm here."
Luna's eyes narrowed further. "We could guess."
"Then I'll not waste time." He cleared his throat. "You are not going to win this war. Not unless you accept the meaning of war."
Luna sucked in a breath. Behind her, Celestia made no sound. Luna gave it another second before responding.
"And what, pray tell, is that?"
"Simply, it is kill or be killed," Zacon said evenly. "Your ponies have enthusiasm for defending their homes. They have shown devotion to you and this country. They have even shown promise on the field of battle. But all of that means very little if they cannot see what it will take to win."
"It is no mystery what it will take. They know. And together, we will overcome these Trolls." Luna fixed him with a stern gaze. "Make no mistake, Prince. I will not let Equestria fall."
"You have just illustrated my point, Highness."
Luna blinked.
"Allow me to draw your attention to your choice of words, about not letting Equestria fall in particular. You see, both you and all the rest of those ponies out there are fighting this war as if they will outlast this enemy and then they will go away. It is not so."
"They cannot wage war forever," Luna retorted.
"Nor can you," Zacon replied sharply. He let out a breath of impatience. "In the last few days you have suffered two defeats, lost leagues of ground, and roughly half of your troops. And this is only the beginning. If you cannot win on the doorstep of your capital, you cannot win across the rest of your country. And that is where the majority of this war will be fought."
Luna again listened for some sign of a reaction from Celestia but none was evident. "Do you have a point?" she said at length. "If not, stop wasting our time with your doom-saying."
"My point is that you must make them leave. And even if by some miracle you manage to drive them off, they will undoubtedly return. You need to do more than just push them out of your country. You need to make sure they never threaten again."
"They will learn not to violate our sovereignty after they have seen our strength. Just as in the past when our enemies have become allies once our differences are resolved."
"And what strength are they going to see? This pathetic display?"
Zacon gestured to Celestia where she lay, still curled up at the base of the dais of the thrones. Luna stepped between them defensively.
"Our strength is not in us as individuals," Luna said. "It is in our unity."
"I see," Zacon nodded. "So your powerful leader, who has resolved to protect her subjects without the aid of any significant security forces, needs all of you to fight her battles for her, else she cannot win?"
"Do not twist words," Luna hissed. "You know full well what I mean."
"Clearly. But it remains her place to do the protecting when she has prepared little else for the task. And here you stand, between the two of us, fighting her fight for her. I did come to speak with her after all."
"My sister grieves. You expect anything else?"
"Actually, yes. I expect her to lead, not whimper in a corner. Although," he said, pausing thoughtfully. "I don't know why I expect even that. It's not as if any of you have given me real reason to think you're even capable of this level of fortitude. It's surprising that your race has lasted as long as it has. Surely some other enemy could have decimated you by now."
Luna frowned deeply.
"Regardless, the lack of understanding of this conflict is laughable. I've heard them talk of going back to their lives like nothing will have changed when this is over. It is a foolish hope that can only distract from reaching victory. In the end, only the ones who can put aside what they wish could be again, will be the ones who live to see what is afterward."
A muscle tightened in Luna's jaw. She glared at the stallion before her.
"But that can only be if they are led to victory. And judging from what I see here, that isn't going to happen. Your army is undisciplined and ill-trained. I saw those troops running. I heard the order to retreat and it was given long after your army began abandoning the field. Admit it! The order was only given so that they could be spared the shame of being called deserters!"
Luna had finally had enough.
"The field was lost!" she countered sharply. "It was a choice between retreat and annihilation. Even with some elements of the Army already running, the rest needed to be withdrawn."
"At least let those honorable enough to stand their ground do so," Zacon said, raising his voice. "Let them die with honor, distinguished from the cowards who left them to their fate!"
A growl built in Luna's throat as she shouted back.
"You may write off our lives, but yours is no more important to us than any one of our subjects! Whatever standard you are holding us to matters even less. You chose to stand with us, remember?"
"You think I'm doing this for you?" he practically laughed. "I'm fighting for the thrill of battle! For the glory of victory! I am here to stand beside my brothers-in-arms because I will not let them stand alone. Now, my blade has tasted blood in this world and it is not sweet enough for me to waste mine defending such a collection of weak-spined, soft-hearted, ignorant ponies!"
"You'll silence your insolent tongue if you intend to keep it!" Luna's mane flared out behind her and a shockwave of energy followed her voice across the room.
Zacon did not flinch as the wave passed over him.
"What part of all that I've said here makes you think I can be intimidated by the likes of you?" he replied coldly.
Luna's nostrils flared. It was Zacon's only warning. Her wings extended and she rocketed toward him. The glow of her horn was a streak in the air as she swept past him. A deep hum resonated through the room after the impact and Zacon slid back several feet. His armor glowed briefly where it had been struck and a shower of azure sparks scattered across the floor. In a fluid motion, he swung his Axe up and held it before him defensively. He grinned past the handle at her.
Luna leapt into the air and shot a bolt of energy at him. He parried it with the Axe and it exploded into the floor behind him. Luna dove and shot again. After deflecting again, Zacon barely brought the Axe up in time to block her horn as she came down on him. A clear, high note rang out as the divine weapon met the blazing horn. They both skidded back from the forces that were released. Luna's pupils had contracted to pinpricks of hatred. Zacon's were dilated with anticipation.
Luna charged and Zacon braced himself to meet her. Thunder shook the room when they collided. Zacon's hooves slid on the tiles of the floor under the pressure of Luna's advance. Her horn burned as it pushed at the haft of the Axe. The muscles in Zacon's neck bulged with the effort to hold her back. Their eyes were mere inches apart. Suddenly Zacon's eyes went wide. Too late to stop it, he saw what she was going to do.
The blast from her horn hit the top of his helm and nearly caused him to fall over backwards. No longer holding the Axe against her, he was vulnerable and Luna took full advantage. She reared up and brought both forehooves down across his muzzle. The Axe fell from his mouth and clattered to the floor. Luna turned and kicked out with her hind legs, sending Zacon crashing into a pillar. He dropped to the floor, gasping for breath.
The doors burst open and five Guards rushed in. Luna held up a hoof to stop them.
"Stay back!" She turned again to where Zacon was struggling to rise. "I will handle him."
The Guards looked confused but followed her order. They stood barring the door, wary of danger. Zacon managed to regain his footing. A faint smile touched the corners of Luna's mouth when she saw the glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes. Her horn glowed for a moment but sputtered out. She was momentarily at a loss as to why her telekinesis hadn't worked until she noticed the shimmering light on his armor. She realized the enchantment must be resistant to magic. Otherwise, she reasoned, her other strikes would have had greater effect as well.
Zacon noticed that something hadn't worked for her and rushed to exploit her hesitation. She shot a bolt of energy but he turned it aside with a forceful hoof. She shot again and he let it strike the plates on his shoulder, slowing his charge marginally. She braced and he slammed into her. They rolled the length of the room and smashed into the far wall. Some of the Guards took involuntary steps into the room at the sight of the Princess on the floor.
Luna was the first to rise, using a surge from her wings to lift herself free. Zacon rolled over and regained his hooves. Luna landed and winced. She looked down and saw blood dripping from a shallow wound beneath her mantle. Her blood also fell from one of the blades on Zacon's armor. The stallion did not appear injured as he picked up the Axe again. He faced her, no longer defensively, but as if waiting for her to move first.
Luna waved off the Guards again, though they backed off more reluctantly this time. She swept her wings back and crouched low. She circled slowly while Zacon matched her steps. She faked one way and then another, until he gave a huff of contempt. She made a lunge that turned into a feint and then lunged to strike. He tracked her movements easily and was ready for her. He blocked the blow with a plate and brought the Axe down on what appeared to be a hole in Luna's defense. At the last second, she ducked, caught the haft with a hoof and turned it aside. In doing so, she had turned his head away from her. She could just make out his startled expression before it disappeared in a flash from her horn.
Zacon fell across the floor, once more bereft of his Axe. Luna stepped toward him, head held high. Zacon pushed himself up and glared at her.
"Don't you have any other tricks?" He seemed half way between annoyance and mockery.
"I don't need more than this to deal with you," she replied contemptuously.
"Oh really?" he smirked.
He held his hoof out, pointed directly at her. She waited, but nothing seemed to happen. Just when she was about to taunt him for being ridiculous, she sensed the movement. She ducked low as the Axe spun past her. It ripped through her mane where it remained suspended after her sudden move. The severed portion dissipated into the air and was replaced as her mane billowed out again. Zacon frowned as he caught the Axe in his mouth.
Luna allowed herself a small smirk of her own. Zacon snorted in frustration and advanced. Luna watched him and then began giving ground. He wasn't charging. He was just walking toward her. She wasn't sure what he intended but she knew he wouldn't do this without some sort of plan.
Without any other warning, Zacon was on her. Using surprising dexterity, he turned the Axe to make multiple passes at her before resetting his stance. Luna jumped back a step with each swing. He swept out with a wider strike and she was forced to leap completely over him to avoid it. Landing behind him, she prepared to shoot with her horn, only to find his Axe whistling toward her head again. She ducked and then dodged to the side to avoid the follow-up that slammed into the floor with enough force to leave a deep gash in the tiles.
Bits of her mane were cut off and vanished as she continued to dodge, reappearing as soon as it was gone. It effectively created an afterimage of her movement that was visibly bothering Zacon. His swings became wilder and driven more by anger. Luna jabbed at him with her hooves, forcing him off balance and slipping away before he could retaliate. She wove around him fluidly while he made powerful but poorly guided assaults on the space she had once occupied.
Just as Luna was thinking of ending it, Zacon turned and swung with unexpected accuracy. It came so close to clipping her head that her ears flattened themselves against her scalp instinctively. While she was still reeling from the close call, he brought the butt of the Axe around and hit her under the chin. She backed away with a stagger and tried to see her opponent through watering eyes. She found him a moment too late.
He rammed her with his shoulder and nearly knocked her off her hooves. He spun hard and the Axe came around with him. It connected with her mantle and an explosion shook the room. Luna picked herself up after what felt like minutes of disorientation and looked around. Zacon was coming to his hooves again, already looking to charge. She saw the place she'd been struck. A faint trail of steam rose from the lighter mark on her otherwise black mantle and another bleeding gash had appeared on her chest.
Anger built in her to match the pain and her horn flared to life with new intensity. Zacon made it halfway to her when broken tiles and bits of stone from the damaged pillars pelted him from all sides. He tried to push through the hail but the debris clung to him. The pieces tightened and Zacon looked down in dismay. He was lifted off his hooves and held in midair by the telekinetic barrage.
"Now, Prince Zacon Crimsontide, are you intimidated by the likes of ME!?"
Luna's eyes shown with pure white light as she shouted the last word. Zacon was slammed into the floor and then into the far wall. He scrabbled madly to escape but could find nothing to grip. He struggled with his bonds but Luna only pressed the chucks of stone tighter. As he struck surface after surface around the room, his struggles became weaker and weaker. Many square feet of the room's once pristine floors and walls were pounded into rubble by the heavy blows. When the Axe fell from Zacon's grip and his grunts of pain could be heard above the crunch of stone, Luna let him drop.
She walked over to his limp body and contemplated it silently. The Guards entered the room hesitantly. Luna paid no attention to them now. He might have been dead if not for the rise and fall of his chest and the rasp of his breath in the sudden stillness. Then one hoof stirred. Zacon's eyes opened marginally and looked blearily up at the Princess. Possessed by some lingering anger that he was even still conscious, Luna prepared to strike again.
"Enough!"
Luna blinked and the white glow in her eyes faded away. She turned to see Celestia standing over them both. Though her face was still lined with pain and sorrow, her eyes held an authority that froze Luna in place.
"He is done."
She put a guiding hoof on the other's shoulder. Luna let out a shaky sigh and turned away, pressing a hoof to her injuries.
"You did not come here simply to mock us," Celestia said, addressing Zacon. "You did not come here just to fight us. So tell us, why are you here? What made you do all of this?"
Zacon stirred again in the small crater he'd been left in. With a supreme effort, he was able to force himself more or less upright to respond.
"Highness," he began. Blood leaked from his mouth and he spat out a glob of it. "I had to do something to get your attention. Now, I believe I have it."
"Explain yourself then, Prince," Luna commanded impatiently.
Celestia gestured to Luna to calm her. Luna huffed contemptuously.
"I had intended to explain," Zacon replied, finally able to regain his hooves completely. "You see, when I began this confrontation, you were trying to deflect my accusation. As I started down more offensive paths, you saw that your words alone would not stop me."
He paused to wipe more blood from his mouth with a hoof.
"That is what I am trying to get you to see about this war. These Trolls are not going to be turned aside. They must be met with force equal or greater than they have brought against you."
"You think we are not trying?" Celestia asked. "You think there is some effort we are not expending?"
"You are not willing to accept loss," he said, nodding. "You grieve your fallen troops and yet soldiers exist to die for their people. If you intend to protect your subjects, you need to use your soldiers as a shield against attack."
"My soldiers are my subjects as much as any other pony," Celestia replied, affronted. "I will not treat them like tools to be used until they are broken and then discard them. I intend to protect them all equally."
"Then they will die equally," Zacon answered evenly. "For there is no way to protect them all."
"How can you know that no other way exists?" Luna asked.
"By leading my own people through hundreds of years of war," he said, looking at her severely. "And barely twice as many of peace. I know what it takes to drive an enemy to submission and I know the consequences of failing to prevent their resurgence."
Luna and Celestia exchanged a glance.
"Let me put it simply," Zacon went on after a pause. "You are defending and only defending. If you intend to win, you must go on the offensive."
"How can we do that when we can hardly slow their advance?" Celestia asked.
"My companions and I know ways to fight an enemy who outnumbers us. I may be flying in the face of protocol, but I believe we can turn this war around if we could have a more active role in directing battles."
Luna gave Celestia a troubled look but the other ignored her.
"You think that you can lead my ponies to victory?" Celestia asked cautiously.
"Yes, and without a doubt," he replied confidently. "I have seen all the potential in them that I need to."
"And you will do so with the utmost respect for their lives?"
"Sacrifices must be made, but I know the value of such losses well. Those willing to make that sacrifice are among the most honored by my people."
Celestia thought hard while Luna sized Zacon up. Even though he still had to wipe an occasional trickle of blood from his lip, he didn't seem severely shaken by the fight. Luna had stopped her own bleeding with a steady supply of telekinetic pressure on the wounds. He was tough, she was forced to admit. Dangerously so. If he was half as skilled in tactics as he was in brawling, he very well could do them some good. Still, Luna had reservations. More than seeing him get his way in the end, she didn't like the sound of this Prince taking over the command of their troops.
"I accept your offer to assist us further," Celestia said at last. "But on these conditions."
Zacon nodded and waited for her to elaborate.
"You will not send my ponies to their deaths. In battle, they may die," she admitted. "But you must never put them in harm's way when other options are available. Their lives matter to me. They must matter as much to you if you are to lead them."
"I agree," he replied.
"And you will never, I repeat, never antagonize us in this way again. You will speak plainly to resolve your problems. We cannot spare the energy it takes to fight amongst ourselves."
Zacon grinned as he nodded. Luna frowned at him. She didn't doubt that he would follow the directives but she knew that he had enjoyed their fight immensely. That attitude bothered her. He was being asked to value the lives of the ponies he would be leading when he reveled in battle. It left her with a worried knot in her stomach.
"Finally," Celestia continued. "You answer to us in all matters of command. Our orders supersede yours, although you can offer council at will. And my Captains will be above you as well. They answer to us alone."
"All reasonable terms, Highness," Zacon said. "I will be sure to stay within these bounds. I only need enough authority to lead troops where they are needed. I have no interest in directing the larger battle."
"Very good. I hereby grant you the rank of Acting Lieutenant and place you in your own command, independent of all others. You may give orders to troops in the other commands as you need to in the field and take extended command with our express permission. You will be issued a badge denoting your new rank and our officers will be notified of it. Your companions will receive the same rank and privileges once they have agreed to the terms. I wish you luck and sincerely hope that you can help us. There is no doubt that we need it."
Zacon bowed formally and straightened with a wince of pain.
"You will likely want to wash up and rest. I can have a room prepared for you." Celestia gestured to a Guard, who left to carry out the tasks.
"My thanks, Princess." Zacon said. "I will retire to, er, 'wash up'. Then I believe I will be looking over the troops. I want to put together a list of those I think can handle the maneuvers I intend to lead. My companions should be summoned to my quarters to discuss the terms they will need to accept before joining me."
"I will see to it they are informed of your wish to speak with them."
Zacon bowed once more and left. A Guard led him off in the direction of the guest rooms and the door shut again. The remaining Guards stood about uncertainly. They looked as if they wanted to say something but also didn't want to question the decision. Celestia returned to the base of the throne, lying down again with a sigh. She was visibly drained by the confrontation.
Luna remained where she was, staring after the Prince for a long time. The more she thought about him and what he'd said, the more she was forced to admit that she agreed with him. What they were doing wasn't working. They needed to change their strategy if they were going to win. Maybe he could be that change. She wasn't sure.
But there were a few things she was sure of: More ponies were going to die before this was over. They would have to accept that. They would also need to safeguard their future. If these Trolls had attacked them without provocation, something would need to be done to stop that from happening again. Celestia might think that they could find a way to make peace. Luna would do nothing to prevent it. But where Celestia might shy away from such action, Luna would be willing to deal more harshly with these invaders.
~*~*~
When the messenger knocked on the door, Jason was showing Twilight the specific movements of mana in the air as the heat was drained from the water to freeze it. He caused the rippling energy to glow as it passed from his hoof to the water suspended in front of them. Twilight mirrored the motion and the globe froze over at her direction.
"You've progressed remarkably fast," he said over his shoulder as he moved to answer the knock. "Practice will increase your speed and reduce the strain of concentrating on each step."
Twilight nodded and continued to change the water from liquid to solid while Jason opened the door.
"Ah, I was told by one of the servants that you would be here," the Guard said. He peered past Jason curiously. "I had been skeptical that I would find you in Miss Twilight's personal quarters, but I see that I was correctly informed."
Jason hoped that his face showed none of his thoughts.
"What was it you needed me for?"
"I am to inform you that Prince Zacon Crimsontide requests your presence in his quarters to discuss an important matter. I can escort you there now if you are ready."
Jason looked back at Twilight.
"I'll continue practicing on my own," she said without looking at him. "We can move on to new lessons when you return."
"I guess I am. Lead on."
They started off down the hall.
"We'll need to collect Prince Cor Hightalon as well before I take you there," the Guard said.
"That's fine," Jason replied absently. He was suddenly apprehensive of Zacon's ability to send Guards to find them.
After several halls disappeared behind them, the Guard stopped at a door and knocked. There was no answer and the Guard knocked again. This time they heard a thump and low grumbling before the door cracked open. Cor frowned out at them.
"I thought I asked not to be disturbed."
"Your exact words were 'not to be disturbed for as long as possible'," the Guard said. "I apologize, but you are needed now. Prince Zacon Crimsontide has requested your presence to discuss important matters."
"Should have known the scaly bastard would be behind this," he muttered and closed the door.
The Guard looked confused as he mouthed the word 'scaly'. After a moment Cor returned, now fully dressed and equipped.
"Let's get this over with."
"This way," the Guard said, leading them off again.
"Any idea what this is about," Cor asked, looking over at Jason.
Jason shook his head. They remained silent until they arrived.
"These are his quarters." The Guard stood aside and took a post outside the door. "He said that he wished for you two to meet him inside."
Jason nodded and opened the door.
"Ah, come in! Come in!" Zacon called as soon as he saw them.
They found him sitting at a table on the far side of the luxurious room. His armor and Axe rested beside him. He wore his tunic still and was eating pastries. A long roll of parchment was unfurled on the table next to him. The ink and quill sat untouched beside it.
"It's good you came so quickly," he said with a wide smile. "I had intended to write out a list of the troops I believed would make the cut but then I realized I couldn't do so with these damnable hooves. You shouldn't have any such troubles with those horns."
Cor stared at him blankly.
"What cut are we talking about?" Jason asked cautiously.
"Of course! The main business first." He pushed the plate back and got up. "The Princesses and I have come to an arrangement. In exchange for the authority of a field command, I have agreed to give them victory."
That was when they saw the silver sunburst emblem pinned to his chest.
"Is that...?" Jason began, pointing at it uneasily.
"How did you get them to make you an officer?!" Cor burst out.
"Oh, it was a simple matter." Zacon dismissed their alarm with a wave of a hoof. "We discussed our options and eventually they saw that I was right. Now as I was saying..."
"No, hold on," Cor interrupted. "That 'eventually' part has me worried. You're sure all you did was discuss it?"
Zacon continued to smile but now it was touched by wicked amusement. "There are many ways to express opinions and even more to work out disagreements. Is it really so important how I managed it?"
"I think because it's you we're talking about, it is important to make those distinctions."
"Very well. Princess Luna and I did battle. It was quite invigorating to say the least. She did more than just impress me. She beat me!" He laughed loudly.
"You...fought...the Princess?!" Cor's jaw fell open and his eyes threatened to pop out of his skull.
"I did indeed! We exchanged words beforehand of course. But it was the only way I could truly get their attention. Once they knew how serious I was about my assertions, they became more open to my suggestions."
"Stop, just...stop." Cor turned away with a hoof covering his face. "I can't even..."
Zacon walked over to him and slapped him on the back jovially. "Ah, you'll manage. Besides, winning this war has been the goal the whole time, right? Now we can do it! As if you two had come up with a better plan?"
He looked between them in challenge. Neither met his gaze and his grin broadened.
"Just as I thought! Now let's get down to business." He moved back to the table and sat down. "The two of you have been offered positions as well, provided you accept the terms laid out by the Princesses. Since they are basically the same things you've been telling me to do from the beginning, I can't imagine they will give you pause."
"I'll read the fine print for myself, thanks," Cor said dryly.
"It was to respect the lives of those we will lead, follow their orders and only give orders at the right times to the right ponies, something or other about the Captains still being above us in the chain of command and lastly to never again do what I did to get all of this." Zacon waved his hoof vaguely as he listed the terms off. "It's all fairly straightforward."
Cor frowned but didn't object.
"If I'm understanding this correctly," Jason said hesitantly. "We've been given the authority to give orders in the field. Which means we'll be able to lead missions as we see fit? Like build a team?"
"I think we need to ask for specific permission to form a team, but it sounded like the option was on the table."
"I don't have any problems with this, actually," Jason said, looking over at Cor.
"What?" Cor demanded. "How can you not have a problem with this?"
"Zacon's right," Jason said, completely straight-faced. "The goal is to win. I don't really care how he got this position. I'm going to take advantage of it."
"You don't even want to address the fact that he just forced his way into another country's command structure without the slightest plan as to what he was going to do with it?"
Zacon grunted. "I did have a plan. It was to get us the positions we needed."
"Needed for what? We're already helping. What more were you looking for?"
"We need to change the pattern of engagement," Zacon stated, shuffling the papers around. "We need to strike. And not head on, because we've already seen how well that goes. We need to hit them without actually engaging." He gave Cor a meaningful look.
"Your actual plan is to lead hit and run offensives? Avoiding direct engagements?" Cor cocked his head to one side. "That's very....unlike you."
"Oh, I never intended to lead such operations myself. I knew you would be better fit for that task."
"But you didn't even ask if I would do it!"
"I did not need to," Zacon shrugged. "You remember what you said before the first battle? That if you had time and a team, you might be able to pull off one of your maneuvers? Now you will have both. Make use of them."
"I...can't believe I'm agreeing with you on this," Cor said, letting out a breath of defeat. "But I actually can't find a reason not to."
Zacon grinned but Cor continued.
"Except that you went way out of bounds doing this." Cor jabbed an accusing hoof at him. "Don't think because it worked that it's the proper way."
Zacon grunted indifferently. "If we've cleared all that up, you two still need to meet with the Princesses to be officially given your ranks. Afterwards, the real work begins."
They gathered the papers, ink and quill and left to see the Princesses. As they walked, Jason leaned over to Zacon slyly.
"Did you really attack Luna?" he asked.
"No," Zacon said. "She attacked me."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "And she beat you?"
"Yes."
"So are you going to stop acting like they're pushovers now?" Jason grinned.
"Of course! I've known that they have potential for some time. And I've finally gotten them to show it. Now things will be more interesting!"
They arrived at the throne room and were admitted by the Guards. Luna and Celestia were waiting, obviously prepared for the coming ceremony. The Captain of the Guard stood to one side, observing. Zacon strolled in casually while Jason entered with a formal march. His expression was forcedly neutral. Cor shook his head and reminded himself he needed to stop acting like anything he did here was supposed to make sense.
~*~*~
The sun was setting the day after the battle at the river. High over the banks, a pair of Pegasi scouts circled the Troll camp. They had been there for hours now, part of an observation mission. They made lazy passes back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Boredom had driven them from their positions in the cloud cover. Flying in circles at least gave them something to do. The level of activity had been low for the entire day and their relief wasn't due for several more hours. They didn't care about stealth since the Trolls were bound to know they were being watched by now.
Corporal Smoky Trail flew just ahead of Private Cross Winds as they turned again toward the river. Cross stretched his wings out fully to catch an updraft. The last of the sun's warmth penetrated his feathers and coat to ward off the chill of the high altitude. It was a good feeling and he knew that he needed to savor it.
All at once, there was a great commotion below. The Pegasi halted and hovered, trying to discern the cause. They weren't close enough to make out individual voices, but with a glance at each other, they decided not to chance getting any closer. It seemed as if the entire camp had decided to mobilize at once. Tents were being torn down and fires were being smothered. The clank of equipment rose and fell in waves.
Then a line of dark forms emerged from under the cover of the trees on the opposite bank. Trolls surrounded what appeared to be massive carts. They pushed them into a row and stopped.
"We should report this," Cross said, drifting nervously in the direction of Canterlot.
Smoky waved him back, his eyes glued to the ground. "We don't have anything to report yet. They're just moving around so far."
"They're moving though. They look like they're preparing to march."
"We'll deliver a report once we know for sure."
The camp went suddenly silent. The tense expectation in the air made the hairs on Private Winds' neck prickle.
"I don't like this. We should get out of here," Cross said, barely speaking above a whisper.
"I just want to see what they're going to do first. It won't help to say we saw them move if we don't even know which way they're going."
From below, they heard a thrumming sound.
"What in Tartarus...?" Smoky said, squinting downwards.
A huge spear hit him in the ribs and kept going. The force of the projectile ripped his body in half. His startled expression froze on his face before he plummeted toward the ground in a shower of blood. A cloud of feathers fluttering after him were all that were left as he fell out of the sun's fading light.
"Smoky!" Cross yelled after the dead Pegasus. His outstretched hoof hung in the air, its futile offer to assist still not ready to accept that nothing could be done.
The thrumming came again but with more strings lending their rough voices to the grim symphony. Cross yelped in panic and flew. The spears sailed past him and kept going. He looked up and gasped. As they reached their full height, they turned over and fell back towards him. He turned and looped to avoid them but he couldn't keep track of them all. One clipped his flank and pain seared through him.
He knew he was bleeding badly but he forced himself to fly on. Every wingbeat told him that he was in bad shape and getting worse. The thrumming repeated and he closed his eyes to prevent himself from looking back. He couldn't maneuver now, even if he did know where they were. At any moment, he expected to be hit and knocked from the sky. He fixed his eyes on Canterlot and homed in.
The horror in Smoky's face as he watched half of his body fall away from him kept Cross' wings moving.
He was just daring to hope that he could escape when the spears came back down. He was dead before he heard them. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Eighteen: Quiet as a Thunderclap, Part 1 | Cor picked at the silver sunburst badge on his chest. He looked over at Jason, who was pouring over a long roll of parchment, frowning as he read all of the names carefully. A matching badge on his tunic glinted in the morning light as it streamed through the open window of their guest quarters. They had met with the Princesses two days ago and they had been working tirelessly ever since to put together a plan for the next battle. No matter how hard he tried though, Cor still couldn't get used to the idea of holding a rank in the military of these ponies they'd only known for two weeks. He sighed loudly.
"Would you stop that?" Jason said without looking up. "You can be uncomfortable without making it hard on the rest of us."
"But it wouldn't be fun then," Zacon said from the corner of the room. He slid a whetstone across the dagger he was holding with a hiss.
"You would know," Jason said, rolling his eyes.
Zacon chuckled and kept sharpening the dagger.
"You know I don't feel comfortable with authority," Cor mumbled. "And the way we got these positions isn't helping."
Jason turned away from the parchment. "And I've said already that it doesn't matter how we feel about it. We need to do what we can with what we have." He got up, rolling up the list and carrying it with him. "And what we need to do now is meet with the Princess to request her permission to form this group."
"Finally!" Cor said, heading for the door.
"You've finished?" Zacon asked, getting up as well. He slipped the dagger back into its sheath.
"Yes. The names we have here should be enough candidates to form a sufficient unit. I'm just hoping we can get enough of them to agree to it."
"We'll have no trouble there," Zacon rumbled as they left the room. They proceeded down the hall toward the throne room. "The ponies out there are desperate for something to rally behind. If we tell them we're their best chance, they will line up in droves."
"I want to believe it will be that easy but at the same time..." Jason shook his head. "I can't help but hope they aren't so eager."
"If they acted like you wanted them to, they would all run away at the first hint of battle," Zacon huffed. "At least Cor and I can get past the fact that they're doing some of the fighting."
Jason glared at him but said nothing. Cor frowned at Zacon.
"Don't go grouping me in with you as if we agreed on most of this," Cor said. "I'm still not on board with commanding them."
"As you've repeatedly noted," Zacon said. "But you'll do it anyway, right?"
"I guess," Cor conceded after a pause. "That doesn't mean I have to like it though."
Zacon nodded. "My point exactly. You know when to put aside your feelings and do what is necessary."
Cor's frown deepened. The three of them came to an intersection in the hall and saw Celestia standing just up ahead. They stopped at the sight of her expression. She was talking to a pair of Guards and was obviously not hearing good news. Another Guard approached and stood waiting to see why she had sent for him. Celestia finished with the first two and dismissed them. She spoke to the other then but the words were too soft to be heard. They watched as some horrible comprehension spread across the guardpony's face.
He turned away from the Princess, biting his lip while he removed his helmet. Celestia stood beside him silently, her eyes closed against the sadness of the news she'd just shared. Tears leaked down the Guard's cheeks and he brushed them away angrily. Celestia stepped close to him and her wing wrapped around him. He looked up at her as if to beg her to undo what had happened. Celestia lifted a hoof and hugged him close. He lost control then and sobbed into her shoulder, clutching at her desperately.
Minutes passed and they remained where they were. Cor jumped in surprise when Twilight walked past them. She had been behind them for some time, though they'd been too distracted to notice. She walked up close to Celestia and hesitated briefly.
"Princess?" she asked in a tiny voice.
Celestia did not acknowledge her but eased away from the stricken Guard. She lifted his chin and held his gaze. After a moment, he nodded to her, sniffling. She gestured to a servant waiting on the periphery and had him escorted away. Twilight made to take another step toward the Princess but thought better of it and put her hoof down again. Celestia watched the Guard until he was out of sight.
"We have just received word that the Trolls are on the move," she announced without preamble. "They began their march early last night."
"Why didn't we hear about it sooner?" Twilight asked incredulously. "Weren't our scouts supposed to be watching them?"
"We did have scouts watching," Celestia said softly. "They didn't report back and their relief couldn't find any sign of them. I've just informed Corporal Heralding Winds that his younger brother is most likely dead."
Twilight covered her mouth to suppress her gasp. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
"The Trolls are nearly here," Celestia said, moving on forcefully. "They marched through the night to get to us and now they are only an hour away from the gates. We must prepare our troops immediately."
~*~*~
Throughout the city, ponies stood about listlessly in the streets, watching the walls and trying to come to terms with the news that their city was about to come under attack. There was hardly any chatter among them and the streets themselves seemed to be holding their breath.
Atop the walls, a different silence reigned. Ponies shifted their weapons nervously and their armor clanked with the movement. Dispersed among the troops, the golden armor of the Royal Guard sparkled. Their numbers were greatly reduced since the last battle. Only a hundred of them remained in the ground forces. Of their Pegasi, there were fifty. They were stoic in the face of the coming battle, lending a small measure of confidence to those around them. Though more than six hundred other ponies of the Army remained, only about four hundred were in fighting condition. The Air Corp was nearly untouched in comparison. Only ten of their members had been lost in battle, including one Wonderbolt, and the rest escaping serious injury, leaving eleven full squadrons able to fight.
The sound of marching reached them as the Troll force drew closer. Cor looked out at the fields leading up to the gate and measured the range. He shuffled the arrows in the quiver that hung at his side and sighed. He carried three full quivers of twenty with him but his reserves were nearly spent. He would have to make more soon.
Cor glanced to his right. Celestia stood beside Luna in the wall's center and overlooked the field approaching the gateway. Farther along, he could see Jason. The tan Unicorn was staring ahead intensely. They had chosen to stand apart so that they could lend their support to the pony lines more evenly. The whole wall had to hold if they hoped to win.
Zacon was on Jason's left, separated by a hundred or so ponies. He had taken one look at the walls themselves and suggested they ride out and meet the Trolls in the open field. Celestia immediately rejected the idea. She had seen enough of fighting on such even ground. She wanted the advantage of walls on their side this time. Zacon would likely have criticized it as a cowardly notion if Cor and Jason hadn't agreed with her right away. So they waited.
The Pegasi of the Air Corps were on the ground behind the wall, watching for the order to attack. A contingent of Army lancers stood just inside the gate, prepared to charge out or hold the breach should one form. The mages of the Guards had been stationed in the high parapets where they would have a clear view of the entire field. Cor had lost track of Twilight somewhere between the palace and the walls but he figured she'd be among them.
Cor took a slow breath and let it out again. When the Trolls came into view, he swung his bow up and drew an arrow. The ponies to either side of him glanced at him with something bordering on longing. He realized they were equipped with swords, spears, javelins and the like. His bow must seem like a luxury to them. He nocked the arrow with a guilty frown. When he looked back up, he did a double take. The legion of Trolls that leered back looked no fiercer than before. The difference was the line of massive wooden carts that was being wheeled to the front, still hundreds of yards away.
An uneasy murmur passed over the walls. Cor peered closely at them, tracing the wooden beams and ropes mounted atop the carts. His eyes went wide as he realized what he was actually seeing.
