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Fluttershy's New Pet | You did what? | You did what?
Spike spotted an open window and wished his wings would have sprouted already. "Hey girls I found an open window... let's use it to get inside, " he gently offered. The window seemed like a great way to enter and it would be the least possible to detect in case Fluttershy were to return early.
Pinkie Pie jumped on Twilight's back and chuckled. "Come on Twilight giddy up, I want to get there fast."
Twilight was both offended and amused at Pinkie's gesture. "Alright let's go but remember I can't fly so well with these things," she complained.
Pinkie clicked her hind legs together hitting Twilight's side and called out, "Come on Twilight use them wings and fly!"
Twilight blushed and began frantically flapping her wings to no avail. "Pinkie... get off we are going to use ropes," she angrily suggested.
Pinkie grinned as she leaned in and whispered, "I like where this is going."
Spike just watched bemused as the two ponies were blushing and whispering. "Alright break it up, I think we all get the picture already, can we go in now before Fluttershy returns?"
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Fluttershy was being sensually caressed by Rarity and was about to lose her mind. The sensations pouring into her brain were riveting and something at the back of her mind was trying to fight the rising fog. "... a ... No!" she yelled as she splayed her wings forcing Rarity back.
Rarity was in shock from Fluttershy's sudden retaliation. "Fluttershy... why don't you just tell me, darling," she whined softly. She had her eyes giving a look of begging while her lips quivered.
Fluttershy wasn't going to be manipulated by any pony... not anymore. She was the dominant pony now, and has no plans of relinquishing her assertiveness. "Listen here Rarity, Snuggles is my business and that is all you need to know... also why are you trying so hard to find out what my Snuggles is?"
Rarity decided to fess up. "Fluttershy... I am trying to find out the identity of Snuggles, because Spike finally got over me and I feel awful about his emotional state right now."
Fluttershy chuckled darkly before angrily muttering, "What does this have to do with my Snuggles?"
Rarity looked a bit taken aback as she replied, "Well Spike was hoping he could have a shot at Snuggles if it was a compatible animal."
Fluttershy snorted in rage at the thought of that scaly bastard laying one claw on her pet. "Why would he think he would even have a shot with Rainbow Dash if you didn't give him the time of day." Before she realized what she had said it was all out in the open.
Rarity's eyes widened in surprise. "Rai... Rainbow Dash? You aren't seriously saying that Rainbow Dash is your Snuggles... are you?" She backed away slowly, fear had set in.
Fluttershy knew she couldn't let Rarity tell anypony or it would ruin everything. She approached the shaking unicorn and grimly whispered into her ear, "Rarity you're my dearest friend, and I would hate if anything awful happened, so please Rarity... let's keep this secret just between us."
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Rainbow Dash was stunned from being caught by a filly who admired her. "Hey Scootaloo... this isn't what it looks like," she desperately lied. She hadn't the slightest idea of how to talk her way out of the situation she was in.
Scootaloo was wearing red on her cheeks. "So... what... what is it then?" she asked hesitantly. She was nervous and confused at the sight of her honorary sister in such an intimate position.
Applejack decided to chime in with, "We was jus' wrasslin' is all. Yep jus' wrasslin nothin' else." She even moved around and pretended to struggle until they both got out of their compromising position.
Apple Bloom just stood there with burning cheeks. "Ya mean ta be tellin' us that nothin' bad jus' happened?"
Rainbow Dash knew Applejack had a hard time lying to family. She answered for her with, "Well you see, wrestling isn't bad but where my hoof was and my lips were, normally doesn't happen so... don't do those things if you two decide to wrestle."
Scootaloo's wings were flared from the idea of wrestling with Apple Bloom. She began stuttering as she spoke, "So... th- the what?" Her confusion was addled with new feelings she had no idea to express.
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Angel Bunny and Tank were alert of the noises going on outside. They had noticed that some intruders were attempting to get inside the cottage and began taking action as to prevent such an occurrence. With Angel Bunny's ingenious mind and Tank's bulky strength and assisted speed, they were able to conquer any challenge.
They peeked out the window to see Spike using his claws to climb the cottage walls while he held the rope in his mouth. Angel Bunny ordered Tank to get some pepper for chemical warfare. With Spike climbing slowly but surely it was feasible for Tank to return just in time.
With the pepper at hand Angel Bunny sprinkled some outside the window and waited for the satisfaction of defeating the dragon nemesis.
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Spike suddenly felt his nose tingle and he sneezed upwards, avoiding scorching the house, as he fell back on to the ground. He twitched after his landing and sneezed again releasing more hot flames. "Twilight... I think Snuggles is stopping us from entering the house," he said in between sneezing.
Twilight was scared for Spike's safety as he fell but didn't react in time to save him from the not so distant fall. "Spike... are you okay?" she asked sincerely.
Pinkie looked up at the open window and shouted, "You can't do that to Spike!" in which the response she got was a bag of animal seeds being tossed at her.
Twilight was worried for the well being of her fellow ponies and had two choices. "Alright it seems this Snuggles, isn't playing fair... so I can either teleport in or we can call it a day."
Pinkie looked extremely angry and begrudgingly mumbled, "Get in there and give Snuggles hell."
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Fluttershy explained everything to Rarity who visibly calmed down despite the trembling fear she had suffered at the hoof of the other pony. "So now you know everything... and you know why you can't tell anypony... I promise I'm not making Snuggles suffer at all... she likes being my pet," Fluttershy calmly informed.
Rarity had no idea that Fluttershy, the sweet and gentle mare, was capable of such behavior. It was like that time she had that training in being assertive. "Fluttershy, what if after the month Rai- I mean Snuggles, doesn't want to be your pet?"
Fluttershy frowned while sadly whispering, "Then I would be devastated... but I know that won't happen Rarity... she enjoys being my pet and we... "
Rarity could tell by the silence there was something else needing to be said. "So then what will you do about Applejack? You do know she is absolutely in love with Rainbow Dash... is she going to get hurt because you two want to play games?"
Fluttershy sunk into the waters of the tub they had at the spa. "I don't know... I just need to have Snuggles in my life." She looked at Rarity with eyes of sorrow as she realized how much she depended on Snuggles wanting to stay her pet.
Rarity sighed gently before she whispered, "I guess whatever happens I will always be on your side Fluttershy... just know Applejack is very dear to me and I ... don't think she should be out of the loop."
Fluttershy grew angry and flared her wings attempting an intimidation technique. "No! you can't tell anypony... I will talk with Snuggles tonight and tell her to make sure Applejack doesn't get any ideas about being with her. I will handle things Rarity... not you."
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Angel Bunny could hear an intruder that somehow managed to get inside. He gestured Tank to check it out while he continued protecting the window.
Tank used his motorized flight equipment to fly down stairs and he saw the pony known as Egg Head. He knew he had to keep Fluttershy's room safe from Egg Head since they had a secret to protect. He rushed right by her while she seemed distracted with things and got to the kitchen.
The movement seemed to gain Egg Head's curiosity and she followed him into the kitchen. He was hiding on top of the fridge and waited for her to lose interest in searching.
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Twilight was scouting the kitchen trying to follow that green blur that seemed familiar. "Hello... Snuggles?" she hesitantly called out. She knew that Snuggles had to be fast and apparently strong, and yet with no visuals on the creature she had no idea how dangerous it could be.
She heard something moving on top of the fridge, it was very slow moving and it was almost silent. "Okay... this is getting weird." She tried climbing the counter and when her eyes left the fridge the blur rushed through again. "Aah!"
She decided the investigation wasn't worth risking her life and just got out of there immediately. She walked towards Pinkie Pie and Spike and gave them the bad news, "Well I couldn't see Snuggles, but something in there was making sure that we weren't snooping around."
Pinkie Pie grew silent until she remembered something important. "Wait! Rarity is interrogating Fluttershy and she will definitely get Fluttershy to talk. We will find out what Snuggles is after all!"
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Rainbow Dash and Applejack had finally managed to get rid of the curious fillies and with that came alone time. Rainbow Dash broke the awkward silence that had built up since the fillies left. "So ... that happened," she muttered nervously.
Applejack stood silent for a second and looked at Rainbow Dash deeply, "RD... did ya do all that because ya have feelings for me?" she bluntly asked.
Rainbow Dash grew more nervous and responded with, "AJ you know me... I am not a sappy pony or a mushy one. I don't have romantic feelings but I will say this..." she leaned in and smiled. "I sure as hay enjoyed kissing you."
Applejack shed a small tear and looked away. "Listen here RD, I have a lot of work ta do and I think we need ta cool off before one of us does somethin' we'll regret."
Rainbow Dash saddened at the words and didn't want to risk losing a friend. "Alright... but ... AJ... I never meant to hurt you... I just don't have feelings like other ponies do... I have never said I love you to another pony before... but I know you mean a lot to me... anyways I will be going."
Applejack looked at her sadly and slowly whispered, "Take care now, ya hear? I want ya ta visit again jus' not so soon."
Rainbow Dash nodded and flew off without another word uttered. She was mad mostly at herself but also at the fact she couldn't be with another pony while being somepony's pet. She decided she would wait for Fluttershy at home and give her the bad news.
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Fluttershy and Rarity had finished their self indulging pampering fest. They had been hooficured, massages, cleaned, etc. With their departure imminent Fluttershy got really close to Rarity and whispered, "Remember not a word of this to any pony... I trust you Rarity... don't break my trust."
Rarity sadly looked at Fluttershy and whispered, "Please be careful with all this... I am worried not just for Rainbow Dash but for you... promise you won't do anything crazy."
Fluttershy giggled softly. "Oh Rarity, I will be fine.. I promise I won't do anything crazy," she cheerfully said.
Rarity began walking home with a feeling of guilt and shame. She has the knowledge and power to stop the insanity but, she didn't have the resolve to ruin her friendship.
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Rainbow Dash was laying on the couch with a happy Angel Bunny, fake smoking an imaginary cigar, and she was waiting for Fluttershy's return. She had rehearsed her good bye plenty of times while waiting for the timid mare to arrive back from the spa.
She heard the door open and in came in the pony who she was hoping she could remain friends with after this ordeal was over. "Hey Fluttershy welcome home," she said casually while going to greet her like a proper pet would.
Fluttershy was surprised that Rainbow Dash came to her with affection. She was feeling excited about the new attitude she was displaying. "Seems like someone missed their owner, did my good girl miss her owner?"
Rainbow Dash looked away and sighed. "Listen Shy... about that... we need to talk." The lack of eye contact made it plainly obvious where the conversation was headed.
Fluttershy didn't like the tone and immediately became angry. "What do we need to talk about Snuggles!" she viciously muttered.
Rainbow Dash couldn't tell her she wanted out, and instead decided to make her want to kick her out. "Well I sorta ... kissed Applejack and almost had sex with her today," she nervously answered.
Fluttershy's normally calm and gentle self went into hiding as a more assertive vicious persona came out. "You did what?" |
Fluttershy's New Pet | You will learn to obey me! | You will learn to obey me!
Rarity was getting ready to close the shop since it was near dinner time and she had to eat. Just before she could temporarily close the store three visitors walked in with curious gazes. "Twilight, Pinkie, Spike what can I do for you girls, and guy."
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "You know exactly what we are here for Rarity."
Pinkie Pie chuckled. "You have to forgive her, she had a rough day today."
Spike had a scowl on his face. "I had the roughest of them all... I still can't breathe right."
Rarity was shocked to see such distress among her friends and asked, "What happened?"
Twilight gave a brief explanation of the events. "Anyways, now that we have failed in finding out what Snuggles is, we have turned our hope to you. So, did you find anything?"
Rarity was torn between telling the truth and keeping a secret. "Well honestly Twilight, Fluttershy was a hard egg to crack. I could barely get anything out of her."
Pinkie Pie frowned. "So, we don't know what Snuggles is, and still have no clue where Rainbow Dash went."
Rarity grew nervous and giggled. "Well Rainbow Dash yes."
Twilight gave an odd look to Rarity before asking. "Did Fluttershy mention the whereabouts of Rainbow Dash?"
Rarity gulped. "Yes she did, and no I don't currently know where Rainbow Dash is."
Spike grew angry. "Guys we can worry about Rainbow Dash later, since we have no clue about Fluttershy's pet, I say we eat dinner."
Rarity smiled brightly. "I agree with Spike, you girls and Spike should go eat some dinner, take your minds off Snuggles and Rainbow Dash. I am sure we can talk with Fluttershy during the pony pet play date at the park tomorrow."
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Rainbow Dash had never seen such a look on Fluttershy before. The eyes staring at her, like daggers ready to pierce her heart, were making her feel vulnerable. "Look Shy... I want out of this... I know it hasn't been a month but I think I am ready to call it quits."
Fluttershy chuckled grimly. "The element of loyalty who never breaks her word wants to do so now? Pathetic... fine run off and live with the shame of breaking your word."
Rainbow Dash cringed at the words. "No... you're right, I can't go back on my word. Fine Fluttershy, this month and then I am gone."
Fluttershy smiled. "Oh Snuggles you almost made me cry just now... come here and show me how much you adore me as your owner."
Rainbow Dash stood still and didn't make any effort to move. "No, I think I am just going to relax and wait for dinner," she stated rudely.
Fluttershy had enough of Rainbow Dash's disobedience and pounced on her again. "You think I enjoy hurting you? Why do you make me do this Snuggles? You will obey me." She bit down on Rainbow Dash's ear hard and tugged it roughly.
Rainbow Dash screamed in pain and tried struggling. "Fluttershy knock it off, I'm in no mood for this."
Fluttershy let go of the ear and released Rainbow Dash from her grip. "Sorry... my behavior has been horrible lately, and I apologize for that. Go to my room and I will make us a nice dinner and we can forget this whole nonsense ok?"
Rainbow Dash got up from the floor and angrily walked up the stairs before calling out, "Sorry isn't going to fix all our problems... and as soon as this month is over we might need time apart as friends too."
Fluttershy smiled darkly as she heard Rainbow Dash slam the door to her room. "Stupid Snuggles, you really think I'm just going to let you get away with almost losing your virginity to Appleslut?"
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Applejack was eating dinner with her family while being more silent than usual. She was wondering what to do about her current situation and if she should tell anypony about it.
Apple Bloom had been scarred by the image and would most likely need therapy. "Can ya put a 'Dash' of pepper on the omelettes?"
Applejack scowled at Apple Bloom. "Why sis, can't ya just 'Scootaloo' on over here and get the pepper yourself?"
Apple Bloom blushed and countered with, "Oh, well it might have a funny taste if I mess it up. Speakin' about taste, what do rainbows taste like sis?"
Applejack grew infuriated and yelled, "I don't know, but I bet you can tell me what chicken tastes like."
Granny Smith had no idea why they were arguing and what the true nature of the argument was about, but she had enough of their bickering. "Ya two ponies ain't itchin' for a whuppin now, are ya?"
Applejack sighed softly. "No Granny Smith. I'm sorry about arguin', may I be excused?"
Granny Smith just nodded and went back to eating her meal.
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Pinkie Pie was getting ready to head home to eat some dinner when Twilight stopped her. "What's the matter Twilight?" she asked gently while eyeing the mare.
Twilight blushed as she replied with, "I want you to stay again... I had so much fun at dinner and it was nice not sleeping alone."
Pinkie Pie grinned. "Alright, I will have dinner again with you, but tomorrow I really need to get back to work. I can't just run and play all day."
Twilight smiled as glee took over. "Sounds like a plan... now what to do about Spike?"
Spike had already heard enough. "Listen girls, you two have fun and I will seek shelter elsewhere," he said angrily.
Twilight frowned and rushed towards him. "Where are you going to go Spike?"
Spike looked at Twilight and sighed. "I don't know and I don't care really. I just don't want to be at the library when you two start... rutting."
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Rarity thought her troubles were over as she stepped into the kitchen and began preparing a meal. She heard somepony knocking on the door and yelled out, "Closed!" When the knocking didn't stop she went to see what pony was in need of a talking to.
She opened the door and grew miserable at the sight of her dearest friend, who wore the angriest look ever. "Fluttershy... what's going on?"
Fluttershy came inside uninvited and stomped with each step she took. "I need your whips and a special suit, and you will get that stuff for me Rarity."
Rarity decided she would have to hire a bodyguard of some sorts. "Look Fluttershy I can make you an outfit no problem but I don't have any whips."
Fluttershy stared at Rarity with eyes full of malice. "I wouldn't play coy if I were you. I know you have a naughty collection of bondage paraphernalia and I know you haven't been able to use them. You don't have the courage to actually use them on somepony."
Rarity sighed. "Fluttershy you are my friend and we shared secrets. I know you don't want to tell me why you are requesting that stuff but please... tell me it isn't for what I think it is."
Fluttershy growled. "You don't know what she almost did... I have to make her obey me... I ... please Rarity... I am desperate here." She began crying softly as the fears in her mind played out.
Rarity knew she would hate herself for this. "Alright fine... I will make the outfit for you it shouldn't take me long and in return you can finish prepping my dinner. The whip is rental only, unless you want to buy it from me." She looked away and until she felt a soft hoof on her muzzle.
"See... that wasn't so hard was it?" Fluttershy asked in a patronizing tone. "Now I will finish prepping your dinner while you go on and get me what I need... then I will be out of your mane and on my way." She waked into the kitchen and didn't see the tears leaking from Rarity's face.
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Angel Bunny was getting upset. He thought that Rainbow Dash was going to leave with the way she went on about it before Fluttershy had shown up. "Stupid rainbow maned mare. I thought she was going to leave this place and give me the title top pet back."
Tank felt bad for Angel Bunny. "Sorry pal... it seems your owner really wants her around."
Angel Bunny sighed as he patted a spot next to him on his couch. "Listen Tank... do you really think things are going to end well? I'm not just trying to get my title of top pet... I am trying to protect my owner."
Tank had used the flying gizmo to get to Angel's side. "Yeah I guess that was part of the reason you were going overboard. I know that things might end badly, and I hope it doesn't."
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Spike ended up at Sweet Apple Acres after his decision to leave Twilight's home for a while until the Pinkie situation was settled. He was making his way to the house when Applejack saw him from outside her window.
"Howdy there partner, what are ya doing here this late."
Spike looked up and saw Applejack looking down with tear stained eyes. "Hey Applejack I was wondering if I could crash in the barn or something tonight."
Applejack looked worried. "What's goin' on Spike? Why ya in need of someplace to sleep?"
"It's nothing really, just... Pinkie Pie and Twilight are basically falling in love with each other randomly, and I don't want to be there when things escalate."
Applejack chuckled. "Nice joke there Spike, got me good." She wiped a tear from her eye and smiled. "Seriously Spike, what are ya doin' here this evenin'?"
Spike scowled and kicked the dirt beneath his feet. "I am not joking around here... right now Pinkie Pie and Twilight are basically making moves on each other... it's weird."
Applejack's smile grew into a confused stare. "Really? That's mighty odd. Well if ya really need a place to stay why don't ya go ahead and make yourself comfy in the barn, just don't burn it down."
Spike smiled. "I won't and thanks."
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Rarity came into the kitchen and smelled the wondrous meal being prepared. "Oh Fluttershy that smells amazing," she said in honesty. "Well I packed up your things and you may keep the whip, just pay me soon so I can get another one."
Fluttershy finished cleaning her hooves and dried them off before walking towards the bag that Rarity had set down and peeking inside. "This will do just fine... Rarity have a good dinner... and don't worry, I won't tell you anything about what will happen tonight."
Rarity shivered from the thought of what she imagined would be going on at Fluttershy's cottage. "Alright dear, and please don't mention where you got those things."
Fluttershy chuckled. "Don't worry I will keep this secret as long as you keep mine. Gotta go now, I have a pet to tame." Fluttershy walked out carousel boutique and headed home to finally show Rainbow Dash how serious she is about obedience.
Rarity watched Fluttershy walk out the door and waited for her to be far gone before she broke down and cried. "Oh Celestia... please don't let this end badly."
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Pinkie Pie and Twilight were having a nice quiet dinner. They sat in comfortable silence and kept gazing at each other throughout the meal. Pinkie Pie felt her Pinkie Sense tingle telling her something awful was going to happen. "Hate to ruin the mood but my Pinkie Sense is telling me something awful is going to happen."
Twilight frowned. "Does it have to do with Spike, should we go?"
Pinkie Pie put a hoof on Twilight to silence her. "No it's with two ponies... I don't know which two though."
Twilight thought she was being rejected. "You think this is a mistake then?"
Pinkie looked into her eyes. "No! This is not a mistake... I am not sure what this is... but I like it!"
Twilight blushed. "But it's so wrong... I mean I was supposed to be with Flash Sentry... and yet I have no desire for him."
Pinkie Pie leaned in gently. "I know this seems sudden, and I agree we didn't see this coming, but I want this and I want you to want it."
Twilight wore a red face as their muzzles neared. "I want this too Pinkie... even if it means I am being selfish, I want this and I won't let anything stop this."
Pinkie softly smiled "Then nothing will." She leaned forward and kisses Twilight gently.
Twilight blushed as her heartbeat quickened. "Do that again... I want another kiss."
Pinkie Pie obliged and kissed Twilight again, this time the kiss lasted longer. The two lips held together by passion and want, their minds slowly drifting into the possibility of what could be.
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Rainbow Dash was rolling around on Fluttershy's bed, fighting off boredom with rapid movements. She heard the door open and muttered, "Finally, I hope she can cook quickly I am starving." She heard hoof steps and they grew louder with each thud. "Fluttershy?" She asked hesitantly.
The door to the room opened and what Rainbow Dash saw made her eyes almost pop out her sockets. "Fl.. Fluttershy?" she stammered.
Fluttershy, wearing the faux-leather corset with a slot for the whip she was going to use, had smiled seductively. "No, I am not Fluttershy my dear Snuggles, from now on you shall address me as... Mistress." |
Fluttershy's New Pet | That's a good Snuggles. | That's a good Snuggles.
Fluttershy was ready to lay down the law. She had her whip and corset ready, even though she wasn't sure what to do with it. She had never used a whip to discipline an animal before. It was going to be a new experience. "Now are you ready to behave Snuggles?"
Rainbow Dash's wings flared in arousal and she blushed fiercely. "Fl- Fluttershy? Don't you know what you're wearing?"
Fluttershy took the whip out and lashed at Rainbow Dash with it.
Whack!
"Ow Fluttershy the hey..."
"It's Mistress to you Snuggles. You can earn the right to call me by name, when you learn to obey."
"Flutter-"
Whack!
"Ow... cut it out."
"Call me Mistress and this all ends."
"No! I will not call you Mistress. I will call you Flu-"
Whack!
"I don't like hurting you, well actually... hearing you scream is kind of nice."
"What? You're enjoying this?"
"No...yes... I don't know... just call me Mistress, and we can move on from all this."
"Fluttershy I-"
Whack!
"Come on Snuggles, I want to eat dinner and you do too. Am I right?"
"Yes... Flu-"
Whack! Whack! Whack!
"Mistress, stop please!"
"There's a good Snuggles, see, I knew with just the right motivation you could be a good pet. Now come to Mistress and show me how excited you are to be my pet."
Rainbow Dash got off the bed and submissively walked towards Fluttershy. When she got close enough she began licking Fluttershy's face gently. "There... Fl- Mistress."
Fluttershy smiled wide and put the whip back onto the holster that was sewn into the corset. "See Snuggles, now we don't have to worry about disobedience. Do we?"
Rainbow Dash began sobbing softly as she replied,"No we don't... I will behave just please stop hitting me."
"Good Snuggles, now get downstairs and be a good girl while I make us some yummy dinner. It's getting late so a salad will have to do." Fluttershy watched Rainbow Dash go downstairs slowly, and when she was out of earshot, she giggled excitedly. "Oh, oh my. I was so powerful... she actually obeyed.... I think I am going to keep this whip after all."
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Tank noticed the defeated look on Rainbow Dash's face, when she got on the couch with blood dripping from various wounds. He looked at Angel Bunny who was equally shocked about the turn of events. "Hey Angel Bunny... we heard what happened... I think it's time we do something about this."
Angel Bunny chuckled, "Oh now it's time to do something? Not when I suggested it earlier to prevent all this?"
Tank sighed. "Don't tell me you knew this was going to happen and made all this fuss because of it."
Angel Bunny smirked. "That's exactly right. You don't understand, Fluttershy has to be kept in check or she goes crazy."
Tank finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. It wasn't that Angel Bunny was an extreme dick, it was his role in keeping Fluttershy from becoming Flutterbitch. "Well what do we do now?"
Angel Bunny rubbed his paws together. "Now we go and get help. Momma won't be easy to deal with, while she feels in charge. We need some ponies to see her like this and force her to revert to her shy self."
Tank looked over at the sniffling pony on the couch and frowned. "Let's do this fast before she gets hurt more."
Angel Bunny noticed the blood and tears, and felt bad himself. "Yeah... no pony deserves this... not even her."
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Fluttershy was making her way downstairs when she saw a trail of blood in the form of a dotted line. small circles of red had littered her stairway. She hurried in worry to see what was causing such a mess. She looked at the open door and saw Tank and Angel Bunny fleeing for their lives.
She looked at the couch and saw a broken pegasus crying softly in pain. "R..Snuggles... what happened?"
Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy with anger, "You're bucking kidding me right Shy? You did this to me with your whip."
Fluttershy looked at the weapon she had holstered and frowned at the sight of the red stains. "I... I..." she broke down and cried in guilt. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and ignored her apologies. "Look Shy... sorry... isn't going to cut it. If you want to do the right thing here just let me go."
Fluttershy looked up with the saddest eyes she could muster and begged, "Please don't go... please stay... you don't want me to be all alone right now."
Rainbow Dash detected a veiled threat and sighed. "Shy, we can't keep doing this. I thought I was in for just a couple of belly rubs, some free meals and a friend to hang with. This ... what you did... how you hurt me... isn't what I wanted."
Fluttershy got closer slowly. "Please... don't hate me Snuggles, I really am sorry," she said calmly.
Rainbow Dash grew weary of the sudden closeness and the change in tone. "Fluttershy... what are you doing?"
Fluttershy smiled and get closer with slow steps. "It's ok, I won't hurt you... come here Snuggles." She held out her forelegs waiting for Rainbow Dash to react.
Rainbow Dash did react in the way expected. She slowly moved in for the hug and felt safe again. "Shy... you're back to normal?"
Fluttershy held in a dark grin as she lied, "Yes... I am back to normal Snuggles... can we move on from all this?"
Rainbow Dash smiled a bit. "Yeah Shy... I'm hungry anyways."
Fluttershy gently kissed Rainbow Dash's lips before walking away and leaving the stunned pegasus on the couch. "After I make us some delicious dinner I will tend to those wounds... go rinse them off while I make you something yummy."
Rainbow Dash smiled and felt like things were going back to normal. She made her way to the bathroom to clean off her wounds.
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Tank decided to head to Twilight's library. She was the magical princess who could put a stop to all this. While Tank made his way there, Angel Bunny headed towards Sweet Apple Acres. If magic wasn't available muscle would do the trick. Since Rainbow Dash was being toyed with and incapable of fighting back against her oldest friend it was up to either Twilight or Applejack to save the day.
Tank had made his way to the library and flew in through the open window. He looked around the library and noticed a lot of books but nopony reading them. He heard some odd noises and decided to investigate. he wanted to see if he could find anypony to help.
He got closer to the source of the noise making and was shocked at the sight. There he saw a mesh of lavender and pink rolling around on a bed doing weird things, he had no idea about, and over all being very overtly vulgar. He knew it was wrong to watch but as a hero he needed to get help. So he waited quietly while they continued their lewd acts.
____________________________________________________________
Angel Bunny had better luck than Tank did. There wasn't any sexual tornado of passion, being swept up in a confined library room, at Applejack's farm. He ran to entrance of the house in which the Apple family stayed in and noticed by the window a pony looking out to the distance.
He grabbed some nearby rocks and began pelting the window sill next to the pony and grabbed her attention.
"Angel Bunny, is that you? What in tarnation?" The pony yelled out confused.
Angel Bunny began waving his arms wildly and trying to get her to follow along.
"What's goin' on now? Jus' wait a second while I get myself downstairs," she called out before disappearing from Angel Bunny's view.
He waited a couple of seconds until she reappeared through the open door that lead to inside. He frantically tried gesturing out his plight but to no avail.
" Let's see a pony is in need of Applesauce?" She tried interpreting the signals and failed.
Angel Bunny had almost given up hope until he heard the voice of his eternal rival.
"What's all the fuss," Spike said before yawning. "Angel Bunny... what do you want?"
I want you dead, faggot. He had to momentarily let go of his distaste for his rival. He tried gesturing to him about the situation and it was working better.
"Let's see, Fluttershy... has color speed... and is making babies with it?" Spike guessed.
Applejack began thinking about what the real meaning was. "Hold on Spike, I think he meant Fluttershy has paint that is drying and it's making him cry."
Angel Bunny slapped his forehead. Great I am dealing with morons... it's no wonder they are single. Well I gave it my all... nah one more shot. He looked at them and made each gesture deliberately slow and easy to follow along. Regardless of the need to hurry.
Spike tried guessing again. "Fluttershy... has... Rainbow... speed.... and is... making her... pee?"
Applejack chuckled before giving her own interpretation a shot. "Alright it's clear what he is saying. Fluttershy has Rainbow Dash and is making her cry. But that can't be right because... nopony can make Rainbow Dash cry."
Spike nodded his head in agreement. "Angel Bunny must be mistaken or having a bad dream... well this was fun but I am going back to sleep."
Angel Bunny gave Spike a look of death. Sleep while you can Spike, one day we shall duel to the death my most hated rival. He looked towards Applejack with a pleading look.
Applejack could tell something was off and decided she would indulge the varmint. "Alright I'll follow ya, but ya better not be wastin' my time."
____________________________________________________________
Fluttershy was making a nutritious and delicious salad. It wasn't the fanciest dinner, but she was going to make sure her Snuggles at well. "She will feel all better about this... then when Applejack or Rarity stops by nopony will see that I am abusing her. Those animals think I wouldn't catch on to their sudden vanishing act. If I know my Angel Bunny well, and I do, he's probably going to tell on me."
Fluttershy was grabbing her first aid box, anticipating the arrival of her pet. She knew it wouldn't take too long for Rainbow Dash to rinse off the wounds. "Oh Snuggles... come here so I can fix you all up." She used the time it would take for Rainbow Dash at very slow speed, to make it down stairs, to quickly clean up the evidence of her attack.
She quickly destroyed any evidence that could be detected by a non magical pony. She hoped that Twilight wasn't grabbed for investigation since she could really mess things up. "Snuggles?" she called out a bit scared.
Rainbow Dash slowly made her way downstairs and noticed how quickly the evidence of her previous pain was gone except from her body. "Fluttershy... expecting company?"
Fluttershy nervously laughed. "No not at all, just wanted to get past that nasty mess... come here so I can fix you up."
Rainbow Dash stopped and grinned. "No... I think I rather keep these marks, unless you can make it worth my while to get patched up."
Fluttershy hated being blackmailed. "Oh I see... well I can sure make it up to you... I can make you feel good."
Rainbow Dash blushed. "Not the direction I was going with, and I know you're just lying. How about this... I let you tend to my wounds and in return you have to give me a world class preening."
Fluttershy smiled. Sucker, you had the power to change things and you gave it up for preening... you're really dumb aren't you my sweet Snuggles. "Alright you win Snuggles, you will get the best preening ever if you come here and let me tend to your injuries."
Rainbow Dash smirked. Sucker, I would have came to you, for free, now I get my wings all preened up by the best caregiver in all the land."Alright Shy... let's get this done."
____________________________________________________________
Angel Bunny felt like he was a true hero. He had managed to lure Applejack to Fluttershy's house without Fluttershy being able to prepare for the sudden intrusion. He was ready for... Wait if I save the pest, than I can possibly endanger my momma... she can't be taken away... what was I thinking? He tried stopping Applejack from going inside but was being shoved aside gently.
"Ya made me come here, now I'm goin' in." Applejack knocked on the door gently and heard movement on the other side.
"Who is it?" a small voice called out.
"It's me ,Applejack, I came by because your varmint lead me here," she replied bemused.
"Oh, I'm sorry for that... I will take care of Angel Bunny and teach him a lesson about wasting the time of hard working ponies," the voice relayed.
"Fluttershy can ya open up? I jus' want to make sure what he said isn't true." Applejack watched as the door opened and a groggy robed Fluttershy appeared before her.
"Oh hello Applejack... care to come inside?" She asked nervously.
Applejack sniffed and noticed a familiar scent, the scent made her angry. "Ya smell like Rainbow Dash... why is that Fluttershy?" |
Fluttershy's New Pet | Snuggles is all mine! | Snuggles is all mine!
Applejack was at Fluttershy's door waiting for her to answer the question she had previously asked. "Well... go on, tell me why ya smell like RD."
Fluttershy thought of the only excuse she could think of. "Well... Snuggles is using the same shampoo that Rainbow Dash uses."
Applejack chuckled. "Nice lie... I sure as hay know that RD has a special Wonderbolt brand shampoo, that is mighty expensive, and ya can't afford it with the small amount of bits you have."
Fluttershy began sweating and hid behind her mane. "I ... I..."
Applejack became enraged. "Move aside now! I'm going to find RD and take her with me... ya sicko."
Fluttershy yelled, "No," at the top of her lungs.
Applejack who was already making her way inside stopped in front of Fluttershy. "Look that bunny of yours told me ya was making Rainbow Dash cry. If you think I will let anypony abuse the mare I love, ya got another thing comin'."
Fluttershy flared her wings in anger and used them to intimidate the farm pony. "No... Snuggles is all mine, and you can't have her Applejack."
"Snuggles, who cares about Snuggles. I want RD," Applejack said while snorting out steam.
Fluttershy knew that physically she would be unable to take out Applejack. She also remembered she was still wearing her mistress outfit underneath the robe and any tussle could expose it. "Rarity now," she said excitedly.
Applejack turned around and saw nothing but the darkness coming from Everfree. "Oh no ya don't!" she yelled out as the door shut on her. "Fluttershy, ya open up this darn door before I break it."
____________________________________________________________
Pinkie Pie was feeling great. She had just finished having some private fun with Twilight and they were in the bliss of post coitus. "That was so much fun! We should so totally do it again."
Twilight blushed and rubbed her hooves together. "Right now? I mean we just finished... aren't we supposed to wait?"
Pinkie giggled. "No way! That was so much fun! I mean that thing you did with your hoof...amazing!"
Twilight hid under her blanket. "Stop you're embarrassing me. Wait what's that noise?"
Pinkie looked over and saw Tank with a look of duty and shame on his face. "Tank... you were watching? You pervy Turtle!."
"It's a tortoise..." Twilight countered. "Wait! Tank belongs to Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash is thought to be missing."
Pinkie Pie gasped. "He can lead us to Rainbow Dash! Alright Tank, you can be forgiven for being a perv, if you lead us to Rainbow Dash."
Twilight noticed how they smelled and suggested a shower before they would rush off to find their missing friend.
____________________________________________________________
Rarity had been feeling guilty the entire time she ate her meal. It was delicious as well, which made it worse. She decided it was high time she stopped Fluttershy and helped Rainbow Dash escape the horrors she imagined would be taking place.
"You have saved my life plenty of times Rainbow Dash, it's time for me to save yours!" She yelled. Rarity got worked up, before charging into the darkness of the night towards Fluttershy's cottage.
With time being of the essence she didn't waste any worrying about sweating or her looks during duress. She used all the might her legs had in them to make a stride that was impressive... for a unicorn with no athletic prowess. She made it past Twilight's library ignoring the sudden appearance of Pinkie and Twilight.
Her legs grew tired as she marathoned all the way to her destination. She arrived just in time to see Applejack getting ready to break down Fluttershy's door. "Applejack, wait!"
____________________________________________________________
Applejack gave Fluttershy ample time to respond and with nothing holding her back she was ready to break down the door. It wasn't until she heard somepony calling out to her that she stopped herself mid charge. "Rarity?" She asked confused.
Rarity panted in exhaustion. "Wait... don't do... what you're about to do..."
Applejack went to check on Rarity, who seemed in distress. "What's goin' on sugar cube?"
Rarity sighed. "It's about Snuggles, there is something you should know Applejack...."
____________________________________________________________
Fluttershy began packing her things. "We have to go, Snuggles, we need to leave Ponyville for a while."
Rainbow Dash gave her a "are you kidding" look. "Fluttershy, what do you mean by 'we have to leave Ponyville for a while'?"
Fluttershy was leaking tears from her eyes and panicking. "We have to go... if they find you here they will lock me up or something!"
Rainbow Dash stood in her way and gave her a stern look. "Fluttershy, you need to calm down. What do you mean by they will lock you up?"
Fluttershy looked away sadly. "Ponies aren't allowed to keep other ponies as pets. When I was in the library I was reading all sorts of books on pets and critters. They said it's illegal to own a pony as a pet."
Rainbow Dash got angry. "Why didn't you tell me Shy? Look I can explain to them-"
"No! I can't risk it. Please, Snuggles, come with me... let's go together." Fluttershy had the saddest puppy dog eyes ever. She wanted to be safe and alone with her pet.
"Fluttershy, we don't have to run anywhere I can keep you safe, and plus, you have all these other animals that rely on you."
Fluttershy began shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. It was a sad sight to behold and Rainbow Dash had to bear it. "Please, Snuggles, let's go."
Rainbow Dash sighed softly. "Shy... don't worry... I will protect you." Rainbow Dash slowly wrapped a wing around Fluttershy and massaged her side slowly. "No pony will ever hurt you while I am around ok?"
Fluttershy's tears stopped leaking as much. she regained composure and nuzzled Rainbow Dash lovingly. "Promise?"
Rainbow Dash smiled and looks at her with a serious face. "I promise."
____________________________________________________________
Applejack yelled "What!" as loudly as she could. "Yer meanin' to tell me that Rainbow Dash is Snuggles?"
Rarity sadly nodded. "It's true, Applejack, I had to warn you in case you're serious about breaking down the door."
Applejack felt hurt. "Is this why you showed up? To stop me?"
Rarity winced at the tone. "No... I came to stop Fluttershy myself. She came by earlier and borrowed something to use on Snug- Rainbow Dash. I wanted to stop her but.... she was menacing."
Applejack snorted angrily. "I'm goin' in there and comin' out only when I have RD with me."
Rarity didn't have the heart to tell Applejack about Rainbow Dash's initial willingness. "We aren't supposed to know Applejack... and we can't let them know that we know."
Applejack gave Rarity a look that could kill. "Yer suggesting I jus' let Fluttershy keep on doin' what she's doin'?"
Rarity grew nervous. "Well... no, but I don't want you hurting her, darling."
Applejack saw how frightened Rarity grew and calmed herself a bit. "Alright sugar cube, I promise I won't hurt Fluttershy if she ain't stoppin' me from gettin' RD outta there."
Rarity decided to blurt out something that would shock Applejack to the core. "Rainbow Dash wanted to be Fluttershy's pet!"
What Rarity heard in response only made her feel sick to the stomach. She heard three gasps instead of one, alerting her to the presence of two other ponies. "Pinkie Pie... Twilight... when did you two get here?" she nervously asked.
____________________________________________________________
Twilight thought she misheard Rarity. "Did you just say, Rainbow Dash wanted to be Fluttershy's pet?"
Rarity giggled. "Oh... you heard... right well... see-"
Applejack stamped her foot in an aggressive manner. "Yes! She jus' did... can ya believe this crap?"
Pinkie Pie giggled. "So Rainbow Dash is like a doggy?"
Twilight sighed. "No Pinkie Pie... this situation isn't funny. If Snuggles is really Rainbow Dash then Fluttershy could end up locked away for a long time."
Rarity chuckled nervously. "Well I don't think we need to do anything as drastic as report this to anypony, I mean is she really hurting anypony by keeping Rainbow Dash as a pet?"
Applejack got real close to Rarity, dangerously so. "Ya ain't meanin' to tell me that I ain't hurt right now, are ya?"
Rarity gulped. "Good point... alright then... why don't we just try to be civil about all this... Fluttershy is our friend."
Twilight groaned. "This can't be happening... Fluttershy is our friend but I am also a princess... I can't allow this kind of degradation to happen on my watch."
Rarity began crying. "Please you girls... we can't lose Fluttershy... not over this. Let's just... ignore what we know and pretend we didn't find anything out."
Applejack was boiling inside, the rage of being denied justice made her stir. "Fine! if we goin' to do this then let's go now... I don't want to be near Fluttershy or her property right now."
Rarity nuzzled Applejack in gratitude. "I will escort you home Applejack... we can talk along the way."
Twilight wanted to protest but Pinkie stopped her with a hoof. "Let it go Twilight... for now let's just let everything play out. If we see Rainbow Dash and she looks like she needs help, we can do something about it."
Twilight sighed and let it go. It was her duty to stop things of this nature, since Celestia told her about things of historic traditions that were banned.
____________________________________________________________
Fluttershy was lost in her own world. Blind to the events unfolding outside her cottage, she was enjoying the embrace she was in. "Snuggles, I promise I will be kind to you. I want to start over and be a better owner."
Rainbow Dash smiled and continued rubbing Fluttershy's side. "I think that would be awesome. I mean this whole being whipped... wasn't working out for me."
Fluttershy kissed Rainbow Dash's cheek softly. This will be just till you accept being my pet permanently. Then we shall move out of Ponyville and I will make sure you learn to submit properly. "You are the greatest pet in the world, Snuggles." The best part is, that you are all mine.
Rainbow Dash blushed. "Hey enough sappy stuff... can we eat dinner now? I'm starving."
Fluttershy had a wicked smile hidden from view and eagerly replied with, "Yes I think it would be nice if we had something to eat."
____________________________________________________________
Applejack was walking back to Sweet Apple Acres with Rarity at her side. "I still don't get why we ain't doin' anything about this."
Rarity sighed and brushed her body along side Applejack's to toggle her mind. "If we do something about it we lose an element of harmony and a friend. I know Fluttershy has been acting odd as of late, but surely they will get bored with this whole, pet thing and things will go back to normal. I am certain Rainbow Dash wouldn't be a pony who can just sit still for too long."
Applejack brushed back and chuckled. "Yeah yer right, sugar cube, they ain't goin' to be like that for too long."
"Speaking of too long... it's late and I'm tired. Mind if I stay the night?" Rarity asked with a small yawn.
"I don't see why not? Jus' don't snore sugar-cube," Applejack replied gently.
Rarity blushed. "Who says we are sleeping in the same room? Don't you have an extra bedroom?"
Applejack chuckled. "What extra room?"
Rarity groaned. "Fine we're sharing a room... you get the floor. "
Applejack stopped in her tracks. "Excuse me? I'm tryin' my hardest to do you a favor and now on top of it all you want to take over my home?"
Rarity frowned and in a whiny voice replied, "I'm sorry... I know this must be hard for you. If it makes you feel better, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy aren't romantically involved. It's merely some sick deal that was made."
Applejack made a small smile for a split second. "Well I rather not think about that. Let's jus' go to bed, plus it wasn't so bad when we slept over Twilight's library that one time."
Rarity smiled softly. "I guess it wasn't... maybe tonight won't to end badly either. We can talk a bit and then just relax as we drift to sleep."
Applejack nuzzled Rarity gently. She wasn't feeling as bad, knowing that Rainbow Dash's weird relationship to Fluttershy was platonic. It gave her hope that all would end well if she just stuck to her guns.
Spike, on the other hand, was watching two semi loud mares walk intimately close as they were entering the house. "So that is why she wasn't into me... I guess I never had a chance... well here's hoping that Fluttershy's new pet isn't into mares." |
Fluttershy's New Pet | Darn that Appleslut | Darn that Appleslut
It was morning and the sun was rising over the peaceful skies above. The town of Ponyville was hit with a storm of drama that only affected the few ponies involved in it. The morning was much more serene than the chaotic night before. With the sun shining down on the town it was giving way to a new beginning.
Rainbow Dash had woken up early as usual but instead of leaving Fluttershy asleep, she gingerly woke the canary mare up using her tongue. "Morning Fluttershy, get up so I can do my exercises." She lapped away at Fluttershy's face earning her a yawn from the sleeping mare.
Fluttershy woke up feeling amazing after their night. She had been able to lower Rainbow Dash's guard and gave her a wicked good preening. With the tongue gently stroking her face, she pretended to be sleeping to allow for more licks. After a few more laps from her pet's tongue she yawned and faced the amazing pet. "Morning Snuggles. Gosh it's early, are you ready to start the day?"
Rainbow Dash was born ready. "Yes I am Shy. I'm about to head downstairs to exercise if you are interested in joining me."
Fluttershy smiled. "No you go ahead, I will get some chores done and get a bath ready for when you're done getting stinky... then I can make you all clean and ready for breakfast."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "Awesome! Well I better get to it." She ran off, feeling more energetic than ever before.
Fluttershy saw her pet run off and had a dreamy look on her face. "I can get used to this... it didn't hurt making that preening extra relaxing. After all, now she is enjoying this more and more. I can't wait till she submits, and I will finally be so happy."
____________________________________________________________
Applejack had an interesting night indeed. She woke up remembering everything that happened as soon as she saw the pony lying next to her. "Rarity?" she asked afraid of what may have occurred.
"Keep it down will you... I think I have a hangover," Rarity complained.
"What happened last night? I mean... what happened after we drank."
"Well I know we got some cider to drown away our sorrows... then you suggested in your drunken stupor to forget about Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash... then you called me sexy."
"I Did!"
"Yes and it was quite flattering, darling."
"Oh no... did we? I mean did we ya know?"
"I don't rightly know. I was pretty drunk myself and rather horny so it may have happened... which would suck because I wanted my first time to be with a handsome prince."
"Well, if we did I will be angry, because I wanted it to be with RD!"
"Stop yelling! plus... from what I do remember last night, whatever we did do was... pleasurable and fun."
"That don't mean we did it, does it?"
"Not necessarily, but there's a high probability we both lost control and reacted on instinct."
"So should we jus' end the mystery and lift the blanket?"
"If you must... but whatever happens, I want you to know... I had fun last night."
"Me too sugar cube, it was nice not worrying about feathered ponies for once."
"So how about we just don't lift the blankets and we pretend nothing happened. That way if it did or didn't, nopony is the wiser?"
"I can't, ya know that, I'm the element of honesty. I need to find out what happened last night... and take responsibility for it."
Applejack went to lift the sheets to discover if they had indeed soiled them with fluids but her hoof was held down. "You love Rainbow Dash, and I don't want to be the pony that spoiled your chances," Rarity said softly.
"So ya want me to lie? That's not the apple way."
"Fine... lift the sheets..."
"Okay here it goes."
Applejack lifted the sheets revealing that in their drunken stupor they did in fact have sex. She was devastated with the results and Rarity began crying. "Oh no... of all the worst things that could happen, this is the! Worst! Possible! Thing!"
Applejack got off the bed and looked out the window. She didn't have any words to say, and she didn't know what she would say to Rainbow Dash. "I guess I'll have to talk to RD during the pony pet play date today. I don't know how she'll take it."
Rarity got off the bed and rushed to Applejack's side. "If she treats you bad because of my mistake, I will hurt her," Rarity said with passion. She felt so guilty and apologetically nuzzled Applejack's face.
Applejack then went wide eyed with shock. "Oh let's just hope we didn't make too many loud noises last night."
Rarity became nervous. "That's right your family are more traditional... oh no..."
Applejack gulped. "It isn't jus' my family, sugar cube. Spike was at the barn all night, since Pinkie and Twilight bunkin' together at the library."
Rarity felt sick. "Poor Spike... we have to tell him about Fluttershy's pet, but how? If he heard this, will he even listen?"
Applejack sighed. "I sure hope so, Rares. Looks like things are going bad for everypony lately. Let's jus' hope things don't stay this way."
____________________________________________________________
Twilight was very comfortable when she woke up. "Pinkie...I can get used to this," Twilight said dreamily. "Are you sure you have to work this morning."
Pinkie chuckled. "I knew you had a sweet tooth, just didn't know you loved the taste of Pinkie Pie."
Twilight blushed. "You're terrible."
"Oh you know you love it, sweet stuff. As to your question, yes, I do have to go to work," Pinkie replied.
Twilight groaned. "Arg, fine! Get to work, I am going to find Spike."
Pinkie giggled as she got out of bed. "Oh Twilight, I think you might have an addiction to pie. Luckily for me it isn't apple pie."
Twilight tossed a pillow at her evading body and groaned. "Yeah well... ugh."
____________________________________________________________
Spike woke up angrily so. The night before he was able to hear it all. The first set of noises disoriented him from sleep but the more amorous noises of pleasure made him grow in anger. "I can't believe they did it... is that why I was forced to the barn so I wouldn't be trouble for them? Well it doesn't matter... I am so over Rarity anyways... and Fluttershy's pet will be my one true love."
He began walking towards the library and left the farm but heard noises again and saw Applejack and Rarity nuzzling each other. "Yeah it's obviously this has been going on for a while," he whispered sadly. He felt used by Rarity, thinking about how Applejack and her have been betraying him this whole time.
Little did he know that his evidence was circumstantial and all of his accusations were false.
____________________________________________________________
Later in the day it was time for the Pony Pet Play Date. The event that happened every at the park. The group of friends would bring their pets and play with them peacefully. It was usually a calm event and free of drama.
Fluttershy brought Angel Bunny and secretly brought her other pet. She ordered Rainbow Dash to go about her usual business during the play session at the park. Once the pony pet play date was over it was back to wearing a collar and being ordered around.
Rainbow Dash was going to have to explain her absence to her friends. She rehearsed something believable and hoped they would buy it. She brought Tank with her and felt good about being able to have some, one on one, time with him. She felt neglectful of the little tortoise and that began to worry her.
Applejack brought Winona and was not her usual excited self. The entire morning became complicated when she was confronted about the wild night she had. Her family could hear them moaning and groaning at all hours of the night. Rarity was there when it happened and she remained silent and red faced.
Rarity had went back to her shop/home after that and got ready for the day. She washed herself of Applejack's scent and even tried grooming opal with major retaliation. When she arrived she noticed how gloomy Applejack was and felt guilty.
Pinkie Pie was excited as usual and even had gummy riding on her back with his jaws clamped around her mane. She was glad to be able to spend some more time with twilight and had made some delicious treats this morning which sold easily. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and now Pinkie knew why.
Twilight wasn't as excited as Pinkie was. She had been consoling a depressed baby dragon that had been mislead to believe things he had imagined in his head. Then the worst part was she had to inform him of Fluttershy's new pet. It was the worst thing ever. She was going to cancel on showing up but felt it would be wrong to not show up and at least explain why she couldn't make it.
When they all arrived it was quiet and peaceful until Applejack got close to Rainbow Dash. That motion of them getting closer made Fluttershy become angry. "That darn Appleslut... why does she have to crowd around Snuggles like that."
Rarity blushed. "Yes, she does seem to be crowding your pet... just remember no one knows about your relationship so don't cause a scene."
Fluttershy watched as the two mares were getting chummy and their bodies were moving closer to each other. She began snorting steam out her nose, and getting ready to charge.
Rarity saw this and was shocked at how jealous Fluttershy was. "Fluttershy, you need to calm down before you do something rash."
"No!" Fluttershy yelled out catching the attention of every pony there. "Sorry... I just really disagreed with something Rarity said."
Twilight felt this was her cue to address a certain issue. "Speaking about Rarity, it seems your sudden relationship with Applejack made Spike a bit upset. He thinks you two have been together secretly behind his back. I told him it wasn't true, but still he was crying about it."
Fluttershy grinned at the information. "So then Applejack is with Rarity? Oh that's great news. You two will be happy together!"
Rainbow Dash felt a bit bummed out. "Well that's... something else."
Applejack was in tears. "I'm not with Rarity... I jus' had sex with her."
Pinkie Pie gasped. "But I thought you loved Rainbow Dash... "
Rarity felt bad and tried to salvage the situation. "Well it's just we got drunk and it was my fault."
Rainbow Dash blushed. "Wait what? Applejack loves me?"
Fluttershy saw the reaction and got angry. "Yeah she says she does... but look at what she did behind your back ... oh that must hurt doesn't it?"
Applejack gave Fluttershy a look that could kill. "Ya know what Fluttershy, ya ain't so innocent yourself! Or should I tell Rainbow Dash about the massage Rarity gave ya, while ya weren't drunk?"
Fluttershy flared her wings in aggression. "Or I could tell you about the preening I gave Rainbow Dash while we weren't drunk. It's much more interesting."
Rainbow Dash felt uncomfortable about the whole situation. "Are you two fighting over me? If so you both are wasting your time. I don't do relationships."
Fluttershy snorted in anger. "Shut your mouth, Snuggles!"
The silence that followed was stagnant. The tensions between all parties grew as the situation escalated. Fluttershy began shaking in fear and ran with tears flowing down her face. Rainbow Dash just froze as she mentally checked out of the entire awkward moment. Applejack walked away angrily and felt like speaking to nopony at all. Rarity wasn't sure who to console but knew who to blame. Twilight was filled with guilt and couldn't shake the feeling that things were going to get worse. Pinkie Pie felt her Pinkie Sense go off.
Rarity rushed to Rainbow Dash's side. "I know you are in there and you have to listen right now. You have two distinct choices. You can either go after Fluttershy and calm her down or you can go after Applejack."
Rainbow Dash stayed silent but flapped her wing in acknowledgement of what she was saying.
"If you choose to go after Applejack then you must let be honest with her about how you feel, and I will go after Fluttershy and stop her from doing something stupid. If you go after Fluttershy then I am going to take my chances with Applejack and well... I will give her the love you can't."
Rainbow Dash flapped her wing again letting Rarity know she is understanding her so far. She was trying to digest what took place and how she could save face in all this.
"So Rainbow Dash... which is it? You can't be at two places at once, and they both need you... I will be honest. I hope you choose Fluttershy. Because last night I had an amazing time with Applejack, and this may be selfish of me to say this but... I think she deserves someone who is emotionally stable."
Rainbow Dash snapped. "Well what about what I think? You have no idea how I feel about all this..."
Rarity looked into Rainbow Dash's eyes and asked slowly. "How do you feel about all this?"
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth and replied with, "I feel that I should go after... " |
Fluttershy's New Pet | This can't be happening | This can't be happening
Fluttershy was packing her things. "Angel Bunny, I have to run away, it's not safe here anymore." She was flooding her house with tears as she went on gathering her things. "Don't worry, we can start a new life somewhere new."
Angel Bunny tapped his foot on the wet ground. Each pitiful second that passed caused the ground to get damp. He tried telling her that he could protect her from any pony who dares attack.
"Oh Angel Bunny, you're sweet," Fluttershy said while letting out a small chuckle. She sniffled as the sadness of her situation overcame the three seconds of joy.
____________________________________________________________
Applejack was at her farm bucking trees extra hard. "Stupid heart, stupid love... stupid trees." She bucked a tree almost breaking it in half. "Consarn it all, I can't work like this."
She began walking towards the farm contemplating life and everything surrounding it. "If only there was a pony that would love me for me." She laughed at herself lowly. She arrived at her house and was in shock when she saw a pony there waiting for her. "What are ya doin' here..."
____________________________________________________________
Fluttershy had everything packed and was ready to go. She opened the door to her cottage and gasped at the surprise visitor. "Ra... Ra..."
The pony in question decided to speak. "I honestly didn't think I would come here. Something inside me told me to show up. I don't know what I can say to you, or how to make things better. I just know that, when I picture you sad or hurt, I want to comfort you."
Fluttershy was shocked at the heartfelt words. After all she did to the pony standing in front of her she thought it would have been an opposite reaction. "Why? Why do you care? What I did to you... isn't right."
The pony smiled softly. "I never said it was... I just know that I came here. I came to you first, out of all ponies."
"Why?" Fluttershy asked with her heart pounding.
The pony grinned. "Isn't it obvious Shy? A pet is always loyal to it's owner."
Fluttershy tackled Rainbow Dash and held her close. "This can't be happening... is this really happening?"
Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Yeah, I think it is."
Fluttershy began crying. "This is so unfair... you returned to me just as I'm about to leave. I know you won't come with me."
Rainbow Dash held Fluttershy's face with her hooves and looked into her eyes. "What kind of pet would I be if I just let you leave without me tagging along? I know you think I have some grand destiny, but I choose my own path in life. I want this, whatever this is. I don't care what it becomes either. So if you plan on leaving, you better take me with you."
Fluttershy sniffled and buried her muzzle into Rainbow Dash's neck. "Thank you, Snuggles."
"No problem, Shy." Rainbow Dash gently held Fluttershy in her hooves and stayed there till Fluttershy stopped crying. It was an emotional moment that she hoped never to endure again. She wasn't the pony who liked emotions or sappy stuff.
Fluttershy waited till her face could make a gentle smile again before separating herself from her pet. "Alright Snuggles, if you're coming along then let's get you ready."
____________________________________________________________
Applejack was still angry and didn't really feel like talking to any pony. Though, Rarity, wasn't going to budge an inch. "Listen, darling, I know this situation isn't ideal. Still, if you want somepony to love I know a great pony without feathers who will be happy to take on the role of your love interest."
Applejack chuckled. "Seriously, who's gonna love me? I'm jus' a simple farm pony. Nothin' special bout me."
Rarity frowned. "You're wrong about that, Applejack. You're an amazing pony and any pony in their right mind would be honored to be yours."
Applejack blushed. "Ya really mean that, sugar cube?"
Rarity nodded gently. "Indeed I do. Heck even if was a drunken affair, I still enjoyed our short time together. I was hoping we could spend more time together... sober."
Applejack beamed. "Well I'd be delighted to. Let's spend some time gettin' to know each other."
Rarity smiled wickedly. "Yes, let's get to know more about each other... in my room."
Applejack chuckled nervously. "I don't think we should move so fast."
Rarity grinned. "I know we should move fast." She began walking closer to the nervous Applejack.
Applejack mulled her options and threw caution to the wind. "Oh heck let's do it."
Rarity leaned in and whispered gently. "Oh we shall."
____________________________________________________________
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were packed and ready to leave. They had no destination and didn't need any. They had the most important thing in their lives. They had each other, and it was all they needed. The two pegasi headed to the train station with all their luggage. It was a slow journey but meaningful one.
Rainbow Dash nuzzled Fluttershy as they walked side by side. "You sure you don't want to at least say goodbye?"
Fluttershy frowned. "No... I think right now it would just be best if I left. I can't face them right now."
Rainbow Dash sighed. "Trust me, Shy, they seemed pretty alright with it. Still if you rather not then we won't stop."
Fluttershy began crying. "What am I doing?"
Rainbow Dash stopped and held Fluttershy close with her wing. "Something wrong?"
Fluttershy leaned into Rainbow Dash's embrace. "I ... I can't leave the animals behind. I just can't."
Rainbow Dash smiled. "Then don't. I promise you, I will always keep you safe."
Fluttershy sniffled a bit. "You promise?"
Rainbow Dash wiped away Fluttershy's tears before responding. "Yeah, I do."
Fluttershy rubbed her muzzle against Rainbow Dash's cheek. "You truly are the best pet in the world, Snuggles."
Rainbow Dash cheekily licked Fluttershy's face earning her a blush. "I guess I am, huh."
Fluttershy leaned into Rainbow Dash's ear and whispered, "But I think you would make a better marefriend."
Rainbow Dash looked deep into Fluttershy's eyes. "I have never loved any pony before, romantically at least. I don't know how to be tender and warm, as a lover would. The only thing I know is ... I have never felt this way towards any pony before. I allowed you to do things to me, that no pony ever could. So what I guess I am saying is... let's see what becomes of us. I still have a month before I get back to work and the animals can be taken care of temporarily. I say we do this, we leave for a vacation with just us."
Fluttershy's heart fluttered. "Really? Oh ... let's do this... this sounds fun. Woo hoo!"
____________________________________________________________
One month passed since that day. A group of ponies and a baby dragon had been gathered to greet the returning ponies. The train passengers had all exited in normal pace. Two passengers with their tails linked and their bodies touching were exiting the train.
The two ponies were immediately greeted. "Hey guys!" Pinkie shouted in joy. Pinkie's life had been hectic since dating Twilight. In the month that past she had been escorting Twilight to royal events and royal balls. The shock of the princess dating another mare was stifled by Celestia's acceptance of the pair.
Twilight was equally excited. She wanted to know how their bonding experience was. She had to take notes on it for science! "Hey you two, welcome back."
Rarity was glad to see Fluttershy in one piece. "Oh, darlings, we missed you girls terribly." She and Applejack had a great relationship that was recently made public to Ponyville. There was this one neigh sayer about it, but Big Mac handled that. Overall, the town was more accepting than feared.
Applejack had accepted that she wasn't going to be with Rainbow Dash. She moved on quickly thanks to some 'help' from Rarity. "Howdy partners, long time no see." The Apple clan weren't too thrilled about Applejack's choice of partners. It wasn't the fact that Rarity was a mare or unicorn that bugged them. It was her need to make everyone pretty.
Spike was the most eager to see Fluttershy again. He was the one with the task of caring for the critters since he did so before. "Oh thank Celestia! I'm free now! Free I tell ya!" He had one month of the most brutal hell he ever had to endure. He learned why Fluttershy had no job and how much of a blessing she was to Ponyville. Those animals got vicious when they weren't fed properly.
The four ponies that showed up to greet the two returning ones, noticed something on Rainbow Dash's neck that looked like a collar. Attached to the collar was a tag that read "Snuggles." They gasped as Fluttershy had one of her own and on the tag attached it said "Nibbles."
Rarity giggled excitedly. "Oh how marvelous! You two are perfect for each other."
Rainbow Dash smiled at that and spoke with passion. "I won't lie it wasn't an easy journey for us. It took me a while to open up and allow myself to be vulnerable enough to love. I realized while Fluttershy and I, were enjoying the sunny days that... this mare right here..." she nuzzled Fluttershy gently. "Is the mare I love."
After a chorus of "D'aaw" and a blushing Fluttershy was calmed. Spike decided to ask the only logical question. "So why is she named Nibbles anyways?
Rainbow Dash laughed. "One day Spike, when you get older, I'll tell you exactly why she is called Nibbles."
____________________________________________________________
it was ten years after Spike was denied the meaning of Fluttershy's nickname. Spike had grown into an adult dragon traveling the world continuing his search of knowledge and purpose in life. He had far outgrown his pony family when he reached his teen years. He was able to watch from a distance the progress of his pony family's life.
Rarity and Applejack had broken up, then got back together, then broken up, then got married. He never had seen such whirlwind romance in his life. It was chaotic but in the end they had settled down with each other. They even adopted a foal and used magic to have one of their own.
Twilight and Pinkie Pie became the first gay married royal couple in Equestria. Pinkie Pie became corrupt with power and declared one day out of the year to be a celebration of snacks and treats known as Cake Day. Twilight immediately corrected the situation and Pinkie Pie no longer had any say in royal proceedings. They took over the castle in Canterlot since it gave Celestia and Luna a long needed vacation.
Celestia and Luna decided to vacation and let Twilight be responsible. They went together to travel Equestria and the foreign nations and haven't returned to Equestria yet.
Rainbow Dash became a sensation. she was the, self proclaimed, best wonderbolt ever. With the money she made from performing, her wife had funneled the bits into an account and invested wisely. Now after ten years of performing and taking some time off Rainbow Dash had retired with enough bits to buy Equestria three times over.
Fluttershy was the richest trophy wife/ animal caretaker in all Equestria. She had an enormous animal sanctuary that she maintained with the help of the hired hooves. She and Rainbow Dash had 5 foals in the span of the 10 years. It turns out that Fluttershy had a thing for having foals.
____________________________________________________________
Rainbow Dash was getting ready for bed and had something on her mind ever since she was accepted as a pet ten years ago. She snuggled up to her wife of many years and looked into her eyes. "Hey babe."
Fluttershy smiled sleepily. "Yes my love?"
"Why did you actually take me in as a pet all those years ago?"
"To be honest I thought it was just you being silly... I thought if I took you in then you would stop the joke and resume your day."
"So when you knew it wasn't a joke, why did you keep me on?"
"Because I loved you so much, and I was too scared to admit it. So I decided if I couldn't have you as a lover, I could at least have you close to me."
"Wow... that's kinda deep."
"Love?"
"Yeah, Shy?"
"Why did you choose me to take care of you all those years ago?"
"The truth?"
"Yeah."
"Because when I thought about who I could trust with my life, and who I could spend my life with, the only pony I could think of was you."
Nothing else was said that night. The love they had for each other rung through the corridors as they passionately celebrated their life together. The two ponies that had always belonged to each other but never knew till that one fateful day when Rainbow Dash became Fluttershy's new pet. |
The Canterlot Caper | pre | "You are a Princess, so I cannot stop you," Silverwings heard Celestia's muffled voice after having missed a couple of sentences. That happened a lot due to the bad position he listened from. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
"Go on, I need more," he whispered to himself. He had missed the beginning of the conversation, and even more was lost because of Celestia's silent voice.
"Well, then I am joining you too," he heard Rarity's voice. For the first time, Silverwings was thankful to Celestia for making her guard to learn the names and faces of Twilight Sparkle's friends.
Somepony else said something Silverwings could not make out, so he took the opportunity to look over his shoulder again. Still nopony there. He clenched his teeth to suppress the burning feeling in his wing joints.
"If you... do this, then... make sure... of my best agents. Ponyville... tomorrow," Celestia responded in her typical quiet manner. Silverwings cursed Celestia's way of speaking for the thousandth time. It made an already hard mission even harder.
He listened for a couple more minutes, but heard nothing else. With an exhausted sigh, Silverwings slowed his flapping and descended to the ground. He had not heard the whole conversation, but probably enough to ensure a healthy boost on this month's paycheck. He returned to patrol duty and forced himself to remember everything he had heard.
After about two hours of walking around Canterlot's upper district along with another guard, he retreated to his home in the middle part of the city. His house was somewhat larger than most rank-and-file guard's, largely due to his role as informant for... whoever it was he informed.
"Hello, honey!" A white pegasus mare with kind, pink eyes and mane called as he went through the door to his home.
"Hello, sweetheart," He said with a relaxed smile as he kissed his mare tenderly on the lips. It was moments like this that reminded him why he did what he did. Stardust, his mare, deserved the best he could give, and if selling information gave her a better life, then it was worth it.
"I have made your favorite vegetable soup, dear," Stardust said as they broke the kiss.
"Sounds lovely, sweetheart. I just need to write a letter, and then I will be right with you."
Silverwings sat down in the comfy chair by the desk in his and Stardust's bedroom. He took out a pen and paper and wrote down what he had heard.
Twilight Sparkle has learned of something called The Circus. She has vowed to shut it down, whatever it is. Her friend, Rarity, has done the same. They have both received Princess Celestia's blessing for this and will probably receive help from one of her agents. If so, they will meet the agent in Ponyville, tomorrow.
Sincerely, The Looker.
Silverwings read through the letter again and hoped the information was valuable enough. It always seemed much less when he actually put it to paper. He shook the doubts out of his mind, opened a small drawer and got out an envelope, put the small note inside it and sealed it with hot wax. He then stamped it with the seal of the Royal Guard and picked up the pencil in his mouth to write the address.
He had looked into the address when he first got his informant job, and had become even more confused than before. It was the address to Twilight Sparkle's own castle in Ponyville. Why would she want to know what Princess Celestia was doing? Couldn't she just ask? Silverwings actually asked the young Princess once if she received a lot of mail from the Canterlot Guard, but she said she never had gotten one. Was it true or did she lie? And if Twilight did not get the letters, then who did?
A simple guard like him did not know what this mess meant, but he understood that it probably was none of his business. Better not to ask too many questions, or he might lose his informant job.
Silverwings placed the letter on the desk, and went down to have dinner. He could post it later that day when he and Stardust took their evening walk. Once again, he wondered who would be interested in knowing everything the Princesses did. |
The Canterlot Caper | Chapter four- Ponyville Prank | The Clown dashed out of the post office and fluttered as quick as possible towards The Wizard's mansion. She held the short letter crumpled in her right hoof. Everything had gone haywire. They had a Princess on their hooves! Twilight Sparkle herself was coming after them! She had to warn the rest of her friends, they had to do... do something, anything! When she arrived to the mansion, she did not care to knock, but simply barraged into the door, giving the butler a minor heart attack. She took no notice of him, but flew up the stairs to the master bedroom.
The Wizard stood in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection with a critical eye when The Clown smashed the door off its hinges. He picked up a comb and slid it through his gunmetal colored mane. His eyes moved to meet The Clown's in the mirror.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I prefer to have my mail in the mailbox," he said dryly. "But now that you are here..." The Wizard turned around and held out a hoof. The Clown handed him the small note.
She thought The Wizard would flip out as well, but his face barely moved at all. He got a small furrow in his brow, but that was it. "I shall have to look into this," he said simply. "But don't you worry none, I will make sure to call in a meeting. Now, I trust you have better things to do than destroying my home? Thank Celestia that I am a generous soul and won't demand that you pay for a new door."
The Clown wanted to say something, but heard the butler huff angrily behind her. She turned around and left, somewhat saddened by The Wizard's chilly dismissal. Her ears laid flat against her skull as she left.
When she got home, she sat down by the table and thought.
All in all, things were not that bad, now that she had begun to calm down. The Wizard had some way to contact their friends, so they could act soon. All she had to do was to finish the morning rounds as usual and go home. Eventually, The Wizard would contact her.
*****
The Escape Artist met The Tamer at the station. Of course they both wore masks, but they had learned to recognize each other through other means. The way you walked, your posture, your expression; it all said something about who you were. For that matter, The Tamer's twitchy movements were hard to miss. The Escape Artist trotted up to him. Just having somepony he recognized close by helped him calm down.
They were both dressed in the fanciest suits they could afford and slowly moseyed their way to The Wizard's mansion. Apparently something was brewing in Ponyville, so they would have to meet there instead of at The Golden Apple Slice tonight.
They both stepped into the mansion together as the sun was starting to set. A butler came and took their suit jackets and a small magenta filly looked at them curiously. Her eyes seemed to scour them for any type of flaw in their clothing.
"Who is this weirdo?" The filly asked while giving The Tamer a judgmental look. The pegasus's right wing unfolded and folded again in rapid succession. "Is he, like, stupid or something?"
"Forgive Miss Diamond, sir," The Butler said apologetically to The Tamer, who took no notice of him at all. "She is very temperamental. Mr. Rich is expecting you in the living room at the second floor." The butler looked to The Escape Artist, no doubt unnerved by The Tamer's twitches and strange demeanor. "Allow me."
They followed the butler up the stairs and were ushered into a large living room. The Wizard sat in a large leather armchair at the short end of a wooden table around which The Equilibrist, The Bearded Mare and The Illusionist already sat. On it were a couple of champagne bottles and glasses. Bookcases lined one wall and windows the opposite. Across from their doorway was a similar door, flanked by two crossbows with a fan of bolts under each. A large crystal chandelier hung over the table.
"Thank you, Randolph," The Wizard said with a relaxed voice. "Please leave us and make sure my little Diamond does not disturb."
"Naturally, sir," the butler said. With a small nod towards The Escape Artist and The Tamer, he left the room and closed the door. They both went to the table and took a chair.
As soon as the butler had left, The Wizard went up to one of the windows and opened it. With the sound of flutter and a loud crash, The Clown flew through it, and into the bookcase on the opposite wall. Prankster fluttered through the window in a more controlled manner and landed in front of The Equilibrist.
"RRRAK! SEEDS, RRRAK!" The Parrot said with expectant eyes.
"Well, of course, but be silent please," The Equilibrist responded as he put a small pile of seeds, nuts and slices of fruit in front of the parrot. "Else the butler might hear you, and you are a rather unique pet." Prankster looked at The Equilibrist with disapproving eyes. The Tamer walked up to The Clown and helped her stand up.
"First of all," The Wizard said as he looked at the dazed Clown, "sorry for being so cold to you earlier, but I'm afraid I have to maintain my charade when Randolph is nearby."
"Ohh, it's nothing," The Clown said. She was very happy that The Wizard apologized though. Few other ponies showed her such kindness. She pretended not to see that The Illusionist rolled his eyes.
The Wizard nodded. "Now that you are all here..." He passed The Illusionist a small, crumpled note. He read it and passed it along.
"Huh, now that's annoying..." The Equilibrist said when the note returned to The Wizard.
"Yep, it is," The Equilibrist continued. "we have more important business to attend to than silencing ponies right now."
"You are aware that we have a Princess after us, right?" The Illusionist asked dryly. "Twilight seems annoyingly persistent, based on what my sources say. We should at least keep track of what she does."
"We should do far more than that," The Escape Artist said with a wicked grin. "The Escape Artist has learnt of a minor complication with the regalia."
"Okay, and what is that?" The Clown asked in her curious way.
"Only an alicorn can remove it."
The atmosphere fell in the room as her colleagues took that piece of information in. After a dramatic pause, The Escape Artist spoke again. "But now that Sparkle will do us the favor of coming after us, that won't cause much of a problem, will it?"
"I like the way you think, peasant," The Illusionist said menacingly. "We kidnap Twilight and then the rest of the operation will just be a simple heist."
The Tamer cleared his throat. "I s-suggest-t we d-do that-t as-s-soon as pos-sible. We c-c-can work out-t-t the re-re-rest of the p-plan later, b-but we will need s-some time to get T-Twilight to cooperate."
"I agree, my friends," The Equilibrist said as he stroked Prankster's feathers.
"So the agent was supposed to meet up with Twilight here in Ponyville tonight, huh?" The Equilibrist continued. "That could be an opportunity."
The Equilibrist was silent a few seconds. "In fact, I think I have an idea," he said slowly.
"So you want to strike with the agent there? Sounds unnecessarily risky," The Illusionist said with a lazy voice. He didn't seem to be as afraid of the risk as much as having to work.
"We need to know who we are dealing with though," The Escape Artist pointed out. "Better to run into problems with the agent now than later in the coup. What is your plan, Equilibrist?"
The Equilibrist described his idea to the gathered ponies, who added their own suggestions. The sun dipped beneath the horizon as they talked and perfected the coup that would mark the beginning of their most daring performance, The Canterlot Caper.
"Well, well, well. This might work... theoretically," The Equilibrist said when they finally were done.
"I dare say this might be hypothetically viable, if we are a bit lucky," The Equilibrist clarified. "But that will of course depend on you, Clown. Think you can do this?"
The Clown swallowed nervously. It should not be a hard mission, exactly; just as far from her comfort zone as possible. Her typical work for The Circus was either to control The Tamer, or to provide an extra pair of hooves when needed.
This mission would require her to operate alone and, even worse, there was a risk for violence.
The Clown hated seeing ponies get hurt. She preferred to run when threatened, but that would be impossible during this mission. Of course, she was not untrained in hoof-to-hoof combat, nopony in The Circus could be, but that didn't mean she liked to fight.
"Clown?" The Equilibrist asked with a kind voice. "I can do it if you prefer... but it will make other parts more difficult. And she might recognize me..."
"How about you pull your own weight for once? I don't want to clean up your mess should he be recognized," The Illusionist said with a demeaning voice. The Clown shrunk under his gaze. An angry hiss came from The Tamer who gave The Illusionist a look that could frighten the dead.
"No, don't fight now!" The Clown said with an anxious voice. "I'll do it," she mumbled.
"And you are sure you can do this without a hitch?" The Equilibrist asked, somewhat uncertain. "If not, let me take care of it."