"Catapults!" he yelled as the arms swung up and launched one foot diameter stones into the air.
The ponies around him ducked at his warning just as the stones impacted the wall. Defenders up and down the wall stumbled near the areas struck and a few lost their footing. Several stones overshot and sailed over their heads and into the city. One hit the rampart, smashed through and carried two ponies over the edge. They screamed on the way down and one fell silent as they hit the ground. The other's sobs of pain carried back up to the defenders.
Cor sprang back upright and aimed his bow high. His target was out of his range...unless he put magic into it. His eyes narrowed. He was not about to let this bombardment go unanswered. Green light raced up the shaft of the arrow and the arms of his bow glowed. He took aim and released the shot with a resonating twang. The arrow sailed across the normally impossible distance and struck one of the catapults. On contact, it exploded violently, ripping the siege machine apart and scattering its operators. Several ponies around Cor cheered and looked at him expectantly. He nocked another arrow but shook his head.
"I'm not going to be able to take them all like that." He pointed at a nearby soldier. "You! I need you to carry a message to the Princesses."
The young stallion saluted nervously.
"I need you to tell them that I can't take them all. They'll need a way to eliminate the rest of the catapults themselves."
He drew and fired another magically charged shot as he spoke and a second catapult disappeared. The stallion nodded and dashed off down the wall. Cor was still contemplating how many of these shots he had in him when the catapults fired their second volley. It shook the wall under his hooves and caused him to stumble. By the time he righted himself, the whole field had changed. An order that he hadn't heard had sent the Air Corps into the air and the Troll war horn was heralding the advance of their troops. Scaling ladders were held over the heads of many of them.
Cor took stock of his options and grunted. There weren't many choices. Either he could use all of his mana and stamina to silence half of the catapults or he could spend his arrows on marginally thinning out the swarming mass below him.
There won't be much of a wall to hold if those catapults have their way, he thought in distress. But it doesn't matter how much of a wall there is if there aren't any ponies left to stand on it.
He drew his bow back and leveled it at the advancing Trolls. Sparks flew from the end of his arrow as the spell charged.
~*~*~
The Princesses looked at each other with deep worry as the Trolls closed the distance. The ponies around them gripped their weapons and watched the horde surge toward them, their eyes wide with fear. The catapults loaded their third volley as the Pegasi climbed higher. Luna was just looking down the wall, questioning why Cor had stopped firing when a pony raced up to them and delivered her answer.
"We can only hope that our ponies can withstand it for now," Celestia said as the messenger returned to his post. "We must trust our Pegasi to deal with the catapults."
A bolt of lightning flashed through the Troll lines to their left and all eyes turned involuntarily to see a large contingent of Trolls drop to the ground, twitching and writhing. The stricken Troll at the head of the column fell clutching an arrow that protruded from his chest. The green Unicorn directly above them on the wall drew another arrow and nocked it.
Celestia considered the archer briefly before speaking.
"Our concern is with the bulk of their forces." Celestia's horn lit up as she spoke. "And that is where we will act."
"We will join in the battle, sister?" Luna asked, sounding almost eager.
"Yes, Luna. I have stood idly by for too long. I will not wait until the situation is dire to intervene this time."
Celestia launched a stream of brilliant red fire into the sky. It exploded in a shower of sparks, signaling the mages to open fire on the Trolls as they passed into range. But the sparks didn't fade away. Celestia swung her horn down and the sparks fell, gathering speed and homing in on the enemy below. Where they struck, small infernos erupted. Where Trolls were hit, they scattered, flailing as the fire clung to their fur.
Luna lifted her horn as well and she seemed to go into a trance. Streaks of dark light shot forth from her horn and struck the eyes of dozens of advancing Trolls. The Trolls froze and then fell over incapacitated. Their eyes were wide and staring but had turned completely black and dark vapor rose from them. Luna's eyes glowed with white light and a sinister smile touched the corners of her lips.
~*~*~
As the combined power of the Princesses and the mages poured into their ranks, the Troll attack stalled out. A hail of javelins from the Pegasi overhead effectively brought it to a halt. Trolls climbed over the burnt and comatose bodies ahead of them only to be met with another wave of deadly magic and spears. If it weren't for the continued bombardment of the catapults, which caused the defenders to duck and stumble as great chunks of the wall were pounded into rubble, the Trolls wouldn't have made any headway.
And that was the thought at the forefront of Rainbow's mind as she led her squadron up with the other ten squadrons of the Air Corps. As they reached the clouds, they leveled out. Once they'd passed over the bulk of the Troll forces, Spitfire signaled from the lead squadron that they were beginning their dive. Rainbow could see the catapults far below them continuing to launch deadly stones at the battered walls. She looked behind her at the Pegasi following her.
Fifteen pairs of eyes looked back at her, waiting for her leadership. She was momentarily stunned by the weight of that realization. They were at her command for better and for worse. It was up to her to make the decisions that would get them all back to the ground safely. She swallowed hard before shouting her orders.
"We need to shut those catapults up!" she yelled over the wind. "We'll toss a volley of javelins during the dive and then hit them with our blades."
The first few squadrons ahead of them began their dive. Rainbow banked in preparation, picking their target and continued to call out over her shoulder.
"Once we take out the crews, we'll need to keep them from sending more Trolls to start them up again!"
She rolled over and dropped into the battle. The squadron turned over smoothly and followed her in. They broke through the clouds and sped toward the milling figures on the ground. The battle was just as chaotic as when she'd last checked. The only difference was that there seemed to be twice as many catapults as she'd counted before. The first few squadrons were nearly in range to strike when they suddenly veered off and scattered. Rainbow scanned for the cause and found it soon enough.
What she'd thought was a second row of catapults behind the first was actually a different siege machine all together. They were pointed almost straight up at them and launching huge spears into the sky. She blinked once and banked hard. Her squad banked with her, and judging by the shouts of surprise, had only just realized the danger themselves. The barrage from the ground whistled past them harmlessly but the other squadrons hadn't fared as well. Already the bodies of a dozen Pegasi lay broken and bloody at the feet of the Trolls. Caught completely by surprise and at nearly point blank range, they hadn't had time to dodge.
Rainbow gulped and fought back against the chilling fear that suddenly surfaced and ran through her body. It was similar to the cool rush of adrenalin she loved so much, but instead of a satisfying surge of confidence, it felt as if her heart had forgotten to beat for the span of a breath. For that brief time, all she could think about were those mangled bodies and how easily she could end up being one of them.
Rainbow shook herself mentally, forcing those thoughts to the back of her mind and rapidly changing her plans to account for this new development. She didn't have time to see what the others were doing. She only knew that this had become their number one threat. Not checking to see if anypony could hear her, she shouted out her decision.
"Same plan! But we're headed for those things first! They'll tear us apart otherwise!"
She dove again, taking her below the range of the ballista but into the range of a hail of axes that the Trolls sent to greet her. She wove through the air and responded with a pair of javelins. She pulled one more and held it before her like a lance. The catapults came and went as she homed in on the nearest ballista crew. They saw her coming but still couldn't react fast enough to save themselves. She skewered the first Troll she met and whipped her blades out at the next. Both Trolls went down and her squadron swarmed the others. Seeing that crew handled, the remainder of the squadron redirected to the crew of the adjacent ballista, eliminating them cleanly. A glance to either side told Rainbow that they were currently the only squadron near the ground.
Not a good place to be, she thought.
She whistled to get everypony's attention and kicked off into the sky again. They followed her up, chased by weapons thrown from Trolls converging on where they struck. While they succeeded in outrunning the counterattack, they were forced to keep climbing when the ballista line fired up at them again. They cleared the clouds and swung back to hover. Rainbow scanned the skies and then the field. All of the other squadrons had pulled back toward Canterlot again to retrieve more javelins and regroup. It registered briefly that she'd just led her squadron in alone to attack the middle of the Troll force.
Rainbow looked at her Pegasi. They hovered beside her expectantly. They were all still there and miraculously unhurt. What she saw below was a less encouraging view. The Army's situation was getting worse by the minute as the walls began to buckle from constant bombardment. There were stretches of the wall that had been rendered nearly impassible as the ramparts were shattered. One section of the wall had been knocked in on the west side and ponies were desperately trying to stem the tide of Trolls who rushed toward the breach.
Rainbow noted that Jason and Zacon stood side by side at the front of the ponies in the gap, their blades darted and turned around them, creating a wall of bodies to rival the missing stone. They were making an account for themselves but they were also giving ground steadily. Still, she knew she couldn't do anything for them now except stop those catapults. She wheeled around and gestured for her squadron to follow. They turned and headed for the rear of the Troll force.
Once they were completely behind them, they turned again and dove at the ballista. The crews on the ground tracked their movement steadily, rotating the ballista to aim at their new angle of approach. Rainbow grit her teeth as she saw nothing could be done about it.
"Spread out!" she hollered.
They all broke formation and scattered widely, each now several lengths from the nearest Pegasus. When the ballista fired, they missed horribly as each crew aimed for a different pony. Rainbow flew on, praying they could get in too close for the second shot. She could see the spears already loaded in the siege machines as the crews wound the bows back. Most of them looked to be preparing to launch. She held her breath.
A cry of alarm drew the attention of the Trolls suddenly as squadrons of the Air Corps, unnoticed as they returned from the walls, poured up over the cliff side to attack from the flank. Spitfire's blazing mane clearly visible at the front of the charge, the Air Corps stormed into the Troll siege crews. Many Troll troops had already taken up protective positions around the crews in light of the initial attacks, but they were too confident in the power of their ballista and there were not enough of them to slow down the stinging blades of the Pegasi.
While most of the Trolls were caught off guard for a moment, some had the presence of mind to keep firing. Rainbow only barely dodged the two that sailed up at her but she heard the wet thud and dull grunt of one of her Pegasi behind her becoming the victim of a spear. Something in the back of her mind exploded in response. A rage boiled to the surface and drove her into a frenzy. She let out a yell as she cut clear through the first Troll. Her blade shuddered as she forced it past the bone and flesh in a shower of blood.
She did a somersault in mid air and brought her rear hooves down on the next Troll's head. It was flattened with a sickening crunch and the body slumped to the ground. She pushed off and slammed into her next target, driving him to the ground and punching her blades straight through his chest and into the dirt with a vicious cry of victory.
She held him there, still seething and breathing hard as her squadron took the rest of the crew. The Air Corps swept up to them and held their ground around her. The sounds of fighting barely registered to her. All that was real was the Troll she had claimed for her own: This enemy that had become the center of her need for retribution for the hurt and death that she'd watched them inflict these past few days.
As she stood over him, she got a clear view of his eyes as he died. His shock and fear froze as his ribs caved in under her hooves and blood pooled beneath him. He tried to form words but only a gurgle in the back of his throat escaped. He was nearly doubled over as she pinned him to the ground but a tense moment later, he fell back, limp and lifeless. Rainbow froze as well. Her rage dissolved into a numbness that robbed her of the ability to move.
This was the moment Jason had warned her about. This was the feeling he'd said would claim her if she fought. This Troll's life had meant nothing to her. More than that, she had wanted him to die; actually enjoyed it briefly. The eyes of this fallen soldier had told her more than she had been ready for. He had been terrified of death. Or her, if there was any real difference. He had desperately wanted to live. He had searched her face for mercy in his last seconds and all he had seen was her rage.
She nearly choked on a sob. One of the Pegasi beside her grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She didn't resist.
"Sergeant!" he shouted in her ear, but stopped when he caught the look on her face. His tone changed to one of concern. "Rainbow? We need to move. We've done all we can here."
She nodded and wiped her eyes enough that she could see where she was flying. They took off and the first thing she noticed was the lack of retaliation. No axes or spears were thrown after them. She decided she didn't care. As they winged back toward the walls, the chaos below them was a dull roar in the back of Rainbow Dash's mind. It was drowned out by the scream deep inside her that hadn't yet found release.
~*~*~
High above the fighting, high enough that the clash of steel and cries of death could hardly reach them, a pair of eyes watched. The furtive figure slipped back into the rocks of its cliffside perch. Others crouched back in the rocks, waiting for his return and the report he brought. Their leader stood expectantly, tracking the scout easily even through the concealing terrain he crossed to reach them.
Though he was smaller in size than any other Troll present, they deferred to him with a mix of respect and fear. The wicked curved head of his spear didn't look nearly as dangerous as the murderous glee in his eyes as he contemplated their group's plan. His fur had a peculiar bluish tinge to it, seeming to glow slightly. While other Trolls were top heavy with powerful arms and a bulky chest, he was relatively lanky and thin. He had the dangerous air of a coiled viper about to strike and at the same time, the tension of a bird about to dart away at the slightest movement.
"Well?" he demanded, skipping any pretense in his eagerness to move the mission forward.
The scout padded up to him and saluted before speaking.
"The battle is well underway, Ragnalau. They are completely occupied with the defenses at the wall. I could see no troops within the city itself."
Ragnalau's mouth stretched into a cruel sneer.
"You mean they don't even consider an attack from behind possible?"
"No, Chief's Champion. They seem to have concentrated all of their efforts on the walls alone."
Ragnalau picked up his spear and set it on his shoulder with a twirl. He started making his way down into the city at a leisurely pace.
"Well boys," he called back to the rest of his troops. "It sounds like we're clear to have our fun."
The rest of the Trolls followed, hundreds of them rising out of their concealment and pulling their axes from their belts. They picked their way through the difficult rocky path that their kind had long learned to traverse with ease. Below them, the defenders of the city of Canterlot fought on, unaware of the new threat. |
Innocent | Act II: Chapter Nineteen: Quiet as a Thunderclap, Part 2 | From the walls, Celestia watched her Pegasi wipe out the Troll siege crews and disable many of the machines, cutting the lines and splintering the beams. She nodded grimly at the victory. She turned back to the main body of the Troll forces as they crowded up to the walls. Ladders were raised and knocked down and raised again. The breach in the wall was being held stubbornly by Army lancers alongside Jason and Zacon to her right while Cor took sparing shots at those Trolls who seemed about to gain the heights.
Luna stood beside her still, concentrating on her coma-inducing spell. The mages launched volleys of magic into the enemy despite the exhausting rate they had maintained. The ponies on the walls steadfastly repelled each thrust the Trolls sent forward. Spears thrown by both sides raked the ramparts and base of the wall, taking their toll on defenders and attackers alike. The Trolls had lost half of their troops, but still they seemed determined to continue the attack.
Celestia sent a beam of searing light forth to cut a line of Trolls down before they could reach the wall, affording the defenders in that area a slight reprieve. A cry rose up suddenly, and her ears perked. It was distinct from the battle that raged around her in a way that she couldn't quite place. She looked up and down the line, searching for its source. The cry came again, closer this time and she went cold to the bone. She turned to look back into the city and found smoke rising from the roofs of many buildings.
"Captain!" she shouted.
The panic evident in her voice brought Captain Gallant Lance to her side in an instant.
"Your Highness?" he asked.
"The city!" she managed as her eyes darted about, revealing her desperate internal search for a plan.
Now the urgency of her words cut through even to Luna. The younger monarch released her spell and turned to her sister.
"What has happened?"
Celestia grasped at words before forcing herself back under control. "The city is under attack. I don't know how they got in but I know how they'll get out. You two must hold the line here. I will take troops into the city to eliminate the infiltrators."
The Captain took a critical look at the city and stopped Celestia as she spread her wings. "You'll need more than a squad of lancers, Highness. Luna should go as well. I can command the walls."
"No," Luna said slowly, turning to look farther down the wall. "Bring them," she said, indicating Jason and Zacon where they still held the breach against waves of Trolls.
"Them?" the Captain asked skeptically. "Are you sure they will be enough?"
"We waste time!" Celestia snapped. "Do what you must, send whom you can. I'm going!"
She took off without another word, winging away into the streets. Luna didn't spare a second, giving her orders even as she lifted off.
"You will command the walls from here, Captain. Send Lieutenant Cor to me at the breach. I will send the other two into the city and take their place at the front."
She waited for the Captain to nod before streaking off. As Luna passed over the wall, her gaze swept the field. The victims of her spell were free and some shakily pushed themselves back to their feet. But some lay still, their eyes staring ahead unseeing. The nightmare she'd induced had overwhelmed them with terror. The strain had been enough to kill many of them. The rest were visibly disturbed as they searched around for their weapons and tried to rejoin the battle.
Luna circled the breach in the wall, descending to land. She saw that the pony lancers had pushed out from the breach and were holding a line at the edge of the river moat. Additional ponies had formed a half circle on the inside of the wall in case any Trolls pushed past the lancers. With the breach in the wall, the Trolls were using their ladders to bridge the waters. Luna blasted a section of their crossing as she landed, sending the nearby Trolls into the water and swiftly over the edge. Their fearful cries faded away, lost beneath the continuing sounds of battle.
"Stand fast, ponies of Equestria!" she shouted, taking a place beside one of the lancers and fending off a Troll with a slash of her horn.
All around her, ponies closed ranks. Those who had begun to back away held their ground. The lancers fought with renewed vigor at the sight of the Princess at the head of the battle. Her dark grace was a beacon to them and the Trolls were soon being pushed off of the narrow ribbon of land they had gained at the base of the wall. There was a brief lull in the fighting while the Trolls regrouped and the ponies took the opportunity to step back and rest. Luna, Jason and Zacon migrated closer as they prepared for the next push.
"Princess," Jason acknowledged.
Zacon allowed himself to look away from the milling enemy lines just across the moat long enough to give Luna a nod and smile his approval at her being there. His armor was slicked with gore and his muzzle was a mask of blood. He was not visibly injured, though Luna knew that appearances meant little with this warrior.
Jason was breathing heavily. His leather armor was cut in numerous places and though he was covered in Troll blood, Luna could tell that some of the stains were from his own injuries. She briefly considered asking after his condition but he smiled at her encouragingly and she discarded the idea.
"Lieutenants," she began, looking at the Trolls again to see how much time she had to explain. "The enemy has deceived us. They have found a way into the city and are running rampant in the streets. I will take up your positions here. You must follow my sister and aid her in repelling them. Take the troops just inside the wall. I will make sure they are not missed here."
Zacon's already stern expression reached a new level of severity and he cast a withering glare in the Troll's direction. Jason's mouth dropped open at the news but he shut it quickly and saluted. They were both just turning back toward the walls when a catapult round fell from the sky. It struck Zacon broadside and exploded against his armor. He was driven into the wall by the force of the impact, knocking his head against it and causing several bricks to fall broken beside him. Luna and Jason froze, staring at his still form. There was a twang from above them.
"You bastards!" Cor yelled from atop the wall. "I've had enough of your damn rocks!"
Cor dexterously navigated the rubble around the breach and slid to a stop next to the fallen warrior. He checked his vitals and grunted. He spun around and yelled back at the offending Trolls, shaking his hoof.
"I'd flip you off if I still had fingers!"
The Troll catapult responded by exploding from Cor's arrow. Cor spat in their direction and turned to Jason.
"He's out cold. I can't tell how bad it is, but it looks like the armor took the worst of it."
"I'll be going alone then," Jason said with a glance at the Troll line. "There's still too many of them out here for either of you to take his place."
Luna nodded in agreement. Cor ordered a lancer to carry Zacon back inside the walls as he and Luna turned to meet the Trolls who were surging across the moat again. Jason took off into the city. He called to the ponies waiting inside the wall and sent them to search the streets and clear them of Troll troops. He made directly for the central boulevard. At each intersection, he threw a glance down the adjoining streets. He caught occasional glimpses of the Army ponies with him racing up parallel streets and civilians running in the opposite direction. All at once, he didn't have to search for his enemy.
A cluster of Trolls stepped out into his path and headed straight for him. His black blade flashed as he sent it darting ahead of him. Two went down before he got to them and he slid under their blades as he dove into their midst. His blade carved through the air around him and Trolls fell howling in pain. The keen edge of the wakizashi cut without resistance, neither armor nor body slowing it as it arced and turned in Jason's telekinetic grip. As the last Troll fell beside him, Jason saw two more groups of Trolls converging on him from the streets to either side.
He picked one of the groups and headed for it. He circled around the Trolls as he got close, letting his sword dance between them. The Trolls tried to spread out to box him in, but they only managed to make themselves easier to pick off. When the second group caught up to him, Jason spied two more groups of Trolls shuffling into view. As they turned toward him as well, Jason let out a sigh of exasperation.
"It's going to be one of those days, isn't it?"
He stood his ground as the Trolls charged, axes and spears held high.
~*~*~
Celestia glided through the streets, searching for enemy forces and striking with bolts from her horn where she found them. Ponies ran and cowered in the shadows as buildings burned. Cries of terror and pain rose up from every quarter. Each one stung her mind separately. She homed in on a cluster of Trolls and slammed into them just as they saw her descending on them. Most were dead before they could raise their weapons. The last few died when she lifted off and shot a beam back at them.
Every Troll I slay is a pony that is saved.
More screams came from the street to her right and she banked toward them.
Every second that passes, I am too late for another.
The wind ripped tears from her cheeks as she sped onward.
~*~*~
"Come away from that window."
The servant cast one last fearful glance outside before obeying.
"You have important work to attend to, after all," Prince Blueblood went on. He continued down the hall without looking to see if the servant had stayed with him.
"Aren't you worried about the battle?" the servant asked apprehensively.
"Not in the least," he replied without a second's hesitation. "Why should I need to bother myself with such things? The Guard will handle it as they should, leaving me free to get on with my own pressing concerns."
"What about those in the fighting?" she persisted. "Don't you worry about their safety? I had heard that the battle a few days ago didn't go very well at all. What if this battle turns out poorly too?"
"I'm growing tired of this subject," the Prince said, starting to sound mildly annoyed. "I'll hear no more of it."
"But...?"
"No. I forbid you from speaking to me of it."
The servant bit her tongue to keep herself from objecting. Blueblood watched her briefly to be sure she would obey before nodding and continuing on his way.
"Now, I think I'll head down to the kitchens. It isn't quite noon but I'm feeling peckish."
A group of ponies burst around the corner suddenly and pressed themselves against a nearby window. They buzzed with nervous chatter as they gazed down at the city. None of them paid the Prince the slightest bit of attention until he had cleared his throat loudly several times.
"What's all this nonsense about?" he asked when most of them had turned their attention to him. "Don't you all have duties to tend to?"
Many of the servants exchanged glances of disbelief.
"Haven't you noticed? The Trolls are in the city," one of the servants said, pointing out the window.
Blueblood stepped over to the window and looked out at the city for the first time that day. He gasped at the sight of smoke rising from many buildings, not only near the wall but just outside the palace as well. Ponies could be seen running here and there in the streets below him as the lumbering figures of Trolls gave chase.
"How did they get so close?" he asked without looking away.
"We don't know," one of the servants replied. "We could still see ponies on the walls a few minutes ago. Now the smoke is too thick."
"I don't think they came in from the wall," another servant suggested nervously. "The fires started in the north side of the city."
"I want somepony to find out," Blueblood said without specifying how he expected anypony to do so.
None of them were paying any attention to him anyway. Instead, they paid attention to the sound of pounding from the front hall. Blueblood approached and peered down the grand stairs at the main doors. All ten of the Guards still stationed at the palace stood side by side before the doors, weapons held at the ready. The servants behind the Prince watched with growing apprehension as the door shuddered beneath heavy blows. With a splintering crack, the door burst open and a pair of Trolls shouldered their way in. Many more Trolls shuffled in behind them. Blueblood let out a yelp of fear at the sight of bloody weapons in their hands.
He pointed his hoof at the Trolls and shouted to the Guards.
"They can't be here! Get them out!"
The Guards didn't even glance at him as they braced their spears in a line against the Trolls. The Trolls gathered around the door, preparing to attack. As the seconds passed, more Trolls could be seen converging on the palace gates from the streets outside. One of the servants jumped forward and shouted at the Guards as well.
"Don't just stand there! Run!"
One of the Guards glanced back at her with concern. He leaned over to the Sergeant that led them and whispered something. The Sergeant considered his words carefully and then nodded grudgingly. He gave a signal and the Guards began shifting to one side. The Sergeant gestured to Blueblood and the servants around him, motioning for them to move behind the Guards to safety. One of the servants noticed that Blueblood hadn't moved and pulled him with them.
As the servants began moving down the stairs toward a side door, the Trolls realized what they intended and rushed to stop them from retreating. The Guards surged into their path to give the others time to escape. Two Guards went down almost instantly, including the Sergeant, and eight Trolls fell beside them. The Guards began giving ground right away and didn't stop, forcing the servants to break into a run to make it through the door and into the corridors beyond.
Blueblood risked a glance back as he passed through the door and gagged at the sight of a Guard nearly decapitated by a Troll axe. He whimpered as he ran. The remaining Guards thundered in behind them, followed closely by the Trolls. The slower Trolls lost ground on the galloping ponies but they remained in view. Rounding a corner, one of the servants pulled open a door and gestured for everypony to follow.
"There's a way out of the palace down this way! We can lose them..."
He was cut off as he ran headlong into a second group of Trolls. He looked up and gulped as the lead Troll realized what had run into him. The Troll brought his axe down and the servant dropped. The others gapped at his body before turning and bolting farther down the main corridor. The Trolls gave chase and were broadsided by the Guards who were just catching up. Two more Guards went down as they pushed through. The race through the halls dragged on with more Trolls pouring in from adjacent halls. The Guards were now in full retreat behind the Prince and the servants, all of whom were running blindly.
All at once, their panic-stricken flight was brought up short. The hall ended in a door; a door Blueblood knew led to a dead-end room.
So that's where they got the name 'dead-end'. The thought crossed his mind irrationally and was gone in an instant.
The servants came to the same realization and turned to him for direction. The Guards staggered to a halt between the advancing Trolls and the cornered ponies. They reformed their line, though there were only five left. The Trolls didn't hesitate as they barreled into them. It didn't take long to see that the Guards would not hold them.
"Somepony do something!" Blueblood shouted to no one in particular.
The servants glanced around and then back at him as they realized they were the only ones capable of responding to his plea. None of them moved. Some even looked outraged at him for a moment before panic took hold again. Blueblood's mind raced as he considered his diminishing options. One door, back the way they'd come, would lead him to safety. In their panic, they'd passed by it, intent on putting distance between themselves and the Trolls, spurred on by the fallen servant behind them. The door was now mere feet behind where the Guards were holding. He realized he wasn't likely to make it through before the Trolls caught him. Blueblood also realized it was their only way out.
"That door leads to a way out," he said, pointing.
The servants saw where he indicated and some of them paled in fear. By this time, only two guards stood between them and the advancing trolls.
"Strider!" one of the servants shouted desperately.
It was the same servant that had told them to run before. Blueblood recognized that it was also the same Guard that responded. Private Lean Strider if he was remembering correctly.
Private Strider threw a glance over his shoulder and saw her pointing wildly at the door. He turned back to a Troll that was lunging at him and felled it with his spear. He looked at the door again and suddenly understood what she had meant. He made a gesture for them to make a run for it.
With a nod to his comrade, Private Strider held his weapon defiantly before him. Neither he nor the Pegasus beside him even considered taking the escape route. They stood side by side and faced the enemy. The servants made for the door with Blueblood in tow. As they reached the door, the servant who kept shouting paused to watch the battle.
Strider swung his spear in a wide arc that took the feet out from under the first Troll that reached him and brought it back around to skewer the next. Before he could pull his weapon free, more Trolls bore down on him. He shot one back with his horn's magic but the rest were too close.
The Pegasus leapt into them and bought time for his comrade to ready himself. With a cut to either side, two Trolls fell. Another wave stepped forward and attacked. He lifted off, did a somersault in the air and dove into them again. He landed on them, sending them sprawling across the floor. He finished three where they lay before they got back to their feet. As he tried to take to the air again, the Pegasus was grabbed and hauled down. He turned back on them with a harsh cry, and in a flurry of feathers and blood, he took three more Trolls with him in death.
Strider dove atop the pile in a vain attempt to drag him free. He managed to reach the fallen Guard by hacking madly with his spear and a discarded axe. He pulled him back with his hooves and kept fighting with his horn. The Pegasus' flank was pierced by an array of weapons and blood poured from a gash in his neck. After a short pause in which it became clear nothing could be done for the Pegasus, Strider discarded the body and turned to fight with renewed vengeance.
Blueblood threw a glance down the side hall. He saw that the others were making their way but the Trolls would be able to give chase in just a moment. The servant, Neat Keeper was her name, was still staring at the battle, frozen in the doorway. She wasn't going to have time to escape if she didn't get moving. He wouldn't either if she didn't get out of his way. That was the moment he remembered the Guards. In the span of a breath, an insight flashed through his mind.
Only one Guard remained, but even then, he wasn't trying to escape. He was buying every second he could for them to run. Blueblood was still trying to run when they had already decided that they would not. They were Guards and he was a Prince, it was true. It was their duty to protect him. But Celestia and Luna were Princesses and his aunt and her sister never stood behind Guards to protect Equestria. They loved all of their little ponies so dearly that they would put themselves in danger before allowing their troops to do so. The Princesses guarded all ponies, even the Guards. And he was a Prince.
Blueblood bowed his head and turned to Keeper.
"You need to run. Now."
She was shaken from her shocked state at the sound of his voice, not only because of the fact that he'd spoken, but also the soft and compelling tone. She detected some change in him and it drew her attention like a beacon.
"What?" Then she caught his choice of words. "Wait, what about you?"
"The rest of you need time to escape. I am your Prince, and so I will defend you."
He turned back to the fighting. Strider held three Trolls just out of reach with the pole of a halberd while they clawed and swung at him. Straining against their combined weight, he squeezed his eyes shut in the effort to raise a second axe. He swung and it sank into the thick neck of one of the Trolls, nearly taking its head off. It slumped against the pole and fell. The other two threw themselves at the other side of the pole and caused the Unicorn to lose his grip on the off-balance weapon.
Bereft of a weapon, he brought raw magic to bear. Bolts of silver energy scorched the hides of the Trolls, burning away fur and flesh. The wounds were cauterized and did not bleed but they left deep holes in the body and smoke trailed from them as they fell. His horn blazed with light and the air crackled with energy.
One Troll charged from behind the others and through the hail of magic, lifting a massive hammer and sweeping the Private aside. He hit the wall and slumped to the floor. As he tried to rise, the hammer came down and crushed his skull.
"STRIDER!" Keeper wailed in despair.
Blueblood swallowed thickly but his mind was made up.
"He made his choice and now I make mine. Run!" he ordered, shoving her down the hall. "I will hold them off."
His horn lit up and every weapon on the ground rattled into the air and took position on either side of the Prince, their blades directed at the enemy. Suddenly faced with more weapons than they had soldiers, the Trolls halted. They eyed this new fighter warily, trying to measure the danger he posed. Keeper finally tore her eyes away from Strider's body and dashed down the hall.
Seeing their prey escaping, the Trolls overcame their doubts and charged. Blueblood heaved forward and sent all of the weapons at them at once. The Trolls halted again in surprise and some flinched visibly under the hail. Half of the weapons missed entirely and clattered to the floor. Most of those that hit hardly left noticeable cuts in the hides of the Trolls. One lucky shot with a spear brought a Troll to his knees, howling and grasping at his face where his eye had been.
They looked at the weapons around them and then at Blueblood in a mixture of disbelief and amusement. The Prince bit back his fear and drew the weapons to him once more. This time, he threw them one at a time, one after the other. Because he wasn't spreading his strength over so many weapons, this tactic had greater effect.
The first Troll went down laughing. Blood choked his mirth as his throat was split open. The others took him seriously then and charged with as much vigor as they had shown the Guards. One went down and then another. The first one to get to him died running and fell behind him. Blueblood pushed forward every spear he held and braced them to halt the Trolls. Two bodies were pressed into the spearheads and hung limp as the others pushed past. They were too close now to throw the weapons, so Blueblood picked a large sword and swung it back and forth with all the strength he had.
When the first Troll blade bit into him, he nearly dropped the sword in shock. Gritting his teeth, he responded with wider swings. His fear disappeared with the certainty of what would come next and his thoughts focused in on one solitary idea.
I am the Prince. I will stand against the enemies of Equestria. I will stand beside her soldiers and if need be, fall beside them.
A blow to the leg brought him to the ground but his sword still cut swaths in his attackers.
I am the Prince. I will defend my ponies. I will be their shield against evil and harm.
He was struck again and again, and each time, he renewed his conviction that he would not give in. His injuries started to blend together as the pain engulfed his whole body.
I am the Prince. I will not allow my home to be overrun. I will not just let them take it.
Blood began running into his eyes, blinding him. He poured his last ounce of concentration into the weapon he continued to wave defiantly over his head. He felt his connection to the sword grow dim and he knew he was losing it. The rest of his body, once on fire with pain, had ceased to report to him on its status.
I am the Prince. I will make my country proud of me. I will make my Aunt proud.
It took him a long time to realize that he was only swinging his sword in thought. It had fallen to the floor beside him some time earlier. It took another moment to realize he was alone in the hall. He could not see for all the blood in his eyes but there was no sound around him. He couldn't tell if they had left him for dead, as he supposed they had, or if he had against the odds managed to kill them all.
He drew a breath that rattled in his lungs. He was vaguely aware of the weapons left in his side and the warmth of his blood spreading onto the floor around him. His body was cold and broken but his heart was full and warm. He could almost see Aunt Celestia's face beaming down at him, telling him that he had done well. He drew another, weaker breath. His thoughts crystallized as he forced himself to speak.
"I...am...the Prince."
His head fell against the body beside him and his chest stopped its weak attempt to supply him with oxygen. Frozen on his face was the most genuine smile he'd ever displayed.
~*~*~
Jason had been on the verge of being overwhelmed when the ponies of the Army converged on him and swept the Trolls back. Now he fought beside them to drive the Trolls into full retreat. They pushed up the main street and into a plaza. From all around, he could see Trolls setting fire to buildings or storming through the doors and attacking anypony they found inside. As the fighting carried on, most of the Trolls were attracted to the battle. Jason was grimly thankful that they were turning away from the civilians but he also knew that the troops with him wouldn't be able to fight forever.
A flash of light soared over his head and the ground was blown out from under a group of Trolls rushing to join the fight. Celestia landed and shot another sweeping beam that left Trolls writhing on the ground from the burns. Trolls still closed in on them from all sides and Jason was taken aback by how many there still were. He'd thought their forces concentrated at the walls but now he guessed nearly a quarter of them had found their way into the city by another route.
Only after Jason had moved to fight nearer to Celestia did he see that she was weeping openly as she fought. It was a strange mix of expressions that he saw on her face. There was fierce anger as she closed in on her victims, disgust and revulsion when they fell and a palpable despair underlying it all. Jason felt a mix of emotion surface in himself at the sight. Vengeance that heated his insides like a drink of boiling water tried to break past his mental restraints while sympathy for the Princess pierced his heart. A chill of determination ran up his spine at the thought of the ponies that were still in danger. All of this masked the pain of his injuries and he pushed on.
Weapons clashed and screams of pain filled the air for what seemed like hours as he, the Princess and some sixty Army ponies cleared the streets of Canterlot block by block. Still, Jason knew it hadn't been nearly that long. The sun was still high in the sky for one. And for another, he was aware of his perception growing fuzzy. He'd used his mana to warp the fabric of time so often that he'd begun to lose track of how long he'd been fighting. Every time he slowed down his enemies, it was as if he was running twice as hard in the same distance. Each enemy represented another investment of his endurance.
He had been reduced to walking to conserve energy for the actual fighting when he found himself before the palace. Their Army companions filed up behind them. Only thirty were left from their bloody journey across the city. They waited for orders, taking the moment of stillness to catch their breath. The fighting had died down around them and some of the fires were being brought under control by weather ponies that had emerged from their hiding places. Most of the sounds of combat came from the direction of the wall and they seemed to be fading as well.
Celestia landed next to Jason and gasped at the sight of the broken doors. She leapt through the doorway and landed in the front hall. Jason followed her in and the Army ponies trailed after. They held their weapons ready and looked every way for signs of the enemy. Instead they found Celestia walking amongst the bodies that lay across the hall. Three Guards were sprawled next to fifteen Trolls. Jason noted the badge of a Sergeant on one of the ponies. The battle seemed to be almost an hour old.
When Zacon gets a load of their ratios, he'll flip.
Jason considered sharing his thought with Celestia as some kind of encouragement but he could tell that now would be a bad time.
"They tried to hold the Trolls here," Celestia muttered to herself, indicating the flow of the battle with her hoof. "They moved off this way."
She walked toward an open door to one side. Jason hesitated in following her long enough to tell the others to spread out in groups of five and search for survivors, both friend and foe. Jason had to run to catch up with the Princess. She was walking with an urgency that he hadn't seen in her before.
"Why this way?" she continued to mutter distractedly. "Why would they go this way? Unless..."
She came to a servant, dead in a doorway beside two more Guards and five more Trolls. She stared at the servant, her mouth forming words that no sounds accompanied. She began walking again, this time as if drawn ahead but fearful of what she would find.
"The Guards didn't run. They followed."
Celestia was wide-eyed and staring as she walked and muttered. Jason was becoming worried for her. She was looking for something specific. Her concern for the safety of these other ponies was being dwarfed by some greater need. Judging from her previous reactions to the deaths of her followers, it must be immensely important to her. Jason went cold at the thought of what could possibly do this to her.
"The others were running...trying to get out. Was he...? Of course he would be with them. He had to be. They got him out. They would have made sure to get him..."
They rounded a corner and Celestia halted in mid step. She didn't move for a long time. Jason walked until he stood beside her. When he saw what had stopped her, he let out a low whistle. More Troll bodies choked the hall. He made a quick count and came up with fifty. Five Guards lay amongst them. Just behind the Guards, as if warding the doorway in which he had fallen, was a white Unicorn with a blond mane.
His clothes were not those of a Guard. His grey silk collar and blue bowtie resting on his chest looked more fitting for a noble, even stained and torn. His once well-groomed mane complimented that assumption. A small assortment of weapons lay scattered beside him. One longsword, stained in Troll blood, seemed to have been used most. Fifteen Trolls had died between where the last Guard had fallen and where this Unicorn was. He seemed to have held the door alone. Jason approached the door and looked beyond. At a glance, he could tell no Trolls had passed through the door. There was so much blood on the floor that they would have left prints.
Celestia at last broke past her shock and walked over to the fallen noble. Jason stepped aside to let her pass. She knelt beside him and nuzzled his cheek.
"Blueblood, my foalish little Prince. Why did you stay?"
She traced the smile that haunted his face with a hoof, her brows scrunching up in thought. She looked around as if searching for something that was missing. She then looked at the remains of the battle. Turning back to Blueblood's body, she smiled sadly. She leaned close to him, whispering in his ear.
"Did you do this? Were you trying to be brave?" She wiped the blood away and stroked his mane, brushing it back from his face and tucking it behind his ears again. "You always try so hard."
She looked down the hall, recognizing it as a way to escape. No Troll had made it past him. He had chosen to stand his ground here. There could be no other reason for it: He had done it to protect others so they could escape.
"You tried to be like the Guards, didn't you? So selfless, so dutiful. So unlike yourself." She hugged his limp form close and wrapped him in her wings. "My lovely Prince. My dear nephew, I love you so."
Her shoulders shook with her sobs, though the hall was silent. Jason stood still. He was witnessing a hallowed moment and he was not about to interrupt. He sheathed his blade and sat down where he was. He occupied himself by tracing the battle across the hall and confirming his body count. The Guards had indeed held this position to keep that door open to whoever had been trying to escape. Jason had never heard of this Prince Blueblood. From the sound of it, he'd shown an uncharacteristic amount of bravery by standing his ground.
Thinking of Princes, Jason remembered the battle still raging at the wall. He tried to think of a subtle way to remind Celestia that she couldn't stay here, but was spared the necessity when she found her own way back to the present. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. Standing, she nodded to Jason and started back the way they came.
"What about those who made it out?" Jason asked as he got up to follow. "Should we try to find them?"
Celestia shook her head. "If they got away, they will be found after the battle."
They walked back to the main hall and found the Army ponies waiting for them. They were joined by an assortment of servants and castle staff. Most bowed to Celestia when she entered the hall but she gestured for them to rise immediately. She ordered the Army ponies to stay in the palace and guard the servants while she returned to the battle. Jason followed her out and into the streets once again. They set off on the ground at a quick trot, headed for the walls.
~*~*~
When that new Lieutenant came running back from the breach in the walls, shouting for the Army ponies to follow him into the city, Lyra had at first complied. He was an officer after all. But she also recognized him as one of those three strange ponies. This fact gave her pause. He and the other two had been introduced a day back as some sort of visiting soldiers. Anypony who walked into a war and was hoofed a command was suspect. Add that to what she knew, or at least suspected about them, and she was less than eager to go running off under their order.
She slowed up after a block and allowed the others to get ahead of her. When nopony was watching, she slipped down a side road and made her way on her own. It sounded to her as if there was trouble in the city but she didn't care to charge off looking for it. Actually, she believed the trouble would find her. If they had gotten troops into the city, the first thing the Trolls were likely to do would be to find a way for the rest of their army to join them. That meant opening the gates, attacking the walls from behind, or drawing enough ponies from the walls for them to overwhelm the remaining defenses. This last possibility seemed to have come to pass as the reserves thundered away toward the city's center.
But equally possible was the use of multiple tactics. With the reserves out of the picture, the walls would be especially vulnerable to an attack from the rear. If they managed to gain the gatehouse or pin the Army on the walls, they would be able to wipe out the defenders in minutes. Lyra doubled back to check the streets leading to the walls. She kept her sword ready and she scanned for danger at every corner. Still, no Trolls appeared. She was beginning to have doubts about her instincts when she caught a glimpse of a Troll shuffling down a side street a block away. She gave chase immediately.
It took her a minute but she finally caught him as he reached an intersection. With a yell, she plunged her sword into his back. It sank in to the hilt and stuck. The Troll gurgled in surprise and toppled forward, landing at the feet of three more Trolls who were standing just around the corner. Lyra gulped and realized she was alone. She yanked on her sword with telekinesis but it refused to budge. As the Trolls lunged at her, she grabbed instead for the spear in one's hand. She twisted it free from his surprised grip and twirled it around to stab him in the thigh.
He went down, tripping another Troll. Lyra pulled that Troll's axe away and swung it down on the back of his neck, killing him instantly. She tried to grab the last Troll's axe but he was ready for her. She managed to keep him from swinging as he took hold with both hands to prevent her from taking it. She pulled the spear again and stabbed him in the gut. He went down, clutching the shaft. She took his axe then and hacked the first Troll back to the ground as he attempted to rise.
She stood over her defeated opponents, breathing hard. Her heart pounded in her chest, sending cool adrenaline coursing through her veins. It was an incredible feeling! She felt more alive now than she ever had before. She was more alive than she'd ever been before. She had bested these Trolls all by herself and earned life while they had been dealt death. She almost laughed.
The thrill faded as she watched their blood spread across the cobblestones. Her victory dulled into a sickening reminder that she was the lucky one. Many ponies hadn't survived their encounters with Trolls. By thinking she'd earned life made it feel as if they'd all been somehow inadequate. The thought tormented her briefly but she was able to push it to the back of her mind for now.
She tried to pull her sword free again but it stubbornly resisted her. The spear had been broken when the Troll had fallen on it. She was left with the axe. She wasn't fond of its brutality but she grudgingly admitted to its effectiveness. Moving on, she kept looking for Trolls who might be trying to get the jump on the defenders at the wall.
A desperate cry for help caught her attention and Lyra sprinted toward the source. She found herself in the fields on the eastern edge of the city where the Army had set up its camp. The cries were coming from the medical tents. She saw several ponies running from that area, some of them bandaged from the previous battle and limping away as best they could. Lyra looked around for the cause of their flight but couldn't see any Trolls. She followed the screams until she saw which tent they were coming from. The words became clear as she approached and she began to hear a second voice with them.
"Somepony help!" the pony called.
"Yes, keep calling," the guttural voice replied. "They all ran off, but maybe one of them will come back and join you. Wouldn't that be fun?"
"Please, anypony!"
"Mmm, it's a symphony in my ears. Your desperation is beautiful."
The pony screamed in pain. "Sweet Celestia, please!"
Lyra burst through the canvas screen, axe held at the ready. The long medical tent was deserted except for two figures. Goldengrape lay prone, his legs broken and one pinned to the ground by a cruelly hooked spear. The other figure knelt over him, twisting one of Goldengrape's broken limbs. The Troll looked over at Lyra mildly. His bluish fur stood out in the darker interior of the tent, giving his agile body a faint surreal glow.
"Golden!" she gasped.
Goldengrape looked up at Lyra with relief.
"It appears one of your friends does want to play," the Troll said mockingly. "Just as well. I was growing bored with you."
He pulled his spear from Goldengrape's leg and rammed it through his skull. Lyra let out a helpless yelp as Goldengrape's eyes went wide and then dulled. The Troll pulled the spear free again and rounded on her.
"Come here little mare," he taunted. "I want to play a game with you."
Lyra's growl of anger became a scream as she charged the Troll, tears and rage blurring the edges of her vision. The Troll sidestepped her first swing and parried the second. He locked his spear and the head of her axe together and twisted. Her grip on the weapon broke and it bounced across the floor. She rushed in close, ripped at his spear with her telekinesis and threw punches with her hooves. He held his spear firmly with one hand and backhanded her away. She rolled for several feet before regaining her hooves. He closed in on her slowly, taking his time and smiling all the while.
She picked up a chair from beside one of the beds and held it before her protectively. At the same time, she took hold of the axe again. It was behind the Troll now and she hoped that her grip on the chair would disguise the glow of her horn as she went for the other weapon. The Troll continued to approach slowly and confidently as she raised the axe higher. She was just about to strike when he noticed how she hadn't moved to fight or run. He rolled to the side instinctively and the axe thudded into the ground.
"Oh ho!" he chortled. "A tricky one."
He grabbed hold of the axe, preventing her from retrieving it again. Lyra cast about wildly for anything she could use. She looked at the chair momentarily before sending it at the Troll. He hooked it with the axe before it could collide with his face and smashed it against the ground, causing it to splinter into fragments. His smile faltered as he saw her grinning back. Lyra picked up the two legs that remained intact and one of the jagged fragments of the seat. She stared him down with the three improvised weapons held ready.
"Very tricky," he said slowly.
He began circling to one side and she shifted with him. She struck out at him, trying to stab his leg with the jagged end of one of the legs while slashing at his midsection with the fragment. He dodged away from the first and deflected the second, spinning and lashing out with his spear. Lyra turned aside and avoided the brunt of the attack. The spear cut across her side and up her shoulder instead of her throat.
She let out a cry of pain and growled at him again. She found him lunging already. The axe was held high over his head and coming down fast. She thrust the other chair leg out and caught him in the armpit. His arm reflexively retracted to protect the soft point and the axe missed her. She attempted to roll aside and was knocked sprawling as he landed. She quickly came to her hooves again and pulled her three weapons back to her.
The Troll flexed his arm with a grimace but didn't appear injured. Lyra however felt warmth trickling down her side as the cut on her side bled. She backed away again. The Troll didn't give her time to come up with another plan. He rushed straight at her with his spear lowered. She thrust out again with her weapons, but he pivoted, causing her attacks to strike his back. Her wooden weapons failed to penetrate his hide and he swept out with his spear again as he turned back to her.
She threw herself backward and the spear sailed just over her head with a deadly whistle. Now she was on her back and looking up at the Troll who was standing mere feet from her. That was when she spotted a pair of surgical knives lying on a nearby table. With a desperate effort, she whipped them at the Troll. He was forced to back away, shielding his face with one arm. She scrambled up and away from him, collecting her improvised weapons and now the two knives. She was having trouble keeping all five of the items in her grip but she couldn't bear to part with any small measure of protection.
The Troll inched toward her cautiously. He jabbed once with his spear and then again, while she turned it aside with the chair legs. All at once, he lunged forward and swung the axe around at her side. She blocked it with the chair fragment, and while it shattered into bits, she managed to prevent the attack from connecting. She stabbed out with her knives and both buried themselves in his arm. He dropped the axe with a howl and backed away. Lyra scooped up the axe and attacked. He batted it aside with his spear but she pressed in on him with repeated swings.
Even injured, he was able to stand his ground, deftly blocking and parrying her flurry of blows. They raged back and forth across the tent, neither giving the other an adequate opening to end the fight. But as the fight wore on, Lyra felt herself weakening. The Troll on the other hand appeared to have stamina to spare. Soon she was gasping for breath and stumbling through her stances. It was just as she was sure he would push his advantage and end it that she heard the sound of ponies approaching. She glanced toward her reinforcements as hope surged through her.
While she was distracted, the Troll lashed out. Not expecting his reach to be so long, she wasn't prepared for the end of his spear to clip her horn. Her magic sputtered out and her weapons dropped to the floor. The Troll kicked her in the chest and bore her to the ground with his foot. He stood over her with the head of the spear poised over her heart. Eyes wide, she expected death to claim her then. But the stroke never fell. Instead, he sneered at her and spoke.
"Not this time, little mare. I don't have time to fully enjoy your death today."
He glanced in the direction of the approaching ponies and turned away. He slashed open the side of the tent and was gone in a blink. Lyra stared at the gap in the canvas in disbelief. Her heart pounded, reminding her that she was, in fact, still alive. She stayed on the ground and cried silently, still unable to look away from the light streaming through the side of the tent. Ponies cried out in alarm and she heard them giving chase to her assailant. She remained in shock until somepony came to investigate the tent for survivors.
~*~*~
Jason couldn't run as fast as he wanted to and not nearly fast enough to catch this Troll. In fact, no Troll he'd seen so far had been able to move this quickly. His agile steps carried him away from his pursuers as if they didn't have four legs to his two. He wove through the streets, heading west and staying roughly parallel with the wall. Jason couldn't figure out where he could be going since the wall was still held by the Army and no other way out of the city existed. No other that he knew of anyway.
He suddenly remembered that they hadn't discovered how they'd gotten into the city in the first place. Jason put an extra effort into closing the gap. He finally caught up as the Troll mounted the low wall that lined the edge of the cliffs of the city. Jason slowed to a walk as he closed in on his quarry. A contingent of ponies arrived behind Jason and spread out to surround the Troll. The Troll, for his part, didn't seem altogether perturbed at being cornered.
He looked over the edge and then smiled back at the ponies. Without any words, he toppled over the side. Jason ran forward and looked down. The Troll had jumped into one of the waterfalls that ran off the mountainside and was descending in it to the base of the cliff. Jason watched him all the way down, already too far away to stop him. When he hit the water, Jason held his breath. At the sight of the Troll bobbing back to the surface and swimming for the shore, he slammed his hoof on the wall.
"Damn it! He survived."
He turned away and marched back toward the wall to meet up with the others. When he arrived, he found Cor, Celesita and Luna standing idly inside the walls, talking softly. When they saw him, Cor waved him over.
"I take it you mopped up the stragglers back there?" Cor asked.
"I did, more or less. One escaped down the waterfalls."
Cor frowned at that but the Princesses dismissed it.
"Then the battle is over," Celestia said.
Jason looked around at the walls questioningly.
"The enemy fled some time before your return," Luna explained. "Their numbers had been reduced enough that continuing the assault would have been foolhardy."
"As for those inside the wall," Celestia added. "We have eliminated them all."
They all walked up onto the walls and looked out at the killing fields beyond. Trolls lay thickly, especially near the river moat. Jason knew there were thousands of bodies. But as he looked up and down the walls, he saw many ponies sprawled in death as well. Turning back to the city, he knew that the streets were littered with more of the dead. Smoke obscured the sun as it descended toward the distant horizon. He sensed that the end of this war was just as hidden from them. Even standing here, beside the Princesses, at the top of the walls that they had just successfully defended, he knew that nothing was finished. |
Innocent | Act III: For Crown and Country | The Equestrians have been reeling from the bloody blows of their invaders. Now, with the momentum of the Trolls stalled out at the walls of Canterlot, the ponies have a chance to turn the tide. The foreign warriors' plan, intended to bring about that turn, is finally being put into motion. But it will require the ponies to go on the attack for the first time. Though the Equestrians have shown resilience thus far, mounting a sustainable offensive will require a different kind of fortitude. And while they manage this front, the other regions of Equestria fend for themselves. |
Innocent | Act III: Chapter Twenty: In This For The Long Haul | Two days after the battle of Canterlot, the bodies had been cleared from the streets. Casualties were still being tallied and many ponies, soldiers and civilians alike, were unaccounted for. The walls lay in ruins after the beating they'd endured from the Troll catapults and whole blocks within the city had been lost to the fires. Smoke still rose from isolated pockets of rubble.
The first day had passed with every remaining soldier on alert for another attack. Scouts were constantly winging in and out of the city, carrying reports and delivering messages. As evening crept closer, it became clear that the Trolls did not intend to launch another attack right away. What was left of their forces had pulled back to the river and numbered less than a thousand. The city relaxed marginally, turning to the task of clearing away the debris of the battle and returning the Army to a fighting state.
Captain Gallant Lance oversaw the gathering of weapons and equipment from the field to be used again or scraped for materials. It was a somber assignment and nopony was keen on the prospect of picking through the dead. The citizens stepped up to handle the wreckage inside the walls and began the process of rebuilding. Hundreds had been left homeless by the fires and catapults. They busied themselves with a single-minded fervor to keep themselves from dwelling on what had been lost.
The bodies of the Trolls were being buried outside the city in mass graves. The bodies of fallen ponies were being laid out in long lines near the Army camp, protected by a preservation spell cast by the Princesses so that families could find and identify loved ones. The Army, Air Corps and Royal Guard also picked through them, solemnly updating troop rosters and squadron lists.
Cor sat near the Army camp at noon of the second day, looking out at the ponies sifting through rubble and hauling carts of supplies and debris from place to place. He busied himself fletching new arrows from a dwindling pile of materials. Two full quivers sat beside him, the last of his ammunition. He desperately needed more before the next battle. Jason rested in the tent behind him. His injuries had been bound and treated and Cor had insisted he take it easy for the next few days. Although he hadn't been thrilled at being confined to his bed, Jason had reluctantly complied.
Zacon was in a similar state. With broken ribs from the catapult round he'd taken, he was unable to walk without disabling amounts of pain. He was in one of the medical tents farther inside the camp. Those tents buzzed with activity since most of the defenders had been injured in the fighting. The hospitals in the city had taken in as many as they could, but were being inundated by civilians also seeking medical attention.
Cor shook his head. They were in bad shape. He shrugged his shoulder where a tight bandage covered a wound from a thrown Troll spear. This horde was down but by no means out. Those thousand or so troops would still need to be dealt with before this was over. And at least two more hordes, likely still at full strength, were out there running rampant across the country. Cor looked around and could hardly imagine these ponies fighting off such odds.
He placed a finished arrow in his third quiver and reached for another set of components. He found nothing. The pile was empty. He frowned at his fifty arrows. He took a deep breath and got up, making his way toward the blacksmith at the far end of camp. He became aware of somepony following him almost immediately. He chose to ignore them. He wasn't in the mood for intrigue. If they wanted to stalk him, he couldn't care less. Only halfway to the blacksmith, he found something that did grab his attention.
A long line of ponies were standing before an Army Lieutenant. He had a list with him and he was muttering to himself as he scribbled something down. As Cor watched, each pony approached the Lieutenant, spoke to him and waited until he'd directed them away. Most of the ponies were Unicorns and some wore fine clothes, now soiled and torn from the previous days. Cor realized they were new volunteers for the Army. His follower slid up beside him silently, also watching the line of recruits.
"It seems the battle's driven them out of their comfortable lives of luxury," the pony said, her tone dull. "Having the war look you dead in the eye can be a powerful motivator."
Cor glanced at the pale green Unicorn. She had a long bandage running up her side and an older one on her foreleg. He thought he recognized her from the Ponyville platoon but couldn't place the name.
"Too bad it took burning half of Canterlot to the ground to show them we need all the help we can get," she continued bitterly. "Maybe if they'd stepped up and defended themselves from the beginning, we wouldn't even be cleaning up this rubble."
"There's no need to be so harsh about it," Cor replied. "None of you were prepared for any of this."
"None of us?" she said reproachfully. "Why aren't you including yourself in that?"
"Well, actually...," he began.
Cor glanced back the way he'd come, almost hoping Jason would come strolling up to save him the trouble of explaining it. No such luck was with him.
"Oh, screw it," he said, shaking his head in resignation. "We aren't Equestrian. Zacon, Jason and I; we aren't from your country at all. But still, we've decided to help you fight this war."
"Are you even ponies?" she asked suddenly.
Cor was taken aback by being asked so bluntly. "Um, well, no. No we aren't," he managed.
"I knew it!" she said, pumping a hoof in victory.
"How could you have known?" Cor asked, genuinely curious.
"Because I listen. You three have made some pretty suspicious statements over the past week or so and I wasn't going to put my blinders up for them. Do the Princesses know?" She got up close to him, her eyes boring into his. "They'd better or I'll go straight up to the palace and tell them that we've got a trio of spies in our midst!" She poked her hoof into his chest to emphasize her words.
"Easy, easy!" Cor said, holding up a hoof to wave down her vigorous outburst. "They know already. Do you think we'd have been able to get positions like these without proving we're more than ordinary ponies?" Cor paused for a moment and then smiled at her. "Would you really have gone and told the Princesses?"
"Yes," she replied at once.
Cor's smile widened. "You, an Army recruit, would have marched into the palace without invitation or appointment, bypassed the guards, barged in on and interrupted whatever war meetings are in progress and not only demand they listen to you, but also inform them that three of their officers, whom they had just given commissions to personally, were actually spies? And what evidence would you have given them?"
The mare opened her mouth to object but realized how foolish it sounded now.
"Huh," she grunted, chewing that thought over before making her defiant reply. "But I'd have done something, you'd better believe it!"
"I'm not criticizing the initiative. Quite the contrary. We need that kind of willingness to act if we're going to turn this war around." He turned to look out at the city, his expression distant. "But it's going to take more than initiative to end this. That's why we're here."
"And you're going to make that much of a difference just the three of you, I take it?" She regarded him curiously.
"No, not at all," he said, shaking his head. "We're just three soldiers after all. But we've made plans to form a team that we will lead in a counter-offensive that will be able to strike where we're needed most. In fact, we were on our way to begin recruiting for that group when this battle broke out."
"So you'll be out on the front lines, making the big plays, huh?" she asked.
"A little ahead of the front lines, more often than not," he said. "But making the big plays? Not quite. We intend to make the important plays, and those aren't always the big ones."
The mare thought it over as they stood side by side. Ponies bustled past them and the line of recruits thinned out.
"Hmm," she said at last. "Sounds like the place I want to be."
"Excuse me?" Cor asked, his thoughts obviously having wandered elsewhere.
"I'd like to join this team. I was never one to march around rank-and-file anyway."
Cor looked her over critically before nodding. "If you're sure about it, I think I can make that happen. What's your name?"
"Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings."
"Well, Lyra, we'll see about signing you on officially and getting you properly outfitted as soon as we can. I noticed that I don't need to tell you how to find me," he said with a smirk. "So drop by a little later and we'll get everything settled."
She nodded, looking back into the camp. On a sudden thought, she bounded off, weaving through the tents in pursuit of whatever goal she had in mind. Cor watched her go before continuing his journey to the blacksmith to see if there were any more supplies to make his arrows with.
~*~*~
The tent flap opened and a pony walked in. Jason remained still, pretending to be asleep. He was lying on his side, facing away from the entrance. His visitor sat down on a stool next to the simple bed without a word. Jason extended his mana to probe lightly and felt a different field of mana react to its touch. The slight, surprised intake of breath that accompanied it confirmed his suspicions.
"Twilight?" he asked softly without moving. "Was there something you needed?"
"There was," she said after a few seconds. "I...I've been thinking about your plan. To make a group separate from the Army? I've been thinking about joining you."
Jason sat up and looked at her then. She wasn't meeting his eyes. Instead, she was twisting the hem of her mage's uniform with her hooves.
"Why is that?" he asked.
"So you can continue training me. I've finally gotten a hang of frost magic. Watch."
She turned and pointed her hoof to one side of the tent and the air in front of her rippled. In seconds, small grains of ice were forming and falling to the ground. A pair of tiny, delicate snowflakes materialized in the frozen water droplets. Twilight made a sweeping, gathering gesture with her hoof and the chilled air swirled around into a tight, blurry ball that floated before her. She gestured at the nearby table and the ball of frigid air rocketed forward, casting a thick layer of frost over the table and forming small icicles in the spell's wake. She turned back to Jason, beaming.
"Very nice," he said, nodding. "Did you use any of this in the battle?"
"No," she said, her ears drooping. "I was up in the towers most of the time. This seems to be a fairly short range spell. That's part of why I want to join you. I'll be able to learn new spells and then put them to use in the field."
"And the other part?" he pressed, sensing some evasiveness in her words.
"And..." She fretted with her sleeve, buying time before she would be forced to answer. At last, she gave in and the words tumbled forth. "And I know that it will mean getting closer to danger, but I can't sit out these battles like this any longer! Standing up in that tower over the walls, and also while we fought at the river and I was looking down from that hill; I felt so helpless. It was as if nothing I did was changing the outcome. All I could see was Trolls overwhelming ponies and my spells disappearing into their masses. I don't care how close I have to get to danger. I need to see the difference I'm making!"
Jason nodded slowly. "I'm not going to pretend I want any of this. But if it has to be, I'll be glad to have you with us."
She smiled her appreciation for his understanding.
"We have some time before any of us are ready to make a move outside the city," Jason observed. "Why don't we get into our next set of lessons?"
"I wouldn't want to put that kind of stress on you while you're recovering," Twilight said quickly.
"I don't intend to lie around like a slug," Jason said, starting to ease himself out of the bed.
Twilight stopped him.
"You need rest. We'll continue our sessions later. You're not the only one who's still recovering," she said sadly.
He nodded and lay back down. His horn lit up and a set of papers on the nearby table floated over to him. He shuffled through the papers critically until he found what he was looking for.
"You'll need to take this form to Princess Celestia for her approval," he said, passing one of the pages to her. "I'd be moving you from the mages' division of her Guard, so I'll need her express permission to do so. Get her signature and I'll write you in on our roster."
Twilight nodded but didn't move to leave.
"You wanted something else?" Jason asked.
"Maybe," she said slowly. "We can wait to do any practical lessons until we both feel up to it. But I was wondering if I could ask a few questions in the meantime."
"Go ahead," Jason said.
"You were weakened by what you did with your mana during the battle. And back when you raced Rainbow..." she trailed off as tears crept into her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just realized how short a time ago it was when everything seemed normal."
"It's completely understandable," Jason said softly.
"When you raced Rainbow," she said once she had herself under control again. "You knocked yourself out using your magic to win. But it seemed like it was more than just exhaustion. Is there some other side effect of using mana, especially using a lot of it?"
"There are some," he admitted, settling back and thinking through how he would phrase his explanation. "First off, physical exhaustion is separate from magical exhaustion. The magic you Equestrians use seems to induce physical exhaustion, but using mana can sap your stamina in a more profound way. It is the spirit that becomes fatigued. No amount of physical conditioning can prepare a mage for that. Only repeated use and strain of your magical limits can increase those limits."
"So even though physical conditioning is irrelevant, the principle of conditioning works the same way for mana," Twilight observed. "It would be like training to build an entirely different muscle group than any other part of the physical body."
"Exactly," Jason nodded. "There are some very important differences though, namely that your mana is a vital living energy. Using too much of it can be harmful, even fatal. Few mages can exercise enough control to push past incapacitation and reach such a dangerous point, but for those like me who can, we must be mindful of that inviolable limit."
"You mean it's possible to kill yourself by using too much mana?" she asked in alarm. "Why would anyone do something like that? Wouldn't it be better to wait until you've rested again instead of trying something so risky?"
"I won't go into the precise mechanics of pushing that limit now," he said, nodding to acknowledge her concern. "But suffice it to say that there are times when a little extra power at just the right time can be worth that risk. I know my limits intimately, having come close to the edge on many occasions. Much to the agitation of my companions," he added, trailing off.
"It's not wrong for them to worry that you're putting yourself in that kind of danger," she said softly.
"No, it isn't," Jason admitted with an edge of irritation. "But I do know my limits. And I'm not going to let that potential energy sit idle if it is within my power to put it to use. I can't pretend it isn't hurting those close to me to make them worry, but I believe I can make a difference by doing so."
Twilight was silent, unwilling to argue the point any longer. Jason also set the matter aside with a long, deep breath.
"As for waiting long enough to recover," he said, bringing the topic back around to a previous point. "It isn't as simple as taking a day to sleep it off. Mana regenerates, but it does so very slowly. Most times, light use isn't felt. Even casting many spells can leave a mage weak but manageably so. But battle mages in heavy fighting can require days of recovery before they can begin casting spells again. In fact, most do not make it through one entire battle without becoming exhausted."
"I've noticed that I feel tired after practicing for an hour or so," Twilight mused. "I suppose it is a different kind of exhaustion."
"An hour or so?" Jason asked. "That's how long you practice or that's how long it takes for you to get tired?"
"That's when I start to get tired," she explained. "I've been practicing any time I have a free moment and I spent most of the day after our first lesson just getting a feel for using mana instead of my Unicorn magic."
"How long would you say you can cast spells without resting?" Jason asked, leaning closer intently.
"Like I said, I spent most of that day practicing various techniques based on what you'd shown me. I tested the limits of heat drain and found that it became harder to draw heat as less of it remained. But drawing heat out of different types of objects also seemed to vary in difficulty..."
"Yes, yes, yes," Jason said, waving his hoof impatiently until he had her attention again. "I'm very glad to see that you've been able to learn so much, especially all on your own. But do you mean to say that you were casting spells and pushing their potential to the point that they became difficult to complete for a whole day?"
Twilight put a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment.
"I started as soon as I finished breakfast," she said, bobbing her hoof as she went through time increments in her mind. "So it would have been somewhere around eight o'clock. I took a break at eleven to check a few physical and chemical properties before experimenting with some magic concerning them, and then accidentally worked through lunch until about four in the evening. I spoke with the Captain to see if there was any word about the Trolls and then ate a large, early dinner. After that, I practiced into the night. I'd say that, with going to bed at nine or so, I spent eleven hours that day casting spells with mana alone."
She paused in her animated listing of her schedule when she noticed Jason's amazed expression.
"I was beat by that time, mind you. And I'll admit that I didn't quite feel like I was in top form again until yesterday."
"Still," Jason said, regaining some composure. "To maintain that level of activity, your mana must be more concentrated than I thought." He considered her carefully. "I've heard of mages who have been able to gain such vast reserves of mana that it becomes thicker. Each unit of their mana gains potency over that of a lesser mage, to the point where just a small portion of their mana can perform feats that would require another mage's entire reserve. Only a select few Archmages among my people have ever been confirmed to have reached that point."
He paused again, thinking hard. Twilight waited for him to continue, wondering at his sudden concern, and becoming concerned herself as to what the implications of his words might be.
"When we first began our lessons," he said at last. "I recall commenting that your mana seemed to emanate off of you. 'As if you cannot contain it all within you' were my exact words, if I remember correctly. I may have failed to realize it then, but that aura of mana that I detected might have indicated such potency within your mana pool."
"What does that mean for me?" Twilight asked with a hint of uncertainty.
Jason waved a hoof in reassurance. "It's not something to be worried about. In fact, it's a great gift to possess. I'm only uncertain of how it came about. You've only had knowledge of this power within you for a short time, and comparable mages spend centuries of their lives striving for that goal."
Twilight shifted the hem of her uniform to expose her Cutie Mark.
"My Cutie Mark signifies a specialty in magic. I've never seen anything to indicate that it's limited to any one school of magic. Perhaps since my mana has always been there, I've always been skilled with it but only recently made use of it."
"What other forms of magic have you used?" Jason asked.
"Well, there have been times when I've seen a type of magic used by another pony, spells that they alone had been able to master, and I've been able to learn them. Rarity showed me a technique that she knew innately to reveal gemstones hidden in the ground. I picked it up quickly enough, even though she didn't know any other pony who had been able to learn it."
Twilight worried the hem of her uniform again. "I even saw Princess Celestia use a type of dark magic once, magic that belonged to the evil King Sombra of the Crystal Empire. I used it later when breaking through the King's traps, even though Celestia never really told me how it worked." She paused reflectively. "I've just always had a knack for picking up on new magic and spells. I hadn't thought too much about it until now."