"Nono, I will do it. I can do it," The Clown said, a little louder.
"If you say so... Wizard, I trust you can get the things we need?" The Equilibrist asked as he turned to the earth pony.
"Already have them, my friend," The Wizard said with a smile. He trotted up to the wall and took down one of the large crossbows. "I will use this. You can have the other one."
"Sure you can hit with that?" The Bearded Mare asked with a doubtful voice.
"Of course I can. I am quite the marksman, actually," The Wizard said with a smirk. "Clown?"
"Yep," The Clown said as she picked up a small bottle and a couple of darts. "I have never tried these, but from what I have heard from Nurse Redheart, it is very strong."
"G-g-good," The Tamer said. "The more t-time we have the b-bet-t-ter."
The ponies looked at each other in a fateful silence. "Curtains rise, for now the show begins," The Equilibrist said. As one, everypony rose from their chairs and filed out of the room.
*****
Rarity and Coco were chopping up carrots for dinner in Carousel Boutique. Together with Twilight, they waited with nervous excitement. They were about to meet a secret agent, the one who had been on The Circus's hooves the longest. Even Coco had managed to put her anxiety aside for now.
"Perhaps we should turn on a Con Mane video?" Rarity asked with a swooning voice. She had to say something. She had a hard time keeping all excitement in. Was this how Pinkie Pie felt all the time?
"I don't think so, Rarity. Let's try to keep this professional, okay?" Twilight said with a serious voice, but beaming eyes. She seemed just as excited as Rarity.
"I am professional, I just want to have something to do while we wait," Rarity defended. She was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. The three ponies tensed at the sound.
"Rarity, perhaps you should open the door?" Twilight suggested with a giddy voice. Startled, Rarity got up from her chair and opened the door.
"Hello, Rarity," Bon-Bon said in a carefree way. "Can I come in?"
Rarity opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. She had expected the agent, but instead it was just Bon-Bon on an evening walk. "Why, yes. Of course," she said when she had gathered her bearings somewhat. "I was expecting somepony else..."
"Like a secret agent?" Bon-Bon asked with a smirk. Rarity's expression was priceless.
"Bon-Bon?!" Twilight asked in a startled voice that matched Rarity's feelings perfectly. "You are the secret agent? The one who has been tracking The Circus?"
"That's me," Bon-Bon said in a neutral voice. She took out a pair of shades from nowhere in particular and put them on. "And my name isn't Bon-Bon, it's Sweetie Drops. I was originally trained to catch monsters, but due to an incident involving a certain bug-bear, the agency was shut down and I was then transferred to another agency that dealt with organized crime. Celestia wouldn't waste her best agent, after all..."
"Whaaa...? Wh... when... wha... gaaaa?" was all Rarity could say. Bon-Bon was a secret agent? ...?
"Yep," Bon-Bon said with an amused smile. "So, Princess, you want to help me, huh?"
"Yes, I want to help you, and Rarity does too," Twilight said with a surprised voice. She seemed to have been lost in her own thoughts.
"In that case, I just want to tell you something, let you know what kind of ponies we are up against," Bon-Bon said with a serious voice. "Everything I share with you now is classified, so you will have to keep silent about it, okay?"
Rarity and Twilight nodded. Rarity felt herself being filled with even more nervous excitement, if such a thing was possible. Classified information, just like in any Con Mane movie.
"There is one pony in The Circus whom I might know the real name of," Bon-Bon said silently. "The Tamer. I think his real name is Topsy Twitchy, former Wonderbolt."
"Who?" Twilight asked. Rarity's excitement died and was replaced by fright. She had expected to face the nastiest criminals in Equestria, but she did not expect Topsy, of all ponies, to be among their ranks. Wasn't he supposed to be dead, for that matter?
"You mean The Twister? The Wonderbolt whose stunt nearly ruined half of Canterlot?" She asked while praying she was wrong.
"That's him," Bon-Bon confirmed calmly. Rarity swallowed.
"Hello, can somepony explain?" Twilight waved her hoof.
"Long story short," Bon-Bon said patiently, "'The Twister' was one of the best Wonderbolts there ever was, and a master at weather manipulation with a special knack for storms. Some of his tricks are still regarded as the finest in recent Wonderbolt history. It was also he who worked out the wind funnel tactic used to bring water up to Cloudsdale. However, he turned out to have a few screws loose, and during one show he created a tornado so large it reportedly lifted spectators out of their seats and threw them. That is the only time spectators have been severely injured during a Wonderbolts performance. He went missing after the incident, and hasn't been seen since. Most ponies prefer to think that somepony so dangerous as dead, but closing ones eyes and wishing... well, I find it doesn't always work..."
"So you think he joined The Circus, and that they have hidden him?" Twilight asked. Rarity could see that her friend looked just as shocked and disgusted as she felt herself.
"Yep. And that is the type of pony you will be up against," Bon-Bon said with a casual tone. "Still sure you wanna join?"
"Yes," Twilight said. "More than ever. If that's the type of pony they employ, then I will put them down."
"Just one question, if you don't mind," Rarity said with an inquisitive glance. Bon-Bon motioned Rarity to continue. "Do you know anything about them? Any signalment, race or gender?"
"Not much, no," Bon-Bon answered. "Every pony race is represented, but they are very careful with hiding their identities. They always wear masks, and the unicorns refrain from using magic."
"Oh joy," Rarity said glumly.
"Come on, Rarity," Twilight said with an encouraging smile. "The Circus have never had us to tangle with before. They won't even know what hit them." Rarity gave a wry smile.
"I like your spirit, Princess. This will be exciting," Bon-Bon said with a smirk and removed her shades again. "Celestia said something about somepony who has fallen victim to those vermin, is that right?"
"Coco Pommel, yes," Rarity said. "She is in here, please follow me." Rarity went to the kitchen, where Coco had moved on to dicing up apples.
"Coco, the agent wants to see-" Rarity began before Bon-Bon tackled her roughly to the side and all but flew through the kitchen door towards Coco. The confectioner/ agent slammed into Coco and heaved her down on the floor.
CRASH!
A silvery streak penetrated the glass and cleaved the air where Coco's neck had been just a moment earlier. The silence afterward was deafening. Coco's eyes were small as pinpoints and her breathing came shallow and quick as she laid beside agent Bon-Bon who, in turn, had positioned herself just below the window in order to avoid any further shots.
"Things just got real," Rarity said in a breathless voice as she got to her hooves again.
"Take cover you two," Bon-Bon said with a voice of steel. Rarity and Twilight placed themselves behind the door. "Now, Twilight, hoof me the bullet. I want to know what they are shooting with."
Twilight stared dumbfounded towards the broken window. There was only night outside, and yet she knew there was somepony out there, maybe taking aim at her right now. She snapped back to reality at the sound Bon-Bon's voice and looked around the room. She found what was left of the "bullet" stuck in a wall, and levitated it over to herself.
"Bon-Bon," Twilight said with a confused and scared voice. "This is not a bullet, it's a dart."
"That means their sniper, The Wizard, is here, and likely somepony else too," Bon-Bon said with a voice that was more annoyed than anything else. "Rarity, stay here with Coco, I think it is her they are after. Twilight, come with me. We are bringing them down now."
Before Twilight could voice a protest, Bon-Bon had jumped through the broken window and disappeared in the night. Twilight swallowed and dashed out the window as fast as she could. When she got out, she jumped quickly to the left and continued to move erratically to make herself harder to hit.
"There you are," Bon-Bon's voice was like Twilight had never heard it before. It was bitter, on the border to scary. Twilight saw the agent looking towards a roof at the other side of the street.
The darkness made it hard, but Twilight could clearly see the silhouette of somepony standing on the roof. He or she had a crossbow in hoof. Twilight watched the figure heighten the weapon, aim to his side and fire. The bolt shot through the air faster than the eye could follow and struck the house beside the pony on the roof. A rope went between the bolt and the house where the pony stood.
Without a word, Bon-Bon and the unknown pony both began to run. Bon-Bon ran on the ground, and the other ran along the rope he had spanned between the houses with the bolt.
Twilight was just about to follow, when something caught her eye. In the middle of Mane Street stood another pony, dressed in a long, black cape. Twilight knew he or she was looking at her, even if the long cape hid the face.
The Wizard is here, and likely somepony else too. There were two enemies. Twilight began to gallop after the other pony. The cape would make her target hard to spot from the air. Her enemy was fast though, in fact, more so than Twilight herself.
Twilight ignited her horn and prepared a spell. She focused on the running figure and lifted him or her from the ground. Before her target had come even a hooflength upwards, the unknown pony teleported. Twilight skidded to a halt as she tried to locate her quarry. The sound of running hooves behind made her turn around. The running pony dashed down the same street they just had run up. Twilight continued her pursuit, and readied another spell.
Just before she would cast it, a cloud of smoke exploded in the street and hid her target. Quickly, Twilight changed the spell in her horn, and summoned a gust of wind. The smoke cleared up and she saw the black cape disappear around a corner. Twilight followed the runner away from Mane Street and into the back alleys.
She had just enough time to see the figure coming up to a crossing among the houses. The running pony paused for a moment, and Twilight could see the faint glimmer of purple magic. Twilight locked on her target to lift her again, but immediately lost focus. Three identical figures stood in the crossing and galloped in different directions.
Twilight leaped at the one coming right at her and felt her hooves hit nothing. It was just an illusion. After a few seconds, she came up to the crossing and saw one of the ponies galloping towards Town Hall. It could be another illusion, but Twilight had no way of telling them apart, so she might as well follow that one and hope.
After a few seconds, she was pretty confident that this was the right "illusion" to follow, or it would have disappeared by now. She licked her lips and readied a special spell, a type of inverted shield that should prevent anypony from teleporting. Combined with a simple levitation spell, her quarry would be caught.
Twilight summoned up the two spells in her horn, closed her eyes to concentrate and let the spell resolve. She felt her magic leave her and knew the spell must have hit. She opened her eyes and saw with a proud, if tired, smile that the circus artist was struggling inside a semi-transparent shield, surrounded by the glow of Twilight's magic.
Twilight trotted up to the shield to look at the face of her captive, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Something large. She tried to duck, but it was to late. The rock hit Twilight right on her horn. Her magic fizzled and died.
She landed on her hooves and grimaced at the pain in her head. She looked up and saw her magic fading. The pony faced Twilight, and she reacted quickly. She fought down the throbbing feeling in her horn and called a gust of wind. The black cape was lifted from the face of the running pony. Twilight stared.
Before her stood Shining Armor, her BBBFF.
"It takes more than that to catch The Escape Artist, Twilight Sparkle. Nopony in The Circus acts alone," Shining Armor said snidely. But it was not her brother's voice. It was a mare's voice, like a confident birdsong. It was not Shining Armor, it was just a mask!
Not-Shining Armor reared up on her hind legs and another cloud of smoke filled the alley. When it cleared, Twilight could see the unknown pony running away. She aimed a spell at the pony and heard a sound as the mask fell to the ground. She set off after the mare, as fast as her hooves would carry her. If she could capture her now, then she would know who it was. Twilight rounded the corner and-
-And her vision exploded in a dazzling firework. The second she rounded the corner, a large metal surface caught in a bluish shimmer slammed into her head. She instinctively reached for her magic and teleported a short distance, anything to get away from her assailant. "Tsk, tsk, how sloppy," The refined and superior voice came from behind her. It was a stallion.
She staggered forward and reached up a hoof to her forehead where she had been hit. The assailant did not attack her again. She opened her eyes and looked back to where the attack had come. The world spun slightly. There was nopony there, only the abandoned frying pan she had run face-first into.
Her gaze fell on the wall beside her. With beautiful and squiggly letters, somepony had written something.
Nopony in The Circus acts alone.
Twilight stood still and breathed heavily. The pony had gotten away. She stomped her hoof in the ground, picked up the mask that she had ripped off and continued her pursuit. With a little luck, she might still catch up to the running pony.
There was something irking with the getaway, before the ambush, almost as if Twilight had seen it somewhere before. But where...? The thought gnawed at her mind as she ran through the night.
*****
Sweetie Drops kept her eyes on the running pony as much as possible. She smirked in excitement. His balance, his skill, his speed, this pony could only be the one she had searched for. She was chasing The Equilibrist himself. The leader of The Circus, and he was just a few ponylengths away.
She looked up to the roof where the enemy had disappeared, and quickly sprinted around the house. She saw the Equilibrist trot along a thin rope between two houses, and she reacted quickly. Sweetie Drops picked out the small hairpin she wore and threw it at the rope. The small, hidden blade in the pin sliced through it easily, and The Equilibrist fell.
Quick as can be, Sweetie Drops leaped at him, only to be pulled back by a rope tied around her left back hoof. She fell flat on her stomach and looked over her shoulder. There was nopony there, and The Equilibrist had not used his magic. The sound of running hooves caught her attention. The Equilibrist was back on his hooves and scaled a wall like it was a ladder. In the blink of an eye he was up on the roof.
Sweetie Drops ripped the rope around her ankle apart and continued running.
"I must get up to the roof somehow, else I will lose him sooner or later..." She thought as she tried to find a way up. She cursed as she thought of the suitcase with her rope and grappling hook which stood back at Rarity's. She rounded a corner.
A woodpile stood against the wall. She did not pause to think, but dashed at it and leaped at the gutters. She just managed to get a hoof around it and began to heave herself up.
"Prankster," She heard a calm, youthful voice call from up the roof. She put her other hoof at the gutter and lifted her face up over the roof edge. She saw the large black bird just because it was darker than the night surrounding it. It came at her with talons wide open. "Go for the eyes."
"RRRAK, RIPRIP, RRRAK!" The bird screamed a deafening screech. She had just enough time to get a hoof up to protect her face. The long talons raked over her front leg. She closed her eyes and hit blindly with her hoof to get the bird away. She was barely clinging to the roof with the other one.
The bird was gone just as fast as it had appeared. She opened her eyes. The roof was empty.
"Miss agent, is that me you are looking for?" She heard the voice come from behind her. It sounded just a smidgin different now, more mature. The loud screech of the bird had probably upset her hearing.
She crawled up to the roof and turned around. Sure enough, The Equilibrist stood on the opposite roof. He must have passed her with a speed that would make a Wonderbolt jealous in the few seconds the bird had blinded her.
"Equilibrist," Sweetie Drops said with a venomous voice. She leaped out in the air and reached for the roof where he stood.
Then she felt the rope around her ankle again. It snaked around her as she flew through the air and slowed her down. She flailed to get to the roof, but only managed to reach the gutters. She hung on with only one hoof as The Equilibrist towered over her. The large bird landed beside him and looked at her with intelligent and malicious eyes.
Sweetie Drops looked over The Equilibrist. Unicorn, longer than most and lean. The mask looked like, of all ponies, Fleur De Lis.
"Taking a leap of fate?" The Equilibrist asked smugly as he reared up on his hind legs to crush Sweetie Drops's hooves against the roof.
Sweetie Drops let go of the gutter just before the unicorn would stomp. She fell for about a second and landed roughly on the ground. The Equilibrist and his parrot looked down at her from the roof.
"EQUILIBRIST!" Sweetie Drops screamed up to him. "Who threw the ropes!? Who helped you!?"
"Why, It was me, The Equilibrist, who threw them." The smirk was perfectly audible. "But then again, I am a liar... unless I lied when I said I am a liar, of course. Or does that make me a liar still...?"
"Stop with the riddles. I will catch you. I will follow you to the end of Equestria if need be," Sweetie Drops called up to the pony.
"Try if you want, but remember that nopony in The Circus ever acts alone, so what does it matter if you catch me?" The Equilibrist asked. He then made a sweeping bow. "That's all for tonight, everypony, but I do hope you will grace us with your presence next time! You have been a wonderful audience!"
"RRRAK! THANK YOU!" The Parrot dipped its head. Then they both disappeared into the night.
Sweetie Drops sat on the ground for almost a minute, fuming with rage. If he just had gotten away it would have been one thing, but he had to taunt her too?
"No," Sweetie Drops said to herself. "He had a plan, he never does anything without a plan. Why did he taunt me? Why did he wait for me on the roof?"
Her jaw fell as she understood. "Ponyfeathers, COCO!" She ran towards Carousel Boutique.
*****
The Wizard and The Clown watched Twilight Sparkle and Bon-Bon dash off after their friends. They both laid as flat as they could on another roof, waiting for the coast to clear.
"Hoof me another dart," The Wizard whispered to The Clown. He felt the cold glass in his hoof and moved it up to place it in the crossbow. He pulled the string, arming the weapon. "Alright," he whispered. "Rarity and Coco do not seem to come into view. I will cover the exit. Good luck."
"Oi," The Clown said nervously as she fluttered down to the ground and trotted up to the broken window. She peered inside, but saw nopony. She swallowed as she hopped through the window and into the kitchen.
This was not at all her cup of tea. It was normally The Equilibrist or The Escape Artist who handled kidnappings, but now they were both needed elsewhere. The broken glass crunched under her hooves. She backed against a wall and reached into her saddlebag. She felt the metal plunger against her hoof as she pulled out a syringe.
Nopony who saw it would ever think of it as a medical tool. It was far to large and crude for that. Everything about it screamed "weapon". The Clown felt a little calmer when she held it. Now, at least, she could defend herself if need be.
She quickly moved out of the kitchen, closed her eyes and listened. The only sound was from her own loud breathing. The Clown opened her eyes again. She had been in Carousel Boutique before, so she knew the basic layout. There was the main room, a small storage space and the kitchen on the ground floor. She trotted up to the door to the storage room, opened it and leaped back to avoid a possible assault. Nothing but bolts of fabric.
"Must be upstairs then," The Clown mumbled to herself. She fluttered up the stairs and listened again. Strangely, she felt a lot less nervous now when she was actually doing something than she had been while she waited.
There was a faint sound coming from the door closest to her. She pulled at the handle. Locked, obviously. She licked her lips. Now came the scary part. Now she would literally have to carry out an honest-to-Celestia kidnapping. And to make things worse, the target was a pony she knew, even if she wouldn't call her a friend, exactly.
She hesitated for a moment when she thought about it. She knew she was not the best pony, but she would never have imagined she would one day commit a crime like this. She wondered, as she had many times before, when her life had taken such a dark turn. And, as all the other times, she could only praise her luck that her life had taken the course it had. Now she really did have friends, friends who cared for her.
She shook her head and reached into her saddlebag again. "One, two, three..." she counted as she let her hoof slide over the syringes. She took out the fifth one, and carefully put the tip of it in the crevice between the door and the wall. She pushed the plunger and heard the familiar hissing noise as the acid began to eat through the lock. She backed away from the acrid smell.
She applied a bit more acid, just to be sure, and then put the syringe away. She still held the other one though, loaded with the same hypnotic as the crossbow darts.
She waited for a couple of seconds before she tried the door again. It opened without any resistance, and she saw her target.
Rarity looked frightened, but determined to protect Coco, who laid quivering behind her. The Clown lifted her syringe, in case Rarity lunged at her. She didn't. The Clown slowly took a step towards the two ponies. Rarity stood still. She took another step. The two were now just a few ponylengths apart.
"Of all masks to wear, you had to pick Derpy Hooves, didn't you?" Rarity asked with a dark voice. The Clown felt as if Rarity had slapped her.
Then Rarity moved. She did not, as The Clown had expected, use her magic. Instead she made a quick motion with her hoof. The Clown instinctively looked away and brought up her hoof to protect her eyes from the sewing needles Rarity had thrown at her. She felt something hit her hard enough to make her stumble backwards, and a sweeping kick made her lose balance. The syringe fell out of her hoof. She looked up with dazed eyes at Rarity, who stood over her.
"While I hate to ruin such an exquisite piece of work, let's see who you really are," The Clown felt Rarity's magic envelope her face, apparently trying to remove what Rarity thought was a mask.
The Clown's anxious mind kicked in the overdrive. She had to defend herself. This was not the time to be afraid.
Quick as can be, The Clown hit Rarity in the stomach. The unicorn crunched down with a cough, and The Clown head butted her, causing her to back away a few trots. The Clown sprung to her hooves again and looked around. She found her syringe just beside her. She grabbed it, flapped her wings and shot towards Coco Pommel, who laid in a corner and quivered. "Always the weakest enemy first, else you might be overwhelmed," she remembered The Equilibrist's tip.
She felt Rarity grab her tail with her magic, but the momentum kept The Clown moving forward just a little while longer. She let her hoof sweep in a stabbing motion...
... and felt the familiar pressure as the syringe needle bored through flesh. The Clown pressed the plunger and injected the sedative into Coco's bloodstream.
"WHY, YOU...!" Rarity screamed behind The Clown with a voice that became surprisingly hoarse. The Clown felt Rarity drag her towards her with her magic. She tried to turn around, but got only halfway before Rarity put a hoof on her throat. The Clown now laid on her side under Rarity with her wing in an uncomfortable position. She felt the hooves around her face.
Rarity pulled.
And pulled.
And pulled again.
Nothing happened.
"Derpy... Derpy Hooves? Is that... you?" Rarity asked silently, shocked. The Clown felt the hoof on her throat twitch a little in surprise.
"MY NAME IS NOT DERPY!" The Clown yelled as loud as she could. She felled the surprised Rarity as the fashionista was stunned by the realization. The Clown pinned her down to the floor. Rarity looked frightened by the sudden burst of anger.
"My name... is Ditzy Doo..." The Clown said sadly. Her anger vanished as suddenly as it had come and left only a hollow sadness. She was used to it. She felt the same wish to scream every time anypony used that name; the name the bullies tormented her with. She felt a few tears fall from her eyes. Rarity had not meant anything bad with the name, and yet it hurt so much.
The Clown reached for the syringe with slightly shaking hooves. Rarity struggled under her, but to no avail. The Clown injected the hypnotic in Rarity's side. The alabaster unicorn stopped struggling and looked at her with frightened eyes, before she collapsed in a deep sleep. The Clown breathed choppily.
"My name is Ditzy Doo," The Clown repeated unhappily to herself. She looked at the sleeping Rarity and felt a powerful pang of guilt. She sat on the floor and tried to control her breathing. She swallowed a few times, then shook her head as if to remove the memories of her nasty deed. It didn't work. "What have I done?" She peeped with an anxious voice.
She forced herself to move. She had to do what her friends expected her to. They counted on her. She would have time to think later. She scooped up Rarity and headed for the door. She had to get to The Wizard's mansion. As she trotted down the staircase, she placed her empty syringe in the saddlebag.
She warily entered the kitchen and looked to the window. Once she reached it, she would just need a few minutes to get back to the mansion. She was almost done.
"Put her down, whoever you are."
The Clown recognized the voice to some degree, but it was changed somehow. The Clown spun towards her left, and there stood Bon-Bon. She had a pair of shades over her eyes. The Clown's anxiety amplified thousandfold. She had been caught red-hoofed in the act of kidnapping. An image flashed across her mind with her in striped prison garb. "No!" She thought, terrified. "She thinks it's a mask, right? Just like Rarity? I'm not caught, I'm NOT caught."
The Clown dashed towards the window as fast as her hooves and wings would allow. She was still not fast enough. Bon-Bon grabbed her tail and yanked her backwards. The Clown spun in the air as she was pulled and jabbed with her hooves in blind panic. Bon-Bon dodged nimbly, and put her back hooves in The Clown's chest and bucked her.
The Clown felt the air leave her lungs as she was sent flying across the room and into a table. The window blazed past her and an idea formed in her mind. She saw Bon-Bon coming at her again. Just as The Clown landed she pushed off from the ground and flew forward to meet Bon-Bon's charge head on.
While she was no match for the earth pony in raw strength, she had another trick up her muffin. They collided in the middle of the room, and The Clown crouched under her enemy. It put her at a disadvantage, but she had to keep down. Bon-Bon took the opportunity and struck the Clown over the neck. She felt the world spinning, but knew what she had to do. The Clown leaped off the floor, took hold of Bon-Bon's front hooves and flapped with her wings. Bon-Bon felt herself being lifted and toppled backwards, she landed on her back and the pegasus flew over her and ducked down close to the window.
"I'm not alone anymore!" The Clown said while praying that her friend was still there. The agent moved to get up again, but she didn't have the time. The Clown thought she could hear a crossbow sing. Her heart fluttered with relief in her chest as the dart hit Bon-Bon in the stomach.
For a couple of seconds, the earth pony fought the chemicals, but eventually she collapsed. The Clown trotted up to her limp body, removed the dart, picked up Rarity again and dashed out the window. She was done for tonight. She wanted to get home to Dinky, her sweet little muffin.
*****
The Bearded Mare and Shadow Shovel were slowly trotting by the edge of Canterlot's graveyard. The many stones shone in the pale moonlight and the air was cold and damp. A bell tolled in the night. It was soothing and serene, something that only made The Bearded Mare feel more ashamed of what she was about to do.
Still, it was far better than what her colleagues were doing, so she couldn't really complain.
"So, five, was it?" Shadow Shovel asked with a shady expression. "Any preferences?"
"At least one of each race," The Bearded Mare answered. "But other than that, just make sure they are absolutely fresh. Deliver them to Ponyville's post office tomorrow."
"And the payment?" Shadow Shovel asked nervously. "I'm sure you understand that body snatching is a... pretty risky business..."
"Of course," The Bearded Mare said quickly. She didn't like hearing the words "body snatching". "Make sure the... wares... are sent on time and you will be paid justly."
"Done," Shadow Shovel said with a sly grin. |
The Canterlot Caper | Chapter five- Topsy ”The Twister” Twitchy | Twilight galloped around the deserted town for nearly half an hour after she lost her quarry. She did not find the pony again. It was as if the earth had swallowed every trace of her. There were no hoofprints, no hair from a mane, nothing.
In the end, Twilight surrendered to the hopelessness of the chase and went back to Carousel Boutique. She opened the door and went directly into the kitchen. Bon-Bon laid on the floor with a dart in her back. Glass was scattered over the floor, and the chairs and table were overturned.
Twilight looked at the chaos in the room, before she snapped back to reality. She picked up Bon-Bon and took her up to the second floor. She had to know that Rarity was okay. The acrid smell hit her as she came into the small corridor. The door to Rarity's room was wide open, and the inside looked just as bad as the kitchen, with the addition of a seemingly dead Coco Pommel. No, wait. She was breathing.
Twilight stood still and tried to take in the impression. Rarity was gone. Where had she gone? Had she gone to hide or had The Circus taken her with them? But why would they leave Coco and Bon-Bon? The sound of crackling glass alerted Twilight. Somepony was coming.
Quick as can be, Twilight picked up Coco in her magic and opened the window. She flew out, away to her own castle. If it was somepony of The Circus then she should concentrate on getting her friends away.
"Rarity would not hide in her own house, right? She might have gone for help or something..." Twilight murmured to herself.
Or she might have been captured. She thought involuntarily.
"She was not, she will come to the castle soon. I must protect Bon-Bon and Coco. Rarity is fine..." Twilight said back to herself. She landed on the castle balcony, ran inside with her two friends and put them on the bed. From what she could see, they both seemed to have been drugged or something. Their breathing came even and calm. It looked like they were asleep.
"I will stay and guard you," Twilight said as she conjured up a series of shields around the castle.
And so the night passed; Twilight stood entirely still in the bedroom, listening for any sign of Rarity's return while maintaining her shields. The sun began to rise, and the room was bathed in a golden light.
A slow groan behind her made Twilight wake up from her semi-sleep. Her eyes jerked open and she spun around. Bon-Bon was half-sitting in the bed with a hoof over her forehead.
"What the blazes happened...?" Bon-Bon asked silently. The agent drew a deep, slow breath with closed eyes. She then opened her eyes with somewhat more clarity. "Where am I?"
"In my castle," Twilight said. She just now realized how tired she was. "I found you unconscious on the floor and brought you here. Coco is here too, and Rarity will probably come soon." Twilight smiled to reassure both Bon-Bon and herself.
"Forgive me, Princess, but I truly doubt it," Bon-Bon said with a strained voice. She rubbed her temples as she spoke. "The Circus tricked us two into a wild goose chase to lure us away from Rarity. I thought they were after Coco, but it seems I was wrong..."
"RARITY WAS KIDNAPPED!?" Twilight screamed, dashed up to Bon-Bon and shook her violently. All her self-control went out the window. "WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY?"
"Princess, calm down," Bon-Bon said as soon as Twilight proceeded to run around in circles in front of the bed.
"What!? How Am I supposed to calm down!?" Twilight yelled in a panicked voice. "Rarity has been kidnapped, missing, gone up in smoke, forsvunnen, lejos, fehlt, отсутствующий..."
Bon-Bon sighed. "Princess, this does not help us find her," she said calmly, interrupting Twilights tirade. The alicorn stopped as if she had been glued to the floor. She stood still for a moment then took a deep breath while extending her fore hoof.
"Right, sorry. What do we do?" Twilight said sheepishly, but still with a very worried look.
"I don't suppose you managed to capture one of them, did you?" Bon-Bon asked, even if she knew the answer.
"Noo... she got away, but I managed to get her mask," Twilight levitated up the mask, and looked at it calmly for the first time.
The mask was made from soft plaster, seemingly modeled after her BBBFF's face. The mane, the eyes, the kind smile, everything was etched in the cold plaster. The mask looked perfect. She flipped it over and found it modeled after somepony else's face to make sure it fit perfectly at whoever had worn it.
"Doesn't really tell me much," Twilight said as she studied the mask. "But Coco is a seamstress, I recall, so maybe she could tell us something about this? At least she knows more about bodies and faces than me... "
"Excellent thinking, Princess," Bon-Bon said. "But tell me more about whoever you pursued. Only determining gender is uncommon when dealing with these guys. What did you see?"
"Well... she did not seem to be much of a fighter. She ran all the time, and used a multitude of tricks while doing so."
"What kind of tricks?" Bon-Bon asked. "Smoke balls, illusions, blinding lights, that sort of things?"
"Yes," Twilight said with a surprised voice. "And a frying pan."
"At least there is nothing to be ashamed of that you let her escape," Bon-Bon said with a hapless smile. "The Escape Artist is a master of just that."
"Small comfort," Twilight said dryly. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen that escape before, somewhere... "Who did you follow? Not the sniper after all, I guess?"
Bon-Bon shook her head. "No, I... I think followed their leader, The Equilibrist, but whatever was in that dart has made my memory blurry."
"And we have no idea who any of these guys are?" Twilight asked sullenly.
Bon-Bon shook her head, and put a hoof against her forehead again with a grimace.
"So, then what do we got? Where can we look for Rarity?" Twilight asked anxiously.
"Carousel Boutique is the only place," Bon-Bon said with a cringe. "Forgive me, but whatever the syringe was loaded with makes it hard to think straight. I will be better soon, but..."
"I can carry you if you like, Bon-Bon. And Coco too," Twilight offered. She did not want to leave anypony alone, especially as weakened as this.
"Thanks, Princess," Bon-Bon said with a small smile. "My name is Sweetie Drops, but you can call me Bon-Bon if you like."
"And you call me Twilight, not Princess," Twilight said as she helped Bon-Bon stand. She picked up Coco Pommel and they made their way towards Carrousel Boutique.
The two arrived a few minutes later, after having picked up a very quick breakfast from the castle kitchen. They laid Coco on the bed and began to search through the mess of the bedroom.
For all the chaos in the room, they found no actual clues. There were a few drops of blood, likely from the syringe wounds, as well as some small holes in the floor where the acid had dripped. No strands of hair, no pieces of cloth, nothing that might lead to the pony behind the mask.
"Not too surprising," Bon-Bon said bitterly after an hour of fruitless searching. "If there is one thing they consider more important than completing their jobs, it is not leaving anything behind."
"You saw the pony who did this though, right?" Twilight asked with hopeful eyes. "When you fought in the kitchen?"
"The mask, yes," Bon-Bon said. "I think it was of our mailmare, Derpy Hooves."
"Ditzy Doo," Twilight corrected. "But the mask does not really lead anywh-"
Twilight stopped mid-sentence something cleared up in her mind, as if she had been watching the shadow of something for a while, but only now managed to fully see it. It was the joyous feeling of finally understanding something. Everypony has felt it sometime. She looked at her dress for her first Grand Galloping Gala, the one Rarity had designed for her all those moons ago. Rarity had insisted on keeping it in the boutique. Since, according to Rarity, Twilight herself wouldn't give it all the TLC it deserved. The small stars against the night blue silk morphed in her mind. They were turned into dazzling, multi colored stars on a soft purple cape. The cape flowed around the bright blue pony with the silver blue mane as she stood on the stage illuminated by fireworks. The image was gone in an instant and replaced with another one. She saw the same unicorn in the same cape rear up on her hind hooves, slamming them into the ground and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
"Trixie...?" Twilight said in a breathless voice. "Was it... Trixie...?"
"Hmm, what did you say?" Bon-Bon looked up from the melted lock with a curious glance.
"I know who she is," Twilight said silently, hardly believing it. "The Escape Artist... is Trixie."
"Trixie? The mare with the Alicorn Amulet?" Bon-Bon asked with a confused voice.
"Yes. I recognized her getaway. It's her." Twilight said. She was certain. Even the voices matched now when she thought of it. And Trixie's getaway tricks reminded of stage magic, only tweaked to serve her new, more sinister end.
"mmmgnf," Coco moaned from the bed. She slowly moved up into a sitting position and looked around the room as if she saw it for the first time.
"Coco," Bon-Bon said with an authoritative, but not unkind, voice. "Can you take a look at this?" She held out the mask.
Coco looked at Bon-Bon with a dazed expression, but she took the mask nonetheless and looked at it with without really seeing.
"Shocked," Bon-Bon whispered to Twilight. "I will keep her company for a while. Why don't you look down in the kitchen? Or, if you prefer, buy a couple of tickets to Canterlot. I think we should start looking for Trixie there."
"Alright, but don't hesitate to call if something happens," Twilight said and left the two ponies alone. She saw how Bon-Bon put her leg over Coco's shoulder and whispered something.
The kitchen looked pretty much the same as it had when she found Bon-Bon. She looked around without any real hope of finding anything. She did, however, note that a some glass had moved since last she was here. No doubt she had just gotten Coco and Bon-Bon away from whoever she heard earlier.
"How did this happen?" She mumbled silently as she fluttered out of the broken window towards the train station. Ponyville was slowly beginning to wake up. The more industrious ponies were walking on the road to wherever they worked. Ditzy was flying between the houses with the mailbag slung over her shoulder. She looked tired. Roseluck and Daisy was walking towards their flower shop, talking and laughing all the while. Behind them came Carrot Top with a wagon of crops. Filthy Rich trotted with a spring in his step towards Town Hall.
"Will I ever again see Equestria like the peaceful land I always knew? Now that I have seen what darkness lurks under the surface...?" Twilight thought as she flew. She shook her head. She had to concentrate on the mission at hoof. She landed by the station, bought three tickets to Canterlot, and flew off again.
Twilight's ears picked up when she entered Carousel boutique again. Crying. She heard crying from upstairs. As if launched from Pinkie's Party Cannon she zoomed up the staircase and hit the now-impossible-to-close door so hard it flew of the hinges. Bon-Bon and a heartbroken Coco Pommel sat together on the bed, and looked at her with startled expressions.
"Sorry," Twilight said sheepishly. "Guess I am still a little jumpy, huh?"
"Twilight, more news," Bon-Bon said with a grave voice. "Coco recognizes this mask. Apparently her old mentor used to make masks just like this one when designing clothes. By crafting these masks, her mentor could see exactly what type of fabric and accessory that would fit to what pony."
"It's Suri," Coco said silently, with a look of not wanting to believe. "Suri made this mask. I am sure of it. It was she who..."
"Shhh," Bon-Bon said in a kind voice. "We will find her and bring her to justice. Nopony shall have to endure what you have." She turned to Twilight. "We have two trails to follow, Trixie and this Suri Polomare character, whoever she is. At any rate, that is two more names to work with than I have ever had before."
"What about Topsy Twitchy? Couldn't you work with him?" Twilight asked.
"Since that incident in Canterlot, he is believed to be dead, even though I doubt he is." Bon-Bon explained. "Some of the coups I suspect The Circus for, have employed masterful weather manipulation, especially storms. Whoever is creating them is in his or her own league. And... do you know the official title for the best weather manipulator among the Wonderbolts?"
Twilight shook her head. She didn't even know the Wonderbolt's used titles at all.
"He or she is called 'skytamer'."
"Seems too easy somehow, that the 'skytamer' should be The Tamer." Twilight said with a quizzical look.
"Maybe you noticed that The Circus is rather... theatrical," Bon-Bon said with a shrug.
"Yes, I noticed." Twilight said tiredly. "So you think we should start in Canterlot?" Twilight asked, despite her already knowing the answer.
"Yes, we begin with the big cities and work ourselves down from there," Bon-Bon confirmed.
*****
The Clown was sitting by a spacious table with places for at least fifteen ponies. Across her sat the Equilibrist. He had a glass of weak cider in front of him, but he hadn't touched it. He had just asked The Clown to follow him and then had not said anything more. He just sat there, and that made The Clown nervous. Maybe she had made some mistake? She was seen once, but Bon-Bon hadn't come to arrest her during the day, so she couldn't have recognized her. But then why was she here with The Equilibrist?
"Well?" The Equilibrist said. "How do you feel?"
"I'm good," The Clown said dutifully. "No problem here, never felt better."
"In that case I am seriously worried," The Equilibrist said with a jokey voice.
"Look, Ditzy," The Equilibrist continued. "One doesn't feel 'good' after this type of thing. So let's try again. How do you feel?"
Ditzy leaned forward with a troubled expression. She looked down into the table. "I feel awful," she mumbled. Saying that made her feel even more miserable. Her colleagues didn't feel like this. She was not supposed to feel like this. She was in The Circus, for Celestia's sake, she should be able to do this without feeling anything. She could feel the Equilibrist's eyes glare into her.
"I bet you do," The Equilibrist said with a kind voice. "And, quite frankly, you should."
"Kidnapping is not exactly a minor crime," The Equilibrist continued. "One should feel... well, awful, after having committed it."
Ditzy looked up. "But you don't," she said. The Equilibrist's expression became a mix of a scowl and smile.
"Thank's a bunch, Ditzy, feels good to hear that," The Equilibrist said with a sarcastic voice. "It's not exactly a good thing, not to feel, you know? Nothing I'm too proud of indeed."
"No?" Ditzy asked. "But you are awesome at... at crime. The best there is. Sure better than me, anyway. You don't feel like this, so I shouldn't either, right?"
"I am the best indeed!" The Equilibrist said with a grin. "So that's what I do. You have your own niche to fill in our little..."
"...sinister syndicate" The Equilibrist suggested.
"Sure," The Equilibrist approved. "and that's what you should do. You are our moral compass and the one nopony can suspect."
"But I want to contribute," Ditzy said, dejected. "Everypony else can do so much more than me... and now when I finally did, I feel awful."
"Ditzy, listen," The Equilibrist said sternly. "We did not recruit you overnight. The Wizard kept track of you for months before we made the move on you. We knew exactly who you were when you recruited you."
"In fact, I think we knew you better than yourself," The Equilibrist elaborated.
Ditzy felt both uncomfortable and flattered by The Equilibrist's words. He left his chair and came around to sit beside Ditzy. He looked sternly into her eyes. "Remember, Ditzy Doo, that of all the ponies in Equestria, we thought you were the one we needed. We don't want you to be the best at crime, I can do that. We don't need a fast flyer, we already have Topsy. Why would we need you as a sniper when we already have The Wizard? We recruited you because we needed you. We don't need you to change, we need you the way you are."
Ditzy threw her forelegs around The Equilibrist's throat and hugged tightly. Too rarely did she hear praise like that. It felt wonderful.
"Now, then," The Equilibrist said after a few minutes when she let go. "Perhaps you could assist The Bearded Mare with her..."
"...Pensive project?" The Equilibrist finished. Ditzy nodded energetically. She felt a little better.
*****
Rarity's thought were so slow she felt like she had quicksand in her head instead of her brain. She sort of remembered that something may have happened some time ago, but it was hard to hold any thought for long. She was unable to think of anything, but the present, so she did just that. She was vaguely aware of a somewhat damp feeling and an unfamiliar pressure over her face, but it wasn't really anything worth caring about.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Her breaths were the only thing she cared about.
"Hello? Rarity, hello? She should be waking soon," The voice awoke something deep within Rarity. She could not explain it, but the first feeling that came when she heard that voice was confusion.
"How soon?" another voice responded. Rarity knew she had heard it somewhere, but even attempting to place it would be much to hard in her present state. "She mustn't disturb the casting until I have the basics. Can you give more hypnotic?"
"No," the first voice sounded anxious. "She already got more than necessary. Even more might be dangerous!"
"Calm down, m'kay. All is fine, and I have the measurements. Give me a few hours, and I will have it fixed. Just make sure the casting isn't disturbed for another half an hour," the second voice said. "Tie her up or something." She heard hoof steeps against a wooden floor, and a door that closed. She felt her legs being moved and tied up, but she didn't care. Then there was stillness.
After an undefined amount of time, Rarity heard the door open again, and the damp feeling over her face was gone. She had just enough energy to open her eyes and look to her left.
The radiant light stung in her eyes and she closed them again with a small groan. Somehow, seeing the light only made things worse. She felt like Applejack was bucking the inside of her head. She tried to open her eyes again and was able to make out some contorted shapes of the room she was in. There was probably a door in front of her, and the blazing light seemed to come form a window to her left. Or something...
"Oi, you starting to wake up there?" She heard the voice from before. "Here, drink this." Rarity heard something being poured up in front of her. At that moment, she became aware of how thirsty she was. Her throat felt cracked and dry like Saddle Arabia. She tried to move her hoof, but felt something restrain it. She heard the unknown pony picking something up and place it against her lips a little too fast. A glass, and some of the liquid splashed over her face from the clumsy movement.
Rarity opened her mouth and took a sip. The liquid washed into her mouth, and shocked her with it's pleasant coolness. She opened her mouth again and drank greedily. Too soon the glass was empty. She waited for a moment while the cold liquid washed away her delirium. The headache seemed to dampen over the course of seconds just from the cool water. She felt the glass against her lips again and drank some more. Then another glass. She refused the fourth.
Rarity laid still for a moment while her body reactivated. Her mind began to clear up, like the clouds breaking to reveal the sun. Slowly, the memories from last night (or whenever it was) came floating back to her. Her eyes shot open as she connected the voice with Ditzy Doo and Ditzy Doo with the attack.
The room was small, with wooden floor and walls. The window was more of a small opening, and through it shone with the radiant light of Celestia's sun. At the other side of the room, Ditzy sat in an armchair with a half sheepish half worried expression.
"Hello, Rarity," she said with her normal, cheerful voice. One of her eyes was focused on Rarity, the other one on something under her. Rarity tried to move but became aware that both her front and hind legs were bound. She laid stretched on a table with Ditzy Doo beside her. "Sorry about the hypnotic..." Ditzy said apologetically.
"Waaa?" Rarity said in a dazed voice. The fact that Ditzy Doo was one of the most skilled criminals in Equestria was already absurd, but to hear the same mare apologize for kidnapping her was just... bizarre. "Der- Ahem, Ditzy, what is going on?" was the only thing she could come up with to say.
"Well," Ditzy said with a shrug. "Since you already know who I am, it was decided that I should watch you until you woke up. I will leave now, but The Tamer will come soon. Just don't be afraid of him please. He really isn't bad, he is just strange."
Rarity recalled Bon-Bon's suspicion about who The Tamer was. She swallowed down her worry and forced herself to think through the residue tiredness.
Ditzy was the only way to escape her predicament, that much was clear. The chance of doing so might be slim, but it was probably not nonexistent. It was Ditzy after all, and she was a kind pony. Rarity just had to play her cards right. Ditzy got off the puffy armchair she sat in.
"Will you tell me why, Ditzy?" Rarity asked slowly. The pegasus looked at her with guarded eyes for a second. Then her expression saddened. She turned to leave. "Why did a mare like you join The Circus? You have a job, a filly to care for, and a roof over your head. What made you do... all this?" Rarity wanted to gesture about the room, but her hoof was still restrained.
Ditzy stopped mid movement as if Rarity had yelled at her. She stood still. "Everypony hates me," she said silently, turned away from Rarity. "'Derpy the cross-eyed klutz','Derpy the dizzy-dumb'... That's what they call me when they think I don't hear. Even for you, the first thing you thought when you saw me was Derpy Hooves... I am Ditzy Doo..."
Rarity looked with shock at the cloud gray pegasus. She had no idea Ditzy disliked being called Derpy. Everypony had always called her that as long as she could remember, and Ditzy had not reacted then. But what were those other names? Had the ponies of Ponyville really said that about the poor mailmare?
"I learned to not hear it." Ditzy said as if she had heard her question. "Each time anypony said something like that, I did not hear it. I kept up the happy facade. Almost like a Clown, ever cheerful and happy... didn't want to give the bullies the satisfaction..." Ditzy was shaking ever so slightly. She turned to face Rarity and her golden eyes glistered with tears. "But she was bullied too. My innocent filly, bullied because... because of THIS!" Ditzy moved her hoof up and pointed at her eyes. One of them had shifted slightly and was now looking at the roof.
"You can't understand it, Rarity, for you have never been laughed at, have you?!" Ditzy wailed. "Every day when I collected my little Muffin at the schoolhouse I wondered. 'Has she been bullied today?', 'Did she cry today?' You cannot understand it!" Tears dropped from Ditzy's eyes down on Rarity's coat. The cloud gray pegasus hiccuped a few times.
"Then c-came The Wizard." Ditzy immediately looked a little happier, but still had tears left in her eyes. "He gave me a small errand to perform. He asked me kindly if I would help him. Nothing much, just don't deliver one a letter tomorrow. Pretend it got lost. It was for a bully, so I did not deliver it. The Wizard... he praised me when I did that, even took me out for dinner. Nopony had ever praised my work before..."
Ditzy took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down a little. "The Wizard became my friend, and soon the other members too. I met The Tamer. He is like me, bullied and hunted for his strangeness, but just as kind as anypony once you get to know him. He didn't do anything, the voices did, but only we believe him. He needs me, needs me like nopony else. To him I'm not klutzy, to him I am a hero, just by being me."
Rarity just listened, frozen in shock. How could something like this go on in Ponyville for Celestia knows how long? Until ten minutes ago she would have considered it nigh impossible, but here it was, plain as can be. Had Ditzy been so broken down that she turned criminal? Did she join up with The Circus just to hear a kind word?
"Ditzy, darling, don't you see? They use you. They make you do horrible things to ponies who have done nothing wrong," Rarity said with a soft tone.
Ditzy shook her head vigorously. "No, they are my friends. They listen to me, care for me... listen when no pony else does..."
"Forgive me for saying so darling," Rarity said with a sad tone. "But I think they only care as long as you do what they want you to do."
Ditzy looked at Rarity with a confused expression.
"Ditzy, no friend would ever make you do something like this," Rarity said. She swallowed. "Please, release me. I will help you make friends. Real friends, friends who will love you for being you, not for the abilities you have or don't have."
Ditzy stood silent, deep in thought. Rarity held her breath. It might work. Then Ditzy's face contorted in anger and sorrow. "I! HAVE! REAL! FRIENDS! THEY CARE MORE THAN YOU EVER DID!" She screamed. Then she turned around and left the room. "I DON'T WANT MY OLD LIFE BACK!"
Rarity was shaking with emotion as she laid alone on the table. How could they? What pony could fool somepony else into doing something like this? For minutes Rarity cursed The Circus for what they did to Ditzy and everypony else. Then the door opened.
Rarity looked and saw a pegasus enter. Rarity could only stare, part in surprise and part in horror. He did not seem to wear a mask and, despite never having seen this pony in her life before, there was no doubt it was Topsy "The Twister" Twitchy, ex-Wonderbolt. He surely looked like he had "a few screws loose", as Bon-Bon put it.
His coat was midnight blue, his mane, dark forest green and his tail was dark red. The three colors seemed chosen with the sole purpose to making him look as ridiculous as possible, for they clashed horribly with each other. He looked at Rarity with an unreadable expression, part smirk and part scowl. To make it even worse, his eyelids twitched slightly but refused to close.
Topsy trotted up to Rarity with strange, erratic movements, as if his muscles moved involuntarily and just so happened to make him walk forward. His wings flared out and folded a couple of times in rapid succession as he moved. In fact, the only thing that seemed to stay still with him was his eyes. He stared at Rarity with one purple and one orange eye that never moved or closed all the while.
"T-T-The T-t-tamer, at-t-t your s-s-service," He said with a stammering, but nonetheless slithering and flowing voice, somewhat akin to cold water. It made Rarity's skin crawl with discomfort. Each stammer was pronounced sharply, as if it was intentional.
Rarity just looked at the strange pony. She had no idea what to make of him. He did not feel very dangerous, exactly, just unsettling to the extreme.
Topsy did not seem expect an answer. Without stopping his erratic movements, he took of his saddlebags, looked at her again for a second. He then turned and Rarity could see his cutie mark for a short moment. A grey, zig-zag symbol. She had no doubt it was a twister.
"D-Ditzy was-s-s c-crying wh-wh-when she g-g-got-t out-t of here," The Topsy said in his slithering voice. "She a-a-alread-d-dy has-s-s to d-d-deal with enough t-t-troub-b-bles, the p-p-poor thing, why d-did-d you have t-to make it-t even wors-s-se?" Topsy did not seem to breathe at all during his stammering sentence. His voice continued like a steady stream of water. His eyes had not blinked once since he entered the room.
"Humph, don't pretend you care for her, Topsy," Rarity said with a venomous voice. She would not show him how unsettling he was.
"I c-c-care d-d-deeply f-f-for her, a-ac-tual-l-ly" Topsy said, equally venomous. His voice laced in anger was enough to make Rarity's heart beat faster. It was frightening.
He opened his saddlebags and produced a small bottle and a syringe. "I w-w-was-s-s-sup-p-posed to give you a hy-hy-hypnot-t-tic, b-but-t-t you have ma-ma-managed to ma-ma-make me angry. You are not-t-t asthmatic-c, are you?"
Rarity blinked at the rapid change of subject. "Noo...?" she said truthfully. Topsy grinned like a predator moving in at a wounded animal.
Topsy picked up the syringe, dipped it in the bottle and loaded it. Rarity swallowed. The liquid had a nasty, yellow color. "W-what is that?" She asked, with a scared tone. Topsy with a syringe was easily among the most unsettling images she had ever seen. Syringes were supposed to be handled with care and precision, and Topsy was everything but precise. His grin made him look utterly mad, and the hoof which held the syringe twitched frantically.
"Cu-cu-curare, an anest-t-thetic-c-c which c-c-can c-c-cause p-p-paral-l-lys-s-is-s-s if used in s-s-suf-f-ficient d-doses-s," Topsy said. He removed the syringe from the bottle, tapped it gently to get rid of a drop that clung to the tip. Rarity felt the small sting at her left cutie mark. The syringe moved in her wound as Topsy's hooves twitched.
"I h-h-hope f-f-for your s-s-sake that-t-t what-t you s-s-said was-s t-true," Topsy said as he left. Rarity began to hyperventilate as she felt her body shut down. Her face relaxed completely within minutes of the sting, and soon the rest of her body too. Her eyelids fell as they relaxed. She wanted to cry for help, for it was becoming harder and harder to breath. Her mouth, however, did not respond.
Her body was a cold dead shell, impossibly heavy and still as a mountain. It was as if her mind had been disconnected from it. She was a prisoner in her own body.
She felt the ropes around her legs become undone. Her eyes were gently opened and Topsy looked down at her with his unnatural, unblinking eyes. "The ef-f-fect-t will st-t-top in t-two hours at-t the latest," The Tamer said. "P-p-plenty of time t-t-to h-h-hide you."
"Where?" Rarity thought through the panic of not being able to breathe properly.
"Don't-t wor-r-ry," The Tamer said with a twitch of his to large grin. "You will b-b-be f-fed t-two t-times and have t-two hours-s of movement-t-t each d-d-day." Topsy moved Rarity's head so that she looked out of the small window. "T-t-take a g-g-good look-k-k at-t the s-sun, f-for I p-p-promise you will miss-s-s it..."
With that, The Tamer placed Rarity in a sitting position and opened her eyes again. Rarity wanted to scream in horror at what she saw. A coffin stood open before her, and on the two-piece lid there was a series of long pipes with wide hoppers at the end. Pipes for ventilation, no doubt. The realization clicked in her mind.
"He will bury me alive! He will bury me alive! He will bury me alive!" She screamed in her thought. Her lips were still unmoving, but tears fell from her eyes. Topsy nudged her and she fell into the armchair Ditzy had sat in. Her eyes fell again, but she could still hear Topsy trot up to the coffin and open it.
"NO NONONONO!! PLEASE, NO!" She wanted to scream. Her lips did not make a sound. She felt her body being picked up and moved towards the waiting coffin. Her eyes were opened again, and she looked down in it.
The sight made her mind freeze in shock.
"But-t d-don't-t wo-r-ry. Your f-friends-s will f-find you. S-Soooon." |
The Canterlot Caper | Chapter six- Downtown Deceiet | Chapter six- Downtown Deceit
Twilight and Bon-Bon left the small house and entered into the pleasant warmth that awaited them outside. They had caught the train just half an hour after they last spoke in Carousel Boutique. As soon as they arrived, they took Coco to the castle, where she would stay for a while. It was pretty apparent that the young designer had seen enough of The Circus for one lifetime.
After this, Bon-Bon had gone to the mayor of Canterlot and asked for all records of Trixie Lulamoon and Suri Polomare.
A long and infuriating bureaucratic grind later, they had been allowed to look at them for one day only, and they were not allowed to remove anything from Canterlot Town Hall. By the time they had compiled and sifted through the information it was already dark outside, so Twilight and Bon-Bon decided to wait until the following morning to begin investigations for real. They couldn't afford to make some stupid mistake just because of exhaustion. Now however, after a night of rest, they were ready and willing to begin fighting the Circus for real.
"Alright, time to take the initiative," Bon-Bon said as she put on her shades for the strong sunlight. "So you will go to Trixie's apartment, and I will go to Suri's. We meet back here once we are done."
"Okay," Twilight said. "Be seeing you." The two split up.
Twilight made her way from the upper district where Bon-Bon's agency was located. Her target was an apartment on Peony Lane, a small street between the lower and middle district. It was the type of place one would expect to run into Trixie. Not a bad address, but by no means classy.
Twilight briskly trotted down Princess Platinum's Promenade, one of the largest streets in the city. After about twenty-five minutes, she took off from the main street, and was swallowed up the surrounding shops and service buildings. The display windows beckoned her with all types of merchandise; from food to jewelry. A couple of ponies were out and browsing the wares or walking to their jobs. She received her fair share of respectful nods and small bows as she went.
After crisscrossing between streets and alleys for twenty minutes, she arrived at her destination; fifteen Peony Lane. The house was a pretty large, three-story building, built from white stone and had an onion shaped, golden roof, like most of the houses in Canterlot. Twilight looked up at the windows. Trixie might be sitting behind one of them this very moment. She quickly trotted closer to the building, out of sight from the windows.
Twilight entered a clean-looking stairwell and started heading upwards. She entered into a cleaned corridor with about ten doors. Trixie's apartment was directly to her left.
She put up a barrier behind her, encasing the doorway and herself. She knew Trixie was good at escaping, but now the only escape route was blocked off. She put on a smug grin and knocked.
There was no answer. She knocked again. Still nothing. Twilight frowned and let her magic prod at the lock. It was protected against magic, naturally, but she was an Alicorn. Some ordinary locksmith's spells did not stand a chance against her magic. With a small flicker of light, the lock clicked open.
Twilight did not really know what to expect, but this was not it. She came into a corridor with a door directly to her left, and there was absolutely nothing there. The walls were painted white, without any picture or painting to brighten them up. The floor was covered with a thin layer of dust, and there was nothing that revealed that anypony had ever walked on it.
She took a tentative step forward. It echoed in the empty apartment."Where is she? This is her home, isn't it? So where is she?" Twilight asked loudly to herself she went. So much for taking the initiative.
She came into a combined kitchen and living room with a large window on one wall. An old table was the only piece of furniture. There was one more door there. Twilight opened it and looked into another completely empty room. She swallowed. The echo of her hoof steps was the only thing she heard, and the silence made her uneasy.
"You know, you really should just leave us alone, Miss Sparkle," a calm voice came from behind her. She spun around and saw somepony in a long cloak standing outside the window. She blinked in surprise and looked again.
No, she had not mistaken. Somepony was standing outside a window on the second floor. He wore a Fancypants mask over his face. "Ah, forgive my rudeness, of course it's Princess Sparkle now," the cloaked one corrected himself.
Twilight acted quickly. She lit up her horn, and appeared on ground outside. As she spun around she shot a powerful blast of magic at the pony. He was gone. Twilight could clearly see the windowsill he had been standing on, but he was not there anymore.
"It would be very tragic if we were forced to take desperate measures with your friend, I'm sure you agree?" The voice came from behind her again. She turned around and saw the masked pony at the top of a roof. She kept her sight upon him and teleported behind him. As soon as she materialized she saw the pony galloping along a clothesline.
Twilight took to the air and shot another beam at the running pony. He leaped to the side, jumped off a wall, crashed through a window and disappeared into a house, all in one fluid motion. Twilight just fluttered for a moment.
Who could he do that? His dexterity and balance must be off the charts to just improvise a move like that. Twilight dove for the ground and ran into the house. She looked up at a worn stairwell and saw a door open. The pony dashed out and began to run upward to the roof.
Twilight set after him. She roughly tackled somepony on the way up and dashed out on the roof. She saw her quarry three roofs ahead of her. Again she was amazed. That was fast even by Rainbow Dash's standards, and this guy did not have wings.
She locked on the pony and teleported. As she materialized, she saw the cloaked figure jumping off the roof. She leaped after him, and used her wings to dampen the fall. She heard the sound of running water a moment too late. She fell past the cloaked pony and fell down in cold water.
"The canals!" She thought as the stream gripped her body and dragged her away. She looked up through the water and saw that her target, had landed safely on a thin clothesline over the water. She gulped down a mouthful of water and panicked for a second, her wings and hooves flailing wildly before she gained enough control over herself to touch the bottom of the canal and shoot herself upwards. She broke it in a cascade of water and coughed frantically.
The cloaked one stood quite some distance away and looked at her. This time though, it was not he who had moved, but she. The water pulled her away fast. She prepared a spell, but lost concentration. Before she knew what had happened, she was under the water again. She looked through the water surface and saw a black and red bird fly overhead.
This time she did not breathe, but kept her eyes opened. It was uncomfortable, but she could see the contorted shapes of clouds over her. He horn lit up and she felt her body leave the water. She fluttered erratically as she dried the water from her eyes and coughed. Once she had oriented herself she dashed back towards where she had fallen.
The cloaked one had vanished and the clothesline swayed indolently. She landed on the neighboring roof and looked at the place where he had stood. Her glance fell on something. A small, tightly bound scroll hung from a thread. She frowned and levitated it towards her.
The seal that held the scroll was bright red and had a symbol stamped into it, made up by three question marks, one straight and two angled so they split the seal in thirds. Where their shared dot should be, there was a small "C" instead.
She broke the seal and read.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle.
We are The Circus. Hello.
As you probably have likely understood by now, you being so clever, we have indeed kidnapped your friend Rarity (total knockout, by the way; even sweeter than when I saw her last). She is unhurt for the moment, but it is up to you whether she remain that way. Stop chasing us, if you please. Else there will be consequences. I will contact you soon, and you will learn what we want in order to release her. Don't worry, it's not money.
Sincerely, The Equilibrist, The Illusionist, The Tamer, The Escape Artist, The Clown, The Wizard, The Bearded Mare, and everypony else under our employment.
Post Scriptum: Rarity is buried alive.
*****
Rarity felt dazed, part by the drug she had been given, part by the chaotic maelstrom of fear and confusion that raged in her head. She had legitimately been kidnapped. How had this happened? Why her? Where was she? Would she ever be found? Would The Circus just leave her to rot in this... wherever it was?
After Topsy showed her what was in the coffin, he had let her eyes close and spun her around for a few minutes. Once she got so dizzy she didn't know up from down, she had been moved away somewhere. She was unsure about the passage of time, but it felt like they moved for more than an hour. Once she woke up, she was here.
Rarity could not see the hoof in front of her, and she was freezing. She had tried to walk a little to keep warm, but the place was so small she could hardly take two steps before she bumped in the opposite wall, three if she took small trots. The walls, when she bumped into them, were made of rough stone and the air was cold, stale and smelled of mold. There didn't seem to be any door, nor could she feel the roof.
She couldn't exactly explain it, but something told her she was underground. There was something with the chill in the air and the way it refused to warm up. It made her think of the time she was trapped among the Diamond Dogs. That knowledge made her even more afraid of her situation. If her suspicion was correct, then there was a crushing weight of damp earth just above her, just waiting to fall down and bury her.
She was not hungry though, something she was thankful for. That meant she was not in any danger of starving yet, even if she knew it was a temporary respite. She would be hungry soon enough, and that would make her situation even more unbearable. "What if they never come? What if they forget? How long does starvation take? Will I ever be found? What if-" Her constant thought was interrupted by a few pebbles of soil falling down on her brow. Her heart froze in fear.
"No!" she whispered to herself in a panicked voice. "The roof is... HELP! PLEASE, SOMEPONY HELP!!!"
"Don't worry, Rarity, I'm here," Rarity's heart leaped with joy and disappointment in equal measure as she recognized Ditzy's goofy voice. Suddenly a dim light shone down on her. She looked up.
Almost ten ponylengths above her she could see Ditzy peeking over the edge of a circular hole. One eye looked at her, the other one on a wall. Behind her was the almost, but not entirely, dark sky and some tree branches. It looked like it was early night.
"Al-l-low me-e," the slithering, stammering voice of Topsy "The Twister" Twitchy came from above her. He appeared beside Ditzy and threw a rope ladder down in the hole. Rarity realized where she was; she was caught in an old well. She began to climb immediately, eager to leave the cramped space. Topsy reached a hoof down in the hole and helped Rarity out with ease. She could feel his hoof twitching.
Rarity stood at the edge of the hole and looked around. Too well did she recognize the twisted undergrowth of the Everfree forest. She quickly dismissed running away. Even if she somehow could outspend two pegasi, where one was a former Wonderbolt, she would be lost in the middle of Everfree forest at sundown.
"Please don't run now, Rarity," Ditzy said. She was not mocking or sarcastic, just begging in all honesty. Rarity turned around and saw her sitting on a fallen tree by a small, fold-able table. Her veering eyes were filled with unease. On the table there were a couple of hayburgers and cups. "If you do, then we will have no choice but to capture you again."
"Humph. Do forgive me, but I'm not exactly inclined to obey my kidnappers just out of kindness," Rarity said indignantly. "But I know when to fold. I won't run." She tried to put all dignity she could muster in her last declaration.
Ditzy looked a little happier at that. "Come, have something to eat." She gestured towards the food. Rarity warily approached. She took up one of the burgers in her magic and began to eat. She did not sit down though. A lady could not lay down on the grass, after all, and every second of stretching her legs was welcome after the cramped space in the well.
With a small rustle, Topsy appeared beside Ditzy. He looked at Rarity with his mismatched eyes and a somewhat calm look, despite his twisted smirk. Rarity was surprised. This was the first time Topsy did not seem entirely mad.
"I wanted to ap-pologize," Topsy said with a much more stable voice than usual. "About the c-curare. Sorry, Rarity." He bent his neck.
Rarity was caught off guard by that. "Ehm... alright?" she replied sheepishly. She scolded herself immediately after the words left her mouth. An apology was not enough, it was not "alright" in the slightest. Rarity opened her mouth to speak her mind, but was interrupted by Ditzy.
"Please don't be mad at him," she pleaded. "I know he is a bit strange, but he is not a bad pony, really, he isn't."
Rarity was caught off guard again. How was he not a bad pony? He had gone berserk with a twister during a stunt show, kidnapped her, and Celestia knows what else. She closed her mouth and gave a dignified "humph".
"You s-see, I have this t-talent," Topsy said casually. The slithering voice made Rarity look at him. Something about that voice and his appearance made her want to keep her eyes at him at all times. "I h-have an affinity for s-storms and... winds. They s-speak to me. Always whispering, always l-longing..." Topsy sat silent and stared down in his cup, still with the weird smirk on his face. Apparently, he thought that his little speech would clarify everything.
Ditzy looked at the multicolored stallion beside her with caring eyes. "What do they tell you now?" she asked softly.
"They tell me to unleash the f-fury of the storm, to LIVE!" his voice broke into falsetto at the last word. For a moment his entire face lit up with joy, before he visibly calmed down again to his normal demeanor. "To harness them, to feel alive again. I nev-ver feel so much alive as in the mid-dle of a twister..."
"Shh, I'm here. Don't listen to them, listen to me instead..." Ditzy said with a soft voice. Topsy diverted his eyes from the space he had been staring at and looked at Ditzy. Rarity looked at the two Pegasi, and suddenly felt a small twinge of sadness for them, despite everything.
"Is that why you used that dreadful anesthetic instead of a hypnotic?" Rarity asked as she took a sip of water. "Because I made Der- ahem, Ditzy cry?"
Topsy nodded, and gave her a look that might pass for approving. "The winds-s silence when she is close. When she is near, I can hear my own t-thoughts again..." he looked away with a dreamy expression. "The other m-members of The C-Circus help to some extent, but not like D-Ditzy. She is like... like water on a fire... I can't-t stand seeing her unhapp-py..."
"He didn't do anything, the voices did." Ditzy had said. Rarity took another bite of the hayburger and looked at the mailmare. "Ditzy, is this why you really joined The Circus?" she asked slowly. "Because you could calm his... talent?" Rarity would have preferred the word "insanity."
Ditzy nodded energetically. "At first it was just to feel useful for once, but I wouldn't have joined fully if it weren't for him. He needs me, more than anypony. To him, I am not klutzy, or a... criminal," Rarity noted that Ditzy winced at the last word, "but a friend. A true, true friend."
"Not-t a friend, a neces-s-sity," Topsy interrupted. "W- without you, I would have let the winds take me l-long ago... I love the winds..."
Ditzy stroked Topsy's green mane. "I'm always here, friend," she said with a goofy smile.
Rarity did not have the heart to interrupt them, so she focused on finishing her hayburger and drink. As she ate, she realized she was not exactly afraid of the two ponies. Ditzy was still Ditzy, after all. She was scared of the well, but not Ditzy. Not even Topsy frightened her when he was like this.
Rarity went back towards the well, and started to walk around the dark hole. She had to stretch her legs as much as possible, else she would probably go insane after another session in the ground. A silent flutter told her that Topsy flew over her and landed on a rock, probably to make sure she did not escape. "It's time... to prepare," he declared calmly.
She looked at him again. His creepy smirk was back, but he had actually closed his eyes for once. He tilted his head back and seemed to listen to something only he could hear.
Suddenly, Ditzy came fluttering down from the sky with a large cloud in her hooves. She placed it in the air beside Topsy, who opened his eyes and stroked the cloud. Rarity stopped and watched. She had never seen a pegasus do that before. He wasn't sculpturing or thinning the cloud, he just stroked it like Fluttershy would a pet.
Suddenly, he began to flutter about erratically. His twitches had been a lot calmer now than when she saw him the first time, but now they picked up again. He fluttered about the cloud, punching it here and there and ripping out small pieces.
Rarity noted that the cloud quickly became smaller and darker. Topsy grabbed the cloud in both his hooves, and dove to the ground. The moment before he crashed, he altered his path so he flew just a hooflength over the grass while dragging the small cloud along it. How he could fly with such control with his twitches was anypony's guess.
The cloud began to rumble angrily as electricity built up. Rarity suddenly realized what he was doing; he was building the smallest thundercloud she had ever seen. Around and around he flew, and the cloud got darker and darker. Then he pulled up, and held in his hooves a pitch black, crackling mass.
"Shh," he whispered to the cloud. The cooing sound was not unlike the hiss of a snake. "C-cal-lm d-d-down hehehehehahah," he laughed with a half choked sound that should be impossible to make. Then he flew off.
Rarity looked to Ditzy again. "Is there anything I can say that would make you let me go?" Rarity asked in a resigned voice. The well scared her, and her time was running out.
Ditzy shook her head. "No, but you won't have to stay in the ground for very long. Things have gone better than expected," Ditzy said happily. "I promise, it won't be to bad. You will sleep through most of it..."
Rarity shuddered as she looked towards the hole, and continued her fast-paced walking. The remainder of her time passed far quicker than she thought.
"Time's up," Ditzy finally said. Rarity startled and began to think up a half-mad escape plan. She dismissed it and went towards Ditzy with her head hung. She did her best to remain calm despite knowing what awaited. Clatter caused her to look up, and she saw two small glasses at the table. Between them stood a flask of whiskey.
Rarity looked at the flask in utter surprise. It was a very nice brand, and probably cost more than her monthly income. Ditzy uncorked the flask with a loud "pop", and poured up a generous amount of golden liquid in both glasses. She spilled almost half of what she poured.
"Oops," she said sheepishly. Rarity realized somewhere in the back of her mind, that Ditzy by spilling that whiskey probably wasted enough money to buy herself a brand new mail uniform.
Ditzy then brought up a small bottle, dipped a syringe in it and sprayed some of the contents in one of the glasses.
"Here," she nudged the glass with the hypnotic towards Rarity and a little more of the whiskey spilled. "To good friendship?" Ditzy asked as she raised her glass.
"To good friendship," Rarity said without enthusiasm. They clinked the glasses together and drank. The whiskey was wonderful, Rarity had to admit. A warm, dazing feeling spread from her belly out in her body. It was not at all like the horrible curare, this was a warm and snug feeling. Rarity just wanted to lay down, curl up into a small ball and doze off. She did not even notice that she fell into Ditzy's waiting hooves and was brought down in the well shaft again.
Topsy came flying back after a few minutes, empty hoofed. He hugged Ditzy and then they both flew off.
*****
Sweetie Drops knocked at the door decisively.
Easyglider's lane, just a couple of blocks from Hurricane's Alley, one of the three main streets in Canterlot. It was a pretty decent address, if quite far away from both the train station and the airship docks. The building was a hotel, indicating that this Suri Polomare had no place to live yet.
"Well, I will have a cozy prison cell for you..." She thought as she knocked again.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming, m'kay?" came an annoyed voice from the room. Sweetie Drops heard the lock click and the door opened. She looked into the comely face of a pink earth pony with purple hair. She had kind, brown eyes, and a turquoise scarf tied around her neck. She could probably look rather attractive, but her face was twisted in an annoyed look. "Yes?" she asked tiredly.
"Are you Suri Polomare?" Sweetie Drops asked.
"Yes, who is asking?" The earth pony responded.
"Officer Sweetie Drops, Equestrian police," Sweetie Drops answered. Better not to say she worked for the highest crime fighting instance there was. She would rather keep that trump card until the interrogation. "I guess you know why I am here?"
The mare looked like Sweetie had thrown a bucket of ice cold water in her face, but hid it in the blink of an eye. "I have no idea what you are talking about, m'kay," Suri responded with a relaxed smile.
"She is a good liar, this one," Sweetie thought. She had learned to read lies very well as an agent, and this pony managed to get just the right blend of indignation, curiosity and surprise in her voice when she spoke. Her face was mostly straight too. If not for the short moment of fear when Sweetie said who she was, she might have even fooled her. "Come with me, if you please," Sweetie said with an authoritative voice.
The face of fear was back again, and this time it did not go away. Suri swallowed, grabbed a key from a small hook and went out the door. Sweetie could clearly see her legs shaking a little.
"Good, let's get to the police station and have a small talk, shall we?" Sweetie asked with an approving smile. She nudged Suri to go first, and she did. Together they went, not to the police station, but to the castle. Sweetie was not about to let The Circus break Suri out of the ordinary prison. The castle dungeons should still be safe though.
And, for that matter, most criminals became a little intimidated when they were brought to the castle itself. Suri was no exception. She went slower and slower as they neared the castle, until she practically stopped before the gates. Sweetie stopped too for a moment. She wanted Suri to really take in the sheer size of the castle.
"Go on," she said after a few seconds. "Or shall I call the guards?" Suri began to walk again, much quicker than before.
Once in the castle, Sweetie got two guards to flank Suri while she lead the way to the cellars. The detention floor was a relic from a time in history where crime was much more common than nowadays, and so, were almost never used.
The white stone that made up most of the castle was present here too, but it was hardly smoothed at all, giving the detention floor a much harder feeling than the rest of the castle. It was also significantly colder and quieter. There were hardly any guards down here normally.
Sweetie Drops broke off from the main corridor and entered a circular room. In the middle stood a small table and, all around it, a wall of metal bars that divided most of the rooms into individual cells.
"You may leave," Sweetie told the guards. They both looked at Suri with venomous glances and left. "So, Suri, are you absolutely sure you don't know why you are here?"
Suri looked around at the barred doors with an anxious expression. Then she shook her head. "No, m'am," she said. Sweetie could easily pick up the worry in her voice.
"I should tell you though," Sweetie Drops said with low voice and conspiratorial smile. "The punishment for organized crime is... pretty severe. Lying to an officer is bad too... but I'm sure you already knew that, right?" Sweetie noted with pleasure that Suri seemed just as shocked as when she was found in her apartment.
"What do you want?" Suri asked with roving eyes.
"You know what I want," Sweetie said with a neutral voice, but triumphant heart. Suri seemed broken. It had been far easier than she expected, but, hey, she wouldn't complain. "Who is in The Circus, where do they live, and where is Rarity?"
Suri licked her lips and looked at Sweetie. "I... I can't tell you, m'kay? The will... kill me..." She said the last words in a very small voice.
"They won't harm anypony again if you tell me what you know," Sweetie said with an assertive voice. "I promise, I will capture them, and put them all away for good. You will be put to trial as well, but helping me bring down The Circus can probably lessen your time in jail."
Suri looked horrified at the mentioning of jail, but did not break eye contact. "Are you sure you can catch them? They keep their identities hidden even from each other. I only know two names, and not where any of them live..."
"Two names are good enough," Sweetie said. With those names, she could probably get to the others. The problem with The Circus was that the inner circle was extremely secretive, but once you pierced that shell it should be easier. "And Rarity?"
"I was not there when they took her," Suri said with a low voice. She glanced anxiously over her shoulder. "So I don't know who did it, but they talked about burying her close to the north-western edge of Everfree forest, nearby a ravine... but you must hurry. If The Circus misses me, they will move her, m'kay?"
"Bury her?" Sweetie said with a voice that did not betray the fright she felt. Had they killed Rarity? Why would they do that?
"Buried alive," Suri said with a shudder. "Their favorite tactic for keeping prisoners from trying to escape."
"Very well, I will look into it immediately. But first you will tell me the names you know," Bon-Bon said.
"The Tamer and The Escape Artist," Suri said. Bon-Bon felt as if she had been scammed. Of all names it had to be the only two she already knew? Why? What was the odds of that? "The Tamer is a former stunt flyer, Topsy Twitchy, nicknamed 'The Twister'. He's got a very special appearance, like-"
"I know," Sweetie said, annoyed. "Go on."
"Ahh," Suri paused for a moment. "The Escape Artist is a blue unicorn named Trixie Lulamoon, m'kay? Very spirited and boastful. She refers to herself in third-pony." Suri looked at her with nervous eyes.