Jason was lost in thought for long moments. Twilight shifted in her seat, looking over her transfer papers idly and trying not to disturb whatever deep contemplations Jason was going through. As the minutes ticked by, her patience wore thin. She cleared her throat pointedly and Jason slowly came back to reality.
"Sorry. But a possibility had occurred to me. If you can learn any technique that you see demonstrated, it means there is a chance that I could teach you my Time Warping technique." His eyes glittered eagerly. "I didn't learn it. For the longest time, I thought I was simply faster than everyone else. But as I learned more about the workings of magic, I realized that I was innately channeling my mana to accelerate myself. No one has ever been able to replicate that technique without extreme expenditures of mana, and yet I am able to maintain it with relative ease."
"I could learn to move like that? Like you did in that race?" Twilight's eyes widened at the prospect.
"Theoretically, yes. But more practically, you'd be able to slow down an enemy's swing for a brief moment, allowing you to dodge, or accelerate yourself to perform several quick attacks before your opponent can react." He shifted in the bed to get more comfortable. "You see, during that race, I put everything I had into winning. I knew that I wouldn't need to conserve mana for anything afterwards, so I didn't hold any back. In a battle, you can't put that much effort into any one action unless it is the last move. I warped time as much as I could, accelerated myself as fast as I could and had nothing left at the end. When I fought two days ago, I only used enough to gain an advantage when I felt I needed that extra boost. And still, I was badly drained in the end."
"Oh," Twilight said, somewhat disappointed. "But as I practice, I'll be able to maintain it for longer and longer times, with greater intensity, right?"
"I suspect so, if you are able to learn it at all. But that will be a lesson for much later."
"What? Why would we wait until later?" Twilight asked. "That seems to be the most powerful technique you know. It's the most powerful one you've used while you've been here, isn't it?"
Jason nodded in concession.
"Then I should learn it now so that I can master it sooner," she declared. "All of the other elements can wait until I've learned this one!"
"Even if you could learn this technique without mastering the other elements, I wouldn't know where to start trying to teach you!"
Twilight opened her mouth to retort but Jason shook his head firmly.
"If you insist on developing that technique now, you will have to do it without my guidance. You've seen me use it once. If that is enough, fine. If not, you will have to wait until I'm ready to offer advice. But don't spend all of your time trying to force success in one area when you can be making progress elsewhere."
Twilight's ears fell in defeat.
"No, you're right. I'm getting ahead of myself. If I'm going to learn something as potent as that, I'll need as much experience in the other disciplines as I can manage first." She sighed and gathered up the transfer papers. "I'll get these signed and back to you as soon as possible."
As she was pulling the tent flap back to leave, Jason spoke.
"You have a great gift for magic, Twilight. I am eager to see you advance your skills. But we all have to have patience."
Twilight looked out at the ruined city beyond the tent and then back at Jason.
"It's hard to be patient when lives are being lost with every passing day."
With that, she left and Jason found only silence as his companion once more.
~*~*~
When Spitfire finally tracked down Rainbow Dash, she'd covered nearly every inch of Canterlot in her search. It baffled her as to why the Sergeant had secluded herself after the battle. But she caught a glimpse of that reason when Rainbow spotted her approaching. The flinch, as if preparing to flee, the sudden intake of breath, and the final deflating of her whole body as she resigned herself to being approached; it told Spitfire volumes of Rainbow's mood.
Rainbow had been perched on the cliffs overlooking the city. The view was magnificent, stretching out until it seemed the edge of the world must be just over the last hill. The tips of the northern mountain peaks glistened dully as the sun reflected off their icecaps from amongst the dark stone faces. The forests to the south and southeast seemed to breathe with life as the wind moved the branches and caused the thick green canopies to ripple.
To the west, the skies told a different story. The chalky clouds hung stagnant and lifeless over a land that seemed to have been robbed of light. The smoke from the city seemed to predict the spread of the bleakness into what was left of their bright world. The battlefield of the river, barely distinguishable from the surrounding lands from this distance, was a stepping stone for the darkness' path to them. The freshly turned earth of the mass graves was a doormat that welcomed it inside. Rainbow Dash felt the emptiness inside her already. She almost dove off the cliff to avoid Spitfire's company when she saw the Wonderbolt drawing near, but decided it would be pointless.
"Captain," she greeted neutrally.
"Sergeant," Spitfire returned. "What brings you up here?"
"I found the Trolls' attack route," Rainbow reported emotionlessly. "There are signs of their passing all over these crags. They seem to have scaled the mountain this way to get around the walls and into the city."
"I see," Spitfire replied, eyeing the treacherous path warily. "And that's the only reason you're up here?"
"Do I need another one?" Rainbow asked.
"No, but you have another one," Spitfire said, sitting down beside the other.
Rainbow grunted.
"Come on. What's bothering you, Rainbow?"
Spitfire picked at her uniform briefly. When Rainbow glanced over, she noticed that the Captain's badge had vanished. When she looked at the Captain, the question forming on her lips, Spitfire nodded.
"We're dropping rank here," she said sincerely. "I want to talk to you, Pegasus to Pegasus. So tell me, what's been bothering you?"
Rainbow held her breath as the feelings she'd been fighting down came back to the surface again. But try as she might, the offer of a listening ear was too much. The thoughts that had been tormenting her poured out in a desperate rush. Rainbow's voice shook as she spoke.
"During the battle, I killed a Troll. And when I killed that Troll, I saw him. Like, really saw him! He was afraid. Even more afraid than I was! And I killed him, just punched my blades through his chest."
She took a shuddering breath before continuing. Spitfire watched Rainbow calmly, her expression unreadable.
"And I...I enjoyed it. Somewhere deep down, right beside all of the anger I was feeling, I enjoyed watching him die. I wanted him to be dead, just like all those ponies they'd killed!" Rainbow heard a growl enter her voice as that same anger welled up in her again. It scared her but she couldn't stop. "I felt like he deserved it. That he deserved more. I wanted him to be in pain. I wanted him to bleed! I saw the blood on my hooves and I wanted more!"
She wasn't sure if Spitfire had reached out to her or if she'd thrown herself at Spitfire, but she found herself clutching at her commanding officer, searching for comfort in the other's presence. Rainbow gripped Spitfire tightly and felt the other's hoof brushing her mane soothingly. A gentle shushing reached her over her sobs. As she regained control of herself, Rainbow self-consciously released Spitfire. The Wonderbolt considered her neutrally as Rainbow wiped her eyes with a hoof.
"I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to c-cry all over you." She sniffed and let out a humorless laugh. "You probably think I'm soft or something. I can't even watch one Troll die without falling to pieces. Some soldier I am."
"There's nothing wrong with being able to cry," Spitfire said softly. "There's nothing wrong with showing that you are still afraid and horrified."
Rainbow looked up at her in time to catch a tear glistening at the corner of the other's eye. A second later, it was gone, and Spitfire's expression was set in stone once more, refusing to tell Rainbow any more. The Wonderbolt turned away to look out over the city again.
"I don't have the luxury of showing how I really feel. I'm the Captain of the Air Corps, and as such, I need to put forth a strong front as an example to those who follow me. A leader needs to be firm and powerful." Spitfire's voice faded to a whisper. She bit her lip as she fought to keep a hold of herself. She closed her eyes tightly before speaking again. "And crying does not paint that picture."
Rainbow didn't know what to say. So she sat in silence while the Captain lifted her face into a sudden breeze that whipped across the small ledge. Spitfire let out a sigh as the breeze faded away and she opened her eyes to look over at Rainbow again.
"Your feelings aren't unique," she said, her tone firm and brisk once more. "I know what it's like to want to get revenge on the Trolls for what they've done. And I know that I'm not the only one to share those feelings. But we can't let that be the driving force behind our actions. We still need to keep cool heads to win this fight. Can you do that? Can you keep your anger and fear and vengeance in check?"
"I can ma'am," Rainbow replied, trying to muster as much conviction as she could.
"Good. I know I can count on you."
Spitfire looked out over the city again. Neither of them said anything, each letting the other have some time with their thoughts. Rainbow processed the Captain's remarks, slowly turning over the implications one by one. Her comment about a strong front over her emotions caught Rainbow's interest most of all. Was she hinting at suppressed turmoil within herself? Turmoil like Rainbow had momentarily been overwhelmed by? If so, she'd made it sound almost as if she had envy for Rainbow's freedom to express it. Rainbow was about to ask her about it, but Spitfire spoke first.
"You're something else, Rainbow Dash," Spitfire said.
"I'm what?"
"Something else," Spitfire said again, making a vague gesture. "Something more than most ponies."
"I'm not sure I follow." Rainbow tilted her head in confusion.
Spitfire turned to face her fully, locking eyes on the other Pegasus.
"You're not like other Pegasi in the Air Corps. You're not like other Pegasi I've met anywhere in Equestria for that matter." Spitfire smiled while shaking her head at the thought. "You're so independent, and they're so obedient. They follow the pony ahead of them and you go around the whole line. Your way of thinking is totally different from theirs."
"Thanks, I think," Rainbow said gloomily.
"No, it is a good thing. See, during the dive against the Troll artillery, every squadron turned and ran when those things started firing at us; every squadron except yours. The rest of those ponies might have been following you, but who were you following, hmm?"
"Nopony, I guess," Rainbow shrugged.
"Nopony except yourself," Spitfire countered. "You had the courage to press on while everypony, myself included, turned tail. Or maybe the stubbornness, I don't know. All I know is that you attacked when we retreated. I commended you once on your judgment and now, I'm doing so again. Your actions gave us an advantage that day, one that we sorely needed."
Rainbow looked away, unable to meet the other's gaze any longer. "You also said that, last time, I hadn't gotten anypony killed. I lost a flier this time."
"You did," Spitfire admitted. "And I feel that loss as deeply as you do, but the results don't lie. You won us that battle."
Rainbow slammed a hoof into the ground, suddenly furious. "What do I care if my blind luck, reckless anger and stubbornness won us an inch that day?!" she shouted. "A pony died because I was too stupid to get out of range of the biggest threat to the whole Air Corps! And what do you know about how I feel?! Camera Flash wasn't just in my squadron. He was from my home town! I knew him!"
Spitfire remained silent in the face of the outburst, though a crease in her brow hinted that she was not calm. Rainbow checked herself and shut her mouth before she said anything she would seriously regret. When Spitfire did respond, it was in a low, hard tone.
"I know much more about how you feel than you think. I put you in the position that allowed you to lead that pony to his death. Don't think that doesn't weigh on my conscience. And you didn't get that position for free, either. I moved Fire Streak to my squadron after his demotion to fill a vacancy! We lost Rapidfire in the battle by the river." Spitfire almost choked on the words but she pressed on. "You've been hurt by what happened out there and you've been scared by what's happened inside yourself. But you are not the only one fighting this war. You aren't the only one being hurt by it. Don't ever forget that!"
They stared at each other as the heated words echoed in their ears. After what felt like an hour, Rainbow blinked. She sat down, ears dropped back and muzzle lowered shamefully.
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm not thinking straight."
"You're thinking as straight as any of us are," Spitfire sighed. "Nopony really knows what they're doing here. It's not like any of us were ready for a war to creep up on us. We've got to stick together though."
Rainbow nodded. "But I can't help feeling so alone in this. Cut off, like some part of me is missing, and no matter who's with me, they're not really with me."
"I know what you mean," Spitfire said, putting a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "We both feel like nopony can understand what's going on inside us because it's too horrible to imagine anypony else going through it. We see each other, more or less composed on the outside, and we think, 'They can't possibly be dealing with the same thing I am. They look fine.' But that's just it. We all look fine on the outside. But we're all hurting on the inside. For now, just remember that we've all got each other's backs."
Spitfire waited until Rainbow nodded before speaking again.
"I've got other business to discuss with you, but it can wait," Spitfire said, stepping away and pinning her badge on again. "Take some time and collect yourself, then find me again."
She returned Rainbow's salute and took off, winging down into the city again. Rainbow stayed where she was, hopelessly homesick. Her gaze turned south to the forested hills that hid Ponyville from view. A tear stung the corner of her eye and she wiped it away.
I'd give just about anything to see my friends again right now, she thought. It wouldn't hurt to be reminded exactly why I thought it was worth it to be here.
~*~*~
Big Mac had no trouble locating Lieutenant Crimsontide in the bustling camp. He knew he'd been injured in the fighting and once he knew which medical tent he was in, he only had to follow the sound of loud griping. As he passed between the long rows of cots, he came to a dark stain in the dirt that remained from where Goldengrape had died. Other ponies passing it gave it a wide berth and an uneasy glance. He also hesitated involuntarily as he stepped around it.
As Big Mac drew closer, he saw that Zacon was in the process of arguing with a nurse over the quality of the food he'd been given. The nurse wouldn't find him anything else to eat and adamantly refused to let him out of bed to find it himself.
"If you don't have time to deal with it, I'd gladly take care of it myself," the warrior said in exasperation.
"I'm not going to have you stomping around camp, looking for a better meal that doesn't exist. Rations are rations and you'll have to deal with it like the rest of us." She pushed him back into the pillow as he attempted to rise. It was easy for her to do since Zacon winced in pain at her touch. "Besides, I doubt you could even walk, being in that kind of shape."
The grey stallion grumbled and eyed the nurse darkly as she walked away to tend to another pony. As he cast his gaze elsewhere, he spied Big Mac.
"Ah yes," Zacon said, motioning him over. "Kli'vasra, Holn H'jeed."
The strange words were harsh and guttural and Big Mac couldn't decipher their meaning. But seeing the warrior's welcoming smile, he wasn't put off too greatly.
"Finally! Someone I can trust to talk sensibly," Zacon said as Big Mac took a chair beside him. "Can you believe they insist on keeping me here for a few broken bones?"
"It shouldn't be a bruise to your pride to give yourself the time you need to recover," Big Mac said with the faintest of smiles. "In fact, it's a braver thing to admit when you can't shoulder the whole world on your own."
Zacon opened his mouth to retort but closed it again with a grin. "Be that as it may, it isn't sitting well with me to just be sitting."
"I know the feelin'," Big Mac replied, rubbing his side at a remembered pain.
"You didn't come all the way over here to share wisdom though, did you?" Zacon sighed and settled back in the cot. "As long as I'm stuck here, I might as well be of some use to someone. Well? Out with it."
"Word's been goin' 'round that a group is formin' up and you're in the lead," Big Mac said, approaching the subject carefully.
"Cor and Jason will be leading as far as issuing commands is concerned," Zacon said in a bored tone. "I will lead in a more practical manner."
Big Mac nodded. "I was wonderin' if there was room for me to join you."
Zacon regarded him solemnly.
"You know," he said slowly. "There are very few ponies I'd say are fit to join this group. I have no qualms admitting that you are one of them."
"I appreciate that," Big Mac said. "And if I'm gonna be any use to you, I'm gonna need to be equipped right. I wonder if you'd mind me askin' after your thoughts on fightin' styles?"
Zacon raised an eyebrow in interest.
"You hold your own with that big ol' axe," he went on. "What would you say to me givin' that sort of weapon a try?"
Zacon rubbed his chin thoughtfully before responding.
"An axe doesn't seem your type," he said at last. "I take you for more of the hammer sort. Something that packs a punch, plain and simple, am I right? Tell you what, why don't you try out a warhammer down at the practice yard and tell me what you think of it?"
"I'll do that," Big Mac said, nodding in appreciation.
He excused himself then. He had no trouble finding a long-hafted maul at the blacksmith and took it down to the fields. It took him an hour to get a feel for the balance required to wield it. He found, however, that it did suit him better than swords and spears had. The blunt impact allowed him to draw the weapon back without worrying about it becoming stuck in the target. In fact, that was how he lost his spear in the fields at the river. There had been no time to retrieve it and he'd spent the rest of the fight improvising with any other weapon he could grab. He returned the weapon to the armory and decided to head back to Zacon to report his success.
Zacon was in the same place he had been before, eating a plate of rations with a scowl. When he noticed Big Mac, he put the plate aside and offered a gruff greeting. Big Mac settled in beside him and they spent the rest of the day discussing the finer points of wielding the weapon.
~*~*~
In the foothills of the mountains many miles to the west of the pony capital, the Trolls had established a temporary base camp. Low bulwarks ringed the area and semi-permanent structures were being raised of wood cut from the nearby forests. The camp was quiet, at least as much as a war camp could be. The Trolls who stood guard outside the Chief's tent watched as a lone figure entered the camp at a leisurely stroll and headed straight toward them. One growled to the other and his companion nodded. When the approaching Troll was directly in front of them, they raised their spears threateningly.
"Halt! None are to disturb the Chief now."
The smaller Troll stopped and leaned on his wickedly curved spear. He picked a bit of mud from his blue-tinted fur.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?" he sneered sarcastically. "I was only returning from the front with an urgent report."
"None of your snark, Ragnalau," the guard warned. "You might enjoy certain privileges as Champion, but not enough to order us aside. The Chief has requested he not be disturbed."
"Oh, he might not want to be, but rest assured if I don't give him this report now, he'll be very angry with whoever it is that prevented me from reaching him sooner. You see, it isn't good news. In fact, it demands his full attention immediately." Ragnalau eased up closer to the guard and lowered his voice. "Of course if you'd rather, we could simply have a duel to settle this, in which case, I'd be happy to oblige."
The guard gulped and stepped aside. Ragnalau nodded to him mockingly and pushed the thick hide flap open. The interior was dimly lit by a lamp that hung from a hook high on the central pole. The large, square tent was divided into two sections by a cloth screen. The far side held a bed and an ornate wooden trunk. On the open side was a pair of tables with chairs set about them. They were wooden and rough, made quickly but still sturdy. Seated at the smaller table was the Chief.
"Ragnalau," the Chief said in an amused growl. "I should have known you'd be the one to survive to carry me ill news if anyone did."
His heavy shoulders were hunched as he leaned over his meal. The Troll leader's neck was nearly as thick as the lankier Troll's chest and had he been standing, he would have been more than a foot taller. A threadbare scarf, adorned with beads, feathers, and carved bone disks and pinned in place with a small gold brooch, was his only decoration. An unassuming axe made of bone hung from one plain leather belt loop and a heavily engraved stone hammer hung across his back in a sling. The sling was made from cords of leather tied in tight patterns and dyed alternately black and red. The hammer looked ornamental but Ragnalau knew it to be otherwise.
His fur was thin and vibrantly white while his eyes were black pinpricks under the heavy brows. His clawed hands, though tough and grizzled at the ends of his well muscled arms, were precise and dexterous as he maneuvered a silver fork across the plate to scoop up a morsel of steamed vegetables and lift it to his mouth. He sniffed it and savored the aroma before slipping it delicately into his mouth.
He chewed slowly, and Ragnalau regarded him with mild irritation. He swallowed and wiped his mouth with a white cloth ringed with stitching in the shape of horseshoes.
"Must you be so insufferably quaint, playing with the spoils of our victories like that?" Ragnalau groaned even as he grinned wickedly. "Surely you don't wish to take so long with your meals for the rest of your life, do you Therogan?"
"I will take as much time as I please," the Chief replied evenly. "And I will be pleased to have the time I take until I have none left."
He stood up and stepped around the table.
"But you say you have important news for me?"
"Yes, Chief," Ragnalau said with a half bow. "I return from the Nadrud Tribe's warriors. Their attack on the mountain city has been repelled in the attempt launched three days ago."
"I am surprised," Chief Therogan replied in a grave rumble. "You assured me you could lead our warriors into their city, using the mountains to bypass their walls. Surely you did not fail to find suitable paths?"
"I did find the paths, Chief."
"Then your failure must have been within the city itself." A tone of mocking entered his voice. "Did the ponies manage to drive you off? Were they too much for you, my Champion?"
"You jest, Chief. But that is exactly what happened."
Therogan frowned. "I do not understand. They've fled before us in every other encounter. How is it that you could not manage to crush them while they huddled in their city?"
"For the same reason we needed to send the Jungar Tribe to reinforce the Nadrud in the first place," Ragnalau said sourly. "They were led by a powerful being that commanded magic we did not anticipate. Only this time, I believe more than one of them was present in the city. I could see the devastation at the walls as we crept down from the heights and hear it throughout the streets once we struck."
"Their leaders, hmm? And what of their armies?"
"Determined, and," he paused to reflect. "If I might say, they are more skillful than we anticipated."
"A 'mass of fearful, weak and defenseless creatures' I believe you called them when you first reported." The Chief scratched his chin thoughtfully. "What has changed your mind?"
"I fought against one that stood her ground. It was...interesting." Ragnalau smiled at the memory of his battle with the Unicorn mare. "I think I'll truly enjoy ending her life."
"I care nothing for your whims with individual ponies. What of our warriors?"
"Only a shadow of their former numbers remain from either tribe's warriors. A few hundred of each, though Nadrud got the leaner meat of it."
"Let them return to our homesteads to the west and send the Tantar Tribe to take their place."
"You intend to launch another attack on the mountain city?" Ragnalau asked with an arched eyebrow. "Just keep throwing bodies at them until they collapse from the weight?"
"Watch your tone, Ragnalau." Therogan let out a low growl of warning. "We both know why you are serving me instead of lining a grave."
The smaller Troll didn't visibly react, but he also didn't let another quip loose.
"I am not going to throw bodies at them," the Chief went on, stepping over to the larger table and shifted the crudely drawn maps around until he found a finely printed one that depicted all of Equestria in exquisite detail. He gestured for Ragnalau to join him. "I am sending you to attack where they are softest. Their army is resilient in the face of direct assault and when shepherded by these powerful leaders you mentioned. So we will strike where their leaders are not. We will see how long they can maintain the will to fight when their homes are burning."
He pointed to a town marked on the map, south of the pony capital and labeled with the name Ponyville.
Ragnalau looked at it for a moment before smiling widely. "I would very much like to know the answer to that question. I can't wait to get started." |
Innocent | Act III: Chapter Twenty-One: Full Roster | With another full day's rest behind him, Jason was feeling much better. Well enough, in fact, that Cor had allowed him out of his tent. He knew he wouldn't be at his best for another day or so, but he was oddly invigorated by his returning strength. It put him in a wonderful mood and he'd taken to wandering the camp, talking with ponies at random. Even though it only ever amounted to so much small talk, the ponies he spoke with relaxed visibly. Jason knew all too well the value of having a chance to get a soldier's mind off darker thoughts, even if it was only briefly.
Midmorning had come and gone by the time he'd made his way through the training grounds and out toward the armory. That was where the head of the Air Corps intercepted him. She introduced herself as Captain Spitfire and they spent nearly an hour discussing each other's take on the enemy. The Captain seemed, as far as Jason could tell, to be at home in the military mindset and her tone told him that command was not a foreign field either. They fell silent when a familiar Pegasus swooped in and landed a short distance away.
"Sergeant Dash reporting, ma'am," she said with a crisp salute to the Captain. "You had something you needed to speak with me about?"
"When I said take some time to collect yourself, I didn't think you'd have to sleep on it," Spitfire said with a shake of her head. "Anyway, I have new orders for you. Your squadron is being reassigned. You're to accompany Lieutenant Faircastle's detachment and assist in his operations, independent of the rest of the Air Corps."
Rainbow looked at Jason. "You put in a request for me to be transferred?"
Jason shook his head. "This is the first I've heard of it."
"Then why?" she asked the Captain.
"This comes straight from Princess Celestia," Spitfire said briskly. "She wanted to send a supplementary force with the Lieutenant that could move fluidly between commands. She asked if I could spare any wings and I told her that, if any squadron was cut out for the task, it was yours."
"So I should start calling you 'sir'?" Rainbow asked Jason with a grin.
"That's technically correct, Sergeant," Spitfire said, bringing Rainbow's attention back around. "However, you're being assigned to assist his detachment, not being put strictly under his command. You'll still be an Air Corps squadron, but the Princess needs you to act independently of the rest of us." She gave Rainbow a wink that was so quick that Rainbow wasn't even sure she'd seen it at all. "I'm sure you'll have no trouble filling that roll."
"Should we let her squadron know about this change?" Jason asked.
"No need," Spitfire replied. "I informed them late last night and asked them to come down here to make it official with you today. In fact, I see them coming now."
Fifteen ponies trotted across the field toward them from the rows of tents that served as the Army's quarters. They were dressed in their full uniforms but did not carry their weapons. Rainbow seemed to be distracted by something about them as they approached. Jason didn't see anything wrong and waited silently for them to shuffle into formation. They saluted to Spitfire and she returned it.
"Alright," the Captain said, addressing everyone present. "Now that we're all here, we can say it's official. The paperwork has been filed and everypony has been informed. This squadron is to provide support and assistance to the special detachment under the command of Lieutenants Cor Hightalon, Zacon Crimsontide and Jason Faircastle. They will act as your commanding officers for the purposes of field operations but you report to me as your Captain in the Air Corps."
She turned to Jason.
"You take care of my fliers, you hear? We're counting on the fact that you know what you're doing. Judging from what we've seen so far, you do. Just don't go proving us wrong."
Jason smiled grimly. Spitfire turned to Rainbow.
"Make us proud out there, Sergeant."
Rainbow nodded resolutely and Spitfire again addressed the whole group.
"You've seen how bad it can get and you've seen what's at stake. But we're not going to roll over for them; not now, not ever! There will be a lot riding on each of you out there, but you've shown twice now that you're up to the task. Good luck, all of you."
She nodded to Jason and Rainbow and returned the squadron's salutes before winging away again. Rainbow watched her until she disappeared behind a building a block away. Then she turned back to her squadron.
"There are fifteen of you here," she stated bluntly. "Who's the extra?"
"I am, Sergeant," a plucky voice called.
A Pegasus, significantly smaller than her peers, stepped out from behind Cerulean. She had a dark gray coat and white spots on her wings. Her mane was black with an indigo sheen where the light caught it, conservatively cut and tucked back tightly. She held herself rigidly at attention as she saluted Rainbow.
"Private Starling, ma'am!" she announced, nearly shouting. "Reporting as second wing, third flight, twelfth squadron, ma'am!"
Rainbow processed that information briefly. "You're the replacement for Camera Flash?"
Starling nodded. "When I enlisted, they were assigning recruits to fill vacancies in existing squadrons before forming new ones, ma'am."
"How much training do you have?" Rainbow asked.
"I've been training since I was a filly, ma'am," the small Pegasus declared proudly.
"Not flight training. I mean combat training."
"I am combat trained, Sergeant," Starling responded with a nip of indignation.
"Since before the war?" Rainbow asked in disbelief.
"Yes, ma'am! I intended to join the Royal Guard. But with the war, I was unable to apply for and complete academy training. So I enlisted in the Air Corps instead."
"Well, alright." Rainbow relaxed and returned the salute. "Welcome to the twelfth."
"Thank you, ma'am!" Starling said, finishing her salute sharply and stepping back into line.
Heavy hooffalls announced Big Mac's approach before Jason saw him. The stallion nodded to the Lieutenant as he stood beside him. Rainbow met Big Mac's eyes and several seconds of unspoken communication passed between them. Jason looked Big Mac over briefly.
"I take it you've signed on with us?" Jason asked.
"Eeyup," he replied.
"Once we've all gathered, we'll go over the plan and get properly outfitted for it," Jason said, addressing them all. "Cor has a few other recruits he'll be bringing with him and..."
A hush fell over the camp. Jason turned to see both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna approaching them. The light of Celesita's aura mixed with the noonday sun, causing her coat to glow faintly. The Lunar Princess, by contrast, seemed impervious to the radiance that surrounded her. Her azure coat was sleek and dark, despite being exposed to the brilliance of her sister. Ponies all around bowed to them as they passed. Walking beside them was Twilight, armored, uniformed and loaded down with bulging saddlebags.
"I think I have everything," Twilight was saying. "There were a couple of spell books and a reference book I had thought to bring, but I'd have needed another bag. Oh! What is it that I'm forgetting?!"
"You're forgetting to trust in yourself," Jason heard Luna whisper to her.
Twilight grinned sheepishly and stopped fretting. When they reached the group, Jason bowed with the other ponies. Celestia nodded to them as they straightened again.
"I have approved the transfer papers for Twilight," she said stoically, addressing Jason. "The papers are a technicality though. She is not an official member of the Guard and thus is not bound by the chain of command. It is her choice to be here and as such, you are the leader of the group she is following, not her commanding officer."
"I understand, your Highness," Jason said.
She turned to Twilight and lowered her voice, though Jason could still hear the words. There was a hint of softness in her voice that Jason had heard once before, when she was cradling her nephew's body.
"Be safe, my faithful student. If you believe this is where you need to go, then I will trust your judgment."
"Thank you, Princess. Don't worry, we'll keep each other safe," she replied as they nuzzled affectionately.
Celestia straightened again, composed and commanding once more. Twilight stepped over to stand next to Jason and wait for her to speak. Celestia's gaze swept over them all, clearly measuring them. Luna whispered something in the other's ear and Celestia turned to see a large group of ponies approaching. Cor led the column. Jason waved him over and Cor hurried his pace to get there.
"I'm not late, am I?" Cor asked.
"Not too late," Jason replied. "I take it you've been busy?" He peered past Cor at the ponies behind him.
"Boy was I!" Cor said with a laugh. "I had started signing them on one at a time, but Private Heartstrings proved to be an effective recruiter. An entire platoon turned up, including their Lieutenant, all looking to join us. I figure a transfer that large will need special permission, so I guess it's convenient that the Princesses are already here."
Cor motioned for the Lieutenant to come forward. He trotted up and saluted the Princesses.
"Lieutenant Long Watch of Third Company, Second Platoon, your Highnesses. I'm here to request the transfer of my platoon from the Army command to that of Lieutenants Cor Hightalon and Jason Faircastle." He finished his salute sharply and waited for their answer.
Celestia nodded in acknowledgement and accepted the papers Cor held out to her.
"Your entire platoon has expressed a desire to make this transfer?" she asked.
"Yes, your Highness," Long Watch confirmed.
"Very well," she said, signing off on the papers and giving them back to Cor. "Your exemplary service thus far has not gone unnoticed. If your valor in the city as well as at the river is any indication, I have no doubt that this mission is in capable hooves."
"Thank you Princess," Long Watch said with a bow. "But the credit can't be ours alone. The tenacity of these Lieutenants inspired us to fight as we have. We hope to achieve further victory for Equestria at their sides."
Luna cast a worried glance at Celestia as if to make a comment but her sister didn't seem to notice.
"And I am sure you will have good fortune in that endeavor," Celestia said with an encouraging smile. "We have much work to do before the Army is ready to follow you into the field once again, but we will follow as soon as we are able. In the meantime, any advantage you can press now will be of great help."
"We will be leaving early tomorrow morning," Jason informed her tactfully. "We'll spend the rest of today making sure we are all properly outfitted for what is to come."
"Whatever you might need will be made available to you," Celestia assured him. "And I'd like one of you to meet me in the palace later this evening. One of my scouts has information to share with you."
"I can meet with this scout," Cor volunteered.
"Then I will be expecting you."
Cor nodded.
"Make what preparations you need," Celestia said, looking around at them all. "Rest well this night and know that all of us wish the best of luck for you as you go forth."
Everypony bowed as she and Luna turned to leave. Luna whispered urgently in her ear and Celestia responded with a frown that silenced Luna. Neither said anything more until they were well out of earshot of the others. Cor eased over to Jason.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to pay Zacon a visit. We've got to get him back on his feet if we're leaving tomorrow."
"Right," Jason agreed. "Be sure not to overdo it. We can't exactly have you draining yourself just to get him moving."
"I'll make sure to give him just enough that he can stand," Cor winked. "And then I'll tell him that if he intends to prove what a big, tough warrior he is, he'd better walk the rest off."
Cor passed the transfer papers to Jason and left laughing. Jason allowed himself a small smile before turning to deal with his troops.
"Alright, listen up!" Jason shouted to get everyone's attention.
They shuffled in closer to hear and waited for him to go on.
"We've got the rest of today to get our gear together and then one night to rest up before we're in the field for the foreseeable future. Our mission will rely on speed and mobility. No heavy equipment unless it is absolutely essential. As for the kind of action we'll be seeing, we won't be engaging the enemy directly right away, so don't dwell on it. Our primary objective is to make it as hard as possible for the enemy to move freely in these lands. That means cutting supply lines, setting traps, ambushing scouts and sentries and taking any opportunity we get to draw them away from their goals, whatever those happen to be. Our other objective is to be the eyes and ears of the Army, providing them with more accurate information on what to expect when the time comes to engage the enemy head on."
His gaze swept the group once to measure their reactions as he spoke. He then glanced at the papers to confirm a few names. "I'm putting Lieutenant Long Watch in charge of organizing the supplies, and Sergeants Blitz and Waters in charge of making sure everypony has their weapons and armor repaired, cleaned and ready for battle. Sergeant Dash and her squadron will see to their own needs. I will be down at the armory. Don't hesitate to bring any questions you have to either me or Lieutenant Hightalon. Dismissed!"
Ponies set off in various directions to carry out their preparations. As Jason started toward the armory, Lieutenant Long Watch trotted up beside him.
"A moment, Lieutenant Faircastle?" the other asked.
"Sure. And call me Jason," he said with a casual shrug. "Or just Lieutenant if you're strict on protocol."
"It was actually your rank I wanted to discuss. See, we have four Lieutenants for one platoon and only three Sergeants. I'm a little confused about the chain of command." He smiled wanly.
"I see what you mean," Jason nodded. "But frankly, in this case the titles don't match the authority. Cor, Zacon, you and I are all the same rank on paper, though the three of us are only acting Lieutenants. I figure you're a commissioned officer?"
Long Watch shrugged. "I was a Sergeant in the Royal Guard but some of us were transferred to the Army to fill command rolls. Captain Gallant Lance believed veteran leadership for the new units would be more useful that a few more lances on the line. The promotion will likely only last until the end of the war and we return to our old posts."
"I guess we're all acting here," Jason mused with a half smile. "Still, let me see if I can explain our particular command structure simply. Cor and Zacon are the heads of this group, commanding all subordinate members, including me. I act as their executive officer, issuing most of the direct orders while they set the course. Your platoon is already used to your leadership so it would be best if you maintained that position. Sergeant Dash has her squadron and Captain Spitfire was pretty clear that we don't technically command her. Twilight is here on her own prerogative, so she's outside the command chain entirely. That's how it is on paper at least."