"Very well," Bon-Bon said again. If nothing else, the information she already had was correct, so maybe what she said about Rarity was true as well. "I will leave you now, but there will be a guard posted at the entrance at all times, so you will be safe," Bon-Bon said as she unlocked one of the cell doors. "And, more importantly, you will not escape," she thought silently as she locked Suri in the cell.
"You save Rarity now, won't you?" Suri whispered. "She is a fillyhood friend..."
"Leave it to me," Sweetie Drops said and conjured up her trademark shades. |
The Canterlot Caper | Chapter seven- Everfree Escapade | Twilight was sitting in Bon-Bon's office, thinking. Or trying to, at least; it proved rather difficult to sit still and think. She had a hard time keeping from snapping into panic mode at this point.
After the initial freakout, she had forced herself to a relative calm through Cadence's breathing exercises. She remembered her late friendship report incident very clearly. She was not going to panic and do something rash this time. She was going to think first and act later. Rarity's life might hang in the balance. That reasoning was the only thing that kept her sane right now.
She held the slightly crumpled letter in her hooves as she read it again for the 48th time. Rarity was unhurt, if she should believe what the letter said, so there was that. There was also the threat that if she did not drop the chase then her friend would be in trouble. Again, she had no idea if The Circus actually would carry out the threat, but that was not a risk she would take in a million years.
Then there was the really interesting part. I will contact you eventually, and you will learn what we want in order to release her.
So The Circus wanted something from her, and only after she had delivered were they going to free Rarity. But what could they want? Not money apparently, but then what? She was a Princess, but she did not have any actual treasures or artifacts, save for her scepter, and why would they want that?
But then what did they want? Twilight felt lost at that question. What did she have that nopony else did? Her title, but that was not something she could transfer to anypony else. She was a skilled mage, so maybe they wanted her to use her magic to help with some coup? But why would they want her for that? There were other unicorns who could probably do whatever she could, and she was a risky pony to target.
Twilight shook her head and looked down on the note again. There was still one detail she was pretty sure was important.
The note was also signed by a "The Illusionist", but nether Bon-Bon or Celestia had mentioned that name. Who was he? Or she? What did she or he do for The Circus? Why was that particular name such a secret?
And then there was the PS. Twilight was pretty sure whoever had written this damn thing had put it there just to scare her. And as much as she disliked it, it did exactly that.
Post Scriptum. Rarity is buried alive.
Post Scriptum. Rarity is buried alive.
Post Scriptum. Rarity is buried alive.
Post Scriptum. Rarity is buried alive.
The phrase played over and over in her head, like a song stuck on constant replay. She could almost hear the calm, gentlestallionlike voice of the pony she had pursued speaking from the letter.
"ARGH!" Twilight growled and put her hooves to her temples. She could not think. There were too many questions, too little information, and the stakes were way too high for her to afford any mistake. Thus, she dared not do anything at all.
She was brought out of the dead end by an opening door. Bon-Bon entered, and Twilight took a deep breath the way Cadence had taught her.
"Hey," she said, calmer than she felt.
"Hello," Bon-Bon responded. Twilight picked up on the excitement in her voice. Something had happened, and it was something good. "I got her. Suri Polomare is ours."
"Thank Celestiaaaaoh NO!" Twilight said as her brain made a horrifying connection. This was NOT dropping the chase; this was pissing The Cirucs off. Twilight felt her mind disconnect for a moment as she tried to sort out the situation.
"Twilight, you alright there?" Bon-Bon asked with a confused voice.
"Nooo," Twilight said absently. She held out her hoof with the letter. Somewhere in the back of her overworked mind she felt Bon-Bon take it from her.
"Twilight," Bon-Bon waved her hoof in front of her eyes. She blinked and looked at the beige earth pony. "Suri has told me where Rarity is. If we move quickly we might be able to save her, but-" Bon-Bon looked sternly at Twilight. "-I cannot guarantee that we will be successful, and if we are not, then The Circus will be angry. Do you want to take the risk?"
Twilight returned to her thinking, this time with a new question. Was it worth the risk?
"Pros, if we manage to save Rarity, then we will have snatched The Circus's primary weapon from them." Twilight said out loud to herself. "As long as they hold Rarity, our hooves are tied. Also, maybe Rarity has learnt something while she has been captured? It is a long shot, but it is possible."
"Cons, if we fail, then it will be... as Rarity would put it, THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING." Twilight went on. "But then again, thanks to the incident with Suri, they were likely already mad as hornets..."
So wasn't it worth the risk? Weren't the reward worth the risk in this case? But it was Rarity's life they gambled with. How could they even consider something so dangerous?
"What do you think?" Twilight asked with a sigh. She did not know what to do. None of her trials had put her in a situation like this. She had often knew very well what to do. With Discord she had to find the Elements. With Chrysalis, get through the changeling army to the elements. With Sombra, first find information from the crystal ponies, and second, find the Crystal Heart. She had known what to do those times. This confusing bewilderment was new. And it was terrible.
"I say we try to save her," Bon-Bon said without hesitation. "To me, this is an opportunity too great to pass on. I have never been closer to The Circus than now. And Rarity is my friend too. I want to save her."
"So do I," Twilight said. "But the risk... what if we fail?"
"Then we are in deep trouble," Bon-Bon said without smiling. "But we both have been there before and gotten out, I seem to recall?" Twilight smiled a little at that statement.
"I suppose," Twilight sighed. "Guess we will try then..."
"No, you are not guessing. We are going to save her," Bon-Bon corrected with a small smirk. "Keep positive."
"If you say so," Twilight said, still in a not-to-enthusiastic voice.
"I am, and now I want you to say it as well. With moxie, understood?"
"We are going to save her?" Twilight said in a less than sure voice. Bon-Bon facehoofed.
"In case you don't know, 'with moxie' means 'with spirit', or 'with gusto',"Bon-Bon explained patiently. "Again, and do it right this time. "
"We are going to save Rarity!" Twilight said loudly.
"That's the spirit, lets get going!" Bon-Bon said with a smile. "To the Everfree Forest."
"What!?" Twilight looked with large eyes at Bon-Bon. "Rarity is in Everfree Forest? What madmare would hide anything there? There was no telling what could happen! Where?! WHERE!?" She screamed. The forest was large, even without the multitude of terrifying beasts it would probably still take centuries to search it.
"Nearby a ravine close to the north-eastern edge of the forest. Do you know any place that fits the description?" Bon-Bon asked. "I don't, and I'd rather not stay in the forest longer than necessary."
Twilight remembered a night so many moons ago, when she and her friends had first searched for the Elements of Harmony. A ravine with a very angry manticore. "Then let's go, I know the ravine."
The two went as casually as possible out the door. They still had to avoid suspicion if The Circus had somepony watching them.
About one and a half hours later they were galloping quickly through Everfree forest. Twilight knew the way, pretty much just to follow the path from Ponyville towards the Castle of the Two Sisters, and then a little to the left. It was not hard to find if you had been there once.
Still, the sun was about to set, and walking around in the forest at night was extremely dangerous. Then there was also the possibility of running into an ambush or something, which was not too nice of a prospect ether.
Twilight stopped as she thought heard something to her left, a rustle and what sounded like a very soft step. She looked carefully at the thick foliage, and readied a spell. Bon-Bon stopped beside her. Twilight could feel her impatience.
"Come on," she urged and took a step sideways. "We don't have the time to stop. Every moment we delay is another one they can spend moving Rarity." Twilight nodded and followed, she kept her ears picked up. She thought she had seen a shadow leap back into the undergrowth, slow enough to perceive, but only just.
She and Bon-Bon galloped on, but Twilight was sure to listen carefully. The sound of their own galloping hooves drenched most of the other sounds, but she thought she heard something after her. She stole a quick glance over her shoulder. Still nothing there. Or, nothing that she could see anyway.
"Is this it?" Bon-Bon said after about ten more minutes of galloping. Twilight snapped her focus forward. She saw the ravine and the clearing around it. Everything looked exactly like it had back then, except that there was no manticore this time.
"This is it," Twilight said. "Did she tell you more exact where Rarity was supposed to be?"
Bon-Bon shook her head. "No, only that she was supposed to be close by this ravine. I guess we will have to start looking..." Bon-Bon and Twilight began to scour the ground after any sign of digging or hoof prints. She didn't have to look for long.
Just a few ponylengths of the path the ground was blackened like after a bonfire. Splinters of wood and laid scattered over the ground and the dirt had been thrown up in a small crater in the middle of the chaos. It looked like lightning had struck in the middle of the glen, despite the tall trees around.
"Hey, Twilight, come look at this," Bon-Bon said from the other end of the small glade around the scorch mark. Twilight fluttered over to her with a few quick wingbeats. Bon-Bon pointed up towards a tree. Twilight saw it too. A small piece of cloud floated under the thick canopy, and had avoided vaporization thanks to the chill of the shadow. "A pegasus must have been here, and judging by the scorch marks, it might have been Topsy Twitchy."
Twilight swallowed. Not good. If The Circus already had been here, then chances were they had already moved Rarity. Twilight backed away a few steps, and took a deep breath the way Cadence had taught her. As she put down her hoof again, she stumbled a little. She looked down and realized she had stepped in a small hole.
She frowned and looked at it. It did not seem natural. In fact, it looked like a small wooden hopper was buried there, with the wide end up to the air.
"Hang on..." Twilight said slowly and began to remove some leaves from the ground under the tree. "Ha, found it!" she said triumphantly. Bon-Bon looked away from the small tuft of cloud and went to Twilight.
"This must be it!" Twilight said as she pointed at the ground. Bon-Bon went closer. Twilight was in fact pointing at a narrow furrow in the ground. Bon-Bon understood quickly. The Circus had removed a large carpet off grass when they dug the grave, but instead of throwing it away they had saved it, and put it back on the ground when they were done. Combined with the scorch marks and leaves, the grave was nearly impossible to find if you didn't know what you were looking for.
Twilight's horn began to shine as she lifted up the carpet of grass of the ground. It was about as wide as a pony, and maybe twice as long. She threw it roughly to the side and began to levitate away the loose dirt. Bon-Bon helped her.
As they were digging, Twilight's ears picked up the small rustle again. She leaped into the air, and spun around. A few branches nearby swayed slightly. It might very well have been the wind, but... Twilight's horn lit up and she parted the branches nearby the place. Still nothing there.
"Twilight?" Bon-Bon asked with a confused voice. "What's the matter?"
"I think something has been following us for a while, and it keeps getting away..." Twilight said with a hushed voice. "Hang on." Twilight's horn glowed again, and a ring of purple light surrounded the small clearing. Bon-Bon looked at her with questioning eyes. "Alarm spell. If anything crosses the line, we will know."
They resumed their digging. After about ten minutes they had unearthed part of a wooden box. It was large enough to hold a pony. Twilight began to pick at it with her magic. The bottom piece of the coffin slid of easily and two white hind legs came into view.
"RARITY!?" Twilight screamed in both relief and panic. The legs didn't move, and there was not a sound from the coffin. Twilight's heart froze. Was Rarity drugged? Or...
Twilight stopped the thought before it was fully formed. She began to struggle with the next section of the lid, but it was still to heavy with the dirt on it. She and Bon-Bon shoveled it away as fast as they could, and Twilight could finally open the second part of the box.
Twilight stared.
Then came the horror.
Twilight screamed and instinctively staggered backwards. Her heart rate quickened and she began to hyperventilate. She fluttered with her wings, but only managed to trip on the edge to the grave and fall. She scampered backwards while trying to beat the terrible sight away.
"Twilight, stop!" Bon-Bon said sternly and pinned the panicked Princess down. Twilight struggled under her before she locked her head upwards and forced Twilight to look into Bon-Bon's eyes. "It is just a doll."
Twilight continued to struggle for a few more seconds before she understood what Bon-Bon had said. She laid still under Bon-Bon and tried to come to grips with the sight. She quivered.
"Right. Doll. Okay." Twilight said, more to herself than Bon-Bon. The agent got off her, and Twilight stood up. She carefully trotted up to the grave and looked down.
The doll was pretty much perfect. It laid softly down in the coffin and looked up with empty, dead eyes. In a fit of dark humor, somepony in The Circus had painted a nasty red gash over the doll's throat. Twilight had legitimately thought it was a corpse they had found. The doll didn't move. Of course it didn't move.
Twilight carefully got down in the grave. She picked at the doll's face, just to confirm that it was indeed juts a doll. The plaster was almost solidified, but still looked nearly exactly like Rarity. It must have been modeled after her friend's face, so exact was it. But the most stunning detail was the eyes. They were perfect replicas, made by glass. Beautiful sapphire blue eyes.
Only now did she see the short message that was written on the inside of the coffin lid. Perfect writing, just like the one in her letter.
I warned you. Next time, it won't be a doll, mark my words.
Sincerely, The Equilibrist.
A small tuft of Rarity's tail had been nailed under the message.
*****
The Equilibrist peeked out of the dense foliage. He would have preferred not to get his clothes all dirty, but in his line of work that was inconveniences you had to take sometimes. And, if this worked out the way he wanted, then he could afford expensive cleaning. He stifled a laugh as he saw Twilight's freak out. It looked downright hilarious.
"Perfect, Miss Sparkle," He whispered to himself. He tipped his hat to the alicorn despite knowing she could not see him. "It is good that you came here, even if you are a bit late, but I'm a generous soul, so I can forgive that."
*****
The Escape Artist let the weak fragrance of blueberry play in her nostrils as she drank the special drink at the "Golden Apple Slice". The Clown and The Tamer had just returned from their mission in the forest, together with their precious captive. She was now locked up in the attic. After that, The Circus, minus Suri, had figured out the exact "performance" and assigned roles. The sun had just dipped beneath the horizon and left a beautiful indigo fire over the sky.
"So," The Equilibrist began, "everypony agrees to this plan? Once we accept, I would prefer not to make any last minute changes to our superior stratagem."
A murmur of approval came from the gathered ponies, The Escape Artist among them. The Equilibrist spoke up again. "In that case, Tamer, what day do you propose we strike?" He turned to the multicolored pegasus, who responded with a small twitch of his right wing. "Do you know when the next rain is scheduled?"
The Tamer nodded erratically. "Yes, the day after t-tomorrow, so tomorrow n-night is a good t-time. C-can we get ready w-with so short notice?"
The Equilibrist did not answer, but looked around at his friends. They nodded. "Apparently we can," he said with a pleased expression, "provided that somepony can take care of those last few pestering predicaments."
"The Escape Artist is on it. It will be a good run-through before the grand final tomorrow. Besides, she would very much like to take care of that particular detail," The Escape Artist said as she got up from her chair. "Illusionist, how much time do you need?"
"About half an hour will be more than enough I recon," The Illusionist said with a lazy voice.
"Splendid," The Equilibrist said shortly. "And no grudges."
The Escape Artist made a face. "Tamer, The Escape Artist shall have need of your assistance as well."
"S-Sure," The Tamer said with his twisted grin. "Goodbye for now, Ditzy." The Tamer and The Escape Artist both left the room together with The Illusionist. The Wizard and The Clown both left as well. Might as well get some sleep if everything else was taken care of.
The three ponies split up in the crossing between Smart Cookie's park and Silverhoof's street. The Illusionist moseyed his way up to the castle with the perfect amount of annoyance and boredom in his posture. At that rate it would take him twenty something minutes to reach his destination, and some more to do what he was supposed to.
The Escape Artist went down a small side street, while The Tamer flew up towards the sky. The night was dark, so his special appearance would be hidden. The Escape Artist herself did not notice when he took off, for she had more important business to attend. She looked over her shoulder make sure street was empty and then bent down by the grating in the wall. She let her horn flicker for a moment; enough for her to see the lock, not enough for anypony to really notice her. She smirked. This lock was nothing. She reached into her lilac cape and picked up one of the many lockpicks she always carried.
The small lock was picked in a few seconds. Practice does make perfect, after all. She heard the soft tap of The Tamer landing behind her, but did not look up. She pushed open the grating and slid into the dark, damp staircase that led down to the Canterlot sewers. The Tamer followed her.
The stairs continued for just a couple of steps, enough to get below the streets, but not much more. She and the Tamer went out of the stairwell and onto the sidewalk beside one of the larger sewers in the city, the one below Puddinghead's lane. The cavernous space was murky and slick and it was nearly pitch black. The only light came from sparse torches on the walls, and they were far to few to really light up the darkness.
"Y-you sure you k-know where t-to go?" The Tamer asked anxiously. The Escape Artist, for all her haughtiness, could not fault him for being nervous. Pegasi and confined spaces did not mix well in the first place, and The Tamer's erratic personality did not make it any easier for him.
"Of course The Escape Artist knows. She practically lives down here. She is not Great and Powerful for nothing, you see." The Escape Artist said smugly as she began to trot with a spring in her step. "She hopes that you are aware that the thunderball and the water will cause problems together...?" She added. Now it was her turn to be nervous. Despite working with the Tamer on countless missions, his... instability always unnerved her.
"Don't you worry. It's not charged yet. P-perhaps we could hurry up, yes? Don't like this place..." He replied as calmly as he could. The Escape Artist picked up the pace and went a little faster. Her colleague followed on silent wings.
The sewers crisscrossed under the city like a gigantic maze, but The Escape Artist kept as much as possible towards the North. As they went she was filled with pride over her extensive knowledge over the network. It had taken many a week to memorize the maps, but the effort was definitely worth it. She was able to disappear down in the sewers from pretty much anywhere in Canterlot, and well there, nopony could catch her.
They came to a T-crossing and a faint glimmer around the corner made her stop. A guard. She motioned to The Tamer, and he flew up and hovered by the roof, clutching the cloud ball tightly to his chest. The Escape Artist licked her lips and picked up a thin string with a miniature grappling hook from inside her cape.
She grabbed a stone with her magic and threw it against the opposite wall. The light immediately focused on the source of the sound and The Escape Artist crouched down and threw the grappling hook. The string now reached from behind the corner and over the sidewalk. She waited in the shadows for the guard to come closer. She saw his hoof coming around the corner, and she pulled the string up.
The guard lifted his second front leg and got the string in front of it. With a confused and sleepy sound he stumbled forward. Quick as can be, The Escape Artist sprung from the shadows, rounded the corner, leaped at the confused guard as she conjured up some of her toys from inside her cape. She grabbed one hind leg and one fore leg and connected them over the guard's back with a pair off hoofcuffs. She snickered softly as the guard squirmed meekly behind her.
The Escape Artist got out one of her specialties from her hat and threw it hard at the ground. With a loud puff, lilac smoke filled the sewer. The Tamer silently flew through it and followed his accomplice as they continued. The guard would report their presence, but that didn't matter. He had not seen them properly, and by the time he reached anypony (after the next change of guard, if he was lucky) it would be way too late.
After a few more minutes of walking, The Escape Artist stopped. She looked to The Tamer and then nodded towards the roof. "This is as close as we get, about five hooflengths by my count. Think you can make it?" she whispered.
The Tamer gave a twitchy nod and began to rub the cloud towards the walls and ceiling. The Escape artist saw it become blacker and blacker as angry jolts of lightning shot over the cloudy surface. "Our friend should have taken care of the guard in a few minutes, so we will wait some time before firing. Make sure you don't overdo it. While Trix- ahem, The Escape Artist is quite confident that she could dodge, she still prefers not to get down on this floor," she explained nervously.
"Me? Have I ev-ver overdone a-anything?" The Tamer said with a sinister glance in his mismatched eyes. It was apparent that the pegasus enjoyed this a little to much. The Escape Artist backed away to give her colleague some space, but more importantly to get out of misfire range.
*****
"Iron Bars!" Brightwing called down the stairs down towards the detention block. "Hey, Bro!" Nopony answered. Brightwing sighed and went down the stairs himself, and found a guard down by a door to some of the old cells. "Private Iron Bars," he said with a stiff voice.
"Commander," Iron Bars said with an equally stiff voice, without looking at Brightwing. He continued to stare at the wall opposite to him.
"At ease," Brightwing said with a small smile. The guard visibly loosened up. The looked at each other and laughed heartily.
"How can I help you, broski?" Iron Bars asked in a somewhat sleepy, but happy, voice. Not to often he got to see his brother during guard duty.
"Follow me. I have received a tip about a possible break-in at Starhorn's Jewelry. Think we should look it up? Would probably look good if we caught whoever it was, right? Bet we would cruise right up to a promotion."
"Well," Iron Bars said tentatively. "I really can't leave my post. I'm guarding somepony, and if anypony came when I was gone, I'd be smoked."
"Already have that taken care of, bro," Brightwing said easily. "I will just get somepony else to guard it for a while. Sounds good?"
"Guess so?" Iron Bars said with a shrug. "Who, exactly?"
"Got some new recruit who could do all useless posts for us," Brightwing said dismissively. "Come on now!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Iron Bars said and followed his brother. They got to the barracks and Brightwing entered. He looked around in the dim interior and went up to one of the bunks to wake the sleeping pony.
"Recruit Tenderspear," Brightwing said with an authoritative voice. The pony in the bunk groaned and slowly opened his eyes and yawned.
"Commander?" he asked tiredly.
"You are to stand guard down at the detention block for a while. Understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Tenderspear said with gusto. He had received a hint about this. Apparently it was a prank the older guards liked to play on the recruits.
"They will wake you up in the middle of the night, put you on some post in the middle of nowhere and then trick you with various catastrophes, like bank robberies, sabotages and Princess Celestia being murdered. I also got a bucket of glue, feathers and mashed garlic thrown in my face, all in one night," Tenderspear remembered his friend had said. "Just thought you should know."
"The detention block, first door on the left. The prisoner is a fuchsia mare. Keep watch until I return," Brightwing said with an authoritative voice.
"Sir!" Tenderspear answered and went to his post.
*****
"I-Ignition!" The Tamer screamed with a voice that broke into falsetto. His accomplice threw herself on the sidewalk and covered her head. The next moment a thunderous explosion shook the sewers and dust filled the air. It even justified throwing herself down on the dirty sewer floor.
The Escape artist brushed of the grime and debris, and looked at the roof. There was a hole in it, and on the other side shone a dim light. With a quick spell she made the dust settle. The Tamer fluttered up and peeked through the hole quickly. He then flew down again, grabbed The Escape Artist around the barrel and easily ferried her up. She found herself in a small cell and looked around. Suri waved to her from the cell beside hers. "Took you long enough, m'kay. Now hurry before the whole guard arrives." It was apparent that Suri was pretty nervous.
"Don't you worry. The Escape Artist has everything under control," The Escape Artist said calmly. She picked up her lockpicks and began to work on the lock of her own cell. It was harder to break than most, but she was The Great and Powerful Escape Artist. After a few minutes the door clicked open. "Tamer, guard the door, just in case." She went directly to work on the lock to Suri's door. The Tamer fluttered off to the door and put an ear to the keyhole.
*****
Tenderspear leaped in surprise at the loud explosion. He knew something like this would come, but it was far louder than she had imagined. He thought he could feel the ground shake for Celestia's sake! He looked at the door.
It was not a good idea to go in there. He knew what would happen. But still... the ground shook. Like... the ground shook! Just what had his colleagues done in there? ...
Also, why weren't they doing something more? If they wanted to scare him, why just throw one explosion and then nothing more? He trampled nervously outside the door. He didn't even like garlic.
Tenderspear sighed. "I'm so gonna regret this," he thought sullenly.
"Hello?" he said to the door. "Everything okay in there?"
"Yes!" the prisoner answered.
"Well, but what did you expect?" Tenderspear mumbled as he turned the key and opened the door. He held up a hoof, just in case of them throwing something at him.
Nothing happened, save of a small clink of a lock opening. He put his hoof down and looked at the prisoner, and another pony with the back to him. He almost had the time to register the scene before a skull-splitting pain erupted in the back of his head and everything became black.
*****
Suri backpedalled when she saw The Tamer drop down from the roof and swing his hind leg in an axelike maneuver, straight into the guardpony's neck. The confused guard fell on the floor and did not get back up. The Tamer landed, took the keys from the guard and locked the door.
"Lock him up or something. And give him some anesthetic, in case he remembers what he should not." The Escape Artist said just as she turned. The Tamer nodded and locked the guard pony in one of the undamaged cells. The Escape Artist reached into her cape and threw a syringe to The Tamer, who caught it in his mouth.
The bearded mare swallowed and motioned lamely towards the unconscious guard. "M'kay, and how do you think this will go unnoticed?" she asked with a high pitched tone. "Is... is he...?"
"Not if Topsy did his job properly." The Escape Artist said calmly as she pulled up the door. "And regarding our... less than subtile entrance, The Illusionist will make sure nopony gets to know before we are already out."
"But the guard, he saw us, didn't he?" The Bearded Mare asked tentatively.
"Only for a moment, doesn't matter." The Escape Artist said dismissively. "Especially not when he has had a dosage of that." Trixie nodded to The Tamer. "Wipes short term memory, kind of like alcohol."
"Then let's hurry, m'kay," Suri said and quickly left her cell. The Escape Artist let The Tamer ferry her down, and The Bearded mare jumped after, being an earth pony and thus hardier than The Escape Artist. They were gone in an instant, swallowed by the dark.
*****
After about half an hour, The Escape Artist guided her two friends to one of the many stairwells that connected the sewers with the street level. She turned to The Tamer and The Bearded Mare. "Just take this stair up and you will end up nearby Puddinghead's park. Get to the Golden Apple Slice. The Equilibrist will tell you of the final plans for the grand coup."
The Bearded Mare's ears picked up at that. "Final plans? So it has all been decided? When will we begin?"
"Tomorrow evening. The Equilibrist will tell you everything," The Escape Artist answered. "The Escape Artist has a little something she needs to take care of, but she will rejoin you shortly."
With that, The Escape Artist continued down the sewers, leaving her comrades for now. It had felt better to accompany The Tamer all the way back to the club, since he didn't know The Bearded Mare that well yet, but she didn't have the time. Besides, it was not far to the club, so the winds should not whisper too much to him. At least that's what she hoped.
The sewers continued their winding way beneath the city. She followed their intricate way all the way to the upper district. The Illusionist's source had said that Twilight stayed in the third house from the castle on a parallel street to the one she exited on.
The Escape Artist looked over the building. It was rather small for being in the upper district; probably a place for important ponies to stay during their visit to the city, which meant that it would not be the easiest thing to break into. But then again, most houses were not built to withstand her.
She looked around. It was in the middle of the night, so she did not expect anypony to be out on the street, but one could never be too careful. She went through the thin hedge and trotted around the house, looking through the windows at the bottom floor. None of them was a bedroom, so Twilight likely slept on the second floor.
The Escape Artist looked up towards the balcony. She did not have a rope with her, something she should always have. Grumbling, she trotted around the house again, this time looking for something she could use to get up. "The Escape Artist really has to learn teleportation some day," she mumbled.
She looked around, and her eyes fell on the flagpole. It had a string, maybe she could use that? Not the strongest thing, but it might be enough...
"Whatever, Trixie will make work..." She thought and trotted up to it. She bent her head down and let her horn flicker quickly. The string came falling down and she picked it up. With an artistic motion she slung it around the bars to the balcony. She grabbed the other end with her magic, pulled it down to her and tied a knot around the other end. The string was now secured.
She tugged at the rope and closed her eyes. Her horn lit up and she began to gently push her rump upwards. She flushed slightly at the soft touch of her magic, but kept concentrating. With the combination of magic, the rope and teeth she began to pull/ push herself upwards. When she got up on the balcony she panted and had a profound blush over her face, both from fatigue and the magic touch on her hindquarters. She looked through the window doors and saw a bed in there. And a pony shape in it.
The lock was tough, but it cracked after a few minutes. The Escape Artist silently stalked into the room and looked around. A large closet and a bedside table were the only pieces of furniture worth noting. The Escape Artist didn't care though; she kept her eyes at the sleeping pony. It was Twilight Sparkle alright, she would recognize her anywhere.
"Sparkle," She whispered softly. Twilight groaned in her sleep, but did not wake up. "Twilight." Twilight rolled over, away from her. The Escape Artist sighed and placed her hoof over Twilight's mouth. She then smacked the alicorn lightly on the horn.
"I'm panca-mmmf!"Twilight awoke with a start and looked about frantically. She spotted the Escape Artist standing beside her bed, but any sound she might make was muffled.
"Be silent, we still have Rarity. And pay attention to the Great and Powerful Escape Artist," The Escape Artist whispered in a voice that might be considered sensual. Twilight froze, then nodded. The Escape Artist removed her hoof.
"The Escape Artist heard about your little excursion to Everfree," she said casually. "She thought you wanted to know that The Equilibrist does not approve. She... or he... is angry... very angry... Trixie doesn't like it when she is angry."
Twilight listened, and felt her heart rate quicken. All to clear did she remember the writing in the coffin. Next time it wont be a doll. Trixie noted with pleasure how Twilight's eyes got larger. "L-let's not do anything hasty now, Trixie," Twilight said with an anxious voice.
"Hasty?" The Escape Artist responded, soft as ever a marefriend. "Trixie is not being hasty, you are." She sat down on Twilight's bed. "Let Trixie clarify something," The Escape Artist took a deep breath, then locked eyes with Twilight. She let a cute smile grace her lips. "You say or do something, anything, that Trixie doesn't like, and your friend will pay for it," She felt Twilight stiffen in the bed. "So if Trixie was you, she would pick her words carefully."
Twilight locked out Trixie's babbling and concentrated on controlling her million questions. She had to be careful now. She took a deep breath. "Wh- what do you want?"
Trixie felt a rush of power well up within her. For how long had she not wanted this? To see Twilight so nervous, so inferior to her? To see Twilight listen to her and hang of her every word, to watch her hated rival drink in all she said as if her life depended on it. To see a Princess bend to her every whim. She had that power now, and while she could not use it freely, she could still relish the moment.
"You are going to come to the castle tomorrow at eleven fifty in the evening," Trixie said with an overly clear voice, as if she spoke to slow student. "At the main gate, The Illusionist will contact you and guide you further. Rarity will be free once you give us a certain little something in the castle. Have you understood, or did The Great and Powerful Escape Artist use to large words?"
"I will come," Twilight said and licked her lips. "Trixie, will you at least tell me why you joined The Circus? You had an honest life, what made you turn criminal?"
The Escape Artist was more surprised that Twilight dared to speak than of the actual question. She made a bitter face. "Thanks to you, Trixie did not have a life, nor anything else, left. Thanks to your Ursa Minor, Trixie lost all she had, and the amulet incident only made things worse. Trixie had to take what job she could get, and The Equilibrist provided exactly that. He was willing to give Trixie the chance she deserved when nopony else would."
"So now you ruin lives for a living?" Twilight said with disgust. "I never thought you would sink so low, Trixie. You are better than that."
"Trixie never really had a choice," The Escape Artist said with a shrug. "Not everypony is best buddies with the Princess, not that you would know."
"WHA-" Twilight began angrily, but The Escape Artist silenced her with her magic.
"Trixie does not ruin lives, as you put it," Trixie said with an explanatory, excessively clear voice. "To Trixie, The Circus is a way to test new limits and break them. Together with The Circus, she would match her wits against the sharpest of opponents, and she would come out on top."
Twilight looked at Trixie with a face that combined a host of feelings. Anger, sadness and, much to The Escape Artist's annoyance, pity. "Tomorrow, eleven fifty," she hissed. "Try to be on time." With a flick of her cape, The Escape Artist vanished. Twilight looked around in confusion, but there was no sign of her.
Twilight swallowed nervously and laid back in bed. She closed her eyes and listened carefully. She heard nothing. There was no pony nearby.
"It's alright," Twilight whispered. She knew she could speak as loud as she wanted, but somehow it felt better whispering. "You can come out."
The doors to the large closet opened silently and Bon-Bon stretched her legs. "Well done, Twilight," she said with an appreciative look. "The castle tomorrow just before midnight, huh? You just do whatever they want, and I will come to your aid once I am sure to catch most of The Circus red-hoffed."
"Wait, should I actually help them?" Twilight said with a questioning look.
"Yes," Bon-Bon confirmed with a nod. "This is the closest I have ever been to them. If things go well, then we might end them once and for all. But we must not do anything rush. If one of them gets away, then they will break out of prison sooner or later. We catch to take them all at the same time, and secure enough proof to take them down too. But don't you worry. As soon as they release Rarity, or I am sure we can catch them all, I will come, and you can stop the act."
Twilight nodded. "Makes sense, I guess..."
"Well then, now we wait..." Bon-Bon said calmly. "Feels good to be the one who holds the ace for once..." |
The Canterlot Caper | Chapter eight- Assault Arrangement | The Equilibrist, The Illusionist, The Tamer and The Wizard sat together in the V.I.P room at the "Golden Apple Slice". A dazed Rarity laid in a corner with bound hooves. Nopony spoke. Everypony sat quiet and looked at the Canterlot clock tower's dial. The seconds crept forward ever so slowly, but nopony dared to look away. Even The Tamer's twitches had subsided. The clock showed ten fifty-seven. Three minutes until the grand finale began. The atmosphere in the room felt like charged with electricity; it could practically be touched with bare hooves.
The Tamer didn't look at the dial, per se; he looked at the lead gray sky behind it. The Canterlot weather team had secluded a major downpour tomorrow morning, and the clouds were already assembled. He saw the minute hand move. Two minute left. He felt his smile getting wider. This was going to be wonderful. It was not often he had that much cloud to work with.
"Turn us loose, let us rage, guide us, direct us," The winds whispered in their soft, powerful voices. His left wing twitched slightly in excitement.
"Soon, yes, soon," he whispered back. He continued to stare at the sky.
The minute hand moved.
Topsy got up from his chair and took on his old Wonderbolt's uniform, complete with a . The fabric was torn and patched after years of hard use without replacement, but The Bearded Mare had done what she could for it. Topsy picked up the saddlebags with 'stromfood'. He went out on the club's backyard and closed his eyes. He remembered the moment from all those years ago as clear as it was yesterday. It was like watching a movie.
The grand arena, the cheering crowds, the emerald green grass, the sapphire blue sky and bright sun on his dark blue wings. Spitfire had been in front of him to the right and Fleetfoot behind him at his left. He and Soarin had discussed something in the changing room just a minute before, some new trick they should try at the next training session. The Tamer did not quite remember what the trick was. But he did remember the winds.
When he preformed his weather stunts, he could sometimes hear the winds call to him and guide him, but that day was the first time her heard them when on the ground too. He loved it. He felt ALIVE! Other ponies could create gusts of wind, manipulate lightning, or maybe even summon a twister, but he was something else, something more.
In that moment, when he heard the winds during that show, he realized it. He could not create a gust of wind, he could become a gust of wind. He was one with the winds and sky, he underwood them like no other. He was The Twister.
The minute hand moved, and he heard the bell beginning to toll.
"TWISTEEEER!!!" He screamed as he preformed the same motions he had all those years back when he took off into the arena. He bent his backlegs and aligned his body. Smooth and agile, yet powerful and tensed, like a projectile ready to be launched. He shoot of with his hind legs and flapped with his wings in just the right moment. Before he realized it, he flew up, up, up in the sky, fast as the wind.
He opened his eyes again and forced himself to think of Ditzy. He could not afford to lose control completely. He had to direct the winds carefully, else he would spoil the whole operation, and likely half the city too. But before he had to worry about that, he had to actually create the twister.
Topsy flew away from the city, up high, around the majestic cloud, then dropped down on the amassed storm from above. It took him fifteen minutes just to get in place, but he was undiscovered. So far, so good. He closed his eyes for just a moment. He could hear the power pulse in the clouds, dormant and calm for now, but with a burning wish to break loose.
"Come to us, help us!" The clouds called with pleading voices.
Topsy smiled. The sheer power in the clouds made him feel wonderful, it filled him with life. The power of the sky itself was his, for he was the twister, the storm, the thundercloud.
He was the king in the sky. No, he was the sky.
And now it was time for some fireworks.
The Tamer picked out the first incendiary bomb and chip of flint from his saddlebag. With a practiced movement, he struck a spark, lit the fuse and threw the bomb down in the cloud. The moment after he let go he flew away to avoid getting singed.
The bomb detonated with a sharp rumble, but hardly any explosion; he could not afford to scatter the cloud, after all. He just wanted to heat it. Topsy lit the second bomb and threw. A few bombs later, Topsy dove straight through the cloud. It was pleasantly warm now.
As he got down, Topsy began to fly to and fro under the clouds, looking for the place...
Canterlot was built of a mountain wall. A mountain wall blocked winds. When the winds collided with the cliff face there was only two ways it could take; to the side or upwards. The winds that shot upwards were now cold in comparison to the clouds. Thus the hot air in the clouds and cold air in the updraft met just above the city, and the result...
BOOM!
...Thunder.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing here?" The Tamer was brought out of his patrolling and looked to his left. A turquoise pegasus in the Wonderbolts recruit uniform flew beside him. Her mane had two shades of brownish gold. "Nopony is allowed near the clouds, so get lost, won't you?"
The Tamer slowed down and placed himself just above the Wonderbolt recruit. "C-catch me," he whispered with his slithering voice. Then he pumped his wings hard again and left his pursuer behind. He could knock her down, but that shouldn't be necessary.
"Oh, yea? That's the game you wanna play? Then that's the game we're gonna play!" He heard the mare's voice behind him, followed by wingbeats.
"Let us ripple and flow. KNOCK HER OUT OF THE SKY!" The winds screamed at him. He felt a rush of power well up within him. He was the sky, he was a god. What was this little mare to him?
He let his laughter bubble to the surface. This was just to rich. She followed him? She actually followed him? HIM? How amusing. He went into a sleek roll and twisted it into an elegant U-turn. It would happen soon; he heard it. The clouds had started to charge up with tremendous power. He dodged the pursuing pegasus' clumsy jab and flew of towards the epicenter. All above him he felt the surging electricity within the clouds. He let his hoof glide against the cloud surface. The lightning felt like the heartbeat of some giant beast.
He closed his eyes and listened. The winds around him roared, and the electricity crackled faintly in the air. But from one direction something was wrong. There was something there, something that blocked the currents. It closed in, came at him and would reach him exactly...
NOW!
The moment before impact he rolled to the side, still with his eyes closed. He felt the soft fur of a pony glide past him and up in the seething mass of clouds. His pursuer had tried to hit him from below, but he heard her. She gave a startled little yelp when she realized she missed. She was his. The clouds were his element.
He flapped his wings and followed his opponent into the cloud. He felt the gray mass surround him, and he heard like he only could in a thundercloud. His keen ears picked up everything, every little change in the cloud. It was like seeing in all directions at once.
He pulled up and stopped. He stayed absolutely still and let the clouds speak to him in its enigmatic language. He cringed as he felt a large disturbance in the pattern, like a blot of ink in a letter. The currents were blocked and forced to take another way. He knew what it meant. She was struggling to orient herself, blinded and scared of the hostility of the cloud.
"GET HE OUT OF US! SHE DOES NOT BELONG HERE!" The cloud screamed in agony. A scowl entered Topsy's face. He would not stand for his cloud being hurt. He kept his eyes closed and began to paddle himself carefully through the cloud to where he felt his enemy.
"Where did you go!? Come here and fight like a pegasus!" She screamed somewhere in front of him. Apparently she tried to hide her fear behind a strong facade. How stupid.
"I'm here, demoted recruit Lightning Dust," The Tamer hissed as he pushed his wings to get up to some speed before he flew right at his enemy, grabbed her wings, went into a somersault and threw her forward into the epicenter of the storm. While she was still dazed by his violent attack, Topsy turned and began to fly around her. He was just a few ponylengths away, but in a cloud you couldn't see a hoof in front of you. He flew in a wide circle around her and the cloud epicenter.
He felt it; this is where the cloud was about to form a tornado. Now he just had to help it a little. Slowly the cloud started to move with him. Together him and the cloud began to spin quicker and quicker. The currents became dislodged, and crackles of electricity began to shot around him. Around, but not at him. The cloud would never hurt him. Faster and faster they spun.
"H-Hey, what's the big idea!?" Lightning Dust's voice came from within the swirling mass of thundercloud. There was a terrified edge in the voice, not that Topsy cared about her now. He changed his trajectory a little, and began to move downwards. He had created a fine base for his storm, but to give it life, he had to create a wind funnel all the way down to the ground.
Just as he left the cloud, he felt another disturbance in the winds. Something had entered the swirling mass fought in against the spin. Topsy opened his eyes and threw a quick glance to the ground. It was far to long. His storm would be severely weakened before he could get it connected. He flapped is wings hard and returned to the clouds. Somepony was interfering with the wrong pony's work. Somepony was going to regret it.
He was shocked by the fury within the cloud when he entered. Lightning snaked to and fro every second, followed by a threatening rumble. He closed his eyes to let the winds speak. He was overwhelmed. The cloud cried out in agonizing pain, firing bolt after bolt against the pegasi in its epicenter. Topsy could feel them. There was five ponies in the cloud, struggling to fly against his storm.
Furious, he flew towards the moving bodies. As he went, he took a piece of cloud with him and pressed it close to his body. Topsy felt the small jolt of electricity within the cloud. It was not very strong lightning, but it was strong enough, especially when it was delivered with his strength behind it. He began to compress the tiny thundercloud.
As he closed in on the flying pegasi, he ripped the cloud piece apart and placed the two smaller clouds over his front hooves like a pair of boxing gloves. He kept his eyes closed, but he could feel the lightning ripple through the clouds on his hooves.
He came closer and closer to one of the disrupting ponies and drew back his front hoof. Even closer, aaaaand...
"Feeling thunderstruck?" He snickered as he closed in. He opened his eyes just in time to see a very surprised pegasus stallion less than a hooflength away look at him. His hoof flew forward like a bullet.
The pegasus screamed as Topsy's "glove" hit him on the jaw. Topsy saw the pegasus's wings cramp up and his legs twitch as he began to fall. The paralysis would probably disappear before the pegasus crashed, but a near-death experience should be enough to prevent him from interfering more with Topsy's work.
One down, four to go. He closed his eyes and realized another pegasus were flying at him. In fact, three other pegasi were flying in a circle to counter the storm, so they would all come right at him. He readied another punch, dodged quickly to the left as his opponent came, and hit her in the side. Two down, three to go.
Topsy stayed where he was and took out another two opponents as they tried to fly past him. The last one refused to come, though. Annoyed, he closed his eyes and listened to the winds. Where was she? ...
Apparently the last pegasus had come up with the idea of forming a small twister inside his large one. Topsy scowled, for one of the best ways to kill a twister was something rotating in the wrong direction.
Then he realized something. He could use this. His old twister was more or less dead, so he might as well use the small twister as base for his new one. Quickly, he turned around and began to fly along with the last pegasus. The twister built up rapidly, dragging in more and more of the surrounding clouds and becoming more and more violent.
Suddenly the clouds broke up around him.
The wind funnel was created. He had created a twister for real. Now he just had to knock the last pegasus down, and connect the wind funnel to the ground.
It was Lightning Dust. She looked around for her comrades in the suddenly clear space, but couldn't see them. All she saw was a multicolored streak flying around the wall that made up the funnel. She was alone in a twister with Topsy, and he laughed like a maniac. The laughter was like needles to the ears. It came from everywhere at once. Lightning Dust gave a small squeak of terror. She hovered in the middle of the Twister, looking for a way out. But every direction she looked at just held another distorted image of Topsy's face.
"WHAT IS YOUR WINGPOWER, LIGHTNING DUST!?" Topsy screamed. "MINE IS OVER A HUNDRED WHEN IN THIS TYPE OF SPIN! THINK YOU CAN MATCH THE TWISTER!?"
Lightning Dust's eyes widened in shock. The Wonderbolt elite squad peaked at about fifty to sixty-five each. A hundred, if Topsy was speaking the truth, was unheard of; and yet it must be true. Eight hundred was required to build a large tornado from scratch, and while Topsy couldn't do that, he could certainly help a twister considerably with his flying.
He was a monster.
Lightning Dust was interrupted in her thought by an incredible powerful updraft. She looked down, and she saw the ground. The twister was complete. The wind funnel was connected to the ground. Immediately a multitude of items began to dart through the air.
Whole trees, pave stones and pretty much everything not secured came flying. The items shot past her faster than she could follow, but somehow Topsy managed to stay in the wall of wind and dodge everything that came at him. He was like water, flowing around and about the items that came at him without being touched by anything.
"I've gotta get out," Lightning Dust whispered to herself. She had no chance of stopping this herself, and if she stayed there was no telling what Topsy might do. She fell in the tornado's rotation and began to fly with it. Her speed picked up far quicker than expected. She had never flew half as fast before.
"RRRRRAAAAHHHH!" She screamed in part excitement, part terror, part determination. She broke out of her circle and smacked into the wall of wind. She felt like she had hit a cliff face. Her speed dropped alarmingly fast and she barely got a few hooflengths into the wind wall. She pumped her wings as fast as she could. Long, powerful strokes that made her move just a little bit further. The wind pressed her backwards but ever so slowly did she power through.
Suddenly the world became a firework of colors and a haze of pain. Without understanding what had happened she found herself spinning and tumbling in the tornado, completely out of control. Stones and debris hit her all over her body as she was flung about erratically in the wind. She flapped her wings to stabilize herself but was struck by more and more trash. Instinctively she folded her wings over her head to protect her face.
Topsy looked at the hapless victim as he nimbly dodged the projectiles that spun in the storm. "Should I help or watch her fall?" He thought calmly as he watched a brick hit Lightning Dust hard on the wing. He thought he heard a scream of pain, but then winds distorted most sound.
"Let us have her! She is ours! She hurt us! Now we hurt her!" The winds screamed in powerful, ecstatic voices. A tree trunk flew in the twister and smacked Lightning Dust over her back. Now he was sure he heard a scream.
Topsy hissed and broke out of his spin. The storm was powerful enough to sustain itself now. He was done with the first part of his job. He twisted his body to dodge the debris as he slowly made his way to the beaten up pony. She didn't appear to fly anymore. In fact, it looked like she was praying.
Topsy flew faster and faster in the twister while watching Lightning Dust take blow after blow. Suddenly, he broke out of his rotation and flew directly at the Wonderbolts recruit. He locked eyes with Lightning Dust for just a moment. She looked utterly terrified, as if she saw death himself coming at her. "Please..." she whispered. How he could hear her he could not understand.
He collided with her and forced her into the wind wall. He listened and was sure to keep away from any debris. Lightning Dust on the other hoof was getting pummeled again. He refused to let go, he pumped his wings faster and faster and more or less crushed Lightning Dust against the wind wall.
Then suddenly, they were both out. Like launched from a cannon they were flying out perpendicular to the wind funnel. Lightning Dust didn't seem to understand what had happened, but at least she did not object when Topsy laid a foreleg around her barrel and held her closely.
With a rupturing sound they both crashed down on a rooftop. Topsy's horseshoes cracked the tiles under him and he felt a stabbing pain shot up through the three legs he had caught himself with.
He panted for a moment before he, gentle as ever, placed Lightning Dust on the roof, picked out a syringe from his saddlebag and injected the mind numbing drug. She could not have her remembering him.
They looked at each other for just a moment. Mismatched orange and purple looked directly into brownish gold.
"T-Topsy..." Lightning Dust whispered before she fainted on the roof.
The Tamer looked for a moment. "The winds wanted her to die..." he thought as he blasted of again. There would be time to think later.
*****
The Bearded Mare, The Clown and The Escape Artist all stood nearby the Canterlot train station when the storm broke loose. Ditzy trampled anxiously and looked around at the scores of ponies around her who were trying to get home in the increasingly violent weather. It didn't take too long for the few night travelers to leave the station. She saw the station manager come out, dressed in a long raincoat, and put up a placard on the front door. Suri went closer to read.
"The trains from the city has been canceled due to the storm, as predicted," she said after a quick glance. "I think we can start now, m'kay."
Trixie nodded and levitated up her lock picks and got to work on the door. Ditzy and Suri kept watch around the street, not that they expected anypony to be out a night like this. "Done," Trixie mumbled as the lock clicked open. The three ponies went inside and quickly went to the manager's office.
Trixie took off her typical hat, reached inside and produced a small glass orb. She nodded to her accomplices. Ditzy took the doorknob and pulled open swiftly, at the same time as Trixie lobbed her glass sphere into the office.
A startled scream was all they heard of the manager before they pushed the door closed. The confused and frightened pony tried to get out, but they kept the door firmly closed while Trixie's sleeping gas did it's work. After a minute, the thumps on the door silenced.
"Alright," Trixie said with a relieved voice. "The Confident and Positive Trixie believes that should take care of our problems for now. Miss Polomare, Trixie hopes you have our... outfits, yes?"
"M'kay," Suri said and produced three rough, pretty dirty, repair pony uniforms. "These should help us blend in well. Let's get to it."
The three mares donned the uniforms and then casually made their way to the barnyard were all the trains were kept. They stopped before one of the trains.
"Okay then," Trixie said with a spirited voice. "Tell Trixie how much delay the steering spells need and she will take care of the rest."
"I have The Equilibrist's calculations here," Suri said and produced a sheet filled with numbers. Among the illegible writing, there was a drawing of the train track between Canterlot and Ponyville. The time it would take for the train to reach some key curves were marked. All Trixie would have to do was to delay her spells on the steering wheel so that the train turned at the exact right times to take the curves. Not easy, but practice makes perfect. Trixie began to work while the others kept watch.
It took them about half an hour in total. The three ponies left the station and Trixie opened up one of the passages to the sewers. In a storm like this, that would practically be the only mode of transportation. "I will wait by the airship," Suri said. Trixie gave her a map with the airship docks marked clearly. "See you there."
"And I'll help at the castle!" Ditzy said happily. "Gimme the map! I'll make myself useful!"
Trixie handed the parchment to Ditzy, who immediately disappeared into the sewers. Trixie went into a side alley and hid from the worst weather in an alcove.
*****
"Alright, time to begin," The Equilibrist said calmly. "We all have twenty minutes to find a good position. Fire at midnight, sharp."
"Got it!" The Wizard said excitably. He picked up the large suitcase with his weapons, and went over to Rarity. "Come along now. This place is cold and windy, let's find someplace warm, shall we? Like a castle?"
Rarity looked at The Wizard darkly. "Very funny, Filthy," She said with a, for her, rude voice.
"That's Mr. Rich to you," Filthy corrected. "And, for the record, I wasn't asking." Rarity felt like she was blasted with a shotgun as he opened the door. Hail and rain hit her all over her front. She looked out through the door. The first she saw was a multitude of flashes that lit up the otherwise dark sky. Lightning shot between the clouds and some even struck the ground. The rumble of thunder filled the air. Rarity turned towards the castle.
The scenery had changed drastically just from the storm. The dark clouds framed the pale structure in a wild type of beauty. Lightning struck the towers almost constantly, and the trees nearby were ripped to shreds in the powerful gales.
Filthy half jostled and half led her out of the door. "Come now, It's not a long walk," He said calmly. He did not seem the least unnerved by the storm. "And don't try anything stupid now. Remember I've got you covered." He tapped his suitcase.
Rarity swallowed and began to trot towards the castle with Filthy behind her. It only took a few minutes from the club. When she came closer, the winds suddenly disappeared. Rarity looked around, surprised. The hail and rain seemed to vanish when it came close to the castle. Even the winds were dampened. She looked at the sky and could still see the rain fall, but it didn't reach her. It was like they fell on an invisible bubble.
"Where is everypony? Where are the guards?" she mumbled to herself, ignoring the strange weather. Rarity and Filthy had no problems whatsoever to get into the castle. The place seemed deserted.
"Probably fighting of Twitchy's tornado, or maybe The Illusionist has changed their orders a bit," Filthy explained casually. "This is not exactly the first time we break in. Practice makes perfect."
"I see you don't care at all for all the damage you cause with that twister?" Rarity responded in an ice cold voice. They turned and went up a staircase.
"Not much, no," Filthy said in the same casual voice. "Great art can never be achieved without great sacrifice, and everypony will speak of our escapade for years to come. Surely it's worth a little grief?"
Rarity did not deign to answer. It echoed in the empty hallway as they went in silence.
"What made you go down such a dark path, Filthy?" Rarity asked slowly. "you, who have everything. Why take such a risk? Was it more wealth? Is that all?"
"Mr. Rich," Filthy corrected, clearly annoyed. "And I have plenty of wealth, thank you very much."
"Then what?"
"I was bored," Filthy said simply. "What fun is wealth? It doesn't make your life more exciting, If you are not interested in buying pointless trinkets. No, I wanted to do something interesting, something challenging, something... something with stakes, something no pony else dared to or could do."
"For... your amusement? You ruin pony lives for... your own amusement?" Rarity couldn't believe her ears. Ditzy had joined because she was too kind to leave Topsy behind, and Topsy was... well, Topsy. To him it was ether The Circus or jail. Both of them had to some degree been forced to join, and then learned to like parts of what they did.
But Filthy Rich had no reason at all, he just wanted to have his little fun, and woe be those who came in his sights. "HOW CAN YOU!?" Rarity screamed.
Filthy chuckled. "I have had everything I ever wanted on a silver platter all my life, and it was...boring. The thrill of the crime, Rarity, thrill of the crime is what I seek..." His face became serious again. "And don't scream, or else..."
Rarity shot him a murderous look and kept on walking up the stairs.
"And here we are!" Filthy said happily after a few minutes. He stood in front of a large oaken door with Princess Celestia's cutie mark. Without a care he pushed it open and entered.
They stepped into a combined bedroom and office. The large canopy bed was soft and luxurious, seemingly built inside the room. A large ebony wood desk with quills, ink and paper in perfect rows stood directly to her right. Every little detail seemed to represent the utmost perfection of its kind. The most beautiful of chandeliers, the most exquisite marble on the floors and the plushest of pillows. To her right there was a small door, and beside it the exit to a large balcony.
"Who can have a room like this? Is it Celestia's herself? But then why are we here?" Rarity thought silently. She had yet to figure out what the Circus's plan was.
"Out on the balcony, now," The Wizard said with a commanding voice that sent chills down Rarity's spine. She turned around and looked into the frost blue eyes of Filthy Rich, behind a loaded crossbow aimed at her chest.
"J-just be careful with that thing," Rarity mumbled nervously and backed out on the balcony. The wind immediately began to rip in her mane. Filthy did not lower the crossbow.
"All the way back to the railing, in behind the door," he said shortly. Rarity obeyed while keeping a close look at the crossbow. She felt the cold stone railing against her hind legs, and the door hid her from inside the room.
"Sit down," The Wizard said. Rarity's legs nearly gave out on their own. She had never been under direct threat before, and something in Filthy's voice frightened her. There was no mercy in his voice. Just quick, cool commands. She sat down with the railing against her back. Filthy threw a rope to her.
"Tie up your hind legs to the railing," he said. Rarity found herself obeying. Once she was tied up, Filthy finally lowered the crossbow and went up to her. He took her fore hooves in his and tied them up as well. Then he checked all knots and pulled the ones she had tied a little tighter.
"Now stay there, and you will soon be free," he said. "I will lave you now, but remember that I still have you covered, and your magic is easy to spot in the dark." The Wizard unpacked something from his saddlebag. At first Rarity though it was a sack of some kind, but then Filthy began taking it on.
When he was done Rarity understood what it was. It was a wing suit. A tight costume that laid perfectly against Filthy's sinewy body and with large pieces of fabric between the legs, almost like the wings of a flying squirrel.
"Ciao," The Wizard said and leaped from the balcony. Rarity saw the winds catch him and send him upwards. He was swallowed by the dark in a moment. Rarity sat alone on the balcony, tied up and freezing. The darkness felt threatening, for she knew that somewhere out there, a crossbow was aimed right at her.
*****
The Equilibrist stood on the wall around the castle with a small crossbow on the hip, courtesy of his friend Filthy Rich. He scoured at the giant castle and tried to find the Princess's room.
"There," The Equilibrist said and pointed.
"Right you are, as always," The Equilibrist said. "Well then, see you there." He deftly leaped from the wall and crossed the castle garden. A few birds sung in the bushes, but they silenced when he passed. He placed himself under one of the towers and looked up. It seemed far higher from here.
"Well, might as well get to it," he said to himself. He looked around and tried to plan his course. It took but a few moments, the rest he would make up as he went. With his plan in mind, he pulled out a rope and threw a lasso around the branch to an old willow tree with a practiced move of his hoof. He tested the rope, was pleased, and climbed up. After untying the rope, he proceeded to throw it at a gargoyle at the castle wall. He tied the rope around his branch and tested again.
Pleased, he quickly ran over the rope to the wall. There he grabbed the gargoyle for stability and used his magic to untie the rope in the tree and levitate it to him. He rolled it up and slung it over his shoulder.
"So far so good," he mumbled as he slowly went along the castle wall on a thin ornament shelf. It took him nearly five minutes to move the quarter circle around the tower. Now he was directly under Celestia's balcony, and had another tower directly ahead of him. He spotted The Equilibrist making his way up by letting Prankster fly with a grappling hook to different outcroppings and balconies.
The Equilibrist proceeded to throw the rope to the other tower, gallop over, and then repeat the process until he found himself just below a window at the tower beside Celestia's. He perched himself on a small outcropping, probably once built for hosting a gargoyle. The Equilibrist picked up his saddlebag and levitated out his wing suit. He would have to glide a short distance up to the balcony, but that wouldn't cause any problem in this updraft.
Changing clothes was not the easiest thing to do on a tiny outcropping with a deadly fall at three sides, but he managed. He folded his normal clothing neatly and put it in the saddlebags, along with his trademark hat.
Once properly dressed, he paused for a moment and calculated the time he should have left. "Should be about four minutes or something?" he mumbled to himself. "I should get ready..." The Equilibrist armed his crossbow with the strongest sedative money could buy, and sat still on the outcropping. Every fiber in his body listened for the toll of a bell.
He nodded to The Equilibrist when he saw him perch himself on a similar spot on the tower beside him. Prankster sat on his shoulder. They were ready and waiting.
*****
This was by far the worst weather Twilight had ever experienced, and that included the chocolate milk rainstorm. If she had her wish, she would lie in her bed, snug and warm under the blankets and watch the storm from her castle, preferably while swapping ghost stories with her friends.
Unfortunately, she did not have that wish, and was forced to experience the storm on a much more personal level than she would have wanted. She was soaked and freezing as she trudged towards the castle entrance. The rain made the streets slippery, and the thunder made Twilight look up at the sky every few seconds. She hardly noticed the violent display, to preoccupied with thoughts to care.
Everything came down to this. Now she would get Rarity back. Now she and Bon-Bon would capture the elusive Circus. And now she was on the way to meet the Illusionist and finally learn what they wanted with her. They had gone through a whole lot of trouble to get her to cooperate, so it must be something very special. But what?
The clock was eleven thirty-five when she left Bon-Bon's agency, so it was almost time for the meeting. She stepped into the castle's protective barrier and trotted up to the main entrance. It was deserted. Confused, she looked around. Even if it was not time to meet the Illusionist, there should still be guards here.
"They are off fighting The Twister, literarily and figuratively," A lazy, aristocratic voice came from behind her. She quickly turned around and found herself looking into the sinister, ice blue eyes of Prince Blueblood. "Why are you here, Princess Sparkle? Nopony should ever act alone, after all. I don't." Blueblood smirked.
Twilight choked on the words. She had expected The Circus to have some contact in the castle, but not Blueblood. He was the highest ranking pony in the Canterlot aristocracy, second only to The Princesses themselves. He could trace his lineage back to Princess Platinum. HOW did The Circus gain an ally like him? And, more importantly, what had inspired him to actually work? Blueblood was infamous being lazy and generally useless.
"What's the matter, princess? Stunned by my limitless charm?" There was no irony in Blueblood's voice. To him it was a legitimate question. "Most mares are, but I'm afraid you are far below my league. Nothing personal."
Twilight shook all the questions out of her head and forced herself to concentrate on the matter at hoof. "What do you want?" She asked curtly.
Blueblood looked insulted, but didn't object. He tilted his head to the left and started to walk down a corridor. Twilight followed.
"Where is Rarity?" Twilight asked as they climbed the stairs.
"What does it matter? Annoying mare can be in Tartarus for all I care," Blueblood replied with a bitter voice. "And why are you interested in her when we can talk about my favorite subject, me?"
Without waiting for an answer, Blueblood continued. "I went to Hoity Troity's shop the other day, but not even he had anything worthy of my grandeur. So I went to eat instead, at... somewhere, I don't recall. But the place was pretty bad. Don't go there."
Twilight rolled her eyes. Something told her trying to silence him would be a lost course, so she let him ramble on.
"Ah, here we are!" Blueblood suddenly said. He had stopped just behind a corner at the top of a stairwell. "Look away, if you please." Blueblood removed his cravat. Before Twilight had any chance of turning around he had produced a white, incredibly tight suit. Twilight looked at it without understanding as the Prince took it on.
"Looks horrible," Blueblood said with a displeased voice. "I will speak with The Equilibrist about this, mark my words."
Twilight was not sure what she was supposed to say to that, so she remained silent.
"Now, Sparkle," Blueblood said with a cold, commanding voice, "Be silent and stay back. We will begin soon, and you are not going to get in my way." Out of the saddlebag he levitated up a small crossbow. Twilight saw a dart glint dangerously in the barrel.
Blueblood Stood silent and still, seemingly waiting for something. Hoof steps made him look up. There was a slightly metallic clang with the steps, one that Twilight associated with Celestia's golden hoof guards. She heard a door open with a small creak. Blueblood held his breath.
The door closed with a small thud.
Blueblood exhaled beside her, and smiled a predatory smile. He was excited for something. "Soooon now," he said, drawing out the word to fill the fateful silence.
And far away, almost inaudible over the storm, a bell began to toll. |
The Canterlot Caper | Chapter nine- The Canterlot Caper | The bell tolled. Midnight had arrived. Around Canterlot, a total of eight ponies stiffened for a moment and listened, ears peaked right up. "Curtains rise, for now the show begins," they all said in perfect unison, even though they could not hear one another.
Prince Blueblood started to run as if he had heard a starting shot. He dashed out behind the corner, was at the door after just a moment, reared up and smashed it wide open. He looked and saw his aunt with a startled expression on her face and a slice of cake in her magical aura.
"Blueblood, what is it?" Celestia said with a shocked voice at Blueblood's violent entry. "Is something the matter?"
"Evening, aunt. No, nothing at all," Blueblood answered with a foreboding smirk. He bowed down mockingly, and Celestia felt a stabbing pain at her lower throat. She looked down and saw a small dart in her pristine white throat. A few drops of blood fell from the wound, but it was already starting to heal. Confused, she looked up at her nephew. He still had his neck bent in a bow. His horn shimmered, as did the crossbow that hovered beside him.
Celestia slowly she reached up her wing and brushed the small dart off her. "What are you doing, nephew?" She said with a guarded tone. "Did you really think something like this would effect me?"
"Of course not," Blueblood replied. He licked his lips and stood at the ready. "But what makes you think I act alone?"
Celestia flinched. There was a thunderous peal of breaking glass, and a similar stabbing pain shot from her flank.
*****
"Got you covered..." The Wizard said slowly as he looked through the telescopic sight. He moved the crossbow just a smidgin to the left. Celestia's flank was now in the middle of his crosshairs. He pressed down the trigger and heard the familiar "Twang" of the weapon. He continued to look through the telescope. The small dart broke a window in the balcony door and hit Celestia right in the center of her cutie mark. She flinched when the dart connected.
Two down, three to go.
Two shadows glided silently into his line of fire. So far so good, but he had to get ready fast now. The Equilibrist and The Equilibrist could not down Celestia themselves, and she must not be given slightest moment to react.
The Wizard placed the crossbow beside him, opened his suitcase and looked down at his most prized possessions.
In the soft, red velvet lining that clad the interior of the suitcase was a now empty space for his crossbow, framed by four bent pieces of lacquered wood with a small gemstone set in each. Strapped to the suitcase lid was his favorite weapon. A large arbalest, along with three darts, each almost four hooflengths long.
That was the weapon he liked to use for practice home at the manor, but he had never used it for real before. He knew the dreadful power it stored in the string. He was able to shoot straight through two wooden planks and well into a third. To use it at a pony would make him a murderer.
That is, unless said pony was an immortal alicorn; and he had to deliver a larger dose of hypnotic than usual for it to have any effect on Celestia. Perfect opportunity for the arbalest.
Plus, it felt fitting to use his greatest weapon in their greatest coup.
He took out the weapon and caressed it slowly. As he spanned the string he heard a flutter beside him.
"Ditzy," he said without taking the eyes of his work. "You made it with minutes to spare."
"Are you really going to use that?" She asked in a meek voice. She had also seen just how powerful it was.
"Yes," Filthy answered shortly. "Sorry."
"It's not to me you should say that," Ditzy replied with a stern tone. The Wizard sighed and placed the telescope sights in front of his eye again.
*****
The Equilibrist heard the bell and leaped from the small parapet with all four legs spread wide to catch the wind. Just as he expected, the powerful updraft caught him immediately and sent him up towards the window. After a moment, he saw his dearest brother fall in beside him. The window doors at the balcony came closer and closer. A dart came flying and broke one of the windowpanes. He and his brother looked at each other for a second and nodded.
The Equilibrist and The Equilibrist drew back their hooves as one and held their crossbows ready in their dark green magic.
"Ready, Flim?" The Equilibrist asked calmly.
"Ready Flam!" The Equilibrist answered excitably.
"LET'S BING-BANG-ZAM!" The finished together as they smashed up the doors.
Blueblood, Twilight and a dazed Celestia started and turned as the thunderous crash sounded through the room. The doors flew open and every glass pane in them shattered. Two nearly identical ponies flew through the windows dressed in identical wing suits. They both slowed down, somersaulted once, heightened one crossbow each and fired in perfect unison, mere seconds after Filthy's dart had hit.
Celestia knew what was coming. She had been caught completely off guard by Blueblood's attack and the dart from the window. Now, when she was ready, she felt her mind becoming slow and numb. She conjured up a spark of magic, but it was to late. The two darts hit her square in the chest.
She heard Twilight's scream and Celestia found herself wondering when Twilight had come here. The sound was strangely absent, as if her former student called to her through a long corridor. The voice was distorted, as if it was an echo of an echo of an echo. Celestia's vision blurred. It was hard to concentrate on the ponies who had crashed her window. Her entire room was spinning, she felt her legs relax and she slumped to the ground and heard her plate of cake fall somewhere. She looked to her nephew. She saw two of him.
"Nephew...why...? " She mumbled to Blueblood.
"Brother, I suggest you get down," the other window-crashers said. Then Celestia felt a burning lance impale her stomach.
*****
"Look away if you want," Filthy Rich said. Flim was out of the way. He looked through the telescope and aimed for Celestia's soft underbelly. He took a deep breath and fired.
Ditzy whimpered beside him and looked away.
He sighed and began to pack down the arbalest. Once done, he picked up the small crossbow again. Just in case...
*****
The dart hit Celestia hard enough to make push her backwards a few hooflengths. It bored deep in her coat and drops of blood began to flow from the wound. The wounded alicorn twitched and instinctively curled up around the injury. She coughed, drew a ragged breath and looked at the dart with tired and anxious eyes. Eyes that slowly closed.
Twilight watched in horror as the bolt sunk deep into Celesta's skin. The white alicorn laid panting on the side, still fighting a hopeless battle against the tranquilizing drugs. All ponies in the room stood still in a fateful silence. Celestia breathed heavily. She twitched once. Twice. Then she went still.
"Looks like..." Flam began with a smirk.
"... we won. HA!" Flim called triumphantly.
"Not If I can help it!" Twilight screamed and readied a spell. She would blast both Flim, Flam and Blueblood back under the rock they came from.
"Ah, Ah, Ah," Blueblood scolded with a superior look. "Aim that somewhere else, or else..." Blueblood's horn lit up in a soft shimmer. Twilight looked around, but didn't notice anything. Her spell resolved.
"Allow me," Flim and Flam said in unison. Their dark green magical blasts collided with Twilight's in midair. With a sharp sound and dazzling light all three beams disappeared. Twilight was grimly surprised at their strength. Their magic was stronger than she thought. But then again, they had run their machine for an hour straight with nothing but their magic without out looking the least tired after.
"Or else it is then," Blueblood said. Twilight was stunned for a moment. There was something with Blueblood's look that made her hesitate. It was... sinister. Filled with superior malice in a way she had never seen before. His lips turned upwards in a nasty sort of smile. He looked over Twilight's head with a sharp glance. "Taking a leap of faith?"
"B-Blueblood?" A tiny and frightened voice came from behind Twilight. She recognized that voice. Rarity. Twilight turned around.
Rarity hung suspended in the air with only a blue ring of magic around her waist. Her curly mane and tail blew in the wind like a banner, and behind her, lightning filled the sky. She reached one hoof out to grab the balcony railing, but Blueblood held her steadily just out of reach.
Suddenly the blue ring flickered in and out of existence, and Rarity fell about a hooflength. Both Rarity and Twilight squeaked in terror. Her friend's life now rested in Blueblood's hooves, and those were not very gentle. She turned back to the prince and took a deep breath the way Cadence had taught her. "What do you want?"
"Glad to see that you are so cooperative," Flim said approvingly.
"Now, if you would just remove Celestia's regalia, we will be out of your mane," Flam continued.
"And might I add, Rarity's too," Flim finished.
"The... the regalia? You are stealing... Celestia's regalia?" Twilight said with a mix of relief, surprise and worry. She had half expected a murder, so just stealing something, even something as priceless as the regalia, was a great relief. Still, it was probably the third most valuable artifact known to ponykind, after The Elements of Harmony and The Crystal Heart.
Nevertheless, Twilight sat down beside her old mentor. She noted that Celestia breathed evenly and calmly, as if she was just asleep. All wounds had been healed. With all shame in the world, Twilight gently picked up one of the golden hooves. No matter how precious the regalia might be, if it was required to keep Rarity safe, then she would steal it a thousand times over. The hoof guard struggled against her pull for a moment, as if it was bound to Celestia by magnetism, but then it slipped off.
"Yes!," Flim or Flam said with a breathless voice. "It's working! Go on, Sparkle, go on!"
Twilight shot a harsh glare and gently laid Celestia's now bare hoof on the floor. She suddenly became aware of how normal Celestia's hoof looked. Shining like marble yet soft as a feather. She squeezed the naked hoof for a moment. She could not remember ever feeling Celestia's naked hoof before.
"Forgive me, Princess," Twilight whispered to the unconscious alicorn.
"Hurry up," Blueblood said with a commanding voice. "Or else..." Twilight gently set the hoof down on the floor and removed the second hoof guard.
*****
Rarity's mind had long since kicked in the overdrive. After Blueblood's little stunt she had kept her eyes closed and whispered prayers for an undefined amount of time. When she opened her eyes again, she found that everypony's attention was turned to Twilight.
"Then maybe Filthy is distracted as well...?" Rarity thought. Her mind was strangely sharp despite her situation. It was as if her brain had entered a whole new state of awareness due to her distress. In either case, she was thankful for that awareness now, for she had to figure out some way to, if not escape, at least avoid plummeting to her doom.
Rarity looked around, but found nothing she could use without anypony noticing. She directed her look downwards, and voiced a small scream as she saw just how high up she was. Were those really trees down there? That small? She closed her eyes again to calm down a little. She would have to ask Twilight about that breathing exercise. Rarity opened her eyes again, and they fell on the window below Celestia's balcony.
Behind the curtained window she could feel something, now that she directed her horn to it. It was not really a subtile solution, but it might just work. Maybe... if Filthy didn't react fast enough, then it was possible.
Besides, it was better than just doing nothing.
She looked up again. Twilight had risen up, and presented Celestia's crown to one of the Flimflam brothers. Rarity's breath caught in her throat. That was The Circus's plan? To rob Celestia herself? And, even worse, they would get away with it if they continued like this.
She looked over the gathered ponies, and met Blueblood's gaze. Her moment of distraction was gone. She couldn't do anything if they saw her.
Suddenly, the door to Blueblood's left opened.
*****
"My sincerest thanks, Princess Sparkle," Flim said as he inspected the crown as careful as ever a jeweler. "You have more than fulfilled your end of the bargain."
"And I expect you to do as well," Twilight said with a venomous voice. She knew it was uncertain wether The Circus would keep their promise, but she really had no choice but to obey. Not as long as they held Rarity.
"Of course!" Flam said dismissively, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What are we, con artists?"
Twilight looked at Flam with a deadpan face.
"My point exactly!" Flim said. "Of course you can trust us. Illusionist, rele-"
"Princess, your tea-" The door opened. Everypony's eyes shifted to the opening. Coco Pommel looked back with a very confused expression. Her eyes fell on Celestia, and then on the crown that Flim still held in his magic.
"Now now, let's not do anything hasty!" Flam said quickly. Nervously.
"Precisely. I'm sure we can work this out," Flim said with his most persuasive voice. "How much do you want to forget this little... encounter? Why be enemies when we can be friends, right?"
Coco looked at Flim with a terrified look that gradually shifted to enraged. "You... Your voice... The Equilibrist...?"
Flim got a look of realization on his face. He looked like he had bit an apple and found it a lemon. "My friends, I may or may not have botched up."
Coco heaved the tray with teacups straight across the room at Flim. He caught it in his magic and sent it flying to his left, straight into the wall. Coco launched at the unicorn and slammed into his shoulder.
"GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK!" Coco shouted in his ear. Flam got an anxious look in his eyes and backed away. Flim staggered backwards, shook his head, and got something determined in his grass green eyes.
"Remember what I told you, Miss Pommel?" He said with a dangerously calm voice. "That I would show you other ways to use a rope?"
Coco Pommel didn't listen. She lunged at Flim again.
"That's a bad move," Flam commented, still in a pretty stressed voice. "You have never seen my brother when he is serious, have you? Well, of course not; I hardly have myself."
Flim conjured up a thin and flexible rope from somewhere inside his wing suit. He snapped it once and dodged to the side as Coco came at him. He lifted his hoof high and the silvery rope sparkled sharply in the light.
"Look now, everypony, it's your one and only Equilibrist!" Flim exclaimed with a voice that would make any showpony jealous. His eyes twinkled with excitement as he snapped the rope again and moved his hoof in a lighting fast pattern. Everypony, even the members of The Circus, experienced a moment of wonder at the display.
The lash looked like it was alive. It danced in the air like a butterfly. Gracefully it wormed and snaked in between Coco's front legs without touching her. It seemed to tie itself around both of her front legs and then up again over her back and neck, all without magic. For a moment it looked like the rope floated around Coco.
"Fillies and gentlecolts," Flim said in a flamboyant voice. "theeeeee tangletrap!" He pulled the lash backwards, and it constricted around Coco's body. In just a moment she was tied up by the rope and stumbled forward.
"Now, be thankful I didn't use my barbed wire. Also, get lost," Flim finished and tackled Coco towards the window. The moment she got out of the door a dart appeared in her back.
Coco opened her mouth to scream, but not a sound left her lips. She looked with terrified eyes at Flim, and then slumped to the floor. The silence that followed was deafening.
"Okay... so after that fiasco..." Flam said with a slightly higher pitch than usual. He took a few quick, shallow breaths. "Brother, sort out this mess so we can leave, finally."
"Got it brother," Flim sat down beside Coco's limp body and began to carefully untangle the rope. The bed sheets caught in his magic and flew down to him. He proceeded to quickly wrap Coco up in them.
"What... how can you...?" Twilight said silently. She felt sick. She had just witnessed murder. Coldblooded murder of an innocent pony, and yet Flim just carried on.
"Don't worry," Flam said quickly. "Our darts uses only the most powerful hypnotic money can buy. We are not murderers after all. She will be alright, though probably tired for a few days. Also, as I'm sure you don't recall from our little meeting in Ponyville, it wipes out short term memory too. She won't recall much of this appalling accident. Nether will Celestia, of course."
*****
Rarity forced herself to look away from the display. She had been granted a small distraction and Filthy had used his dart. Now she had some time while he reloaded and she was going to use it. She focused on the jeweled lamp her gem-sense had found in the room below and lifted it. It was hard to manipulate something she couldn't see, but she managed to lift the lamp and bash it through the window. She put it down below the windowsill.
"Now then. Let's hope this works..."
She pulled at the two curtain behind the window with her magic and ripped them out the hole. She levitated one up to her, took it in her hoof and used her magic to tie it to the balcony railing, just a few hoof lengths from her. She pulled the knot as tight as she could; her life might depend on it. Before she had too much time to think about her plan, she levitated the lamp up as fast as she could. Filthy must be about done now.
"Here goes nothing," Rarity thought. "You want jewelry!? What say you to this!?"
She flung the lamp into the room, directly at Flim. Like she predicted, he leaped to the side, and behind him stood a highly surprised Blueblood.
"Comeoncomeoncomeon," Rarity thought. Her plan depended on Blueblood reacting the same now as he had during a certain cake-airstrike. She smirked when she saw his expression. After the initial shock he looked franticly left and right, but this time there was nothing he could put in front of him.
Instinctively, he redirected his magic at the lamp and tried to catch it. He was too late. With a thump and groan from the stallion, it hit him in the face. Blueblood stepped backwards with an innovative blasphemy.
Rarity began to fall. Blueblood had let go of her by mistake. She pulled at the curtain she had tied to the railing and managed to get just enough momentum forward to grab on to the railing. For a panicked moment she hung from it in just her hooves. Then she noted a faint lilac shimmer around her.
Twilight beamed at her when she landed. Rarity swallowed her heart back into her chest and beamed back. "Rarity, thanks Celestia!" Twilight said in an overjoyed voice. They hugged for just a moment.
Rarity smiled back with apparent pride. "What do you say we end this charade, darling?" Her voice didn't shake nearly as much as she would have thought.
They both turned to the dumbfounded Circus. Flim had just managed to get his wire untangled and looked about the room with an analytical look. Flam stared at Rarity as if he had seen a ghost, and moved closer to his brother. Blueblood looked in Celestia's mirror with a horrified stare. He could care less about what was happening around him.
"Well then, dearest Circus," Twilight said with a voice that was part triumphant and part gloating. "I place you under arrest."
"Do you now?" Flim said with an interested voice.
Flam continued. His voice was marked with uncertainty. "A-And might I inquire as to how the two of you are going to arrest the three of us?"
"Two?" A voice came from the small door nearby the balcony. "Dearest Equilibrist, I'm here too. Don't tell me you have forgotten me?" The door opened and Bon-Bon stepped out. Over her eyes she wore a couple of shades, and on her back was a suitcase. Everypony's jaw fell to the floor.
"Bon-Bon, have you been there all along?" Twilight asked once she had gathered her bearings.
"Yep," Bon-Bon confirmed. "I just had to wait until I knew Rarity was free. I knew they would go after Celestia, for there is nothing else to steal in the castle that can't be acquired easier someplace else. As Rarity said, I believe it's time to end it all."
Flam turned to Flim and shrugged. "Well, brother, It seems this is the end of the line for us." It was hard to tell if he was serious or not.
"So it would seem, brother." Flim responded snidely. "Miss Sweetie Drops, Twilight Sparkle, and beautiful Rarity, congratulations. You've managed to play a near flawless game against us here tonight."
"The only mistake you did..."
"...was forgetting that..."
"...we never act alone!"
"A Wizard is never late, nor is he early." Rarity, Twilight and Bon-Bon spun around with a start, and Bon-Bon was greeted by a dart to the side. On the railing stood Filthy Rich with a now empty crossbow. He swung his suitcase hard in Twilight's horn. In the same motion he turned and leaped from the balcony. The wind caught him and he was gone. Bon-Bon fell backwards and did not rise.
"Prankster, the eyes!" Flam screamed, and at his command a black bird dropped out of the dark sky with talons wide open. Twilight looked up from the floor where Filthy Rich had sent her and saw the bird fall. She ducked under the raking talons.
"B-blood...?" Blueblood mumbled, staring at the nosebleed he had suffered from Rarity's attack. "I'm... I'm bleeding...?" Blueblood stood frozen for one more moment before he turned around completely, tackled a very perplexed Flim or Flam out of his way and dashed out on the balcony. He also screamed like a filly.
"I think not!" Rarity said and cut the terrified prince off. He stopped for a moment, looked left and right and then dashed straight into Rarity, enveloped her in his magic and shoved her out of his way. She staggered backwards, tripped on the balcony railing and fell. Blueblood leaped from the balcony.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Twilight and somepony else screamed. Before the Princess had taken a step forward, Flim had thrown a rope out of the balcony, and a blur of gray and hay-blonde caught it. Twilight bolted forward to the window, and was ready to leap after whoever it was that followed Rarity, but she felt her wings cramp up, caught in acid green magic.
"Hold on tight," Flam said. His nervous look was gone, now there was only a razor-sharp, commanding gaze left. "whatever you do, don't let go. Brother, get to it!" Flim bolted bast her and threw one end of the rope to her. She caught it instinctively. Flim placed himself on the railing still with the middle section of the rope in his hooves.
Ditzy flew faster and faster and faster after Rarity. She didn't see the ground below, nor the clouds in the sky or the castle walls around her. Her whole being was focused at the falling pony.
But Rarity fell faster than Ditzy could fly. She had never been the strongest flyer, and she had no chance of catching up to a pony falling at terminal velocity.
"Please, don't fail now," she whispered and threw the rope she had caught downwards as hard as she could. The moment she had thrown the rope she saw a wave traveling along its length. The wave reached the tip and turned under Rarity's body.
No, not under, around. The rope moved like it was an extension of somepony's leg. It snaked under Rarity's body and somehow tied itself into a perfect loop around her. The rope strained and Rarity gave an undignified sound as it tightened around her waist.
Twilight felt the rope beginning to slide in her hooves and grabbed it as hard as she could. Her horn lit up and it stopped immediately. She hardly saw Flim and Flam throwing themselves of the balcony with Prankster in tow. She began to pull the rope upwards, praying Rarity was unhurt.
*****
Ditzy hugged Rarity quickly as she was hoisted up. "See, they are not bad ponies," she said with beaming, veering eyes. Rarity looked at her with uncomprehending, terrified eyes. Ditzy turned around and started flying after Flim and Flam and their parrot.
She still had a work to complete. With her friends.
Ditzy looked at the two brothers as they flew, and was filled with gratitude towards them. They had no reason at all to help Rarity. In fact one might argue that, from their standpoint, it would have been better to let her fall. But the Equilibrists didn't care. They were not murderers. They would never let a pony die.
Unlike Blueblood. Ditzy was still shocked by his actions. How could he do such a thing? He had always been a bit of a meanie and bully, but this was nothing short of attempted murder.
She flew up to Flim and Flam, who waved to her. "Stupendous!" one shouted.
"Marvelous!"
"Fantastic!"
"Wonderful!"
"RAAAAK! Clown!"
"How lucky we are to have a pony like you!" They both finished.
Ditzy blushed and put her hooves over her large grin. She rarely got praise like that. She flew over to one of the brothers and tried to hug him. A startled yelp made her back off as she saw the pony she had tried to hug loose balance and spiral towards the ground. Only with some strange flip did he managed to stabilize himself. Ditzy smiled sheepishly. She had forgotten they only wore wing suits, they didn't actually fly.
"What... what will happen to him now?" she asked silently.
"Don't you worry..." One of the brothers said. It was the one she had tried to hug.
"...We will take care of The Illusionist," the other one finished. "You should slow down. I don't think you will want to see this. Furthermore, you have something to do, don't you?"
"B-but you won't... kill him? Right?" She asked in a frightened voice.
"We are not like him," One of the brothers answered with a chilly voice that sent shivers down Ditzy's spine. "You might go on with your mission now. See you outside Canterlot." She nodded and angled herself away. She had to get Topsy out of the city before somepony spotted him, and then The Canterlot Caper would be done. She began flying towards the raging twister.
Ditzy swallowed. The tornado was indeed frightening. The thick wind funnel was almost invisible in the night, but could clearly be seen when the lightning in the clouds illuminated it. She could see a multitude of ponies flying around the funnel, trying to find a way to stop it. More ponies joined in by the minute, but Ditzy could also see that ponies continued to drop out of the sky, probably exhausted by the violent weather. She flapped her wings quickly and dashed towards the storm. Flim and Flam watched her.
"There is no doubt she is one special mare..." Flim said, sighing. "A pity nopony else gives her the chance she deserves..."
Flam and his brother glided on silently. They had no time to worry for Ditzy now. She could take care of herself.
Flam was pleased to notice that The Tamer seemed to do what he was supposed to with his twister this time. Normally he went halfway insane with it and directed it around at random, but now he had moved it to where it was supposed to be, In the northeastern end of the city, as far away from the docks and their flight plan as possible.
"Brother, you know what must happen to him, right?" Flam asked.
"I do, brother. We cannot allow to let old grudges get in the way of our work. He broke the only two rules we have; no grudges and no murder. Still, he was a very useful ally."
"Perhaps he can still be," Flam said. "But I will explain later."
"Bet you will, you are the one with all the plans after all," Flim said. His smile was perfectly audible.
"I would be nothing without you, brother of mine," he said back.
They both caught a tailwind and sped up considerably. They saw the intricate network of streets and channels below them, though everything was blurred in the darkness. They would have to land soon, as the storm still could cause problems when they came closer to the ground.
"There," Flim said and nodded forward. They had caught up with Blueblood.
"Illusionist!" They both called in unison.
"What do you want?" Blueblood asked in an annoyed voice. "I hope you are going to apologize for letting Coco recognize you. It was a beginners mistake, nothing we should do."
"Don't even try that," Flim hissed. "I'm not the one at fault here and you know it. Land, we are going to have a talk."
Blueblood harrumphed. "I don't think so, peasant. The day I take orders from the likes of you is the day I jump from the edge of Canterlot."
"Thorntrap!" Flim shouted as Flam folded his "wings" and started to fall.
Flim pulled out a thin rope with small spikes imbedded in it from his wing suit. He went into a downwards corkscrew as he snapped it at Blueblood's right wing, just as Prankster fell from the sky with an earsplitting scream. Together, Prankster and Flim slashed up a large tear in both of the wings.
"Huh?" Was all Blueblood said. He began to fall. He screamed and flailed his legs in a vain attempt to fly. The street came closer and closer.
A green shimmer caught him. Flim and Flam's horns sparkled as they suspended the falling pony in the air. Blueblood squirmed for a moment before the two brothers put him down on the ground. Flim tapped down on the ground just beside the prince.
"I'm not in the mood to deal with your antics now, Illusionist," Flam said shortly. "We have something to take care of, as you know, and you are out."
"What do you mean 'out'?" Blueblood mumbled uncomprehendingly. "You... you can't just... can't just fire me... You have no authority over me, peasant."
"I can, I am, I have!" Flim said with a sharp voice that made Blueblood think of those times Celestia berated him. "I don't know what the blazes you were thinking in the tower, but I know you just broke the only two rules we have. Until further notice, you. Are. Out."
"You can't do that, Equilibrist," Blueblood said with a haughty smirk. "I know too much. And I don't care if I am arrested myself. I don't require respect, only obedience, and my birth and wealth will always grant me that, imprisoned or not. So, if I were you, then I would start begging now."
Flam chuckled darkly. "Don't think I haven't done my homework, Illusionist. You are wasting more money than you make without us. You will have obedience, nothing more."
Blueblood glared at Flam.
"So how about this instead," Flam said slyly, "I give you all that you want. Mine and Topsy's entire share of this mission, twelve million, five hundred thousand bits."
Flam gave a conspiratorial wink. "And a scene to fulfill your... lifelong dream."
Blueblood looked like he had choked on something. "How the hay-"
"We know a lot," Flim replied. "Just go back to your manor. If we haven't visited you be the end of the evening, you may always visit the guard." |
The Canterlot Caper | Chapter ten- Airship Amusement | Twilight cried in relief as Rarity shakily climbed up on the balcony. The alicorn threw herself at her friend and gave a hug as strong as she could muster. "R-Rarity," she hiccuped. "R-Rarity, a-are you alright?"
Rarity hyperventilated and still could not shake away the feeling of falling, but she managed a wavering smile. "Yes, I am fine, darling." She swallowed, and breathed in and out as slow as she could in her panicked state. She knew they had to chase The Circus immediately, but she just could not bring herself to it. Not yet. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the lightning filled sky and the rapidly shrinking balcony before her inner eye.
She stood with Twilight for what must have been many minutes before her breath had slowed down a little. She reluctantly began to wriggle out of Twilight's embrace.
"Shall we give chase then?" She asked carefully.
"Count on it," Twilight said with a determined look. They both looked quickly around the room.
Coco Pommel laid wrapped up in Celestia's bedsheets, the Princess herself laid unceremoniously on the floor, and Twilight was again shocked at how naked, almost vulnerable, Celestia looked now. She felt another pang of guilt at what she had done, even if she knew she did not have a choice.
Bon-Bon had fainted in a little dignified position. She had slumped down against the railing onto her suitcase and was currently drooling on the cold stone. Her shades laid askew on her muzzle and she mumbled something about Lyra in her sleep.
"Well, I highly doubt they will be of much help right now," Rarity said while wiping the drool of Bon-Bon's face. Her eyes fell on the agent's suitcase. "But maybe this will?"
Rarity pulled out the suitcase from under Bon-Bon and tried to open it. It sat like stone. "Her hoof, Rarity. It unlocks with her hoof," Twilight said. Rarity picked up Bon-Bon's hoof, placed it in the notch on top the suitcase and twisted. It opened with a metallic clang.
Inside were some pretty useless items. A couple of cheap masks, a rope with a grappling hook, a clock, and... a small syringe with a note. Rarity picked it up and read.
Hypnotic antidote. Don't just stand there, fix this. Now!
"Twilight!" Rarity said with a hopeful voice. "An antidote! We can wake her up!" Rarity picked up the syringe and turned to Bon-Bon, but Twilight held up a hoof to stop her.
"Hang on, Rarity," she said with a wary voice. "Maybe we can wake up Celestia instead? That would be a better choice."
"But she was shot with... how many darts?" Rarity said with a, considering the situation, calm voice. "Do recall that we don't know how strong the antidote is, or the hypnotic. Can we afford to hope that it does wake Celestia?"
Twilight complemented for a moment. "No," she answered grudgingly. "Wake Bon-Bon instead."
Rarity nodded and stung the unconscious earth pony. No response. "Hurry," Rarity mumbled urgently. "Hurry, please, or they will get away." Bon-Bon moved groggily, and half opened her eyes.
"Uuuuugh... what time is it?" she mumbled as she tied to stand up. Her legs gave out halfway and she slumped back to the balcony floor. "What did I drink last night...?"
"The most powerful hypnotic money can buy, delivered via dart," Twilight said and slapped Bon-Bon over the face. "Sorry, but we need to hurry." Bon-Bon blinked and looked a little more awake.
Rarity shoved her anxiety to the back of her mind. She could deal with that later; now was not the time. "Come Twilight. We will ether capture them or go down trying!"
Twilight nodded, but did not move. "First we need to figure out where they are. Rushing headlong around the city will help them more than us."
Rarity paused. She saw the reasoning behind Twilight's statement. They could not afford to make some stupid mistake here. They had come to far, done to much. Now if ever did they had to gauge every action they took carefully.
"The only way to escape Canterlot would be via the train or an airship, yes?" Rarity asked. "They can't very well take the time to walk, can they?"
"I doubt it," Twilight confirmed, "so that leaves airship and train, both which are placed inconveniently far from each other. So, which one would you go for?"
"The train for sure," Rarity answered quickly. "Honestly, look at this storm. An airship would be suicide."
"Yes, but they are the ones commanding the storm, remember? It's Twitchy's doing, isn't it?" Twilight replied. She felt her body shake with suppressed energy. She wanted to fly out there and chase the cowardly Circus until they were locked up or she dropped from exhaustion. Just standing here felt wrong.
"I'm not sure how much Topsy is commanding anything," Rarity said. "I have met him, remember? He surely didn't seem... sane enough to really direct the storm as much as flying about at random."
"Airship..." Bon-Bon mumbled tiredly. She rubbed her eyes and swayed a little where she stood. "The storm is not just a distraction, it's also there to tire out the pegasi guards..."
"Are you sure!?" Twilight and Rarity both yelled. Bon-Bon winced at their loud voices.
"Never sure with them, but it sounds like something The Equilibrist would think up," she said with a tired smile.
There was a second of silence. Both modes of transport had pros and cons.
"We can't afford to wait any longer," Twilight said decisively. "The train station is farthest away from here, and since I'm faster than you, Rarity, I will check that. You get to the docks. Whichever one of us finds them will have to stall until the other can come and help." She threw herself from the balcony without waiting for a response. They had already wasted precious time here.
*****
Flim and Flam left Blueblood in the alley and arrived together at the train station. They were greeted by a Nervous and Worried Trixie. Flim produced a wing suit for her, and she took it on. They all entered the station to escape the rain. Filthy Rich could be heard from further inside, starting up a train.
"Did you get it? Is it done?" Trixie asked with a nervous and excited voice. Flim opened the saddlebags he wore with his magic, and the glimmer of gold could be seen. It was as if the gold glowed with an otherworldly luster, almost like sunshine. Trixie looked at it with stars in her eyes, not quite comprehending.
"We did it," she mumbled silently, still trying to take it in. "We... actually did it?"
"That we did," Flim said with a pearl white smile. "No matter what happens now, we have actually done it. Nopony can take that away from us."
Trixie looked away from the crown with an expression of having forgotten something. "What's happened?" she asked. Her excitement turned into anxiety. "Where is Blueblood? H-he wasn't captured... was he?"
"Let's just say he is out of commission for the time being," Flam replied shortly.
"B-but... he knows everything..." Trixie said with fear stricken voice. "He will tattle on us all!"
"He won't," Flam said calmly. "Leave him to my brother and me. For now, we need to get the heck out of dodge. How do we look timewise?" As if to answer him, the large clock in the station clicked as the minute hand moved to the number four. Flam smirked proudly. "Sometimes, even I am surprised with our precision."
Just a few seconds after the bell, a loud poof could be heard from the train where Filthy Rich was working. "All done, Gentlecolts." He exited, still clad in his wing suit and with a relived smile on his face. "It's ready to go. Are you?" He asked with a mock challenging look.
"Trixie was born ready," Trixie said. "Take it away! We are making perfect time!"
"Of course we are," Filthy Rich chucked and disappeared through the train door again. With a loud poof and clanking machinery, a train chugged out from the storage room and began to move out on the rail. Filthy leaped off it just as it began to speed up.
"That ought to keep them busy," Trixie said with a haughty voice.
"And then some, let's get moving," Flam said, cool as ever. The rest of The Circus turned to him, and together they went out in the storm again. Trixie opened one of the stairwells down to the sewers.
"Flim, I don't suppose you have my darts?" Filthy asked politely as he descended.
"Of course I do," Flim said and levitated all the projectiles they had shot in Celestia's room over to Filthy Rich. No tracks left, as it should be.
"Alright," Flam said once they all were down. He turned to Trixie. "When did Suri leave?"
"About forty minutes ago," Trixie replied. "She should not have any problems acquiring an airship in this storm; nopony will be looking after them now."
"That's the idea," Flam confirmed with a small smirk. "Lead the way."
While the road network in Canterlot made the way between the airship docks and the train station a while to walk, it was not that far as the crow flies. Also, the sewers protected against the storm, speeding up the journey considerably. It took them only fifteen minutes before they arrived. The four ponies emerged in a back alley and was greeted by Suri Polomare, dressed in a lavender wing suit.
"M'kay, you are here," she said with a relived exhale. "Did it work then? You got it?" Flim nodded and levitated up the crown. Suri's breath caught in her throat.
"And you have taken care of the airship, I hope?" Flam said without taking any note of Suri's shocked expression. "Else we might be in a bit of a pickle."
The orchid mare tore her look away from the beautiful crown and nodded. "All done without a hitch. Come with me." The Circus followed her up to their mode of escape. They stood still and looked at the airship for just one moment. Their greatest coup neared its end. All they had to do was to board the ship, and they would be gone in less than an hour. Just a little longer, then they would have outwitted Celestia, Twilight, the entire Royal Guard, Rarity and pretty much everypony else too.
"Let's go," A Confident and Spirited Trixie said. Flim leaped up onto one of the wires that anchored the ship to the stone pier and casually strolled onto it. His brother followed suit and Prankster flew onto the deck and placed himself on the steering wheel.
"Hey, what about us!" Filthy Rich called. He had no way to get onto the ship from this position.
"One moment," Flam said. After a few seconds, the airship fell softly a few ponylegnths. "Did you order a taxi?" Flam said casually to Filthy, Suri and Trixie.
"I did," Filthy chuckled, deciding to humor Flim and Flam for a moment. "Ponyville please, and there will be a handsome tip if you get there fast," he said and hopped aboard, together with Suri and Trixie.
"Consider it done!" Flim said excitedly and loosened the mooring. The saddlebags with the regalia stood safely beside Flam by the steering wheel at the stern. "Let's get out of here!"
"Do you magic," Trixie said feistily. Nothing could bring her down right now. She had done it. She had conquered all odds and stolen the regalia. She had outsmarted Twilight Sparkle at long last. Humble and Apologetic her hoof, even Great and Powerful was too little at this point. Maybe the Excellent and Omnipotent could be a fitting title? She would have to think it over.
Flam pressed a series of handles and the airship began to float upwards, the slack mooring trailing after it.
"Curtains fall, for now the show is ov-"
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Perplexed and annoyed, Flim looked at the pair ponies at the dock. One white as marble, and the other beige with a blue and pink mane. All to clear did he recognize them. Flim sighed. "Oh, what is it now, can't you leave us in peace!?" He shouted down with a tired voice.
"What's the matter, brother of mine?" Flam called from behind the steering wheel.
"Company," Flim replied shortly. "Do you mind taking off right about now?"
"Not at all!" The airship began to back out of the dock.
"Oh, no you don't!" Bon-Bon shouted and threw her grappling hook. It stuck to the wooden railing and began to slide away with the ship. Without thinking, she leaped after the rope just as it left the dock, and Rarity leaped after her in a vain attempt to hold back the entire ship. Rarity balanced on the dock edge for a moment. Then, with a terrified scream she lost hoofhold and hung over the abyss from the ship's side with her hooves around Bon-Bon. If the agent lost her grip around the rope, then they would not stop until she hit the base of Mount Celestia, a drop of near a thousand ponylengths.
Bon-Bon felt Rarity's legs around her barrel and began to climb. She saw Flim looking down at her from the airship railing. If he cut the rope, she was as good as dead.
He didn't. He just stood there and watched her climb with a grim expression.
"Get ready everypony, the crowd wants an encore," he called to somepony behind him. "You concentrate on steering us away, brother. We'll keep them away from you."
"Got it."
Flim disappeared out of sight.
"Rarity, we will be wide open the moment we get up there. Any ideas?" Bon-Bon suddenly noted that Rarity was shaking. "Never mind," Bon-Bon mumbled. Rarity had probably seen enough deadly falls for one night.
"Leave that to me, darling," Rarity said with a strangely calm, almost giddy, voice. "And do hurry up. This might just be the most exciting thing I have ever taken part of."
"Heh, mine too," Bon-Bon said with a grin. She realized that she liked working with other ponies. Normally she operated alone, but it had been interesting, even fun, to work alongside Twilight and now Rarity.
She continued to climb until she hung just a hooflength beneath the railing. In one powerful motion she jerked the rope with all her earth pony strength and near flew over the railing. She saw the blurred visage of Filthy Rich as came over the ship's deck.
"Good night," he said smugly and fired the crossbow.
"Good day," Rarity said and caught the dart in the air with her magic and managed to levitate it a little further down. It passed under them with a hair's width. She and Bon-Bon both landed on the airship, face to face with Filthy Rich and Trixie. Suri Polomare stood a bit behind them.
"There is no way we can work this out, is there?" The brother behind the steering wheel asked calmly. Rarity recognized the voice as Flam's. "Name a number, any number, and you will have twice the amount. I promise."
"I'd never!" Rarity screamed with and indignant voice. "I'm not some... some trinket you can buy!"
"Well said, Rarity," Bon-Bon said without taking her eyes of Flam. "I presume you don't want to come along quietly, Equilibrist?"
"Let's face it," Flam said with a simple tone. "You don't want to do this the easy way."
"No," Bon-Bon said and scraped her hoof to the deck, readying a full body charge.
"Fine by Trixie," the blue mare said and readied a blast of her horn.
"A lady shouldn't get her hooves dirty, allow me," Flim's voice came from overhead. Rarity looked up and saw something sweep down from the balloon. The wing suit made him look like a giant bat. His horn glowed green, and he and an excited and determined expression on his face, illuminated by cold moonlight. Beside him flew his trusty parrot.
Flim's horn shimmered and a rope appeared from inside his wing suit. Filthy threw his crossbow to the ground, lunged for the suitcase beside him and got out a slightly bent piece of wood. Bon-Bon leaped into action and dashed over the deck towards Trixie. Rarity saw the unicorn crack a smile before a large cloud swallowed her. Bon-Bon dashed right through and nearly ran off the airship deck. Trixie seemed to have disappeared in the cloud.
"Take this!" Flim said and threw a rope with a heavy knot towards Bon-Bon. She ducked under it, grabbed the rope in her mouth and pulled Flim towards her, all in one fluid motion.
Flim landed, crouched to duck under Bon-Bon's kick and then let go of the rope at the same time he jumped off the ship. The wind blew him up and away of Bon-Bon. As soon as he was out of range he threw another rope downward and moved his hoof like he had in the tower.
Rarity watched the rope tie itself around the airship railing. Flim was flying after the airship like some bizarre kite. He then pulled the rope hard and came flying down from the air with his hind leg outstretched. Bon-Bon nimbly leaped aside as Flim slammed down on the deck.
Bon-Bon then leaped high in a backflip to avoid a buck from Suri. She landed beside the fuchsia earth pony, who galloped away. Bon-Bon was just about to follow, when an earsplitting scream came from above her. She looked up and saw Prankster fall down on her with talons wide open. She ducked and instead received a magic blast from Trixie, who had reappeared behind her.
"This. Is going to be fun," Flim said with an excited voice.
*****
The whole exchange had only taken a couple of seconds. Both Rarity and Filthy Rich just stood by and looked with slightly open mouths.
"Never seen them all go like that before..." Filthy said, half to himself. Rarity's attention snapped back to him. She might not be able to do much against Flim, but she could do her part by keeping Filthy distracted. Her horn lit up. She would snatch the wooden piece, whatever it was, right from his hooves.
Filthy returned to reality when he felt his weapon tug. He turned his back to Rarity to kick her. She leaped aside, but just barely. As soon as her magic was interrupted, Filthy twisted his body around to transfer the momentum of his kick over to his front hoof. He had less than a moment to aim, but it was enough. Quick as can be, Filthy spun around and threw.
Rarity saw the spinning piece of wood coming at her and she threw herself aside. She didn't exactly know what she was supposed to do next, though. She was not a fighter, and had no training in hoof-to-hoof combat. She went for the one advantage she had.
The magic flowed into her horn and she levitated up Filthy's legs as he prepared to leap at her. The result was a strange, hardly dignified, trip in midair which ended with Filthy Rich falling face first into the deck. Rarity saw her chance and charged him.
Filthy reacted quickly. He scrambled out of the way and let Rarity gallop past him. He looked for a moment out in the night, and saw his weapon. He quickly calculated the trajectory and placed himself in a good spot.
"Come back here you!" Rarity growled and came at him again from behind.
"Catch," Flithy Rich said as he leaped to the side.
Rarity stopped her dash in utter shock at the spinning piece of wood that came at her. How was it possible? Filthy had thrown it away, how was it coming back now?
And more importantly, why was she in front of it?
She sprung to the left and could her the wood cleave the air just beside her ear. She turned around and looked at Filthy Rich. He leaped up, caught the spinning weapon and landed dexterously, just beside his suitcase. "We aren't called 'The Circus' for nothing, you know," he said with as if he had just picked up a bit from the ground.
"What do you know of zebras, Rarity?" Filthy continued politely. "This is one of their native weapons, called a boomerang." Rarity saw Filthy kick his suitcase away and suddenly he held four identical weapons. "Let's see him many you can handle."
With a blur, Filthy's hooves emptied and the boomerangs filled the air. Rarity noted that he didn't throw them at her per se, he threw them out seemingly at random. She looked around quickly, but couldn't see any of them. She swallowed. Filthy Rich reached for the crossbow beside him.
"No, you don't!" Rarity called and dashed at him. The swirling sound warned her in the last moment. She had no time for some intricate dodge, so she just let her legs relax. She fell on the deck and felt the boomerang shoot past her ear with an uncomfortable sound. The next moment she felt a hard hit in her foreleg. She instinctively curled up to protect it. There was wood against her body. Filthy had caught the boomerang and thrown it back at her in the blink of an eye.
She got up despite the throbbing pain. Staying in one place was the worst thing she could do, as that gave Filthy time to pick up his crossbow. "Never stand still," Rarity thought to herself. "Always on the move." She narrowly dodged another boomerang that came out off the night. She had one with her, so there should be three left to worry about.
She looked towards Filthy Rich, for she knew he would throw soon. He stood still and looked at her with a grim expression.
No, not at her. At something behind her. Realization hit her together with the boomerang. It felt like somepony had bashed a sledgehammer in her lower neck. She flew forward from the hit and suddenly found herself on the airship deck. The whole world was spinning and the deck was heaving under her. She looked straight down on her fore hooves to avoid the strange sights. Her eyes fell on the boomerang she still held.
It was made from black lacquered wood, and at the center there was a small golden ornament with a sapphire set in it. It looked more like some fashion mistake than an actual weapon; like something you might see on the wall while visiting your old and somewhat confused grandmother.
"Sorry, Rarity." Filthy Rich's voice echoed strangely and made her head hurt even more. "Unless you have eyes in the neck, you will never defeat me. Now if you will excuse me..."
She looked up. Her vision was spinning, but she could see Filthy taking the aim at Bon-Bon, who was currently battling Flim, Trixie, Suri and Prankster, all at the same time. The gemstone in the boomerang he held twinkled at her. An idea hatched in her mind. Despite the deck spinning under her she staggered up and glared at him.
"Really?" he said with a surprised voice. "Well, don't blame me." He threw a boomerang at her and she lurched aside again. The world convoluted in wired ways, but she remained standing somehow.
Rarity closed her eyes and let her signature spell flare out. She felt the gemstones in Celestia's regalia, some little lump in Flim's pocket, and she felt the three boomerangs flying in large curves around the airship. One of those small points of light turned and came at her fast. She took one step forward and the boomerang passed her. It turned around fast when Filthy caught and threw it, but she was ready and dodged. Another one came from behind, and she ducked. The last one missed.
She opened her eyes again. The world still swayed slightly, but she could clearly see Filthy Rich's perplexed look.
"Your decadence has turned on you, Filthy," Rarity said with a small smile. "I don't need eyes in the neck. I only need you gems."
"That's Mr. Rich," Filthy hissed. "Well, you might sense my boomerangs, but that won't help if you can't dodge!" Filthy Rich threw two boomerangs to his sides, waited a few moments and then threw one at her. She skipped to the side, only to be met by the other two coming at her. She leaped over one and hopped away from the other. The first boomerang came back from behind. She jumped over it, and Filthy threw his last boomerang, the one Rarity had held. While in the air she couldn't dodge.
The wooden piece hit her in the ribs with a hollow sound that knocked the air from her lungs. Rarity groaned and fell down on the deck. Filthy was right. She had no chance dodging all of those attacks.
But... then he couldn't ether! Despite the pain in her ribs and leg she let her magic enter her horn again for a moment. She felt the two remaining boomerangs return. Filthy waited, evidently thinking that Rarity was defeated.
Rarity opened her eyes and looked at him. He looked back, surprised. Rarity smiled weakly as she laid on the deck. She changed her spell. An ice-blue aura encased Filthy's front hooves and held them down.
"Interesting weapon, Filthy. And your control of them is truly stupendous," she said weakly. "but that won't help if you can't dodge..."
Filthy got a half surprised, half scared look in his eyes. A small "huh?" left his mouth just before two boomerangs flew over Rarity and smacked into his temple and chest. He fell, and Rarity stayed down for a few more moments before staggering onto her hooves. She smiled despite the throbbing pain in her chest. She looked around. Bon-Bon stood just beside her with Flim pinned down.
*****
Bon-Bon was panting. She was an earth pony, and in top shape too, but running about while dodging three attackers and a bird at once got tiresome very fast. Worse was that she had no chance of striking back effectively. They were all too careful, and ran off whenever she got close. She would have followed, but that exposed her to sneak attacks from the other two.
"I'll have to take a chance," she decided. It was either that or fight until she was so tired they could overwhelm her. She looked around for Suri. She seemed to be the least dangerous one, so she should start by taking her out. Bon-Bon couldn't find her however, and was forced to grab one of the ropes that connected the gondola with the balloon in order to avoid a green energy beam. She used the momentum to spin around the rope and launch herself at Trixie, who was the only pony in range.
Trixie seemed surprised by Bon-Bon's sudden attack and got hit in the chest. The showmare staggered backwards, but Bon-Bon gave her no respite; she followed and continued to jab quick strikes at Trixie, who retreated backwards with each hit.
Trixie coughed and shook her head after a particularly powerful strike. She reached into her hat and slammed her one of her signature smoke balls down into the deck. Bon-Bon struck again but hit only air.
"A little assistance!" Trixie called and hopped away from Bon-Bon, who came at her again from inside the cloud.
"Granted," Flim called back and brought out another rope from his wing suit. He now had one in both his fore hooves. "Try this on for size!"
Flim leaped at Bon-Bon with both his front hooves lifted. Her mind told her to leap forward and strike first, her instincts told her to dodge backwards, away from the ropes. She did the latter. Flim tied the ropes where Bon-Bon's legs had been the moment before and followed up with an energy blast. Bon-Bon was hit right between the eyes and took a step backwards. In the moment she was blinded she felt a rope tangle itself around her hoof. She also heard something splashing under her.
"Got you!" Flim shouted triumphantly. "Prepare for your life's journey!" Just as Bon-Bon reopened her eyes she saw Flim leap from the airship.
The rope around her leg began to pull. Bon-Bon struggled for a moment, but it seemed like the deck was made of ice; it was impossible to get a grip. She looked down in surprise and found the deck covered in oil with small pieces of glass scattered around. She was dragged over the airship deck behind Flim, who was flying in the wind like a kite again. She was pulled straight towards Suri Polomare. The fuchsia mare planted her hooves firmly on the deck and reared up on her hindlegs.
"Okay, this will hurt..." Bon-Bon thought the moment before she was brought into contact with Suri.
Suri stomped as Bon-Bon came barreling towards her. The agent caught the falling hoof with her tied leg and clenched her teeth at the pain. That was going to leave one nasty bruise. She reached out with the other hoof and grabbed one of Suri's hind legs, pulling her along. The two mares slid over the deck and collided with the railing before either of them had the time to mount a proper attack.
"FLIM, STOP!" Suri screamed with a terrified voice. Both she and Bon-Bon held on to the railing for dear life trying not to be swept overboard.
The pulling stopped, and Bon-Bon took the chance to give Suri a hard kick in the diaphragm. She then rolled out of the way to dodge Prankster's sweeping attack. She got up on her hooves and assaulted at Suri again, only to be hit by a lilac energy beam from Trixie. Bon-Bon grunted, but powered through. She picked up Suri by the shoulders to bash her head in the airship deck. That should knock her out.
"No, you don't!" Flim called and tackled Bon-Bon roughly in the side. She let go of Suri, and grabbed onto Flim instead. They rolled over the deck, exchanging blows until Bon-Bon pinned him down. Her strength gave her a clear advantage in close combat.
They both laid still for a moment, catching up with what just happened.
"Heh, it was a long time since I felt like this," Flim said happily. "Congrats, by the way. Not many mares get to be on top of me. "
"And you will be grateful for it," Bon-Bon returned bitingly.
"Still forgetting that I'm never alone?"
"Nor is Miss Bon-Bon," Rarity chimed in and placed herself beside the agent. She was still a bit dizzy from the boomerang hit. Suri and Trixie looked at Bon-Bon and Rarity warily. Trixie reached into her cape.
She froze mid movement, caught in a lilac shimmer.
The whole airship stopped in midair, caught in the shimmer. Even Prankster hung in still, wings bent in a flap.
"Sorry for taking so long," Twilight called triumphantly.
"Not at all, dear," Rarity responded with a relieved sigh. "It's called being fashionably late."
"Good one," Flim commended. He attempted to nod at Rarity, but Bon-Bon held him down firmly.
Twilight hovered beside the airship and looked at the ponies. "Flam, turn around and start heading back," she said with a commanding voice.
Flam nodded warily and turned the steering wheel. Twilight's shimmer dissipated, and the airship turned lazily in the wind.
"Always at Sweet Apple Acres, huh?" Flam said with a wry smile. "That place seems to be bad news for us, eh, brother?"
"Are we flying over now?" Flim said with a tired voice, still trapped beneath Bon-Bon's strong hooves. "Of all the places in Equestria, of course it had to be there..."
"Don't worry, you won't see it again," Bon-Bon said bitingly to Flim. "In fact, the only thing you will see for a looong time will be the prison interior."
"Yep," Flim said with a resigned voice. "You've clearly caught us all five. Well done."
"Five?" Bon-Bon said with furrows in her brow. Something dawned in her expression. "Wait, where is Ditzy and Tops-"
"TWISTEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!!!"
Topsy's furious scream broke into falsetto as the multicolored pegasus rushed from the sky with two miniature thunderclouds over his front hooves. Ditzy fluttered far behind him, trying, and failing, to keep up with the ex-wonderbolt. Twilight turned around, and saw Topsy's maniacal grin just a hooflength from her face. He giggled with a half choked sound and swung one hoof at Twilight's jaw and the other at her horn. A small crackle could be heard as the thunderclouds caught her head between them, and then there was nothing. She did not even hear the thunderclap.
Twilight was returned to her senses as she fell. Her head felt like it had been impaled on a red-hot spike from the chin to the tip of her horn. She fell straight down and caught a glimpse of the large apple orchards below before she began to pull up, more from reflex than anything else.
"NONE!" Topsy screamed right in her ear. Faster than what should be possible he dove in under her, turned near one hundred eighty degrees and flew right at her from below. He pulled back his foreleg and struck her in the stomach, straight upwards, destroying his 'glove' in the process.
Twilight felt the air leave her lungs and her spine twist uncomfortably as she was accelerated opposite to her fall. She felt sick just by the sheer power of the blow; it was like a train had rammed her. She coughed violently even though she feverishly wanted to breathe.
"HURT!" Topsy flew up to her, spun around, and hammered his hind leg right over Twilight's outstretched wings and spine. Through a million shades of pain, she panicked. He was too fast, too relentless to parry, and his strength could not be far behind Applejack's! Twilight was sent earthward again by his hammerlike strike.
Topsy flew down alongside Twilight, and glared straight into her eyes. His mismatched gaze was filled with primitive fire, lost to fury. She saw his one thundercloud-covered hoof come closer to her face. "Them," he said with a completely calm voice.
"STOP, PLEASE TOPSY, STOP!"
Twilight recognized the voice from somewhere, but her mind was scrambled by Topsy's violent assault. Then her whole body was tackled away. She saw Ditzy fly just where she had been, all four legs outstretched to protect her.
Although the look only lasted the fraction of a second, she could clearly see the terror in Topsy's face when he realized what was about to happen. A small bang resounded when the thundercloud connected to Ditzy's chin. For a moment her mane turned completely straight and spiky, then she looked about, confused.
*****
Bon-Bon cringed when she saw Twilight take Topsy's initial strike. "Hey!" Flim said with dorky voice. Bon-Bon looked back to him. His horn glowed and the beam hit her right in the face. The force lifted her and threw her backwards.
"Alright, we are leaving, everypony!" Flam called from behind the steering wheel. "Ready to fly!"
He spun the steering wheel fast to the left, and the whole airship turned so hard the deck slanted. Suri got a look of realization and leaped off the ship. She began to glide on the wind, back towards Ponyville.
"BING!" Flam said and shot a green energy beam straight up in the balloon. He snatched up the bag with the regalia and jumped over the railing.
"BANG!" Flim chimed in and fired a beam of his own into the balloon. He twisted away from Bon-Bon's last-ditch attack and flew off the ship.
"ZAM!" Trixie called with a proud smile. With three holes in the balloon, the ship began to fall fast. She reached into her cape and threw a smoke ball in Bon-Bon's face before she took off.
"Well done Rarity," Filthy Rich staggered up and gave a mocking bow. With a grimace he placed his hoof at the forehead. He swayed slightly. "Color me impressed," he croaked before he leaped.
Twilight saw the five ponies jump from the falling airship. She shut out the pain and confusion and tried to concentrate. She had to capture them. A simple freeze spell should do it.
"Twilight!" Rarity called from the airship, and the focus broke. Twilight looked to the ship. Rarity and Bon-Bon was clinging to one of the ropes that held the rapidly deflating balloon. The ship was falling, and Rarity was barely clinging on. It was falling dangerously close to Sweet Apple Acre's main buildings.
"Twilight," Flam shouted as he glided past. "Catch us... or that ship!"
Twilight's horn blazed with lilac light and the shimmer engulfed the airship once more. She gritted her teeth as she tried to repel the gravity. Slower and slower it fell, but it fell nonetheless.
"HHRRRGAAAAAH!" Twilight screamed and flew wobbly and dazed by fatigue down to the ground and began to move the broken airship away from above the homestead. Infinitely slow did the ship careen away. She was still badly hurt from Topsy's attack, and her horn burnt like on fire, reeling from the thunderbolt he had sent straight through it. She refused to stop.
With a horrible sound, the ship's rudder scraped the homestead's roof and knocked the weathervane clean of. Out of the corner of her eyes, Twilight saw a window lighting up, and a highly confused Applejack look out.
"Hope I didn't wake Apple Bloom..." Twilight thought. She snickered amidst of the fog of pain and exhaustion. Why was she thinking of such a trivial thing now? Was she loosing her mind? Suddenly the burning feeling amplified thousandfold. Her magic fizzled and died. She watched the airship fall. Its rudder touched the roof side and the ship crashed with a thunderous sound on the ground, not a ponylength away from the house. She looked at the scene with uncomprehending eyes. Twilight took one deep, choppy breath, and then fell to the ground exhausted. The last thing she saw was Rarity and Applejack galloping towards her.
Bon-Bon looked to Twilight, but forced herself to focus on the road. As much as she liked her friend and wanted to make sure she was okay, her duty was clear. She pushed the tiredness and pain away and galloped down the path as fast as she could. Within minutes she was in Ponyville. She stole a quick glance towards her marefriend's house and had an involuntary picture of Lyra sleeping soundly, unaware of all the calamity that happened just a few ponylengths away. A small blush spread over Bon-Bon's face, and she sprinted even faster. It was like Lyra had awoken something within her, a hidden reserve of sorts. She had never run so fast in her life.
She saw them! Seven ponies dashed out of Filthy's mansion, carrying large bags. She sprinted even faster. Slowly did she catch up. She leaped over a snare trap that appeared in her path. She dashed right through Trixie's smokescreen. See heard the swishing sound of a boomerang from behind and dodged.
She did not see Prankster.
The parrot appeared like a shadow in the night and slashed at her face. Instinctively she lifted a foreleg to shielded her eyes. It worked, but it slowed her down. Without even stopping to curse the blasted bird she continued her pursuit.
Bon-Bon found herself on the train station, and saw a lonesome train wagon behind a locomotive just starting, heading towards Canterlot. Prankster landed on the train rear and began to preen his wing.
She was too late. |
The Canterlot Caper | Chapter eleven- Train Trickery | Flim all but collapsed on the couch in the train cart. He drew a relived and slow breath. Beside him, his brother sat down and opened the bag with the regalia. Both Suri and Trixie looked at it with eyes large as saucers as he laid it on the table, piece by piece. Ditzy looked at it from above with a curious expression. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest by the fact that she had taken a miniature thunderbolt to the face a few minutes ago. Topsy's eyes were still red from crying, but his look was now more confused than anything else. Filthy Rich was in the locomotive, steering the train.
"Well, that worked..." Flam said after a few minutes. "Not exactly according to plan, but..."
"You shouldn't have done that," Ditzy said with a stern voice. "What if Twilight hadn't steered the airship away? What then? You could have flattened Sweet Apple Acres!"
"Easy there," Flim said. "Twilight defeated Tirek for Celestia's sake. Of course she can levitate an airship. She probably didn't even notice it."
"She looked like she noticed it alright," Suri said with a deadpan look. "She looked ready to faint just from holding it up."
"I seem to recall that we were somewhat preoccupied back there," Flam said sarcastically. "I wasn't trying to crush the farm; I just did what I should according to our plan, dump the ship over the orchards. Not my fault Sparkle decided to meddle in my aim."
"Whatever, it worked, right?" Flim said happily. "And now there's just one last piece of the puzzle left. Shall we get to it?"
"I can't remember signing up for this when I joined you," Suri said with a slightly nauseated face. She opened up one of the large bags they had picked up at Filthy's mansion. Ditzy cringed, Flim looked somewhat creeped out and Trixie swallowed nervously. Only Flam and Topsy seemed unfazed.
The bodies spilled on the floor. One cream colored and one green earth pony, two unicorns and a pegasus. The five bodies were all washed and only recently deceased. Shadow Shovel had delivered like he was supposed to, and no problems had arisen, as it should be.
"Don't worry, Ditzy," Flam said with a peppy voice. "If you can take a thunderbolt, then these guys aren't really a threat."
"How did you take the thunderbolt so well anyway?" Trixie asked and gratefully looked away from the bodies on the floor. "Twilight Sparkle blacked out from a similar attack, but you look as feisty as always."
Ditzy blushed deeply. "I'm... used to lightning..." she said with a nervous but happy voice. "I like bouncing on thunderclouds, they are so... bouncy. I dunno what, but sometimes things go wrong, like when I accidentally broke town hall."
The ponies in the wagon shared a laugh.
"Okay, everypony!" Filthy Rich said from the door to the locomotive. He looked a little dazed and had a massive bruise on the forehead, but still managed a proud smile. "The oncoming train is approaching. I imagine you have ten minutes or so. Get everything ready."
"You heard!" Suri said with a commanding voice. "Come and help me here!"
Filthy went back up to the engine and the others moved the dead bodies around the train cart to create such a believable setting as possible in the off chance there would be anything left. Two were sitting by a table opposite to one another, one stood by the door, one alone by another table and the last one in the middle of the wagon.
"That should work," Flim said. "Let's get out of here."
"Evening gentlecolts, and thank you for your help," Flam nodded to the two bodies sitting against one another. Together The Circus left the wagon and made their way up to the engine where Filthy Rich leaned out of the window. The railroad to Canterlot had to snake its way up Mt. Celestia, and so had steep precipices on the left side and a cliff face to the right.
"Here it comes," Filthy said slowly. "Wait for it..." The rest of The Circus leaned out of some other windows. They clearly saw the front lights of the oncoming train, and a sharp glimmer of pink magic as Trixie's delayed spells turned the steering wheel.
"Okay, now!" Filthy screamed after having rounded a curve. The two trains was now on a straight track segment. The ponies quickly retreated from the engine and leaped off the train into thin air, still in their wing suits. They were all but catapulted out in the wind thanks to the speed they were traveling in. Ditzy was the last to leave. She felt the wind ripping in her wings she tumbled about in the air. She was not used to fly this fast; slightest twitch of her wings sent her in a sharp curve.
The alien, high-speed flying lasted only for a few seconds before she oriented herself and flew straight. She turned around just as the two trains collided. The scream of metal against metal resounded through the air. She covered her ears to shut the sharp sound out. The train they had been on was forced away from the tracks in a shower of sparks. It flew down the cliff, tumbling violently and scattering pieces everywhere. The other train had been forced off the tracks the other way, and collided with the face of the mountain. It turned and twisted with a screeching sound so it slid perpendicular on the tracks and then flipped but continued rolled on the tracks before it finally stopped, badly mangled. Slowly it slid of the tracks and down the cliff.
Ditzy hovered and looked at the violent display. It was exciting somehow. She knew there was nopony (alive) on either train, so she wasn't worried about anypony. She saw the rest of The Circus gliding away from the "accident", and followed. They landed further up and on the tracks themselves. Everypony was careful not to step on the soil, as that would leave hoofprints.
"Okay," Flam said. "That should put us in the clear. Nopony can have survived a crash like that."
"No, especially if they were already dead," Filthy Rich pointed out. The ponies snickered.
"Now, then," Flam said and everypony's eyes turned to him. "Let's make our way back to Canterlot. My brother and I will 'take care' of The Illusionist. The rest of you, go to Fancypants' and stay put until my brother and I come, or you are captured."
"WHAT!?" Trixie screamed, horrified. "CAPTURED!? TRIXIE WON'T BE CAPTURED, AND SHE WILL NOT GO BACK TO CANTERLOT! THAT'S WERE THEY WILL LOOK FIRST!"
"Exactly," Flam explained calmly. "But you are innocent. We have just been sitting in Fancypants' residence all night, playing poker and discussing a business venture. Bon-Bon will capture you and present some witness who will tell a near unbelievable story about, among other things, Ditzy the master thief and a dead Wonderbolt. Also, I seem to recall that both Sparkle, Coco and Rarity have some... less than pleasant history with some of us. If we play our cards right, no court will believe them, especially if we bring an alibi, being Fancypants, who has his reasons for wanting us to walk free."
"But then he will know our real names," Filthy pointed out. "That's not good at all."
"True," Flam agreed with a serious voice. "But thanks to Blueblood's stunt, we don't have much of a choice. We can't have somepony we can't always trust on our team, so he has to go. Besides, if Fancypants tattle on us, he will be locked up too when we tell about his part in it all. He won't do that."
"But then who will have crashed the airship?" Trixie asked. "Our getaway left some... pretty obvious clues, so to speak."
"That part we don't have to change from the original plan," Flam explained. "those dead guys can still cover for us." He nodded towards the now burning train wreck. "Some shadowy experts whose bodies sadly were so damaged they couldn't be identified. The Circus took the secrets of who they were with them to the grave, all save for Blueblood. Makes much more sense than a showpony, a fashionista, a mailmare, the richest stallion in Ponyville, a dead Wonderbolt and two salesponies nonpareil."
"Speaking of which," Flim interjected. "Topsy, we will leave the regalia with you. Hide in the Everfree forest until this is over. We will find you at the usual place once all is taken care of."
Topsy nodded.
"We will have to rely on Blueblood's secrecy forever..." Suri mumbled. "Don't you think he will turn us in if anypony offers something he wants? I don't want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life, m'kay?"
"Me neither, so we will make an offer he just can't refuse," Flam mused. "And, as a bonus, his trustworthiness will go down the drain. We won't have to worry, trust me."
"What is this offer that he can't refuse?" Suri asked curiously.
"You will see," Flam said dismissively.
As Trixie listened to Flam's cool reasoning, she could only think "asinine". But this was not the first time she had thought so about his plans. In fact, it was more common to think his plans mad than not. She sighed, dejected. "Why did he botch up like this?" Trixie whimpered. "We would be in the clear if not for him."
"I know," Flam said tiredly. "But he leaves us no choice. Trust my brother and me; we will make sure he keeps his royal mouth shut. Else, at least we shall give you a chance to kick his royal behind."
"Trixie will hold you to that promise," Trixie said darkly. "And if you fail, she will make both yours and his lives miserable."
"Deal!" Flim and Flam said mirthfully in unison. "Let's hop to it!"
With a spring in their step, the unicorn twins trotted up the tracks while balancing on the metal rails. Trixie looked after them sighed again before following her friends. If nothing else she was tired, and Fancypants should have a soft bed befitting the Great and Apologetic... scratch that, Great and Powerful Trixie.
*****
Blueblood had never experienced anything like this. It was just absurd, impossible and unheard of. He, the Prince of Canterlot, heir to Princess Platinum, the highest noble in Equestria and best dressed pony in the history of the universe, had been ditched like a lowly servant. The nerve of those blasted brothers! Did they for a moment think THEY could tell HIM what to do!?
"I should just call for the guard," Blueblood mumbled to himself as he went home. "Might be worth it, just to show those swines who I am." A cat crossed his path, and Blueblood flung it aside with his magic. "But I assume there is no harm in hearing them out," he continued to himself. "If they do get me all i want..."
His thought process was interrupted by another cat. Blueblood froze in fear. This cat was black, and it had just crossed the street in front of him. He shivered and looked around for trouble, but couldn't see anything apparent. That made him even more anxious. It was bad enough that he had bled earlier, something he had always been afraid of, but to get even more misfortune made his situation downright dangerous. Blueblood quickened his pace.
For the first time in his life he almost envied the "lesser creatures" who had their houses further down the city. He really didn't like to be out tonight, not when it was clear that the stars had aligned in a malevolent way. Blueblood made a mental note to kick his astrologer, who had promised good tidings for tonight. But first he had to get back to his home, in the highest reaches of the city.
As Blueblood was approaching his luxurious mansion, he came to an annoying conclusion. If he went straight there, then he would have gone home on thirteen streets total. He took an extra turn up a street that would lead him past his mansion. It would take him a few minutes longer, but he really had no choice. Any more misfortune and he could as well call the undertaker. "Of all places I had to land on, of course it had to be one thirteen streets from home." Blueblood made a mental note to sue his astrologer for malpractice.
Finally he arrived at his wrought iron gate, and was annoyed that no servant stood ready to open it. It was only about one A.M, why was there no pony here to greet him? His nincompoop-servants should be ready to attend him at every second of the millennia; sleeping was not an excuse. They lived to serve him, for Blueblood's sake! Blueblood made a mental note to have his astrologer banished.
He seriously considered simply standing outside the door until the morning came, so that he could scold his lazy servant for notes. In the end, though, he realized that this would come at the expense of not sleeping in his princess-sized, hoof made bed, filled with swan feathers. That was not worth it. Blueblood pushed the gate open with his magic and strode up to the mansion. He was careful not to step on the cracks between the tiles, and also made a mental note to have his astrologer thrown in a dungeon in the place he was banished to.
"SILVER PLATTER!" Blueblood growled up to the window. His servants should be in there, and he was about to show them the error of their ways. An orange pegasus with a rust red mane opened the window and looked down. "Get down here five minutes ago and open the door! Bring one hay of an apology too!" Blueblood called before the pegasus had opened his mouth.
The pegasus disappeared and the door opened after a few seconds. Blueblood went into the darkened vestibule and fixed the servant with a withering glare. "Awaken the others," he hissed. "I want my customary three course meal, in my bed, right now. Understood?"
"Pardon, my Prince," Silver Platter said tentatively. He twisted under the Prince's baleful gaze. "The day-servants had already left when the storm broke loose, and those who are supposed to be here at night didn't show up. I'm the only one here..."
Blueblood closed his eyes and muttered some innovative curses, both at the servants, Flim, Flam, his aunt, Silver Platter, and everything else beneath the sun. "Get me some sherry. Then every servant in this mansion will have their employment terminated. NOW GET ME MY SHERRY!"
Silver platter did not stop to ask if he just had been fired, but instead flew down to the extensive wine cellar faster than the eyes could follow.
Blueblood snorted at the pegasus and went up to his bedroom. Every floor in his hose was made from one massive stone slab, so he didn't have to avoid cracks. The Prince sat down in a large, soft chair by his mahogny desk. He had to make some plan for how he wanted to handle The Equilibrist, provided they came in the first place.
He hardly noted that Silver Platter sat the glass of sherry down beside him and then left. He was lost in thought.
Blueblood had the upper hoof; of that he was pretty certain. He did not have to care wether or not he was arrested, but Flim and Flam did. They should not have any hold on him; they needed his silence, and he could sell it expensively. Flam had already tempted with twelve point five million which, combined with his initial share, would give him more money than even he could hope to spend. And Blueblood could always go to the guard after they had paid up.
But then there was Flam's final statement. "A scene to fulfill his dream." Did Flam actually know Blueblood's dream? Did he know why he joined their silly outfit in the first place? Normally, he would immediately have answered no, but he had seen first hoof that Flam was one intelligent pony when he really put his mind to something. Was it possible that he had figured it out?
If so, then it was definitely an interesting proposal. But he had to confirm that Flim and Flam really knew what they were talking about before making up his mind.
Blueblood mulled over his possibilities for hours, before a light tap on his window disturbed him. He looked up with an annoyed scowl, but only the black parrot looked back. Prankster pecked again. Blueblood sighed and opened the window with his magic.
The bird flew in and landed on his bedside table. Before the Prince even had a chance to shoo the nasty critter away, a grappling hook flew through his window, and two easily recognizable ponies followed in short order.
"So you did show up after all?" Blueblood asked with an uninterested voice. "I was half expecting you to run away."
"Sorry for being late," Flim said casually. "We expected you to be at the guard barracks, so we went there first."
"Good to see that we were wrong," Flam continued. "Shall we get down to business?"
"I'm waiting," Blueblood replied irritably. "Give a suggestion, preferably one that made this wait worth it."
"Where are your manners?" Flim asked with an annoyingly forgiving smile. "It is customary to offer your guests something to drink, isn't it?"
"Our relation is business, not friendship," Blueblood reminded cooly. "And your behavior tonight does not help your course in that regard. Just say what you came to say and then get lost."
"Fine by me," Flam answered.
The room was silent.
"Well?" Blueblood and Flam said in unison, both their voices equally annoyed.
"My proposition, Illusionist, what do you think?" Flam asked impatiently. "Is there anything else you would like to add?"
"Indeed," Blueblood replied. "I have been thinking, and I don't think you know any of my desires. So, I think I want more money instead."
Flam chuckled. "So you don't think I know? Well, let's analyze you for a little bit. Maybe I can figure you out?"
"First of all," Flam continued casually without waiting for a reply. "You are the Prince of Canterlot. Last descendant of Princess Platinum herself."
"Such a title ought to come with great responsibility and even greater glory," Flim continued with a look of mock complementation. "Your title is the same as the Princesses themselves, after all. You are one of the five rulers of this land."
"But what have you been doing lately?" Flam put a hoof to his head and pretended to think hard. "What laws have you passed? What ceremonies have you preceded over? What dignitaries have you welcomed?"
Flim and Flam both looked at Blueblood who was grinding his teeth in anger. "None," the said in unison, and Blueblood had a hard time stopping himself from strangling the filthy peasants.
"You know what I think?" Flim asked. "I think that you, somepony who is so certain of his superiority, who considers himself so far above everypony else, who is so perfect in every way..."
"... would hate to be constantly stepped on, constantly ignored, constantly dismissed as a mere figurehead, constantly reminded that your title only is a relic from the past. I think you hate those who have stopped you from claiming the place you think you deserve." Flam finished.
The mustached brother went up to Blueblood and looked him straight in the eye. "I think that the reason you joined us, and was so insistent on taking this particular mission, was because it was a way to get back on the one you hate, the one who represent all your chagrin..."
"A chance to get back at Celestia, your aunt."
Blueblood stared at the two brothers. He didn't know what to feel. Should he be angry that they just listed of all his shortcomings, happy that somepony understood him, confused at how well they knew him or bitter that they figured out his secret so easily?
"I don't think you care about much more than your revenge and your comfort," Flam said. "So, here is my proposition: you get your share of the Canterlot Caper, plus mine and Topsy's. In return, you will..."
Blueblood's jaw fell on the floor when Flam had explained. That plan was...
...It was... ...
He still had his lineage.
"Done."
*****
Twilight had woken up in Applejack's bed three nights ago, with five near paniked friends around her. She and Rarity had been bombarded with questions, but, much to their friends' dismay, not answered. Bon-Bon still counted on their secrecy. As soon as she managed to escape Granny Smith's breakfast, she and Rarity had taken the first train to Canterlot, where Bon-Bon already had caught The Circus. Due to how peaceful everyday life was in Equestria, and the severity of the crime, it had been decided that a court should be held only two days from then.
Most of that time Twilight and Rarity spent in Canterlot, trying to gather as much information as possible, as well as reading up a bit on equestrian law. Also, due to the memory-altering properties of The Circus's darts, Twilight had helped reconstruct Bon-Bon's and Coco's memories from Celestia's tower. Celestia's own memory of the incident however, was completely blank. She had simply gotten to much hypnotic to remember anything, even with Twilight's help. Even now, days after, she was still very tired.
The Circus, minus Topsy, had been kept locked up (together, in order to prepare their defense) and under constant guard. Twilight had noted that they did send letters to somepony. Letters she was not allowed to see.
Right now, she, Rarity and Bon-Bon stood outside the door to the courtroom and looked at the minute hand. "Think we will win?" Twilight asked nervously.
"I sure hope so," Bon-Bon said grimly. "But I have been on the verge of catching them before, and yet they have somehow escaped. Still, I believe we have a good chance."
The massive doors opened and the three ponies entered. They went past rows with journalists and ponies who for various reasons had been summoned. Twilight spotted Coco Pommel in the crowd and gave her a reassuring smile. She looked nervous.
They came into a more open space. In the front, behind an elevated podium, sat Canterlot's High Judge, named Silver Wig. He was an elderly earth pony who, despite his name, had a coarse black mane matching his long robes perfectly. Beside him laid the small gavel, and behind him in a semicircle sat the twelve ponies of the jury, four from each race.
To Silver Wig's right was the bench of the accused, now occupied by all the members of The Circus, except for Topsy. Twilight contently noted that Trixie, Suri and Ditzy looked like they might have a panic attack at any moment, Filthy Rich seemed uneasy, but relatively collected. Blueblood just looked bored.
Flim and Flam though, looked as smug as always. Twilight furrowed her brow. That was unsettling. After greeting the High Judge, they made their way to the other side of the room,to the prosecutor's bench.
Silver Wig took up the gavel and banged it once, immediately silencing the courtroom.
"The gavel has fallen. The court is in session. Justice will be upheld. An irrevocable judgement shall be placed upon thee here and now." Silver Wig recited the famous Equestrian law clause which had signaled the opening of any court since the time of the unification.
Everypony in the room bent their neck to the High Judge, as was customary.
"Prosecutors, come forth," Silver Wig pointed to Twilight. Bon-Bon rose from the bench.
"The accusations are as follows, High Judge," Bon-Bon said with a mature voice, "The prosecuted have, the night three days ago, broken into our revered Princess Celestia's room, assaulted her and stolen her regalia. In addition, they have kidnapped my good friend Rarity and kept her in custody against her will."
Silver Wig nodded. "The court hears and understands." He turned to the accused, which practically meant Flim and Flam, as everypony else sat in various degrees of crippling anxiety. "Prosecuted, come forth."
"Denial?" Flim asked his brother.
"Denial," and Flam replied the moment after.
"Denial is fine," they both said in unison.
"The court hears and understand," Silver Wig said, somewhat surprised by their peculiar way of answering. "Prosecutors, please present your evidence."
"It is known that the regalia is gone," Bon-Bon began stiffly. "Based on these," Bon-Bon handed a paper to a lackey who stood by her bench. "Celestia writes that she was indeed assaulted and put to sleep. Due to the nature of the hypnotic, she is unable to remember the faces of the assailants, but when she woke up, the regalia was gone. Somepony must have stolen it."
Bon-Bon looked towards Flim and Flam, who listened attentively, ears picked up and directed to her. When they didn't object, she continued. "I summon Coco Pommel to the stand as a witness."
"The court hears and consents," Silver Wig said stoically and banged the gavel. "You who have been called, approach." Coco Pommel scuffed herself forward to the podium in the middle of the room. She swallowed nervously and looked up to the judge. He sat still.
A few moments of silence later, Silver Wig seemed to pick up on Coco's uncertainness and gestured to her. "You may speak. What do you know?"
"W-well," Coco began nervously, and recalled Bon-Bon's hints: speak shortly and clearly. Only the most necessary the first time, details later if you are asked. Be calm, and whatever you do, stick to the truth. "About a week ago, in Manehattan..." Coco began and told the judge everything, from the night in her apartment to what little she could remember from Celestia's bedroom.
"The court hears and understands," Silver Wig said neutrally when she was finished. "Prosecuted, do you have anything to say?"
"Yes, actually," Flim said. He stood up and looked at Coco with a forgiving expression. "Miss Pommel, do you mean to say that the reason you hold my brother and me for guilty, is because this... Equilibrist figure broke into your apartment, and then in the tower you think you maybe recall something similar to the vicinity of me maybe saying something in the lines of being the Equilibrist?"
Coco pommel turned to Flim with an accusing look. "'My fiends, I may or may not have botched up', that's what you said when I called your name."
"You think," Flam interjected calmly. "I have read the medical report, and large doses of the hypnotic was found in your bloodstream. According to morden medicine, you should not remember much of what happened very clearly."
Flim continued. "It is almost like you made it all up just to frame us," Flim laughed his horribly annoying laugh. "But why would you want to do that?"
"Of course not, brother of mine, it's not like she holds a grudge against anyone of us," Flam said with a small smile. As in magic, his smile disappeared and was replaced by a hard expression "Oh, right..."
Flam hoofed the lackey at his side a small folder.
"That is a documentation that Miss Pommel has worked for Miss Suri Polomare, and that they did not exactly leave on the best terms," Flim explained.
"She wanted me to cheat for her during Fashion Week!" Coco called with a hurt voice.
For a moment Flam had a predatory smile on his lips, but he hid it quickly. "Irrelevant," he said cooly. "What is important is that you seem to remember much more than normal for those subjected to the hypnotic, and you seem to dislike Miss Polomare. Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that a criminal of this, for the lack of a better word, skill, would let you know who he or she was, just like that."
"True," Flim chimed in. "Such a beginner's mistake does not seem likely for these guys, does it? While on the subject, you said they wore masks in your apartment and when they kidnapped Rarity? But, in the tower they didn't?" Flim chuckled and leaned back. "Makes sense."
"You know what I think?" Flam said with a sinister voice. "I don't think you remember anything, but your friend Rarity really wanted you to remember... I think you two made some things up when you realized you might take revenge on a pony you both dislike."
"NO!" Coco screamed with tears in her eyes, "I'd never do that! Rarity either!"
"Prove it," Flam said cooly.
"The court hears and understand the objections," Silver Wig interrupted sharply. Flam bent his neck in an apologetic gesture. "Prosecutors, proceed."
Rarity suppressed the urge to grab Flim and Flam's heads with her magic and bash them together. How could they do something like this to Coco? The poor mare had practically been shivering when she went up to testify, and Flim and Flam had descended on her like two vultures. Coco was not prepared to defend her claims, she was just there to tell her side of the story. Flim and Flam however, had methodically picked her story appart, making her look like the villain. To think they could sit up there with smug expressions and blatantly lie to the highest legal authority in Equestria. The nerve... Rarity felt her cheeks heat up.
Bon-Bon rose from the bench and went forward to the podium. She spoke shortly and effectively with the same type of language one might expect in a police report. She told the High Judge of her scuffle with Ditzy in Rarity's kitchen, the capture of Suri Polomare and what she remembered from Celestia's room. She ended by explaining their escape.
"The court hears and understands," Silver Wig said slowly, eyeing Bon-Bon with badly masked interest. This was likely the most interesting trial he had ever preceded over. "Prosecuted, do you have anything to say? "
"Excuse me, but this is getting ridiculous," Flam said as if he expected somepony to tell him it all was a bad joke. "Do you mean to tell me that Ditzy, Ditzy Doo, mailmare of Ponyville, is one of the most skilled criminals in Equestria?" Ditzy blushed deeply and hid behind her hooves. Trixie kicked her subtly under their bench. Flam took no notice. "For Celestia's sake, do you even know her, Miss Bon-Bon?! No way she could do half the things you claim she can, and especially not conjure up a twister like the one on the night in question! Nopony can do that alone! Hay, not even the Wonderbolt elite squad can!"
"Funny you should mention The Wonderbolts," Bon-Bon said venomously. "Where is Topsy anyway, Equilibrist?"
Flam looked at Bon-Bon like she had confessed her undying love to him in the middle of open court. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes wide, and he seemed to have paused in the middle of a breath. "Soo..." he began tentatively. "Not only are you accusing Ditzy, not only do you believe that the twister was summoned, but you also believe that... we, I guess, had the help of... Topsy Twitchy?" Flam facehoofed. "Where do I even begin with this...?"
"Allow me to help, brother. I've got a newsflash," Flim said with an excessively clear and loud voice, "Topsy was declared dead years ago. Begin there. Shouldn't be to hard to unravel the rest of this... whatever I can call it."
Bon-Bon cursed her stupidity. She should not have brought up Topsy here. The Circus's plan was very well planned, not only during the execution, but also for this. If you hadn't followed their escapades and seen what they were capable of, then the story must seem near unreal. If she wanted to win this, she had to focus on the logical parts. She should focus on why it must be Flam and the others. How it was done would have to be solved and proved later.
"And what about Suri?" Bon-Bon asked like she hadn't heard Flim's interjection.
"I actually wondered about that myself," Suri said from behind Flam. Bon-Bon noted that her voice was a little more shrill than usual. "You haven't told me why I was arrested. You just came one day and... and locked me up!"
"Answer the question," Bon-Bon said stiffly. "How did you escape?"
"You answer my question, what was I locked up for!?" Suri replied with a much less controlled voice.
"For suspicion of helping The Circus. How did you escape?" Bon-Bon said cooly. There was no point in referring back to her interrogation of Suri; they would only lie and say that everything was fabricated.
"I arranged it."
Everypony's look turned to Blueblood. He looked snidely around the room and chuckled softly. "My my, it's been a pleasure to listen to all you filthy peasants bickering. But all good things must come to an end. It was me."
In the silence that followed, one could hear a feather fall to the ground.
"S-speak," Silver Wig said with a shocked voice.
"Didn't you hear me, peasant? " Blueblood asked with a demeaning look. "I did it. When I heard Suri had been arrested, I arranged for her to be broken out of prison. I wanted the foolish, predictable agent to think she was involved. Then she would go search for Suri, instead of looking anyplace important." Blueblood took a deep breath and basked in the eyes of everypony in the room.
"It was me all along," he said. "I planned the coup, I distributed the assignments, I removed the guards from the castle, I put my wretched aunt to sleep and stole her symbol of power. Power that should be mine by birthright!" The Prince ended his statement with a powerful stomp.
Blueblood looked around and smiled. Oh, how he had waited for this. Oh, how he had waited for the day when he could show the world who he was. This was the day, this was the moment when the world would know that he was the most clever pony there was. Now they would know that he was far more fit to rule, far more worthy of adoration and respect than his aunt ever was. He had finally stepped out of Celestia's shadow, and claimed rightful his place in the sun.
And it felt wonderful.
"Let me tell you everything, lesser creatures. Let me tell you how I outwitted you all..."
"... and that's when they betrayed me, stole the regalia and left. They took the prepared airship to Ponyville, switched to a train and tried to return here to hide. But the swines didn't know that an extra train was on the track. They derailed and died," Blueblood finished theatrically, nearly an hour later.
He turned to the rest of The Circus and spoke in a low, threatening voice. "And if you ever try to capitalize on my ingenuity, if you ever try to pass my plans for yours again, then... not even Celestia will be able to save you."
"We will make sure we are never arrested for being criminal masterminds again, if that's what you are asking," Flam said dryly.
Bon-Bon shook with rage. They had planned this. They would get away! THEY WOULD GET AWAY! "YOU LIE!" She screamed and tried to leap at Blueblood. She didn't know what she hoped to accomplish, but she knew it would feel much better if she could beat him up. She didn't even get one ponylength before several guards pinned her down with their magic.
"High Judge Silver Wig!" Twilight said with a pleading voice. "Please listen to our story. The true story."
Silver Wig looked like he woke up from a nap the moment he heard his name. "Ahh... the court hears and understands..." he said in utter shock. He looked uncertainly to Bon-Bon. "P-prosecutors, proceed. "
Twilight knew this was their last chance. She took a deep breath the way Cadence had taught her, and began to speak. She and Rarity told the judge everything they had experienced these last few days. Each and every little detail. It took a few hours, and even the members of the Circus listened attentively.
"The court hears and understands," Silver Wig said slowly. "Prosecuted, do you have anything to say?"
"I wish to call our alibi," Flam said stiffly. "I can't understand why you are so bent on locking us up, miss Sparkle, but this farce has gone on for long enough."
"The court hears and consents. You who have been called, approach."
Twilight gasped when she saw Fancypants rise up. He was involved too? How, just HOW did they get everypony on their side? The noblestallion looked at Flam with an expressionless face. "It is true, esteemed High Judge," he said with a politically correct tone. "Trixie, Ditzy, Suri, Filthy, Flim and Flam were indeed at my residence the evening in question. Mr. Filthy and I were discussing a business venture in the fashion industry. Flim, Flam and Suri were there as consultants, Trixie is a close friend of mine, and Ditzy the same for Mr. Filthy."
"Mr. Rich," Filthy silently corrected with a tired voice. "I'm changing my name..."
"And is there anypony who can vouch for your claims?" Silver Wig asked.
"My staff and wife most certainly will, esteemed High Judge," Fancypants bent his neck respectfully.
"Anything else, prosecuted?" Silver Wig said neutrally.
"Nothing," Flam said.
"Prosecutors?" Silver Wig turned to Twilight.
She thought as hard as she could. There must be something she could say, something that could ensure that The Circus finally was caught.
She came up blank. Slowly did she shake her head.
Silver Wig banged the gavel. "The Council of the Tribes is now in session."
Silver wig and the twelve ponies behind him all rose up and filed out the ornate silver doors in the back of the room. Now Twilight had done all she could. Now she could only wait for the final ruling.
Silence settled over the courtroom. It stretched on... half an hour... one hour... two... or maybe it was just a few minutes. There was something with the air that filled everypony with respect and anxiety. Judgment would fall here and now, and someponies' lives would never be the same again. The Circus, Twilight and her friends, the guards, and the ponies who were here for some other reason, all looked at the silver doors behind the now vacant judge seat as if they by sheer willpower could hurry the process up.
"We will be free, right?" Ditzy asked Flam with a small and frightful voice. Her veering eyes was filled with worry.
"Of course," Flam said with a confident voice. "You will be home eating muffins to your heart's content in just a few hours. Promise."
"I hope you are right," Filthy Rich said with a foreboding voice.
"Trust us," Flim said simply. "Have we ever let you down?"
Filthy shook his head slowly.
"Exactly," Flam said. "Hey, how about we all get the most expensive spa treatment bits can buy after this? And some food and muffins to go with it? I need to relax..."
"Trixie... would like that too, yes," Trixie said without her normal peppiness.
The doors opened. Silver Wig and the twelve ponies behind him took their seats again. Everypony stiffened and looked at the thirteen ponies.
"Unlucky number," Blueblood thought with a sudden rush of worry. What if they had changed the laws and he was not aware of it? What if he was sent to jail? He could not go to jail, stripes looked horrible on him! Silver Wig banged the gavel, interrupting the Prince's worries.