He cleared his throat and went on in a very stern tone. "But that's not quite how it will work once we get out there. This team has a purpose and that purpose is to do what an army can't: Move fast, hit hard, move again and hit again. We're going after soft points, creating weaknesses and vulnerabilities that the Army will be able to exploit when the time comes. In all honesty, it's the only way an enemy like this is going to be beaten with the resources at our disposal. In order to execute that mission, my friends and I expect nothing short of complete compliance, whether we are in the appropriate position of authority or not."
Long Watch considered him carefully for a time. "I wish to see this war ended as much as the next pony, but disregard for the command structure does not tend to lead to that end."
Jason held up his hooves defensively. "I'm not saying we're disregarding the chain of command. I'm just saying that we need to work together as a cohesive unit. Look, we're a piecemeal team and some of the officers who retain authority aren't going to be present. I need it to be clear that when we give an order, even though we're only technically allowed to suggest a course to the others, it should be treated like an obligatory order."
Again, Long Watch took his time answering. "I trust that you will not be giving unreasonable orders. And the situation in battle changes constantly. I understand what you mean by the separation of authority in this detachment, the Air Corps squadron in particular. I'll keep that in mind."
"As long as we share this understanding, we shouldn't need to worry." Jason smiled, his tone lightening again. "If it makes it easier, though, I'd consider a temporary rearranging of our titles to more closely fit our authority. Just in this group, mind you. It's not like I can give out field commissions in any official capacity."
"That might be for the best," Long Watch admitted. "There's not all that much left of this platoon now anyway. Hardly one squad's worth of us left." He sighed and shook his head. After a pause, he looked Jason hard in the eye. "I've been in the Guard for ten years and I've never seen anything like this war. I want it over and done. Nopony should have to go through this, least of all these townsfolk who've never touched a weapon before this. It's just not right! If you can bring this war to an end, then I'm with you."
Jason considered him stoically and Long Watch waited for his response.
"While I understand what you're saying," Jason said, his voice carefully kept neutral. "I must caution you; fervor will not bring this war to a close any faster. We must be careful and patient, at least as far as our plans are concerned. Do not expect to win in a single battle."
Long Watch let out a huff. "I understand. But every moment I have to wait, knowing that this is still happening, is another pin in my side. It's hard to be patient. I want to act."
"We will. Of that, I can assure you. And when we do, we will be swift. But first, we must be sure that we are ready."
They reached the armory. Long Watch excused himself to attend to the supplies, leaving with one last nod of acknowledgement that Jason returned. As he watched the other officer leaving, Jason realized with bitter irony that Long Watch had voiced a sentiment that Jason himself felt. Not too many days past, Cor had told him that he needed to put aside his objections to the war and worry about actually winning it. Now Jason had told Long Watch essentially the same thing, to be patient and not let his feelings interfere with the task. He'd also insisted on the same adherence to patience with Twilight, he reminded himself with another guilty twinge. He wondered how much hypocrisy he would be able to get away with before it came back to bite him. He busied himself with the names on the papers he held in an effort to push his discomfort aside.
The armory was a large tent containing administrative desks where a team of harried ponies sat, tracking the equipment on long lists. Racks of weapons and armor encircled the tent like layers of barricades. A disorganized pile of damaged equipment glinted dully behind the tent. A pair of ponies was loading some of the bent swords and dented armor into a wagon to be taken down to the blacksmith for repairs or scrap. Jason's new command had mostly finished picking up their equipment since many of them could still use their own Army-issued uniforms and weapons.
Big Mac was watching off to one side as everypony else made their selections. Jason noted the huge hammer propped up beside him. Jason nodded to himself as he noted the rank of Corporal attached to his name on the list. Jason knew the big stallion could handle that weapon's weight without issue. Sergeant Obsidian Blitz was assisting a massive white-coated Pegasus in picking out the spear that fit him best. Jason scanned the names and concluded that if any name on the list fit the Pegasus, then he had to be Private Bulk Biceps. A brown-coated Earth Pony with severely cut grey mane was trading small talk with a shorter dark grey Earth Pony. Jason thought he recognized them from the river as Corporal Night Watch and Private Baritone but it was hard to be sure since he'd heard the names in the heat of battle.
He continued down the list, noting the ponies he knew as they moved about him and trying to match the remaining names to those he did not. One pony he knew from Cor's description drew his attention. Private Heartstrings exited the armory tent and headed directly toward the blacksmith. Jason noticed she hadn't selected any weapons and decided to follow her out of curiosity.
As he passed by them, the gazes of a few ponies were drawn, not to the Lieutenant himself, but to the black blade that hung from his side. They caught Big Mac's eye and the Corporal nodded in understanding. Shouldering his hammer, he and the small knot of ponies trailed after Jason.
~*~*~
As Celestia gave the signed papers back to Cor, Long Watch bowed low, just as he always did before addressing her.
"Thank you Princess," Long Watch said in response to her praise. "But the credit can't be ours alone. The tenacity of these Lieutenants inspired us to fight as we have. We hope to achieve further victory for Equestria at their sides."
Luna cast a glance at her and she saw that look in her sister's eyes that conveyed worlds of worry. Celestia made sure not to acknowledge her just yet. It would be better to address those concerns in private.
"And I am sure you will have good fortune in that endeavor," Celestia said with an encouraging smile. So eager to serve, and yet so humble. If I could have but one wish, it would be that good ponies such as he will see the end of this.
"We have much work to do before the Army is ready to follow you into the field once again," she went on, trying not to think too hard about the full meaning of her own words lest they shatter her composure. "But we will follow as soon as we are able. In the meantime, any advantage you can press now will be of great help."
"We will be leaving early tomorrow morning," Jason informed her tactfully. "We'll spend the rest of today making sure we are all properly outfitted for what is to come."
"Whatever you might need will be made available to you," Celestia assured him. She made a decision then that she'd been wrestling with for a day now. They would need all the help they could get and Corporal Winds was the best source of knowledge on the Trolls in Equestria. But I am not ready to send any more of my ponies with these foreigners than I have to. She made an effort not to glance at Twilight again. No, she reasoned. A simple meeting will be enough. "And I'd like one of you to meet me in the palace later this evening. One of my scouts has information to share with you."
"I can meet with this scout," Cor volunteered.
"Then I will be expecting you."
Cor nodded.
"Make what preparations you need," Celestia said, looking around at them all. "Rest well this night and know that all of us wish the best of luck for you as you go forth." If only luck were enough.
Everypony bowed as she and Luna turned to leave.
"Sister! This isn't..." Luna whispered in an urgent hiss.
But Celestia had been anticipating her and shot her a look that informed the other that their discussion would not take place here. Luna fell silent, but not without a tightening of her jaw that betrayed her frustration. Neither said anything more until they were well out of earshot of the others. When at last Celestia decided they could speak freely, the dark Alicorn was biting her tongue to keep from speaking.
"What is it that is bothering you, sister?" Celestia asked.
"Did you not hear it yourself? Do you not see what is happening?" Luna hissed.
"Luna, please," Celestia said with a sad shake of her head. "Do not start again with your misgivings about these foreigners. I share them, but we do not have any other choice."
"So they say," Luna grumbled with a sour glare back the way they'd come.
"What would you have us do, Luna? Would you refuse their offer? Do you think we have a chance of overcoming this threat without their help?"
Luna looked away with a huff.
"We are more than capable of leading our own troops. We should not yield that authority to them."
"You've seen what they can do and you've seen what has happened without their help," Celestia said softly. "I admit that I am no war leader, extensive though my power may be. We need somepony who knows the ways of battle as they do."
Celestia waited for her sister to respond but the younger princess was silent for a long time. They stopped at the top of a low wall that gave them a marginally better view of the city. Luna looked out over the devastated streets, her eyes passing critically over every fire-blackened wall and hurrying pony. When she did speak, she did so without even glancing at the other.
"Then perhaps I should be the one leading our ponies, not you."
Luna's words were spoken coldly. Celestia flinched as though she'd been struck a physical blow.
"You blame me, don't you?" Celestia asked, her voice quivering. "You think I've failed Equestria and our subjects."
Luna turned to face her again but said nothing. Celestia searched her sister's face for sympathy in any form but Luna hid her thoughts behind an icy mask. Celestia couldn't stand the unfeeling gaze any longer and turned away. She sat down and tried not to weep. When Luna did speak, she spoke matter-of-factly.
"You are correct that you are no war leader, sister. You have maintained an astonishing level of peace in the last few centuries. But that peace comes with the lack of a seasoned army. You have failed to plan for the possible need of one. In that much, you are to blame for this."
"I ruled as best I could," Celestia said, her voice dropping to a pleading whisper. "I only ever did what I thought was best for Equestria. I did everything I could to give them peaceful, happy lives."
"And you did, sister. For better or worse, they had peace under your rule. Now, a new style of leadership is needed. But not from you. You should not change yourself to meet these demands, for your ways will be needed when peace returns. But I, sister, do not need to change to meet this challenge."
Celestia took several calming breaths before facing Luna again. "You're right, sister. Perhaps you are better suited to lead our ponies in battle. I wish I were as strong as you. You've not just managed to handle yourself in this crisis, but kept me from sinking below my despair. You're so collected, so confident, so..."
"So cold?" Luna offered bluntly when her sister struggled for the right word.
Celestia grimaced but didn't deny it.
"I care for our ponies just as much as you do," Luna frowned. "Though I am less forthcoming in expressing it. We do not have the luxury of letting our emotions dictate our course. Now is the time for analysis and action. Even if we must seem cold."
"Your words are beginning to sound like Prince Crimsontide's," Celestia observed with a hint of irony.
"Please, sister." Luna rolled her eyes and huffed derisively. "That beast may have been right on a few accounts but that does not mean I agree with him on the whole." She growled slightly. "He is still just as contemptible, arrogant and uncivilized as..."
"Now Luna," Celestia broke in, her tone a gentle warning. "You mustn't let his manners, or lack thereof, tarnish your composure. Hostilities between us will accomplish nothing. We must remain united, for the time being at least."
"You're right." Luna sighed and collected herself with a deep breath. "Yours has always been the way of the peacekeeper."
"And yours, the way of the ardent defender," Celestia replied, stepping closer to nuzzle Luna affectionately. "We each have our parts to play in this. I am thankful that you and I are together for it."
~*~*~
Private Heartstrings arrived at the blacksmith and conferred with one of the ponies hammering out a new set of plate mail. He directed her to one of the shelves outside, where she retrieved the items she had obviously requested. Jason watched her strap on the bandoleer of slim daggers and attached the long, narrow shield to the holder on her side. He walked over casually.
"You favor small blades?" he asked.
She glanced at him and then at her weapons. "Yeah. I found that they're more versatile and agile than broader blades. Plus, they don't take as much effort to use for a long time. In my experience, that's the difference between life and death."
"An astute observation," he nodded. "May I see one of them?"
She drew one dagger and passed it to him wordlessly. He held it up and examined it closely. The slender steel blade was eight inches long, with a stubby ring of a guard and the most minimal hilt Jason had ever seen. He quickly gathered that it was not meant to be wielded in the mouth, as many other pony blades were, but instead held by telekinesis.
"This is a very specialized blade," he observed.
"A bit," Lyra said. "It's for quick, penetrating shots without giving the enemy anything to grab. I wanted something that could pierce through their thick hides easier but wasn't easy to block or parry. These can go straight in, lightning quick, and withdraw just as fast without needing to wind up and swing in wide arcs that could be easily intercepted."
Jason nodded. "You seem to have a fighting style in mind. So, pop quiz."
Lyra blinked. "Um, okay?"
"How far back will you be when striking?"
"I think..." she glanced around hurriedly and took a step back. "About this far, from me to you."
Jason looked at the ten foot separation. "Show me a stance. How would you face an opponent?"
She crouched low with her hooves widely spaced and drew three of the daggers. They hovered above her threateningly while she positioned her shield between herself and Jason and peered over the top at him. Jason nodded.
"It looks viable at first glance," he commented casually, pacing around to one side. He picked up a breastplate and a club from one of the nearby racks and levitated them in front of Lyra to imitate an opponent. "But this can't be a static position if you intend to rely on quick strikes and small blades. You will need to move and rapidly, responding to the flow of battle so that you can exploit every opening, every weakness. If you find yourself facing one opponent, your task will be easy. But the enemy outnumbers us significantly." Jason picked up two more sets of armor. "You will likely face several at once. So learning to defeat one opponent is not as important as learning to survive three...or more."
Lyra glanced at him nervously as her manikin enemies multiplied themselves into nine sets of armor and clubs arrayed against her.
"Are you expecting me to win against odds like those? I mean, I took three Trolls by myself once, but I think I got lucky. You want me to take on whole groups alone?"
"No," Jason said simply, putting the equipment back. "I just wanted to illustrate a point. I only expect you to do the best you can." He smirked at her. "And since three seems to be no trouble, I figure your best is already excellent."
"Like I said, I got lucky."
"And that's not a bad thing. But I agree that we'll need to rely on more substantial advantages going forward. Now, I don't ask that you handle nine Trolls at once. But I would like you to be able to deal with those odds. You don't need to kill all of them to win. Just one or two and then get out alive."
"Hit and run?" she asked.
"Exactly. That's why I like your choice of style. Used properly, it enables you to engage and disengage fluidly."
Lyra grinned sheepishly. "You wouldn't happen to know what the proper way is, would you. I've been making this up as I go."
Jason laughed. "I can train you in an agile fighting style. The one I use isn't far from the ideal application of your strengths anyway. But you've gotten this far from trusting yourself and following your instincts, and the numbers don't lie. You've done well. We'll see if we can do even better in the future."
Lyra nodded but hesitated. "If you don't mind my asking, you say your style isn't much different than this one, but you use one sword. I don't see how you can attack quickly with a weapon like that. My sword was always getting stuck or blocked when I fought. How do you do it?"
"That's a question I'd like to ask as well," another voice broke in.
Big Mac and three other stallions from their group approached. Jason glanced at the list to confirm he had the names right. The three ponies accompanying Big Mac looked hesitant, but curious. Private Caramel kept glancing at Big Mac as if to remind himself that the bigger stallion was still with him. Private Time Turner was giving Jason a careful appraisal. Private Breezy had a knowing look, as if he was waiting for some sort of spectacle to begin, his tweed cap perched to one side casually and a crooked smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"You want to know how I fight the way I do?" Jason asked.
"We've seen you fight. We know that what you do works. What we want to know is how you make it work." Lyra cast a glance at Big Mac for help finding the right words.
"What you do shouldn't be possible," Big Mac offered. "I've seen the way you use that sword and nopony else seems to be able to use a sword quite like you do."
"I can certainly try to explain," Jason said with a nod. "The major factor in my chosen fighting style is the sword itself. It is unlikely any of you have seen one like it before."
He undid the clasps that held the blade in place and drew the wakizashi slowly, holding it up for them to see. The black blade glimmered faintly violet where the light caught it. He let them examine it briefly before speaking again.
"There is more about this blade that makes it different from a conventional blade than similar. For starters, the material isn't actually metal. It's comprised of super-condensed raw magical energy, which has been locked into this form by a process that takes an entire council of mages many weeks to complete. Because it is technically energy, the edge is finer than any physical material can be."
Jason plucked a strip of scrap metal from one of the piles near the blacksmith's tent and held it up beside the blade.
"The blade never dulls due to the form-lock placed on it."
He pressed the blade slowly and evenly across the scrap of metal, slicing a notch in it. As he continued to speak, the blade made its way through the scrap until it had cut completely through.
"Even though it is comprised of energy, it is so densely compressed that it is incredibly heavy for someone other than its intended wielder. The blade is made exclusively from magical energy taken directly from the intended wielder, so they are attuned to it, thus allowing them to use it without restriction."
He turned the blade downward and dropped it. It fell tip first to the ground and sank into the dirt up to the hilt with a wet hiss. He pulled it back out and held it up again.
"It is capable of slicing through heavy armors with a stroke of only modest power and thus, nearly impossible to block. My style incorporates a theme of constant movement, both of the blade and the wielder. Since the blade is not going to be stopped by any conventional object, every swing transitions from one to the next seamlessly; one continuous arc. I, in turn, follow in its wake, guiding it as much as being led by it."
As the others leaned in to examine the sword, Jason held it out so that they could see it more clearly.
"What are the chances we could get one of those?" Caramel asked longingly.
"About the same as you growing a pair of wings by tomorrow," Jason said with a grim smile. "I don't have nearly enough magical training to make them, and besides, it would take more than two months to make just one."
Caramel sighed. "It was worth asking."
"May I take a closer look?" Turner asked, holding out his hoof.
"I'd rather not. This blade is indiscriminate and I'd hate for there to be an accident."
Jason allowed Turner to lean in closer while he held the blade and the Earth Pony got as close as he could, examining the tiniest details. Lyra picked up the metal scraps and looked closely at them. The severed halves were cleanly cut, with no rippling or folding in the metal from the pressure of the blade. Big Mac looked over her shoulder and nodded at what he saw, obviously impressed.
"I've got to say, that's a mighty fine weapon you have," he rumbled.
Jason smiled and gave him a nod of acknowledgement.
"If it can do this to steel," Lyra said, half to herself. "I can only imagine what it's capable of doing to a creature's body."
Jason's smile slipped a notch.
"Yes, well, I try not to concentrate too much on that." He shifted uncomfortably and quickly put the sword away. "It is a useful and effective tool. War is not pleasant, so I expect that using unpleasant weapons is only par for the course."
"Aye," Breezy said, soberly. "And the Trolls have shown their own unpleasantness to us already. Just look what they had in store for the Air Corps. Poor souls practically jumped out of their feathers in fright at it. The ones that made it, anyway."
"What's that?" Jason asked, worried. "I'm afraid I wasn't watching the Air Corps."
"Oh, they met with some trouble when they flew out to the catapults." Breezy scratched his chin, recalling it. "And a terrible bit of trouble it was too. Some other types of machines were waiting for them, launching spears back at them."
Jason's expression became unreadable as he suppressed his reaction. He looked instead in the direction that Rainbow had gone with her squadron. Lyra followed his gaze briefly.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
"What? Oh, no, nothing. Just...thinking." Jason cleared his throat. "Anyway, was that all you wanted to know?"
The stallions nodded, having heard what they came for. As they shuffled back toward the rest of the group, Lyra reminded Jason that he was going to help her develop her fighting style. They started toward the training fields, but Jason glanced back at Time Turner's retreating figure. He knew he'd heard that name before, and it had just occurred to him where that was. He recalled again his pleasant conversation with a certain grey Pegasus. If this was the stallion she'd spoken of, he had no doubt that he was every bit as good a partner as she had insisted.
He frowned. She had spoken of his indispensable qualities, of how she couldn't imagine what she'd do without him. If he was here now, she was on her own back home. He shook his head at the idea. No sooner had he finished that thought than another chilled him to the bone.
What if he doesn't come back?
He stopped where he was and stared after Private Turner, fighting the illogical urge to run after him and order him to go home. But Lyra called after him to hurry up and he shook himself free of his doubts. He'd led men into battle before; men who had families at home and men who had not lived long enough to have families yet. He'd seen them die. He would do what he must to save this country, regardless of the sacrifices it might demand.
He and Lyra sparred with practice swords for a while as he walked her through the stances that would compliment her weapons and fighting style before switching to drills where Jason would levitate armor and weapons after her while she dodged and struck back at them. She was visibly frustrated for most of the lesson, though it was unclear if the source of her irritation was Jason's blunt criticism or her own mistakes. In the end, she had made marked improvements and she left to pack her things in good spirits.
Jason, despite all of his attempts to brush the matter side, continued to worry. |
Innocent | Act III: Chapter Twenty-Two: Chasing the Receding Waves | For the first time in four days, the morning light that crept over the mountains to illuminate Canterlot's streets wasn't obscured by plumes of thick black smoke. The oppressive shroud that had hung over everypony's head had faded as the last of the fires were extinguished. The streets had been mostly cleared of debris and efforts were now being made to reclaim the ruined buildings. Some of the missing ponies emerged from beneath collapsed walls and fallen roofs and returned to the joyful embrace of their loved ones. Others were not as lucky, their friends and family shedding tears over their bodies that were uncovered by the workers clearing the rubble. Still others were rescued from the wreckage of their homes to find that they were alone, surviving while everypony close to them had not. These ponies drifted toward the recruiters, signing on for the Army in the absence of anything or anyone to hold them back.
The dead who had been identified were placed in a secluded corner of the palace grounds, the Princesses' preservation spell still in place, to await proper burial. Spouses and siblings, parents and children alike occasionally visited them to grieve, though most could hardly bear to see the often mangled bodies of those they loved. A few times, a member of the Guard had to escort a pony out of the palace when they became too distraught to remain. One pony was found sleeping beside his wife's body, a blanket draped over her still form while he shivered in the night. A Guardpony took the stallion to the barracks to warm up and they talked together until the sun rose.
And as dawn waited just below the horizon on that fourth day following the battle, a gathering was taking place near the gates of the city. There was a quiet tension among the ponies as they organized their packs for the long march ahead. Several carts waited nearby, loaded with equipment and supplies. The city was quiet and the air still held the crisp remains of the night's chill. Private Heartstrings waited patiently for the others to assemble. She watched them all with a quiet contemplation. As she looked at each of them in turn, she could put more names to the faces than before. Others were still nameless to her but she felt that something was changing in the way she saw them. Nopony had been familiar to her in the training camp and only a few more by the time they had fought through the streets of Canterlot. Now, she reflected, there were fewer faces left to learn.
Lyra suppressed a shudder at the thought of Goldengrape and the way hope had sparkled in his eyes just before he'd died. Sergeants Flint Grey and Iron Link had been killed at the river holding their ground on the banks, as had Private Eiffel. She hadn't even realized it until she'd read his name among the casualties, but Eiffel had lived only a few houses down the street from her. She'd talked to him from time to time down at the market. She wasn't sure she wanted to feel this kind of pain when the ponies she knew were killed, and she was afraid that learning more names would set her up for more pain. But she gathered her courage and decided that she would rather know the names of those who gave their lives at her side. Each of them deserved to be remembered, no matter how little she knew them.
Sergeant Blitz finished inspecting the ponies' equipment and went to report to Lieutenant Faircastle. Lyra couldn't hear what they said but she knew it was dry officer business from the way both Jason and Blitz kept professionally straight faces. Lieutenant Watch was having a much more animated discussion with Sergeant Dash. They were practically talking over each other as they enthusiastically exchanged their thoughts on what appeared to be a shared interest they'd both enjoyed before the war. Dash suddenly stopped mid-sentence and her ears fell back. Lyra could only guess that she'd reminded herself of how much the war was changing about her life and Equestria as a whole. Watch put a hoof over her shoulder sympathetically and they went on talking again, more subdued this time. Lyra watched them a moment longer before turning to the next group of ponies.
Sergeant Waters was still addressing several ponies near the carts. Lyra had already heard from him and knew he was informing them of their marching order and giving out the rotations for their turns at hauling the carts. She didn't look forward to lugging the cart of tents and camp equipment for several miles but she knew it was the least of the hardships she would be putting up with. Closer to her, Big Mac was talking casually with Private Starling. She could hear enough to know that Big Mac was asking after her training, most notably why she'd wanted to join the Guard. Lyra could tell he had his sister in mind when he asked. From what Starling was saying, it sounded like her father, a member of the Royal Guard himself, had been killed defending the palace. Her family had a tradition of serving in the Guard and now she intended to carry on in his place.
Lyra noted the conviction and fervor in the small Pegasus' voice and was reminded of her own thoughts before the battle at the river. That confidence had been shattered quickly, though she felt a new resolve was taking its place. She wondered if Starling's confidence would prove resilient in the face of combat. Lyra didn't have long to speculate further, because Lieutenants Cor and Zacon arrived just then. The latter was favoring his left side heavily with a pronounced limp and a perpetual grimace. All things considered, Lyra mused, he was in good condition. After all, the same catapult rounds that had reduced sections of the wall to piles of crushed stone had somehow failed to kill this stallion outright. She couldn't imagine how he'd managed to survive it. Cor joined Jason and Blitz, speaking with both of them briefly before turning to the group at large.
"Fall in, all of you!" he shouted.
Lyra shuffled in closer with the others. None of them were in their armor but they all wore their uniforms, belatedly issued to them by the Army. After having been made in Canterlot, the uniforms were never shipped out to the training camps due to a lack of anypony to deliver them and then dredged up in the aftermath of the battle in the city. The form-fitting tunics extended back to the croup and the sleeves reached the knees of the forelegs. The material was durable and acceptably comfortable. It was dark blue across the chest, with the blue field sweeping back to the hem near the flank while a gold-trimmed white field covered the back, starting at the shoulders. Rank pins were issued at the same time, a pair of which could be found adorning either side of the withers.
Lyra glanced around at them, noting how much better she felt now that she could refer to somepony by a rank instead of having to fish for a name before talking to them. Her silver star glinted dully in the weak light of the approaching dawn. The gold stars of the Corporals glittered faintly as their wearers shifted in place. The azure crescents of the Sergeants stood out in dark patches on top of their shoulders. The silver sunbursts on the Lieutenants were easily distinguishable from the Privates' stars by their size, nearly twice the diameter. With this consistency of dress, they looked the part of a cohesive unit, even if they didn't quite feel it yet. While Lyra liked the uniforms as a whole, she was much more grateful for the bath she'd been able to take the other day. The dirt and grime of the camp and the subsequent battles had begun to bother her even through her relative indifference to any and all outside elements.
"Lieutenant Watch," Cor said once they were lined up in their squads. "Are your troops fully prepared?"
Long Watch snapped to attention as he reported. "We've just gotten the last of the carts squared away, sir. We're ready to depart on your order."
"Good. And Sergeant Dash. Have you selected your scouting party?"
"Yes sir," Rainbow answered. "Third Flight will be covering us on our way to the river. From there, I'll be leading First Flight to scout ahead of us while Second Flight covers closer to the rest of the group."
Cor nodded and turned to address the rest of them. "Alright, let's get under way."
Ponies snatched their saddlebags and the first team to haul the carts was hitched up. The gate swung open after a signal to one of the Guards on the wall and the group of sixty ponies started out. Lyra remembered how pristine the city had looked before the war. She'd grown up there after all. Now the walls had the look of ruins. The round impact marks from the catapults looked like pock marks on a sick beast with cracks reaching out like spider webs so that no sizable portion of the wall was untouched. The once bright alabaster and gold was now dull grey and black. Old blood added brown stains to a scattering of stones near the ramparts.
Lyra looked away quickly, not wanting to remember the city like that. But the field before her was not much more appealing. The ground was torn and trampled by the Troll army and burned in places by the spells that had been thrown at them. Patches of darker earth, still soft under hoof from the blood that had soaked it, hinted at where Trolls had met their end, which seemed to be everywhere. Lyra attempted to avoid stepping in them at first, but quickly gave it up as hopeless. The skeletal remains of the ruined siege equipment were a thin forest of broken beams and limp ropes that marked the end of the killing fields. She couldn't shake a feeling of unease as the timbers loomed over her, especially the ballista at the rear. She noticed Sergeant Dash pause at one and watched as the Pegasus' gaze drifted to a seemingly inconspicuous spot near one of the machines. A shudder went through the Sergeant and she took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing on.
Once the battlefield was behind them, the mood improved markedly. Some ponies spoke now, keeping their conversations hushed, but earnestly engaging each other. Most attempted to get better acquainted with the ponies they hadn't seen before. At least half of the group was from the Ponyville platoon but some had joined from among the populace of Canterlot. The Pegasi of the Air Corps also mingled with the Army ponies. Still, it was a few hours before they completely shook off the sobering effects the battle's remains had on them.
The Pegasi who had been sent out to scout returned around midmorning and reported that there was no sign of the enemy ahead. They'd gone nearly to the edge of the river and all they could find were tracks that were as old as the battle. Cor and Long Watch deliberated briefly before agreeing that the scouts should fly out to the river itself and search for where the enemy had moved to. Cor suggested they stick to the shore instead of going inland, and return as soon as they knew which way the Trolls had gone. Watch wanted them to push on until they had spotted the enemy and could verify what they were doing. Cor refused to let them go so far afield, pointing out that such action would create too long a delay before they had the information they needed to proceed. Though he insisted they needed to know for sure where their enemy was, Watch eventually agreed that a short range search would be more useful now and that a longer range search could wait until they reached the river.
Third Flight set out again and the ponies continued on. Lyra took her turn pulling a cart and her mood would have soured for it if she hadn't had interesting companions to distract her from the weariness with their colorful conversation. Private Breezy regaled Private Caramel with whimsical stories of his youth. Caramel in turn asked questions that revealed his simple view of the world. Lyra actually laughed out loud at one confused question Caramel asked about a particular couple that Breezy had "interrupted", causing both stallions to look over at her sharply. Breezy gave her an appreciative and knowing smirk, which she returned before going back to pretending she wasn't listening. Caramel glanced between them both for a moment, still not understanding.
The weather had been clear and bright when they'd left Canterlot, but the closer they got to the river, the greyer the day became. Untended clumps of clouds drifted aimlessly, lifeless and flat. The sun seemed more distant here, slightly obscured by a faint haze in the air, its light duller and lacking in its usual pleasant warmth. The leaves of the trees seemed less vibrant, though it was hard to tell if it was just a trick of the light or if they had actually lost their healthy luster. Cor paused from time to time to examine a patch of earth or a particular plant. Before moving on again, he always shook his head sadly and looked around as if hoping to find something that he clearly thought was missing. Still several miles from the river, the sound of birdsong was absent and no animals could be seen. Such creatures had taken to avoiding the site of the battle, instinctively sensing the death that had occurred there.
The scouts returned again, subdued, but refusing to say why. They reported that the Trolls' tracks indicated that they had crossed the river and continued west into the forest. Cor and Jason discussed options while the cart crews were rotated. It was decided that they would make the river crossing and head north along the edge of the forest while the next group of scouts searched for the precise location of their quarry. Sergeant Dash took off with First Flight and winged west, high over the canopy and scanning through the foliage for signs of movement. Second Flight took off as well, staying above and ahead of the group to warn of potential danger close by.
When the ponies reached the fields along the river, all talking ceased again. But the cause was not simply dark reflections on the previous battle. This time, it was out of actual horror at what they saw. It quickly became obvious what had affected the scouts earlier. Where the fields in front of Canterlot had been dutifully and thoroughly cleared of bodies, this field had been scoured in a very different way. The bodies of hundreds of ponies remained sprawled where they'd fallen, twisted and frozen in death. Some appeared to have been tossed about and stripped of valuables. The scale of the field over which they were so carelessly strewn dwarfed the group of sixty as they made their way toward it. Worse still, the ponies lay alone. No Troll bodies could be seen anywhere on the field, giving the illusion of an even greater loss.
As they got closer, they began to see small white stones scattered across the field, in some places lying so thickly that there appeared to be small snow banks in the grass. Each was about the size of a hoof and had a single runic symbol burned onto it. It didn't take long for it to become apparent that these marked where a Troll had died. The bodies themselves were found closer to the edge of the river, buried in the ashen remains of what seemed to be a series of crude funeral pyres. While the others walked on, resolutely trying to put the sight behind them as quickly as possible, Zacon lingered at the pyres. He walked among them, examining them closely. At one point, he took a scrap of cloth from his pack and marked something down on it with a bit of charcoal and folded it away carefully.
The river was crossed without anypony setting hoof in the waters. The Unicorns levitated the carts, the Earth Ponies and each other across while the Pegasi carried the packs to the other side. From there, they turned north, keeping just inside the edge of the forest. When noon arrived, Jason called for a halt to rest, which everypony greatly appreciated. Meals were broken out from one of the wagons and distributed. The meal was essentially granola bars, some fresh fruit and water. After the long march, nopony complained, but Jason informed them that the fruit would last one more day only. From there on, it would be just the granola. Though some attempt at conversation resumed, the general mood never returned to their previous heights. Lyra heard Zacon commenting that it was probably for the best, that the mood of soldiers should reflect the task at hand and cheerfulness would inevitably be shattered by harsh realities. Cor told him to shut up while Jason refused to acknowledge him at all.
They set out again after half an hour's rest and continued until late afternoon. Progress was slowed by rough terrain, with the ground turning rockier as they went farther north. The supply carts caused the greatest difficulties, as the lack of roads to follow left them bouncing and catching on the uneven ground. One cart's wheel broke, forcing the group to stop. Fortunately, Twilight had a spell in one of her books that fixed the damage, allowing the group to continue with minimal delay. As the sun was sliding lower in the sky, Cor announced that they would be setting camp soon. The Pegasi of Second Flight were tasked with finding a suitable location and within the hour, they had.
They set their camp at the base of a large rocky outcropping that rose out of the forest and poked up over the top of the canopy. The carts were lined up at the back of the camp and tents were set up. Rainbow returned with First Flight and reported that the Trolls weren't nearly as far away as they had expected. She had flown out looking for them but lost their tracks and doubled back. She had been on her way back to the river to try to find their trail again when she'd spotted the enemy camp. It was only a few miles southwest of them. Cor decided to scout the position personally and took a few ponies from Sergeant Waters' squad, with Rainbow showing the way. The others were instructed to get some rest, since they could expect to move again before dawn.
Sergeant Blitz gave Corporal Big Mac's team from First Squad the duty of setting watch on the camp and Lyra took the first shift with Privates Caramel and Jack Hammer. Big Mac and Privates Turner and Breezy would take the second shift. The other fourteen ponies of their squad would take their turns another night. As Lyra settled in for her shift, she thought back on the day with a shudder. She was glad she was taking the first watch since she knew she wouldn't find sleep easily that night.
~*~*~
The moon yielded the sky to the sun as it did every morning, but Celestia had already been awake for hours. Her rest was fitful but dreamless, often finding her waking suddenly, awash in cold sweat and colder fear. Her doubts would not give her peace, so she gave up on sleep and instead walked up to the balcony of her favorite tower. From there, she watched the night recede and dawn draw nearer. When the time came to bring the sun forth, she saw the ponies of the foreigners' command departing the city. Their group seemed so small from here, crossing such a large field into an even larger world. As the last sliver of the moon disappeared, Luna landed beside her.
"You are worried for them," Luna said, following her sister's gaze and guessing at her thoughts.
"So few, going to face so many." Celestia let out a defeated breath. "It's impossible not to worry."
"Despite my many reservations about them, I admit that the foreigners are capable warriors." Luna looked out at the group for a moment longer before turning to face Celestia. "They would not have proposed this plan unless they were confident of its chance to succeed."