"Prince Blueblood is sentenced to imprisonment, until the revered Princess Celestia sees fit to grant him mercy of any kind. Let it be known that from now and until the end of time, he is a convicted criminal." Silver Wig spoke loudly over the room. Blueblood swallowed, but seemed otherwise unaffected.
"Flim, Flam, Suri Polomare, Ditzy Doo, Filthy Rich and Trixie Lulamoon are freed under the condition that none of them are to leave Equestria. Also, they are required to inform the nearest government official of their daily works and lives for three months from now on. Let it be known that they, until further notice, are innocent."
Twilight listened without hearing.
They had lost.
The Circus had escaped.
That punishment was a way for Equestrian authorities to keep track of possible criminals, but it only rarely did anything. The Circus had probably been payed enough for their grandchildren to retire, so they wouldn't have to commit any more crimes. No more crimes meant no new evidence, and no new evidence meant that The Circus would never answer for what they had done.
Twilight felt a lump in her throat. Her eyes began to water. She never though she would cry because of this, but now she had a hard time suppressing it. She had done so much, come so far and gotten through it. She, Rarity and Bon-Bon had put their lives on the line for this. But Silver Wig's ruling dashed near all their work. The only thing they could show for all their ordeals would be Blueblood. Most of The Circus would get away.
It just felt... unfair. More so than she thought was possible. With a hollow heart she looked up at her opponents.
Flim and Flam high-hoofed and Ditzy looked like she might cry from happiness. The others were in various degrees of daze. Blueblood rose from his bench.
"Objection," he said angrily. Twilight felt fear grip he heart. Did he hold yet another ace? Would he too go free?
No. No, he couldn't. For the love of Celestia, please let them take at least one! They had to take at least one. THEY HAD TO! THEY MUST HAVE SOMETHING FOR ALL THEIR HARDSHIPS!
"On what bases?" Silver Wig asked the Prince.
"Article one, clause one in the first codex," Blueblood said calmly, referring to a passage in the Equestrian statute book. "From this day forth, let none of those who bear my name and title be scourged by the hammer of justice. We are the Unicorns. We are justice itself. Such is our decree, for all to obey."
Blueblood finished his recitation. "Princess Platinum's lineage law. An old and rarely used law, but never repealed. I am the last of Platinum's line, and I hold her title, so the law prevents me from being imprisoned," Blueblood smirked smugly. "I can, at most, be placed under constant watch."
Silver Wig beckoned a lackey. "Bring me the codex." The lackey scurried off. The entire court sat stunned. Twilight stared at Blueblood in utter shock. How could a law like that exist? Why had it never been repealed?
Silver Wig looked through the thick book. Twilight choked back a sob when he nodded slowly. "The court hears and consents. Prince Blueblood is, due to his heritage, sentenced to constant guard until Princess Celestia herself sees fit to grant him mercy. Let it be known that from now and until the end of time, he is a convicted criminal."
The room fell silent. Silver Wig spoke again.
"The Gavel has fallen. Order is upheld. Justice is done!" Silver Wig declared. The phrase as old as Equestrian law itself marked the end of the trial. The gavel fell one last time. Twilight felt as if her heart was crushed under it.
> Chapter twelve- Conclusion Confusion
Princess Twilight Sparkle
I would very much like it if you could join me and my brother for dinner at eight o'clock tonight at Filthy Rich's mansion. My friends and I all agree that you deserve a little something for all your hard work, and what could be better than a sneak peek at our next coup? I guarantee that you will find it interesting.
I hope you will come tonight. Sweetie Drops and Rarity are welcome too, naturally.
Flam, Consult of Barnyard Bargains, Salespony Nonpareil and skilled equilibrist.
Twilight read through the shot letter again and felt the headache returning. Two weeks had passed since the catastrophic trial, and much to everypony's annoyance The Circus had decided to make Ponyville their new headquarters. Flim and Flam both worked for Filthy Rich now, Suri Polomare was officially hired as Spoiled Rich's personal seamstress, and Trixie was putting on small shows outside Town Hall. The colts and fillies loved her, and even Twilight had to admit that she was better now, relying on classical sleight-of-hoof and street magic, spruced up with the occasional illusion.
Twilight was certain that none of The Circus actually worked, but it let them send in perfect reports on their behavior to Mayor Mare. She was not to happy with seeing especially Trixie back in Ponyville, but even she could not find anything to complain about when she sent the reports to Canterlot. Thus diminished their chances of capturing The Circus even more; the reports clearly stated that they were nothing but normal ponies.
And now she had received a letter from Flim and Flam to dinner. Twilight was not sure what to make of it, but she would probably go. There was a slim possibility that she might learn something useful, and if nothing else she could at least eat up some of Filthy's money, which felt satisfactory.
Twilight shook her head, partly to get rid of the headache and partly to snap out of her ruminations. She should ask Rarity. With her new plan in mind, she levitated the letter over to a garbage can. "Spike!" she called. "I'm going to see Rarity! Take care of the castle in the meantime, okay?"
"Wait, I'll come with you," The young dragon called from his own room. Twilight could easily pick up on the hopefulness in his voice.
"Not today, sorry!" Twilight called back. She had not told anypony about her recent adventure yet. Frankly, she didn't want to think about it anymore. She pretended not to hear the grumbling sounds of a disgruntled dragon as she left the castle. Just before she closed the door, she might have heard a word that was either "dictionary" or "dictator". She decided to go with the former.
Ponyville was beautiful as ever. The sun was shining, the grass was green and ponies were moseying slowly along the streets. Nopony seemed to be in a particular hurry. She spotted Carrot Top coming towards her with a wagon of carrots behind. Twilight nodded politely as they passed. Then she spotted one of the last ponies she wanted to see, in one of the worst companies. Flim was sitting by a table outside The Hayburger restaurant with a half eaten sandwich and some juice, and across the table sat Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Flim had three overturned cups in front of him.
Her bitterness awoken, Twilight edged closer and saw Flim lift the middle cup to reveal a bit. He then placed the cup over it again and started to move the cups around with mesmerizing movements. The three foals managed to keep track of the cup with the bit for a few moments, before they all seemed lost. Twilight's cheeks heated up when she saw Flim hide one of the cups behind his back somehow and then place a new one on the table, all before she had understood how it had happened.
"That one," Sweetie Belle said and pointed to the leftmost cup.
"Too bad," Flim said apologetically as he lifted the cup. There was nothing under it.
"I think it's the one behind your back," Twilight said venomously.
"Too bad," Flim said again and lifted the cup behind his back with his magic. There was nothing under that one either. "This is the one," he lifted the middle cup, and the bit was under it.
"Cool!" Scootaloo buzzed excitedly with her tiny wings. "Will you teach us that? It was awesome!"
"Perhaps another day, little filly," Flim said politely with a pearl white smile. "I have somewhere I need to be. Thanks for the company though. Oh, and congrats on your cutie mark, Apple Bloom."
More confused than angry, Twilight moved along, pondering how Flim had moved the cup with the bit like that. Did he cheat somehow? Yes, of course he must have, but how in Celestia's name did he do it? Where did he even get the fourth cup from? He only wore his vest, so there were no sleeves to hide it in. Did he levitate it up from under the table? But she had not seen him use magic...
"Twilight, look out!" Twilight looked up and found herself less than a hooflength from Rarity's from door. She instinctively took a few trotts back and looked to where the warning had come from. Rarity looked back at her with some vegetables showing from her white saddlebags.
"Hey Rarity," Twilight said with a sullen voice. "I wanted to ask you about something. I got a letter..."
"Hmm?" Rarity's ears peaked up and she got something serious in her eyes. "Make yourself at home," she said curtly. "I will find Bon-Bon."
*****
"Welcome," Flam said with as mile and his slick salespony voice. "I'm so happy you could come, everypony."
Twilight, Rarity and Bon-Bon all hit him with the most powerful glares they could muster. Somehow, he survived and even managed a small, very nervous laugh.
"Now, now, I don't think we want to start that way, do we?" Flim said from a doorway. He trotted up to his brother. "Please follow me. We have prepared some of the most delectable food in Equestria, just for you." Without waiting for an answer, Flim and Flam both turned around and went into the room Flim had come from. Twilight followed gingerly. She could still not be sure there was no ambush planned.
She came into Filthy's dining room and stopped with wide eyes. There was a long table with five chairs around, and on it there was some of the most fancy looking food Twilight had ever seen. At least ten different salads with everything from lettuce to tomato and cheese in them. Grilled aubergines were piled on one large silver platter, stuffed pepper on another and some sort of mushroom she didn't know the name of laid on a third plate. There was even a replica of the Neighffel tower, built from asparagus. Beside it stood something Twilight had never expected to see, much less taste. She had heard about them from Princess Celestia, who had eaten them in Saddle Arabia, but even the Saddle Arabians didn't grow them. They came from a land even further away, a land not even Celestia had seen. Yet there was no mistaking the strange, scaled fruits with thick-leafed crowns. They were Pineapples.
"Don't just stand there," Flim said proudly. "It's rude to begin before the guests, and I'm starving. Please, help yourselves."
Twilight had forgotten Flim and Flam for a moment, overwhelmed by the smell and look of the food. His voice brought her back to reality and the matter at hoof. She put on a scowl and trotted up to one of the chairs. Her friends followed suit, together with the twins.
The ponies sat down around the table. "How did you get this?" Twilight asked and levitated up one of the Pineapples. "Not even Celestia can get these easily."
"We have contacts..." Flim began.
"...and we have a lot of cash," Flam finished. "Thing with wealth is that it's useless if you don't have the freedom to do whatever you like with it. Wealth with responsibility is not really wealth in my opinion."
"So, in a way, we are richer than Celestia," Flim concluded. "For we can probably get anything in Equestria and beyond."
"Because you really deserve it," Bon-Bon said sarcastically.
"That we do," Flam agreed, ignoring Bon-Bon's tone. "Can somepony please begin?"
Rarity's horn lit up and one of the mushrooms and a filled pepper came floating. She inspected both courses thoroughly, trying to find something to criticize. Alas, she found nothing. "Well, I suppose it does look..." she was on the verge of saying 'divine', but stopped herself in the last moment "...adequate."
Flim and Flam both helped themselves to a healthy selection and began to eat with great appetite, thus effectively any dodging questions. Twilight and Bon-Bon glanced to each other before they tried some of the food as well. Twilight was forced to admit that everything was stupendous; even better than what she had eaten at the Grand Galloping Gala. The peppers were fried to such perfect degree they all but melted in her mouth to reveal the perfect, silken texture of mozzarella and olives in them. She could not help but to smile at the wonderful taste that enveloped her tongue.
It was a strange dinner. The five ponies loved the food but hated each other. While the guests ate, they also took ample time to glare at their hosts, who pretended not to see. Throughout the meal everypony sat silent. Save for the occasional scraping with a chair, the room was silent as the grave and with a similar mood. So it went on until Twilight and her friends spent more time glaring than eating. Flam broke the silence.
"Perhaps we shall have deserts in the gazebo?"
"Splendid idea, brother of mine," Flim said, evidently relived to banish the suffocating silence. "Shall we?"
"Here is fine," Bon-Bon said curtly. "What do you want?"
Flam sighed. "Well, since you are asking so nicely. We just thought you might want to know some details about our latest escapade, so ask away."
"Any why, pray tell, would you tell us?" Rarity asked with a guarded tone.
"Because we want you," Flam nodded to Twilight, "to know..."
"...and because I like to gloat," Flim added, earning him another death-glare from the three guests.
"Very well," Bon-Bon said cooly. "What will happen to the regalia? Who hired you to steal it?"
"I'm afraid I can't answer the second question," Flam said. "But the regalia will return soon. We'll keep Celestia on the rack for another few days or something, and then it will be 'found' by the train crash site. We really can't do much with it, can we? And the loss of the regalia have already accomplished what our client wanted."
"Who are you two?"
Flim and Flam looked at Twilight. She looked back with a thoughtful expression. "I thought you were con artists, but you are criminals, engineers, balance artists, accountants and salesponies too. How and why? Just... who are you two?"
"Just the usual run-of-the-mill ponies," Flim said while holding out his hoof and studying it with a confident look. "The grass grows, the birds sing, we makes lives miserable. Simple as that."
"Flim and I grew up on an apple farm in outside Manehattan," Flam began stilly. "Nothing much happened there, until Flim and I were about five years old. A... tragic accident, we can say, left us as orphans."
Twilight felt a twinge of sadness for the brothers despite all they had done. She could never imagine loosing her mom and dad. Flim had a grim look in his eyes as he spoke, but his voice was as jokey and casual as usual. "Two colts couldn't run an apple orchard, obviously, so we salvaged a couple of things and left the orchard. Key words: a couple."
Flam continued. "Most other colts would not have made it, and neither would we if not for each other. We had to do what we could to survive. There is no mercy on the streets, and unless you learn that, you go under. Well, Flim and I did learn. If we were hungry and had no food, we stole some. If the night was cold, we snatched a scarf or something from a passerby."
"This was the time for our greatest heist," Flim said with dreamy eyes. "I remember it like yesterday. The foggy morning, the crisp air and the merchant, of course. He was a large, red and brown earth pony. I pretended to look at his apples, and when his back was turned, I snatched some!"
Flim looked out into space with a reminiscent grin. "The adrenaline in my body, the angry screams behind me, my hooves beating on the cold ground... It can't be put into words, it must be experienced... Ah, the thrill of the crime..." Flim looked like he just woke up. "Heh, sorry... anyway, my brother had made a plan, and told me where to run, so I did just that. I got into an alleyway and hid. The merchant came in behind me, but then Flam stepped out behind him. Highly confused, he started following Flam instead while I made my way to another alley. Flam hid and I stepped out, and we repeated until the merchant got tired.
"So that's how you seemed to pull of impossible jumps or move at lightning speed..." Bon-Bon nodded. "You switched places, didn't you?"
Flim and Flam both smiled. "The classics never get old," Flam confirmed. "We are still similar enough to fool anypony, as long as they can't catch a good look on us. In fact, destiny seems to agree, for that heist did not only net us a breakfast, but also two cutie marks, symbolizing our skill at working together, and inspire other ponies to do the same."
"Never wondered how we can tie ponies like Blueblood, Trixie and Suri together?" Flam asked. "Three strong-willed ponies, none who likes to follow orders? I think that's our special talent. We make ponies work together."
"But how did you learn everything else?" Rarity asked curiously. "Just like Twilight said, I too thought you were mere con-stallions. Yet some of the things you did would make professional acrobats jealous. How?"
"Well you see," Flam continued. "We began as con artists, for that's one way to live off the streets, but after repeated misadventures we got lucky."
"A certain Maximus Limelight caught us in a game of sleight-of-hoof, and he was impressed. He took Flam and me under his wings. Quite literarily, actually, for he was a pegasus," Flim continued. "He was a circus manager you see. He let Flam and me train to become real circus artists. I trained with line dancing and rope tricks, while Flam worked with line dancing and choreography. From dawn until dusk we trained to become the best."
"In time, Flim and I broadened our fields and began to study pretty much everything we could get our hooves on. Circus is all about being versatile. The best artists shall pretty much be onepony shows, and that was our ambition too. We studied rhetorics..."
"...cooking..."
"...mechanics..."
"...magic..."
"...dancing..."
"...singing..."
"...etiquette..."
"...engineering..."
"...and a lot more," Flim and Flam finished together. "We studied everything we could from dawn till dusk, all days, every week. We had seen just how harsh life was for those with nothing, and vowed never to be back there; never to be poor again. When we had grown into stallions, we felt confident enough to leave the circus and make it on our own. We tried our luck as... cider makers..."
"I guess you know how that turned out," Flam shot a dark look at Twilight. "After the cider fiasco, we went back to our roots as con artists, before you ruined us again."
"That's when I had enough," Flim said decisively. "It was time to use each and every skill we had learnt. And since honest work didn't exactly seem to be our strong suit, we decided to take... alternative measures, as it were."
"So we began as small-time ne'er-do-wells while keeping our eyes peeled for potential recruits. Filthy Rich was the first." Flam said and rose from his chair.
Flim looked at Twilight with a wry smile. "And now, after the most Flim-Flamboyant coup in recorded history, it's time to move on to the next escapade."
Twilight stiffened in her seat. This was why she was here, after all. Would they actually tell her what their next coup would be? Were they really that stupid? Or did they have an ulterior motive? But what motive would gain from telling her?
"You see," Flam said with a sigh, "since we just lost the Illusionist, who kept us hidden, we now have to take care of something..." He went around the table slowly, until he stood just beside Twilight.
"Bet you wonder what, don't you, Sparkle?" Flim asked menacingly. "Well, allow me to explain. My brother here has come up with a pony to replace Blueblood. But this time we will not rely on bribes and influence, but only influence." Flim looked with unveiled interest at Twilight. "Your influence, that is."
"So why not just make this easy?" Flam asked and extended a hoof. "Why won't you join us?"
Silence fell. Twilight felt four pairs of eyes drill into her. "Never," she said silently. "I will NEVER AID YOU!" She hit Flam's hoof away.
"Oh, well," Flam sighed as he rubbed the hoof. "If there is one thing I have learnt, it's that everypony has a price."
"Not me," Twilight said with a certain voice. "There is nothing that would make me give in to you."
"Well, well, you don't have to believe us now..." Flam said nonchalantly and made his way back to his brother.
"... but we will get you something so valuable, so legendary, that you simply can't resist." Flam's smile was certain. "You will think that it is worth looking between your hooves for our crimes, just to get your own share of the spoils."
As on a secret signal, the large doors behind Twilight opened. The rest of The Circus trotted in. Ditzy was dressed in Celestia's regalia, though the crown sat askew on her head. Trixie held a silver tray with seven glasses on it in her magic. "Before you leave, Bon-Bon, wake up the spies you brought," Filthy Rich said with a bored voice. He held his trusty crossbow in the mouth. "I want them off my property in one hour, or I'll fine them all for trespassing."
"Well then, my friends," Flam said to the stunned guests when his accomplices had made their way over to him, "Now begins the next coup... umm..."
"Come on, brother," Flim said with a pleading voice "you can do this."
"Do you have any idea how hard these alliterations are to come up with?" Flam asked with a somewhat annoyed voice.
"No," Flim said shortly. "You were always the better songwriter."
"Hey! I got one!" Flam exclaimed. "Now, my friends, begins the next coup..."
The seven ponies each took a glass and raised it towards Twilight.
"...Princess Persuasion!" The Circus clinked their glasses together. Ditzy did so a little too eagerly; her's, Trixie's and Topsy's glasses all broke and cider splashed over everypony. Ditzy reflexively fluttered backward and dropped the large crown on Trixie's hoof. The azure mare whimpered.
"Heh... oops..." Ditzy said sheepishly with a blush spreading over her cheeks.
*****
"You have done well, Lord Fancypants. The first trotts have been taken."
"Thank you, my lady," Fancypants bowed down. "I live to serve your will."
"You have, my dearest friend. And mark my words, that which we believe in will be realized."
Fancypants bowed down again and listened.
"The ponies who executed the theft, will you keep track of them? I believe they will become very helpful to our course..."
"Thy will be done." |
Unlimited Power | pre | "Of course, Master," Anakin said obediently. |
Unlimited Power | A Threatening Meeting | Anakin looked at the pile of "ponies," as Spike called their species, as he dropped the grasses and twigs he was going to use to start the fire. A few hours have passed since the ponies attacked him and Obi-wan and the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, bathing the sky above in red light. Anakin focused on the kindling in front of him. He set up the sticks and grasses in a pyramid but with enough air to light and breathe. Anakin reached into his tool belt and pulled out his firestarter. Moments later, Anakin had a small fire in front of him.
Anakin sat back and leant on his palms. He looked out to the nearby grove where his master was gathering larger pieces of wood with Spike. With the fire started, Anakin decided to check his equipment.
His lightsaber was low on power, thankfully he found some extra battery packs in his belt and switched out his current battery. In his belt pouches, Anakin took out his liquid-cable launcher, aquata-rebreather, and the last of his protein cubes.
Some groans sounded out from the pile. Anakin gathered his items and clipped his lightsaber to his belt. Anakin pulled out his comlink and quietly informed Obi-wan. He walked to the edge of their clearing and hid in the grass. The ponies crawled off of each other grumbling about how they had awoken.
"Would ya get offa me, Rainbow," said the orange one angrily.
"Only if you! Uh..." the cyan one with the rainbow hair trailed off, "Only if you get out from under me first!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Yeah, thats it," she finished under her breath.
"That doesn't make sense, Rainbow," said the orange one as Rainbow hopped off and flapped her wings. As soon as she was in the air her wings seized up and she fell to the ground.
"Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?" said the orange one worriedly as she limped towards her friend.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a couple of bruises, nothing I'm not used to. But what about you! You're limping, Applejack," said Rainbow.
"Ah'm fine, but whatever that thing was that hit me is gonna regret it," she fumed. "Come on, let's check on the girls."
The two ponies went about checking on their friends. Slowly, all of the ponies were awake and talking about what they were going to do to the monsters that did this to them. It was with that, that Anakin decided not to confront them until Obi-wan came back.
"Hey, what's that?" Asked the pony that Spike referred to as Twilight.
"Looks like smoke ta me," replied Applejack.
"Let's go check it out then!" said Rainbow Dash.
The ponies walked to the edge of the clearing with the fire and sneaked into the grass. With a yell, all of them but one burst into the clearing. A second later, the last one hopped in with the quietest yell Anakin had ever heard. They looked around the clearing, and finding nothing, they sat down around the small fire.
The pink one stood up and looked around. Anakin saw her look right at him and stop. They waited like that for a minute, just staring at each other.
"Uh, Pinkie? What are you doing?" asked Twilight, who looked very confused.
That seemed to snap Pinkie out of her staring match with Anakin as she turned around to her friend. "Oh nothing. It just felt like someone is watching us," said Pinkie happily and went back to sitting at the fire.
"Those ... things must have made this. They can't be too far off," remarked the 'Rarity' pony.
"Well, let's go get 'em!" cheered Rainbow, jumping into flight and hovering above her friends.
"Wait, Rainbow," Rainbow floated back down to the ground. "Those creatures jus' beat us inta th' dirt," reasoned Applejack. "We cain't jus' go off fightin' em, we gotta have a plan."
Rainbow Dash nodded, bringing a hoof to her chin and thinking about how to beat the Jedi. The rest of the ponies also joined in by performing their own thinking motions. Fluttershy, however, was the only one not contributing because she already had an idea of her own.
"What if we just..." Her already soft voice getting even more quiet with each word.
Her friends all looked at her, barely hearing the soft-spoken pegasus. Fluttershy's eyes widened now that she had their attention, so instead of continuing her sentence, she retreated into her long, pink hair. Rainbow Dash, seeing her friends distress, quickly made it to Fluttershy's side and comfortingly rubbed her back.
"Hey, it's okay 'Shy," Rainbow said as she tried coaxing her friend out, "What did you want to say?"
Fluttershy slowly made her way out of her hair and looked at her friends. "Well, I was just trying to say that... Well, what if we just talk... to... them?" She squeaked and hid once again, trying to get out of the spotlight.
A chorus of "yeah"s and "okay"s followed Fluttershy's proposition, prompting her to return to her friends with a small smile on her lips. The ponies gathered in a circle around the fire discussing how to approach the Jedi after attacking them earlier. Slowly, one by one, the ponies nodded off as the dusk turned into night, moon rising high into the sky.
Anakin watched the ponies for the whole time, waiting in the grass and mud. His pants and tunic were soaked plus he hadn't moved in over three hours. He slowly stood up, attempting to wring the water out of his clothes. Anakin heard static from his comlink and held it close to his ear. Suddenly, the comlink chirped loudly, making Anakin jerk his head away from the device. The sudden movement making him lose his balance and fall back into the mud with a wet splat. Anakin cursed at himself for his incoordination. If his friend, Tru Veld, had seen him just now, he would have cracked a joke at Anakin's expense then helped him back up. But Tru wasn't here, and neither was Obi-wan, it was only Anakin.
Anakin heard the ponies stirring and mumbling to each other about the sounds. His comlink chirped again as Anakin tried muffling the sound with his hands. The ponies, more awake now, heard the noise and cautiously moved to inspect it. Obi-wan's voice rang out, catching the attention of the ponies who were slowly closing in on Anakin's position. "Anakin? We're almost back at the camp, keep watch and make sure nobody can find you. We have enough wood to last the night and I can't stress enough how important it is that we attempt communication together," the muffled comlink still loudly conveying the message to the immediate area.
'Oh crap,' Anakin again cursing himself for not turning down the volume. He knew that we was surrounded by the ponies, he could hear them shuffling around in the grass all around him. Instantly he knew how he could appease their hatred for him,
"I surrender!" He called out, standing up and putting his arms above his head.
Anakin felt something hard prod his back, indicating that he was to move into the clearing. He obliged, knowing that it was the best way to stall for time until Obi-wan and Spike got back. Anakin walked over to the fire and sat down on the heat-warmed soil. He looked at the six ponies that were giving him stares that could kill a rancor with a glance.
"What did you do with Spike, you Monster?" Twilight asked as her horn lit up with magic.
"So then what happened?" Obi-wan asked as he readjusted the bundle of logs under his arm.
"Well, the girls just blasted Discord with the Elements of Harmony. Then I guess all that magic just turned him into stone," Spike said nonchalantly as Obi-wan gave him a disbelieving look. He liked Obi-wan, the alien had some really cool stories about his adventures but Spike thought he just topped Obi-wan with the story of how Twilight and her friends beat Discord. Obi-wan seemed really interested with Discord.
"I've never even heard of the Force being able to turn a being into stone. Or even manifesting itself as a rainbow of friendship. I guess the Force works in mysterious ways," Obi-wan replied. He hadn't heard back from Anakin since he sent his padawan the update, but he knew that Anakin could take care of himself.
"Hey, Obi-wan? I've heard you talk about this 'Force' a lot but i've never even heard about it, and I live in a library," Spike said as he caught the two logs he was carrying as they started to slip.
"Well, Spike, the Force is what gives Jedi their powers. It's an energy field that surrounds us, binds us, and penetrates us. The Force binds all of the universe together."
"What makes the energy field?"
"Every living organism contributes to the Living Force, Spike."
"Even me?" Spike pointed at himself, dropping one of his logs. The two stopped for Spike to pick up the wood and continued walking once he was ready.
"Even you, Spike. As well as Twilight and all of your friends," Obi-wan nodded.
"Wow," Spike was blown away by the fact that he was a part of something so colossal. They walked in silence as Obi-wan let Spike soak in the new information. Obi-wan enjoyed this planet, it was very refreshing. Every square inch of the world was bursting with life. Just being on the planet rejuvenated Obi-wan.
"Come on, I can see the firelight from here, Anakin must be getting impatient by now," Obi-wan said as he picked up his pace, making Spike have to nearly jog to keep up. |
Unlimited Power | Reunion | Anakin sat calmly as the ponies surrounded him. Twilight's horn was glowing with withheld magic, ready to destroy the padawan at a moments notice. The remaining ponies were cautiously watching him for any movements.
Anakin moved to sit cross legged, sending the ponies into a nervous scramble, and began to meditate. He was only waiting for the questions that wouldn't come anytime soon. Clearing his mind, Anakin opened himself to the Force. The life energy around him pouring into his body. He suddenly felt lighter, more awake, more ready for anything life could throw at him. He continued to sit with his eyes closed but listened to the conversations that were happening around him.
"What dreadful clothing. One would think that being an alien would entitle oneself to better clothing," said Rarity, or at least that who Anakin thought it was.
"Yes, but maybe he's just not very rich," Fluttershy replied quietly. So quietly, in fact, that Anakin could barely even hear her. Anakin scowled at the direction this conversation was taking.
"They're just robes," Anakin muttered.
Rarity walked closer and lifted a section of his cloak for a closer inspection with her hoof. Twilight's horn glowed a little brighter in case Anakin tried something. Anakin however remained completely motionless, intently watching the white unicorn. "This material is awful. Aren't you uncomfortable?"
"Not really. I've learned to deal with it," he replied nonchalant. Rarity huffed and walked back to the comfort of her friends.
Anakin returned his gaze to Twilight who had relaxed somewhat but still ready to incapacitate the Jedi at a moments notice. He noticed the grasses rustling behind her and the brown hood just peaking over. He smiled knowing that his hostage situation was over. Twilight saw him smile and was immediately confused by it.
"Hey! What's so funny, wise guy?" demanded Rainbow, who also saw the smile and quickly got in Anakin's face.
The rustling grasses got louder finally attracting the attention of the ponies. Twilight turned to face the new threat and poured magic into her horn making it glow extremely bright. Whatever was in the grass was getting closer making more and more noise. The sound of footsteps was rapidly approaching. Fluttershy cowered behind Applejack, who braced herself for whatever was coming. Pinkie Pie squirted whipped cream into a pie pan and readied it to throw.
The figure burst out of the grass, stray blades flying into the clearing.
"Hiya, girls!" Spike shouted as he ran to Twilight and wrapped his stubby arms around her neck.
Twilight's eyes widened in surprise and looked down at her number one assistant and wrapped a foreleg around him, nuzzling his head.
"Twilight, it's good to see you!" He grasped her harder. "You were pretty scary when you were attacking the Jedi. Oh, I see that you already made friends with Anakin."
"Jedi? Anakin? That's your name? Why didn't you tell us?" She asked, nearly shouting by the end of it.
Anakin shrugged. "You never asked."
Spike cringed at the volume of her voice and shot a worried look at Anakin. He'd only ever seen Twilight this mad when the world or her friends were in danger. This was turning into a not very great situation for his new friend.
The grass rustled again startling Twilight out of her haze of anger. She looked to the grass and waited for the next curveball.
Obi-wan watched from the other side of the clearing behind Anakin, who had been slowly inching his way to the grasses and to his master. He disappeared silently into the grass leaving the ponies and Spike watching the the other side.
When they were finally far enough away Anakin let out a sigh. Obi-wan looked out of the corner of his eye at his padawan. He was trudging through the grass, had deep, dark bags under his eyes, and was covered in dirt. Today probably was not the best day for his padawan, but after every valley the road can only rise.
Twilight, as well as her friends, continued to stare at the grass. If it was more of these Jedi, there was going to be trouble. The young one, "Anakin" Twilight remembered, would probably know if there was going to be any more.
"Hey, Ana-" Nopony was there. Anakin was gone. "Where is he? Where did he go?" Twilight whirled around searching for signs as to where he went.
Pinkie Pie bounced over to her friend, "Oh, he left with his master and are going to return to their ship," She gave Twilight the biggest smile her face could hold, then added ominously, "They use the Force, OooOOooh."
Twilight's ears perked up, maybe they weren't lost after all. "Pinkie, did you see where they went?"
"Nope!" A smile
A frown, "Do you know where their 'ship' is?"
"Nope!" An even bigger smile.
A deeper frown, "What's the 'Force'?"
"No idea," Pinkie shrugged and bounced away.
"Great. Now I'm left with even more questions,"
"It's alright, Twilight. I'll still help you," piped Spike, hugging his sisters legs.
"Yeah, you'll always be there for me won't you, Spike?" She hugged him back, her chest tightening.
"Just like you're gonna always be here for me," He said, gripping a little tighter. The dam inside of Twilight broke, letting out all of the feelings of fear, anger, and desperation.
Something wet fell on Spike's face, he looked up and saw Twilight crying. He resolved to never scare her like that again and held her tighter to show her. |
The Colour You Bleed | pre | "Amethyst!" Celestia said sharply. The purple princess shrank like a filly who had been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. Celestia's expression softened, and she wrapped her wing around her niece once more. "Oh Amethyst, weren't you listening to the letter? We mustn't jump to conclusions - if we're wrong, the Aloans will take it as a deep insult, and the divide between us will grow even deeper. We need to investigate it further, so we know we aren't wrong."
"I'm sorry," Amethyst sighed, "You're right. But... oh Auntie, I'm just so worried. My little colt is somewhere out there... he's probably alone, and afraid... he's never been on his own before."
"I know, sweetie," Celestia said, "I know. We'll find him, don't you worry. We'll bring him back. You'll see." She nuzzled her niece, pulling her close. Amethyst didn't resist, letting herself be pressed tightly against her auntie's warm body. She was warmer than any other pony could ever be, and she rocked Amethyst gently, humming a lullaby in her ear. Soon the purple princess's eyes drifted shut, and she fell asleep, wrapped in the goddess's wings.
Luna had been silent all the while her sister and niece had talked, looking on softly. It was hard for her to be around other ponies after 1000 years of solitude. Everything about them - all their feelings, all their little quirks and traits - they all seemed so surreal to her now, and so magnified. Emotions made her uncomfortable, because she couldn't remember how to react to them, or express them.
She and Blueblood rarely spoke - almost never, in fact. Something about the stallion got on her nerves. There was just that quality about him... she couldn't put her hoof on it. It was like, whenever he walked into a room he expected every head to turn. It was hard enough for her to navigate a conversation with a normal pony, to weave around all the little twists and spins that they put in a conversation to make it go their way without getting flustered. But he was a master of it - any time the conversation was going a way he didn't like he could just give it a little tweak, and it was right back where he wanted. If she could have put a word to the feeling, she might have said it frightened her. Now, however, she felt something very different. This was a feeling she remembered, a feeling that had kept her company for very, very long time. She put her head down, closing her eyes and looking away from her sister. She felt guilty. ***
Blueblood moved slowly through the streets of Riverbank. He wasn't sure just how long he had been laying in that alleyway, but it was late in the day now. The sky was beginning to show tinges of twilight, and the air was growing cool. The stallion shivered - and wondered just how much of that was the cold.
He was feeling better now. At least, he was feeling stable. He could think again. In the alleyway, fear had gripped his mind and refused to let go. It had steered his thoughts, tricking his eyes. He hadn't understood what had been happening, all he could see was Iron. Now he understood. He knew that it hadn't been Iron in the alley - it was just some unicorn. If it had been Iron, there's was no way he would have still been walking free. Part of him wanted to be mad - at the stallions for mugging him, at the pony for leading him into the trap, at himself for being foolish enough to fall for it - but he couldn't muster the energy. All he could feel was a deeply rooted shame. He had been an idiot to think that that pony really wanted to help him. Especially here - here, where everpony had magic except for him. If there was anypony here who didn't look down on him, it was because they considered him a novelty.
Huh, Blueblood thought wryly. Common ponies, looking down on a prince... because they think he's too common. He tried to find a sort of bitter humour in that - he knew it was there. But the feeling burnt out quickly, leaving only more shame.
That was what bothered him more than anything, was the shame. He felt ashamed because he had no magic. He felt ashamed because commoners were looking down on him. He felt shame because, time and again, he had looked like a fool in front of those same ponies. He had given them all reason to look down on him.
Even just now, laying on the ground in an alleyway, crying and screaming like a foal in front of those unicorns, all because of some specter. Some imaginary pony. He may as well have been screaming about the gluemaker, for all it mattered. He sighed, and sat in the middle of the road.
An all-consuming sort of exhaustion wore at his bones. He felt almost as if he had been hollowed out, like all that was left of him was a thin layer of skin and fur. If it hadn't been for his hoof, he might have believed that. It ached miserably. After two trips into the river the bandages had long since come off, and whatever Seagrass had rubbed into it had washed away. Still, he was almost glad of it. At least it was something real. Something palpable. Everything else about this experience was beginning to feel surreal, like it really was a nightmare after all. He just needed sleep, he told himself, that was all. Real sleep, in a real bed. Not in a gutter, or on the floor of a carriage. He peered into a small puddle on the ground before him - he certainly looked like he needed sleep. His eyes were red from tears, his face sunken. His coat had begun to turn gray again, bruises starting to show through, and his mane hung limply over his forehead. He turned his head back and forth out of habit; he wasn't inspecting himself at all. He knew he looked terrible, but he felt far, far worse. As he twisted his head once again, his mane fell away, revealing the place where his horn had once been.
He stared at it strangely. All that was left of it was a red wound. He wondered vaguely why it didn't hurt at all. It certainly looked like it should have - but he was hardly a doctor. He sighed again and brushed the mane back into place, covering the red spot. Then, he set out in search of a warm bed.
As the sun slipped below the horizon, he still hadn't found any sort of inn. He was beginning to think that this town didn't have one at all. Perhaps all the travelers in this country were like the ones he had met, they made their homes on their boats and didn't need an inn. Still, he pushed on, forcing himself to keep walking. Just down the street, just around this corner, maybe something would come his way. Surprisingly, given the nature of his journey, he was right.
He hadn't found an inn, but he had found something just as good. It was a marketplace. Most of the shops were closed up, of course, but many of them still had their awnings open. If nothing else, Blueblood at least wouldn't be rained on tonight. He would be able to get supplies tomorrow as well, to prepare for the trip back home. He would still be sleeping on the hard ground, but he was too exhausted to care at this point. Choosing cart with a large awning, he lay down beside it, groaning miserably. To his weary body, even the cobblestones felt like a fine mattress. He fidgeted once or twice, trying to get comfortable, and bumped the cart next to him. An apple that had been left out shifted from its place, dropping off and rolling in front of his nose. Blueblood stared at it like it would bite him.
Serendipity was being unusually kind to him this evening. Everything had gone wrong for him since he came to Aloa. He had been wounded, dumped in a river, humiliated, and generally dragged through the mud. But now he had found a near abandoned street, an uncovered cart full of apples, and one had just fallen in front of his face. He couldn't leave it there - it would spoil on the ground overnight. Surely whoever owned this shop wouldn't be happy to see food had been wasted. Surely he wouldn't miss one single apple. Blueblood reached out and took it awkwardly, fumbling with it in his hooves. He could smell it - it smelled sweet, and juicy. He hadn't had anything to eat all day, not since the seaweed. He was starving - his stomach begged for food. But even so, he wasn't sure he could eat the apple. It wasn't his - he had everything taken away from him, but did that make it right to take something away from another pony? Even if he was starving to death? He could always pay for it in the morning - he would throw in a bit extra for the shopkeeper when he bartered for supplies, to make up for it. He probably wouldn't even know the difference. He sat up, still staring at the apple. There wasn't a mark on its surface. It was perfect.
Well... Blueblood thought, I do need to get home... I'm royalty after all, my country needs me. That's worth a simple apple, isn't it? He gulped, and looked to the left and right. There was nopony around. A faint smiled crept into his lips as he raised the apple to his mouth, taking a bite.
It was magnificent. Even the sound of it, that hearty crunch, filled him with glee. A part of him in the back of his mind scoffed at the idea of relishing such common food, but he ignored it. He had been right about the apple - it was so juicy that it leaked, dribbling down his chin and across his hooves. It was sweeter than any candy he had ever tasted. It was perfect. This apple was the best apple in the world - and the worst.
"Hey, you!" a voice shouted. Blueblood swiveled his head left and right, looking for the voice, until an apple core struck him in the back of the head. He turned to see an extremely angry unicorn standing in the doorway of a building behind the cart.
"Just what do you think you're doing, huh?" the unicorn demanded, marching up to Blueblood. The white stallion looked at the half-eaten apple in his hoof, and the cart, and the furious pony bearing down on him. His mouth hung open.
"Is that my apple?" the unicorn demanded.
"I... I... um," Blueblood stuttered. The unicorn pulled the apple away from him, inspecting it.
"It is my apple!" he said. "You thought you could just help yourself because I wasn't around, huh? You dirty thief!"
"No, that's not it!" Blueblood exclaimed. "I'm not a thief, honest! I just-"
"Then what was it?" the unicorn asked sternly. Blueblood withered under his glare, trying to come up with an excuse. He couldn't. He felt the unicorn's magic take hold of him, and he sighed. He knew was coming. Another swim in the river, no doubt.
Strangely, though, the pony brought him inside his house. He was placed on a stool, and the unicorn called for someone to help him. A mare came into the room, and the pair inspected him critically.
"I found this pony trying to steal our apples outside," the unicorn stallion said. The mare looked him up and down, nodding.
"He sure does look the part," she said. "Grubby, shaggy, looks like he hasn't eaten in a while. You eaten in a while, colt?"
"N-not much," Blueblood said. He leaned away from their gazes, but the mare circled him.
"Hm. So you figured you could just help yourself, then?" she asked. Blueblood didn't answer. There was no point. She huffed at him, and walked towards the door. "Well, we know what to do with thieves here," she said. ***
Being a guard in Riverbank was normally quite easy. The only issues that ever cropped up were at the docks or in the slums, and the ponies there always preferred to do things on their own anyways. Most of the time, work as a guard was restricted to filing paperwork, or detaining the occasional drunkard. There was never any work after dark, either.
Well. Almost never.
A severely less-than-please guard stood glowering at the white earth pony before him. It was a bit of a stretch to imagine that this pony had ever been white, though. He looked like he had been dragged through the mud, in more ways than one. It was clear that he was at least trying to stand up straight, but all he managed was a miserable slouch.
"So," the guard said impatiently, "You've caught this pony stealing from your cart, have you?"
"Yes officer," the merchant nodded, glaring at Blueblood again, "he was halfway through one of my apples when I caught him. Probably would have stolen more if I hadn't caught him."
"I wouldn't have," Blueblood insisted. "That one just fell in front of me. I didn't think you would miss it, and I was hungry, so-"
"So you stole it!" the merchant said sharply. The guard sighed. It was just one stupid apple - but the law was the law, after all.
"So you want to press charges?" he asked, "Over one apple?"
"...No," the merchant admitted, "but I want him to pay for that bloody apple!"
"Well, colt?" the guard asked. "You heard him. Pay for the apple, and we can all go home happy."
"I can't," Blueblood sighed miserably. "I haven't got any money. I haven't even got a place to stay tonight! I was just trying to sleep under his awning so I wouldn't be rained on, and the apple fell in front of me! It was just one apple!"
"Oh, easy for you to say!" the merchant piped up again, "It wasn't your apple! How'd you like it if I stole something from you, huh?"
"Look, there has to be some way I can pay you back!" Blueblood insisted. The angry unicorn was beginning to get on his nerves. He wanted this unpleasant business to be over as much as anypony, so he could go and get some rest, but there was nothing he could do.
"You can pay me back by paying for the apple!" the merchant shouted. Blueblood was about to shout back when the guard stepped between the two.
"Enough!" he shouted. "The colt obviously isn't going to pay you. I'll take him back to the guard house, and we'll have him searched and interrogated. If he's got the money we'll send it back to you."
"And if not?" the unicorn demanded. The guard sighed, and said,
"Then he'll be put in prison." The merchant stared for a moment, and nodded, apparently satisfied with the outcome. Blueblood groaned internally as the guard's magic picked him up. He was carted out the door, where the guard set him down. For a moment Blueblood thought that the guard might be planning on letting him go, but he felt a tug around his neck.
"Come on colt, let's go," the guard said, "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
"It's already harder than it has to be," Blueblood moaned. "Please, can't you just let me go? It was just one apple, and I was starving. I haven't hardly had anything to eat for two days, and I woke up in a gutter this morning -"
"No, I can't just let you go," the guard sighed. "The law's the law, colt. You stole, we gotta take you in for it. That's how it works."
"But I haven't got the money to pay for it," Blueblood told him, "that's why I had to steal it in the first place. I can't go to prison - I need to get home!"
"I thought you said you didn't have anywhere to sleep?" the guard asked. He was clearly only talking for the sake of having something to do, disinterest clear in his voice.
"I'm not from here," Blueblood said, "I need to travel back home - it's important!"
"The law is more important than you, colt," the guard sighed. Blueblood groaned again, in place of an objection.
"Look, it isn't so bad," the guard sighed. "At least you won't have to sleep out on the street tonight."
"What?"
"You won't have to sleep out in the street tonight. You'll be in a cell, but at least it's a bed, right? Better than a gutter."
"You're going to give me a bed to sleep in?" Blueblood asked incredulously. The guard looked back at him strangely, like he had just asked how many hooves a pony has.
"Yeah," the guard told him, "if you need one." In spite of his exhaustion, Blueblood began to grin. It wasn't much to look forward to, but at least it was something. A real bed. He spent the rest of the trip in silence, keeping up as best he could with the guard, in spite of his sore hoof. The reached the guard house within a few minutes, whereupon he was led inside and sat down again, this time on a small seat in front of a desk. The guard sat behind the desk and took out several pieces of paper.
"What's this?" Blueblood asked, "Where's the bed?"
"Soon, colt, soon," the guard told him, shuffling through the papers. "I need to ask you a few questions, first. Clear up this whole thing with the merchant."
"Oh..." Blueblood said, his head sinking. He wasn't sure that he even had the energy to do that, but he tried to straighten back up. It didn't work.
"Now," the guard began, "The merchant's report says he found you stealing one apple... is that right?"
"Yes, it is," the white stallion answered.
"And he claims that you refused to pay for the product?"
"I didn't refuse," Blueblood objected, "I can't. I was robbed earlier today - and once before that!" The guard slumped, and gave him a you-aren't-making-this-easier-for-either-of-us sort of look.
"You refused to pay for the apple?"
"Yes," Blueblood sighed, giving up.
"So. Are you going to pay for the apple now?"
"I can't pay for the apple," Blueblood repeated. The guard nodded, and scribbled something onto his papers.
"Would you mind if we searched you?"
"What?" Blueblood asked, leaning back. His hooves instinctively went up, covering himself. Even if he had been raised to be used to servants helping him clean, there were just some things a gentlecolt did NOT let others do. Searching sounded like it was one of those things.
"We'll just give a pat-down, see if you're hiding any silver. It's nothing invasive." The guard looked at him gently. Blueblood nodded slowly, and got to his hooves. The guard circled around the desk and gently prodded the stallion, searching through his mane for any hidden purses. He paused when he saw the great red mark on his forehead.
"Eesh," the guard commented, "What happened to you?"
"I..." Blueblood said weakly. Part of him wanted to tell this guard what had happened to him, who he was, and why he needed to get back home so badly. The guard seemed nice - maybe he would believe Blueblood. But, the white stallion knew it was a bad idea. If the ambassador wanted him gone, he likely wasn't too popular in Aloa. Even if the guard actually believed him, he could kiss his chances of ever seeing home again goodbye.
"I got in a fight," Blueblood lied, "I don't really want to talk about it."
"If you insist," the guard shrugged. "So, you haven't got any silver on you. That means you can't pay."
"That's right," Blueblood said, "But I can still pay it off. I could trade something for it, or work it off..." he looked entreatingly at the guard, who shook his head.
"It doesn't work that way, colt. Silvers or nothing."
"Then..."
"Prison."
Blueblood moaned, laying his head on the desk. "For how long?" he asked.
"A few months, maybe?" The guard said. "It's not a severe crime. But really, it depends on what sort of a mood the Duke is in when he sentences you. It's not like we can just get you off on a fine." Blueblood groaned again.
"Fine... can I just go to sleep now?" he asked. Maybe in the morning he would be able to come up with something approaching a plan. The guard just shook his head.
"We're almost done here, don't worry. I just need to see your citizenship, so I can get everything mailed off tomorrow."
"My what?" Blueblood asked weakly, looking up at the guard, who frowned at him.
"Your citizenship. You know - name, cutie mark, this thing?" his horn lit up, and the medallion that bound his wrappings floated off in front of the prince. On the back of it was inscribed the guard's name, a date that Blueblood assumed to be his birth date, and a small copy of his cutie mark.
"I... don't have one of those," Blueblood told him. The guard sighed.
"Well, just give me your name, date of birth and cutie mark. We'll get you from the records.
"No, you don't understand," Blueblood said. "I told you, I'm not from here. I'm not Aloan." The guard raised an eyebrow at this.
"You aren't a citizen?"
"No... I'm Equestrian."
The guard rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well," he said, "If you aren't a citizen there's nothing we can do."
"Nothing you can do?" Blueblood asked eagerly. The guard stared at him again. It was clear he did not have high opinions of Blueblood's intelligence.
"No, nothing we can do. Foreigners aren't treated with the same laws. We can't send you to prison, we just eject you from the populace."
"Really?" Blueblood asked, suddenly as ecstatic as his exhaustion would allow, "You mean you're going to kick me out of the country!?"
"Close enough," the guard said, shrugging.
"That's fantastic!" Blueblood exclaimed. If he had an ounce of energy left, he would have jumped up and clapped his hooves together. As it was though, he simply gave the guard a very tired, but very earnest smile. "Do you need anything else?" the prince asked. The guard shook his head.
"Naw," he told Blueblood, "there's no point now. You just get some sleep, colt. You'll need it. The next few days aren't going to be very kind to you."
"Trust me," Blueblood chuckled, "Compared to what I've been through, anything will be an improvement."
The guard shrugged, and got up from his desk. He lead the prince to a wing in the back of the guardhouse that was comprised of several cells packed tightly together. Each cell contained a small sink and toilet on one side, and a cot big enough for a single pony on the other. The guard ushered Blueblood into a cell across the room from the door, closing and locking the cell door behind him. Blueblood wished the guard a goodnight and flopped happily onto the cot as he doused the lights. He sighed, snuggling into the hard, lumpy mattress. For a moment, his mind was consumed in a war between exhaustion and excitement. He was finally going home! It was amazing how just a few short days had seemed to stretch out into an eternity for him, but the nightmare was finally over. He began thinking of all the things that he would do when he got home - hug his mother and aunt, greet his servants, and then have them help him to relax. A nice hot bath, perhaps, and a proper pedicure to fix his hooves. A trim for his mane, as well. He would also ask a pegasus to try and find that merchant again, so Blueblood could repay him for the apple. That could wait, though. The bits weren't going anywhere.
It seemed as though his excitement had the upper hand in the battle, but exhaustion had been there longer, and it was a crafty foe. It overcame the excitement quickly, and Blueblood drifted to sleep. It was the best sleep he had had in a long while, completely devoid of dreams or stirring. It was the sleep of the dead; more than that, it was the sleep of an inanimate object. He was so still that when he re-awoke, he was stiff for lack of movement. Among other things.
Despite his peaceful slumber, his awakening was anything but. He was completely unable to move - his body felt like it was made of stone and steel. In his half-awake state he imagined that he could feel every tiny piece of air brushing across his skin. The place where his horn had been felt tight, and tingled strangely. It was almost pleasant, in stark contrast to the rest of the experience. Every fiber of the mattress gouged into him, every sound was a drum in his ears. Light pierced through his eyelids, blinding him and filling his mind with white. He was, for a brief instant, acutely aware of everything in the cell room. Soon though, the feeling subsided, to be replaced with a pleasant tiredness. The sort of tiredness that comes from sleeping too long, rather than from not sleeping enough. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. Waking to that... feeling, was strange, but he was getting used to it at least. So, despite the harsh wake-up, he was in a good mood.
Now that the world was once again tolerable, he could make out sounds coming from the main room of the guard house. He tried to open the barred door to his cell to go and see who was talking, but it was locked tight. Frowning, he decided to call out to the guard.
"Hello!" he shouted. "Guard! Can you hear me out there?" The sounds from outside paused, and the door across from him opened up. The guard from the previous night entered, standing aside for two stallions.
The two stallions stood in the doorway for a moment, the light of the main room haloing around them. The first pony was a small, lithe beige unicorn. His mane was a dark shade of blue, sweeping handsomely across his face and down his neck. About his neck and shoulders he wore heavy wrappings of a deep, rich blue, similar to his mane. He moved constantly, bobbing to the left and right, showing Blueblood his cutie mark - a silver coin on a tongue. As he moved closer Blueblood could see that he was not actually that small - he was perhaps only a few inches shorter than Blueblood - but he was dwarfed by the pony who was with him: an enourmous, deep purple unicorn with jet black hair. He too wore wrappings, but his were creme-coloured and much more extensive, covering his flanks as well.
"This is the one you told us about?" the first pony asked. His voice was almost surprisingly smooth, and had a rich quality to it. The guard nodded.
"Aye," he said. "Took him in for robbery last night." The blue-maned unicorn nodded, moving back and forth in front of the cage.
"Get him out of there," he said finally, "I'll need to have a better look at him." The guard nodded, and unlocked Blueblood's cell, opening the door. The purple unicorn moved into the doorway to the main room silently, completely blocking it off. Blueblood stepped out of the cell, eyeing the beige unicorn carefully. For his part the beige unicorn ignored this, instead circling around him. His head bobbed up and down, and he occasionally made small grunting noises. He reached out and prodded Blueblood's side.
"Excuse me?" the prince said indignantly, jerking away. The unicorn smiled at him gently, and explained himself.
"I'm just doing a basic inspection," he said, "You know, see how strong you are, getting a decent look. I'm not going to bite, you know. You don't need to worry about little old me."
"Well..." Blueblood said, glancing suspiciously at the unicorn. The beige pony simply smiled back at him. Somehow, in spite of all that had happened because of trusting the ponies of this country, Blueblood relaxed. "Alright," he said, "inspect away." He straightened up, lifting his head proudly for the unicorn.
"Now, that's what I like to see!" the unicorn commented, "Nice and confidant." He moved closer to Blueblood, prodding him gently in the sides and legs. Blueblood flexed for him as he prodded, and the unicorn smiled. He inspected Blueblood's face and mouth, before moving onto his hooves. He tapped each one gently without incident until he came to the injured hoof - Blueblood flinched away before he could even touch it."
"Well, that's no good," the unicorn tutted. "What's the matter with it?"
"I... hurt it," Blueblood said, "a couple of days ago. It's still sore."
"We'll have to get the doc to take a look at it," the large unicorn commented from the doorway.
"My thoughts exactly," the little one nodded, "We can't have him going lame."
"Thank you," Blueblood said happily. Finally, ponies were starting to treat him properly. Perhaps the guard had looked him up while he slept, and realized who he was. He decided to ask. "This seems like a lot of trouble to go to for escorting somepony out of the country, though."
"Out of the country?" the beige unicorn asked. He looked to his partner, who scratched his chin.
"Well," he said, "Mihaan has good sales lately, but they're a long ways away. El'bia has decent trade, but the country isn't exactly rich... We'd turn a better profit on him on the peninsula. He looks like he'd be good for a noble."
"What?" Blueblood asked, confused. "I thought you were escorting me back to Equestria?"
"Equestria?" the beige pony laughed. "No way, they've got no trade! No, colt, you are now in the service of the happy hooves trading company!"
"The happy... hooves... trading company." Blueblood said slowly. He recalled vague stories of ponies being press-ganged, but he had always assumed they were myths. Is that what was happening to him here?
"That's right," the beige pony said cheerfully, "We'll take you upriver and on to the peninsula, find a nice big city full of rich ponies, and set you up on auction!"
"Wait..." Blueblood said again. Slowly, the pieces fell into place in his mind, and he realized what was happening. "What!?" he cried, leaping away from the unicorn. "You're going to SELL me? To who? Why?" His head whipped around frantically, and snapped to the guard. "You!" he cried. "You told me you were just going to kick me out of Aloa!"
"I told you you were getting ejected from the populace," the guard said ambivalently, "You just assumed."
"Why... you... I... how can you do this?" the prince asked, backing away from the ponies before him, "I'm a pony, just like you! You can't just sell me like, like I was some apple!" His heart was pounding in his chest, but none of the unicorns appeared to care much. The beige unicorn approached him again, still smiling happily.
"Oh, now don't be that way son. That's just the way things work. It's the law -"
"But you said I was immune to your laws! I'm not a citizen!"
"Most of our laws don't apply to you," the guard corrected, "but we have special laws. If a foreigner commits a crime, they work of their debt to the country. Trust me colt, private service is a lot better than public. At least you won't be working down in a mine somewhere."
Blueblood's eyes darted madly. He had been so close! He had almost made it home, and now this? He needed to escape. He wouldn't be locked away again, tossed in the back of another carriage to be carted off to who knows were for who knows how long. He needed to get out of there and get home, but how? There were no windows in the room, and the giant unicorn blocked the only exit. Blueblood thought that he might be able to surprise him, get the drop on all of them. He allowed himself to be backed into a corner by the beige unicorn. The unicorn came closer still, offering him a friendly hoof, and Blueblood lashed out. His head struck the unicorn under his jaw, stunning him. Blueblood's ears rang from the impact, but he ignored it, dashing for the door instead. The guard started, leaping out of Blueblood's path, but the giant pony held firm. His horn lit up and Blueblood felt his hooves give out from underneath him. He crumpled in mid-stride, a tangled mass of legs and pony, and skidded to a stop still feet away from the door. The giant just shook his head.
"Now, there's no need for that," the beige unicorn said as he picked himself up. His smile had dimmed a little, but it was still present. "Running isn't going to do anything for you now - we've got the cart parked out front anyhow. You'd just have been running into more of us, and not all of our ponies are as gentle as big ol' Crown here." He patted his partner's shoulder gently, and leaned down in front of Blueblood. "There's nothing you can do now, son. You broke the law, this's the punishment. Just think of it like prison - 'cept if you do a good job, nopony's gonna try to beat you, right? So it's better than prison!"
"But I shouldn't have to go to prison in the first place!" Blueblood objected. "I was just a stupid apple! Look, please, there has to be some way we can work this out!" He lay his head down on the ground, and shut his eyes. "I just wanted to go home," he said sadly. The unicorn shook his head, and sighed.
"Then you shouldn't have nicked the apple. I hope you know, colt, it isn't personal."
Blueblood looked up at the unicorn. He was still smiling, like that was supposed to make him feel better that he was about to be treated like a commodity. It wasn't personal - was that supposed to make it easier? He scowled at the beige pony, who seemed to ignore him.
"Help him into the cart, Crown," the beige pony said. The giant called Crown nodded and picked Blueblood up, placing him on his wide back. Whatever he had done to Blueblood, it has stopped his legs from working. They all moved into the main room, and the beige pony took a sackful of silver out of his wrappings, giving it to the guard.
"All of it?" the guard asked, surprised.
"Yup," the unicorn nodded. "He's a good one. Young, strong, good-looking - and an earth pony! That'll look exotic, good for a price spike."
Blueblood seethed on Crown's back. He had gotten sick of that - calling him an earth pony. Treating it like it was some sort of novelty. "I'm not an earth pony," he growled at the unicorns. The beige one looked at him in surprise. He trotted over, and took hold of Blueblood's head.
"Hmm..." he said, turning it left and right. He brushed away the mane and rubbed Blueblood's forehead, raising his eyebrows in shock. "Well, blow me down," he said, "You're right!"
"What?" Blueblood asked. He hadn't expected anypony to believe him.
"Yeah - crown, have a look at this! There's a hard patch on his head, right where a horn should be!"
Crown set him down and did the same as his partner, rubbing Blueblood's forehead. "Well I'll be," he said, "Look at that. You can't hardly see it at all. If he hadn't told us, we never would have known."
"What?" Blueblood asked again, "But... the wound! There was one there just yesterday!"
"That doesn't surprise me," Crown said, "I've seen a few de-horned unicorns before. The wound always heals unnaturally fast. Probably something about the leftover magic, who can say? They always heal right up in a day or two."
"Boy, somepony must have really not liked you," the beige unicorn commented. Blueblood scowled at him, but he was speaking with his partner.
"So what do we do with him?" he asked. "Can we still sell him as an earth pony?"
"Well, he won't be as strong," Crown replied, "but they probably won't know the difference."
"Aye, but what if they find us out? We could get it for false advertisement..."
"Nopony will know - what, they're gonna believe him? Anyways, even if they do we can always just give them a refund. No big deal, he'll sell for enough for being big."
The beige pony contemplated this for a while, then nodded. "You're right," he said, "earth pony it is!"
"Fantastic," Blueblood growled, "So it'll be official now, then? Everypony's been calling me that since I got here, may as well be."
"Looks like it, son," the beige pony said as Crown picked Blueblood up once again, "I'd get used to it if I were you. Or, hey, get it out of your system. Either way, owners don't tend to like their slaves correcting them, so I wouldn't go around advertising your, ah, condition." Blueblood just growled in response.
The two unicorns carried him outside, where a large wagon was waiting for them. He was dumped unceremoniously in the back, and the door was shut. He lay there on the straw-matted ground for what seemed like ages, consumed in thoughts of his indignation. Anger flared up within him, accompanied by that same hollow exhaustion he had felt yesterday. Eventually feeling returned to his legs, and he could stand and move again. When he did, he noticed for the first time that there were other ponies in there with him. Many of them ignored him, staring sadly at the floor. A few looked at him sympathetically. Most of them just looked... gray. Like sadness had literally washed over them, dulling their coats and sagging their heads. For a moment, Blueblood felt afraid. Would he end up like these ponies? Just some sad shell being carted off from sale to sale? Would it even go that far? Maybe he would just get sold to one owner, and be stuck there for his entire life, serving under some rich unicorn. How would they treat him? Surely they wouldn't respect him - they would treat him like a servant, or worse. He began to pace nervously, moving to the windows at the sides of the wagon. He peered out, and noticed that they were passing through a crowd.
Dozens of ponies flowed around the wagon like water, paying it no heed. Did they even know what it was for? What was happening to the ponies inside it? They were simply commoners, Blueblood thought. Surely they couldn't know what went on. Then Blueblood had an idea. If they didn't know what had happened to him, then he would tell them. It would never stand - he was a pony, flesh and blood just like them. They would never let another pony be bought and sold like this.
"HEEEY!" he shouted out the window, "HEEEEEEEEY! HELP ME! These ponies kidnapped me, and they're trying to sell me as a slave! Help! Go get somepony!" he paused for breath, but nopony seemed to be paying attention. He tried again, harder. "Please!" he cried, "I need your help! They're going to sell me to somepony! Please, You have to help me! I'm a pony just like you, you can't let them do this to me! Please, please help..."
Out in the crowd, a mare looked at the wagon. Blueblood's heart leaped - somepony had heard him!
"Yes!" he cried out, "Yes, yes, please help! Go and find somepony who can help me! There are other ponies in here to!" But the mare simply frowned at him, and looked away. Blueblood's mouth fell open. "Hey..." he said, "Hey, hey! Wait, come back! Please, don't just leave me in here!"
"Oh, sit down you stupid colt, nopony's going to help us." The voice was familiar. Blueblood turned to see the old pony from the alleyway. For a moment, Blueblood wanted to ask what he was doing there, but he didn't want to give him anymore ammunition. He knew what was coming.
"So, they got you too, huh?" the pony laughed. "Shoulda' figured. What'd you do, piss off the wrong pony? Or maybe you harassed those sailors at the docks, huh? Or were you just so stupid they picked you up so you wouldn't hurt yourself?" He gave a wheezing laugh, and Blueblood slid down the wall, taking a seat.
"Why do I keep running into you," he asked nopony in particular. "What do you want?"
"Well, I don't know. Misery loves company, doesn't it? Maybe it's just nice to see you brought down to your proper place."
Blueblood snorted. "My proper place. What, beside you? This isn't my proper place, you old goat. My proper place is in the palace in Canterlot, beside my mother and aunt. Not here in some... dank old wagon with a smell old pony."
"Well, if that's your proper place why ain't you there, huh?" the old pony asked pointedly, "How come you're in here with a dirty old pony like me?"
"Haven't we done this before?" Blueblood asked disdainfully, "I don't feel like doing this again. You obviously don't care to listen."
"Huh, listen to some rock-headed earth pony? What would you even have to say, huh?" the old pony laughed again. "No wait, let me guess, let me guess. You'd say, 'I'm not an earth pony, I'm a unicorn!'"
"Well, at least you can learn," Blueblood said. He tried his best to stay angry at the pony, but the exhaustion was creeping over him again. He fought it down, trying to become indignant, if only for the sake of having something to do. Not that the old pony made it very hard.
"Looks like you don't, though," the old pony wheezed. "Still trying to feed everypony that same stupid story. You really believe it, don;t you? It'd be sad, if it weren't so damn funny."
"Like you know what's funny," Blueblood said, "Have you looked in a mirror lately - now there's something funny, the look of you. I don't suppose you would have though, not many ponies throw away mirrors."
"If you're so high and mighty, how come you don't have any better jokes, smart colt?" the ancient stallion taunted. Blueblood fumed, and barked at him.
"I shouldn't have to - you aren't worth the effort! You don;t just sleep in trash, you ARE trash! You deserve to be in here, at least!"
"Maybe I do," the pony shouted back, "At least I've got a reason! What's mr. high-and-mighty's reason, huh? I bet it ain't so fancy, I bet you done got caught stealing something!" Blueblood glowered at the old pony, who burst out laughing, knowing he had hit his mark.
"Haw, you did! You got caught stealing, cause you ain't got no money! How can you be classy if you ain't got no money, huh? If there's one thing I know, it's you ain't worth nothing on your own, colt! You gotta have money to be fancy. You ain't got that, and you're just some old bum like me. So where's your money? Where's your fancy fortunes? You're just some common trash like me! You deserve to be in here just as much as I do, what do you think about that?"
"YOU SHUT UP!" Blueblood screamed, leaping to his hooves, "You shut up, you stupid old bum! I'm not like you! I'm NOTHING like you! I don't sleep on piles of garbage, I don't beg for scraps, and I don't taunt my betters! I've never done anything so degrading in my entire LIFE until I came to this pit of a country! I AM ROYALTY!"
Tears rimmed his eyes. Some part of him wanted to stop shouting, to stop fighting. Some part of him didn't believe in what he was saying any more than the old pony did. Perhaps some part of him really believed that he was some common pony who had gone mad, and his whole life was just his imaginings. Or maybe some part of him thought that he did belong in here. But he couldn't stop fighting. He couldn't stop fighting that little part of him, and he couldn't stop fighting the pony before him. He needed to fight, he knew that. If he ever dreamed of seeing his home again, he needed to fight. He shook his head, and yelled again.
"I am Prince Blueblood of Equestria! Go ahead and laugh, I know none of you believe me! I don't care! I know who I am, why should I care about your damned opinions? The opinions of slaves, of beggars and commoners? What do they mean to me? I'm better than any of you will ever be! Before I got dragged out here... before I got dragged out here, I was everything that any of you ever aspired to be! I was better! I was a prince! The nephew of a goddess! And now here I am, off to be sold... all because stupid, selfish ponies like YOU can't handle the fact that I was better than you! Well, I was wrong. Some ponies deserve to be slaves - all of you! I've done NOTHING to deserve ANY of this!"
"Don't you dare say that," Another voice piped up. Blueblood looked to the source of the voice. It was young mare - scrawny, all knees and elbows. She looked like she had barely gotten her cutie mark a few years ago, but more than anything her most vivid feature was her eyes. They were filled to the brim with raw, seething hatred.
"Don't you dare tell me I deserve this," she yelled at him. For a moment he was speechless, taken aback by this little pony. "Don't you dare tell me you've done nothing to deserve this. You know what? I believe you! I believe that you're prince Blueblood, and you know what? I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! How many of you do you think I've ever served under? I was BORN a slave! Do you think I deserved that? You think I deserved to be raised on rags and scraps, under pissheads like you? You think I deserved anything I got? I've known nobelponies before, and you know what? I believe you're one of them. Because you're just like them. You're a spoiled, selfish brat!"
"That's... that's not true!" Blueblood objected, but the little pony kept on screaming.
"You shut the fuck up! Do you know how long I've wanted the chance to tell one of you this? You aren't as great as you think you are! You aren't some gift from the goddesses to ponykind, you're all just foals with power! Every single one of you! You're all completely self centered! Here you are, whining about how your going to get sold off, well you know what? You'll be fine! You'll get sold to some pony who's just as evil as you are, and you'll get along famously!"
"N-no," Blueblood said quietly. The ferocity of the little pony stunned him. It completely quelled the anger he had worked so hard to build, leaving only that hollowness. Only now it found a strange, cold companion. "No," he said again, "I'm not... I was never that bad. I never had any slaves -"
"Oh sure, not in name maybe. But you had servants, didn't you? Well, we had servants too, and you know what? They were treated just the same as I was! You treated your servants like damned slaves, and they just bent over backwards and took it! I'll bet you didn't even notice half the shit they had to put up with from you, did you? All the crap you demanded on a daily basis! Do you have any idea how much they hated you? Well!? Do you!?"
"No," Blueblood said, shaking his head, "No, that isn't true!" his mind returned to Iron's words - they echoed in his mind even as the filly lay into him.
"Yes it is, don't you lie! You know it, don't you? You know how miserable you were to them. Well guess what, Blueblood? You're one of them now! So don't you dare stand there, yelling at us like you're some kind of saint. Don't you dare talk to me like you're better than me. You aren't any better than anypony is this wagon, not any more. As far as their concerned, we're all the same - just another slave to buy and sell. But you know what? I know the truth, and so do you. You aren't better than me, or any other slave. You never were. You're WORSE. You're an arrogant, self-centered, spoiled, selfish, stupid pony. You're a waste - a waste of a perfectly good pony. Somepony else could have been born instead of you, somepony worthwhile, but they weren't. You were instead. Congratulations."
"No," Blueblood said, "no, no, no, non, no, no!" He lay on the ground, covering his ears and scrambling away from the screaming filly. He curled into a tiny ball, covering his head and crying out, "No, no, no, no, no! That isn't true! None of it is true! They didn't hate me... Iron was just insane! It wasn't my fault! I said I was sorry, but he didn't listen! He wasn't mad at me, he was just insane! He was a psychopath, that's why he did it! He just wanted to hurt somepony! The ambassador didn't hate me, he just had plans! Auntie didn't hate me, that isn't why she never talked to me, she was just shy! They didn't hate me! Nopony hated me!" Tears ran down his face, and he sobbed. The filly had stopped screaming at him, but he didn't care. He hadn't been listening anyways. He had sunk into his own mind, flashes of memories dancing around him, taunting him. He remembered Iron's irate tone, the tone he always used when Blueblood was around. He remembered the chambermaid's stunned expression when he had tried to compliment her. He remembered all his servants exasperated expressions when he had asked things of them. But surely they hadn't hated him? He had never given them cause to... had he? Had he truly been so horrible? He never wanted to be... but did that mean it was natural? He was a terrible pony without even realizing it?
"No," he cried again, sobbing, "No, that can't be it! I'm not a bad pony... I'm not, I swear... I swear... oh..." He broke into unintelligible sobs, unable to form words around his screaming. But in his mind, he could still lash out. He cursed the ambassador, for taking him away from his comfortable illusion. He cursed the family on the boat for giving him a chance to be miserable to them. He cursed the old pony for not getting through to him sooner. He cursed the sailor and the muggers for beating him, and he cursed them for not beating him hard enough to kill him, and spare him from this. He cursed everypony. He cursed his servants for listening to him. He cursed his aunt for fooling him into believing that he was important enough to get away with what he had done. He cursed everypony who had ever talked to him, and not told him what he was doing. He cursed himself, for being miserable. For being selfish, and stupid, and cruel. He cursed himself for ever denying what he was, for ever fighting it. Still sobbing, he leaned against the wall. The filly was right. He was never going to make it home. This was his home now, and he deserved it. He cursed himself, and he cried.
Then, he gave up. |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which an Exchange is Made | Chapter 5: In Which an Exchange is Made
"...Anything?"
"Nothing. Nopony's seen anypony but unicorns. You?"
The brown-furred guard shook his head. His partner grimaced. The two had spent half the day talking to ponies in the market, asking about a white "earth pony", but to no avail. Now it was the middle of the night, and they couldn't put it off any longer. They were going to have to tell Iron.
Of course, they only HAD to tell Ambassador Letter. It was he that they answered to, after all. It was rare to see the ambassador without the surly gray pony nearby these days, though, and he seemed almost to control the crimson unicorn. There was no way they would be able to speak to Ambassador Letter alone unless they were very, very lucky - and right now, neither of them felt very lucky.
They moved slowly through the streets of Dune. It was one of the few inland cities this close to the coast, and it lived up to its name. The cobblestone streets were coated with a fine layer of white sand, piling up against buildings and sliding across the streets. The guards hated coming out this far east. The east was for ponies as arid as the climate. Most of the ponies that Ambassador Letter had dragged out here agreed, they much preferred the peninsula. Amongst themselves, at least. None of them dared complain in front of Iron.
The earth pony was growing more unstable every day. He screamed, he shouted, he broke things - often with only the slightest provocation. One guard swore that he'd seen Iron start howling with absolutely no provocation at all. If he was trying to frighten the guards into obedience, it was certainly working - every last one of them was petrified of the pony. Of course, the most frightening prospect was that Iron wasn't trying to frighten them at all, but was simply insane. The guards considered this possibility as they stood in front of the ambassador's door. One of the guards, a wiry yellow stallion, gulped.
"Maybe," he said slowly, "maybe we can do another pass? Somepony might have found something out while we were searching elsewhere?"
"That's a good point," his partner commented, nodding. "It's a fair-sized town... he could have easily slipped past us before." The two exchanged a hopeful glance. Their hope was short-lived, however, as moments later the door swung open from the inside. Iron stood before them, staring down ambivalently.
"You're back," he said, standing aside for them. "Come in and give your report." The unicorns nodded nervously, and stepped inside.
Ambassador Letter had booked several rooms in a local inn for their stay in Dune, and he had chosen to stay in the largest. The room was luxurious, swathed in red curtains and featuring a large table set up in the center, where Letter currently sat, pouring over maps and papers. He looked up from his work, and nodded to the two soldiers.
"Good evening, stallions," he said quietly. The soldiers saluted to him, and Iron cleared his throat loudly. Letter nodded, and asked, "Now... your report? Did you find the prince?"
"Well..." the yellow stallion said, his head sinking, "no. We saw no sign of Prince Blueblood while we were searching the city."
Iron growled, and began to pace in front of the pair, who shrunk back visibly. "Did you ask the citizens?" he asked sharply. "Did anypony see a white earth pony?"
"N-no sir," the yellow stallion said again. "None of the ponies we asked reported seeing any earth ponies."
Iron growled again, much louder. The soldiers backed away from him, but he remained relatively calm. "How many teams are there left?" he asked the ambassador. Letter looked down at his papers.
"This is the sixth team," he said, "We have two more teams coming in."
"The we'll have covered the whole city?"
"As best as we're able." The ambassador sighed.
"What do you mean, 'as best as we're able'?" Iron asked, stomping over to the table. "The best we're able to do is search the whole blasted city! Every sand-infested inch of it, until we find that sniveling whelp!"
"That's exactly what we're doing, Iron," the ambassador said. If he was as afraid of Iron as the soldiers, he hid it admirably. There was not a hint of tension in his voice. Even Iron seemed relaxed by it.
"There's really only so much we can do, sir," the yellow stallion piped up, "We don't have enough ponies to search the city effectively - we could be missing the prince by inches for all we know."
Letter buried his face in his hooves, and gave a retracted sigh. The two soldiers froze up as Iron turned slowly, staring at them.
"What," he said flatly. The yellow stallion took a step backwards, trying in vain to placate the earth pony.
"I-I only meant, sir, t-that we're doing the best that we can. I m-mean, we need to be thorough, to make sure he doesn't slip past us, and, and, we don't have a lot of ponies, s-so it's going to take a while..." He cringed, closing his eyes. His partner hooked a hoof around his neck, flattening him just in time to keep the candlestick from hitting his head.
"MISSING HIM BY INCHES!?" Iron roared, his eyes burning brightly with rage, "MISSING HIM BY INCHES!? You idiots mean to tell me that he could be right under your blasted noses, and YOU STILL WOULDN'T SEE HIM!?"
"N-no sir!" the other soldier shouted, barely dodging a flung chair, "That's not what we mean! We're doing the best we can, we just need time to make sure he isn't here!"
"IDIOTS! MORONS! INCOMPETENTS!" Iron screamed, bucking another chair which exploded into splinters, "For all we know the prince could be back in Equestria already! We haven't got bloody TIME for this, we need to catch him NOW!"
"We're trying, sir!" the yellow stallion parroted, getting to his hooves. Iron snorted, lowering his head and charging the pony. The poor unicorn hardly had time to react before Iron rocketed across the room, taking him full in the chest. He was thrown backwards, striking the door and blowing it off its hinges. Broken door and pony both fell out into the street, skidding across the sandy cobblestone. His partner dashed out the portal, just barely avoiding a kick. He grabbed the moaning yellow stallion and ran, as Iron yelled out after them.
"BRING ME BACK THE PRINCE, YOU IDIOTS! EXCUSES AREN'T GOING TO SAVE US FROM CELESTIA, AND THEY AREN'T GOING TO SAVE YOU FROM ME!"
The unicorn ran like mad, his friend sprawled across his back, flopping weakly. Eventually he stopped, gently rolling the yellow unicorn onto the ground. His breath was shallow, but at least consistent.
"Are you alright?" he asked the yellow unicorn.
"I'll be fine," the stallion said, "It just hurts to breathe, a bit."
"That doesn't sound alright to me. I'm going to find you a doctor. I remember seeing one when I was searching."
"That would be nice." The yellow unicorn laughed weakly. His friend picked him up again, slinging him over his chocolate-coloured back. The brown pony carried his partner through the streets, trying to find the doctor's office again.
"Hey..." the yellow soldier said, "Sorry."
"Sorry?" the brown pony asked, turning to give him an odd glance. "What are you sorry for?"
"For setting Iron off," he explained. "We almost made it out of there unscathed."
"You're the one who got hurt, not me," the brown pony said, laughing faintly. "Anyways, you didn't set Iron off... not by much, anyways. One of us could have standing too close to him and he would have done backflips."
The yellow pony laughed, wincing as pain shot through his chest. "Where's that doctor, again?" he asked.
"Don't worry," his partner told him, "We're almost there."
"That's good... I'll be honest with you, mate. I think I'm gonna need to be in as good shape as possible, if this keeps up." The brown pony nodded in agreement.
"Aye... I don't like this, not one bit. I didn't sign on to get thrown around by some psychotic Equestrian."
"Heh," the yellow pony chuckled, "Don't think I signed on for any of this, come to think of it. You remember them telling you we were gonna cause a war in briefing?"
"Think it might'a come after after they served biscuits." The brown pony laughed.
"Aw, man, they served biscuits in yours?" The two laughed as best as they were able, in between the yellow pony's grunts of pain. He shook his head, and sighed.
"Seriously though... I don't remember hearing about any of this. I thought this was gonna be a vacation - escort the ambassador to Equestria, relax for a few days in the palace, then come back for regular duties. Nopony ever told me about kidnapping the prince."
"Me either," the brown pony agreed. "And they won't give us any backup... we should have a hundred ponies out looking for the prince, not just the ten of us."
"I don' like it," the yellow pony said again.
"Well, don't you worry. We'll be done with it soon enough. Here, there's that doctor."
"Fantastic," the yellow pony said, looking up. He frowned. "Looks like we've got a bit of a wait first," he added.
An enormous wagon was parked outside of the office. It looked like it could easily fit a dozen ponies in the back, with room to spare. The back doors of it were bolted tight, and the pair of soldiers could hear muffled talking coming from inside it.
"...would be much easier if we were doing this at my work station," said a pony, likely the doctor.
"No can do, Doc. We can't hold on to them while you're working, and we can't have them running away. 'Specially not this one - he'll be worth a pretty penny on the auction.
"Slaves?" the brown pony asked. His friend nodded.
"Sounds like it... I don't know about you, but I think my gut is a bit more important than some slave. Can you put me up under that window there? I'll see if I can't get their attention."
The brown pony complied, standing tight against the wall. His partner stood up, balancing himself on his back hooves on the brown pony's back. He was just tall enough to peek over the windowsill, and he peered inside.
It was dark in the wagon, but he could make out the shapes of several ponies. In the center three sat close together - two slim figures around a heavily slouching third. The first two were likely a slaver and the doctor - as he stared longer, the yellow pony confirmed this. In the darkness of the wagon, the doctor's white jacket stood out. Her patient stood out as well, with his pure white fur and light blond mane, sitting with his back turned to the window. The doctor was fussing over his hoof, inspecting it carefully. She reached up and forced the pony to look at her, revealing his face to the yellow unicorn as well. His jaw dropped.
He slid down the wall of the wagon, grinning excitedly to his brown partner. "We're going to get out of this a lot sooner than we thought, mate!" he whispered. His friend gave him and odd look, and he exclaimed as quietly as he could, "The prince's in there!" ***
"This would be much easier if I didn't have to force you to do everything, colt," the doctor said irritably. Blueblood didn't seem to react. The doctor sighed.
"Look, colt, just work with me here," she said, pulling Blueblood to look at her.
"...Sorry," Blueblood said weakly.
"Give me your hoof, colt," the doctor ordered. Blueblood complied, lifting up his injured hoof for her. It felt like it was made of lead, weighing hard upon his shoulder. It threatened to pull him down onto the floor, and he desperately wanted to follow it. He didn't care that his hoof hurt, he just wanted to sleep forever.
The doctor inspected his hoof carefully, twisting it left and right. "Hmm..." she said, "It doesn't look so bad. The wounds are closing well, but there's a bit of swelling. How does it feel? Does it hurt?"
"A bit," Blueblood said. "It aches."
"Is is a sharp pain? Like pin-pricks, where the splinters were? Or is it dull, and spread out?"
"Dull pain," Blueblood said simply. The doctor sighed again.
"I need more details, boy. Describe it for me."
"I... don't know," Blueblood said, "It's a small pain. It stops just above the hoof... it just aches, all the time."
"Does it throb?"
"No."
The doctor nodded. "It's probably alright then," she said. "It doesn't seem like it's infected... it'll probably clear up by the time you make it to market." She turned to the blue-maned slaver beside the pair, and told him, "I'm going to give him a salve anyways. I'll rub it into the hoof and bandage it up, to make sure it doesn't get infected."
The slaver nodded, and led the doctor to the wagon's door, knocking on it. There was a metallic noise from outside, and the door opened up, revealing Crown. He helped the two into the street, and bolted the door tight again afterwords. The three unicorns circled around the wagon, and saw a pair of stallions - one brown, and carrying another yellow stallion on his back.
"Pardon me, miss," the brown unicorn carrying his friend said, "but I think my partner needs some help." His partner, a yellow unicorn, smiled awkwardly from his friend's back.
"Yes," the doctor said, "yes, of course. Come into my office, I'll have a look at him. I just need to take care of another patient first." She led them into her shop, leaving the two soldiers in the lobby and taking Bit and Crown into her office.
"There's a much more pressing problem than the hoof, you know," the doctor said. The blue-maned pony nodded.
"I know... the behavior, yes?"
"Yes. There's something wrong with that pony."
"He's just been sold, you know," Crown pointed out. "I'd be more surprised if he was taking it well."
"Well is one thing," the doctor said, "but he should at least be something. I've never seen a pony look so empty before. It's like he's dead."
"He was strong when we bought him," the blue-maned unicorn noted. "Stood nice and tall. Proud pony, that one was. Even tried to make a break for it. Got me good on the jaw, too." He rubbed his jaw where Blueblood had struck him, smiling. The doctor ignored this.
"All the more reason to be concerned," she said, "You just picked him up this morning - and he's already like this?"
"You think it's a sickness?" Crown asked. She shook her head.
"Not any that I've seen. I've got no idea what's happened to him."
"Then why bring it up?" the purple giant asked. "Why the concern?"
"She's right to be concerned, Crown," the slaver pointed out, "A weak slave will never sell. Tell me, oh wise doctor, is there anything we can do?" The doctor raised an eyebrow at this.
"Why do you always flatter me, Bit? I would tell you anything I know anyways."
"It's what I do, my dear," the pony called Bit said proudly, bowing his head. "But, do you know of anything we can do to keep him strong?"
"Just make sure he keeps eating. It's none of my business what you do with your slaves, but... just watch him, Bit."
"I shall do my best, doctor dearest," Bit replied. She sighed, and nuzzled him.
"I'm serious. It doesn't look like he's holding on very hard. Make sure he gets a good master, in a good city."
"We pass through Port Ponzance in a week's time," Bit said, "We'll put him up there."
"Good," the doctor nodded. She rummaged through one of her cupboards, retrieving a small jar and a roll of bandages. The three unicorns went back outside, and Crown let the two into the wagon again. Blueblood was sitting exactly where they had left him, slouched over in the middle of the wagon. The doctor applied her salve and wrapped the bandages around his hoof silently. Blueblood never fought her - he hardly moved, just passively observing her as she worked. When she was done, she patted his shoulder.
"Get some sleep, colt," she told him. "It'll help the hoof. Alright?"
"Alright," Blueblood said, nodding weakly. He curled up on the floor where he sat, despite it lacking the straw bedding that lined the walls of the wagon, where all the other slaves slept. The doctor sighed, and left the wagon.
"Take care of him, Bit." The slaver nodded solemnly.
"I'll do my best, " he said. The two exchanged a heavy glance, while Crown stood in the background impatiently. Soon enough the slaver broke their gaze, and bid the doctor farewell. The two stallions returned to the front of the wagon, and before too long it lurched into life, setting off to its new destination - Port Ponzance. The doctor stood out in the street, watching the wagon leave. She shook her head, and returned inside.
"Right," she said to the soldiers waiting for her, "let's take a look at you." ***
The wagon trundled slowly across Aloa. The trips seemed to take years, centuries. Then again, perhaps it was just Blueblood. He spent the entire trip slumped in the corner of the wagon, staring idly out the window. He hardly felt anything - not the bumps and jostles of the wagon across the old roads, not the poking of the old straw against his flank, nor the rough texture of the wood. He didn't feel sad, or angry, or anything. All he felt was this incredible, all-consuming emptiness. Sometimes he felt hunger, or thirst, and at those times he could convince himself to eat a little. At the very least he kept himself from wasting away in the wagon. The other slaves paid him no heed, instead talking amongst themselves. In his more lucid moments, Blueblood imagined that they resented him, if they believed that he was who he had claimed to be. He hardly blamed them; in those times he resented himself, as well.
A few days into the trip the wagon came upon a delta, as the massive Aloan river opened to the ocean. Blueblood could see it, looking out of the wagon's window. He had never seen anything like it. Equestria existed in a valley, mountain peaks creeping along the horizon in all directions. He had grown up always seeing those mountains, and for many years he couldn't even understand that there was anything beyond them. The ocean had no mountains along its horizon. There was nothing there, just water as far as the eye could see, and further still. Something about it pierced through Blueblood, stirring something in him. It wasn't much, but it was there. Just a hint of a feeling. He turned his face away from the window, shutting the feeling out. He didn't need to feel, he told himself. Not anymore. It would be easier if he didn't feel.
The wagon made its way into a town on the edge of the delta, and rolled up to the docks. The slaves were herded out of the back of the wagon, and out into the light. After spending days in the dark wagon the light hurt Blueblood's eyes, and it took him a while to realize what was happening. There was an enormous boat waiting for them there. Bit and Crown spoke with the captain, and then the slaves were shepherded on board, and into the ship's hold. After a while of mulling around the slave ponies eventually took on a similar arrangement to the wagon, as least as far as Blueblood was concerned. He once again found himself with a corner to slouch into, and a porthole to look out of. It was through this porthole that he could see the dock drift away from them, and watch the ocean stretch out.
They were on the ocean for days. The slaves' diet changed from one of boiled gruel into one of pickles and seaweed. Soon the hold came to smell permanently of the briny foods, as well as of vomit from the weak-stomached ponies. Blueblood rarely felt ill on the trip, not ever filling himself too much. The longer the trip went on, the thinner the white stallion became. He ate less and less, and stopped even reacting to the slavers when they brought him his food. All the other slaves would scrabble at their food when it was put in front of them, but Blueblood just stayed slouching in his corner. Sometimes the other slaves would fight over who got the meal he left untouched. Blueblood never said a word.
Eventually, after days of staring out the window and seeing nothing, Blueblood was aware of land in the distance. As he watched it creep closer he could see pillars rising above the city, like the towers of Canterlot. For the first time in many days he stirred from his funk, enough to really, truly see the city for which they were headed.
It was different from the other towns Blueblood had seen in Aloa. Where they had been constructed from rough sandstone brick, hastily mortared together and supported with petrified wood, this city was made of sandstone alone, the dusty rock somehow polished into a yellow gleam. The buildings were no longer made as simple shelters, but were designed with purpose. Pillars sprouted out of the water around the harbor, meeting in arches high above the ship's masts. Stone docks stretched out into the water like mighty arms, scooping up the ships that came in. Much like the docks in Riverbank, these were populated by gruff, heavy looking unicorns, and adorned with ropes, pulleys, and other such instruments. Piles of boxes swung through the air on cranes, and great nets full of seaweed were piled onshore. Peering down out of the porthole, Blueblood could see ponies in the water, half-submerged as they bickered with the sailors on the docks. Blueblood almost wondered what they were doing in the water, for a moment.
Their ship pulled into port, and sound of the bosun barking orders at his sailors could be heard from above decks. Blueblood saw a rope drop in front of his porthole, no doubt to be tied and secure the boat. There was the sound of heavy hooves clattering around, as had been the soundtrack for the entirety of their trip at sea, and then there was silence.
The other slaves stirred uncomfortably on their hay beds. Silence meant that somepony would come for them soon, come to ferry them onto their next location, or their next means of transportation. Blueblood just sighed quietly to himself, slumping back into his corner.
Before too long the hold's hatch was pulled open, and Bit descended. He was accompanied by a slightly ill-looking Crown, who looked around the hold irritably.
"Welcome to Port Ponzance!" Bit declared happily, clapping his hooves together. One or two of the slaves looked at him oddly, and he continued.
"For many of you this is just another leg of your journey," he said, "But for some of you this will be your new home, probably for a long time. Port Ponzance is a rich city, full of rich unicorns - I don't doubt that some lucky few of you will find yourselves a nice master here, and I also don't doubt you'll make them all very happy - we wouldn't want to get any complaints from our valued customers, eh?" He smiled around the room, but the slaves didn't react. He kept smiling anyways, clapping his hooves together once more. Several sailors came into the brig, carrying a line of chains. The slaves were all buckled into it, with Blueblood at the front of the line, and then they were marched off the boat and onto the docks. Bit led them up to a tired-looking pony levitating several clipboards, and spoke to him.
"Good afternoon, my good pony!" The unicorn looked up from his clipboards, peering down the line of slaves.
"Looking for the auction house?" he asked.
"As a mater of fact, we are," Bit told him. "would you be so good as to direct us?"
"Head north until you reach the market lane. Then head east. The house is the building with the giant wooden stand out front, you can't miss it."
"Thank you very much," Bit said, nodding to him. He nodded distractedly, and the slave line set off.
Blueblood was feeling strangely lucid in this city. Perhaps it was that it reminded him of home, with plenty of ponies bustling through the streets, trying to look important and powerful. Blueblood shied away from them instinctively. In every one of them he could see himself, leering back at their inferiors. He looked down, trying not to pay attention to them.
It was much easier when the reached the market lane, absolutely packed with ponies. He could hardly see the slaves behind him, nor Bit and Crown in front of him. His only direction was the tugging about his neck, the unicorn's magic keeping him moving along. It was here that Blueblood began to notice things about the ponies of this city.
Amongst all the ponies that packed the street, every single one of them was a unicorn. Some horns laid bare, but some had been adorned with golden rings and jewels. Every single one of the ponies was swathed in richly coloured wrappings, thrown about their neck and chests, tied with medallions. Some ponies wore their wrappings simply about their necks, but others covered their flanks, and wrapped about their middles. Some shopkeepers even let them hang loose in front of their legs. Blueblood looked around with something between interest and confusion, catching snippets of ponies haggling, chattering, or just walking and sitting about. He had little time to observe, however, as he nearly dragged through the crowd by the slavers. They soon reached their destination - an enormous building, all domes and arches and pillars. A great set of steps lead up to a set of double doors, the entrance to the beautiful building. They did not use this entrance. Instead, the slavers lead them around the side, and to the back. There was a much smaller entrance there, probably a servant entrance of some kind. Rather than the grand, yellow-tinged building that Blueblood had been expecting, the door opened into a tight, dark corridor. Crown turned back to the slaves, warning them sternly not to speak or make too much noise, and then they were lead inside.
Blueblood did his best not to rattle his chains as he followed after the two slavers. He could hear a soft echo through the halls, the sound of a pony's voice. He couldn't make out what it was saying, but it didn't matter. It soon faded from hearing as the slaves were taken deeper into the building. Soon even the rough hallways that they had entered into seemed good compared to where they were. Dank, hardly used hallways, supported by mildewed wood. They were led down a set of stairs, and found themselves in their final destination. Before the line stretched a long hallway, doors on either side. They were told to march down the middle, and then stopped. Blueblood could hear Bit and Crown speaking from the stairs.
"I'll go talk to them, get everything set up," Bit told his partner. "You make sure they all get into their cells proper."
"Alright," Crown said. Blueblood could hear the sounds of Bit ascending the stairway, and of Crown approaching. The giant passed Blueblood, turning to stare at the line. His gaze was withering and contemptuous; the gaze one might use on a dirty, naughty pet. He glared at them silently, as if he were trying to lash them with his eyes alone. Behind him Blueblood heard the chain rattling, and supposed that it must have worked. He simply stared back, though, his expression as empty as ever. Crown snorted, and spat at his hooves.
"Listen up," he said harshly, "I know some of you are new here," he gave Blueblood a heavy glance, and continued, "so I'm going to tell you the way things actually work here. Bit is a good master to you. Somehow, he's managed to convince me to be the same. But in my household I saw how slaves are really treated." He leaned into Blueblood's face, and asked him, "What's your name, colt?"
"What?" Blueblood asked quietly. It was the first time he had spoken all week - it felt strange to speak. His voice was soft, and he sounded dazed. Crown stomped, and asked again.
"What's your NAME, colt?"
Blueblood was silent for a moment, as if it was hard for him to say the name. In a way, it was. "B-Blueblood," he said. Crown smirked, and swiped his hooves out from under him. Blueblood came crashing down, driving his face into the ground. The ponies behind him on the chain were dragged down as well. They all got to their hooves, and the mare behind Blueblood tried to help him up, but Crown stopped her.
"Let him get up on his own," he said. "If he can't, then he's no good to anypony. May as well just leave him to die."
Blueblood got to his hooves slowly, not saying a word. Crown spoke again.
"What's your name, colt?"
"Blueblood..." the prince said again. Crown reared up, bucking him in the face. A small trickle of blood came down his forehead, but Blueblood stayed up this time.
"Wrong answer!" Crown shouted. "You're a slave, colt! I don't give a damn who you were before - whether you were some bum we picked up in an alleyway, or whether you were a bloody prince! You're a slave now. And slaves. Aren't. Ponies. That means no pony names. Forget who you were before - this is who you are now, and who you will be for the rest of your miserable little lives. This is your lot. I suggest you learn to deal with it. Now..." he smirked at Blueblood again. "What's your name, colt?"
"I..." Blueblood said, looking down, "I don't have one..."
"That's right," Crown said. "That goes for the rest of you, too!" he shouted at the slave line, "You aren't ponies anymore. You're slaves. An object, something real ponies buy and sell. I suggest you all get used to it - and bowing to your new masters, while you're at it. You all got that?" There was a subdued mumbling from the slaved line, and Crown scowled. "I said do you understand, slaves!?" he shouted.
"Yes, Master," the slaves said. Crown nodded, and drew a key out of his wrappings.
"Good," he said. "Bit is talking to the auctioneer now. We're setting up a time for you all to get sold. We'll cart you up on stage there, one by one, you show off a bit for the buyers, and we find someone nice to buy you. Got that?"
"Yes Master," the slaves echoed again.
"That's right. We'll see you all on your best behavior up there - we'll get someone to clean you up first too, so you at least look a little bit less filthy. Now, get in your cells." He unlocked Blueblood's collar, shoving him into the cell on his right and locking the door behind him.
The prince slowly picked himself up off the floor, looking around. He barely even understood why - he should have just slunk into the corner as usual, but he didn't.
There was a window high along the wall; too thin for even a foal to squeeze through, but barred nevertheless. A thin strip of light streamed through, illuminating the cell. It was constructed out of the same dusty sandstone as the rest of the building, and held up by old wooden pillars. The floor beneath his hooves was dirt, specked with bits of straw from a pile in one corner. Blueblood walked slowly over, and sat down.
He kept looking around the cell, despite there being nothing else to see. For the first time in days, he felt something. Just a small kernel of something, buried deep inside him. It slowly grew and grew, and with it came a thought. Those felt strange too, after so long without them. Lucidity. Awareness. Blueblood had been avoiding it, but now... now it came with relief.
I'm not a pony anymore, he thought. I'm not Blueblood anymore. He blinked. Just like that, the thought was gone. The damage was done, though; more came in its place. Thoughts about the cell, thoughts about Crown and Bit, thoughts about the other slaves on the line. He wondered if they would be alright. He wondered about the little filly who had shouted at him. He sort of wanted to find her - to thank her. It felt so strange. So surreal. The thoughts in his head grew more and more numerous, and louder. Soon it was hard to focus on anything through the thoughts. He just kept looking around the cell, every notion and idea flooding into his head. He thought about the beam of sunlight playing through the dust. He thought about the colour of the walls, and of the dirt. He thought about the feeling of the hay beneath him. He just... thought. Soon, though, the thoughts subsided. In the end, only one was left.
I'm not Blueblood anymore.
It was a strange thought, that much was sure. He wasn't sure what to do about it; he simply kept thinking.
My entire life... none of it means anything anymore. Everything I've ever known, everything I've ever been... He narrowed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Good, he thought. Blueblood never did anything worthwhile... Blueblood was a bad pony. Stupid. Selfish. Greedy. I... I don't have to be him anymore. I can be a good pony... He looked down.
"No..." he said, "I can be a good slave. That's... good enough, right?" He sighed weakly, and slouched again.
The sun passed through the sky as the day wore on. Blueblood watched the little beam of light through his window, observing it silently as it crept across the dirt. As he watched its hue turn pink, he heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs.
"Cleaning time!" he heard Crown's voice call out. There was the metallic sound of the doors unlocking, and all the doors were flung open. "Get out here!" Crown called again.
Blueblood poked his head out of the doorway slowly. He saw the other slaves creeping out into the hallway as well, all staring at Crown standing at the base of the stairs. He was flanked by servants, each levitating a tub of water above their head.
"Get in line!" Crown barked. The slaves did as they were told, and Crown nodded to the servants. The tubs floated out over the slaves and upended themselves, pouring the water over the grimy ponies. Blueblood was drenched, nearly buckling under the torrent. The water was freezing - it hit him like a brick, setting his teeth chattering instantly. He spluttered and pulled his mane out of his eyes, only to see a servant standing before him, brandishing a washcloth. The servant took hold of the white stallion and began to scrub him down furiously. Though this servant was much rougher, it reminded Blueblood of being home again -
No! He thought, squeezing his eyes shut, I'm not Blueblood anymore! He kept his eyes shut, allowing the servant to scrub him down entirely. In the end his fur was matted and his mane tangled, but at least he was clean. The servant dragged a comb across him roughly, doing his best to straighten Blueblood up. Crown walked up and down the line of slaves, inspecting every one. He paused in front of Blueblood, seeing him still slouching weakly. He shook his head, but didn't say anything.
"Alright," he declared when he was finished inspecting all the slaves, "Back in your cells! Get some sleep, and try not to get yourselves too dirty. The auctions start first thing in the morning."
Blueblood shuffled back into his cell, ignoring it shutting roughly behind him. He returned to his bed of straw and sat down
Tomorrow it was, then. Tomorrow he would meet his new master, and begin his new life. Tomorrow he would be allowed to completely forget who he ever was, and start over. He wasn't certain how to feel. He wasn't sure whether he should be relieved, excited, or frightened. In the end, he fell back on what he had come to know - nothing. He let the feelings slip away from him, returning to the comfortable numbness. It had treated him well so far, and it would continue to do so. He lay down, closing his eyes, and eventually he drifted into oblivion.
The morning brought feeling back to Blueblood with a vengeance. Once again he felt that same holistic sort of feeling - an almost divine awareness of his cell and its inhabitants - what few of those there were. When the painful alertness subsided he realized that it was mid-morning. He had slept longer than normal, exhausted by the effort of thinking and feeling again. He also realized what had woken him - two ponies were talking outside his cell. He slowly shuffled close to the heavy wooden door, and he found he recognized the voices - Bit and Crown, arguing under their breath.
"...So what are we supposed to do with this one, then?" Crown asked.
"What do you mean, what do we do with him? We sell him, of course." Bit sounded on edge.
"Don't be stupid. You know as well as I do he'll never sell in his state."
"And why not? Look, he hasn't even lost much weight. He's still plenty strong - and those ponies out there will think he's stronger still because he's an earth pony."
"Aren't you the one who was worried they would be mad when he wasn't strong enough?"
"IF he wasn't strong enough. But he is. Look at him! He's built like a farmer!"
"But he carries himself like a washcloth. Who's going to buy a pony who can barely hold himself up?"
"Well, what do you propose we do with him, then?" Bit was clearly on edge now. Blueblood almost imagined he sounded nervous.
"We call in the doctor."
"The doc... the doctor. You want to call in the doctor. The specialist."
"That's right."
"Are you insane!?" Bit shouted. Blueblood could almost hear him composing himself, and returning his voice to a whisper. Blueblood had to lean against the door to hear them speak, now.
"Look at him! He's massive. He'll sell like-"
"I have looked at him. Have you? Look, the mane, the coat, the features - the colt is made for it. Just imagine what he'll look like when the changes are done - think of it. He'll go for SACKS of silver.
"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime, huh? And what if it goes wrong? We've got a perfectly good laborer right here - and you want to give it up for a chance at a personal slave?"
"Chance nothing - he's practically a guarantee. He'll slim out, we'll grow the mane, give him a chance to put some fat on -"
"So he'll look like a mare. So why don't we just sell a mare - we've got plenty. And some of them look pretty good."
"But a mare is what they're expecting - he'll be exotic."
"Exotic? He's an earth pony - exotic ponies have new things, not missing things. If we want exotic, we go for a pegasus."
"That's not what I meant, and you know it. We could take him all the way to Ys - you know how the nobleponies get up there."
"Yeah, I know - and I want nothing to do with any of them."
"Look, we need to be willing to set aside our personal feelings for the business."
"I know that just as well as you - I sell ponies to rich idiots, for goodness sake. But this is too far - I refuse to mutilate that poor pony and sell him to some KINK!"
Blueblood tore his ear away from the door as he realized what the two had been talking about. He scrambled backwards, retreating against the far wall. He knew that these ponies were far from kind - they sold others for their own gain. He refused to believe that there was anything good in a pony like that. This, though... this was insane! It was one thing to sell a pony as he was, but gelding? He swallowed hard. He couldn't believe it. They would geld him, and sell him to some old pervert. He had believed that whatever life stretched out in front of him, it was what Blueblood had deserved. Even still, this? No, not this. Not even Blueblood had deserved this. He squeezed his eyes shut, and curled up. For a little while, he had been allowed to think that there was some sort of fairness in the world - that he was getting exactly what he had deserved. He didn't deserve this, though. Nopony did.
The door to his cell swung open, revealing Bit and Crown. Blueblood looked up at them, fear clear and bright in his eyes.
"Your turn, son," Bit said. "Auction started while you were sleeping... has anypony ever told you you snore?" Blueblood didn't answer, looking away from the unicorn's smile.
"Please don't..." he whispered. He didn't know why he even bothered. It hadn't worked before, and it wasn't going to work now that he was a slave. He shuddered as he felt Crown pick his up, slipping an iron collar around his neck. He could hardly walk as they dragged him along; his legs felt like jelly. Still he walked with the slavers, as if he had any choice. They led him up the stairs and through the halls, finally into a large, nearly empty room. There was a set of double-doors along a wall, and Blueblood could hear a deep, clear voice through it. He ignored it, however, shying away from Crown and Bit as much he could. The giant purple pony didn't react, but Bit shook his head sadly. Blueblood lay down, quivering.
So this was it, then? This was his ultimate fate. A toy in the hands of some sick stallion, a pony so impossibly worse than he had been. Perhaps he had deserved this - after all, he could no longer deny he had earned everything up until this point. Every wrongdoing he had ever committed, heaped back upon his head the instant he left the comfort of his palace. Not a single pony had ever done anything to him he hadn't earned in full, and this was just the rest of it. Maybe it really was what he had earned.
"You're up, colt," Bit said quietly. Blueblood whimpered softly, and tightened up. Bit shook his head, and tutted.
"It won't be so bad, colt. I promise. Keep your chin up out there, and everything will work out for you in the end." Blueblood scoffed in his mind. All that would work out was he would be punished for what he had done. Bit coaxed him to his hooves, and led him to the door.
"Look, son," he said, "I just want you to know... none of this is personal. It isn't some sort of divine retribution, it's just... it's just bad luck." The doors swung open, and Blueblood was blinded by a brightly shining light. "Stand proud out there, colt," Bit said. Blueblood was led into the light, and he felt his chain being affixed to the floor. Eventually his eyes adjusted to the light, and he could see a crowd standing before him. He was on a stage, and they were all lined up row by row, staring at him.
There's a crowd? Blueblood thought miserably, Well that's just perfect, isn't it... They're all here to watch. One final humiliation... he sighed. The final humiliation of Prince Blueblood. Maybe they'll screw up, or let me just bleed out up here. Get it all over with.
He heard the sound of a heavy strike beside him, and looked over. There was a unicorn dressed in elegant wrapping, hovering a gavel over a podium.
"The next item is a stallion; approximately 20 years of age. Subject has never been previously owned, and was a foreigner before purchase. As you can see, he is well built, and strong. He is also quite handsome - his coat and mane mesh very well, as well as complimenting most colours, both in decoration and dress. Subject is very presentable for company. He is well suited for both personal attendance and heavy labour. Also note: Subject is an earth pony. As many of you know, earth ponies are extremely strong and resilient, much more so than unicorns. In addition, this makes an excellent talking point for guests. A full known history can be disclosed upon purchase if requested. Bidding will begin at 150 Silver."
What? Blueblood thought, peering oddly at the pony, What is he talking about?
"Get him to face forward," a pony called out, "I want a better look at him!"
"Subject, face forward," the pony commanded. Blueblood did as he was told, still trying to puzzle out what was happening. He had been so certain they were sending him to a surgeon... had they really decided just to sell him as he was?
"Again, bidding begins at 150 Silver. Do I hear 150 Silver?"
"150 Silver!"
"I hear 150 Silver. Do I hear 175 Silver?"
"175"
Blueblood stared incredulously at the crowd. They were. The slavers had decided to sell him as it was. Relief spread over him, but he didn't allow himself to relax. He looked over these ponies in the audience, staring up at him. He wasn't sure how to feel. Seeing so many ponies all focusing on him again made him remember the palace, and formal events in the ballroom. He would walk in, and all heads would turn to him. True, this was a much different context, but the thought still scared him. He felt a hint of pride in his chest, and it terrified him. Pride was something that Blueblood had - he wasn't Blueblood. He didn't want to be Blueblood... he couldn't be Blueblood anymore.
"300 Silver!"
"325!"
"I hear 325 Silver, do I hear 350? 350 Silver?"
"375."
"375 Silver, very impressive. This stallion has the right idea fillies and gentlecolts, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Earth Ponies just don't come along every day now - do I hear 400 Silver?"
"400 Silver!"
But how could Blueblood be proud of this? The ponies may have been looking up at him, but they were still looking down on him. They were still treating him as a novelty - and worse, as an object. They only wanted him because he was interesting. Because he would be something to talk about amongst the other aristocrats - Blueblood knew how it was. The palace had once hired a crippled pegasus, and Blueblood had used him as a talking point for another noblemare. He shook his head, banishing the memory. It was what Blueblood had done. He wouldn't be Blueblood any more.
"500 Silver!"
"550."
"600!"
"700."
"800 SILVER! DON'T you touch me again..."
But Blueblood... Blueblood would never have been proud of this. He would have been furious - livid. They only cared about him because they thought he looked strong, or novel. Not because he was important. A noble couldn't be proud of that... but a slave could.
A slave could be proud of being stared at. He could be proud that ponies thought he was unnaturally strong. He could be proud that they thought he was interesting enough to show off to other ponies. He could be proud that he had sold for the most, and had the richest master. He shifted his stance, bringing his front hooves together beneath him and spreading his back legs out. His chest swelled, and he lifted his head high. His mane fell across his face, his right eye just poking out from between his bangs. He gave it a subtle flick, draping it over his left shoulder. He flexed his muscles - just a bit. Just enough to be seen. He knew that the ponies in the crowd could see it. A pony who was strong. A pony who would do what they said, no matter what the task. Powerful, obedient. Noble and proud, as befitting one of their households. They looked at the stage, and not one of them saw the spoiled Prince Blueblood. They saw a white earth stallion with the straw-blond mane. They saw a pony with no name - They saw a good slave.
"1,500 Silver."
"I hear 1,500 Silver - do I hear 2,000? 1,750 Silver? 1,600 Silver, do I hear 1,600 Silver? Going once... going twice... SOLD! To the elderly gentlestallion in the back." The gavel swung down, echoing through the auction house. The white stallion had been sold. The guards returned onto the stage, unchaining him and pulling him back into the preparation room. He passed another pony on the way back in, a bundle of nerves. The two ignored each other, both intent on their own destinations. A grinning Bit approached the white stallion.
"Well done, son, well done!" he said happily, "I told Crown we could sell you... and at 1,500 Silver, too! You've made us wealthy, colt... you'll do well, I promise. Who knows, you may even make it to management like me some day! That was some display you put on there, let me tell you."
"Thank you, master," the pony said, bowing his head to Bit. Bit smiled, and patted his shoulder.
"I'm not your master anymore, son. C'mon - let's go meet him now. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting, would we?"
"No..." The stallion said slowly. ***
Iron glared furiously at the ambassador.
"Why did you make me stop!" he hissed, struggling to keep his voice down among the crowd of rich ponies.
"Because you bid over what we had," Letter told him patiently. "We're on limited funds right now. Even if we had won, we wouldn't have been able to keep him. And then he would know that we've found him again."
"How can we not have enough money?" Iron interrogated the ambassador. "You take your funds right from the king!" The red pony sighed.
"Yes... right from the king. If I were to suddenly withdraw 1,500 Silver, don't you think somepony would be a little bit suspicious?"
"We could have stolen him, then! Killed the guards, and run off with the little sod in tow! A clean getaway, and then we drag him back, wipe his memory and drop him off!"
"Do you really think it would have been that simple?" Letter asked disdainfully. Iron seethed violently at him, but managed to retrain himself from true violence - barely.
"At least it would have been something, aside from sitting around here on our flanks! At least getting killed by guards is better than what Celestia will do with us!"
"Well, there's no point in arguing about it now," Letter said, "It's not as if he's going anywhere."
"No..." Iron growled, shaking his head, "No, you're right. He's stuck, just like us, the little rat. But I don't trust him... he shouldn't even have made it this far."
"You have a proposition?"
"Watch him," Iron said, "For now, until he tries to get away. Then we can snatch him up." He smiled, an almost perverse degree of joy in his wicked grin. "We watch him." ***
The stallion and Bit were alone in a room, Bit looking around randomly. Apparently, he had expected the stallion's new master to be waiting for them. His unspoken question was answered by a rhythmic series of shuffling thuds, growing steadily nearer to the door. Soon the heavy door was pushed open, and the white stallion caught the first glimpse of his new master.
The auctioneer had referred to him as an elderly gentlestallion, and while this description had been somewhat accurate, it most certainly did not so him justice. His coat was a deep shade of forest green, and he held himself straight and tall. Despite the aqua wrappings draping limply around his shoulders and flanks there was a military air about him, but more than that it was the straightness of pride, and of a bizarre sort of peace. The unicorn had a near-blank expression on his face, the only trace of emotion a faint furrowing of the brow. It was impossible to tell if it was a scowl, or merely concentration.
While he was old, elderly was perhaps a bit too far. Some wrinkles creased along his face, and his mane had gone white, but he looked like a father more than a grandfather. Strong, calm, and confidant.
"Good morning, sir," Bit greeted. The stallion bowed to him as well, but his master seemed intent on ignoring them both. He approached the stallion slowly, and the source of the shuffling became evident. The unicorn before them walked with a heavy limp - he barely even used his right-front hoof, jerking forward and landing heavily on his front-left whenever the time came to use it. His hoof was still strong enough to shoo Bit away, however, and he did so. Bit bowed respectfully, and said his final farewell to the white stallion.
"Good luck, son," he said, and left the room.
"He your father?" the old unicorn asked. The white stallion blinked, and answered him.
"No, master. He was my previous owner. My slaver."
The unicorn nodded, grunting. "The auctioneer said you've never been owned before. You seem to be well enough into it - I haven't been conned, have I?"
"No master."
The unicorn stared at him again. He sighed, and shook his head. He began to slowly circle the white stallion, limping his way along. The stallion took his pose from the pedestal again, but the old unicorn simply scoffed.
"Don't bother, colt. I've already bought you, you can cut the act."
The stallion looked at him with an odd expression, but he managed to relax. A feeling of heaviness returned to him somewhat, but he ignored it. The old stallion nodded thoughtfully, and made his way back to the stallion's front.
"Hm," he said curtly. "You have a name, colt?"
"No, master," the stallion answered. The old unicorn paused, and peered oddly at the stallion.
"What do you mean, 'No, master'?"
"I... I'm a slave, master. Slaves don't have names..."
"What am I supposed to call you, then?"
"You can call me whatever you like, master," the stallion said, looking at the ground. His master regarded him impassively, the only hint of an expression a slightly raised eyebrow. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.
"What's the name your parents gave you, colt?"
"I..." The stallion said. He almost answered Blueblood. Part of him wanted to answer Blueblood, certainly. It was the name he was comfortable with, but... was it really his name?
Blueblood had been a horrible pony. He had been arrogant and selfish. How long had it taken him to even think of other ponies when he was kidnapped? It took days! Blueblood wasn't a pony he should want to be again... and he didn't. He didn't want to be Blueblood. He wouldn't be Blueblood, never again. That name wasn't right, it wasn't his. His blood wasn't blue. He wasn't special. He was just like everypony else.
"Red," he said. "My name is Red." |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which Home is Found | Chapter 6: In Which Home is Found
From her tower in Canterlot palace, Princess Celestia could see everything in her kingdom. She could see the ponies taking their lunch breaks in the capital, eating at restaurants and cafes, or just sitting outside and enjoying the spring air. She could see the little villages in the valley, with all their little ponies going about their days. She could see the vast swaths of farmland, ready to be tilled and sowed with seeds for the year's crop. From the other side of the tower she could even see over the tip of the mountains, and look out at the ocean, far in the distance. Despite all that she could see from her tower, one thing that she could not see was her younger sister, Princess Luna.
Celestia sighed, and shook her head. She had had to lower the moon herself, this morning. Luna had not arrived in the tower to bring it down. She wasn't worried by this, of course. She trusted her younger sister completely; she knew that the little princess would never dream of trying to bring about eternal night again. Not when there were so many ponies who reveled beneath her beautiful stars.
This was not the first time Luna had gone missing since she had returned, either. Every so often she would fly away to visit some little village, or see a new country. Sometimes she would even tell Celestia before she left. She had been alone for so long, though, and she had troubles remembering that sometimes, the ponies you care about like to keep tabs on you. Celestia could forgive her for all that, of course, but it could still frustrate her. Particularly now, with all that had happened recently.
The palace's spies had been investigating the Aloan delegates all week. So far, none of them had found any clues as to what had happened to the prince. If anything, the Aloans seemed more confused as to the prince's whereabouts than she was. The only thing that the spies had managed to glean was that the Aloan delegates were insulted Blueblood had not attended the meetings. As far as Celestia could tell, they were either being admirably tight-lipped, or they had had nothing to do with Blueblood's disappearance at all.
Perhaps that was the most distressing prospect, the idea that nopony knew what had happened to Blueblood. It had weighed on Celestia's mind all week, but she hadn't wanted to share it with anypony. One way or another, she knew it would wind up getting back to her niece. Poor Amethyst had been inconsolable all week long. She had put on a brave face for the delegates and the meetings, though; Celestia was so proud of her. The princess sighed sadly, and stepped back inside the small room in her tower. It was a second home to her; a place she could come when she didn't want to be disturbed by anypony. Usually. This week had been a little different than most weeks. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in, Oak," she said. The door creaked open, and a tired auburn pegasus stepped inside. He wasn't wearing his armour, and his mane was loose. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. He probably hadn't.
"Good afternoon, your majesty," Oak said, bowing slowly. Celestia tutted, and levitated a pot of tea from nearby the fireplace.
"Have a seat, Oak," she said. "And have some tea. You look like you could use it."
Oak took a seat on a plush cushion across for Celestia. For a moment he looked like he was about to decline her offer of tea, but in the end he took the cup she offered happily. He sipped at it gingerly, while Celestia watched.
"How is she, Oak?" Celestia asked suddenly. Oak looked down.
"She's asleep right now," he said. "Today's meeting really wore her out. She's putting on a strong face for all the other ambassadors and nobles, but... she spends most of her free time fretting, these days. I'm..." Oak shook his head, and said, "I'm worried about her, your majesty."
"I know you are, Oak," Celestia agreed. "That's why I trust you to look after her."
"Thank you, your majesty," Oak said, bowing slightly. "But... is there anything I can tell her? Do we know anything new about her so - about the prince?" Celestia shook her head.
"The Aloans don't know anything. Or if they do, they aren't letting on."
"Not to be rude, majesty," Oak said, "but can't we just... ask them? Interrogate a guard?" Celestia shook her head.
"They all have diplomatic immunity while they're here, so we can't arrest them. Even if we just asked outright, Aloa would take it as an insult. They'd be up in arms over it... and we can't just say the prince has gone missing, otherwise if Aloa did kidnap him they'd run before we had the chance to do anything."
Oak shook his head weakly. "This politics thing makes my head spin, Majesty." Celestia smiled.
"You aren't the only one, Oak. But we do what we must." Oak nodded solemnly.
"Has there been any word on Captain Iron Towers, either?" he asked suddenly. Celestia shook her head, peering at him.
"No," she said. "We've heard nothing from him. We believe he's been kidnapped along with Blueblood."
"Has anypony been chosen to take his place yet?"
"No," Celestia said, "It's hardly the most opportune time. Why do you ask, Oak?"
The pegasus pony straightened up as best he could, and said, "I'd like to request to be promoted to acting captain of the guards, your majesty."
Celestia peered at him oddly. This sort of behavior was very unlike him - Lieutenant Rowan Oak had never been a pony to take advantage of a situation for his ambition. In fact, he had never been a terribly ambitious pony to begin with. He had even turned down several promotions - he had been appointed as Amethyst's personal guard because of his loyalty and skill more than his position in the guards. He had always seemed perfectly content in his role, until now.
Celestia shook her head. "I can't do that, Oak. If anypony where to be elected acting Captain, it would be the second-in-command. You know that."
"I know your majesty," Oak said, "but... please, I ask you just this once. I would step down immediately once this ordeal is over with, go back to being Princess Amethyst's guard."
"Then why do you want this promotion so badly?" Celestia asked. Oak looked down ashamedly, and fidgeted.
"I..." he said, "I just... I want to do more." He looked up, gazing earnestly into the princess's eyes. She saw nothing but an overwhelming passion in those eyes, slick with tears. "I want to do more to help. If I were acting captain, I could organize the spies. I could come up with something... some plan to help us find out what's happened to the prince. I just... I feel so useless right now. Ameth-" he shook his head and blinked, saying, "I'm sorry - the princess, this is hurting her so much. She hardly sleeps any more, and when she does... she has nightmares, your majesty. Horrible nightmares. I hear her, sometimes, screaming in her sleep. And I just wish that I could do more for her." He looked down, shame and pain clear on his face. "I'm worried, Your majesty. I want to stop her hurting."
Celestia smiled faintly. Out of all the guards, Oak was the one she felt that she could trust the most. That was why she had asked him to be assigned to Amethyst. It seemed sometimes like it was impossible for him to lie - he wore his heart on his sleeve more than anypony she had ever met. She could understand why her niece found him so endearing. She reached out, and put a gentle hoof on his shoulder.
"You can do something for her, Oak. You can be there for her." Oak looked up, and Celestia smiled at him. "We'll take care of this," she told him. "You just be there for her. That's all we can do, right now."
Oak nodded. "Thank you, your majesty," he said. He finished his tea and stood, moving for the door.
"Thank you, your majesty," he said again. Celestia nodded, and he left. He trotted carefully down the long, winding staircase that made up most of the tower - despite the tea his head was beginning to nod. Soon enough he made it to the main floor of the palace, and returned to Princess Amethyst's bedchambers. He opened the door just a crack, peering inside - the princess was still fast asleep. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and went to take a closer look.
In spite of her slumber, the princess's face was still creased with worry. She stirred occasionally, mumbling something incoherent beneath her her breath. Oak sighed, and sat beside the bed.
"It's going to be alright, Amethyst," he whispered. "You'll see..."
In her sleep, Amethyst sighed. The worry slowly faded away, and a gentle smiled blessed her face. Oak smiled as well.
I hope... he thought. He blinked, his head dipping a bit. His head was getting a bit fuzzy. He leaned against the bed, resting beside the princess. The bed was amazingly soft, and the silk sheets felt wonderfully cool. He hadn't slept in ages, worrying over the princess. She was asleep now, though, and he could relax. He shifted, nestling his head deeper into the bed. His eyes fell shut and he slowly drifted off to sleep, leaning against the bed there. ***
Blueblood's master lead him outside the auction house. The white stallion had to walk slowly to keep pace with the old unicorn, limping as he did, but the two made it outside soon enough. It was a bright day outside, the sky clear of in spite of the lack of pegasi here. The market lane was much more sparse today; hardly any ponies were about, in fact.
There was an old cart at the foot of the stairs, a heavy chain anchoring it to a pillar. Blueblood's master limped down the steps, approaching it. Blueblood followed him, staring at the ground and being careful to stay a step behind his master. The old pony dug a key from the folds of his wrappings, and unlocked the chains. He took the chains in his mouth, dragging them into the back of the cart. When he was done, he turned to look at Blueblood.
"Help me in," he said, beckoning for the white stallion to approach. Blueblood did as he was told, coming closer. The old unicorn put a hoof on his back, and one on the edge of the wagon, pushing himself up carefully. Blueblood stepped in closer, pushing his master up further, who grunted and swung over the edge of the wagon. He settled in, laying down, and peered over to his slave.
"Stand in front of the wagon," he ordered. Blueblood nodded, and complied.
"Yes master," he said quietly. He stood between the two wooden bars protruding from the front of the wagon, and set his chest against a third flat bar that connected the two.
"I'm done here for today," his master said. "Take me home - head north. I'll tell you where and when to turn."
Blueblood nodded, and started to walk. He strained at first, pushing forward to move the old wagon. Once it had started to move, though, it wasn't so bad. In fact, it wasn't too hard at all after a while. He set off up the street, wagon in tow, until his master called up to him.
"North is the other direction," he said. Blueblood winced.
"Sorry," he said, turning the wagon around slowly. Facing the right direction now, he headed off again.
The trip through the city was an easy one. Whichever day this was - Blueblood found he couldn't remember how much time had passed now - it was clearly not one where ponies liked to venture out of their homes. There were hardly any of the wrapped unicorns he had seen the previous day out and about, and those that were out didn't seem too keen on mingling. They kept a wide berth of the wagon, not looking at either of the ponies in it. Blueblood gave them no heed either - they were not his master, he told himself, so he didn't need to worry about what they thought of him. He told himself that every time one of them passed, staring directly forward. He had to fight not to look down, or shy away from them as they passed.
"Turn left here," the old unicorn in the wagon said. Blueblood looked down the road to the left of him. It was a long, wide and straight road. Blueblood could see an enormous wall at the end of it, broken by a wooden gate almost as tall as the wall itself. The gate was swung wide open, revealing the open country beyond it. Blueblood slowly looked back at his master, who raised an eyebrow at him.
"I don't live in the city," his master said. "I live by the river. It's a fair walk, so you'd best get started."
"Of course," Blueblood said, turning down the long road, "I'm sorry, master. I didn't mean to question you." His master grunted softly, and Blueblood could hear him shift in the back of the wagon. Blueblood risked another peek backwards, and saw that his master had turned away from him, looking down the other side of the street. It led to the harbor, and Blueblood could see the ocean framed between two of the enormous pillars that surrounded the port city. He turned back, trying to concentrate on the road before him.
It doesn't matter, he told himself, there's nothing down there for me. It doesn't matter one of the ships down there could take me home... He shook his head, and set it firmly ahead.
No! He told himself, they can't take me home! THIS is my home. I'm Red now - not Blueblood. My home is with my master.
He let his neck fall, sighing to himself. His legs were beginning to ache a bit from pulling the cart, but he ignored it. They were almost out of the city now, and Blueblood could see a guard standing by the gate. The guard nodded to them as the passed.
"Have a nice day," he said. Blueblood didn't answer. He heard his master mumble something to guard, but couldn't make it out - he doubted the guard had understood it either.
He looked around idly as they moved away from the city. Port Ponzance appeared to be surrounded by farmland, giant swaths of fertile fields on either side of the road. The path was rolling and hilly, slowly moving upwards as it made its way away from the coast. Fortunately for Blueblood it never got too steep, or difficult to pull the wagon. Soon they had passed the many farms, and moved into more open countryside. The landscape around the road turned into enormous dips and bulges, dotted with patches of thick, lush trees. The road passed by one such patch of trees, and Blueblood got a better look at them - they were unlike anything he had ever seen. Their bark was segmented, like scales, and their leaves were enormous and flat. Blueblood stared up at them as he passed. The leaves didn't cast true shade, not the way he knew it - the just filtered out the light, turning it green as it fell upon him. He looked back, watching the patch of green as it move across his coat, and he found himself meeting the eyes of his master. The old pony had shifted positions again, leaning on the front rim of the cart and resting his chin on his good hoof. He watched Blueblood with an impassive expression, the green light of the leaves darkening his already green coat even more. Blueblood turned his head back to the road sharply, lowering it. He couldn't tell what the old unicorn was thinking when he watched him. He couldn't tell if his expression was irritated, or just blank. It made the white stallion uncomfortable, when he saw it. So he stared forward, trying to make himself as small as possible. He heard a quiet sigh from his master, but ignored it.
They continued along the road for hours. The landscape had flattened out for a while, but it had started to slope downwards again. The patches of trees had become more dense, forming into thick woods, the road beginning to wind down as well. They had long since left any pretense of paving, the smooth stones falling away to dirt at a crossroads an hour or so back, but now it had begun to dwindle even further. Blueblood tugged the cart up one of the hills that made up their gradual descent, and as he came over it he saw a gap in the trees. In the distance he could see a thing line of blue cutting through the landscape - another river, down the middle of the peninsula.
"The River Aloe," his master commented, seeing it as well. "We'll reach home in a few hours. Turn right up here."
Blueblood saw the turnoff coming, and nodded. "Yes master," he said, turning onto the road. The path thinned even more, and there were a pair of ruts in the path. The wagon wheels slipped into it, shaking its contents. Blueblood heard the chain rattle along the bottom, and his master grunt.
"Sorry master," Blueblood said, looking back at him apologetically. His master raised an eyebrow at him.
"You keep saying that," he said. Blueblood stared back at him, unsure of what to say.
"You say 'sorry master', and 'yes master', and 'alright master'," the old pony continued. "Why?"
"Because..." Blueblood said slowly, "because you're my master. You bought me, so..."
"You never asked my name," the old pony interrupted him. "Do you not care what it is?"
"N-no, I..." Blueblood said. He turned away from the old pony, looking down. He wasn't sure what he should say. "I... you're my master, and... I..."
"I have a name," the old pony said again. "I asked yours. So why didn't you ask mine?"
"I-I didn't want to be rude..." Blueblood mumbled. "It wasn't my place to ask..."
"Speak up, Red," the old pony demanded. Blueblood winced, and answered again.
"I didn't want you to get mad at me!" he said, "I didn't know if I was allowed to ask!" He looked back through half closed eyes. The old unicorn was staring at him strangely. He couldn't decipher the expression - it was like the old pony was judging him, but there was something missing, if that was it. He remembered - Blueblood remembered, he reminded himself of the distinction - the expressions of the nobleponies who judged each other. There was always some degree of arrogance in those gazes. But there wasn't one here, even though the old pony was regarding a slave. He was just... watching the white pony. Like he was sizing him up. Blueblood stopped walking, captivated by the old pony's gaze.
"Ask me my name, Red," the old pony said. Blueblood blinked, and lowered his head.
"What... what's your name, master?" he asked slowly.
"White Brook," the old unicorn said simply.
"Do you... would you like me to call you that, from now on?" Blueblood asked. Brook shrugged vaguely.
"No... call me what you like," he said. He and Blueblood shared a gaze for a moment, staring back and forth underneath the green light filtering through the leaves. Brook looked away. "Home is still a long ways away," he said. "You should get moving."
"Oh!" Blueblood said, turning around again, "right... sorry." He set off again, pulling the heavy wagon along the old road. The road dwindled even more as he walked, narrowing until the sides of the cart brushed against the foliage. Blueblood's legs were aching, but he pushed on. The bush around them grew thicker and thicker, the enormous leaves stretching out and hiding the sky, casting a green light over everything on the path. Blueblood stumbled once or twice over roots stretching into the path, but he never fell. He pulled on, though the muggy air in the bush made his mane cling to his neck. He blinked the sweat out of his eyes, pressing on. Brook never spoke - Blueblood wasn't certain if he was even paying attention, or if he was just staring off into space. It wasn't his place to wonder, he told himself, but he wondered anyways. He couldn't judge anything from the old pony's expression. He - no, he told himself. Not he. Blueblood - had always been good at judging expressions, and moods. Blueblood had been good at figuring out what ponies were thinking... and how he could use it. It wasn't Blueblood pulling that cart, though. He told himself that, over and over. It wasn't Blueblood. It was Red. It was Red who shook his head, chasing the thoughts of Blueblood's life away. It was Red was starting pulling harder, despite the burning in his legs and the aching in his hooves. Not Blueblood. He told himself that, over and over, until he almost believed it.
Eventually he managed to shut the thoughts out of his mind. It wasn't hard, once he started to focus on the burning in his legs. He pushed on, pulling the cart down the narrow road. The sun swam across the sky as he walked, dipping in the west. Just as the sky took on a hue of orange, the bush started to clear.
"We're close now," Brook commented idly from the wagon. "Should make it before sundown, easy." Blueblood nodded, and pushed on. Brook had been right - the bush continued to thin out, and the path widened a bit as well. The green world gradually parted, allowing Blueblood to see the orange sky for the first time in hours. It was a welcomed change of pace, to say the least. Blueblood took the wagon through a turn, and he finally saw their destination.
The woods dropped of just a little ways away. A few trees still dotted the landscape, but for the most part the land in front of them was clear and flat. Blueblood could see it start to drop off and begin to roll again in the distance. His new home was much closer, though. The path lead just a few hundred feet away, to a large wooden house. Blueblood pulled the cart down the path, taking a better look at the house as they approached.
It was two stories high, a fairly simple home. A balcony stretched out from the top floor, casting shade over a porch on the bottom. It looked much newer, compared to the rest of the house. The wood was old, but it looked sturdy. Windows peppered the west side, letting light into the building. Not too far away there was a shed, in much poorer shape that the house. Vines and moss crept up its sides, covering the door. They were probably the only things holding it up; it leaned visibly to one side. Blueblood looked around the open field, taking in more of the scenery, and he noticed a patch of soft, brown earth.
The soft earth stretched out beside the home, a few dozen feet square. As he got closer Blueblood saw that, despite being softer than the other ground, it still looked as though it hadn't been touched in a few months. He blinked. It looked like a very small farm, he realized; one like the ponies outside Port Ponzance had been working, only it hadn't been touched yet.
While the little farm and the house were in good condition, the rest of the field looked much like the shed; unkempt, and overgrown. Weeds of all sort sprouted everywhere, and trees dotted the landscape. Nearby the house an enormous stump was rooted, almost the size of Blueblood himself. Blueblood just looked around as he walked, taking it all in. Despite the clearing, the house may has well have been built in the deep wilderness. As if declaring this, that this place still belonged to the wilderness, an enormous river cut through the landscape not a hundred feet away from the home. Deep, wide and incredibly, unbelievably blue. Blueblood stopped, just staring at it. It was breathtaking. Behind him, Brook chuckled. Blueblood looked back at him, and saw that he too had been staring at the river.
"The River Aloe," he said. "She cuts right through the whole peninsula." Blueblood followed his gaze, looking back at the river. The pair stared at it for a few minutes in silence, before Brook cleared his throat loudly.
"Come on, Red. Take the wagon up to the house there. Just around the side will do."
"R-right," Blueblood said, tugging the cart to life again. He pulled it around the side of the house, settling tight against the structure. Brook nodded at this, and Blueblood ducked out from under the bars. He stepped away from the wagon gratefully, but Brook caught his attention again.
"Just going to leave me stranded up here?" he asked. Blueblood cringed, and trotted back to the cart.
"Sorry, master," he said, offering the old unicorn his hoof. Brook took it, leaning against the younger stallion as he sat along the edge of the wagon.
"Careful now," he said, "give me your shoulder." Blueblood did as he was beckoned, and Brook slung his bad hoof around the stallion's neck. Planting his other hoof firmly on the wagon, he swung himself over the edge, slowly lowering himself to the ground. "There we go," he said, three of his hooves on the ground and the fourth, bad hoof still around Blueblood's neck. He looked to the west, peering critically at the rapidly falling sun.
"Come on Red," he said."Let's head inside." Blueblood nodded, and followed the old pony around and into the house.
The light in the front room was weak, the sun as low in the sky as it was. Blueblood peered around the main room, squinting through the darkness. His eyes eventually started to adjust to the low light, and he found that Brook had gone off somewhere. Blueblood looked around, not wanting to be too far away from his master if the old unicorn needed his help. He soon learned where his master had gone, however, when he saw a glimmer from a nearby room, and the entire house was filled with light. The sudden brightness stung at Blueblood's eyes and he crouched down, covering them in pain. He uncovered them again when he heard the familiar shuffling gait of the the old unicorn approaching. He took one hoof off his eye first, peeking around the other. Brook was standing above him, staring down with one eyebrow raised.
"What are you doing?" he asked simply. Blueblood stood, and answered shyly.
"I, um. The light hurt my eyes," he said. Brook nodded.
"I should have warned you," he said, "I just needed to get close enough to the middle of the house to light them all at once."
"Oh, no," Blueblood said. "It's not a problem, master."
"No?" Brook asked, looking back at the white stallion. Blueblood flinched, and took a step back.
"No, I mean... if you want to, next time, but... I won't mind if you don't..." he said, looking away. Brook sighed, and shook his head.
"We'll see," he said simply. "Welcome home, Red. Have a look around. I'm going to fetch something."
"Alright," Blueblood said, as his master limped away. The white stallion stood in the centre of the room, looking around. To his left an old staircase lead up to the second floor, disappearing behind a bend. An old chandelier hung from the ceiling, but it was neither ornate nor particularly safe looking. In all likelihood the only thing that kept it from falling was the fact that there was nothing on it to weigh it down. The rest of the home was little better, with mostly bare wooden walls. There was only a single door in the main room, where Brook had gone through, so Blueblood deiced to climb the stairs instead.
He hadn't thought of it while he had been standing on the main floor, but Blueblood's legs ached. It was his feeble attempt at climbing the stairs that alerted him to this - it was slow going, and a bit painful, but he reached the top soon enough. Like the balcony outside, the second floor looked much newer than the ground floor, though its decorations were no less spartan. Once again it was plain wood walls, the wood was simply more fresh.
Blueblood found himself at the end of a small hallway. There were three doors along the hall - one on either side, and one on the far end. Blueblood crept down the hall slowly, peering at the doors. He took the one on his right first, gently prodding it open and peering inside.
It appeared to be a bedroom. A bed, which he assumed to be Brook's, was pressed into the corner beneath a window. The fading orange light of the sunset poured through it, casting a beam across the room and onto Blueblood. He looked down, noticing once again the colour it cast over his coat. He entered the room slowly, looking to the left and right. The room was spacious, with an old, soft-looking rug in the centre. The walls were lined with bookshelves, full of ancient-looking volumes. Blueblood walked up to one of the bookshelves, reading one at random.
"The Soul of the Hoof," Blueblood read aloud, "by Silver Tongue." He tilted his head, and read another. "Gold leaves, and other collected works... The Stallion Who Was Thursday... A Book for all and None... All's Quiet in the Eastern Sky... The Stranger..." He stepped back, shaking his head. Most of these books he had never heard of. He could only guess that they even were books based on the fact that he did recognize a few titles. He had never read any of them, though - he had only the vaguest idea of what they were about; old, dusty books about old stallions sitting around and talking.
He looked at the other bookshelves - they were filled with similar books. Poetry, philosophy, 'classical literature' - Blueblood wondered vaguely if Brook had really read them all. He shook his head again, and backed out of the room. There was nothing else to see in there, and as he backed out he chastised himself.
They're Master's books, he thought to himself, It's not your place to question, or snoop. You're a slave now - don't pry, don't question. He nodded, the thought set firmly in his mind, and turned around.
The door behind him was much more worn, signs of hoof-scratches evident on the brass handle. Blueblood sat for a moment before opening it, wondering if he should go through. Brook had told him - ordered him - to look around, though. He gulped, and pushed the handle down, swinging the door open.
There was no room beyond the door. It lead onto the balcony that he had seen from the path. The balcony was wide and nearly clear, save for a chair and small table near the railing. Blueblood trotted out, looking at the view.
It was wonderful - no, wonderful didn't do it justice. It was perfect. The river lay across he landscape like a ribbon, gleaming in the evening sun, turning its waters a sort of purple. Beyond its far bank Blueblood could see the forest start up again, every bit as wild as the path he had dragged the cart along not long ago. He could see the landscape dip and bulge in the far distance, stretching on into the haze of sightlessness. A gentle breeze played against Blueblood, sweeping his mane across his face and tingling his coat. He leaned over the railing, and sighed. It was fantastic. He wondered what it was like for Brook, living here. Did he see this sight every night? Blueblood wondered if it ever got old... Blueblood has always loved looking out over Canterlot in the evening, watching the white city gleam and turn to gold. He shook his head sharply, jumping back from the railing and covering his eyes.
"No," he said aloud. "No. That isn't my view. It isn't my world. I'm different now. I'm not Blueblood anymore... Canterlot isn't my home. Not my home... not my home." He looked out from under his hooves, staring sadly at the vista before him. "This is my home now," he whimpered. "It's... it's better this way. It is." He told himself that, over and over. It was better to start over. He had been terrible before, an awful pony. How could he ever make up for everything he had done, in his entire life? He couldn't. He had to start over. He had to put his past behind him, forget about all the bad things he had done. He would take his punishment, and start over with it. He had heard something about that once - some old, outdated religion. Reincarnation? Karma, perhaps?
He stood up, and retreated from the balcony. It was too hard for him to look at it - it reminded him too much of Blueblood. He tried to shut Blueblood out of his mind, tried to be Red, and turned to the third and final door.
"Home," he said definitively, pushing to door open. The latch was old and hard, and the door creaked loudly when it opened. It seemed like nopony had come in here for a long, long time. Years, maybe.
Inside the room was a desk. It was a plain looking writing desk, with an old stool, quill and ink, and a set of parchments. Blueblood trotted into the room, taking a closer look. The parchments were all yellowed and curled up, and the ink in the well was dried. There was a window in front of the desk, but it was coated in thick dust. Looking around, Blueblood saw more writing materials - blank scrolls, journals, spare quills. Brook must have been quite the writer, before. There were more bookshelves, too, but Blueblood didn't bother looking at them. He assumed they would contain much the same content as the bookshelves in Brook's room. Something else caught his attention.
A pair of letters sitting on the desk, sealed with wax. There was no stamp on the wax, just a red blob sealing the letters. For a moment, Blueblood considered opening one of them, but he knew that his Master would be angry if he did. This room was old, and unused - the master probably wouldn't approve him being in there at all, he thought. He turned around, preparing to leave the room.
Then he saw the solider.
There, hiding in the shadows of the room. An Aloan soldier. The armour gave it away - silver, gleaming in the light that streamed through the windows. It was swathed in decadent green and blue wrappings, tied with a golden medallion, depicting a river delta - the symbol of Aloa. Blueblood couldn't see the soldier's face, obscured by shadow. The armour covered the rest of its body, plates along the legs and sides. Even the horn was covered, tucked inside a dangerous-looking blade.
Blueblood started, and fell backwards. The soldier loomed above him, tall and imposing. He shuffled backwards, knocking over scroll stands and quills in his quest to get as far away from the soldier as possible, as fast as possible. The soldier didn't move any closer, just standing and staring.
Why isn't he doing anything? Blueblood screamed in his mind. Why is he just standing there? Isn't he here for me? Isn't he with Iron?
He pressed himself against the back wall, his mind racing. No, no, he isn't here for me, he thought, he can't be! He's here for Blueblood! Not me, not Red, Blueblood! I'm not Blueblood anymore, so they can't hurt me anymore! I'm not! I didn't do all those things that made Iron hate me, I didn't get kidnapped by the Aloans, so he can't be here for me! He isn't here to hurt me, he isn't! I'm not Blueblood! I'm Red, I'm Red, I'm Red, he isn't going to hurt me! Please, please, please auntie, don't let him hurt me!"
He told himself that, over and over and over, practically begging himself to believe it, to believe that the soldier wasn't there to hurt him. He was so intent on convincing himself that he wasn't Blueblood, that he hadn't been that awful pony and that the soldier wasn't here to hurt him that he didn't even notice that he had been screaming.
"Red!" Brook shouted, suddenly beside the white pony. Blueblood hadn't heard him coming up the stairs, or even down the hall so impossibly fast. Not that this meant much; even as Brook shouted at him, Blueblood barely heard.
"Red! Red, what is it?" Brook shouted. "What's the matter, Red?" He took a hold of Blueblood's shoulders, shaking him. Blueblood clung to the old stallion, still staring dead at the soldier. Brook followed his gaze, spying the figure in the darkened corner of the room. He set himself between Blueblood and the figure, shouting again.
"Red, calm down," he shouted, but Blueblood payed him no heed. Brook kept shouting, but Blueblood wouldn't listen. Eventually Brook took hold of him and dragged him out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He stood before the cowering stallion, and slammed his good hoof down, shouting, "RED!"
His voiced bellowed, echoing through the house. Blueblood stopped screaming, and looked up at the green unicorn.
"It's alright, Red," he said quietly. "It's just armour. Nothing to be afraid of."
"W-what?" Blueblood asked slowly. His mind was beginning to come back to him, but the image of the soldier in the study was still fresh in his mind. Brook crouched down, looking him in the eyes.
"Armour, Red - it was only armour. It can't hurt you. You're fine."
"I... I..." Blueblood said, as more and more of his mind came back, "I... armour?"
"That's right," Brook said. "Just my armour."
The two sat on the floor for a few minutes, while Blueblood tried to stop shaking. Eventually, he looked up at his master.
"You're a soldier?" he asked softly. Brook sighed, and looked away from him.
"Once," he said simply. "A long, long time ago. But not any more. I haven't touched that armour... haven't looked at it in years."
"But the armour... it was so clean."
"Spell on it," Brook said. "Repels dust, rust - anything, really. Keeps it clean." He stood sharply, saying, "That's enough. No more talking about that." He turned, and trotted back to his bedroom door, opening it.
"Come in here, Red," he said. Blueblood stood shakily, and walked to the door. The room had changed just a bit since he had last seen it - a blanket had been folded and placed on top of the bed.
"There's nowhere else for you to sleep," Brook said. "You'll have to sleep in here." Blueblood blinked, and nodded, stepping inside. He took the blanket off the bed and pulled it to the rug in the centre of the room. He tugged the blanket over top of himself, and curled up on the rug. Brook stared at him from the doorway, and sighed. He stepped in and closed the door behind him. With a flick of his horn he doused the lights - all the lights in the house, probably. The only light left was the final lights of day, slipping away through the window. It was no longer orange or red, having turned blue while Blueblood was in his master's study. Brook limped across the room, settling into his bed with another sigh. Blueblood peered at him from the floor.
"... Master?" he asked quietly. Brook shifted in his bed, looking over at the stallion.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I'm sorry," Blueblood said.
"For what?"
"For... for being frightened by your armour," the stallion said, looking down in shame. Brook stared at him. Blueblood couldn't see his expression, silhouetted by the moonlight as he was, but Blueblood imagined it was that same odd expression he always looked at him with.
"You can't help that," Brook said finally. "There are things we can't control. Don't apologize for them."
"But... I'm sorry you had to come snap me out of it," Blueblood persisted. Once again, Brook was silent. He shook his head, and lay back down.
"It's been a long day, Red. You've had it hard. Sleep now. You start working in the morning."
"Alright, master," Blueblood said. He lay his head back down, shifting into a more comfortable position - he found it easy on the old, soft rug. Despite the scare not long ago, it was not long after he closed his eyes that he felt the hand of sleep pulling him down. He let it take hold of him, and before too long he drifted down into oblivion. |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which Something is Kept | Chapter 7: In Which Something is Kept
Blueblood stirred gently in his sleep. He mumbled to himself, wordless sentences spoken to nopony. His legs twitches gently, and his brow creased. The prince was dreaming.
He was out in the field around his master's house. A iron collar was strapped around his neck, weighing his head down. He walked aimlessly around the field, pulling out weeds. His master watched him from high above on his balcony, stretching up into the sky until Blueblood could no longer see the top. Occasionally he would shout down commands, demanding that Blueblood do some inane task or another. Sometimes he was told that he had missed weeds. Other times he was told to dance for his master's amusement. Once he was simply ordered to hold still, and a small glass of water fell down from the great tower and struck him in the head. It didn't matter what it was; no matter what the command, no matter how humiliating or degrading, Blueblood did as he was told. New weeds always sprouted up whenever he pulled one, his master always had new demands. The weeds stained his fur, colouring it a deep crimson. After working for ages, his entire coat was red. Still he worked, pulling up every weed he could find, obeying every command. The collar wore him down, and his body ached, but he worked. He would work forever.
On the corners of his vision, a figure stood. He couldn't make out the details of it. It stood stock straight and tall and was so white that it shone, even amongst the fur-staining weeds. Whenever Blueblood turned to look at it, it darted away. But it was always there, staring at him.
Blueblood continued to work, and the weeds grew higher around him. Their stems stretched into the air, reaching past his head. All he could see was a swaying world of plants. He pushed through them, blundering blindly for his masters tower, but he could not find it. Then, he saw a movement in the weeds. He headed for it, thinking it might be his master with another order for him. The weeds parted, and Blueblood saw that it was not his master, but the figure that had been watching him.
The figure was a stallion; a tall, proud unicorn with a pale blond mane. His features seemed twisted and distorted, as if he were melting. It peered at him strangely, an enormous, cruel grin plastered across its face. It spoke at him, but it didn't speak in words. All that came out of its throat were garbled noises, like a cooing mother, mixed with arrogant laughter, and crying. Blueblood found he could understand it, though.
What are you? It seemed to say, leaning in to look at Blueblood. Blueblood tried to answer, but the collar was tight around his throat, keeping him from speaking. The figure jiggled, like it was laughing, and leaned in again, tilting its head. Its grin widened, becoming impossibly large.
You aren't better than me, it said. It seemed to laugh again, and took a step toward Blueblood. He stepped back, but the figure followed him. You aren't better than me, it repeated. Its face was almost pressing against Blueblood's. He started to shake, and he turned and ran.
The figure pursued him through the weeds, calling that same garbled message after him. You aren't better than me! It seemed to laugh as it chased him. Blueblood looked over his shoulder at it. It was only walking, but it was managing to keep pace. It twisted its head left and right, and its smug smile stretched off its face. You can't leave me, it called out, I'll catch up to you! Blueblood squeezed his eyes shut, and kept running.
The field of weeds kept growing higher and higher. It seemed to stretch on forever as Blueblood pushed the plants down to run. The iron collar weighed him down, threatening to pull him down onto the ground. It seemed to get heavier with every step that he took. He stumbled through the weeds as the figured slung taunts and jeers at him. Suddenly, the weeds fell away. For a moment, Blueblood was relieved - until he realized that he had run over the bank of the river.
He plunged into the water, dragged down by the collar. He struggled against it, but it wouldn't come off. He was starting to run out of breath, air leaking out of his lungs as he fell deeper and deeper into the bottomless river. Its blue-green waters were getting darker, until there was nothing but blackness - except for the figure.
It had followed him into the river, becoming nebulous in the water. Even down here it shone. Its body stretched out in all directions, but that grin was still there in the centre. Even underwater, it spoke to him.
I'll catch up to you, it said. A long, spindly limb stretched out from its centre, reaching for Blueblood. It stretched, longer and longer, longer than any limb should ever be. You can't leave me, it said again. Its voice terrified Blueblood, and he tried to swim deeper into the river to escape it. It followed after him, its single limb stretching after him.
Blueblood's lungs were empty now, but he still swam further down. His legs were turning to stone, and he couldn't swim any longer. He twisted around, and saw the figure still stretching after him. It was almost upon him now, nothing but a sick, twisted grin, and a hoof reaching out to grab him. Blueblood trembled in the deep as the hoof took hold of his shoulder. It washed over him, oozing across his body like taffy. He wanted to cry out, but he couldn't speak. The figure washed over him, completely covering his body, and pulling him in. It wrapped itself around him, and the world went black.
Then, it was awash with light. Blueblood stood in a brilliant white world. Behind him was a golden throne fit for a god, inlaid with jewels and plush cushions. Ponies were chained to it, despondent and weak. The throne was at the top of a gigantic staircase, that seemed to stretch into the clouds below. There was nothing below them, save for white. From that same white great marble pillars erupted, framing the scene before Blueblood.
Crowds of ponies stood before Blueblood, prostrating themselves. A voice rang out over them, made of those same laughs and cries that the figure spoke in. This time, to his surprise, Blueblood recognized the voice as his own. He didn't mean to, but he was speaking.
None of you are good enough, he said to the ponies before him. I am greater than all of you. You shall all serve me. You shall serve my whims, and what you say means nothing.
He felt his head turn, once again without his volition, surveying all of the ponies. There were Earth ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns before him. None of them mixed; they were all grouped together. He swung his hoof at the pegasi, and demanded the dance for him. They did so, and he heard himself laugh. Then he swung his hoof at the earth ponies. He didn't command them, instead simply berating them. He called them weak, and worthless. Then, he turned to the unicorns, and he saw that not all of the ponies were separated. In the centre of the unicorns there was a single crimson earth pony. Blueblood walked towards the earth pony, cowering amongst the unicorns at the edge of the staircase. As he approached, Blueblood saw that the red pony was wearing an iron collar, and was dripping wet. He stood before the red earth pony. He stood before himself, cowering on the floor.
The red Blueblood looked up at him, fear clear in his wide eyes. Blueblood looked into them, and he saw himself. A white unicorn, horribly twisted and distorted. The only clear feature was his grin - arrogant, cruel and petty. He tried to stop himself, but he raised his hoof, and put it against the red Blueblood's forehead, right where his horn had been.