"Still, it is hard to watch our subjects go," Celestia said, finally managing to tear her eyes away from the distant group as well. She shook her head, trying to clear away the troubling thoughts, but failing. "They go too far away for me to protect them. I want to be there, to do what I can to see them all safely home again: The candid construction worker, the witty redheaded shopkeeper, the soft-spoken protector, the daughter of the Guard. These beautiful lives and so many more; they will be alone out there. Even Twilight..." Celestia closed her eyes against the weight of her inner turmoil.
"They will not be alone, sister." Luna stepped closer and nuzzled up against her comfortingly. "They will have each other. One of Twilight's friends is at her side, and is an Element Bearer herself. Nor are they without other familiar faces in their midst. The brother of the Element of Honesty is among their number. And they know your thoughts go with them. They are anything but alone."
"But to go forth into such danger..." Celestia paused, struggling with an inner conflict between her deepest-seated beliefs and the requirements placed on her by the current situation. In the end, she was forced to put aside her feelings in favor of harsh realities. "No matter its importance or its power in other matters, friendship is no shield against the blade. Even the Guard, led by myself and Shining Armor, paid for our victory with more than twice as many lives as their entire group. It doesn't leave much hope for me to cling to."
"I know," Luna conceded. "And rationalizing it will not ease the concerns we both wrestle with. But I know for certain that when next they meet each other in battle, it is the Trolls who should be worried, not our ponies. After all, when I say they are more than a match for any Troll, I speak from experience." Luna rubbed the spot where Zacon's blades had cut her, smiling wryly at the memory.
Celestia smiled back, more warmly. "Thank you. Once more, you shore up my resolve, even just with your presence." She nuzzled the other briefly. "But there is work yet to do. Come, we must see to our troops."
They both lifted off and descended into the city. The Army was stirring awake and already officers were gathering to coordinate their work. Sergeants roused their squads and directed them out of the camp and into the surrounding field. At the west end of the field, three Captains stood, observing and conversing in hushed tones. They were Captain Gallant Lance of the Royal Guard, Captain Spitfire of the Air Corps, and Captain Comet Tail of the Army. Comet Tail was the last surviving Captain from the five original companies that had fought at the river. He was also one of the few remaining officers left in the Army above the rank of Sergeant who had not originally served in the Guard. It was beside these three ponies that the Princesses landed.
Celestia knew that no squad had been untouched by losses. Every company had been, as Captain Gallant Lance had put it yesterday, "sufficiently depleted" so that the only way they could continue to function was to combine them into new units that would be at full strength. The Captain of the second company had yet to be named. From what Celestia heard, that had been the subject of the Captains' conversation before they fell silent with the Princesses' arrival. As soon as formalities were out of the way, each Captain reported on their progress in mobilizing their forces again.
"The Air Corps is ready to fly at your order, your Highness," Spitfire said. "After figuring in new recruits, total strength sits at nine squadrons."
Celestia acknowledged her report neutrally.
"The Royal Guard is prepared as well," Captain Lance said somberly. "We number at one hundred. Of our infantry, there are ten lances and twenty swords. Our air squadrons have forty wings while the Mages' detachment totals at thirty."
Celestia took a deep breath as she absorbed those numbers before turning to Captain Comet Tail.
"The, um, Army's current strength is two full companies," he said, after hesitating until Celestia nodded for him to begin. He was obviously flustered but trying his best not to show it. "So, uh, we have about four hundred forty troops. That's including the new recruits as well. We're, um, not quite ready. There's a lot of confusion over new units since we've just rearranged most of them. Plus, the other company still needs a captain. Was I supposed to pick somepony or did you have a particular officer in mind?" he finished with a slightly pleading tone.
"I believe that judgment rests with you, Captain," Celestia said apologetically. "The other Captains can certainly offer advice, but the decision must be yours."
His ears fell disappointedly but he nodded in acceptance.
"Thank you for your reports," Celestia said, addressing all of them. "Time is not on our side. We must launch our counterattack before our enemy has had a chance to recover. Therefore, we must be ready to depart tomorrow by midmorning." She glanced at her sister. "Luna will lead our forces out to drive the Trolls from Equestria and take our lands back."
"You will not lead us yourself?" Captain Lance asked, looking concerned.
"No, Captain. I must stay here and coordinate the rebuilding of the city, tend to the families who are grieving and see to it that Canterlot comes to no further harm."
He glanced between them a few times, his face impassive. Without any further hesitation, he saluted. "As you will, your Highness."
Luna stepped forward and Celestia stepped back, allowing her to take command of everypony's attention.
"Though most of our troops are ready to march, they are not all accustomed to their units. I suggest new recruits be drilled with their squads and squadrons, while those recently recovered from injury continue to rest. We must all be ready in more ways than orderly equipment, and I intend for..."
Luna was interrupted by a sudden commotion from the gates. A messenger galloped up to them and bowed. He was flushed and excited, and he spoke eagerly even as he gasped for breath.
"Your Highnesses, you're needed at the gate at once!"
Both Princesses sprang into the air and winged swiftly to the gates. Spitfire followed, arriving just behind them. The guardsponies at the gate saluted and directed the Princesses' attention to the outside of the gates.
"I'll be a stone feather," Spitfire said in disbelief, her jaw hanging open slightly.
An army was moving toward the city, coming up the slopes and weaving through the wreckage of the battlefield. Hundreds of soldiers marched up the mountainside, making directly for Canterlot. The steel of the armor and weapons gleamed in the sun as banners and pennants flapped in the light breeze. The sound of the rhythmic marching rose up to them and gained in power as the columns drew closer. The bob and sway of the raised spears, lances and battle standards created the illusion of an ocean of metal advancing toward them. The orderly ranks approached to a hundred yards of the walls and halted at the signal of a precisely coordinated series of voices throughout the lines.
Several figures moved to the head of the columns. Two wore the golden armor of the Royal Guard and the others were outfitted in steel Army plates. They marched, steady and synchronized, until they stood immediately below the gate itself.
"Your Highnesses," the leader called. "Captain Flash Point reporting. The Eastern Equestrian Volunteer Expeditionary Force has arrived and stands ready to answer your call to arms."
He and the officers beside him saluted, as did the entire force behind them. The resulting shift in armor and hooves was harmonious thunder. Celestia was stunned. She kept looking out at the ponies in the field before her, standing in neat and orderly rows, clean and polished armor gleaming. Spitfire was similarly speechless. After a moment of silence, Luna took charge.
"Welcome Captain. We deeply appreciate you and your Expeditionary Force for answering this call. We invite your troops to make camp and rest from your journey and for you and your officers to meet with us inside to discuss the situation."
She nodded for the guards to open the gate and admit the officers. Lower ranked officers throughout the Army issued a series of orders and the columns broke ranks to set camp. Captain Point and the officers beside him trotted in through the gates and the Princesses winged down to meet them. Spitfire stayed on the walls, staring out at the troops.
"We never received word to mobilize," the Captain explained. "But when we saw the smoke rising from the city three days ago, we hastened here immediately. It seems we're too late."
"Not at all," Luna said. "I should commend you for your initiative. We could not spare the messenger to summon you due to the pressing circumstances. Your arrival now though is most timely. With our forces consolidated, we will finally have the advantage against our enemy."
"To that effect, I believe a full report of our forces is in order?" Flash Point turned to one of the other officers with him and the pony in question produced a scroll which Flash Point unfurled and read off. "We have assembled ten companies with a combined strength of twenty-two hundred recruits as well as five complete squadrons of Pegasi for the Air Corps. We've furnished our own equipment and supplies and completed a full week of training. We're ready for battle and at your command."
He stowed the scroll and snapped to attention proudly, as did the other officers.
"That brings our full strength to..." Luna paused to do some mental calculations. "Nearly three thousand troops. Very good. We will meet again tomorrow morning to inform all companies of the plan. Until then, you are dismissed."
As the officers saluted and returned to their troops, Luna turned to Celestia and saw that she was hardly paying attention.
"Sister?" she asked.
Celestia started and looked around, finding Luna peering closely at her, concern in her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I've been a mess lately, haven't I?" Celestia sighed. "I just can't get the image out of my mind of those ponies that died defending the river. This new wave of recruits looks exactly like them. Only there are more now."
"It is good that so many ponies are willing to rise up in defense of their homes and country. Without them, we would have no hope."
"But where, Luna, am I to draw hope from when I know that so many of these lives will be lost before the end? Oh, listen to me. I'm starting to talk in circles."
Celestia turned away and sat down, her head lowered miserably.
"You have every reason to feel this way, sister," Luna said, taking a seat beside her. "I struggle as well with the knowledge that our country is suffering so. But I draw my hope from seeing ponies who have not given up. I see in them a fire that will not be extinguished by this threat. It is true that the peace over which you've ruled has left them ill-equipped for war. But that peace also gave them something worth going to war for."
Celestia looked up at Luna, her expression begging for Luna to say more, to give her something to grab hold of that could lift her spirits again.
"This beautiful land is more than a country to them. It is home. One that you have helped to make good for them," Luna said with emphasis, laying a hoof on Celestia's shoulder. "And it is that home that they wish to see preserved. Every one of these ponies came here with that goal. Though they fight, struggle, endure great pain and even die, they remain strong. They remain here, at our side and at our command, because they believe in us to lead them, not just to victory, but to the days of peace once more. That is my hope."
Celestia nodded mutely and Luna waited, giving her time to be ready to speak.
"Still, the odds against us are staggering. I can hardly imagine overcoming them."
Luna nodded understandingly. "It has been difficult and there are still great challenges before us. But we can already see the first glimmers of victory."
"We can?" Celestia asked.
"Truly, if we're honest with ourselves, we've been winning this whole time." Luna turned to look west, her gaze traveling farther than her eyes could see.
"What do you mean?" Celestia asked, still not following.
"Though we have lost ground to them, even had destruction visited on our cities, they have paid a terrible price for it." Luna spoke evenly and without any significant emotion. "We have slain many times the number of their soldiers as they have of ours."
Celestia looked away from her sister, scowling in disgust. "I refuse to count bodies as a measure of victory."
"And yet, it will come down to that when this is finally finished," Luna insisted. "Their numbers cannot be infinite. If this new offensive proves more effective than our defense thus far, we will inevitably wear them down until they can no longer pose any threat."
"But at what cost, Luna?" Celestia snapped angrily. "How many ponies must we throw away to that end?"
Luna faced her sister's anger with a steeled gaze. "If I have any say in the matter, far fewer than we have lost already."
They glared at each other for a tense moment before Celestia relented.
"I'm sorry sister. I should not be angry with you," Celestia said, standing up and looking out across the city. "I can't help but feel a burning anger deep inside me when I think of how little I can do to stop all of this."
Luna stood up with her.
"All that can be done here and now is to repair the damage as best we can. That is where you can do the most good, sister. You can be the beacon for them that they sorely need. Set your mind at ease and think not of battle. I will bear that burden."
Celestia nodded. "I will try."
They embraced briefly before Celestia left to oversee the next stages of reconstruction. Luna watched her go but her mind was elsewhere. She was finally being left in charge of the situation, finally given the chance to make a difference. And what a difference she would make! She took a deep breath and let out a confident sigh. Tomorrow, she would lead the Army out to retake Equestria. Tomorrow, she would take the first steps toward proving Prince Crimsontide wrong about Ponykind. |
Innocent | Act III: Chapter Twenty-Three: Shadows at Hunt | The night was still. No wind moved the trees and no animals called or darted through the shadows around the camp of ponies at the edge of the forest. The glow of the moon above them was defused by the haze that still hung in the sky. The stars were obscured completely. A scattering of fire pits, dying down to coals now, were the only other source of light. They cast a soft red glow across the canvas of the tents and the lower canopy of the trees around them.
Private Turner listened intently as Corporal Big Mac described the pros and cons of living so far from town. It was late in their shift stationed on the south side of the camp and most of the other ponies were asleep. Private Breezy's red mane glinted dully in the firelight when he occasionally shifted position on the north side. Other than the watch, only a few ponies were still active. Twilight had been up for an hour, unable to sleep any longer, and had taken to going over the supplies quietly to keep herself occupied. Sergeant Blitz had gotten up after midnight to check on the watch and promptly returned to his bedroll when there was nothing notable happening. The other ponies who had taken the first watch were soundly asleep now.
Lieutenant Long Watch was cleaning his helmet by one of the fire pits, having gotten all the rest he claimed to require. Though Jason was sitting upright, his head was lowered and he hadn't moved in hours. Zacon was sprawled on his bedroll, lying on his right side to avoid putting pressure on his still injured ribs. His armor was a pile of gold and silver plates at the edge of his bedroll while his axe hovered outside the tent like a silent sentinel. The rest of the ponies had turned in early and gradually drifted off. Now that it was a few hours after midnight, their soft breathing and the whispered conversation of the watch were the only sounds.
Turner's ear twitched suddenly and he held up a hoof. Big Mac fell silent and they both peered out at the surrounding trees. The two slowly readied their weapons as they searched for the source of the noise that Turner had only barely detected. Then, twenty feet in front of them, a green glow appeared, illuminating the familiar face of a Unicorn.
"Lieutenant Hightalon!" Turner said, relieved. "Don't sneak up on us like that!"
"Sneak? Ha!" Cor laughed. "If I'd wanted to, I could have stolen your weapons right out from under you. In fact..." He grinned roguishly as he dropped a Troll axe at their hooves. "I've completed my reconnaissance and I need to speak with the others to plan our attack."
He gestured to the three ponies of Second Squad that had gone with him and they stepped out from behind the trees and followed Cor into camp. Sergeant Dash dropped down from the branches she'd been perched in. They made directly for the center of camp. The moment they were within the firelight, Jason opened his eyes and stood up. Lieutenant Watch looked up at them and set his helmet aside. Twilight slipped silently up beside Jason and waited for them all to gather near the fires. Cor stamped a hoof on the ground next to Zacon's muzzle as he passed him. The grey stallion grumbled, rolled over, and then grudgingly roused himself before eventually finding his way over to them. Once they were all present, the scouts gave their report.
"We made it to the edge of the camp with no trouble," Rainbow said. "But they set sentries at intervals around it. We weren't able to bypass them."
"I, however, was able to get pretty close," Cor added. "The sentries were uneasy but not exactly attentive. As if they didn't like where they were but weren't expecting anything. That's a common trait of troops that have been holding a position."
Jason nodded thoughtfully. "They likely retreated from Canterlot to here and then hunkered down."
"Why would they stop here if they were running from the battle?" Rainbow asked.
"We can't know for certain," Cor said. "But I'd guess they're waiting for new orders."
"Orders?" Twilight asked, her voice quivering with the possibilities she was imagining. "Orders from whom?"
"As much as I'd like to know the answer to that, we'll have to leave it for another time."
"He's right. We need to concentrate on the task ahead of us," Jason said, turning back to the original topic. "Now, how many sentries were there? How far from camp and from each other?"
"Two at each post and thirty yards apart," Rainbow replied and Cor nodded to confirm. "They're also only about fifty yards from camp. Even through the trees, they'll be able to keep tabs on each other and those in the camp will be able to see if something is wrong fairly quickly."
Twilight frowned. "I thought the darkness would conceal our approach enough that they wouldn't spot us. That was the point of attacking at night, wasn't it?"
"The darkness will hide us well enough," Cor nodded. "But the Trolls' white and grey fur stands out really well in the forest greens and browns. When their sentries start dropping, it will only take a casual glance to see it."
"We don't have many options then," Jason mused. "We could pick off sentries each night and slowly chip away at them or see if we can catch them as they pack up in the morning. The chaos of breaking camp could give us more of an advantage."
"We can't wait for them to break camp, nor can we give up our advantage of surprise by relying on small jabs," Zacon rumbled. "Every second we delay is critical time lost. We need to strike a meaningful blow before they find their feet again. They seem to think themselves secure here, but we know they can be made to run. Let's get them thinking of it again."
"How do you propose to do that? They have hundreds of troops to our sixty," Long Watch reminded him.
"They don't know that," Zacon said with a wide grin.
"Okay, that works in with our element of surprise, but our numbers won't stay hidden from them for long. So, how do we use it?" Jason asked, casting about for suggestions.
"We can start with the sentries..." Cor began, but Zacon cut him off.
"Juu'got. Lan'ut!" He spat the guttural words and scowled at Cor. "Sentries won't cripple them. We need more than that."
"If you'd let me finish, you'd see where I'm going with it," Cor shot back with a frown. "I don't care if our tactics border on cowardice. My people win wars like this. And stick to a language all of us can understand, would you?"
Zacon grunted in impatient acquiescence.
"We can start by knocking out the sentries along one side of the camp," Cor went on. "If we can take a large swath of them down without alerting the camp itself, we should be able to get our whole force in close enough to cause major disruption before they realize we're even there. We can burn tents and supplies, catch them sleeping, and then pull back before they can organize defenses."
"That would rely on us not being detected until we're actually in the camp," Long Watch observed. "What if they raise the alarm before that?"
"We rush them," Zacon said flatly.
"Rush them?!" Cor, Rainbow, Twilight and Long Watch repeated simultaneously.
"Yes," he nodded matter-of-factly. Almost everypony regarded him as if he were crazy until he went on. "But Cor is right, we keep it short. Overwhelm the edge of the camp only and withdraw before they can bring their numbers to bear. Forget burning tents. We need to inflict maximum casualties on them before we lose these few advantages we have, or we will never do enough damage to cripple them before they regroup."
Jason rubbed his chin in thought. "That makes sense. We do need to think big on this first attack. But if we're going to pull it off, we'll need some sort of signal for the retreat. We can't just hope everypony will recognize the time to withdraw."
"I can give you that," Cor said, raising his bow. "One firecracker out of this and we'll all know about it."
"Good enough," Jason admitted. "Now for the hard part. Taking out the sentries silently."
"I think we can handle that," Rainbow said. "My squadron can get the drop on them, literally."
"They might be expecting you," Cor said. "The Air Corps has played a large role in the last few battles."
"That's because we're so darn good at it," Rainbow grinned. "Trust me. We can handle a few sentries."
"There are too many for your squadron to take alone, not along a line wide enough for this kind of raid," Jason observed. "We'll have to hit at least half of them with ground forces."
"I think Jason and I can lead the flanks on the ground while your squadron takes the middle of the line," Cor said, indicating Rainbow. "Zacon and Long Watch can each bring a team up between our three groups to act as strong points for the main attack. Once all of the sentries are eliminated, we move forward at once and hit them with as broad a line as possible to disguise our numbers."
"How many groups of sentries will need to be eliminated?" Long Watch asked.
"We'll take out as many as we can," Cor replied grimly. "At least eight on the side we're attacking from, but if we can get to more before the alarm is raised, then we will."
"We'll need to allocate enough troops to each post to cleanly silence them," Zacon rumbled. "I estimate two ponies per Troll, so four at each post."
"That doesn't leave many for a strong charge at the center positions," Long Watch argued. "I think we can pair them up one to one."
"We can't risk anypony allowing a Troll to call out," Cor reminded him. "We need to do this so quickly that they can't react at all. Two against one will take a large slice of our number to pull off, but there isn't a whole lot we can do about it."
Long Watch grumbled in dissatisfaction but let it go.
"So which direction do we attack from?" Rainbow asked restlessly. "The north? South? What about from the west? They'd never expect us to come from the west!"
"If we had time, I might have agreed with an attack from the west," Cor said. "But it would take too long for us to get into position and we got the best look at the eastern side of their camp. That's the side we should hit."
"You're the boss, Lieutenant, sir," Rainbow said snarkily.
He only gave her an appraising look and smirked back. They went about waking the others and gathered again to go over the final plan with the entire group. Jason spoke while Cor traced a sketch of the enemy camp in the dirt for them all to see. Each flight of Rainbow's squadron was matched up with a sentry post along the middle of their planned route. Similarly, Second Squad was split into groups of four and paired up with the posts to either side of the Pegasi. First Squad's two teams were given positions about fifty yards apart where they would wait for the sentries to be eliminated before making their approach on the camp.
Zacon was placed at the head of Corporal Night Watch's team while Long Watch and Sergeant Blitz would lead Corporal Big Mac's team. Cor would lead the attack against the sentries on the right flank and Jason would lead the left. As everypony was sorted out into their groups, Twilight anxiously grabbed Jason's attention.
"Where should I go?" she asked in a hushed voice.
Jason frowned as he thought it over.
"Why don't you stick with me? The numbers are a bit uneven as it is. There are eleven on the right side and only ten on the left."
"Neither of those make full groups of four," Twilight pointed out, obviously worried that nopony else had noticed this basic mathematical inconsistency in their plan.
Jason shrugged. "Cor and I figured that we could take one Troll on our own. We don't mean to belittle anypony's value here, but if we're all honest with each other, I think we're going to be able to handle more than the average pony."
"That's probably true," Twilight agreed reluctantly. "So how can I help?"
"Private Earl Grey will be with me, but he's paired up with a Troll on his own. He could use an assist."
"I can do that," Twilight said, smiling faintly.
Jason returned the smile and they went to prepare with the others. Armor was donned and weapons were taken up. One wagon that included medical supplies and Cor's extra arrows was brought along, though it wasn't pulled along the ground since it would have made too much noise. Instead, it was levitated with them by Jason, Cor and Twilight. The rest of the camp was packed up and left where it was so that they could return after the battle and move it quickly. Heading south and west at a cautious pace, they traveled for a little more than an hour before Cor signaled for them to spread out and take their positions. The cart was set down well behind their lines. Cor took several quivers with him and went to join the right flank while Jason slipped away to the left. Jason noticed that Twilight was biting her lip and seemed to be trembling as she followed close behind him, but she did not falter.
As they closed in on the edge of the Trolls' camp, Jason slowed down and finally came to a stop. He could see patches of Troll fur through the screen of trees that separated them from the sentries some hundred yards away. One by one, the other ponies on the left flank gathered beside him, peering around the trunks of the trees and crouching in the shadows. They all looked nervous and rightfully so, but they kept glancing at the others as if to measure the courage in their companions. Jason could tell that they did not find much comfort in what they saw. Most of them had signed on after the battle of Canterlot, he realized, and had only seen the fighting in the streets. Their fear was palpable.
"Sulawesa Unuli, Kyaleen," he whispered with a faint smile.
A short, confused silence followed.
"I'm sorry," Twilight whispered back. "What did you just say?"
"Oh, wrong language! Sorry, force of habit." His smile turned to one of chagrin. "What I said was 'through unity, victory'. It's a traditional phrase of my people before battle."
"Sue-law-we-saw Uno-lie, Key-ah-lean?" she repeated slowly.
Jason nodded somberly. Some of the others repeated the words, both in his language and their own. Each one seemed to draw encouragement from it and they ceased their nervous shifting. Jason looked farther along the line and saw that the Pegasi of Second Flight were in position. Corporal Star Hunter caught Jason looking and nodded. Jason signaled for his teams to take their places and they crept off as silently as they could. The signal to advance passed along the line and Jason started forward. The ponies to either side of him moved through the shadows, picking their footing carefully.
The guttural voices of the Trolls ahead became audible as they closed on their targets. The two directly in front of him were clearly visible. He indicated to Twilight which one he would take and she nodded. She and Private Grey crept up from one side until they were a stone's throw from the Trolls. One Troll paused in his hushed conversation to peer out at the shadows, causing all three of them to freeze in place. His gaze passed over Jason and Twilight, missing Private Grey entirely. Even so, he gave no indication of sensing anything amiss and went back to conversing with his companion.
Jason started forward again. A loud snapping sound from behind him sent his heart racing in a way that the anticipation of battle no longer did. Twilight looked down at the broken twig in surprise and then up at the Trolls in horror. Both Trolls stood up to search for the disturbance, one lifting his axe warily. As his eyes finally pierced the gloom to catch the equine outline of the lavender Unicorn, the Troll opened his mouth to cry out. The only sound he made was a gurgle as his throat split open and blood choked him. Jason leapt up, twirled his blade again and stabbed through the Troll's chest. Twilight reached out with telekinesis to clamp the other Troll's mouth shut. He attempted to break free by clawing at his own lips but Private Grey ended his struggle by driving his spear into his gut. Both Trolls toppled over with low thuds. A clash of metal rang out to their right and a pregnant silence followed. A second passed. Two. Then, Troll voices rose in the camp, cautious and questioning. Zacon's deep voice answered with a thunderous shout.
"Vok Ja-Tomin Ulsiv!"
The battle cry of his people sprang from him, heedless of language barriers. The tone of the words and the flash of his golden armor suddenly barreling out of the covering shadows was enough for everypony to understand their intent. A dozen more shouts sounded as ponies broke cover and charged. Voices rose to add their own battle cries or just vocalize for effect.
"For Equestria!"
"In the Princesses' name!"
"CHARGE!
"YEEAAAHHHH!"
"For Ponyville!"
"RrrrrrRRAAAHHH!"
"Evet San Boulindin!"
Jason recognized Cor's oath from the far side of the line and answered it as he surged forward. From immediately behind him, he heard Twilight imitate the words with impressive accuracy.
Jason found the emulation interesting but was forced to push the thought from his mind as he launched himself into the first Troll he reached. He sent his sword at the Troll to his right while he grappled at his startled opponent's weapon with his hooves. With a deft twist, he managed to rip the axe from the Troll's grip, spin about, plant his forehooves and deliver a kick. The Troll's jaw broke audibly and he collapsed, limp and bleeding on the ground. The other Troll tried to parry the floating sword with his spear, but the disembodied grip slipped past the meager defense and dispatched the Troll easily.
Jason scanned the area around him, seeking his next enemy. The camp was an unremarkable stretch of wooded land that had dead fire pits and tents sporadically pitched throughout. The trees prevented him from seeing any farther than a hundred yards in any direction, though the camp seemed to extend much further. Jason knew that less than a thousand Trolls were here, but the sounds of their shouting that echoed toward them from the darkness was more than enough to create the illusion of an immeasurable horde waiting just out of sight.
The Trolls nearest the fighting were calling out for aid or backing away from the tide of ponies that swept toward them. A few stood their ground and pockets of resistance formed that became focal points of intense fighting. The screams and clashing of metal rose up to be met by the increasingly frantic shouts of the Trolls who were still just realizing what was happening. Some staggered up from bedrolls in time to see the pony that ended their life while others stumbled out of tents only to find themselves overwhelmed before they could think to raise a weapon. The sleeping camp was being churned into a chaotic frenzy as the ponies pushed in.
Jason spotted a group of Trolls near a rack of weapons, rapidly forming lines with the few warriors that had gathered. He made directly for them and several ponies galloped to his side, forming a small wedge formation. The Trolls spotted the knot of ponies and turned to face them but began giving ground even before their lines met. Jason's sword swept to the side as it reached the Trolls, cutting the heads off of several of the enemy spears and opening the way for the ponies beside him. Four Trolls and a pony went down and the remaining Trolls broke and ran. While the others gave chase, Jason turned to the fallen Unicorn. He had been struck by an axe at his shoulder near the base of the neck and was bleeding profusely.
Jason reached out to touch the wound and white light flared from his hoof. The pony, Private Blue Moon as Jason recognized, gazed up at him in wonder as the bleeding stopped and the wound closed marginally. Jason didn't wait to see Private Moon back to his hooves or even offer reassuring words. Instead, he spun around to assist an Earth Pony struggling with a Troll for control of a spear. He hamstrung the Troll and finished him off with a chop to the neck before helping the Earth Pony up.
He turned again to seek another foe but all he saw was the backs of Trolls as their lumbering forms retreated. The shouts of alarm had turned to cries of panic as they all turned and began scrambling madly to escape the fighting. Some dropped their weapons and others trampled allies in their haste to flee. Those Trolls that had not entered the fighting yet quickly decided they wanted nothing to do with that which had caused their comrades to scatter so quickly. In a matter of minutes, the entire camp emptied of Troll forces. Zacon led a pursuit with a dozen others while the rest drifted back together.
Jason became aware of ponies calling out, trying to locate their units and friends. One cry of pain in particular drew his attention and he followed it. A grey Unicorn lay in the dark grass, gasping and gaping in disbelief at his foreleg, which rested beside him a few feet away. The severed limb appeared to have been hacked off by the axe of a Troll that lay dead nearby. The companions of the stricken pony were trying in vain to comfort him while some yelled for medical aid. Before Jason could call for him, Cor was there, barking orders at various ponies nearby.
"The two of you, hold him still! Where's his leg? Bring it here!" he shouted. "I need that medical cart brought up here. You two, get on that!"
His harsh tone broke through the frantic indecision of the ponies nearby and sent them scurrying to obey. The pony's grey complexion was turning paler as seconds passed and blood continued to pour from the wound. Cor dropped down beside him and telekinetically gripped the stump of his leg to stop the bleeding.
"Don't look at that!" he snapped, turning the pony's face away from the wound. "What's your name, soldier?"
"J-Jet Set," he managed to stutter, fear and pain both twisting his face.
"And your rank?" Cor asked quickly as a pony, grimacing with disgust, passed the leg to him.
"Private, sir."
Jet Set tried to look at his leg but Cor prevented him again by forcefully holding his chin with his hooves. Cor held the leg up to the stump with telekinesis while keeping Jet Set's eyes firmly on him.
"Which unit are you in?" Cor continued to ask questions in an attempt to both distract Jet Set from the pain and keep him alert and conscious. "What squad and team?"
The other ponies watched in a mix of awe and horror as the flesh around the wound glowed with faint green light and knit together with the severed limb as it was held in place. Jet Set flinched as new pain flared and tried again to look at the wound.
"I told you not to look at that. Look only at me and answer the questions," Cor insisted. "Now, what team and squad are you in?"
"First Team, Second Squad," he managed through clenched teeth, squirming slightly.
A faint squelching sound came from the leg and Jet Set yelped.
"Hold him still, I said," Cor growled to the two ponies on either side of him. "Who is your commanding officer? Who's your sergeant?"
"Sergeant Clear Waters, sir." Jet Set replied, sounding as if he was about to faint.
"And your team leader?"
Jet Set's eyes rolled back a bit and he mouthed wordlessly. His hind leg kicked out fitfully as he flinched from another wave of pain. Cor patted his cheeks urgently in an effort to keep him conscious and Jet Set returned to himself marginally.
"Team leader, Private. Who is your team leader?"
"Co-corporal Pristine."
At last, the final traces of the injury vanished. The green light faded from Jet Set's leg as did the light from Cor's horn. Cor sat back with a sigh of relief and let go of Jet Set's face. Jet Set curled up where he was, breathing shallowly and trembling, his newly reattached leg held protectively to his chest. Jason let out the breath he'd been holding. Twilight, standing beside him, continued to stare with wide eyes. Cor got up shakily, clearly drained. He stumbled a bit as he walked over to the nearest tree and collapsed up against it to rest. A long silence hung over the entire group. Most of them had gathered to watch the spectacle and all had been left speechless by it. Rainbow was the first to break through the shock.
"Is it over? Is the battle over?" she asked nopony in particular.
"It is indeed," Zacon called out with grim satisfaction, returning to them at a fast trot. "The enemy is in full flight and we have taken this field. There will be more battles to come, but tonight we are the victors!"
A cheer went up, though it was halfhearted at best, more from the shock that still gripped them than a lack of approval. The ponies Cor had sent to retrieve the medical cart returned soon after. Jason helped bandage Private Moon, since that wound was still deep and raw. Cor directed Jet Set's leg to be splinted and that he not put weight on it for a day or so. A scattering of other injuries were treated with bandages and none of them were nearly as serious. Cor, Zacon and Long Watch gathered to plan their next move while the rest of the ponies either picked through the Troll camp or went back to fetch their own supplies and bring them forward.
Twilight looked like she was going to ask Jason something but Rainbow and Blitz beat her to him.
"I've got to admit, Lieutenant," Blitz said. "I had my doubts; about you and this plan. But we pulled it off!"
"Yeah," Rainbow agreed uneasily. "It's just, how did we pull it off? We planned on retreating after a minute, didn't we? What was with them throwing in the towel and running like that?"
"I could take a guess," Jason offered.
Rainbow and Blitz exchanged a glance and Rainbow nodded for Jason to go on.
"Well, I'd say it was a combination of things. Our attack was a complete surprise. They didn't organize nearly as fast as we expected. Plus, these Trolls are the remnants of a much larger force. Their morale must have been low from casualties alone. But one factor we didn't consider might have been the true reason. Terrain," Jason gestured all around them. "The trees blocked sight and distorted sound. Who knows what the battle sounded like to them? I'd say they feared our full army had pursued them here and that we'd completely overwhelmed this side of the camp."
Blitz gave a grim smirk. "However it happened, it happened. And that's good enough for me."
He turned away and gestured for Rainbow to speak with him. Twilight took the opportunity to address Jason.
"You're a hypocrite, you know that?" she said, fixing him with a stern gaze.
"I...what?" Jason asked, not at all ready for that accusation.
"I saw you heal that pony back there." She gestured in Cor's direction. "You and Cor both used magic to heal ponies."
Jason nodded cautiously, waiting for her to go on. His silence seemed to irritate her further.
"Why haven't you been teaching those techniques to me?" she said, raising her voice in exasperation.
Jason bit his lip as he considered his response.
"It might seem like a serious oversight on my part," he began slowly. "But I assure you, I have a legitimate reason for withholding healing magic from my instruction. So far, I've been teaching you the discipline of Nature magic. There are several disciplines and some of them draw on the caster's mana in very different ways. Nature magic has the potential to heal, as Cor demonstrated. But those techniques are beyond me. You would have to learn them from Cor himself."
"What about the technique you used? It was different somehow."
"Yes, it was. Very different," Jason trailed off.
When he didn't go on, Twilight stamped her hoof in anger.
"Are you seriously telling me that you're willing to teach me how to kill, but you're unwilling to even try to teach me the skills I would need to save lives?! That sounds like more than concerns over just how complex it is." Her frown deepened several more degrees. "I assure you that if I am willing to learn how to kill another living being, I am more than willing to do whatever it is I have to do to heal my fellow ponies."
Jason considered her critically while fighting with himself internally.
"This...is not the time for this discussion..."
Twilight's eyebrows rose dangerously as he spoke. Cor called for the rest of them to gather around for their new orders at that moment and Jason attempted to excuse himself to listen, but Twilight grabbed him with telekinesis and spun him around so that he was forced to look her straight in the eye.