You are not better than me, he said, and pushed. The red Blueblood tumbled down the stairs, falling endlessly.
Blueblood's eyes snapped open.
As always, he felt that same painful awareness. By now he was able to ignore it though, and he lifted his head slowly, peering sleepily around the room. Light spilled through the window, falling across Blueblood's blanket in a broad line. Looking over his shoulder at the window, Blueblood confirmed what he had known the moment he awoke: his master was gone.
Blueblood stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He noticed that the door to the balcony was opened just a crack, and he nudged it open further. Poking his head through, he found his master, leaning over the banister and staring out over the river.
It was a beautiful scene. The river gleamed in the morning light; its glare hurt Blueblood's eyes a bit, but he kept on looking. The light seemed to bounce all across the field, casting everything in a brilliant, clean white. In spite of the wilderness, or perhaps because of it, the world seemed pure. Blueblood walked out further onto the balcony, and his master looked over his shoulder.
"Morning, Red," he said simply, turning back to the scene. "You came to join me?" Blueblood lowered his head, and took another shuffling step forward.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"What for this time?" Brook asked. Blueblood looked down, pawing at the floor nervously.
"Sorry," he said, "for waking up late."
"It's hardly late," Brook said dismissively. "Sun only came up an hour ago. Plenty of time left in the day."
"But," Blueblood said again, "If you wanted to, you could have woken me..." Brook was silent.
"Come here, Red," he said. Blueblood did as he was told, walking up beside the old unicorn. Brook didn't look at him, still staring out over the field. Blueblood sat beside him, following his gaze. Occasionally he would look back at his master, who still remained silent. Once again, he wore that curious, empty expression.
"I could have woken you," Brook said finally, "but I didn't." Blueblood blinked at him, expecting more, but the old unicorn had returned to staring. Blueblood stared too. He looked out over the river, over the forest in the distance, but he didn't really see. His mind was returning to his dream. Though the field bore only the vaguest resemblance to the one he had seen while he slept, it still reminded him of it. It reminded him of that strange white figure, grinning at him amidst the weeds. He shook his head, chasing the frightening thoughts away, and his master spoke again.
"It's good you slept in," he said, getting off of the banister. "There's a lot of work to do. You'll need the energy. Let's get breakfast." Blueblood nodded, and Brook lead him back into the house and down the stairs. He pulled a pair of buckets connected by a rope out of a cupboard, and gave it to Blueblood. "Fill these in the river," he instructed, "then bring them back here." Blueblood nodded, and slung them around his neck.
He trotted out the door, and down to the river. He hadn't been close to it before, but now that he was he saw that it was nothing like the river that flowed through the mainland. While that had been deep, and dark, this river seemed almost crystal clear in comparison. Its waters had a faint aqua hue, but he could clearly see the river bed, even in the middle. He took a few steps into the river, and watched the sand kick up in a cloud around his hooves.
He had expected the water to be chilly, but that was not the case. It was warm; nearly the perfect temperature. There were lakes and pools around Canterlot, but he had never gone swimming in any of them; Mountain water was much too cold for him. He stooped down, letting the buckets around his neck fall into the river and be filled up. When he tried to stand up straight again, however, he found that it was not so easy. The rope dug into his back, weighed down by the heavy buckets of water, and he made his way back to the house. He tried to walk steadily, but the weight of the buckets made his gaunt rough, and some of the water sloshed out of the buckets and onto him. They were still mostly full when he arrived back at the house, but not so full that anything spilled over.
"Bring them here," Brook called from one of the back rooms as Blueblood entered. He followed the voice and found his master in a small room containing a meager table, a few stools and a wood-burning stove, fire already burning. "Good," Brook said. "Pour one of the buckets into that pot."
Blueblood did as he was told, though not without some difficulty. It was hard to grip the bucket between two flat hooves and it often jostled in his grip, spilling water over the floor. He looked at his master shyly, who didn't seem to be paying attention, focusing instead on the state of the fire. Blueblood finished filling the pot soon enough, and Brook turned around. He nodded impassively at the reasonably-full pot, and gripped the handle in his mouth, setting it onto the stove. He opened a cupboard, pulling out a heavy sack. He looked between it and the pot for a moment, before sighing. His horn lit up slightly - if he hadn't been watching, Blueblood wouldn't have even seen it glow - and the sack lifted off the ground. It drifted effortlessly over the pot, and poured oats into the hot water. Brook put it back in its cupboard, and turned back to the pot.
"Come here, Red," he said idly. Blueblood joined him at the small stove, staring at the pot. "You know how to make oatmeal?" Brook asked. Blueblood shook his head.
"No, master," he said. Brook raised an eyebrow at him, but gestured toward the pot with his bad hoof.
"You'll learn," he said. "It's easy. Just boil the oats in water until it starts to thicken. Think you can managed that?" Blueblood nodded, and Brook did so as well. "Good," he said. "Then you'll do that every morning. Get two buckets of water from the river, and use one to make oatmeal."
"What's the other one for?" Blueblood asked.
"Washing up," Brook told him. He dipped his hooves in the second bucket, washing them in demonstration. He scrubbed his bad hoof carefully, gently rubbing the dirt out of it. Blueblood watched him for a moment, before the green unicorn nodded towards the stove. "Watch the meal," he said, "don't let it burn."
"Right," Blueblood said, turning back to the pot, "sorry." He watched the pot bubble on the stove, stirring it occasionally with a wooden spoon that Brook had given him. After a while the mixture started to turn into a sort of paste as the oats blended with the water, and Blueblood took the pot off the stove. He almost scalded his mouth, and he dropped it onto the table, splattering the oatmeal.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. Brook shrugged.
"There are bowls in the cupboard," he said, "and spoons. Get two out."
"R-right," Blueblood said, trotting over to the cupboard. He found the spoons and bowls as Brook had told him - oddly, there were more than two. There were five bowls and spoons, as well as five forks, knives, plates and cups. He found this odd, but ignored it, taking the bowls and spoons in his mouth and bringing them to the table. He set them down, and ladled the pastey oatmeal into them. He was about to sit down to eat, when Brook coughed.
"Was up," the old pony said. Blueblood grimaced, and walked to the bucket of water. He scrubbed his hooves, and returned to the table. Brook peered at his now-spotless hooves, and nodded. "Good," he said. "Go ahead and eat."
Brook took hold of the spoon in his good hoof. With a time-honed skill that Blueblood wouldn't have expected of the unicorn - or any unicorn, for that matter - he ate his breakfast. Blueblood tried to do the same, but he has not used to using utensils with hooves. He fumbled with the spoon, unable to keep hold of it without any digits. Eventually, he resorted to sticking his face into the bowl.
Just another thing to get used to, he told himself, probably better for a slave to eat like this anyways...
He tried to convince himself that he wasn't Blueblood once again, but in truth his heart wasn't really in it. His mind kept going back to his dream. He didn't understand why. It was just a dream, after all, but something about it bothered him. Maybe it was the figure's strange, oversized smile that made him uncomfortable, or the way it sucked him in. Maybe it was all those ponies that had bowed before the figure. Whatever it was, he had trouble focusing on anything else. It seemed to be autopilot that got him though his meal, as he was done before he knew it. His master wash finished as well, staring idly at him.
"Done?" he asked. Blueblood nodded slowly.
"Yes," he said. Brook nodded as well, and stood up from the table.
"Wash up," he said. "And wash the bowls and pots. Then meet me outside." Without waiting for a reply he limped past Blueblood, and out of the house. Blueblood did as he was told, washing the excess oatmeal off the bowls and his face, and then followed after his master.
Brook was standing around the side of the house, staring at the shed. Blueblood walked up slowly, and Brook peered over his shoulder at the white stallion.
"We need to get this shed opened, Red," he said. "I'll give you a hoof with the vines." He trotted up to the old structure and bit one of the vies surrounding it, tearing it off. Blueblood did the same, and he immediately had to wonder if Brook was a bit more than he seemed. The old unicorn seemed to be ripping the old plants off effortlessly, but Blueblood struggled to tear his vines. They eventually came loose in a single chunk, and Blueblood tumbled onto his back, the mass of plants still clutched in his mouth. Brook paused for a moment to stare at him, now draped in a net of vines.
"Can you get up?" he asked. Blueblood struggled under the vines, but eventually found his way upright.
"Y-yes," he said, his head low, "yes, sorry." he trotted back to the shed, shaking off one of the vines that had wrapped around his hoof, and returned to helping Brook.
With the one mass of vines gone, the rest of the job was much easier. The other weeds and plants tore off in Blueblood's mouth, and there were some where he had to do little more than bite down on them to tear them away. In the end the shed was bare, leaning dangerously to one side. Blueblood reached out gently, prodding open the door. The entire structure gaze a whining creak, and shuddered visibly. Blueblood grimaced, but pushed the door open more. For a moment, it seemed fine. The door swung cleanly on the hinges, nothing to stop or slow its path - except for the wall of the shed.
The door struck the inside wall, and the shed shuddered again. It leaned even further, and a loud groan was heard. Both Brook and Blueblood leaped back as the shed came crashing down, boards breaking and splintering. A few of the larger things in the shed stuck through the mass, but most of it was lost in a pile of old, rotted wood. Brook sighed, and Blueblood's head sunk.
"Sorry, master," he said. Brook prodded one of the planks, which splintered easily.
"It's not your fault," he said. "This shed was old. The vines held it up, but it wanted to fall." He shifted a few pieces of lumber around, and shook his head. "We'll need a new one," he said. "That means new wood."
"Would you like me to get some, master?" Blueblood asked. Brook shook his head.
"I'll take care of it," he said. "You need to get to work. First, clear all this. You need what's under there."
Blueblood stepped closer to the pile of wood, shoving the broken planks aside. It was easy, but there was a lot of wood to go through, it seemed. After a minute of shoveling, Brook told him to stop.
"There," he said, pointing a piece of metal sticking through the rubble. "That's what you need." His horn lit up, and the piece of metal started to rise through the rubble. As it rose, Blueblood saw that it was not a small tool like he had imagined. The metal formed a large, curved v shape coming to a sharp point in the front. It was connected to a pair of wooden bars with a heavy collar attached.
"What is it?" Blueblood asked. Brook held the device in mid-air, staring at his slave.
"You've never seen a plough before?" he asked. Blueblood looked between his master and the plow.
"No," he said slowly. Brook blinked at him, but didn't comment. Instead, he levitated the plough and walked around the house. Blueblood followed him, and the pair circled around to the patch of rough soil. Brook set the plough down, the metal v pointed into the ground. "Come here," he said without looking at Blueblood. Blueblood did as he was told and Brook took a hold of him. He steered the stallion in front of the plough, and dropped the collar around his neck.
"You use a plough to till the soil," Brook said. "Walk." Blueblood looked back at Brook, who stared at him expectantly. He gestured for Blueblood to move. The stallion nodded, and started to walk, only to stop dead when he reached the end of the rope connecting him to the plough. He tried again, pulling against the rope this time. The plough twitched, but the earth didn't give way. He looked back at Brook, who had raised an eyebrow at him. Despite this clue, the unicorn's expression was as indecipherable as ever. Blueblood looked forward again, and shook his head. He took a step back, then pushed forward as hard as he could. This time, he felt the plough behind him budge, just slightly. Encouraged by this meager success, he strained against the ropes. Little by little he felt the plough behind him shudder into life, dragging through the dirt. He grunted loudly, head down and heaving hard, and the plough started to move faster. Soon, he was able to take a step forward. Then another. Before long, he was trudging slowly through the field, the plough dragging behind him. Brook limped along beside him silently, watching him work. It took him a while - he wasn't sure how long exactly, though it felt like ages - but he eventually reached the far end of the small patch. He stopped, beaming at his master. Despite his heavy breathing, he was proud of what he had done, however meager. Blueblood wouldn't have been able to do that, he thought to himself, but Red had. Brook nodded to him.
"Good," he said. "That's one row done. "I'll turn it around for you."
"Why?" Blueblood asked. "How many are there left to do?" Brook levitated the plough out of the ground, setting it behind Blueblood once again.
"Fifteen should do," he said. "Maybe twenty." Blueblood stared at him blankly. Brook stared back for a moment, before nodding at the plough. "Well, get moving," he said. Blueblood fought the urge to sigh, and pulled against the ropes again.
It took hours, but Blueblood finally managed to plough the entire patch of land beside the house. The earth was soft and brown, squishing under the two ponies' hooves. Brook took the yoke off of Blueblood's neck, and the two ambled away from it. Blueblood's legs ached miserably, but he didn't say anything. He was stumbling a bit though, and it did not escape Brook's notice.
"Sit here," he said. Blueblood did as he was told, letting his weary legs rest. Brook sat beside him staring out at the river. The two were silent, save for Blueblood's occasional grunts as she shifted around to keep from hurting his legs. In the end he flopped onto his side, splaying his legs out across the grass. Brook peered sidelong at him, but his gaze soon returned to the river, not saying a word. Blueblood closed his eyes, feeling the breeze wash over him gently. The ache in his legs began to numb, and he felt it becoming difficult to open his eyes again. He could hear is master breathing rhythmically beside him. He felt peaceful. The midday sun warmed him, and he felt his mind lull softly.
Then, in a flash, he saw the figure from his dream again, his arrogant grin too wide for his face. Blueblood's eyes snapped open, and he jerked violently.
His master was still sitting beside him, but the sun seemed to have moved along in the sky. He blinked, looking around. He saw that the rubble of the shed had been cleared in the distance, piled neatly, and that there was an axe sitting beside Brook. He shied away from the axe for a moment, before realizing what had happened. He lowered his head ashamedly, and started to apologize.
"No sense in working you to death," Brook cut him off. "Everypony needs a break." Blueblood nodded silently. He was still ashamed that he had fallen asleep. He berated himself mentally.
That isn't good, he thought, It isn't what a good slave would do... it's something that Blueblood would do! And I'm not Blueblood... right? He shook his head softly, chasing his doubts away.
"What did you dream about?" Brook asked. Blueblood blinked at him. "You were twitching," Brook said by way of explanation, "what did you dream about?"
"I... don't know," Blueblood lied. "I don't remember." The grinning figure still made him uncomfortable; afraid, even. He didn't even want to remember it, much less talk about it. So he put it out of his mind, and stood up on shaky legs. Brook stood as well, gathering the axe with his bad hoof.
"We'll rebuild that shed," he said. "We need a place to keep the plough out of the rain."
"Alright." Blueblood nodded. Brook limped back to where the shed had been, Blueblood following along beside him.
"Some of the boards we can reuse," he said, gesturing to a pile of planks. Unlike the rest, old and rotted, these looked fresh. Blueblood pressed a hoof against one to test it. It felt sturdy enough. "Most," Brook continued, "are rotted through. I gathered more wood while you were out, we can cut planks out of those. The nails are all still good, we can use them."
"How do we start?" Blueblood asked. Brook levitated the axe, over to a small log that stood upright. The axe spun in mid-air, slamming into the log and shearing in half with a snap. One half of it fell away, but the axe spun around again before the second half could fall. The result was a thick plank of wood.
"You keep giving me logs," he said, "I'll cut them. I'll tell you when we've got enough." Blueblood nodded, and trotted to a stack of logs nearby. He grabbed one off the top, fumbling with it between his hooves. He eventually managed to set it upright, and Brook swiftly chopped a plank out of it. Blueblood grabbed the plank and put it aside, replacing it with another log. It was slow going at first; Blueblood had trouble grasping the logs between his hooves, and even more trouble setting them standing up. Brook never spoke, focusing on his work. The axe spun swiftly and precisely, hacking through the wood in an instant. It always cut along the grain of the wood, no matter which way Blueblood set the log.
Eventually, Blueblood began to pick up his pace. Through practice, he became more accustomed to working with his hooves. In all the time since he had lost his horn, he had never once tried to use them for any work. He tried not to think of the time when he had his horn - that was Blueblood's time, and no matter what he felt about it he would not be Blueblood any longer - but he knew that back then he had used his hooves even less, if that was possible. He had always prided himself on having manual dexterity above ordinary ponies. He had been proud of what his magic allowed him to do. Now, though, he had no magic to help him. As they neared the bottom of the pile of logs his hooves moved more dextrously. He and Brook had developed a rhythm; place, cut, move the plank. Though he still fumbled occasionally, Blueblood was able to place the logs almost as fast as Brook could cut them. He shoved another plank aside and reached for a new log, only the find that none found his grasp.
He turned around, looking at the place where the log pile had been. There was nothing there, save for a few pieces of logs that had been knocked over by Brook's axe. He looked to his other side, seeing the large stack of planks. Then he looked to Brook, who rested his axe on his shoulder. A slight smiled played across his lips - Blueblood thought it might have been the first he had ever seen from the unicorn.
"We've got enough now," he said. "Good work, Red." He put his axe on the ground, and took a plank in his band hoof. He limped to the round ground where the shed had been, and beckoned for Blueblood to come closer.
"The shed will have two layers," he said, "to keep it steady. The first thing we need to do is drive the planks into the ground." He set the edge of his plank on the ground, balancing it carefully, then put his weight on it. The plank sunk into the ground halfway, and Brook stepped off. "Set yours right up against mine," he said. Blueblood grabbed a plank off the pile of old lumber, but Brook shook his head. "Those are too weak for the base," he said. "Take one of the new ones." Blueblood nodded, and took the new plank. He imitated Brook, driving his plank into the soft ground. Brook inspected it, and nodded.
"Good," he said. "Do that for about... ten planks." Blueblood did as he was told, driving the planks into the ground. When he was finished, his master instructed him in setting down the rest of the shed's perimeter. In the end, while it had no door to speak of, it seemed like it would be a good-sized shed. Brook took another plank and set it along the ground, inside the perimeter. He drove a pair of nails through it, connecting it to the outside plank.
"You line these up," he said, "and I'll nail them together. You can use the old planks now." Blueblood nodded. One by one he set the planks up, and Brook nailed them together. They started to build up, higher and higher.
As they gradually reached up, someone began to bother Blueblood. "Master?" he said slowly. Brook looked around the half-built shed at him, a pair of nails hanging in mid-air.
"Yes?" he asked shortly. Blueblood lowered his head.
"Well," he said quietly, "I just... why are we using the old wood?" Brook blinked at him.
"The wood is good," he said. "Why wouldn't we?"
"Because," Blueblood said, shrinking away. "The old shed broke. The wood... it can't be any good, if it broke, right? That's why were making a new one. The old one was bad, so we need a new one." Brook stared at him for a while. While they had been working a sort of life had come over his face, if only just. It was draining away now, though, and his face returned to that strange, impassive expression as he regarded the slave. Eventually, he spoke.
"The shed was broken," he said. "But the wood is still good."
"But it broke," Blueblood said again. "Isn't that what you do with broken things? Replace them?"
"Sometimes," Brook conceded, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Not always. Just because something is broken, doesn't mean it's worthless. No matter how badly something is broken, there's always something worth saving." He circled around the shed, and told Blueblood to hold out his hoof. He put the nails on the stallions hoof.
"See those?" he asked. "Those came from this shed too. But they're still good. No rust, and plenty strong. You see? Even though the shed was broken, there are still parts of it that can be salvaged. You don't have to through out the whole thing."
Blueblood stared at the nails in his hoof. Brook nodded at him, and said. "Always remember. Nothing is ever to broken to save. No matter how bad it is, you never just replace something."
The words hit Blueblood like a punch in the stomach. He sat down, still staring at the nails in his hoof. He didn't understand what he felt, or why he was feeling it. All he knew was that he felt. He felt an intense tightness in his chest, like worry. He felt somehow empty, like there was something that was missing. He didn't know what it was, though.
Maybe I miss home? He thought idly. He blinked and shook his head. No! He thought, I can't miss home! I am home! I have no other home! I'm not Blueblood! Not anymore! Never again! He shook his head, and he began to tremble slightly. For some reason, some reason he couldn't understand, he remembered the figure from his dream.
"Red," Brook said, shaking Blueblood from his daydreams. The white stallion blinked at his master, who was levitating another pair of nails. "Let's get back to work. I want this shed done tonight."
"R-right," Blueblood said. He tucked the nails into his mane, and joined Brook in working. ***
Blueblood was silent for the rest of the night. He and Brook finished building the shed without incident and moved the plough inside, as well as a few other tools. It seemed that they finished just in time; clouds began to form overhead as the sun set, and the two stallions barely made it inside before the downpour began. Blueblood cooked a meager meal at Brook's instruction, and then returned to the bedroom. Brook did little to stop him; he spoke just as little as his slave that evening. Blueblood didn't know when exactly Brook went to bed himself; he had fallen asleep long before. All he knew is that when his eyes opened blearily, Brook was still sleeping.
The old pony snored gently on his mattress, face towards the door. Blueblood crept downstairs, careful not to wake him, and got ready to make breakfast.
Blueblood's sleep had not been a restful one. He had been plagued by visions - not proper dreams or nightmares, just images. Snatches of sounds, and pictures. Among them the figure from his dream the previous night featured prominently - staring, staring at him with that its enormous, twisted grin. It shook in that odd imitation of a laugh it had, and taunted Blueblood. You aren't better than me, it had said, over and over. Blueblood tried hard to shake the image out of his mind, and set about his work.
After he finished preparing the oatmeal, Blueblood crept back upstairs and woke his master. The pair ate their meal in silence, as they had done the evening before. When they were done, Brook took him outside again. He brought him around the back of the house, and spoke.
"You're going to plough this," he said. Blueblood looked at him, and Brook waved his bad hoof at the land. "The small plot of land you ploughed yesterday is enough to feed me, for a while," he continued. "But not for you. So you're going to plough enough land to keep us both fed for the whole year."
"How much land is that?" Blueblood asked quietly. Brook waved his hoof again.
"From the back of my house to that stump should do," he said. He gestured to the gigantic stump Blueblood had seen when he first came to the house, sitting at almost the size of a pony. It was a long ways away from the house; the resulting plot would be several times the size of the small farm he had ploughed yesterday."
"Y-you want me to do it today?" he asked slowly, peering at his master. Brook didn't look back at him, but shook his head gently.
"No," he said. "You'll work until your done. That won't be done today." He left Blueblood staring at the land, and went to the shed. He returned carrying the plough above his head, and set it down behind his slave. Once again he slipped the yoke over Blueblood's neck, and nodded to him. "Get to work," he said. "I'll be on the balcony if you need me."
"Right," Blueblood said, but Brook had already left. Blueblood watched him limp away for a while, before he turned to his work.
As he had the previous day he threw himself against the ropes that connected him to the plough. It was much harder to drag the plough through solid ground, though. He tugged and strained for a long time, but the plough finally started to trail after him. It cut through the thick, wet ground, slowly following behind Blueblood. As he strained, he found his mind wandering. There was little for him to focus on as he pulled the steel wedge through the ground, so all he could do was think. Once again the figure from his dream was on his mind. He didn't understand it. He didn't know what it was, or why he was so afraid of it. He didn't understand the things that it said to him. He tried to write them off as just the simple ramblings of the subconscious, but he couldn't shake the cold, empty feeling that he had when he thought of what it said. You aren't better than me. You can't leave me. I will catch up to you. He shuddered and pulled harder, his head down.
Try as he might, though, he couldn't escape the cold feeling in his gut. He thought of what Brook had said to him when they were building the shed, but that just made him feel worse. It made him feel sick. Worst of all, it made him think of Canterlot.
If anything was worth keeping, it was his memories of home. He thought about his family - about his auntie Celestia, who used to fly him over the city when he was a foal, and sneak him cookies when she thought his mother wasn't looking. He thought about auntie Luna, and how he had tried to talk to her when she came home, but she had never liked to speak to him. He thought of his mother, and his heart ached. He remembered returning to her after a long day with his tutors when he was little, worming his way into her warm embrace and sitting there. He remembered playing with her in the palace's courtyard. The sick, empty feeling in his chest only got worse the more he thought of her.
"It doesn't matter," he said aloud, "It doesn't matter anymore. It's better this way." He squeezed his eyes shut, and pushed as hard as he could with the plough. "Equestria can have a better prince now," he told himself, "and I can be a good slave. I don't have to be Blueblood. I'm not Blueblood! I'm not! I'm not!" He threw all his weight against the ropes, practically running with the plough behind him. He told himself, over and over, that he was Red. He told himself that he was not Blueblood. He couldn't handle being Blueblood, couldn't handle all that Blueblood had done. He didn't want the guilt anymore, he didn't want to be worthless. So he ran. He ran from his past. He ran, as much as he could, through the field, dragging the plough through the earth behind him. He didn't watch where he was going. Suddenly he felt the line behind him jerk and tumble, and he heard an awful, metallic scraping noise. The sudden shock threw him to the ground, and he felt the plough jump out of the earth. He had suffered a few scrapes from his tumble, but he was no worse for the wear. When he turned around, however, he saw that the same could not be said for the plough.
The metal wedge lay on its side on the field, thrown up by the enormous stump. It's edge had a great dent, and a gash ran along the left side, tearing the plough open. Blueblood stared at it, open-mouthed. Even he, with no knowledge of farming experience, could tell. The plough was broken.
"Oh, no," he moaned. He walked slowly over to the remains of the plough, and looked at it carefully. The wood was cracked, but not broken. The metal was fairly thin - he might be able to bend it back into place, he thought .After all, he had broken it in the first place. He pressed his hoof against the thin edge of metal that had been torn up, and pushed as hard as he could. It bent, just slightly, and he smiled weakly. He pushed again, trying to press it back into place. As he pressed though, the edge bit into his hoof.
"Ah!" he cried in pain, pulling his hoof back. A thin red line ran across it, a small trickle of blood coming out. He stared a the blood, and at the plough. "Gotta fix it," he concluded quietly, and started to push again. The metal bit into his hoof, cutting deeper, but he ignored the pain. He pushed against the torn metal, hammering it with his hoof and moving it back into place bit by bit. Soon, the edge had been pushed back down. The two edges still didn't meet, and there was still an ugly cut between them. Blueblood sat down, and moaned again. He felt like he was going to cry.
"Great," he said to himself. "Just great. This is another thing Blueblood screwed up!" He pounded on the plough, cursing the stallion he used to be.
"Worthless!" he cried. "Worthless! There's nothing good about him! I'm not him anymore! I'm not! I'm Red now, and this is why! He never did anything good, he just broke things, just like this!" He put his head in his hooves, still cursing himself. "Worthless," he whispered, "stupid, selfish, and worthless..." He heard a familiar shuffling gait, and looked up.
His master was trotting towards him across the field. Perhaps he had heard the commotion, or perhaps he simply wanted to check on Blueblood's progress. Either way, fear gripped Blueblood's heart. Brook would see what he had done to the plough, and he would be furious. He would probably beat Blueblood, or take his food away. He vaguely recalled the other slaves on the boat talking about what their masters had done to punish them, and his mind filled with all sort of elaborate terrors. Flogging, or cutting him with a knife, or throwing him down the stairs. Brook was a unicorn, and Blueblood would never be able to fight back against his magic. He could only imagine what the old pony had in store for him. He tensed up, visibly shaking as his master walked up to him.
"What happened?" Brook asked.
"I-I... I broke the plough," Blueblood said quietly. Brook inspected the tool, and looked at the trail it had left. It had sliced through the ground neatly, even cutting through some of the stumps roots. There had been a large rock trapped in the roots, though. The plough must have struck it, and been dragged along a hard edge as Blueblood ran past. Brook hummed, scratching the beard that ran along his chin.
"Hm," he said simply. "Hm." Blueblood shrunk away, shaking like a leaf. Brook took a step towards him, and the white unicorn cowered before his master.
"Please," he said weakly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... Please don't hurt me, master. I-I, I won't do it again, I'm so sorry, please..."
"Hush," Brook said softly. Blueblood squeezed his eyes shut as Brook reached out to him. Images of Iron flashed through his mind, and he quaked in terror. He tried to fight them down, telling himself that it wasn't Iron, and this had nothing to do with the earth pony. It was he, Red, who had made this mistake, and it was Brook who was going to punish him for it. It didn't help much, but he kept himself from crying out.
He felt the heavy yoke slip off his shoulders.
"How's your neck?" Brook asked. Blueblood slowly opened his eyes, and saw the old pony holding the yoke in his front hooves. "You must have fallen."
"W-what?" Blueblood asked slowly. Brook reached out, and Blueblood flinched away. The old pony put his bad hoof on Blueblood's neck, rubbing it gently.
"Are you hurt?" he asked. Blueblood stared at him. The old soldier looked almost concerned. Blueblood didn't understand what he meant.
"I..." he said, "I'm fine. I'm not hurt."
"Good," Brook said. He turned back to the plough, and Blueblood slowly stood up.
"Master... I'm sorry," he repeated. Brook didn't look at him.
"It's alright," he said. "It wasn't personal. It was an accident."
"But... I broke the plough," he said, "It's the only one we have..."
"It's not so bad," Brook said, still not looking at the stallion, "It'll be fine." Blueblood blinked at him. He didn't - couldn't - understand what the old pony was talking about.
"It's... broken," Blueblood said. "We need a new one."
"Who says?" Brook asked. He almost seemed to laugh. He turned around, facing his slave. "This one is fine."
"But it's broken," Blueblood said again. "We can't use it. It won't work."
"Yes, I know. You've said that." Brook looked between the plough and the slave, and told him. "We can fix it."
"But, it's so badly broken," he said, "It's torn open."
"Didn't I tell you, Red?" Brook asked. "Nothing is ever too broken. Something can always be salvaged." The words hit Blueblood every bit as hard as they had the last night.
"But how!?" he objected. "Look at it! How can we fix that?"
"It won't be easy," Brook conceded.
"Then why bother?" Blueblood cried. "Why not just replace it? Or, or, if we want to salvage it, just melt it down and start again?" Brook looked at him a bit sadly, and shook his head. He was silent for a while, but eventually he spoke.
"This is different from a shed, Red," he said. "A shed is just wood. You can get wood anywhere. Some things are harder to come by. Here, look at this." He turned around, beckoning Blueblood to take a closer look at the busted plough. "What do you see here, Red?" Blueblood looked between the plough and Brook, the sick feeling rising in his stomach.
"I see..." he said, "I see a broken plough. It's got a gouge in it. It's worthless."
"That's wrong," Brook told him. "It's broken, yes. But it isn't worthless. Everything has worth. The metal is still good. The wood is still strong."
"But why is it so important to fix it? If the metal is still good, why not just smelt it into another? Why can't we just start over?"
"Starting over takes a long time," Brook said. "We'd have to melt the metal, then forge it again. Some things don't just come along every day."
"But... but..." Blueblood felt his chest begin to ache, without knowing why. Brook continued speaking, rubbing his hoof over the old metal.
"I'm not saying it will be easier," he told the stallion. "It won't be. It'll take a lot of work to fix it. But it's worth it."
"How?" Blueblood asked. "How is it worth it? What's so special about it that we can't just start over?"
"It's one of those things you can't make easily. Those things are the most important to take care of. Even when they're are broken, they're still worth a lot. All their parts, everything somepony went through to make them. We have to make sure they last. By repairing them, and with a bit of help, we can even make them better than they were before." Blueblood swallowed hard. He felt like someone had out his gut, and replaced it with ice.
"Those things are the most important things of all," Brook said quietly. "So we can't just make another one. It won't be the same... things like ploughs. Things like books, and houses... and ponies."
"What?" Blueblood asked, blinking. Brook didn't look at him. He just kept running his bad hoof across the plough, back and forth.
"A plough is like a pony. Even when a pony is broken, you can't just throw it out. We have to try to fix it. It's worth a lot, even then. No matter how bad it seems, a pony is never worthless, Red." Blueblood just stared. He swallowed hard.
"Why?" he asked. "Why are you telling me this?" Brook sighed.
"I don't know what happened to you, Red," he said. He looked away from the stallion, and paused for a moment. "I don't expect you tell me. But you were broken, weren't you?"
"I-I..." Blueblood said. He wanted desperately to lie, and say that he was alright. But he couldn't. Not anymore. "I was."
"It doesn't matter how badly broken a pony is," Brook said. "You can't just be a new pony. I know you want to sometimes, Red. I know... but you can't. You just have to deal with being broken."
Blueblood had begun to shake again. He was terrified, but it was a new kind of fear, one he didn't understand. "I... no!" he said. "I'm not broken! I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with me!" Brook didn't turn around, but he shook his head. Blueblood spoke again, trying to convince him. "I was broken before, but I'm not anymore! Blue... the old me, he was broken! But Red isn't broken! Red is fine! I started over, I can do it! There's no reason why I can't, I'm doing fine." A strange sort of pain wracked through his body. His heart hollow, and cold. This time, Brook turned around. There was even less of a hint of an expression on his face than usual.
"You are who you are, Red," he said. "No amount of wishing can change that. You're still broken."
"No I'm not!" Blueblood screamed. "I'm not broken! I'm fine! I'm better now! He... He was stupid! He was stupid, and he was selfish, but I'm not! I'm good! I can be a good slave, I can do what you tell me to! I can follow orders, I can make you happy! Please, please just let me be a good slave!" he begged. The pain was intense, and incredible. His chest felt as if somepony was trying to rip him apart from the inside out. "I won't be stupid anymore, or selfish, or, or worthless, I promise! I won't be worthless anymore." He shouted miserably, repeating himself. "I don't want to be worthless!"
"You aren't," Brook said quietly. "You are worth something."
"I don't want to be the old me," Blueblood whimpered, "I don't want to..."
"I know, Red." Brook sighed, and put his bad hoof on the stallion's shoulder. "I know it hurts. But you have to accept it. You're broken. You're bad. But remember. No matter what you did, you will never be worthless. And there will always be something worth saving. That's why you can't start over. No matter how much you want to." He closed his eyes, and turned away. Blueblood still lay on the ground, sobbing. The image of the figure from his dream came again. He couldn't leave it. It caught up to him.
He's...he's right," Blueblood realized I never changed. I was never a new pony. Just the same stupid, selfish Blueblood. The same idiot pony, just trying to hide from how awful I was. Gods... I couldn't even take responsibility for how bad I am... He looked up into his master's empty expression sadly. The pain had passed now, but he still felt hollow.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "You're right. I... I'm broken. I'm stupid, and selfish, and I'm broken." Brook nodded slowly.
"Head inside," he said. "You'll be cleaning the house until I've fixed the plow."
"Okay," Blueblood said quietly. He stood slowly, and walked past his master. He looked over his shoulder once, but the old pony hadn't moved at all. He had sat down, and seemed to be staring into space. Blueblood turned back, and headed inside.
I'm still the same Blueblood, he thought sadly, Still stupid. Still selfish. Still broken. |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which a Crime is Remembered | Chapter 8: In Which A Crime is Remembered
It was raining.
It had been raining for nearly a week straight, all throughout the peninsula. Most ponies were able to go about their ordinary days regardless; rain was simply what happened in Aloa in the springtime. Farmers still tended to their fields, unicorns in the cities still walked to their jobs, or to do their errands. Some of them pulled their wrappings up over their heads into a hood, others let the cool water drizzle down their face and neck. None of them gave any ill regard to the weather. As far they were concerned, this was all ordinary. Even the rare unicorn who didn't care for the rain knew that at least they had a nice, warm house waiting for them when they got out of the rain.
One pony, far away from any city, considered this wryly. He had a yellow coat, partly covered by his blue-green wrappings. They wound around his body, covering his limp blue mane like a hood. He sat, perched on a log, shivering miserably and staring through a gap in the trees. His name was Wet Mane, and he was not a happy pony.
A week ago he and his partner, who now slept nearby, had been sent out into the middle of the woods to watch over two ponies. They couldn't let the ponies know that they were there which meant that they couldn't set up a proper camp for the risk of being seen. They couldn't even build a fire; the smoke would give them away in an instant. So Wet sat on his log, scowling out from between the trees. Beside him, his partner rolled over, and opened his eyes.
"Morning, Brig," Wet said. Brig, a tough-looking brown unicorn, sat up. His blanket fell off of him, and he immediately began to shiver as well.
"Cripes!" he said, wrapping the blanket around him. "Yeah, good morning to you too." Wet smiled wryly.
"I didn't say it was good," he remarked. Brig snorted in response. He got to his hooves slowly, being careful to keep the blanket wrapped around him, and walked to a tree nearby. There were seven scratches etched into the tree, marked clearly against the rough bark. Brig yawned, and dragged his horn along the tree trunk. He etched another mark into it, bringing the count to 8, then went to join Wet on his log.
"Anything happen?" he asked.
"Guess," Wet said. "They haven't gone outside since he broke the plough. They've both been in there since the rain started. Like any sane pony would be."
"If any sane pony would be inside," Brig asked, "why are we sitting out here?" Wet blinked at him a few times.
"I'm gonna say," he said slowly, "not wanting to die?" Brig mulled this over, then shrugged.
"I suppose," he said, "I think we're still crazy either way. I'm too tired to care right now."
"You're tired?" Wet asked, chuckling humourlessly. "You were just sleeping."
"Not for an hour, I wasn't," Brig laughed, "I was trying to get back to sleep, and not listen to your teeth chatter."
"Oh, well I'm sorry I woke you up then, your majesty," Wet mocked. Brig snorted, and punched him in the shoulder. Wet rubbed himself, and continued. "Anyways, it's just as well. It's about mid-morning now."
"Is it?" Brig asked. Wet nodded. Brig shivered again, and pulled the blanket tighter around him. "Cripes," he said, "this is all crazy. Why the heck are we sitting out here on our flanks, soaking up the rain and watching some princeling do nothing all day?"
"Because we don't want to die, remember?" Wet said. Brig paused, and grunted.
"Oh yeah," he said, "right. Speaking of not wanting to die, what's White Brook up to?" Wet shrugged, and strained his eyes to look through the trees.
"Same as ever," he said. "He's just... standing out there."
"He's just standing?"
"Yup."
"What... is he practicing or something? Keeping the rain from hitting him?" Wet shrugged.
"Nope," he said. "He's not using magic at all. He's just standing out in the rain, staring." He and Brig shared a glance, before shrugging.
"Well, at least he's not staring at us," Wet said. Brig nodded in agreement. The two unicorns continued to stare through the gap in the trees at the house in the field. Brook stood on his balcony, heedless of the rain. He seemed to be staring a million miles away, out over the river and the forest beyond. The two soldiers wondered what he was doing, what he was thinking about. Brig thought that perhaps he was trying to keep his mind keen and sharp through meditation. Wet imagined that he might be reliving his great adventures, pining for his youth. Whatever he was doing, they both thanked the heavens that his focus was squarely away from them. Between Iron and White Brook, neither stallion could decide who's wrath they would less like to be on the receiving end of.
The rain was only falling harder now. An enormous raindrop fell from a leaf above Wet's head, dropping squarely onto his nose and splashing his his face. He stared miserably at the wet patch on his face, and found himself laughing in spite of their situation. Brig looked at him oddly, but Wet just kept on laughing. He couldn't not laugh. It was the only thing that kept him sane amidst all that had happened in the past few weeks.
He and Brig had been medium-level guards at the Aloan capital before all this. When they had been assigned as part of Ambassador Red letter's personal guard on his visit to Equestria they thought that is was going to be a holiday; lounging in the palace as honoured guests of one of the richest nations in the world while Letter was in the meetings. Instead they had found themselves dragging the prince into a carriage, taking him to Aloa. Wet had nearly been sick when Iron forced them to hold the poor pony down so he could cut his horn off. Even now, the unicorn didn't like to think about it. Since then the pair had been dashing from city to city, following after the prince. It was exhausting, and what was it all for? To keep some psychotic earth pony at bay. There were times when Wet felt guilty about it all. In the end, he was only chasing after the colt for his own safety, but that's what all the soldiers were doing. Each one of the ten guards were terrified that they would be the one to finally send Iron over the deep end. But what could they do? Wet stopped laughing, and looked at Brig.
"You know," he said, shivering, "I don't think my name has ever been more appropriate than it is right now." Brig chuckled, and he opened up his blanket, offering half of it to Wet. The yellow unicorn scooted in gratefully, and the two wrapped the wet blanket tightly around them. It didn't help much, but at least it was something. Wet sighed, and chuckled again.
"Hey Brig?" he asked.
"Yeah?" his partner asked.
"Have you ever been much of a betting pony?" Brig glanced at him. The chocolate-coloured pony had been partners with Wet for a long time, but he still had troubles deciphering what Wet was thinking sometimes. Wet was younger than he was, and he had always had an energy to him. Wet was always thinking about their orders. He always thought about everything; about the orders given, about how to carry them out, about what the result would be. Brig preferred simplicity in his career; take orders and follow them. Despite this he had to admit that Wet's method worked well for him. So well, in fact, that it had begun to rub off on Brig. More and more often he found himself wondering after his superior's motives - especially lately. He didn't like the way Letter and Iron talked. He didn't like Iron acting like he was the one in charge, and he especially didn't like that it seemed to be the case. Iron was unstable, that much was clear. Taking orders from a pony like Iron made him nervous. He couldn't predict Iron at all. For all he knew the earth pony could go off at any moment, and that made him worry for his and Wet's safety. For once, Brig thought he knew what Wet had on his mind.
"Not really," he said. "If I'm going to be having things decided for me, I'd rather at least a pony be doing it."
"Yeah, me either," Wet agreed. "So I've been thinking. What are we doing gambling, then?"
"What do you mean?" Brig asked.
"I mean, we're playing the odds just by sitting out here. So why are we doing it?"
"Now hold on," Brig said, "I'm pretty sure we already had this conversation. Except I was the one asking why we're sitting out here."
"No, no," Wet said, waving his hooves. "This is different, hear me out here. If White Brook catches us out here, we're screwed. But if we got back to Iron with nothing, we're screwed, right?"
"Right," Brig conceded reluctantly. He didn't much like where this conversation was going. But then, he hadn't liked where most of this situation was heading. He, like his partner, could see the ordeal rapidly going south. But they were soldiers. They followed their orders; what else could they do?
"And I mean, it's just a matter of time, right?" Wet continued. "We can't just sit out here forever. Either we go back to Iron, or White Brook catches us. So we're basically betting that the prince does something before either of those things happen."
"I... guess so," Brig said.
"So why are we just sitting here?" Wet asked. Brig sighed.
"We're soldiers, Wet," he said.
"Yeah, I know," Wet said, "they give us orders and we follow them. But come on, Brig. We don't have any control here. You said it yourself - if something is going to happen, I'd rather it was a pony who decided it."
"Well, what are we supposed to do, Wet?" Brig asked. "I don't like this any more than you do, and you know that. But we have a duty to the Ambassador. It's not like we didn't know we'd risk our lives now and then."
"This isn't just risking our lives, Brig," Wet persisted. "This is practically suicide. Seriously, we shouldn't have to take this mission! Do we even know that this is what the King planned?"
"Well if it is, then we couldn't show our faces if we defected," Brig said. "This is our job, Wet. We're not just going to run off somewhere. And where would we even go? We're soldiers. Not much we can do without someone to give us orders."
"He's doing just fine," Wet said, gesturing to Brook. "Look, Brig. It's more than just the whole death on the line thing. You're right, I've been in more dangerous situations. It's just... none of this sits right with me. Seriously, this is huge. Why is there only ten of us on this? The entire kingdom should be in on this. We should be marching up to White Brook's door and telling him that his slave is a prisoner of the King."
"Do you want to give it a try?" Brig asked sourly. He looked over to Wet. The stallion had a clear expression of worry on his face.
"That isn't what I'm saying, Brig," he said. "We should be getting out of here. Cut and run. Iron isn't here, he isn't going to know."
"But we'll know, Wet," Brig sighed. "I don't like this either. But we're soldiers. Our duty is to Letter, and if he wants us to take orders from Iron, then our duty is to him too. We just have to deal with that... now come on. I don't want to talk about this any more... let's talk about something else."
Wet sighed. He would let it go - for now. He was about to make a joke about the weather, when he noticed that it was no longer raining over top of them - but only over top of them. The rain began to fall on them again, and the pair heard heavy wing beats landing behind them. They looked over their shoulders, gaping at what they saw.
"Oh no," the figure said, with a voice as clear and cold as ice. "We think you should keep talking about that. And We think you should very seriously consider what your friend has to say." ***
Blueblood knelt in a large room, just off to the side of the entrance to Brook's home. The furniture was shoved against the walls, allowing him to reach almost all of the wooden floor. Beside him was a bucket full of soapy water. He took hold of it, and splashed it across the floor.
Blueblood had spent the entire week cleaning the inside of Brook's home. The old pony hardly spoke to him, only doing so to give commands. A part of Blueblood worried that he had somehow offended his master, but he didn't think too much about it. He didn't think too much about anything. The white-maned stallion was running him ragged; he had spent almost a full day on each room in the house, and the house had a lot of rooms.
The first time Blueblood thought he had finished cleaning a room, Brook had seen it and immediately ordered him to do it over. It had taken some time, but the slave eventually managed to find out exactly what the silent pony wanted, mostly through trial-and-error. His master demanded perfection from him. The rooms were all immaculate; the wooden floors cleaned and polished, the walls washed spotless and the stains and dust washed out of the furniture. Blueblood's muscles ached from all the hard work, but he never complained. Not that he had much chance, even if he wanted to; Blueblood never saw his master most of the time. The unicorn would spend his days either staring at the river, or reading in his bedroom. He came to see Blueblood's progress at the end of the day, and would either approve or disapprove of the slave's work. Strangely, he never once went into his study to read. Blueblood had tried to enter to clean it, but it was made clear to him that this room, as well as another room on the main floor, were forbidden.
Blueblood gave a protracted sigh, and took up a well-worn cloth in his hooves. He pushed it through the puddles of water on the floor, scrubbing them clean. The wood was covered in years worth of dust and mud, and cleaning it wasn't easy. The stallion's shoulders ached and burned as he worked the cloth back and forth over a particularly stubborn stain, but the ache didn't matter. He felt it constantly now; a dull, hollow throbbing in the middle of his back. It felt as if somepony had taken something out of him. He felt exhausted almost constantly, now. He wasn't even sure if it was the work that was doing it to him anymore, or if the empty feeling was natural.
Just like the spoon and the axe, he had had trouble maneuvering the cloth with his hooves alone at first, but as with everything he slowly grew accustomed to it. He no longer fumbled with the rag, no longer tumbled off balance when he used his front hooves to work. Learning to work with his hooves was shaping up to be much easier than he had expected. Before long he would be almost as good as he had been with his magic, he told himself. Truth be told, he wouldn't have been much better with his magic, even if he could still use it. He had hardly had to clean himself before, let alone another pony's home.
He thought about this listlessly as he scrubbed, just how much his life had changed. He no longer tried to tell himself that he was different from before. That too was a surprisingly easy habit to drop. Now, in retrospect, he imagined he had never really believed that he could start over. No, this was no new life for him. This wasn't a chance to start over. This was his punishment, and he deserved it. That was the truth of his situation: some higher power had finally chosen to punish him for all the cruel deeds he had committed.
Blueblood sighed, and straightened up. His back snapped and popped as he did so, and he rolled his shoulders slowly. The room still had a long ways to go; most of the floor was still covered in grime and the walls were coated in dust. There was a small window facing the river as well, but the outside world was obscured from the inside.
The room seemed to be a den; there were a few chairs and sofas lining the walls, all of them dirty, worn and stained. On the west wall there was an old stone fireplace coated in ash, and every bit as dusty as the walls and floor. Blueblood looked around for a moment, thinking about where he would start. He decided to work his way towards the fireplace first, then work his way out from there as a way of keeping his bearings. Not that it was wholly necessary; he could clearly tell what parts of the floor he had and had not washed. He bent over again, setting his hooves on the rag and scrubbing his way westward.
Hours later, he had made a lot of progress with the room. The floor was spotless, as were the walls. He hadn't touched the fireplace, furniture or windows though. He would get started on them soon, after he had brought Brook his lunch. It was almost noon now, and Blueblood ambled out of the den and into the home's meager kitchen. He retrieved an old loaf of bread and a block of cheese from the cupboard, and took a pair of slices off of each; one thick slice, and one thin slice. He arranged the cheese slices on top of the bread, and set both on a platter. He carried the platter up the staircase, and knocked on his master's bedroom door.
"Come in," Brook said. Blueblood nudged open the door, and stepped inside.
Brook was laying on his bed, a large book laying open in front of him. His mane was still wet, and Blueblood guessed that he had only recently come inside to read. The old pony went out to stare at the river every morning, rain or shine. Sometimes Blueblood thought that he would have faced down a hurricane to watch the river. He could believe it, when he looked into his master's face. With the faraway eyes, and that same passive expression no matter what happened, Blueblood could see him walk into a storm without an ounce of fear. And he could see him winning. Brook was staring at him now, his head held straight up. It was intimidating, and Blueblood lowered his head under the unicorn's gaze. He trotted across the small room and set the platter on the edge of his bed.
"I brought you lunch, master," he said quietly. Brook nodded at him, and took the smaller slice of cheese and bread. Blueblood blinked at him, and noticed that he had a letter opened on top of his book. It looked like it had been delivered very recently.
"Eat up," Brook said. "You'll need your strength this afternoon. I want the room you're working on finished as fast as you can. I'd like to spend the evening in there."
"Yes, master," Blueblood said. He took his cheese and bread, biting into it. The food was certainly not as lavish as what he had eaten in Canterlot, but there was something about it that he liked. It wasn't delicious, but if Blueblood had known the word he might have called it "hearty". The cheese crumbled in his mouth, and the bread was soft and chewy. It, like all the food he had learned to prepare from Brook, was surprisingly filling. He and Brook took their lunch in silence, the old pony staring out the window into the rain. Blueblood looked away from him, trying to focus on his meal. When he was finished, he got to his hooves respectfully.
"Do you need anything else, master?" he asked. Brook shook his head, without looking at the slave.
"No," he said. "Go back downstairs and finish cleaning." Blueblood nodded, and took the platter. He trotted back downstairs and deposited the platter in the kitchen, washing off the crumbs. Then, he returned to cleaning.
The fireplace was difficult to clean. He tried to scoop the ash into a bucket, but it coated his hooves and spilled over the floor. He wiped his brow, leaving behind a thick black streak. He sighed sadly, knowing that he would need to wash himself later, along with the rest of the room and the dirt patch on the floor. He dragged the bucket full of ash outside and deposited it, returning to his work. With the bulk of the ash gone all that was left was to scrub the stone clean. This proved easy, aside from the soot shaking off and into his fur. Once this was done, he turned his attention to the furniture.
The chairs and sofas were wooden, with thick sacks of stuffing serving as cushions. Blueblood dragged the sacks off of their frames, and set them aside for a moment. He cleaned the wooden frames, then thumped the cushions with his hooves, shaking the dust out of them. Once he was done he returned them to their frames, and looked around, groaning. He had shaken enough dust out of the cushions to coat the floors again.
"Way to go," he mumbled to himself. He shook his head, and knelt down once more.
It was not long before the floor was clean again. Blueblood panted softly as he looked it over, rubbing his brow. He had worked his hardest, just like Brook had demanded. This room, if anything, was even cleaner than the others. The walls and floor were spotless; they almost gleamed in spite of the old wood. No amount of dust shaking would make the ancient furniture look new, Blueblood knew, but he had done the best he could without being able to wash them out. They would never have dried in time while it was raining outside, he had learned that lesson early on. There was a small chair in another room that was still a bit soggy.
The fireplace looked as good as new. There wasn't a hint of ash on the old stone - most of it having taken up residence in Blueblood's coat, turning him a light gray colour. The only thing that was left to clean was the grimy window.
Blueblood stared into it. The only thing that he could see was dust. He could barely tell that it was a window, in fact. He dragged the tip of his hoof across its face, taking a small pile of dust with it. At the very least, it left a line of clean window. It would be easy enough to wash. Blueblood dipped his hoof in his water bucket to clean it off, then took up the cloth. He splashed it against the window and dragged it across, laving a thick line of clear glass. He peered through it, and saw the river in the distance, obscured by the rain. He blinked once, and squinted. He thought that he saw something on the river, as well. It looked almost like a house seated atop a boat.
"Red," he heard Brook call from the stairs. "Is the room done?" Blueblood started, and scrubbed the rest of the window hastily.
"Y-yes master!" he called. Brook stepped into the room, and raised an eyebrow at him. Blueblood looked down, and it was only then that he realized just how dirty he had become. He looked ashamedly at his master, who shook his head.
"Come with me, Red," Brook said. Blueblood trotted out of the room after him, and followed his master outside. The rain was pouring as hard as ever, and it wasn't long until Blueblood's coat had been cleaned. The white pony spluttered in the downpour, but Brook didn't seem fazed by it.
"We have company," he said simply, walking straight ahead. As Blueblood followed after him, he saw that he had been correct about the river. A boat with a large shelter in the middle floated near the river bank, a large stallion standing out in the rain with a thick rope.
"Help him with that," Brook said. Blueblood nodded, and approached the stallion. Even up close it was difficult to make him out in the rain. Blueblood took hold of the rope in his mouth, and he thought he saw the figure nod to him gratefully. The two ponies strained with the cord, pulling the boat closer to the shore. The stallion levitated a heavy stake and planted it into the ground, before making a gesture Blueblood didn't understand. The unicorn shook his head after a short pause, and wrapped the rope around the stake, lashing it tight. He shouted something to Brook over the rain, and the old pony nodded. He flipped his head and his horn lit up. Another rope and stake floated off the deck of the ship, tying and planting themselves in the bank in half the time it had taken Blueblood and the strange stallion. He shouted something else, and Blueblood caught a snippet of it.
"...Soaked to the bone in all this!" Brook nodded, and leaned in to his slave.
"Go back inside!" he shouted. "Get something for us to dry off!" Blueblood nodded and dashed back into the house. He resisted the urge to shake himself dry as he stepped out of the rain, and trotted into a small storage room. One shelf was lined with old blankets that could be used as towels. He grabbed a bunch in his mouth, and dragged them backwards into the main room. He heard Brook limp inside, followed by several other pairs of hooves. Setting the blankets down, he turned and spoke quietly.
"I brought blankets, master, to -" He stopped dead, staring at the ponies before him. His legs began to tremble, and he found that he had to sit down. The hollow feeling in his back turned to a sharp pain, and for a moment he forgot to breathe.
Brook had stepped aside to let in his guests, all of whom were sopping wet from the rain. There, in the door of the house, stood 7 unicorns. There was the unicorn that Blueblood had helped bring in their home; a silvery-blue pony. Beside him stood a round, yellow-green mare with a sand-coloured colt hiding between her legs. There were a pair of young stallions and a pair of fillies with them as well. The mare blinked at him, until Brook spoke.
"To use as towels," the old pony said, finishing Blueblood's sentence for him. Blueblood remembered what he was doing, and turned around.
"Y-yes," he said past the lump in his throat. "I brought blankets. You can dry off with them." He took the blankets in his mouth again and dragged them closer, handing them out. He tried his best not to look at the ponies, but he found himself exchanging a glance with the mare. His stomach lurched, and he moved past her quickly. He could feel her staring at him, until her husband took gentle hold of her shoulders.
"Seagrass," he said, wrapping a blanket around her, "are you cold at all?"
"No," she said slowly. "No, I'm fine. Thank you, dear."
Blueblood had finished handing out the blankets, and he stepped back from the group. He hadn't brought a blanket for himself; he shivered gently along the wall of the room. In truth, he didn't know how much of it was shivering, and how much of it was nerves. Seeing this family again made him sick to his stomach. He stared at the floor, trying his best not to look at them, but he could feel Seagrass's eyes on him. She remembered him, he knew. The rest probably did as well. Remembered him insulting them.
"Here," Brook said, cutting through the awkward silence. "The den is clean. We can sit in there." He turned back to Blueblood, and said, "Red. Fetch some wood from the kitchen for a fire."
"Yes, master," Blueblood said, happy to have an excuse to get away from the family for a few moments. He trotted into the kitchen while Brook lead the family into the next room. There was a small pile of dried logs; Blueblood thought they would be just enough to build a meager fire in the fireplace. He gathered them all, balancing them on his back, and walked back to the den.
He moved as slowly as he could. If anypony had asked, he would say he didn't want to spill the logs. There was not far between the kitchen and the den, however, so he still made the trip in almost no time at all. He crept into the room, and saw the furniture gathered around the fireplace. Brook and the family had all wrapped themselves up in the blankets, and Blueblood's master looked over at him idly when he walked in.
"Ah," Brook said, "good. This will warm things up." He gestured for the salve to walk over to the fireplace, and stood as Blueblood approached. He took the logs off Blueblood's back, arranging them in the opening. When he was satisfied with their positioning, he took a step back. He paused for a moment before his horn lit up, and there was a small flash in the fireplace. Blueblood peered in, and he saw that his master had lit a small flame on one of the logs. The flame spread, and before too long there was a crackling fire in the pit. Brook took his seat once again, and Blueblood stepped away from the group, skirting the walls and looking down shyly.
"So, Brook," the silvery pony said. "What can we do for you? You've got to be short on something, all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. We might just be shipping something you need."
"Oh, I don't doubt it," Brook said, smiling faintly. "But it's raining outside, and I have company. I'd rather not think about business right now, thank you Seastone." The stallion laughed, and grinned at the old pony.
"Well, that's more than fair enough," he said. "So how have you been? It's been ages since we saw you last... things are a lot different here, aren't they?"
"Different," Brook mused, "different. A bit different, I suppose. It always is." Seastone nodded knowingly.
"How's the hoof?" he asked. Brook shrugged.
"Not terrible," he said. "But I'm not as young as I once was. I need... help, these days." His voice was quiet, and Seagrass looked over the old pony's shoulder. Brook turned around as well, peering at Blueblood. The white stallion looked up meekly, in case his master wanted something of him.
"I went in to town a while ago," he said. "This is Red."
"...Hello," Blueblood said softly. He had begun to shiver gently again. Seagrass looked at him softly.
"Hello, Red," she said. "You look cold. Are you alright?"
"Yes," Blueblood said, "I'll be fine... thank you, miss." He pawed at the ground uncomfortably, hoping that that would be the end of it, but the mare continued.
"Why don't you come sit over here by the fire?" she asked. "You're soaking yet. You didn't even get a towel for yourself. Come over here, colt." Reluctantly, Blueblood got to his hooves and crossed the room. He took a seat beside the small couch that Seagrass and Seastone sat on, sitting between it and the fireplace. He could feel the heat of the flames right now, and they helped a lot. He slowly stopped shivering as the heat permeated through him, but he still felt sick; worse, if anything.
"There, isn't that better?" Seagrass asked sweetly. Blueblood nodded.
"Yes," he lied. "Thank you." Seagrass looked at him for a moment longer, before turning back to Brook.
"Is he..." she asked, the unspoken question hanging in the air. Brook nodded.
"Yes," he said. "I found him in an auction house. I wasn't expecting much, but there he was. Very lucky." Seagrass didn't reply, instead looking at her husband. The stallion didn't say much either. There was silence for a while, before Brook spoke again.
"So," he asked, "how about you? How have you all been doing, hm?"
"Oh, we've been getting by," Seastone said, clearly grateful for the change of subject. "It's been a lot of the same old, you know. Back and forth, back and forth. We've had a chance to stop in to a couple of cities, though. Getting the kids out a bit more."
"Sounds like fun," Brook said, turning his attention to the couple's children. "So you lot have been out in the cities, eh? Getting into trouble?" The fillies giggled, and the little yellow colt shook his head vigorously.
"Nuh-uh, Uncle Brook," he said happily. "I've been making sure they stay safe! Papa asked me too."
"Did he now? Brook asked. Blueblood saw a smile creep across his master's face as he spoke to the colt. "And you've been listening to your papa?" he asked. The colt nodded again.
"Uh-huh! I followed after Seaweed and Rocky, to make sure they didn't get in to any trouble!" The young stallions rolled their eyes, and their parents chuckled warmly. Brook seemed to chuckle as well, though Blueblood couldn't be sure. It almost felt surreal to see the normally cold unicorn being kind to the family. It made Blueblood's back ache even worse. He was finding it hard to stay upright, now. He wanted to lay on the floor, but he kept himself from doing so, though his head drooped heavily.
"So what has you out in the cities?" Brook asked. "I thought you liked to stay with smaller folk, like me?"
"Oh, we do," Seastone said. "And we still ship to them. But somepony asked us to make a delivery to outer Ys a few weeks back, and ever since then we've been getting bigger and bigger loads! We've even taken a few passengers on, now and again. It's good Silver. We're thinking of expanding the home, you know." He chuckled shyly, and Brook smiled openly at him.
"Good for you," he said. "Moving up in the world. You know, I think this calls for a celebration. I don't get many reasons, these days." He gestured to Blueblood, who sat up.
"Red," Brook said. "I want you to go down to the cellar. There should be an old green bottle near the door. Bring that up, and fetch a few glasses as well.
"Yes, master," Blueblood said, getting to his hooves. He trotted out of the room, and it felt like a hand around his heart had relinquished its grip. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, despite the still-present ache in his back. He walked through one of the side hallways, which led to a dreary staircase carved out of the earth. Blueblood walked down it slowly, sighing dejectedly to himself again.
He took his time in the cellar. Not that it was difficult to take his time; in the pitch blackness of the cellar he had a difficult time finding the bottle Brook had pointed out to him. Even when he found it, though, he found himself sitting in the dark for a while longer. Sitting near to Seagrass and her family made him feel ill. There was always a painful tightness in his chest and stomach. It was a feeling that he was becoming more and more familiar with lately, but it still hurt. Especially when he saw her looking at him. There was a sort of sadness in her eyes that he couldn't make out. Was it pity, perhaps? Regret? Just thinking of what he saw in her eyes sent a stabbing cold pain in his guts. The rest of the family wasn't much better. Even the young stallions, who had seemed so rightfully disdainful of him the last time they had met, looked at him sadly. He climbed the stairs again, the dusty old bottle gripped in him mouth. He fetched the glasses from the kitchen, and headed back. As he padded slowly towards the den, he could hear them talking.
"Brook," Seagrass asked. "About Red. Is he... I mean..."
"Sweetie, we shouldn't," her husband cut in. They were both silent, then, and Blueblood heard his master sigh.
"She has every right, Seastone. It's not ideal. But I'm getting old... I can't do everything around here anymore. I needed help." Blueblood paused outside the room, as much out of a strange compulsion as choice.
"You could if you wanted," Seagrass said. "Is it really that hard for you?"
"Sometimes. Sometimes are better than others. But I could, if I needed too..."
"Then why? Or, why not hire a servant?" There was a long silence, before Brook spoke again.
"I don't always pull out that bottle to celebrate," he said. His voice was quiet, reserved. "But I haven't done it since he's been here." There was another silence, and he spoke with more of the confidence that Blueblood remembered. "He'd still be out there," he said. "I'm no noble, you both know that as well as anypony. This is good, though. He's a good slave. He works hard, he does what I ask, and he doesn't complain. I'm lucky to have him."
Blueblood swallowed hard, and stepped into the room, cutting the conversation off. The three grown ponies all looked at him, and he set down the bottle and glasses.
"Here you are, master," Blueblood said, taking a step back. Brook nodded, and opened the bottle. A thick, pungent smell filled the room, and Brook breathed deeply. He poured the drink, deep brown and clear, into the glasses, and Seagrass and Seastone each took one. The three ponies each took a glass - Seagrass and Seastone with their magic, and Brook holding it lightly in his hooves - and lifted them gracefully. Then, as one, they drank deeply.
"Thank you, Red," Seagrass said gently. The white stallion took a step backwards as he felt his heart tighten again, and he lowered his head.
"No," he said. "It's alright." He sat down, away from them again, and looked around.
He noticed that the children had left while he was in the cellar. In all likelihood they had gone off to play whatever game they had played while Blueblood was on the river with them. He climbed onto one of the couches carefully, watching Brook to see if the old pony had any objections, and settled in. The three ponies chatted idly, like old friends. Blueblood ignored them, for the most part. He felt more exhausted than usual, but he tried not to let it show. More than anything else in the world right now, he wanted to climb the stairs and settle onto the rug in his master's bedroom, but he knew he needed to stay in case Brook needed him. So he lay on the sofa, staring out the window.
The rain was only coming down harder now, pounding against the glass. It was so hard he couldn't tell if it was day or night anymore. The steady pounding of the water droplets against the glass provided a backdrop to his master's conversation, threatening to lull him to sleep. He set his head down, and tried to take his mind off of the creeping feelings that came from being around the family.
He focused on the sounds of the rain, and after a while little else got through to him. He lay with his eyes open, not seeing, not hearing, not comprehending. He didn't realize that the steady beat of the raindrops had been joined by little hoof-falls until he felt the couch jostle slightly. He blinked, and looked down.
Sandy, the little yellow colt, was leaning against the couch and staring up at him. "Hi," he said.
"Hello," Blueblood replied slowly. He glanced around the room, and saw that his master and Sandy's parents were watching the pair idly. Sandy, however, didn't notice.
"You work for Uncle Brook, don't you?" he asked. Blueblood rubbed his neck shyly.
"Yes," he said. "Sort of. He's my master, he... Is master really your uncle?" Sandy thought about this for a moment.
"I don't think so," he said finally, "'cause he's a lot older than mama and papa. But they always call him my uncle Brook anyways."
"I see," Blueblood said. He searched for something else to say, but couldn't find anything. Sandy continued to stare up at him, questions clearly running through his mind.
"How did you get out here?" the colt asked suddenly.
"I'm... sorry?" Blueblood asked.
"We gave you a ride, remember?" Sandy asked. "To Riverbank. You said you were going east. So how come you're out here?"
"I..." Blueblood said. The colt clearly didn't understand his situation, and he wasn't sure of what he could say to explain it, or if he even should. "I... It's sort of complicated," he said sadly. Sandy blinked at this, but moved on to his next question.
"I'm Sandy," the colt said. "Do you remember me?" Blueblood looked away from him as he continued. "Mama and Papa gave you a ride, and I talked to you." Blueblood felt his stomach twist painfully.
"Yes," he said. "I remember you." He remembered acting smug and haughty, and looking down on the curious little pony. He remembered insulting his family and his home, and spitting in the face of their generosity. He may as well have yanked on the colts tail, as far he he cared. Sandy, however, seemed oblivious to the treatment Blueblood had given him in their last meeting, and continued asking questions.
"Do you ever play with uncle Brook? He plays with me, sometimes."
"N-no," Blueblood said, looking carefully at his master. The old pony had regained his neutral expression, his eyes occasionally flicking to the pair as he tried to uphold a conversation with Sandy's parents.
"How come?" Sandy asked.
"Well... I work for the master. So... I guess I just always work. I don't really play..."
"That doesn't sound like fun," Sandy said. Blueblood put his head down.
"Maybe not," he said. "But it's... it's alright. I don't mind."
"But don't you ever play?" Sandy asked. "You can't have to work all the time - there can't be that many chores in the whole wide world! You aren't working right now."
"I have to stay close to master," Blueblood said, "so I can be there if he needs me for anything." Sandy dashed away from the couch suddenly, trotting over to the old crippled pony in his chair.
"Uncle Brook?" he asked, leaning up against the old pony's flank. Brook looked down at him, sipping from his drink.
"Hm?" he asked simply.
"Do you need Red right now?" the colt asked. Brook scratched his beard for a moment.
"No," he said, "I don't believe so. Why do you ask?"
"I wanna play with him!" Sandy said. His mother spoke up from the sofa.
"Sandy dear, can't you play with your brothers and sisters?"
"None of them wanna play with me," the colt said sadly. "Seaweed and Rocky are just talking, and the fillies are playing filly games." he stuck out his tongue, and his mother smiled.
"Well, alright," she said. "If Uncle Brook says it's alright for you to play with Red, then you can."
"Great!" Sandy said. He turned back to Brook and looked up at him pleadingly. Brook smiled faintly at him.
"You can play with him, Sandy. I don't think I'll need him tonight."
"What?" Blueblood asked. The yellow colt took hold of his hoof, trying to pull him off of the couch.
"Go play with him," Brook said. "I don't need you right now. I'll be fine without you around for a few hours."
"Uh, well," Blueblood said, getting down from the couch, "If you're sure, master..."
"I am," Brook said. "You could use a break. Go play with the colt, Red." Blueblood gulped, and did as his master commanded. Sandy beamed, and bounced out of the room, followed by a very reluctant Blueblood.
True, he was glad to be away from Seagrass's sad eyes, but something about the little colts enthusiasm and inability to recognize what was going on made it all the worse. Blueblood followed the colt as he bounded through the house, into another large room. It was one that Blueblood had cleaned a few days ago, but there wasn't anything in it. It, like many other rooms in the house, was completely bare. Sandy, it seemed, thought that this was the perfect room to play in. He turned on Blueblood, who sat down, and put his hooves up on the stallion's legs.
"What do you wanna play?" the colt asked.
"I, um," Blueblood said, unable to move lest he shake the colt. "I don't know. What do you like to play?"
"We could play a game my papa taught me, where we try to fool each other," Sandy said. "Or we could play prince and knight. I really like that game!"
"Okay," Blueblood said cautiously. "That doesn't sound bad. How do you play it?"
"I'll be the prince," Sandy said, "and you're my knight! You have to protect me from the bad things that try to hurt me. Unless you want to play the prince?"
"No," Blueblood said quickly, shaking his head. "No... you can be the prince. That's alright."
"Okay!" Sandy said happily. He trotted to the wall of the room where he sat, straight upright and looking as regal as a colt possibly could. "Come before your prince, Sir Knight," he said in his best princely tone. Blueblood approached him, and sat in front of the proudly-staring colt.
"Kneel, Sir Knight," Sandy commanded.
"Yes, Master," Blueblood said, kneeling. Sandy huffed at him.
"You're not supposed to call me master," he said. "You're supposed to call me 'my prince', okay?" Blueblood blinked.
"Oh," he said, "I'm sorry, um, My Prince."
"That's better, Sandy said. "You can stand now, Sir Knight." Blueblood did as he was told, standing up. Sandy rose as well. "Do you promise to protect me, Sir Knight?" he asked.
"I... do, My Prince," Blueblood said quietly.
"Do you promise to fight anypony who tries to hurt me, or any monsters?"
"I do," Blueblood said again, more sure this time. This felt more comfortable, to him. Being commanded by the colt, instead of praised. Sandy smiled at him.
"Then you can be my champion," he said, "and you can fight for me." Blueblood knelt again.
"Thank you, My Prince," he said.
"Stand, Sir Knight," Sandy said, and Blueblood stood. All of a sudden, a look of fear came over Sandy's face, and Blueblood looked over his shoulder. There was nopony, nothing in the room with them, but Sandy still pointed and looked afraid.
"Sir Knight!" he said urgently. "A kraken is attacking the castle! Fight it off!"
"What?" Blueblood asked, looking around."
"The kraken, Sir Knight! One of its tentacles are right behind you!" Blueblood looked around at the empty room, standing awkwardly. Sandy watched him, before huffing again.
"You're supposed to fight the kraken," he said sourly.
"But there's nothing there," Blueblood said. Sandy tilted his head at him.
"I know that! But you're supposed to pretend," he said. "You're no good at this." Blueblood lowered his head.
"I'm sorry," he said. Sandy patted his leg comfortingly.
"It's okay," the colt said. "I'll show you how." He got up on his hind legs, tottering unsteadily, and started to wobble away from Blueblood. "The kraken's got me!" he shouted. "Help me, Sir Knight! Use your sword!"
"My sword..." Blueblood said. He looked around himself awkwardly, Sandy still tottering away unsteadily. He set his head, and cantered over to the little colt. "I'll save you," he said, unsure of himself.
"Use your sword to cut the kraken's tentacle off!" Sandy told him. Blueblood nodded, and swung his head in front of the the colt. Sandy dropped to all fours, and jumped away.
"You did it!" he said, doing a little dance. "But look out! There's another tentacle behind you!" Blueblood spun around, lashing his head out, teeth clenched as if he held a sword between them. Sandy laughed and shouted encouragement, clapping his hooves together. He continued to shout out instructions, warning the stallion of "tentacles" coming to snatch him up.
"Stay close to me, My Prince," Blueblood said, swinging his head around again, "so I can protect you from the kraken!" Sandy darted in, sticking beside Blueblood as he swung and circled. He laughed giddily, jumping up on Blueblood's back and holding on to his mane as his knight bucked and bounced around the room.
"Be careful of the fallen tentacles," Sandy warned him. "Their blood is lava!" Blueblood smiled in spite of himself, and began to make wide hops over the old stains on the floor.
"Haha!" he whooped theatrically, cutting down another imaginary tentacle and flipping his mane out of his eyes. Sandy leaned past him, pointing at the window.
"There, Sir Knight! Do you see the kraken's face?"
"I see it!" Blueblood exclaimed. "I'll run across its tentacles to attack it!" He dashed to the window, Sandy laughing excitedly and bobbing on the big stallion's back. "Yah!" he shouted, swinging his head at the window sill.
"Take that, kraken!" Sandy shouted. "Make the finishing blow, Sir Knight!" Blueblood nodded, and spun around, leaping into the air as he did so. His body twisted in the air, and he gave a shouting laugh.
"Eat my blade, fiend!" he shouted. As he reached the ground once more he thrust down his hooves, striking hard against the floor. He reared his head to strike, and a brilliant light came from the window. A few moments later an ear-splitting boom came, shaking the house. Sandy yelped, and leapt off of Blueblood's back. The white stallion stopped, watching the little colt flatten himself against the ground.
"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked. Sandy peaked out from under his hooves.
"It's a storm!" he said. "With lightning, and thunder!" Blueblood tilted his head quizzically.
"Yeah," he said, "but... so? It's just a little storm."
"I don't like storms," the colt whimpered. "They're loud, and scary, and they make the house shake bad. Papa said we can't go out in a storm, or we'll fall off the house!"
"But," Blueblood said, "you aren't in a boat. We're on land, away from the river. You can't fall off out here."
"But it's still loud and scary," Sandy said. He got off the floor and dashed over to Blueblood, worming his way between the slave's legs. "You're my knight," he said, "so protect me!" Blueblood didn't say anything. A gigantic lump had raised in his throat, and his chest felt instantly tight.
"I... I..." he said quietly, "no, I..."
"You promised to protect me," Sandy said, hugging his leg. "You promised. So protect me from the storm, okay?"
"Oh... okay," Blueblood said. His guts felt like ice, but he sat down, putting a hoof against the colt's back. "I'll... protect you from the storm, My Prince," he said. Sandy hugged his leg tighter.
"You don't have to call me your prince anymore," he told Blueblood quietly. "You can just call me Sandy."
"Alright." Blueblood gulped. They sat in silence for a while, before the colt spoke again.
"...Red?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"How come you changed your name?"
"What?" Blueblood asked, blinking.
"When you were with us, you said your name was Blueblood. How come Uncle Brook calls you Red now?" Blueblood looked at the colt, a strange pain in his chest.
"Because..." he said, "because... I don't know. I thought that I shouldn't be called Blueblood anymore, for a while. I was wrong, though... but I guess it just stuck."
"How come you wanted to change your name?"
"I don't know..." Blueblood said, "I guess it just... it hurt to be Blueblood. So I didn't want to remember anymore." Sandy looked up at him. Blueblood knew that the colt could see the sadness and pain on his face.
"Do you still remember, though?"
"I do," Blueblood said sadly.
"I'm glad," Sandy said, "I know Papa and Seaweed didn't like you, but I did. I thought you were neat. I'm glad you're still Blueblood. You're nice."