"We'll find the time later then," she said darkly. "But when we do, I'm not going to accept no as an answer."
Jason nodded mutely. She was right; his hesitance was about more than complexity. But he would face those challenges when the time came. He just hoped that time was not near at hand. He and Twilight listened then to Cor as he explained their next move, which was to pursue the Trolls and harass them as long as they could. The haphazard flight left the Trolls' flanks open and Zacon was eager to seize on that weakness. Cor was more cautious as he explained what each team could expect and what was expected of them. After a long session, everypony had their new assignments and they set out, gliding through the trees, racing the night's shadows as the hour of dawn closed in.
~*~*~
As soon as she finished lowering the moon, Luna retreated into her chambers to prepare for her departure. A servant had brought up an ancient case from the vaults early yesterday evening. She opened it now and took out the various pieces that made up her battle raiment. She stripped off her dark mantle and set her crown aside as she slipped into the armor. The plates of the armor were inlaid with onyx, each plane fitted so that a single smooth and masterfully-shaped gemstone covered all but the edge of each plate. Bright sparkles of aventurescence in the depths of the jewels caught the light to create the illusion of a shifting and depthless starry sky. The plates of the chest, shoulders and forelegs were connected by chainmail of finest silver links. The plates that covered her back and hung over her flanks were etched with silver patterns that swirled like windswept snow. A heavy cloth hung around her barrel on both sides, embroidered with her battle insignia; a silver down-turned crescent moon over two crossed blades on an azure field.
The armor glinted and shimmered as she turned to examine her reflection in the floor-length mirror. She hadn't touched this armor for years even before her banishment. Taking it up now brought back a rush of memories, of times when she and her sister had taken on dangers beyond imagining and stood side by side to defend their fledgling nation. It had been a time of adventure, when their sisterly bond was forged anew and further refined in the crucible of shared struggles. They two had been enough to shield their subjects from danger, be it encroachment by dragons or the rise of tyranny in neighboring countries. Now, it seemed, those days were gone. Luna would be facing this challenge without her sister while other ponies would be sharing the burden of defending their homes. Luna lamented that it must be so, yet, at the same time was eager to face it. She would take up this task and overcome it. She would be seen, leading from the front, as a beacon of hope and victory that her ponies would never forget.
As she became accustomed to the feeling of the armor resting on her shoulders once more, the enchantments upon it flared back to life, sensing the presence of their rightful bearer. It became a part of her, melding against her coat like a lover's embrace, warm and comforting. Confidence surged with it, mixing with the heady thoughts already running rampant through her mind. It was enough to make the room spin. She let the feeling carry her aloft for a moment, but with a deep breath, she brought herself back to level ground and a level head.
Vanity has no place here, she admonished herself. Our subjects must be our foremost thought.
She took in a breath as she confronted every image of glory and self-promotion that she envisioned and then let it out as she dismissed the selfishness that had, for a moment, threatened to take hold. Public accolades; her name spoken admiringly; her sister's gratitude; that pesky foreign Prince's respect; the final banishment of her inner demons that continued to plague her, haunt her, dance tantalizingly just out of sight, promising that she was not as good a mare as she pretended...She stopped, unable to continue.
Luna lowered her head in shame. She could not put it all behind her. The past was past, and she could go on, but the fault that still resided deep in her heart would not be dispelled so easily. Her desire was strong and she could not wriggle free of its grasp. She looked up again, directly into the eyes of her reflection. In her armor, she looked so much like Nightmare Moon again that she gasped aloud and recoiled in fear. She managed to collect herself with several gulping breaths. She faced her reflection again, hardening her gaze against her own scrutiny, and held her head up proud once more. She would do what needed to be done, for her sister, her country and her subjects. In the end, it might turn out to be exactly what was best for her as well.
She took up the last piece of her armor, setting the helmet on her head. The triple-pronged horn guard formed the center of her war crown. The sapphire-bladed center prong shimmered with each slight movement. The segmented plates that hugged the sides of her neck linked loosely to her shoulder plates while the back of her neck was open, letting her mane fly freely. Her muzzle was shielded by a single, sharply pointed plate on top and from the sides by plates shaped as down-turned crescent moons that simultaneously resembled fangs where they extended past either side of her jaw.
With a final conviction-affirming nod, she marched out of her chambers, through the palace and into the courtyard. Waiting for her was a contingent of Guards. These were not the usual Solar Guard that made up the bulk of the Royal Guard though. These were Princess Luna's personal Night Guard. At their head was Captain Nocturne. Standing tall, with his chest thrown out proudly, the Bat Pony's dark purple and lighter lavender armor glinted dully in the muted dawn light. Beside the Captain were the other eighteen members of the Night Guard. In all, twelve other Bat Ponies made up the core of the squad, supplemented by six Pegasi originally of the Solar Guard. At the sight of their Princess, the squad snapped to attention.
Luna gave them a crisp nod and maintained a stern gaze as she swept past them and they fell into step behind her. Even though she maintained a mask of studied indifference, she felt a special fondness for them all, especially the Bat Ponies. She had encountered a pair of them one night, endangered by a Dragon, and gone swiftly to their rescue. One of the pair had been Nocturne. Ever since, he and several other Bat Ponies had come out of their reclusive lifestyle to serve her eagerly. The former members of the Solar Guard had her affection for different reasons. Stoic to a fault, just like the rest of the Solar Guard, they weren't as engaging of companions while on duty as the Bat Ponies, who tended to express themselves more loosely even in uniform. But these six ponies had been her first Guards, volunteering at Celestia's encouragement when Luna had first returned to royal duties, and she was moved by their fervor. Indeed, only six positions had been available and the rush of candidates prompted several informal trials to be held to determine who would earn the privilege of serving the Princess of the Night.
These Pegasi had won due to Shining Armor's insightful and wise decision to simply ask the Princess herself what she might expect from her Guard. Luna might have taken a moment to come to terms with the news that ponies were competing for the opportunity to serve her, but once she had a hold of herself, she informed the Captain that she would be glad for company more than protection and thus the ability to fly with her through the night sky. With the criteria set, the Pegasi of the Solar Guard feverishly jockeyed for the six positions, spurred on by Luna's apparent desire exclusively for Pegasi. In those early days after her return, Luna could point to those six ponies and definitively say that their fervor had contributed greatly to her ability to cope with her past, second only to her own sister's reassuring presence.
She allowed herself to entertain these thoughts as she led the squad toward the gates and the waiting Army, but she brushed them to the back of her mind as she brought her focus again to her task. Already the other captains were assembled, and from the sound of great commotion beyond the walls, the Army was readying itself as well. She acknowledged their salute crisply when she arrived and looked out toward the walls.
"How have our preparations to embark progressed?" she asked straight away.
"Very nearly completed, your Highness," Captain Flash Point replied. "We've resupplied our wagons with provisions and loaded up the extra equipment, the camp is being broken as we speak and we'll be in marching ranks shortly thereafter."
"Excellent. See to it that we are underway by the time the sun is fully over the peaks. I don't want a single second to slip from our grasp, untapped."
"Yes, your Highness!"
Luna scanned past Captain Gallant Lance. He nodded at her unspoken questions, his readiness practically a given. Her gaze fell upon Captain Comet Tail. He saluted and gestured to the Captain standing nervously next to him.
"I've made my selection for Second Company's Captain, your Highness," he announced.
Luna nodded and looked over the brown-coated Earth Pony, who was visibly rigid under her scrutiny.
"Black Stone, then a Sergeant, distinguished himself on the east wall, fending off scaling ladders and keeping up the resolve of the troops around him." Comet Tail said. "He clearly has the confidence of his squad. I believe he will excel at the head of his company."
Luna nodded again in approval and, as she turned to look again toward the west, Captain Black Stone started breathing again.
"Captain Spitfire. You have a report for me?"
Luna did not look at the Pegasus as she waited for her answer. Instead she was studying the lifeless clouds that hung over the lands they would be venturing into, frowning to herself as she did so.
"I do, your Highness," Spitfire answered. "The vanguard platoon reached the river and continued on, north by northwest into the forest. We sighted flights of Pegasi low over the trees sporadically until nightfall. They seemed to be making progress in a mostly westward direction."
"The enemy is hiding out in the forest then?" Luna asked.
"It would seem so."
"What it seems to be is not good enough to plan a battle on. We must know more about our enemy's whereabouts if we are to engage them on favorable terms. Dispatch a messenger at once to gather a report from the vanguard. We will make our plans once we know for sure."
"Yes, your Highness!" Spitfire saluted and flew off to find a suitable messenger.
Luna continued to watch the clouds that hung over the western lands, deflated and grey. Below them, the air itself seemed to be hazy and lifeless, as if all the colors were bleeding out of the world.
These Trolls are a blight upon the very land. They will be made to pay for this scourge.
Her thoughts turned darker as she continued to dwell on it.
"See to the remainder of our preparations," she said to the remaining Captains. "We depart at the soonest possible time."
She strode purposefully toward the walls, her Night Guard following in her wake like a wave of darkness that refused to be banished by the rising sun. When she reached the battlements, she stood atop them and gazed down at her gathering army, her dark grace looming over them. When they had been fully assembled and lined up in ranks, all three thousand of them, Luna gave the command to march. As her voice carried out across the field to reach each of them, a spirited cheer rose up in answer; a sweeping wave that gathered strength as she took to the sky with her Night Guard. She winged to the head of their columns, setting the pace at the front as the Army fell into step behind her. |
Innocent | Act III: Chapter Twenty-Four: Field Lessons | They chased the Trolls through the forest and through the night, the naturally superior speed of the ponies keeping them right on the heels of their fleeing foe. But with the night wearing on and turning to early morning, the ponies were rapidly tiring. Miles had passed under their hooves and fallen Trolls littered the forest floor behind them, tucked back in quiet glens and laid low amongst the roots of the trees. Rainbow's squadron cut in and out through the canopy, dropping down on hapless Trolls that had strayed too far from the group in their haste to escape. All sixteen Pegasi would overwhelm a single Troll, allowing no chance to even resist. Cor was a wraith, the whispers of death flying from his bow to strike down Trolls even from the ranks of those who had managed to stick together. The shrieks of fear that the Trolls let out at the sight of his feathered shafts appearing in their comrades were a stark contrast to the howls they'd voiced in battle.
Zacon ran ahead of them all, seemingly tireless as he picked out Troll after Troll and closed on it relentlessly. None escaped him once he had them in his sights. A few stopped to face him, either giving up hope of escape or else too exhausted to run any farther. They fared no better than those caught by the Axe while in stride. Jason led a small group of Unicorns, giving instructions as he ran, directing them in ways to use their telekinesis to trip up a particular Troll. He pointed out roots that could be lifted under their feet or branches that could be swung down to catch them. When a Troll was knocked down, he and his team would surround it and finish it off swiftly. Once they had become accustomed to the method, he directed them to get in closer and use their own spears and swords for the same purpose, holding the weapons much farther from themselves than they would normally. In this way, scores of Trolls had fallen to their harassing maneuvers by the time the sun began to rise.
As Private Turner ran behind Corporal Big Mac's huge frame, he marveled at their success. His confidence had been surfing on wild waters this past week or so. His experience at the river had shaken whatever courage he'd shown before. No matter what he'd imagined that he'd be forced to face when he'd said goodbye to Ditzy, he wasn't prepared for the horror of that battle. Now the river felt like a nightmare fading behind him. The Trolls, seemingly unstoppable as they swept out of the water and into their lines, were now running in fear from the very same ponies. And he was a part of that. He felt pride in that night's victory, though he only assisted in slaying a few Trolls himself, because he was contributing to the effort to reclaim their land and bring peace back to Equestria.
He was so caught up in those thoughts that he nearly ran into Big Mac when the larger stallion came to a stop in front of him. The rest of their team staggered to a halt around him, peering ahead to see why they had stopped.
"What's our hold up lads?" Private Breezy asked in a whisper while panting to catch his breath.
Big Mac pointed with a hoof toward a thick stand of trees up ahead. The shadows still clung to the forest floor in great swaths, the morning sun not yet piercing the canopy. Cor stood a little farther ahead of them, crouched low with his bow trained on one shadow in particular, his hoof pointing back at them in warning. Turner looked closer and the shadow moved. He started in surprise when he realized that dozens of beady eyes were staring murderously back at him out of the darkness. The line of Trolls was holding their positions at the edge of the natural barrier of thick trunks, spears bristling out from clawed hands.
"Back off," Cor whispered to the ponies behind him, motioning with his hoof as well.
Big Mac nodded, even though Cor couldn't see him, and began directing the others to retreat slowly. They did so, drawing back until they could not see their foe any longer. Then they turned and trotted away at a faster pace.
"What are we leaving the Lieutenant like that for?" Private Caramel asked urgently. "Shouldn't we wait up for him?"
"He can take care of himself," Private Heartstrings muttered back unconcernedly.
Big Mac gave a wordless nod and they continued until they were met by the rest of their squad. Sergeant Blitz waved them in anxiously and asked if they'd seen any of the others on their way back. Big Mac informed him that Cor was covering their retreat.
"As long as he knows when to cover himself out," Blitz grumbled darkly. "The others should be back by now though."
"We're at the right spot, aren't we?" Lyra asked.
Blitz glowered at her and she resisted the urge to quip again. Hooves pounded toward them shortly after, announcing Second Squad moments before they burst into view. Sergeant Waters and Lieutenant Watch conversed hurriedly with Blitz, hardly coming to a stop before speaking. The others gathered around in breathless silence.
"Where are the other Lieutenants? Cor and Jason and Zacon?" Long Watch asked.
"Cor's out that way, should be along in his own time," Blitz replied, pointing. "Your guess is as good as mine on Zacon. I thought Jason was with you though."
"He was," Waters confirmed. "But we didn't see him after those Trolls decided to stand and fight."
"Did we lose anypony?" Long Watch asked.
"No. Corporal Pristine noticed them in time to warn the rest. But it was a close thing. We would have run straight into them if he hadn't shouted it out."
"How did they manage to hide in plain sight anyway?" Blitz asked in frustration. "They were bold as brass last night!"
"Mud on their fur," Cor said, trotting into their midst. "They must have wised up to how we can keep track of them so easily in these woods, so they started camouflaging themselves with mud. We won't be able to count on that advantage anymore."
"Our list of advantages is growing thin," Long Watch observed dryly.
"It is," Cor admitted. "But we've made good use of them. And we'll keep doing what we can with what we have."
"And what is it that we have now?" Blitz asked.
"We've given them a good hounding and now we have them holding another static position. We'll have ample time to prepare for our next move."
They waited another few minutes for the others and soon they had all found their way back together. First, Zacon and Rainbow's squadron came trotting in on the ground, Zacon thoroughly caked in gore but smiling wickedly while the Pegasi shuffled weary wings. A few stragglers from Second Squad caught up to them, panting and shaken, but unharmed. Jason and Twilight were the last to arrive. Once they had determined that everyone was accounted for, they all moved out to relocate their camp again. After settling the camp in a secluded vale east of the Trolls and Long Watch led a few scouts to keep track of enemy movement, the ponies allowed themselves to rest at last.
The morning eased itself toward noon and the sun shone down into the forest. Though muted still by the haze that hung in the sky, the curtains of light that cut through the canopy to brighten swaths of grassy trails were warm and welcome after the shadows of the long night. The sun was lingering at its zenith when the camp stirred back into action. The officers convened to form their new strategy and the group quickly moved to enact it. That strategy consisted simply of maintaining an intimidating proximity to the Trolls and striking at any weak points they could reach. This meant any Trolls that left the safety of the main encampment, such as sentries or scouts. Even though Zacon had expressed dissatisfaction with those targets in their first raid, he was open to them at the present time since he felt they had achieved the necessary damage through surprise, and lacking that advantage now, could only expect to wear down their opponent until conditions changed again.
When Zacon left with First Squad to relieve Long Watch's group and set up more permanent sentry positions on the Trolls, Cor took some of the Unicorns of Second Squad aside to train them in archery. He presented them with a pair of ash bows he'd made the night before and allowed them to use his arrows. He talked through the mechanics of archery while two Unicorns at a time took turns firing at designated tree targets. The twang and hiss of the arrows, the thud of their impact, and the sound of Cor's voice drifted through the quiet camp. Long Watch and his small team were sleeping away the scant remainder of the morning and Rainbow's squadron joined them. Rainbow herself had gone up into the clouds and brought down a few wisps that she fashioned into a pillowy bed and lay herself down in it a few feet above the canopy of the trees.
With everypony otherwise occupied, Twilight had no trouble cornering Jason. He saw her coming and resigned to his fate.
"We have time now," she said bluntly.
"Yes. And I suppose I can try to teach you healing magic. But it will take quite a bit of explaining, I'm afraid."
Twilight sat down, obviously getting comfortable and not in the least deterred by Jason's hesitation. She fixed him with a stern but fully attentive stare. He took a few seconds to prepare himself before he began.
"My people are bound to an Oath. It is a sacred vow, given by our ancestors to the power of the Light. It is a spiritual connection, a direct link to the Light itself. Do you remember when Cor and I were shouting out in the battle and you repeated what we said? Evet San Boulindin?" He waited for her to nod and went on. "Those words translate to 'For the Oath'. Every Elf is bound to the Oath and the service of the Light. And for our service, the Light grants us power. But to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever learned Light magic. They have always been granted it by swearing to the service of the Light."
"So I need to swear to serve the Light in order to use Light magic?" Twilight asked in clarification. "That's it?"
"What do you mean 'that's it'?" Jason exclaimed in shock and disbelief. "It's the driving force in the life of every Elf that draws breath. It's the very purpose behind the existence of my race! Every beat of my heart, every second I live, every action I make; it is all for the Light! I have taken thousands of lives in the Light's name and I would take a hundred thousand more!"
He finished with a snarl of anger and stood breathing heavily, having worked himself up gradually until he was on the edge of rage. It took him a second to realize that he'd been advancing menacingly and that Twilight was now reeling backwards with genuine fear etched across her face. He closed his eyes tightly as he tried to calm himself down.
"I'm sorry," he said, still not opening his eyes. "I shouldn't have lost my temper, especially not at you. It's a...sensitive subject. There have been civil wars, questions of loyalty, political turmoil. I really don't want to go into it."
He didn't open his eyes until she spoke.
"I didn't mean it that way," she said softly. "I only meant that swearing an oath is a small price to pay for the power to save the lives of my fellow ponies."
Jason shook his head. "It seems that way on the surface. But the Oath is binding in our very spirits, our souls. The very day our race came into being, we were sworn to it. It should not be taken on as a means to an end."
"Not even if it is to save lives? Not even if I believe that the cause you would champion is a cause I would follow as well?"
Jason grimaced as he sought the words to express the monumental violation to his identity this conversation represented. Not only did she sound as if she would bind herself to the Oath if he offered it to her, but she seemed to believe it wouldn't require her to reevaluate her entire life in the process. He cast about for anything he knew of in Equestrian society that could compare. Then he found it.
"Let me try to explain it this way. Say I wanted a Cutie Mark and asked you how to get one," he began.
Twilight glanced at his flank with a raised eyebrow. "You've got one already."
Jason put his hoof to his face slowly. "I know that. But...I meant..." He took a deep breath before trying again. "Okay, so let's say Spike wanted to get a Cutie Mark. What would you tell him?"
Twilight was taken aback.
"Well, um..." She rubbed her chin with a hoof and paced a short distance away to think. "I don't think it's possible for a Dragon to get a Cutie Mark, so I suppose I'd have to explain that it probably wouldn't happen. I would be thrilled to see it happen, of course, especially to document it. But I don't know. I think it would be a tough conversation since he tends to get his hopes up for things and doesn't take being let down very well."
"What if he didn't accept that it wouldn't happen?" Jason pressed.
"I'm not sure. I'd have to find a way to get him to realize that Cutie Marks are, to the knowledge of anyone in Equestria, exclusive to...ponies..."
Twilight's eyes widened and she stared back at Jason. He figured she'd finally made the connection. What he wasn't ready for were the tears she had to wipe away. He was about to say something more but she turned away from him.
"So I can't. I can't use Light magic. I can't heal ponies." She nearly collapsed as a visible wave of sobs overcame her. Her hind legs did give out and she fell to her haunches, her forelegs trembling but still holding her up. "I can't do anything with my mana except kill."
She bowed her head and cried quietly while Jason stood behind her in silence. He watched as her shoulders shook and the ground was marked by gleaming tears that darkened the dirt or caught the sun's rays like diamonds in the grass.
"Not necessarily," he said after a long pause.
She sniffed once and her ears perked up slightly.
"I never said you couldn't," he went on. "Like you said, you don't know if it is possible for a Dragon to get a Cutie Mark. Just the same, I don't know that you can't use Light magic. Elves have the innate connection to the Light through the Oath, but other races can gain the ability to call on Light magic. That, too, requires a serious commitment, such that those who chose that path devote their entire lives to it, serving as a priest at a temple or as a Paladin that seeks out dark creatures."
She looked at him with pleading eyes and wiped at the tears that still clung to her muzzle.
"The problem is, I don't know what it would take for you to gain access to the power of the Light. I can't give it to you. I don't know if swearing to the Oath would be enough. I don't know if you actually need to do anything at all! No one I know has ever been able to call on the Light unless they were undeniably in the service of the Light, but I...I just don't know."
Jason's shoulders slumped defeatedly. With an effort, Twilight stood up again.
"How can I find out?" she asked. "How should I try?"
Jason sighed. "I'll try to explain it, to lay out the differences between what I've already taught and what you're asking for now."
Twilight dried her eyes as Jason gathered his thoughts and took a deep breath to begin.
"Each discipline of magic is like a lens through which mana is focused," he said. "When a mage uses Nature magic, their mana aligns with the raw elements that make up the world and everything in it. The mana becomes interwoven in the very fabric of reality, allowing them to exert direct control over its form. If you attempted to use Nature magic to produce a healing effect, as Cor did, you would be required to know what must be done at an elemental level to repair the damage. Muscles would need to be grown back together, ligaments reattached, skin healed over, bones re-fused and you'd need to trigger and drive those actions with mana at every stage. The more complex the injury, the harder it is to repair. I can tell you that what Cor did was near the limits of his ability. If the limb hadn't been so cleanly severed, he might not have been able to save the limb or even the life of the pony at all."
Twilight nodded in understanding when Jason paused, silently willing him to go on.
"The discipline of Light magic is very different," Jason said with a huge sigh. "Instead of aligning their mana to physical elements, a mage allows their mana to be guided by an outside force. Namely, the Light, as it acts on the recipient of the spell. Most effects of Light magic are healing, protection and purification. It can be used as a weapon, but most of its combat applications are exclusively against beings directly opposed to the Light. Healing with Light magic restores the subject at the most fundamental level. It touches the spirit as much as it touches the body and it does so without any input from the mage other than the will to heal. Light magic acts almost of its own accord. It draws the necessary mana from the mage, assuming the mage is strong enough to sustain the effort, and does what must be done to enact the effect."
"In essence, the caster needs only to know that the injury is present to heal it with Light magic. Nature requires much more practical knowledge from the caster to be effective. As for calling up the power, I can't even begin to describe how it's done. It's like breathing for me. I think of what needs to be done and ask that it happen. If I have the mana for it, then it happens. At least so long as I keep in mind that I am only a bearer of the power and that it is not mine to make demands of."
Jason drew his sword and extended his foreleg. With a quick swipe, a shallow cut appeared, blood trickling down to his hoof. He held the wound out to Twilight.
"Will it to be healed," he instructed. "Call on the Light to grant the ability to do so."
"Light, grant me the power to..." she began, speaking as if reciting an incantation.
"No," Jason interrupted. "It isn't in the words, it's in the heart. You can ask silently and be heard just as clearly. Try again, but don't speak it. Feel it."
Twilight gave him an unconvinced look but moved past it quickly. She fixed the cut with an intense gaze. As seconds passed and nothing seemed to be happening, Jason lowered his foreleg.
"No!" Twilight shouted, apparently much louder than she'd meant to because she looked around hurriedly and lowered her voice. "No. I'm not ready to give up. Maybe if I have contact with the target I'll have a close enough connection to will that specific effect...?"
Jason acquiesced and she placed a hoof over the cut this time. They both stared at the blood that continued to seep down his hoof and drip into the grass between them. Twilight's muzzle scrunched up in concentration and effort. She bowed her head, pressing against Jason's foreleg with her hoof. Her lips moved with silent words and her whole body tensed up.
"Twilight," Jason said gently.
"I can do this," she said through clenched teeth.
"This isn't something that can be forced," he said, shaking his head and lowering his foreleg again. "Using Light magic is almost effortless if it happens at all."
Jason passed his other hoof over the wound and it vanished under a soft white glow. Twilight watched it forlornly.
"I really wanted to be able to do this," she said.
"Believe me, I wanted you to be able as well," Jason grimaced. "I wanted to be able to teach you more than just killing too. But I can accept that I can't do that. What you can accept is that you'll need someone else to teach you. As I said, Cor knows healing through Nature magic. It might be more difficult to master, but I've got a feeling you won't let that stop you."
Twilight tried to smile at the encouragement, but couldn't quite manage it. Jason put a hoof on her shoulder.
"Healing is the noblest art one can learn, but I've found that preemptive measures are more effective. Killing is a hideous act, but often, far too often it seems, it is the only way to protect those we care about. If we don't give the enemy the chance to harm our friends, they will not need healing. If you're still willing, I think I'm ready to try to teach you my Time Warping technique."
Twilight stared off into the distance, lost in thought for a minute. Jason waited patiently.
"I'd like that. But...not now. I need to at least begin learning healing first. Just to feel accomplished about something again."
"I understand," he said.
She walked off, making her way toward Cor.
~*~*~
Cor walked between the two Unicorns taking their turns with the bows, speaking to them as much as to the others waiting behind him.
"Archery is about precision, not accuracy. It's better to know where you'll hit consistently than to get close each time. Draw to the same length, hold the bow beside you at the same height and angle, and remember that feeling. Always use that draw and you'll always know where the arrow will end up. Don't try to adjust your hold and draw to hit the target. Adjust your aim. If you hit to the right, aim to the left. If you hit low, aim high. Never draw farther to shoot farther. Only adjust the elevation."
He signaled for another pair of Unicorns to take a turn and they shuffled up to the firing line while the first two drew back with a bit of chagrin. Neither of them had been able to improve much more on their turn.
But at least they're hitting the correct trees now, Cor mused with an internal grin.
"Try holding the bow closer to your eye level," he instructed. "Like this."
He drew his own bow back so that the string was resting against his cheek where the arrow was nocked. The Unicorn, Private Blue Moon, nodded and held the bow closer.
"Now, don't look along the length of the arrow. Look from where it is nocked directly to the target. Line up the arm of the bow between them and make sure the bow is close to perpendicular to the ground."
Blue Moon adjusted himself and took aim. He released and the arrow sailed away, striking high up amongst the lower leaves. He frowned in frustration.
"No, that's fine Private," Cor said. "You had it lined up perfectly. Now we'll see if we can get the range. Do you remember where on the arm you lined up the shot?"
"I think so," he replied, drawing another arrow and taking aim again.
"This time, line it up exactly the same, find that spot and aim lower by as much as you missed by."
Blue Moon did so, released, and hit near the roots, but missed less than his first shot.
"See the difference between how much you adjusted your aim and how much your shot changed?" Cor asked.
Blue Moon nodded.
"There's a lot of geometry behind it all, but we're eyeballing it out here," Cor assured him. "You over-adjusted that time. So this time, shift it back higher, but not nearly as far as before."
Blue Moon's next shot hit the top edge of the target. He smiled widely at Cor and Cor grinned back, sharing his success. The others had been paying close attention and they whispered and nodded to each other, more optimistic at their own chances now.
"Your next task is to shoot the same shot, repeatedly, until it becomes automatic. When you can hit that mark on the first three shots in a row of your practice turn, you'll be ready to move on to hitting multiple ranges. Everyone else, pay attention. You will all be expected to master this skill."
He let them continue again, stepping back to watch. He glanced over at Jason and Twilight, hoping the raised voices he'd heard earlier weren't a bad sign. He found Twilight making her way over to him. He read quickly that she wasn't very happy about whatever she and Jason had discussed. She also seemed intent on engaging him next. He braced himself accordingly.
"I need your help, Cor," she began after a steadying breath.
"Certainly," he replied, waiting.
"You know about Jason teaching me magic, right?"
"He mentioned it, yes."
"Well, he doesn't know how to teach me healing magic." She fixed him with pleading eyes. "And I need to learn healing magic."
Cor was silent for a moment, making some mental connections as fast as he could.
"I take it you're interested in what you saw me do for Private Jet Set? That would be a difficult skill to teach."
"Difficult isn't impossible," she said bitterly.
"No, it's not. But healing is a complex process that requires intense concentration and control. I know you've been working with elemental spells for combat purposes. But that amounts to throwing energy at your target. Healing requires you to put something back in order instead of knocking it out."
"So, get started showing me." Twilight let a nip of demand enter her voice and she winced. "Sorry. But please, killing is too easy. The difficulty of healing has to be worth it."
He nodded in understanding. "We'll start out with the basics."
Cor pulled a leaf off of a nearby tree and held it between them. He carefully tore a section off, following the veins.
"The makeup of plants is simple enough. You understand their biology enough to know how their cells connect, right?" When she nodded, he went on. "Then you know that their rigid structure breaks much more cleanly than other creatures' cells. This leaf is very orderly in its structure and this tear follows mostly along the cells' walls, leaving the cells themselves mostly intact. All you'll need to do is facilitate their rejoining."
He put the leaf aside. "But first, you need to understand how to do that. Magic, fueled by mana, is nearly limitless in its possibilities. The only real limits are the caster's will, imagination and perception. You obviously have a will strong enough for this technique, just from what I've seen. You don't need a whole lot of imagination to come up with healing effects. The challenge here is perception. You'll be affecting change on a miniscule scale. That isn't easy without the proper tools. Fortunately, mana is just the tool you need."
"You've channeled your mana before, ignited it with the desired effects and projected it outward. But for this, you must saturate the target with mana so that you can physically interact with every part at the most basic level. Starting out, you might need to practice just feeling the target, becoming acquainted with the sensation of reaching into something on that level."
"I've done that already, I think," Twilight said. "Jason taught me to use telekinesis without my Unicorn magic. I had to reach out to the object and wrap it in my mana before I could lift it."
"That's more or less correct," Cor agreed. "But I think you'll find that this requires you to go a bit deeper. Surrounding an object isn't the same as saturating it with mana. You need to reach into it and fill it with energy. Be aware of your mana as it does so, feeling it as it flows."
He gestured for her to try it on the leaf. Twilight concentrated on the leaf and Cor felt her mana taking hold. It twisted across the surface briefly until it managed to find entry. Cor probed lightly into what she was doing and considered offering a suggestion, but decided against it. In his experience, he felt that failing at least once, to see the effects of failure, was an important part of learning any skill. Twilight wormed her mana into the leaf and paused. She tilted her head curiously and then attempted to shift her mana again.
All at once, the leaf was torn apart by the mana's movement. Twilight let out a yelp and lost concentration on her mana. The eviscerated leaf fragments drifted to the ground and lay still, leaking their green, pulpy chlorophyllic juice. Cor considered the leaf neutrally and looked at Twilight expectantly. She had covered her mouth with a hoof and was staring in horror at the leaf, glancing at Cor occasionally. Cor kept his expression intentionally nonchalant and nudged the leaf with his hoof.
"Yep, it's dead," he said bluntly.
Twilight's shock turned to confusion.
"What you did obviously didn't work. You failed, and nothing will change the results of that attempt. All that's left now is to figure out why and learn from it," Cor went on, not pulling punches. He grabbed another leaf.
"I think I tried to hold onto it too hard," Twilight reflected, her voice still shaking slightly from her distress. "I shifted one part of my mana and it all tried to move. The leaf was caught up in it and..."
Cor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You're thinking of it too much like telekinesis. Let's see if we can get around that snag completely. This time, you won't hold it at all," he said, laying the leaf in the grass. "Let the ground hold it for you. All you need to do is reach into it with mana."
"But I'm not sure I'm doing that right either," she pleaded. "And now I can't get the image out of my head of what would have happened if I'd messed up like this on a living pony!"
Cor narrowed his eyes at her inquisitively. "Does that frighten you? It should, but you also need to be able to acknowledge it and move forward. That leaf was once very much alive and you killed it. You are interested in saving the lives of other ponies because healing is preferable to killing. But that inevitably means that their lives will rest on your shoulders. Sometimes, you might fail, and they might die. We cannot let it hold us back if we are to be of use as healers to those who are not yet lost."
Twilight gulped and nodded apprehensively.
"Still, death is a part of life," Cor went on, more lightly. "Where lives are concerned, this leaf gave of itself for the cause of illustrating a lesson for you; one that will hopefully allow you to bring healing to the injured. A noble sacrifice to be sure."
He gave her a tiny smirk, but she didn't seem to share in his morbid humor. He continued in a more serious tone.
"You tried too hard to push inside. Instead, you need to think of it like cloth absorbing water; the energy being soaked up by the leaf."
Twilight gathered herself before concentrating on the leaf again.
Cor nodded as he felt her probing more carefully. "Don't treat your mana like a solid, touching the leaf as if with an appendage. It can be a liquid, flowing through the air, wrapping around and flowing into anything you will it to. You aren't grabbing it at all. There is no grip, just a presence."
Twilight visibly relaxed, and Cor almost immediately felt her mana seeping into the leaf more easily. She looked up at him with a pleased smile.
"During my first lesson with Jason, I struggled to make my mana act on an object until I managed to fully realize the nature of the connection," she said. "After that, it was easy to make the connection again. This was a different kind of connection, but it came so easily once I figured out what that difference was. The mana inside of me isn't pushing on me, nor is it confined to any part of me. It flows throughout my body as if every part of me is a vessel for it. Physical boundaries don't apply. The energy moves freely. Once I could visualize that, I just let the same thing happen again, but through the parts of the leaf."
She beamed at him and Cor nodded in approval.
"You pick this stuff up quickly," he said, almost enviously. "Now, we'll concentrate on the sensory extension you'll need to develop in order to manipulate a target on the necessary levels."
He walked her through the process of reaching out with mana to feel the differences in objects and helped Twilight grow more accustomed to interacting with objects using mana's grip-like force and deeper saturation simultaneously. She struggled at first to identify the sensations her mana was conveying to her, but with repeated trials, she began to detect the subtle touch at the edge of her awareness. After that success, Cor let her experiment further on her own, checking in on her occasionally. He returned to his archery instruction, which had gone on in a steady rotation in his absence. Twilight spent an hour layering her mana over any object nearby and was generally pleased with her ability to control it in all mediums.
Rainbow and her squadron roused themselves and took to short scouting trips to make sure their position was still secure and relaying messages to and from the sentries near the Troll encampment. Evening was closing in when Rainbow swooped down and called for Jason and Cor. The rest of her flight landed as the two Lieutenants trotted over. Rainbow directed their attention to an unfamiliar Pegasus wearing an Air Corps uniform that her fliers were escorting in. He saluted sharply though his expression was more eager than stern.
"Private Martin Trottow reporting," he said. "I've been directed to gather a report from your position to coordinate with the main body of the Army. Specifically, Princess Luna awaits information on the location of the enemy, sir."
He finished relaying what must have been his commanding officer's words nearly verbatim and waited expectantly.
"I'll see about writing up a quick report for you," Cor nodded. "I'll be just a moment."
He turned to find something on which to write the report. Jason took interest in the messenger while Cor was busy. The stallion was young and lean, with an off-white coat and pale blue mane. He was both calm and excited at the same time, seeming to be eager for something to happen and entirely content to be exactly where he was.
"The Army is on the move, I take it?" Jason commented.
"Yes sir," Private Trottow replied enthusiastically. "I was told they will be reaching the river this evening and waiting on me to deliver this report before they can proceed."
"Then we'll get you underway as soon as possible," Jason assured him, glancing at Cor.
The other Lieutenant was scribbling madly with one of Twilight's quills as he walked back toward them. Cor finished, punctuating the last sentence with finality and passed the parchment to the Pegasus.
"Thank you, sir," Trottow said with a salute and tucked the parchment into his satchel. "I'm also supposed to inform you that I've been assigned as the official liaison between your detachment and the main body of the Army."
"We'll be sure to keep an eye out for you, Private," Cor acknowledged.
With one more salute, the messenger took off and flew south. When he was gone, Cor called out across the camp for everypony to gather up.
"The Army is making its move, so we need to make sure we've done our jobs by the time they get here," he said. "Second Squad will be going on the offensive with me before sundown. We're just probing their lines this time, so no direct engagement. Rainbow's squadron will be covering us in case we get in too deep."
The others nodded all around, grim-faced and solemn. Cor dismissed them to prepare and took Private Blue Moon and Corporal Black Marble aside to talk over their mission, since they'd shown the most affinity for the bow. A quick meal was shared and armor was donned. With a few hushed words before departing, all but a couple sentries marched out of the camp toward their next battle. |
Innocent | Act III: Chapter Twenty-Five: Skirmishers | In the fading light of the day, Cor led Second Squad on a short mission to test the integrity of the Trolls' line. The two Unicorns singled out as archers accompanied him ahead of the rest of the Squad and picked off a pair of sentries that warded the edge of the Troll camp. The camp was nothing more than a denser stand of trees in which all of the Trolls were now huddling, since they'd abandoned their tents and gear the night before. The first shots only scored one hit, wounding the Troll at the calf and preventing him from escaping as his companion did. He was not, however, prevented from calling out in alarm. A second shot from the two ash bows finished him off. The reaction from the camp was nothing like the previous night. Instead of sluggish and surprised, the Trolls were at arms and ready for battle within seconds of the sentry's cry of pain. One hundred spears bristled as the Trolls attempted to catch sight of their attackers. As minutes passed, more Trolls arrived but no pony was seen. Cor and the rest of Second Squad had long since slipped away.
An hour later and on the west side of the camp, two more sentries fell, arrows protruding from their ribs. The alarm was raised and lines formed up in anticipation of a wave of pony soldiers from out of the darkness, but no such attack came. Once more, the ponies had already moved on. When a half an hour more had passed, this time on the south side of the camp, one sentry was struck down by an arrow that lodged in his windpipe. His companion let out a howl of warning and cast about until he spotted the pony responsible. Cor stood with the glow of his horn revealing him plainly less than fifty yards away. Behind him, two more Unicorns waited; all three holding bows at the ready. The Troll scrambled back into the relative safety of the defenders responding to his cry. The ponies remained where they were for a time, letting the Trolls see them before silently stepping back into the shadows and vanishing.
No pursuit was given even when they could clearly see that only a few ponies threatened. On their way back to camp, Cor explained to the squad that the purpose of their raid was to determine what the Trolls' reaction would be to such strikes and now they knew. The Trolls intended to hold their position and defend against attacks such as their first raid. They could now plan more attacks with a clear idea of what to expect. Once they were back in camp, Cor dismissed Rainbow's squadron and set about making more bows. He used magic to sculpt the limbs of one of the ash trees near their camp just as he had with the first two and converted another tree nearby into additional arrow shafts. After that, he muttered something about them being on their own and collapsed into his bedroll to recover his drained mana. Jason began assembling the arrows with fresh feathers donated from Canterlot's Pegasi and a crate of arrowheads they'd brought in one of the supply wagons.
Zacon was summoned back to camp by a messenger and filled in on the results of the raid. He suggested that he take First Squad and start trimming away the enemy's sentries. Jason advised against it, since Cor was out of action due to mana exhaustion. Zacon said he was sure that the two of them could handle anything out there, but Jason was still reluctant until some of Second Squad joined in, insisting that they were far from tired and willing to continue the raids. Jason agreed then and they left Rainbow's Squadron back to watch over the camp and get some more rest. When they met up with First Squad, Sergeant Blitz informed them that the Trolls had settled down again, though they'd pulled their sentries in closer than before. With five bows in Second Squad and both he and Jason in the lead, Zacon assured them they were more than ready for whatever the Trolls had left.
~*~*~
Lyra hadn't slept properly in close to two days but she didn't care. She was too high-strung to even notice that the night was nearly spent. Every muscle in her body was trembling with nervous energy. She and the rest of her team were standing by for the signal to move ahead again. The Trolls were in a state of panic after hours of harassment, rushing to meet the ponies responsible for the arrows that sailed into their midst from the darkness, only to see them melt away and return farther down the line minutes later. The archers were split between Second Squad's two teams, under Jason's direction. While one team took their shots, the second would be racing ahead to the next point. When the first team reached them on their way to their next position, the second team would fire and the process would repeat. Every half hour, they would go quiet. Then they would reappear on the other side of the Troll camp.
With Zacon's guidance, First Squad kept pace, watching for sustained pursuit. On a few occasions, Zacon set them up to ambush the Trolls foolish enough to venture out of their lines. Lyra had killed three this night, usually by telekinetically ripping the weapon out of their grasp and turning it back on them. Nopony had been injured yet, likely due to Zacon brazenly baiting the Trolls directly toward him and into the ring of ponies ready to pounce. With their attention focused on the grey stallion, they didn't notice the raised weapons closing in on them from all around until it was too late. Lyra was giddy with excitement, watching her allies' triumphs all around her, and at the same time, assaulted by nerve-racking fear every time she caught sight of the enemy or heard their disembodied howls from beyond the screen of trees. She had never been this afraid and elated at once before. The mix was stimulating, sharpening her senses until she could distinguish the colors of other ponies' coats even in the darkness and the pounding of her heart rivaled the tramping of her hooves.
Jason galloped into view and stopped to exchange hurried words with Zacon. Zacon nodded as Jason raced off again. He called them in to share their next move. All twenty ponies of First Squad detached themselves from the shadows of their concealment and gathered around him.
"Jason says the Trolls have started trying to cut his group off by sending search parties out after each attack, but they're being sloppy about it," Zacon reported. "We're going to set our ambush to try to eliminate one of these groups. That might dissuade them from sending any more, and clear the way for Second Squad to keep at their rounds."
He set them out ahead of Second Squad in their normal ambush pattern, but more widely spread. They huddled back in the shadows, paired up so that any pony with a sword was near a pony with a spear and vice versa. Lyra took her position beside Private Savoir Fare. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, though she could see the nervous frown on the edge of his lips when he adjusted his lance and shifted his weight to a more comfortable position. She looked past him to where Privates Coco Crusoe and Baritone were crouched. Baritone's clenched teeth shone white in the dark as he gripped the hilt of his sword and scanned the trees for the enemy. Privates Felix and Davenport whispered to each other on her right, though she couldn't make out what was said. Zacon was in front of her, intentionally making sure he was clearly visible.
The ponies of Second Squad sped by, retreating deeper into the woods to regroup. Lyra saw Jason pause once to look back the way he'd come and then at one of the pairs of ponies that were hidden with her before hurrying to catch up to the others. The sound of their pursuers came close behind them. Lyra pressed herself into the side of the tree that sheltered her and tried to breathe evenly. She drew two of her daggers silently and readied her shield. When the first Trolls came into view, Zacon shouted a challenge and raised his axe, readying the signal for the rest of the ponies to attack. The Trolls turned and headed for him with responding shouts and growls. Lyra tried to pick out which one would be her target, but she became distracted by the number of Trolls that she could see, not just in front of her, but to either side of the ponies' position. When the first of the Trolls reached Zacon, he brought his axe down and First Squad sprang up to slash and stab at the nearest Troll.
Lyra jumped out of her hiding place and rammed her shield into the legs of the nearest Troll, tripping him and causing him to fall into the daggers she was pressing forward into his chest. He fell on top of the blades and did not rise. She left them behind and drew three more to face the next Troll. Two daggers cut high and one cut low, forcing the Troll to stumble as his forearms and shins were sliced. Lyra followed up with one dagger stabbing swiftly upward under the chin and into his skull. Private Fare skewered the Troll that was closing on her left and drove it to the ground. They both took a step forward, but stopped when they saw the number of Trolls that were still emerging from the trees. The other pairs had dispatched their foes quickly, though Corporal Night Watch was being helped away on a bleeding leg by Private Karat.
Zacon stood in the midst of the squad, facing the Trolls defiantly and shifting his axe as he anticipated his next opponent. But as the ponies continued to face down the Trolls that reached them, even he began to notice that something wasn't right. Despite having killed twice their own number, the ponies were becoming more and more outnumbered as seconds passed. A hint of uncertainty touched Zacon's expression and his taunting smile slipped a notch. He glanced right and left once and his eyes widened.
"Jason!" he yelled as he charged directly into the oncoming Trolls. "We've been outflanked! Cover us!"
He clove one Troll in half as he spun in a wide arcing swing and used the remaining momentum to bring the axe up and back down again on the next Troll with a crunch.
"Fall back!" he shouted to the ponies around him. "Regroup east!"
He waded into the tide of Trolls that surged toward him. Blows glanced off his armor, doing little to slow him on their own, but as they continued to rain down on him from all sides, he was staggered and bashed about until he could hardly manage to swing his weapon. Still, he stubbornly held his ground and thrashed back at his attackers, bringing them down around him one by one. Lyra could see that this was no search party. This was the bulk of the Trolls' remaining forces, ranging out into the trees widely to catch them and bring them to bay before they could disappear again. Panic threatened to take hold as she saw the rest of the ponies in front of her turn and run, leaving her virtually alone before the wave of Trolls that brandished weapons at her as they charged. She took a step backward and then another. Suddenly, ponies appeared on either side of her. Sergeant Blitz, Corporal Big Mac and Private Posthaste stood stoically to her right, while Privates Caramel, Time Turner, Quick Fix and Breezy readied their swords to her left. Lyra saw their eyes fixed determinedly on the Trolls and she steeled herself to continue the fight alongside them.
"The Lieutenant's gotten himself in deep," Blitz growled, pointing to where Zacon was battling on all four sides, cut off from the ponies that were now in full retreat. "We'll have to get him out." He glanced at Big Mac as he went on. "Heartstrings, Quick Fix and I will push them back on the left, while you, Posthaste and Breezy take the right of him. Caramel and Turner, you'll get the Lieutenant to pull back and cover him while he does. Right? Go!"
They charged forward, engaging any Trolls between them and their target two on one. Lyra noticed out of the corner of her eye that many of the Trolls were going around them, whether because they were intent on pursuing the rest deeper into the woods or because they simply didn't notice the knot of ponies that was still fighting back, she could not tell. She pushed on regardless, thankful that she wouldn't have to face them just yet. She cut the ankles out from under a Troll that was smashing his axe into the Lieutenant's shoulder plates repeatedly and the Troll fell to the side with a yelp. She slashed at the exposed throat as he attempted to twist to face her and he fell back writhing as he choked and bled out.
The Trolls realized they had new opponents and turned to face them, giving Zacon a marginal respite. Lyra struck out with her daggers in short flurries, stinging the enemy and causing them to reel back from the deep-piercing blades. Private Quick Fix stood beside her, taking advantage of the openings she created and finished off her victims with his sword. The two Unicorns rapidly reduced the number of enemies on their end of the fight and, with Blitz, they managed to throw the Trolls off of Zacon's left side.
On the right, Big Mac swept the Trolls aside with his massive hammer, ignoring the slight size advantage they enjoyed thanks to his well placed and staggering blows. Posthaste and Breezy used their lance and sword to keep the Trolls back while Big Mac wound up for each successive swing. The Trolls on the right began to back away when they realized that they would have to turn their back on one of the two huge stallions if they stayed. With the Trolls successfully held at bay, Caramel grabbed Zacon and attempted to pull him away from the fighting.
"What are you doing?" Zacon shouted, unsteady on his hooves. "We're about to rout them! Hold your ground!"
Caramel let go of him in surprise, causing the Lieutenant to nearly fall over. Zacon mouthed something wordlessly and took a shaky step to one side and almost went down again. Despite his claim, the Trolls remained committed to the fight, outnumbering the ponies two to one in just this small stretch of forest, with reinforcements only a stone's throw behind them.
"Sir," Caramel tried to reason with him. "You're the one that sounded the retreat! We're making sure you get out with us!"
Zacon didn't seem to hear him correctly, shaking his head and attempting to focus on the Trolls in front of him. "I'll stand the line alone if I must! They'll not take an inch of ground while I draw breath!"
Zacon took two huge panting breaths before trying to raise his axe again. The effort caused his legs to buckle and he dropped to his knees, putting a hoof to the side of his head. Turner jumped in, grabbing Zacon by the shoulder and spinning him around forcefully.
"Sarge said to get you out. Now get out!"
Turner practically threw the stunned stallion toward the rear of the fighting and pushed him again to keep him moving. Zacon didn't resist this time, having given in to the fact that he was hardly able to stand, let alone fight. Caramel helped him stay upright and walked with him. Other Trolls began to converge on them from the sides, finally noticing the ponies that had not yet disappeared into the trees. Without Zacon holding their attention and absorbing their blows, the fighting became desperate while the ponies attempted to disengage.
Blitz glanced back at Caramel and Zacon, nodding in satisfaction. "Now he's moving, they'll get themselves out. Now it's our t--"
Blitz was hit in the side of the head by the last, desperate claw of a Troll he'd thought was finished. His helmet was torn off and blood immediately washed over his face. He collapsed where he stood and didn't move. Several pairs of eyes turned to Big Mac, who was now the ranking officer. He hesitated long enough to blink.
"Get out!" he shouted. "Any way you can!"
He smashed his hammer into one last Troll and bent to scoop Blitz onto his back. He and Turner ran off in the direction of Zacon and Caramel while Breezy and Posthaste turned north, where there were fewer Trolls visible. Lyra saw Trolls giving chase immediately. The normally faster ponies were tired from the night of fighting and the slower lumbering of the tireless Trolls was keeping dangerously close behind them.
"They're not going to get away unless..." Lyra breathed.
Two images flashed before her eyes, one of Zacon drawing the Trolls to him for the benefit of the others, and the second of several pieces of armor and clubs hovering before her.
I don't ask that you handle nine Trolls at once, Jason's voice echoed in her ears. But I would like you to be able to deal with those odds. You don't need to kill all of them to win. Just one or two and then get out alive.
"...unless I draw them off," she finished.
"Right with you," Quick Fix said from her side.
He jabbed out three times at a Troll that was closing in on him: Once in the knee, causing it to stumble; once in the shoulder, stopping its swing; and once in the throat, leaving it dying behind him. Lyra considered him for a second and nodded. They started shouting and waving their weapons wildly and ran to the south. Trolls all around them turned to give chase, drawn on by the sound of challenge. Trolls continued to emerge from all around and some who had already passed by them returned. Lyra found herself pushing past what she thought were her limits of endurance to outdistance them.
She and Quick Fix raced through the trees, no longer shouting due to their gasping for breath. The Trolls, however, needed no more encouragement to pursue them. Their pounding feet sounded from all around. Then a Troll appeared directly in front of them and Lyra scrabbled to change course. But Quick Fix didn't react in time and he collided with her. They went down in a tumbling mass, stopping at the Troll's feet. He brought his axe up with a triumphant grin, but when it fell, he was no longer holding it. Quick Fix, from where he was lying under Lyra, had stabbed his sword into the Troll's armpit and caused him to drop the axe. Lyra scooped up her own blades and pierced the Troll's chest in a dozen places before he toppled over backwards. The two ponies scrambled up again, only to realize that Trolls blocked every angle of escape.
"We did it!" Quick Fix smiled wanly. "They came after us instead of the others."
"Too bad about us though," Lyra replied with a grim chuckle.
"We're not done yet."
He struck out at the first Troll to reach him and Lyra helped to parry the Troll's spear. Lyra sent her daggers arcing into the neck of the second while slapping away the axe of a third with her shield. Quick Fix finished off the first and turned to the third when he saw the second one go down already. Still the Trolls came on. By the time they'd brought one down, the next would reach them and they could hardly pause for breath. They called to each other, turned and jumped and swung, and fought on in a wild blur that lit the patch of dark forest with the glow of their horns and the glint of metal, and echoed with grunts and clashing that drowned out everything else in the world.
Still the Trolls converged on them. Two at a time, they reached the ponies and were faced down. The ponies turned and darted, attempting to move away from the Trolls, to find some escape. But no gap appeared. Lyra could see a small cluster of Trolls forming up behind the ones they were fighting, preparing to overwhelm them in one final rush and she felt despair welling up inside her. She knew that she'd likely helped the others escape, and she knew that counted for something. But she also wanted very desperately to live. If she died now, she'd never know for sure that the others had escaped. Or if Equestria was saved. She'd never see Bon Bon again! The promise that she'd be willing to risk her life to protect their home had been so easy to make before she'd faced the enemy.
An axe whistled close by her muzzle and she abandoned those thoughts, just in time to realize Quick Fix had said something to her. Before she could figure out what, he surged past her and tackled a Troll.
"Now!" he shouted. "Go!"
On one side, he held a Troll at bay with his sword. On the other, he used his hooves to wrestle with the spear of another. In between was a gap that led away into dark trees that remained completely devoid of enemies. Lyra took the opportunity instantly, running as fast as she could, but not for long. She couldn't bear to abandon her comrade to certain death. She turned back when she'd safely escaped the encircling Trolls and shouted for him to follow, striking out at his attackers with her slender blades. Quick Fix kicked the Troll that was still fighting him for control of the spear and struggled back to his hooves. He'd made it two steps when his hind leg was sliced deeply by the axe of a Troll that charged up behind him.
That Troll took a blade to the face and another to the gut before falling. Bleeding, Quick Fix limped on three more paces before another Troll caught him. The Troll delivered a powerful chopping blow with a spear to his back. The spear snapped, but Lyra feared she heard something else break. She called out to him to keep running as she drove the Troll away with her stinging daggers, but Quick Fix could only raise his head high enough to look at her blearily. Lyra knew he wouldn't rise on his own. So she drew back her daggers, sheathed them, and telekinetically pulled him the rest of the way to her.
He groaned in pain as she hoisted him up on her back and gasped from the shocks as she started to run. Knowing that she was running to save two lives lent new strength to her legs and she was able to put distance between herself and the pursuing Trolls at first. But that surge faded quickly and they began gaining the ground back.
"Drop me," she heard Quick Fix whisper in her ear. "I'm slowing you down."
She didn't have the energy to respond, so she just kept running. She could hear him try to speak again, but she didn't let herself listen. She knew that if she did, her heart would leave her and she wouldn't be able to keep going. The sounds of the Trolls' steps grew louder behind her, but she couldn't look back to see where they were. In fact, she didn't have the energy to look where she was going either. She had no idea what direction she was running now, only that the way ahead was clear of Trolls. She pushed on, beginning to falter, but still unwilling to give in. A shout from above her cut through the haze of exhaustion and she looked around for the source.
All at once, Pegasi descended on the Trolls that pursued her, piercing them with javelins and blades in a flurry of wings and hooves. Lyra slowed to a trot and finally stopped. When Star Hunter landed beside her she hardly noticed. All sound and motion was dulled for her. All she could concentrate on was the weight on her back. She eased Quick Fix onto the ground with Star Hunter's help. Quick Fix didn't stir. His eyes were closed and his chest was still.
"Internal bleeding," one Pegasus commented somberly after examining the extensive bruising. "His back's broken, as well as a few ribs."
Lyra's vision blurred with tears, but none fell. She didn't have the energy left to cry. When she tried to move, she felt the world tilt instead and she fell into darkness.
~*~*~
The ponies' camp was silent as dawn broke. The Pegasi of Rainbow's Squadron kept watch while the others recovered from the raid. The Trolls had given up the pursuit an hour ago and their remaining forces had returned to their own camp. Zacon had lost consciousness soon after returning. He was now lying in his tent, bruises covering much of his body. Sergeant Blitz was sitting near one of the campfires, the left side of his head wrapped in thick bandages. Corporal Night Watch sat beside him, his leg also bandaged. Lyra was resting on her bedroll, not having awoken yet after collapsing. Private Breezy was being tended to by Twilight. He'd been stabbed twice by Trollish spears before he'd managed to find his way back to Second Squad.
Posthaste hadn't been so lucky. Quick Fix and Posthaste lay beneath sheets in the back of the camp. Ponies occasionally looked over at the dark shapes but their gaze never lingered. Cor sat outside Zacon's tent, brooding. He'd have been yelling at him if the other had been conscious. He'd settled for yelling at Jason briefly, but it had been pointless and he'd given it up. Jason was sitting at the edge of the camp, looking back toward the remains of the battle. He hadn't said anything since he'd gotten back, even in the face of Cor's outburst. Twilight stepped away from Breezy's side to get Cor's attention. Cor followed her back to the Private.
"I could really use a lesson on healing right now," Twilight said pleadingly.
"You're not ready to take on wounds like this." He shook his head sadly. "You're still fixing torn leaves."
"Then you heal this," she suggested, gesturing at the long gash that ran over the surface of Breezy's back. "Bandages aren't going to heal that any time soon, but your magic could."
"If I had any left," Cor frowned. "I used just about everything I had to make those bows and arrows."
"Oh, right. And how much good did those do us?" Twilight said acidly. "They seem to have saved so many lives!"
She turned away from him with a huff of disgust. Cor had to bite his tongue so that he wouldn't vent his own anger back at her. He took a breath and then spoke, coincidentally at the same moment she turned back to him and spoke as well.
"I'm sorry," they both said.
They blinked and shared a weak laugh at the fleeting humor.
"I know this didn't go well," Cor said with a sigh. "And I'm partly to blame for making the bows and being out of commission when they went off to use them. Even if this was a tactical victory, I regret that I can't help to mitigate the cost."
"I'm sorry for snapping at you," Twilight muttered. "I know you're doing the best you can. I shouldn't be taking it out on you when I'm not able to help more, or when lives are lost. It's...it's not going to stop any time soon, is it?"
Cor hesitated. "I don't know. But we can hope. And we can work together to make it so."
Twilight nodded and Cor went to rest again. Twilight continued to change Breezy's bandages. Breezy winced and stirred so that he could face toward where the dead lay.
"It should have been me," he muttered.
Twilight followed his gaze and shivered at the thought.
"No," she said, shushing him gently. "It shouldn't have been any of us."
"That poor lad could outpace me any day of the week, but he stayed back, makin' sure I was keepin' up. I slowed him down and he paid for it."
"It's not your fault," Twilight whispered.
Breezy didn't say anything more, but Twilight could hear him sobbing softly as he hid his face with his hooves.
~*~*~
Jason held his sword close to his face, looking along the blade at the fine edge and the faint glow of magic that touched the black material. He melodramatically pondered if the edge of his blade was sharper than the pain he was feeling. He knew some of the troops blamed themselves for their fallen comrades' fates. He wasn't a stranger to that crushing weight. But he was in a position to know that he was truly guilty of failure.
He'd heard Zacon call him back to the fight. He'd seen the ponies fleeing from the waves of Trolls that surged through the trees after them. He even saw the courageous counterattack that rescued Zacon. But what he hadn't seen was the desperate flight that had ended in the death of Private Posthaste. What he hadn't seen was the selfless decoy maneuver for which Private Quick Fix had given his life. He hadn't seen these things because he'd stayed with the group that was carrying Zacon and Blitz from the fight. But it wasn't the stricken officers he was protecting. It was Private Time Turner that Jason had come to defend. Turner had been fully willing and capable to continue fighting, but Jason had made sure not a single Troll had gotten close to him. Even when he'd been doing it, Jason had been aware of the illogical choice.
Pure stupidity, more like, he admonished himself angrily.
He glanced back into the camp and saw Cor staring at him. There was a dull accusation in his eyes, as if he knew what Jason was thinking but felt it wasn't worth adding his own reprimands. Jason sprang up, unable to sit and stew on it any longer. He started walking, heading north without any destination in mind. All he wanted to do was move. He left the camp behind and kept going. Only when he heard wings rustle did he notice Rainbow Dash had joined him, along with Cosmic, Cerulean, Star Hunter and Starling. Behind them, a few others were walking with him, several paces back but keeping up. Big Mac, Caramel, Long Watch and Sergeant Clear Waters were silent the whole way.
"I'm not out here for a mission," Jason muttered. "I just need time to think."
"We figured," Rainbow said, easing up directly alongside Jason. "We all need to walk this off, but I think we need something more than that. And that's to be together. We're with you in this, and not just because we're walking right next to you."
The others nodded and Jason accepted their presence with a grateful sigh. They continued on farther than any of them paid attention to. The morning turned to midday and they stopped briefly when they reached the foothills that marked the transition from the forest to the mountains. Big Mac had brought some food with him and they shared it in silence. It was only after they'd finished eating that any of them spoke.
"It seems so surreal, doesn't it," Rainbow commented.
"Which part?" Jason asked.
"How new it seems to be mourning the loss of a friend. I mean, this isn't the first time it's happened."
"Maybe not," Long Watch said after they'd all considered the statement for a moment. "But it is the first time recently. We've just come off of a string of victories that didn't cost us so much as one of our lives. But now we're down by two."
"Like we didn't expect any of us to die again?" Caramel asked wryly.
"In a way," Long Watch nodded.
"I think it's something more," Jason mused.
They all lapsed back into silence, each pondering their separate thoughts, some fidgeting and scuffing the dirt with their hooves.
"We were closer," Starling murmured softly, drawing all eyes. Her diminutive form shrank further under the attention but she elaborated in a stronger voice. "We knew these two ponies so much better than any of the others before. We'd spent more time with them, were comfortable with their names, maybe even knew what made them laugh. They weren't just fellow Equestrians or neighbors from across town. They were part of our group, our platoon, and we've shared victories with them. We've lost two of our own. Practically family," she finished in a whisper, wiping her eyes.
They were all silent again as each of them contemplated those words. They all acknowledged that she'd said it better than they would have.
"But we're not beaten," Cosmic said solemnly.
"Of course not," Rainbow snorted. "They may have hurt us, but we're not going to break. We've still got homes to protect and ponies counting on us. We'll stick it out."
"I wouldn't mind a bit of payback," Starling added darkly.
"We'll have our chance," Long Watch replied evenly. "But not just yet."
"Don't be too sure about that," Cerulean spoke up, looking to the west. "Anypony else seeing what I'm seeing?"
He pointed to a line of figures plodding through the hills and down toward the trees. At this distance, it was hard to tell who they were or how many, but it was unlikely it was anyone but Troll troops. The gathered ponies exchanged glances, some of which were eager. They all waited for the two Lieutenants.
"That'll be your call," Long Watch said to Jason.
After a moment's hesitation, Jason decided they would attack. They slipped back into the cover of the trees and through the trunks to intercept the enemy. When they were close enough, they stopped to count and gauge their opponents. Twelve Trolls made their way toward them, careful and unhurried. They were different than other Trolls they'd seen though. The fur was thicker on the backs and necks, and they wore more armor. The leather shoulder pads and girdles did little to offer more protection, but Jason got the feeling their purpose was more symbolic than functional when he saw the decorative markings on the shoulders that reminded him of epaulettes. One Troll was not wearing the distinctive armor. In fact, he wasn't visibly carrying a weapon at all. He was, however, carrying a satchel.
Jason waited until the Trolls disappeared behind one of the hills before he led the others out of their cover, angling north so that they could come around behind the Trolls. They slipped silently through the tall grasses and scrub that covered the rolling slopes, keeping off of the crests to avoid detection. They turned back south when they crossed the Trolls' tracks and followed them. Since the Trolls were moving so guardedly, the ponies caught up with them in minutes. They remained silent as they moved as close as they could without being discovered. The Trolls were still marching in single file toward the forest. They were within a bowshot of the trees when one Troll glanced around and spotted the ponies closing in on them.
That Troll managed to shout a few words before Jason's sword lashed out and turned his warning into a cry of pain. Most of the Troll's joints were sliced deeply, rendering the Troll unable to move as he fell to the ground and bled freely. The rest of the ponies charged. The Trolls quickly formed up a tight line of spears and stood resolutely in the path of their enemy. But the lead Troll turned to the one with the satchel and shouted for him to flee. The unarmored Troll looked at his fallen ally in horror and obeyed immediately.
Caramel, Clear Waters and Long Watch closed in and began fencing with the spears of the Trolls, attempting to find an opening. The clash of the blades on the wooden poles echoed harshly in the hilly terrain. Big Mac charged into the fight, using a sweeping blow from his hammer to knock the spearheads aside. Instead of winding up for another swing, he kept running, throwing himself into one of the Trolls and bowling him over. The pony and Troll tumbled down the hillside, flailing and grappling wildly. Two of the other Trolls turned to pursue them, but they were brought up short when Rainbow descended on them leading her four Pegasi. Despite being surrounded and outnumbered, the two Trolls held their ground and kept the Pegasi at bay with expertly wielded spears. The Pegasi flitted around them, swooping in and darting out while the Trolls jabbed and parried.
Jason joined the fight, drawing the attention of two Trolls and forcing them to give ground as his first two swings disarmed a Troll by cutting his spear into thirds. Fighting three on five, the swordsponies faced down the remainder of the Trolls' spear formation. Seizing a chance, Long Watch lunged in, using his sword to turn the spearhead aside while grabbing the shaft with his hooves. He slammed the spear into the ground, snapping it in half. The Troll backed away, using the broken shaft to fend off the flurry of sword thrusts that followed. Caramel and Clear Waters still fought four Trolls and were pushed back several paces. Caramel made a misstep on the uneven ground and failed to block. The shaft of the spear swung around and connected solidly with the side of his head, dropping him instantly. Clear Waters called out to the others and stepped in front of the unconscious pony.
Starling heard the call and raced to assist. She dropped down to mere inches above the ground and homed in on the four Trolls that were bearing down on the Sergeant. They didn't see her coming and she wove through their legs, slicing at ankles and calves until she met the fourth. As the first few reeled from the Pegasus' strikes, the final Troll reacted by swinging the pole of his spear into her path. She deftly tucked in her wings at the last second and grabbed the shaft with her hoof, using it as a pivot that swung her up into the face of the Troll. A bladed hoof entered his skull and she planted both hind legs on his chest to push off. He toppled over backward as she did a tight loop that put her on course to engage the other three again. She and Clear Waters fell upon them before they could recover from her first pass.
Jason dispatched the last of his opponents while Rainbow and the others overcame the two they'd been facing. At the bottom of the hill, Big Mac delivered a last powerful hoof to the Troll's head. He was battered and cut by claws, but steady on his hooves as he stood above the comatose Troll. The Troll carrying the satchel had long disappeared into the trees. After making sure Caramel wasn't seriously hurt, Jason, Rainbow and Starling made their way down to Big Mac, who hadn't moved since he'd risen from his struggle.
"You alright big guy?" Starling asked.
"Eeyup," he replied distractedly.
"What's the deal then?"
Big Mac gestured to the Troll, whose chest still rose and fell subtly. Starling considered it for a second without any readable expression. Before anypony could react, she stepped closer and plunged her blade into the Troll's heart, ending the tiny sign of life in a splatter of blood and convulsions. Big Mac recoiled and Rainbow yelped in surprise. Jason's eyes went wide and then narrowed dangerously.
"What was that?" He said the three words through gritted teeth.
"I killed it," Starling replied. "What about it?"
"He wasn't even...there was no need to..." Jason sputtered in his attempt to rein in his anger.
"No need to what?" Starling pressed. "Kill our enemy? I think there's a need to do that."
"That's not what I mean," Jason said.
Starling looked from the Lieutenant to the dead Troll.
"Did you want a prisoner?" she asked.
"Maybe. It's more complicated than that."
"Really?!" Starling laughed harshly. "Holding a prisoner all the way out here? And how would we have managed that?"
Jason didn't have a response. Instead he ordered them to gather up their weapons and return to camp. Starling gave a contemptuous huff as she left. Long Watch carried Caramel on his back and shuffled south with the others. Rainbow and Big Mac stayed at the dead Troll's side.
"What were you going to do about him?" Jason asked Big Mac.
The other shook his head uncertainly, still looking stricken.
"Don't think about it then. It's done and that's that."
Big Mac nodded uneasily and turned to leave. Rainbow was staring at the bloodstained dirt below the Troll, her own shocked expression frozen around frightened eyes. Jason approached her cautiously.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
She closed her eyes tightly and gulped. After a moment, she shook her head. Jason put a hoof on her shoulder and she clasped it desperately in her own. After several seconds, Rainbow let go and turned away, pointedly avoiding looking at any of the fallen Trolls as she walked back toward the trees. She kept walking until she reached the camp, her step quicker than normal all the way, determined to leave behind the dead Troll that was so hauntingly similar to another of her own kills which was vividly etched into her mind. |
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