The colt's words struck Blueblood's heart like a knife. No I'm not, he thought. I'm not nice. Your dad was right about me. He wanted to cry, but he didn't. He couldn't. He sat in silence, an intense and indescribable pain in his chest. He wanted to apologize, to tell the colt that he was wrong, and that he was a worse pony than the child could imagine, but he couldn't. It still hurt to be Blueblood. It still hurt to remember, and he remembered more clearly than he ever had before, with the shaking colt in his hooves, but no words came to him. Thunder continued to crash, and every time the colt would jerk and squeal. But every time, he shook and squealed just a bit less. Soon, he wasn't shaking at all. When the pain in his chest subsided, Blueblood spoke again.
"Sandy?" he asked quietly, unable to raise his voice any more. The colt didn't respond, so Blueblood shook him gently. He still didn't move, save for his sides slowly rising and falling as he breathed. He had fallen asleep. Blueblood choked again, and picked him up slowly. He trotted back through the house, and into the den.
The rest of Seastone and Seagrass's children had returned, and were lying all over each other on the couch. Blueblood guessed that they must be asleep as well, from the hushed tones their parents and Brook spoke in. The three ponies looked over at Blueblood when he entered. He lowered his head sheepishly.
"There you are," Brook said. "We were wondering where you two got off to."
"We... were playing," Blueblood said. "Sandy got scared when the thunder came. I think he's asleep now, though." Seagrass slipped off her seat, and walked over to the slave. She took her foal gently, and smiled at his sleeping form.
"That sounds like our Sandy," she whispered, rocking the colt gently. "Thank you, Red." She put him with his siblings, and he settled in between Seaweed and one of his sisters, sighing happily in his sleep. An eye crept open for just a moment, set on Blueblood, but closed soon enough. Blueblood looked away from the colt sadly.
"They'll be staying with us tonight," Brook said. "There's no way they're getting back out to their home in this weather."
"Should I set up a room for them, master?" Blueblood asked quietly. Seastone shook his head.
"The kids are already asleep," he said, "No need to move them all. We'll be fine in here. You did a good job cleaning it, colt." Blueblood nodded to the compliment.
"I'll..." he said, "I'll get some dry blankets." He stepped out of the den before the unicorns could object, and went back to the closet, grabbing the remaining blankets off the shelf. There were only enough for the children, so he quickly went upstairs and into the master's bedroom. His blanket lay on the rug, neatly folded right where he had left it. He brought it back down, adding it the the pile, which he brought into the den.
"Here you go," he said. Seagrass smiled at him, and pulled the blankets over her children, before gently kissing them each good-night.
"Thank you, Red," she said to him. "You've been a lot of help this evening."
"No," Blueblood said. "No, I -" Seagrass wrapped him in a hug, cutting him off. He tried to swallow down the lump that rose in his throat, and found himself blinking back tears.
"You're a good stallion," she told him quietly. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you. But Brook is a good master."
"N-no..." Blueblood said again, "I-I... I'm..." Seastone came over too, and put a hoof on Blueblood's shoulder.
"You keep on being good, colt. I'm sure somepony'll smile on you someday."
"No, It's okay," Blueblood insisted. His heart was beginning to race. His back ached fiercely, and he felt like somepony had emptied him out; like he was just a shell of a pony. He felt cold, but burning at the same time. Seagrass let go of him, and looked at him sadly. The stallion looked away from her, and quaked. His heart pounded in his throat, making it hard to breathe.
"Red," Brook said. "I don't think I'll need your services tonight. You may go to bed."
"A-alright," Blueblood said shakily. He took a step back, and bowed to the three ponies. "Th-thank you," he said quietly, and he left. He trotted quickly across the main room and up the stairs, before anypony could stop him, and went into the bedroom.
As always, the only light in the bedroom was the dim light from the window above his master's bed. He was glad of the dark. He didn't want to see anything right now. He didn't want to hear anything, or feel anything. He wanted oblivion, but he settled for the dim light, the patter of the rain and the soft rug. He lay down and curled up, shivering gently without a blanket to keep him warm. His chest still ached from seeing the family.
Seagrass, Seastone, and Sandy. They were all wrong about him. He wasn't a good pony, like they thought. He was just doing what a slave should, because that's what he was. He was a slave. He was a slave because of how awful he had been. They didn't know about all of the horrible things he had done. They didn't know about the awful, burning pain in his chest when he saw them and when he remembered what he had done to them, and they didn't understand that he deserved every bit of what happened to him. He shuddered on the rug. He deserved the stomach-churning hurt. He deserved to be a slave. He didn't deserve their sympathy, or their forgiveness, or even their pity. He deserved punishment, he told himself, and that was what he was getting. Because he was an awful pony, he told himself. Because he had been cruel, and because he had never thought of anypony but himself.
He curled into a tight ball, alone with his feeling of pain and sickness, and slowly drifted into the oblivion he so desperately sought. |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which a Stallion is Good | Chapter 9: In Which a Stallion is Good
Celestia's sun rose slowly in the eastern sky, casting its light over the dampened world. Port Ponzance, far out of the shadows of the mountains, gleamed. The brilliant rays set the sea ablaze with light and caught the tiny droplets of water left from the previous night's storm, turning the dusty yellow sandstone to gold. Even the streets seemed to glow as the light spread through them, illuminating every dark corner and hideaway of the city. Ships pulling in to port needed no foghorns, no lighthouses; only the glow of the coastal city.
Though ships moved steadily in and out of the busy port, it was earlier still than most ponies would be up. Only a sailor or a soldier would be awake at this hour. Such it was that an inn in the centre of the city saw several ponies awake; very, very awake.
The former captain Iron Towers stalked up and down a room the size of a modest house. His normally short-cropped mane had begun to grow in, splaying wildly across his face and neck, and a ragged line of fur had begun to form along his chin. There was a wild look in his eyes, dead set on the two soldiers that stood before him. There was a tiny bit of spittle at the corners of his mouth. In spite of all this, he still held himself straight upright and with a distinct military air, as if it was something ingrained into his very being. Wet Mane, one of the soldiers before him, thought that he looked remarkably calm - a thought which absolutely terrified him.
"So," Iron said finally, still pacing. "If I understand this right: you abandoned your post, left the pony that could decide whether or not we live or die unwatched, and returned to me with your tails between your legs - all of this, because you were chased off by a single pegasus." There was a barb on the final word that made Wet cringe.
"Well, sir," he said carefully. "It wasn't one pegasus. She said 'we'... she had others with her." Iron stopped pacing, eying the nervous unicorn.
"Did you see any of these other pegasi?" he asked pointedly.
"I... we did not, sir," Wet admitted.
"Then how do you know," Iron said, walking up to the soldier, "that you didn't fall for a bluff?"
Wet swallowed hard. He didn't have an answer for that. True, there was the lightning that had chased them out of the forest the night after the pegasus had visited them, but those were few and far enough between that it could have easily been the mare chasing them on her own. True, it had followed them almost to the city, but there were storm clouds all across the countryside, and that was by no means rare. Fortunately for him, the ambassador spoke up.
"I think we have a more pressing concern, Iron," Ambassador Letter said. Iron turned to glare at him.
"Just what could be more important than looking after the whelp?" Iron asked. Letter spoke softly, doing his best to placate the unstable earth pony.
"The fact that somepony knows that Blueblood was there." he said. Iron stopped dead, staring at him. It looked as though his mind was struggling to make the connection, but nothing was coming. Letter spoke again, explaining. "It was a pegasus. We don't have pegasi in Aloa. Somepony knew that the prince was there, and that somepony wasn't an Aloan." A flash of recognition shot through Iron's eyes, and he ground his teeth. Wet could feel the anger radiating off of the gray pony. His eyes flicked to his partner beside him, who looked every bit as nervous as he did.
Wet and Brig had had a very long discussion about what they were going to do, after they had been chased out of the forest. Wet hadn't wanted to come back. He had tried everything, every argument he could think of to convince Brig that they should just run. Brig, for his part, had held firm. Nothing Wet had said would even budge the chocolate-coloured pony from his position. Their duty was to Letter, he had insisted, and to the crown. That meant no matter what, they had to return to the ambassador. Going back to the forest wasn't an option. That had been the first thing they tried, and that was what had lead to the impromptu thunderstorm in the woods. In the end Wet had given in, and they returned to the city just before the sun rose, to find Iron waiting for them.
He didn't seem to sleep at all. Perhaps that was what made him so dangerous, what had robbed him of reason. Even now, standing in the room with him, Wet wanted to just leave. In fact, he wanted it now more than ever. He risked another peek at Brig while Iron seethed with his back to them, and he could see that Brig too was having second thoughts about returning.
"Somepony knows," Iron repeated, beginning to pace again, "somepony knows. They know we've got the whelp... how do they know? How do they know!?" His hoofsteps were heavy, pounding through the room. The ordinarily soft clip-clop had been replaced by a deadly thudding as Iron slammed his hoofs down on the stone floor. He whirled on the two soldiers. "How do they know!?" he demanded of them.
"Iron," Letter said quickly. "They wouldn't know." He lifted a teapot and poured it into a small porcelain cup, which he pushed in Iron's direction. "Have some tea," he said. "It will calm your nerves, and help you think clearly." Iron glowered at him, and marched over. His face erupted into a picture of rage, and he slammed his hoof down on top of the teacup. When he lifted his hoof again there was a clear mark on the table, and the porcelain had been reduced to powder.
"I DON'T NEED TEA!" he roared. Letter leaned back defensively and Iron took a few deep breaths. "My head is perfectly clear," he said callously. "What's wrong with yours? This could be the end of us - if we're lucky. Celestia could have us strung up in dungeons, torturing us until we're old and gray! This pegasus could damn us, you IDIOT. We need to find her, and put her in the ground!"
"We don't know that the pegasus is Equestrian," Letter said quietly. Even he looked nervous beneath Iron's furious gaze, now. The ambassador's leash on Iron was straining. "She could be from Mihaan, or Acmippo for all we know."
"Then how did she find out about it," Iron said, a dangerously quiet edge to his voice, "and why does she care? She's Equestrian, and she'll bring the blasted princess down on our heads if we let her get away!" He spun on the two soldiers once again, and marched up to them. The wild look into his eyes seemed to glow with a primordial flame, an intense anger beyond thought or reason.
"You two," he hissed at them, like an adder in the grass. "You two left because of her. You two find her again. Pull her down to earth, and make sure this never gets back to Equestria. Got that?" Wet took a step back, and Brig spoke up.
"With respect sir," he said, looking dead ahead, not a trace of fear in his voice, "she's a pegasus. We can't fly. How are we supposed to catch her?" Iron ground his teeth.
"You're unicorns, aren't you? You all think you're so great, so blasted clever. You find a way to do it - make a trap, build something that can fly, shoot her wings off with your precious magic for all I care! Just get rid of her. Have. I Made. My. Self. Clear?" He growled angrily at Brig, who saluted.
"Perfectly, Sir," he said. Iron didn't acknowledge him, simply turning away from them. He moved to walk away, but he stopped when Wet spoke up.
The lieutenant didn't know why he was speaking. He didn't even mean to - all he knew was, he found himself voicing all of his concerns to exactly the wrong pony.
"Sir, I don't think there's anything we can do. For all we know she could be back in Equestria as we speak! I think it's time we left it alone - run for the border, or ask the king for protection. I -" As he spoke, Iron's back hooves lifted off the ground. Brig tensed, leaping into his partner and checking him aside. Iron's hooves lashed out with lightning speed, striking Brig square in the face. There was a deafening CRACK, and Brig was flung across the room. He struck the far wall with a meaty slap, and dropped to the ground. Wet stopped in mid-sentence, staring open-mouthed at his partner. He shook momentarily, before dashing over to the brown pony.
His neck was bent at an unnatural angle, his jaw slack and eyes wide and unseeing. Brig was dead.
"Brig?" Wet said. "Oh gods, Brig..." He put his hoof on the corpse, shaking it gently, as if he didn't quite believe that Brig was truly dead. "Brig," he said again, "Brig, Brig, Brig..." Iron turned around again. His expression was one of absolute, almost divine rage. His mouth hung open, ragged breaths rolling across his teeth and tongue. His eyes were bugged open, filled with mindless, directionless malice. His entire face was distorted, as if it were some horrible mask, some mockery of a pony face. It was almost a caricature of rage. There was nothing else in there. No regret, no compassion, no fear. He stomped across the room, and Wet thought he could feel the entire inn shake with every step. The gray pony put a hoof down in front of him, cracking the floor.
"We can't run," he said, his voice unnervingly quiet for his disposition. "We can't hide. We can't escape. She is the goddess of the sun. What part of that don't you idiots get!? The GODDESS of the SUN! NOT THE OCEAN, NOT THE FORESTS, NOT THE MOUNTAINS OR THE DESERT OR THE ROCKS! You can RUN from the ocean. You can RUN from the trees. You can run from all of them, but you can NEVER RUN FROM THE SUN!" He was inches away from Wet's face now, screaming at the top of his lungs. "She WILL find us! And she WILL kill us! So if you want to live to see old age, I suggest you get out there and FIND! THAT! PEGASUS!" Wet bolted, galloping out the door and down the street. Iron roared wordlessly. He lashed out, bucking the wall and leaving two deep cracks in it. He galloped to the table, flipping it over and smashing the ambassador's tea set. The fat red unicorn fell backwards, scrabbling away from the mad earth pony. Eventually, lacking anything else to destroy, Iron began to settle down. He breathed heavily, peering around the room, before his eyes fell on Brig's body. He stared at it for a long time, and when he finally spoke he had returned to his more composed, detached tone of voice.
"Letter..." he said. The ambassador got to his hooves, and brushed himself off.
"Yes?" he asked. He too had returned to his cool mood now that Iron had calmed down. The gray pony walked over to Brig's body, still staring at it.
"That soldier was right... the pegasus could already be in Equestria. We need a backup plan." Letter took a few steps forward, tilting his head curiously.
"You have something in mind?" he asked. Iron hummed softly. He put a hoof on Brig's neck, straightening it out with a snap.
"Get your soldiers in here. One of you clever unicorns must know a disguise spell." ***
"Easy now, colts. Easy... easy..."
Seastone and his two eldest sons slowly lifted a crate off the deck of their home, using their magic to shift it over the edge and onto Brook's cart, which waited for them on the bank. It settled down with a soft thud, and the three unicorns shoved it forwards, among two other crates there. The first crate contained vegetable seeds to plant in the gardens once they were completely tilled, and the other several bottles of a dark red-purple drink. The third crate, the one that had just been put on the wagon, was full of dried fruits.
Brook stood on the deck of the house boat beside Seastone. The stallion turned to him, and asked, "That everything, Brook?" Brook took one last look around the wares that Seastone and his sons had brought out, and nodded as well.
"I believe so," he said. "Thank you, Seastone." The two shook hooves gently, and Seagrass came out of the house carrying a small bundle.
"One more thing before you go, Brook," she said. "We passed through a small town on our way here, and they had a bookstore. I know how much you like to read these days, so I thought I'd pick something up for you."
"Thank you," Brook said. "How much was it?" Seagrass smiled, and shook her head.
"It's a gift," she said. "No charge." Brook smiled faintly as well, and took the bundle from her.
"Thank you, Seagrass," he said. The mare hugged him, and stepped off the boat while Brook reached into his wrappings to pay Seastone.
She trotted onto the bank and around to the front of the wagon, where Blueblood sat quietly.
"And thank you, Red," she said. Blueblood looked at her shyly. Sleep had helped to rid him of some of the sick feeling, and he could at least bear to be around the family now.
"No... it was nothing, miss..." he said, pawing at the wet ground. Seagrass smiled sweetly, and wrapped him in a firm hug.
"You don't need to do that, dear," she told him. "You were a wonderful host. You should be proud of yourself." Blueblood looked away from the mare. That was still something he couldn't do. "Sandy is still sleeping like a foal. I can't believe you'd never talked to a foal before we met you. You're wonderful with children."
"Oh..." Blueblood said, surprised by the compliment, "thank you, miss..." He swallowed, thinking once more about the night he shared with them in their home. "And... I'm very sorry for insulting your family..."
"Oh, hush," Seagrass silenced him. "You have nothing to apologize for, Red. We all make mistakes sometimes. You shouldn't have to carry them for the rest of your life." Blueblood looked at her sadly, and her husband called out from the deck of the boat.
"We're all ready to go, sweetie," he said. Seagrass nodded, and called back.
"Of course. I'll be right there." She hugged the slave firmly again, and trotted back to her home. She climbed aboard just as Brook clambered off into the water, careful not to put too much pressure on his hoof, and Seastone withdrew the lines that kept them tied to the shore. Their home began to drift away, the light breeze catching its sails and helping Seastone as he pushed it along. The stallion and his wife waved from the deck, and Brook waved back to them calmly. He sat on the bank watching them leave, and when they drifted around a bend and out of sight he turned back to the white stallion sitting by the wagon.
"Take this back to the house," Brook instructed. "I'll show you where to put it all away." Blueblood nodded, and put himself against the bar at the front of the wagon, setting it in motion.
The ground was soaked from the rainfall the last night, and the wagon's wheels had sunk in while it sat. Blueblood pushed hard, digging his hooves into the ground as well, but even still it wasn't as hard as it had been to pull it the first time, or to pull the plough through the earth. A week of pushing a ragged cloth through inches of dust and dirt had done him a lot of good, something that even now a faint burning in his muscles could attest to.
It was a short trip from the river the the front of the house, even with the heavy wagon holding him back. They had only brought it so he hadn't had to make three trips for the heavy crates. Once he had it set outside the house, open back towards the door, Brook began to give him instructions.
"Take the fruits into the pantry," he said, and Blueblood brought out the crate. It was awkward work without any help; he pushed it to the edge of the cart, the rim of the crate sticking off the edge, and from there he had to worm it out and onto his back. He slid it very carefully onto the wooden floor of the house, and from there it was much easier to push it around. He found himself thankful that his master had made him clean the floors so thoroughly; the crates slid easily along the clean wood. Once he had deposited the fruits amongst the other foods in the pantry he returned to the door, where Brook was waiting with another set of instructions.
"The seeds go in the storeroom," he said simply. Blueblood nodded, and unloaded the seeds. This crate was harder that the last, being much bigger with all the different kinds of seeds that they would need to plant to last them the year. Once again though, Blueblood managed to lower it to the ground, and push it into its place in the store room. The next crate, however, would prove to be much more difficult.
"The drinks go in the cellar," Brook instructed him, "where you found the bramby last night. Be careful with it."
"Yes, master," Blueblood said. He lowered the crate onto the ground, wincing as he heard the bottles clink and clatter inside. Most of the trip was simple, pushing the the crate along the ground. Brook sauntered along beside him silently. Soon enough, they came upon the earthen stairs that lead down into the cellar.
Blueblood peered down the staircase. There as an inky blackness at the bottom, obscuring the damp room. The stairway was short, but the steps were small and steep. He thought for a while about how to best approach the task. He would never be able to do it the same way he had brought it down from the wagon; there simply wasn't enough room. He wouldn't be able to get it onto his back, and he didn't even bother thinking about using magic. In the end he walked around the crate, back to the staircase while Brook watched him blankly. He lay on the ground, wrapping his front legs around the crate, and began to inch backwards. Soon he was laying across the stairway, the crate just on the edge. Brook reach out, putting his hoof on top of the crate as it wobbled on the edge of the top step.
"Master?" Blueblood asked, looking up.
"Making sure you don't lose your balance," the old pony replied. Blueblood nodded, and began to creep backwards down the stairs. Brook followed after him, keeping his hoof out in case the crate ever started to tip in Blueblood's grasp.
When they were halfway down the steps, Blueblood reached his back hoof out, feeling for the next step down. He found his footing, and started to lean back. His hoof slipped off the ledge, sending him flying down the rest of the stairs on his stomach. He lifted the crate instinctively, keeping it clear of the stairs that rushed past. Brook limped down the staircase as fast as he could, joining the groaning stallion in the dank cellar.
"Red," he said sharply. Blueblood got to his hooves shakily, and lifted the lid off the crate. All of the bottles inside were still intact, and he breathed a shallow sigh of relief.
"The drinks are all alright, master," he said weakly. Brook looked in the crate idly, then looked back at the slave.
"...And you?" he asked slowly. Blueblood blinked at him. "Are you alright?" Brook repeated.
"Oh," Blueblood said. "Yes... I'm fine," he lied. His stomach hurt fiercely, and his ribs felt like a pony had bounced off of them, but he didn't want to complain in front of his master. Instead, he apologized. "I'm sorry, master," he said, starting to move the bottles from the crate into the shelf.
"For what?" Brook asked.
"For..." Blueblood said, stopping. "For almost breaking the bottles," he said finally. "I already broke the plough... I'm sorry I almost broke the bottles too." Brook stared at him, and sighed.
"I'm going up," he said. "When you're done here, put the empty crate in the store room, and come see me. I'll be on the balcony."
"Yes master," Blueblood said quickly. Brook started his slow ascent of the stairs, and Blueblood returned to shelving the bottles.
Once he had finished, he took the crate back upstairs as his master had asked. It was much easier without all the bottles in it; he found he could just hold the rim in his mouth and carry it up the steps easily. His ribs still hurt, but he ignored it as he tucked the crate away and headed up the stairs. He found that the door to the balcony was ajar, so he nudged it open further and stepped outside.
Brook was laying at the edge of the balcony in a long chair. Unusually, he was not staring out over the river, but at the bundle that Seagrass had given him. The old cloth that had wrapped it was spread open, and in the centre there was a single, small book. Blueblood approached him slowly, and the old pony looked up.
"The Fall," he said simply. Blueblood stopped, and blinked at his master.
"What?" he asked.
"The Fall," Brook repeated. "The book. That's its title."
"Oh," Blueblood said. Brook looked back at the book, running his hoof gently across its cover.
"It's about guilt," the old pony said. Blueblood's stomach lurched.
"W-what would you like me to do now?" he asked quickly. Brook was silent for a moment, before speaking again.
"You know the stump in the back?" he asked. Blueblood swallowed, and nodded.
"The one I... broke the plough on?" he asked.
"Yes," Brook said. "I want you to get rid of it. Take the axe from the shed and chop up its roots. When you've done that, come and speak with me." Blueblood nodded, and went back inside. He left the house, walking across the squishy ground to the shed, where he gathered the axe and headed out to the stump.
In the week since he had last seen it, much of the dirt that had been tilled around the stump had been washed back into its place by the rain. Blueblood sighed and set the axe down, setting about uncovering the roots of the stump. He found it surprisingly easy to shift the wet earth; it was no longer hard as it had been when he first tilled it, softened by the saturating rainwater. He dug at it with his hooves, pulling the mud aside and revealing the roots of the great stump bit by bit. As he dug, he began to realize that the roots ran deeper and father than he had imagined. He was lucky to have even cut through as much of them as he did before striking the rock. Once he had dug as far as he cared too, he sat down, staring at the immense task before him.
Roots sprawled through the earth like a massive nest of snakes; twisting and writhing over top one another, and slinking deeper into the earth. There seemed to be hundreds of them there, with hardly any gaps in between. Blueblood groaned, but picked up his axe.
"No sense in putting it off," he mumbled, brandishing the tool. He lifted it above his head, and swung it down as hard as he could. The keen blade hacked through a pair of the roots, and for a moment Blueblood thought it might not be so bad after all. He had cut through a few roots in one swing, he told himself, so surely the rest could not be that difficult. He almost permitted himself a smile, until he lifted the axe again.
Beneath the two roots he had cut, more roots snaked away. His face fell, and he took a few more careful swings, tossing away the chips. Sure enough, beneath the layer of roots he could see there was another. He didn't doubt that there were several layers of roots making their way down. He sighed miserably, but lifted the axe again.
He swung the axe, again and again. At first he tried counting how many times he swung the axe, as a way of passing the time. Before too long, though, he had lost track. The rhythmic swinging of the axe and the steady hacking sound of the roots were droning, almost maddening. It would never stop so long as he didn't stop, and he couldn't. Before long it was almost a compulsion. The chopping filled the air, wearing the rest of the world away. Blueblood knew nothing but the chopping; nothing but the burning in his shoulders as he swung the axe once more, nothing but the shake in his hooves as the axe struck down and nothing but that maddening noise.
More than once it culminated in fury on the white pony's part. He looked desperately for something to blame, and every time the blame fell squarely with himself. He lay into the roots with vigour, breaking the rhythm of his chopping with a bout of irregular, ragged hacking. Those moments soon left him, though, and he returned to his familiar empty feeling, and the regular, steady chopping. Something inside of him was withering, as he cut.
The axe struck down again, and Blueblood stopped. He could hardly hold it anymore. His hooves shook when he tried to lift it, wobbling dangerously. He released the handle, peering at his hooves. They were red, and blisters were beginning to form. Even when he wasn't holding the axe they shook. He sat down, looking at the work he had done.
There was a deep trench around the stump. He had managed to cut through most of the roots, all save for the tap root at the bottom. The trench was nearly as deep as he was tall; sitting down in it as he was, he couldn't see over the top edge. He sighed sadly, and leaned back against the wall of dirt.
His hooves screamed. His ribs ached from the fall down the stairs, only aggravated by the constant lifting and dropping of his front legs. For the briefest of moments, he wondered what he had done to deserve all this.
You know what you did to deserve this, he told himself, squeezing his eyes shut, You were a wretched pony, that's what! This, all this, is the least of what you deserve! The dull, empty aching in his back returned to him, as did the tightness in his chest. He listed off his crimes in his mind, reminding himself of all the things he had done to deserve his punishment. He lifted his head to the sky and opened his eyes. Over top of him, standing on the edge of the trench, was Brook.
"Master," Blueblood said. His eyes went wide, and his heart seized in his chest. The old pony was silhouetted by the sun, now high in the sky, and so Blueblood could not see the old unicorn's expression.
"Red," Brook said simply. Blueblood scrambled to his hooves, heedless of the stinging, and apologized profusely.
"I-I'm sorry, master!" he said, "I was just... I wasn't taking a break master, I swear! I just finished cutting the roots, a-and I -"
"I came to see how you were doing," Brook interrupted him. "You were taking a while." Blueblood swallowed, and apologized again.
"I'm sorry I was too slow, master," he said, closing his eyes and bowing his head. He climbed out of the trench, and dared to peek at his master. The old pony was still staring at him blankly, save for a single raised eyebrow. "I'm sorry," he said again weakly. Brook sighed, and Blueblood winced.
"No," the old pony said. "There are more roots than I expected. Good work."
"W-what?" Blueblood asked, looking slowly at his master.
"Good work," Brook repeated. "You don't hear well, do you?"
"I... I'm sorry, master," Blueblood said. He expected the old pony to berate him, but he did not. Instead, he turned and walked back to the house.
"It's midday," Brook said. "You should eat. I will make you lunch. You need the rest." Blueblood stared after him, not sure what to say. Brook stopped, and turned around. "Coming?" he asked. Blueblood shook himself, and ran after his master.
"You don't need to make lunch, master," he said, "I'll do it. I-I don't need to rest at all, I can do whatever you ask. I-I can still make lunch for you..."
"You will do whatever I ask?" Brook said, without looking back. Blueblood nodded.
"Yes, master," Blueblood said. "Anything you order me to do, I will. I don't need to rest."
"I want you to rest," Brook said. Blueblood stopped again.
"B-but master," Blueblood said, "I can make lunch. I don't need to rest, I... I..." His stomach twisted itself into a knot. It was a feeling almost the same as fear, but different. The same feeling he had felt when Seagrass had looked sadly at him, or when Sandy had wanted to play. Brook stopped as well, and turned around slowly.
"I order you to rest," he said simply. "Are you disobeying my orders, Red?" His tone was hard as stone, but there was no malice to it. There was simply firmness; the voice of a commander. Blueblood cringed, and hung his head.
"No, master..." he said quietly. Brook nodded, and continued to limp. Blueblood followed him into the small kitchen, where Brook instructed him to sit at the table. He did so, laying his stinging hooves and chin gently on the tabletop. He watched Brook move around the tiny kitchen, setting a pot to boil and adding in various ingredients: strange things that he had never seen or didn't know the names of. The stinging in his hooves started to go down, and more and more he found himself focusing on the twisted feeling in his belly. He shut his eyes, trying to drive the feeling away, but it wouldn't leave. It was eating away at him.
"Eat," Brook said. Blueblood opened his eyes, and saw that a bowl had been put in front of him. He peered inside it. It looked like some kind of soup, but with nothing in it but broth. He looked as his master, who held the bowl in his hooves and drank from it. Blueblood decided to do the same, setting his hooves around the wooden bowl. The heat radiated through, burning his hooves, but he ignored it. He lifted the bowl to his mouth, and drank.
The broth was thick, almost like sludge. It hit his stomach and seemed to solidify, turning to stone in his belly. It seemed to settle the awful feeling though, something he was grateful for. He sighed, and drank again. The thick broth tasted of vegetables, despite there being none present. There was also a vaguely sweet taste to it, which Blueblood enjoyed. He drained the bowl in a few gulps, and set it down.
Brook had already finished, and was staring idly at his slave. Blueblood's head sank, almost touching the table again. "Thank you, master," he said quietly. Brook nodded silently at him, and stood.
"Wash the bowls," he said. "Then come meet me outside." he left Blueblood sitting in the kitchen, staring at the place where his master had sat moments before. He washed the bowls as his master had asked, and went outside.
Brook had returned to the stump, this time with the chains from the back of his wagon. He had also removed the yoke from the plough, and had it waiting. Blueblood approached him, head low, and Brook turned around.
"Red," he said. Blueblood walked alongside him, looking at the chains and yoke. Brook didn't wait for him to ask what he would be doing. "You've cut most of the roots," the old pony said, "now you just need to pull out the stump." He lifted the yoke, slipping it over Blueblood's neck. "I'm going to chain you to it," he said idly, "then you just walk. Like with the plough. Got that?"
"Yes, master," Blueblood said quietly. Brook's horn lit up faintly, and the chains came alive. One end of them wound themselves about the Yoke around Blueblood's neck, as well as securing his torso for extra grip. The other end snaked into the trench, wrapping itself around the enormous stump. Brook nodded, and took a seat. Blueblood stared at him shyly.
"Master," he said. "You're going to... watch?"
"Yes," Brook said. "I want to make sure you're doing this alright. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No!" Blueblood said quickly, his head tucking between his shoulders fearfully. "No, master. I'm sorry." Brook didn't acknowledge his apology.
"This will be difficult," he said. "You had best get started. Walk." Blueblood nodded, and moved forward.
He hit the end of the line in a few short steps. The chains went taught, rattling as they shook in the air. Blueblood was stopped dead, but he still pushed forward. Soon the chains were too tight even to shake. They hung in the air, perfectly straight, chaining the stallion to the wood. He pushed forward regardless.
For a long time, he didn't move at all. He pushed more and more every second, but the stump didn't budge. He held his breath, straining forward with all his might, but for nothing. Soon he could no longer hold his breath. He couldn't push any more. With a gasp, the chains went slack, and he dropped to his knees. He knelt, rump in the air, panting. Beside him, he heard his master move. His eyes snapped open and he saw that the green unicorn had stood, and was limping slowly towards him.
"I'm sorry master," he grunted, getting back to his hooves. "I'm sorry. I'm fine, I... it won't happen again, I promise." Brook stayed standing for a moment, but he lay down once more. Blueblood set his head forward, and walked against the chains again.
He didn't put everything he had into it, this time. He was steady. Steady, like he had learned to be with the plough. He pushed hard, constantly.
The soft earth was beginning to shift beneath his hooves, sliding around like muck. He dug into the ground, leaving ruts that grew deeper and deeper. He put his hooves against the back of these ruts, using them to push off of. The chains behind him were as tight as they had ever been. He breathed heavily, seething through clenched teeth. His eyes were squeezed shut, pushing every bit as hard of the rest of him. Every muscle in his body burnt, crying out, but he ignored them.
I don't need to rest, he told himself furiously, and I don't deserve to! This is what I've earned, and now I have to do it! Harder!
He put his head down, throwing himself against the yoke. Behind him, he could swear he felt the stump budge. He dared a look at his master. The old pony was simply staring at him, and for a moment Blueblood imagined that he saw the old pony's eyebrow twitch. To what end, he could never tell, but it sent chills down his spine, setting a spinning and tumbling feeling in his stomach, like a thousand little insects flying around. He set his teeth and pushed all the harder.
Once more he put everything he had, everything he was into pushing. The sick, twisted feeling in the pit of his stomach was like a furnace, spurring him on. He pushed to escape from it. He pushed to be there with it. That feeling became all that mattered to him. His hooves screamed out as the blisters burst, the pus and blood mixing with the dirt and stinging in the open sores. His ribs cried in agony as the chains tightened, pressing against them. They squeezed the air out of him, and his breath came in shallow wheezes. The yoke dug into his shoulders, biting into his flesh. He was in pain, but he pushed on. He needed to. He had to. He deserved too.
"Argh!" he wheezed involuntarily. He threw his head up, scowling in pain and effort, and kept pushing. Brook leapt to his hooves.
"Red!" The old pony said, limping over with surprising speed, but Blueblood ignored him. He felt the yoke cut into him, felt the blood running down his shoulders. "Red!" Brook shouted again. "Stop!"
"No!" Blueblood cried, "I don't need to!"
"Yes you do!" Brook demanded. "You need to stop. You're hurting yourself!"
"No I'm not!" Blueblood cried again. He still strained against the chains, heedless of his master's shouts. The chains tightened around his sore ribs, and he felt the bones burn. It was like each of them had become a stick of fire. Even still, it didn't compare to the feeling of his stomach being torn apart form the inside. He felt like he was going to vomit whenever his master spoke, but he tried to work past it.
"Red!" Brook barked. "You will stop this NOW! That is an ORDER!"
"No!" Blueblood cried. "No, no! I can keep going! You told me to pull out the stump! I'm going to pull it out, just like you told me to!"
"No you are not!" Brook shouted. He clenched his teeth, and his already shaggy and loose mane flew in his eyes. His entire body shook as he roared at his slave. "I am your master! You will do as I say, and you will stop hurting yourself THIS! INSTANT!"
"NO!" Blueblood screamed. "I don't need to!" Brook's face slipped, and his expression became one of fury.
"Stand! Down! NOW!" he roared. The words seemed to be amplified by some unseen force, echoing through the clearing. Birds in the forest flew away, and Blueblood's mane flipped as if blown by a great wind. The white stallion set his teeth, and threw himself against the chains. They synched around his ribs like a noose, digging into the flesh.
There was a great, resounding snap, almost as loud as Brook's shouting.
Blueblood screamed. He collapsed to the ground, and the chains wet slack. Behind him, the stump slowly leaned forward, toppling into the trench.
"RED!" Brook shouted, dropping beside his slave. Blueblood writhed in pain on the ground, screaming breathlessly. He thrashed his limbs like a madpony. Brook moved in beside him without even flinching. Blueblood's hoof caught him in the nose, but he hardly seemed to notice. His horn lit up with a blinding flash, and the yoke was thrown from Blueblood's neck. The chains that wrapped around his body exploded, flying away in individual links. Blueblood took in a deep breath of air, and winced in pain again. Before he could lash out Brook grabbed hold of his limbs, pinning them against his side. He was shaking, seething with rage. His horn lit up again, and for a moment Blueblood was blind. When his eyesight returned to him, they were back inside the house, on the floor of the main room.
By now, much of the pain had subsided. Blueblood's body still screamed at him, but the pain had paralyzed him now. He lay, perfectly still, breathing deeply. Brook got to his hooves, still furious.
"Idiot!" he shouted at the figure on the floor. "You stupid, stupid colt! What were you thinking!? Hurting yourself like that... did you even think what would happen!? Did you!?" He paced around the room, ranting almost as if he didn't care that Blueblood was there. "What if you're too hurt now? What if I need you, and you can't be there? You can't serve me, because you're hurt! You apologize for almost breaking things... things! What about you, then? Why don't you apologize when you're almost hurt!? WELL?" He loomed over Blueblood, watching the stallion wheeze. He chest puffed, in and out, in and out. He sat down slowly, and his breathing became normal. "Stupid..." he said, "stupid colt..."
Blueblood's pain had subsided now. His chest still ached, and his hooves still stung and bled, but they weren't bad. He looked into his master's face, and he thought that he saw sadness. The sick feeling returned to him in full force. It felt as if he had eaten a live animal, like a cat, and it was trying to claw its way out from inside his belly. He thought he would vomit, puke all his guts out all over the floor. Brook shook his head, and limped away slowly, leaving Blueblood on the floor.
The stallion lay there for longer than he knew, wallowing in his sickness. The sight of his master's pain haunted him as he lay there. He fought back tears. They were coming now, along with the sick, painful feeling, and he didn't understand why. More things came with them. He felt cold inside. He felt empty. The aching in his back filled his entire body. He felt like he was a thin piece of skin stretched over ice. A hollow, empty imitation of a pony. Soon, he heard his master's shuffling limp. He braced himself to be yelled at again, or to be punished. Instead, the felt himself slowly lift off the ground. A pillow slipped below his head, and a blanket drifted over top of him. He looked over, and saw his master.
The old pony had regained his passive expression. He was silent as he covered Blueblood, making him comfortable on the floor.
"You stupid colt," he said again. He levitated a bowl near Blueblood's face, and he saw that it was full of soup. His heart lurched in his chest, and a lump rose in his throat.
"Master, I -" he said, but Brook interrupted him.
"Shut up," he said. "Eat. You need to eat. You'll feel better." Blueblood stared at him, but nodded silently. Brook fed him the soup, spoonful by spoonful, and Blueblood took them peacefully. With every spoonful he had to fight back another fit of tears. When the bowl was empty Brook set it on the floor, and shook his head. Blueblood couldn't fight the sick feeling for long.
"Master, I'm sorry," he blurted, before Brook could stop him.
"You should be," the old pony said. "It was a stupid thing to do. You were stupid. You should have stopped. You should have asked me for help, or said it was too hard." He swallowed hard, but sat upright.
"But..." Blueblood said, "you asked me to do it. I was just doing what you asked."
"I never asked you to hurt yourself, Red," Brook said firmly. Any trace of emotion that there had ever been was gone from his voice now. He stared straight ahead, not bothering to look at his slave. Somehow, this only hurt Blueblood more.
"I'm so sorry, master," he said. "Please... I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me... please don't punish me." Brook was silent. He stared straight ahead. His eyes were unfocused, staring a million miles away. Blueblood couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Why would I punish you?" he asked finally. Blueblood just stared at him. His eyes watered, but he blinked back the tears.
"Because..." he said weakly, "because I keep screwing up. You ask me to do things, and I mess them up! You wanted me to clear the shed, and I broke it! Then you asked me to plough the fields, and I broke the plough! You asked me to dig up the stump, and I hurt myself and you got mad at me! Why wouldn't you punish me!? You have every reason to!"
"No I don't," Brook said. His eyes drifted down to Blueblood. "I have no reason to punish you."
"Yes you do!" Blueblood insisted. The feeling in his gut only got worse and worse. It was driving him mad. He rolled over, grunting painfully, and propped himself up on his hooves. "You ask me to do things, and I mess up! That's all I ever do! So why don't you punish me?"
"Red," Brook said slowly. "You're going to hurt yourself again. Lay down."
"No!" Blueblood said. "Why do you care so much if I get hurt? I'll work anyways! Why don't you punish me?"
"Do you want me to punish you?" Brook asked. Blueblood stared at him. The question struck through his heart like an arrow. He began to shake, and the ice in his veins turned to fire. It burned him alive from the inside. The pain was incredible. The aching ribs, the stinging hooves, were nothing compared to this. He didn't cry, but he desperately wanted to. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to curl up, and just stop.
"YES!" he screamed. "Yes, I want you to punish me! I deserve it! So why won't you!?"
"Because you don't deserve it, Red," Brook said simply.
"Yes I do!" Blueblood screamed again. "Why are you so nice to me!? Why don't you ever punish me, why do you let me rest and make me food!? Why me? Why me, instead of some other slave, somepony who deserves it? Why me, instead of some little filly? Some little filly, who's been a slave for her entire life, and never did anything to deserve it like I did?" Tears streamed down his face now, but he kept screaming. "Why couldn't you have bought one of them? You could have let me go to some... to some noble pony! Someone who would treat me like I deserve! Somepony who would beat me when I screw up, somepony who would punish me! Why did she have to go instead? She never did anything... I deserve to be punished master, not her! She deserves to be here, with you! Somepony who won't punish her even when she's bad! So why!? Why did you have to buy me, instead of her!? And why won't you punish me!?" Blueblood screamed, wailing at the old pony. Brook just stared at him.
"You don't deserve to be punished, Red," he said again. Blueblood screamed, slamming his hoof on the ground.
"Yes I do!" he said. "You don't know me! You don't know what I've done! I deserve it!"
"You think you deserve to be punished, Red?" Brook asked, getting to his hooves.
"Yes! Gods, yes!" Blueblood said.
"You think you deserve to be beaten. You deserve punishment, and pain?"
"Yes!" Blueblood cried again. Brook stood in front of him, staring solidly into his eyes. He set his bad hoof, normally held slightly in the air, flat on the ground. Blueblood stared in awe and fear, tears still pouring down his cheeks, as Brook put his weight forward. He leaned on his bad hoof, putting as much of his mass on it as he could.
"You think this is what you deserve, Red? Pain?" Brook asked coldly. "I've felt this, Red. I've felt this so much. And I've been where you are right now, Red. What you are feeling, that hurt in your chest? That is so much worse than any pain could ever be. It is the most intense hurting you will ever feel in your entire life. It is the worst punishment anypony could ever suffer, and nopony deserves to go through it."
"That... That's not true!" Blueblood wailed. "I deserve it! I deserve it, and I deserve worse! You don't understand, master!"
"Don't I?" Brook asked. "Then tell me. Tell me what you did, Red. Tell me what you did that's so awful that you deserve to feel what you feel right now." Blueblood sobbed, breathing in choking gasps, and he spilled his guts to the old pony.
"I was horrible!" he cried. "I was stupid, and, and I was selfish! I never thought about anypony but myself! I thought the sun and the moon revolved around me!"
"So?" Brook asked.
"How many lives did I ruin!?" Blueblood screamed. "Do you know? Do you know how many ponies I made miserable because of what I did to them? And all because I thought I was so fucking special! I'm not, and I never was! I was only ever a horrible, horrible pony! Scum!" There was bitterness in Blueblood's words now, and he was screaming at himself more than he was telling his story. The feeling poured out of him like the tears that poured down his face.
"I was bad!" he repeated, "I was so, unbelievably bad! I was... I was..." He broke down into sobs, and lay on the floor. He cried into the pillow, and for a while there was silence. Then, Brook spoke.
"Is that it?" he asked. Blueblood looked up into his face.
"I... I'm bad, master. I'm a horrible pony," Blueblood whimpered. Brook shook his head.
"No you aren't," he said simply.
"Yes I am!" Blueblood screamed again. "All I ever did was make ponies miserable! How can I not be bad!? How can I be anything but bad? How can I not deserve this? I have to be bad... I have to!"
"But you aren't," Brook said, shaking his head.
"That's not true!" Blueblood cried, burying his face in the pillow. "I have to be bad! You're lying!"
"Red, look at me," Brook ordered. Blueblood managed to force himself to look up again, and he saw Brook, laying on the ground in front of him. Some sort of softness had returned to his face. For just a moment the most empty, harshest pony Blueblood had ever met became the warmest.
"Red," he said. "I spent so much of my life as a soldier. I saw so many bad ponies. Some of them I fought along side; ponies who only joined the army for the killing and the violence, or to feel strong. Sometimes they were my commanders, telling me to slaughter ponies because they hated them. Sometimes I was lucky enough to fight against bad ponies, maniacs who needed to die in order for there to be any good left in the world. And do you know what all of those ponies had in common, Red?" Blueblood sniffed, and wiped tears from his eyes.
"W-what?" he asked. Brook reached out, and put his bad hoof on Blueblood's shoulder.
"Not a single one of them knew that they were bad. They all thought what they were doing was right, or good, or even just justified. A bad pony can never tell when they're bad, Red."
"But... everything I've done," Blueblood said. "How can that not be bad?"
"All the things you've done, Red?" Brook asked. "Were they really bad? Would a bad pony stay with a foal who was afraid? Would a bad pony work himself to the bone to make an old stallion happy? Would a bad pony give up his blanket for another pony, or hurt himself trying to follow orders? Would a bad pony sit here and cry because somewhere a slave is being treated worse than he is? Why would a bad pony do any of the things you've done, Red? How could they?"
"They... they have to be. I have to be," Blueblood said. "Please... please. It has to be me. If I'm not bad... if it isn't because I'm being punished... then why is this happening to me? Why is it all happening, unless I'm bad?" He shut his eyes, and whimpered miserably. Then, all of a sudden, he felt arms around his neck. He opened his eyes, and he saw that Brook had wrapped him in a hug. Tears sprung into his eyes again, and he began to cry anew.
"Sometimes it isn't personal, Red," Brook said. "Sometimes things just happen. But believe me when I tell you this. You are not a bad pony, Red. You are so much better than you understand. You just need to see it."
Blueblood cried. He cried for what felt like hours, sobbing into Brook arms. He cried, and he cried, and he cried. After a while, it seemed like he had finally run out of tears. He sniffled, refusing to let Brook let go of him.
"I'm sorry, master," he said. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."
"I know, Red." Brook said. "I know you are. That's why you're good. Because you're sorry." Blueblood sniffed.
"Even if..." he said, "even if I'm not bad... I was still so selfish. I was so stupid, and so cruel. How can a pony like me ever be good, master?" Brook nuzzled him gently, and his horn lit up. Blueblood heard a noise from behind him, and he turned around.
Brook had used his magic to open the door. Beyond it, Blueblood could see the evening light. He could see the path out into the woods, and the river sparkling in the distance.
"Red," Brook said. "If you believe you can't be good. If you really, truly believe it, then leave. I won't stop you. I'll go to town tomorrow, and I'll buy another slave. I'll treat them well, and never beat them, or speak harshly to them. I'll be better to them then I was to you." Blueblood swallowed hard, but Brook continued. "But I believe in you, Red. I believe you can be good, that you can be so much better than you could ever understand. If you believe in the you that I see, then stay with me. I can help you be good. I promise."
Blueblood stared at the open door. For a brief moment, he could see more than just what lay beyond its frame. He could see freedom. He could see coming back when Brook was sleeping, and robbing him blind. He could see selling the treasures in the city, and using the money to buy a ride back to Equestria. He could see his mother, and his Aunties, and putting this all behind him. He could see his old life again. Everything he had ever had. He would be respected again. He could buy a doctor to make a fake horn, even if he couldn't use magic. He turned back, and he saw his master, looking at him with soft, warm eyes. He sat down, and bowed his head to the old green stallion.
"I want to stay with you, master," he said softly. "I want to be good." |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which Care is Given | Chapter 10: In Which Care is Given
There was silence in Canterlot Palace, save for the steady sound of hoofsteps. Princess Celestia's golden horseshoes tapped gently on the marble floor, keeping time like the ticking of a clock. She paced back and forth across the room, not saying a word.
She had been preparing to raise the sun when she had received the news, getting as far as rousing herself and getting cleaned up when the acting captain of the guards had rapped gently upon her door. He had told her what happened, and she had immediately gone silent. Luna still hadn't returned to the palace, and so the princess had nopony to confide in. She couldn't tell her niece, obviously. Not yet. The only ponies who could know were her guards, and now was exactly the wrong time to show weakness in front of them. She sighed.
"When?" she asked pointedly. The acting captain, one of her personal pegasus guards, saluted.
"We found it... pardon, him, early this morning, Your Majesty. One of the maids, Lilac. She found him, called us, then I came to you." Celestia nodded.
"The filly... how is she?"
"Shaken," the pegasus said. "But she'll be fine."
"Have you had time to inspect him yet?" Celestia asked, still pacing. The captain shook his head.
"Not yet, Your Majesty. I sent another guard to fetch the doctor while I got you, but they're under orders not to inspect him until you arrive."
"Very good," Celestia said, finally standing still. "Take me to him." The pegasus saluted, and opened the door for his princess. He led her through the palace's winding hallways. They were completely devoid of ponies this early, save for the odd industrious servant checking for something to do. In times like these Celestia's ancient mind became jaded, and she wondered idly if an earth pony they passed straightening a tapestry might be looking for a raise. For an instant she considered having his pay docked, but pushed the thought away. It was only stress talking, she reminded herself. Even she was not infallible. Today, more than any other, was a day to remember that.
Their path took them down into the less-traveled wings of the palace. The marble floors and walls gave way to simple, dank cobblestone. It seemed appropriate; compared to the opulence of the rest of the palace these hallways seemed almost oppressive. Celestia was beginning to grow impatient of her guard's short-legged strides, and the tips of her wings twitched irritably. Fortunately, they soon came to a small door, and the pegasus stopped.
They entered the room. It was one of many that lead outside, all for various purposes. This was one of the rooms that received packages. Ordinarily these packages contained food, or cleaning supplies and the like, but Celestia gathered that a special delivery had come in this morning. The young mare Lilac was still there, wrapped in a blanket and speaking softly with another guard. Celestia trotted up carefully.
"Are you alright?" she asked comfortingly. Lilac looked up at her, and smiled weakly.
"Yes... thank you, Your Majesty. I think I'll be fine. But..." She paused, and looked down. "I'm very sorry," she said. Celestia shook her head.
"Thank you," she said, "but don't worry about it. This is not the first time this has happened to me. I'm a big girl." She smiled sweetly to the mare, who smiled back. Celestia looked over the mare's head at the group of guards huddled around the back of the room. There was an unarmoured unicorn with them, who Celestia recognized as the palace's doctor. She walked up to him, and ruffled her wings. The doctor tuned around, and bowed.
"Your Majesty," he said quietly. Celestia nodded politely to him.
"Have you taken a look at him, yet?" she asked. The doctor shook his head.
"Only a cursory inspection, Your Majesty. I was told to wait until you arrived and gave your blessing to give a full review, as... well, I'm sure you know the procedure." Celestia nodded once again.
"Yes, of course," she said. "What do you know so far?" The doctor shook his head, and shrugged.
"Very little," he admitted. "I know what happened, but I don't know when. It could have been weeks ago, or earlier this morning. I won't be able to tell any more until I take a closer look. Did you want some time alone with him first, Your Majesty?" Celestia tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Perhaps," she said. "Something about this doesn't sit right with me." She hummed to herself, running through scenario after scenario in her mind. She lived through weeks in instants, watching each new turn of events unfold. Many of them led to somewhere close to here, but never quite here. She rubbed her eyes, and looked up. Something else strange occurred to her.
"Oak!" she said. The red-brown pegasus sitting across from her bowed.
"Your Majesty," he said softly.
"Why are you here, Oak?" Celestia asked. The guard lowered his head shyly.
"I... the princess was sleeping soundly, so I thought I might be able to have breakfast. I heard miss Lilac scream, and came in here. I... have been too caught up to return to Her Highness yet." Celestia struggled to maintain her composure. If Amethyst woke without Oak, she might go looking for him, and she might find the trail leading her here. That was the last thing Celestia wanted.
"Go back to her now, Oak. She mustn't find out about this yet. Is that understood?"
"But Your Majesty," Oak objected, "she should know about this, don't you think? I mean, she deserves to know. To hear it from you, not from a guard or a rumour this time -"
"That was not a request, lieutenant," Celestia said sharply. Oak - and several other guards nearby - winced. The goddess took a deep breath, and spoke again. "She will," she said. "I promise she will. But not yet. Something is wrong here, Oak. I want to make sure that somepony isn't trying to fool me. It... feels wrong." Oak's expression became puzzled, but he saluted regardless.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he said. He fluttered across the room, but before he reached the door it swung open on its own.
"Oak!" Amethyst said gratefully. "Thank goodness. I've been looking for you. One of the servants said he saw you come down this way a while ago... where did you run off to, Oak?" The lieutenant leaned away, trying hard not to show his nerves. Celestia did so as well, hiding her emotions much better.
"Ah... I went to fetch breakfast, Your Highness," Oak said quickly. "I wasn't expecting you to be awake so soon."
"Yes..." Amethyst said, "yes, I... had another nightmare. But that's not important. I'm awake now. What's for breakfast, hm?" She smiled widely, trying to put on a brave face for her guard. She looked over his shoulder, but he shifted to block her vision.
"N-nothing here, your highness," he said. "Just a package arriving."
"Really?" she asked, looking over Oak's other shoulder. "It must be some important package, with so many guards - and Aunt Celestia! What are you all doing here?"
"Nothing, dear," Celestia said coolly. "Why don't you and Oak head outside? I'm going to be raising the sun soon, I'm sure it will be lovely to see. It's a very clear morning today."
"Maybe in a minute," Amethyst said. Her brow was beginning to furrow slightly, and she was looking past her nervous guard with interest. "What are you all looking at back there? And why have you got the doctor with you?"
"I-it's nothing to worry about, princess," Oak said, waving his hooves. Amethyst ignored him, quickly stepping around the flustered pegasus. He tried to stop her, but she marched on heedlessly. Celestia sat in her path resolutely, and the mare marched straight up to her aunt.
"What is it, Auntie?" Amethyst asked pointedly.
"Nothing." Celestia said, every bit as sharp.
"Then why won't you let me see it?" the purple mare asked again.
"Because it isn't worth seeing," Celestia said. The two stared at each other in silence, an unspoken line of communication passing in the way that only family can manage. It was Amethyst who spoke first, and her voice was filled to the brim with fear.
"Auntie... what's wrong?" Celestia sighed, and stepped aside. Amethyst walked past her, peering at what the guards and doctor had been gathered around. The doctor took a step back, sighing sadly.
Amethyst took a slow step forwards. "N-no..." she said quietly. She stepped forward again, lifting a quivering hoof into the air. "No," she whimpered again. "No, no, no, no no no!" She began to scream, and covered her head with her hooves. "NO!" she screamed, almost begging. "NO! No, please, please gods no! Oh gods, why!?"
The guards, the doctor, and Princess Celestia had all been gathered around a box. It was short, only a few feet high, but it was long, and packed with straw. Inside it was a unicorn stallion. His coat was white, and his mane the colour of the straw surrounding him. He was turned on his side, so everypony could see his cutie mark: a six-pointed compass rose. He didn't breath. He didn't move. He was dead.
"Why!?" Amethyst cried again. She threw herself onto the body, sobbing and writhing as if she were in pain. Every scream stabbed Oak in his heart. He walked slowly to the crying princess.
"Amethyst," he said quietly. The princess looked up at him, tears staining her face. For a moment he shared a sympathetic glance with her, and she threw herself into his hooves. He swallowed, but sat down with her and let her cry.
"Oh gods, why?" she sobbed again. Nopony spoke. They let her cry, respecting her loss. Nopony in the room would ever tell another soul what had happened, they all knew that. The princess would have to be strong for her country. She would have to lead it well, and never let this touch her. She would need to put on a brave face for the other countries. She would have to be nobility. But for now, she was allowed to be a mother, mourning for her child.
"Oh, my foal," she moaned, her tears finally spent. "My poor, poor foal... how could this happen?" She sniffed, and looked up. "How could this happen, Auntie?"
"I'm so sorry, Amethyst," Celestia said.
"Couldn't you have done something?" the purple princess demanded. "Couldn't you have stopped this? Why didn't you!?" Celestia hung her head in shame.
"I don't know," she admitted. "You're right. I could have done something. But I didn't."
"And why not!?" Amethyst demanded angrily. "He was your nephew, Auntie! He was... he was my foal, and now he's gone... I told you we should have gone after them! If you had just listened to me, my foal would still be alive! Now he's dead, and IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY!" She screamed, and began to cry again. Oak held her, letting her sob into his shoulder. Celestia sat silently,
"I don't want to be here anymore, Oak," Amethyst said eventually. "I can't be here anymore. I want to go."
"Of course," Oak said. He helped her to her hooves, and led her to the door. Before they left Amethyst looked over her shoulder, staring at her aunt with hate-filled eyes. Then, she was gone.
The room was silent. The acting captain of the guards shuffled his wings, and spoke.
"Your Majesty," he said, before Celestia interrupted him.
"She'll be fine," she said quietly. "She's scared right now. Heartbroken. She has every right to be angry with me." She closed her eyes, and sighed. "Leave me alone with him," she said. The pegasus saluted, and all the ponies slowly filed out of the room. Soon it was just Celestia and the body. She turned around, and looked at it carefully.
The eyes had been closed - thank goodness for that. He looked almost like he was sleeping, lying there in the straw. She ran a hoof over him gently and found a strange lump in his neck, like the bone wasn't aligned right. She furrowed her brow, and looked closer. There was something wrong, she could tell. It didn't look right. It didn't smell right. Even the air around it tasted just ever so slightly off.
She hummed to herself quietly and looked over her shoulder, confirming that the door was shut tight. She turned back to the body and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. A smell filled her nose like nothing else in the world. It was like smelling fire, or electricity. It almost had no smell of its own, instead smelling of everything else at once. She could smell the mortar between the stones. She could smell the moss and mildew, and the stones themselves. She could smell the old wood in the room. She could smell saltwater.
She felt her mind spreading out, touching everything in the room. The tiny, imperceptible currents in the air playing across her coat, the subtle grit of the stones beneath her hooves. She became aware of every single object in the room with her, no matter how small, and her mind joined with them. She could hear the faint whispers of the long-dead wood that supported the walls, and the steady chipping of the masonry where the cobblestones were born. The room came alive to her, and she became a part of it.
When she reopened her eyes, the world was different. Tiny flecks of gold hung in the air like dust in a sunbeam. They swam, shifting in strange currents and forming ancient and eldritch shapes and symbols. She saw the entire room at once, as if she had left her body and were floating in the air. She smiled in spite of herself; this was not a sight she saw often anymore. She focused her attention on the body. It was swathed in gold, the flecks dancing across it's body like ponies at a festival. A fleck clung to every single hair in his coat and mane.
"Magic..." she said softly. Her horn lit up, and the stallion in the box began to glow as well. His fur seemed to bristle, and the golden sparks dashed away from him, flying into the air and sinking into the walls and the wood. Bit by bit, hair by hair, the white of his coat melted away. It was replaced by a deep, chocolate brown. Within moments her nephew disappeared, and in his place lay a new stallion, bare of any gold. And yet, he was not new at all. Celestia remembered him, from weeks ago. A soldier. An honoured guest. An Aloan.
The princess breathed a sigh of relief. She would have to find Amethyst later, when the unicorn had calmed down. For now, though, Celestia had business to attend to. The sun was late to rise, and she was going to have a very busy day. There was much to do, much to prepare for. She would have to leave the castle soon, to visit an old friend. A very, very old friend. ***
Blueblood and Brook walked out of their home and into the darkness of the morning. Blueblood looked around idly, while Brook moved in the direction of the shed.
"Bring the cart over, Red," he said quietly. Blueblood nodded, and headed around the house to fetch the old pony's wagon. He pulled it around, leading it over to Brook where he sat by the shed. Brook had already propped the door open, and was looking at the broken plough inside.
"Are you going to be alright with this?" he asked Blueblood. The white pony eyed the plough, and nodded slowly.
"I think so, master," Blueblood said. He wrapped his hooves around the plough, and began to walk slowly backwards. He kept the plough on its good side, and it slid along the ground easily enough. When he reach the cart he leaned back, lifting it off the ground slowly. He grunted with the effort, and Brook lifted his hoof slightly.
"Do you need help?" he asked. Blueblood grunted, and put it back down.
"I... might," he admitted. Brook nodded, and his horn glowed faintly. With the help of Brook's magic, Blueblood managed to lift the heavy plough up, and put it in the back of the cart. He leaned against the edge, panting faintly. Brook walked up to him.
"I'm okay," Blueblood said softly. He stepped away from the cart, and Brook nodded. With Blueblood's aid the old pony climbed into the back of the wagon, and Blueblood moved into position to push it once more. "Do we need anything else, master?" Blueblood asked. Brook shook his head.
"No," he said. "We just need the plough. We can find a place to stay, and things to eat in the city. We'll buy supplies while we're there too. But for now, this is all we need." Blueblood nodded, and turned around. "Don't push yourself," Brook told him. "Let the rib rest." Blueblood nodded again, giving a shy smile to the old pony. He set off, pulling the cart back to Port Ponzance.
The week since Blueblood had hurt himself had been a strange one. As always, Brook hardly spoke. In spite of this the old pony had always seemed to have something to do. He wouldn't let Blueblood do anything, and when Blueblood asked he had simply stated that Blueblood needed to rest.
Blueblood's rib wasn't hurt bad. It had bruised where the chain pressed into it, but the pain was dull, and the bone probably wasn't hurt at all. Brook had been silent to these objections, however, and Blueblood had been to shy to push them. So he had simply sat on the balcony, or in the bedroom if it rained. When he was on the balcony, he found himself more and more looking out at the river, and the forest beyond it.
At first, it had simply been something to do. Blueblood had felt guilty about not being able to work at first, but the view had been able to take his mind off it a little. The more he looked, the more it was out of curiosity. He wondered just why his master chose to spend day in and day out staring. As he stared, the reason began to unfold before him.
It was not simply that the view was beautiful, though that was certainly true. The more he saw it, the more he began to see in it. He began to notice the trees in the distance rustling, and the glint of the light off the water changing subtly as the river rippled in the wind. Even when he didn't focus, he could allow his mind to wander. It was peaceful. At times he fell completely into his mind, forgetting about the world around him.
When it rained, and he sat in the bedroom, he found himself reading. Brook had found him sitting in the middle of the room one day, and silently placed a book of poetry in front of him. It had taken Blueblood a while to grow accustomed to reading the measures, but when he did he found that he enjoyed it.
While the week had not been a hard one on Blueblood, it had not been perfect. Brook had fallen into silence the morning after Blueblood had hurt himself, and Blueblood couldn't help but tiptoe around the silent stallion. In truth, he still found it hard to accept all the help that Brook gave him. At least now, though, Blueblood had recovered enough that Brook would allow him to work again.
When the two ponies next spoke to one another, the sun was high above them in the centre of the sky. In spite of its late rise, it shone brightly. It had not rained recently, but it threatened to again. The air was heavy with humidity, and pearls of sweat were forming in Blueblood's mane.
The road had widened out, and the last of the trees had fallen away. Blueblood pulled the cart through rolling hills now, and the road fell away from them on one side.
"Stop," Brook said. Blueblood did as he was told, and looked back. He was panting slightly, and he had been holding his tongue out to cool himself off, but he closed his mouth shyly.
"Is something wrong?" Blueblood asked. Brook shrugged.
"Let's take a break," he said simply. "Cool off for a while."
"... Alright," Blueblood said. He offered his master a hoof down from the wagon, and the old pony took it. He eased himself onto the ground with Blueblood's help, and trotted down the hillside. Blueblood followed after him, looking back at the cart.
"Shouldn't we stay with the wagon?" he asked. Brook laid down on the grass, and sighed as a breeze blew through his mane.
"It will be fine," he said. "There's nothing in it worth stealing." Blueblood nodded, and sat beside him. A gentle wind blew over the hills. It cooled Blueblood, chilling him where he was damp with sweat. It felt good, after hours of pulling the cart.
"The breeze is nice," Brook said, breaking the silence. Blueblood looked over at him slowly.
"Yes," he agreed quietly. "Is it... always this humid?"
"In the woods? Yes." Brook said. "Out of the woods the dry season is much better." Blueblood blinked at him.
"Dry season?" he asked. Brook stared back.
"Where are you from, Red?" he asked suddenly. Blueblood lowered his head a tad, and answered.
"Um, Equestria, master," he said. Brook nodded.
"I was there... once. It's different. We have two seasons here: wet, and dry. We're at the end of the wet season. In a month or so the dry season comes. The rain stops for half the year, then comes again near the end." Blueblood thought about this for a moment.
"So... during winter?" he asked. Brook shrugged.
"I don't know," he said.
"Oh," Blueblood said, "right. I'm -"
"Don't apologize," Brook cut him off. Blueblood paused for a moment, trying to hold back another apology. He saw the corners of Brook's mouth twitch up for just a moment before the old pony recovered himself. The old unicorn hummed idly, and lay his head on his hooves. Blueblood turned away from him, looking at the view before them.
The land fell away from them in the distance. Hills bobbed up to the left and right, and as the forest reclaimed them it seemed almost like an ocean on land, the dips and rolls immeasurably slow waves playing along its surface. Far away Blueblood could see a thin strip of the River Aloe cut through it, breaking the flow before the land faded into the mists of distance. It still felt surreal to Blueblood, seeing the horizon. It felt like it went on forever.
A breeze cropped up, blowing Blueblood's mane in his eyes. Through the golden strands he could see the forest in the distance shift, its leaves rippling in time with one another. He lay down, and sighed. In spite of himself, he smiled.
"It's beautiful," Brook said simply. Blueblood looked over at the old pony. He still stared forward, head resting on the backs of his hooves. The breeze blew through again, sending another ripple through the forest. "Perfect," the old pony said.
"Yes..." Blueblood said quietly. "It's nice." He looked back at the vista, and was reminded of Brook's own view from his balcony. A question came to him mind, but he struggled to ask it. "Master," he said slowly. Brook's eyes flicked towards him.
"Yes?" the old pony asked.
"You watch the forest from your balcony a lot," Blueblood said, still slowly. Brook nodded. Blueblood's brow furrowed, and he continued. "Does it ever... do you ever get tired of it?" Brook hummed again, and scratched his beard calmly.
"No..." he said finally. "No. Every time I look at it, I see something new. Something I didn't notice before. It changes every time." Blueblood thought about this. Perhaps Brook had simply watched for longer, and knew the forest more intimately, but Blueblood couldn't imagine being able to notice the subtle changes from day to day.
"You've been looking too, haven't you?" Brook asked. Blueblood blinked in surprise.
"Y-yes," he said. Brook nodded.
"Do you think about things, when you look out there?"
"Yes," Blueblood said again. Brook stared into the distance. His eyes had a far-away quality to them.
"What do you think about, Red?" he asked. Blueblood looked out at the scenery for a while, thinking.
"I... don't know," he conceded. "I guess I just... think about whatever comes to me. Everything." He lowered his head, but Brook smiled faintly.
"Everything," the old pony repeated. He sighed, and Blueblood thought he could hear peace in that sigh. "Everything is a good thing to think about," Brook said. He lay his head on his hooves again, that faint smiled still on his face. Blueblood looked at him for a moment, then turned away. Another breeze came, playing through Blueblood's mane. He stared out at the forest before them, and he smiled as well. ***
Hours later, Blueblood hauled the cart up to the walls of Port Ponzance. The enormous gates that broke the wall were still wide open, but a pair of guards stepped into their path. Blueblood was nervous for a moment, but the guards ignored him, nodding instead to Brook in the back of the cart.
"Afternoon, sir," one guard said. "What brings you to Port Ponzance?"
"A bit of trade," Brook told him. "I need a plough fixed up. Do you need my medallion?"
"No, that's alright," the guard said. "No need to do everything - you've got a slave with you, I doubt you're trying to sneak in." The two guards stepped aside, and Blueblood pulled the wagon through the gates. The guards nodded to Brook once more, still ignoring Blueblood. Brook nodded back to them faintly.
"Master?" Blueblood asked, after they he had walked for a while longer. Something had been on his mind since they spoke to the guard at the gate.
"Yes?" Brook asked. Blueblood looked back at him, lowering his head slightly.
"How did the guard know that I was your slave? Do you really not have any earth ponies in Aloa?" Brook shrugged.
"Few enough," he said. "But that isn't how." He ran his hoof along the cloth wrapped about his shoulders, and tapped the medallion tying them gently. "These," he said. "This far out, everypony wears wrappings and a medallion. Only slaves don't."
"Oh..." Blueblood said, nodding. That meant that everypony who saw them knew that he was his master's slave. Not so long ago, that would have made him happy. Longer ago than that, it would have made him livid. Now, he didn't quite know how to feel about it.
It was late in the afternoon now, and much of whatever bustle the city might have had was beginning to die down. The streets were still full of ponies, but it was not as packed with them as it had been when Blueblood was first brought here. Brook told him to head back to the market lane, and he complied. The wide lane was easy to find, especially since the spoke-like road from the gate brought them right to it.
The street here was more populous, and Blueblood often found himself nodding apologetically to groups of ponies who were forced to break around the large wagon. In truth, he wasn't sure of exactly where he was going. Brook never gave him any cue to stop, so he simply kept walking. The market street seemed to stretch on forever, bending and curving just enough that Blueblood could never quite see the end of it. Just as his legs were beginning to grow sore from the day's walk, Brook spoke.
"Turn right here," he said. Blueblood nodded, and turned into a small alleyway. It tucked between the sides of two shops, leading away from the stores and merchants. The alley began to narrow gradually, and before long Blueblood was starting to wonder if he would be able to keep pulling the cart. The walls of the buildings on either side stretched high up above, hiding the low sun and putting the two ponies into darkness. In the distance Blueblood saw a point of light. He kept moving towards it; not that he had any choice. The walls kept creeping close and closer, and as they reached the other side of the alleyway Blueblood would have sworn that the wagon nearly scraped along the walls.
He stepped out into the light, and blinked. His eyes had adjusted to the dark of the alleyway, and the open sunlight was blinding. When he was able to open his eyes again, he took a look around.
They were in a large open square. The ground was paved with old, loose cobblestones. The buildings were pressed together, walling the square off save for a few narrow streets like the one they had just come through. The buildings stretched two or three stories tall each, and on the second stories Blueblood saw wide balconies, similar the one on Brook's home. Also like Brook's home the places beneath the balconies were shaded porches, sinking back into the shadows before the buildings proper began. The buildings cast a large shadow over half the square, but the half that was still lit shone gold as the waning sun cast orange upon the yellow sandstone.
No building seemed to have the same purpose as its neighbor. Several were undecorated, and Blueblood imagined that they were homes. Others had stands set up out front, selling various goods. One had long, rich sheets of cloth hung from its rafters and laying folded on its bench. Another was covered in metal implements - kitchen utensils, farm equipment, even simple lengths of chain. The air around the house behind this stand seemed to shimmer, and Blueblood could see a thick plume of smoke rising up from its chimney.
"There," Brook said. "A forge. That's what we need." Blueblood nodded, and pulled the cart over to it.
The shimmer in the air had been heat - as Blueblood drew close he could feel it radiating outwards. He saw a red glow coming from the window inside, and guessed that the forge must be just inside.
With Blueblood's help Brook clambered down from the wagon, and limped over to the door. He rapped on it sharply, making a deep thudding noise. There was silence for a while, then the door creaked open.
A gigantic stallion stood before the two, golden-brown of coat and with a fiery red mane and tight silvery wrappings. "Hullo," he said gruffly, grinning at the pair. Blueblood stared at him - he had never seen a pony quite so full-looking. The smith was almost as wide as his door frame. Brook, however, did not seem surprised.
"Hello," he said, nodding respectfully. "Are you the blacksmith who made these tools?"
"That's me, yeah," the smith said, beaming proudly. "You need something forged?"
"Not forged," Brook said, shaking his head. "I just need a repair done."
"Well, I can repair whatever you have for me!" the smith said. "What do you need fixed up?" Brook limped back to the cart, gesturing for the smith to follow. He did so, brushing past Blueblood without a thought.
"Managed to break a plough," Brook said offhandedly. "Need it fixed up before we can get back to work. Dry season is coming soon." The smith leaned over the side of the cart, humming knowingly. He inspected the plough, nodding to himself.
"You weren't kidding that you did a number on it," he said. "Cut it the whole way through. Well, I can fix it right up. It won't come cheap, though."
"I can afford it," Brook said simply.
"Well, no offense sir, but I don't know that." The stallion shrugged, and Brook sighed.
"Yes," he said. "Yes, I suppose that's fair." He unpinned the medallion tied to his wrappings, and handed it over to the smith. The smith turned it over, inspecting whatever was on the back. As Blueblood watched him, he saw the stallion's brow raise in surprise.
"White Brook?" he asked incredulously. "The Raging River? Commander of the -"
"Yes," Brook said sharply, cutting him off. "That was... a long time ago." The smith gave him the medallion back, and grinned.
"It's an honour to meet you, sir. I'm... sort of surprised that it's just a plough. From you, I would have thought your armour or something..."
"It's been a long time since that armour did anything that would need repairs," Brook said. "Nearly twenty years. I'm just a farmer now. Is that all you need?"
"Oh!" the smith said. "Yes, of course. I'm sure you'll be able to afford it easily. I'll even give you a discount."
"No," Brook said. "That won't be necessary. I have more than enough."
"That's very generous of you, sir," the smith said. Blueblood watched him oddly. The way that he spoke to Brook - it was like he was meeting his childhood hero. His tone was almost reverential, and Blueblood could see his head bobbing humbly as he spoke. It was subtle, but Blueblood understood what it meant exactly.
"Actually," Brook said, "I hate to ask this. We just came to the city, and don't have anywhere to stay for the night. Is your home large enough for two guests?"
"Oh yes," the smith said, beaming. "I'd be honoured if you would stay with us while you're in town. I'm sure my wife would be as well."
"Hm," Brook said, nodding. Blueblood wasn't certain, but he seemed to be losing that sense of calmness about him. He seemed slower, duller somehow. He took a step towards his master, but the old pony lifted his head and looked towards him. "Red," he said suddenly. "Can you take the plough into our host's forge, and put away the cart?"
"Yes, master," Blueblood said, nodding to him. He reached into the back of the cart, dragging the heavy plough out. The smith didn't move to help him, instead waiting until Blueblood managed to pull it out and get it onto the ground. When he had, the smith opened the door into his house and held it.
"Just bring it in here," he said. Blueblood nodded, and began dragging the plough backwards along the ground. The smith watched him as he did so.
The inside of the house was sweltering. Blueblood had been right; the forge sat in the opening of the house, right beside the window. It seemed to be a small foyer, as there was another door just feet away from them. He dropped the plough by the forge, then returned outside to the cart.
"Take that thing around the back," the smith said. "You think you can find the way around our house?" Blueblood nodded silently, and began to pull the cart along. It seemed light as a feather without the heavy plough and his master in the back. Before leaving the square he risked a glance over his shoulder at his master. The old pony was sitting by the fountain, staring off into space. It was much like when he would look out over the river, but was different somehow. Blueblood stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head and pulling the wagon into another alleyway.
The path around the smiths house was simple to find; it was a simple gap in between the back of his building and another, leading to a tight square. Blueblood was forced to climb over the cart to get back out, which took a bit of time. When he returned to the front of the house, Brook and the smith had disappeared. Blueblood nudged the door to the smith's house open gently, poking his head inside. The forge was empty, so he did the same with the next door. There he saw his master, sitting at a table with the smith and a much smaller mare. Brook spotted him, and nodded gently.
"Come in, Red," he said. The smith didn't pay any attention, but the mare stared at him in shock. Blueblood stepped inside, but went no further than the door. He stood awkwardly, pawing at the ground as the mare gaped at him.
"Um... is something wrong, miss?" he asked her. She closed her mouth as if she had just realized she was staring, and turned to her husband.
"A... a foreigner?" she asked incredulously.
"My slave," Brook said simply. "Red." the mare stared at him again, but looked at least somewhat more comfortable this time.
"Oh..." she said, "I see. That makes more sense.
"Yes," Brook said again. He seemed more succinct than usual, to Blueblood. He was almost certain something was wrong now, but he couldn't imagine for the life of him what it was. His wondering was interrupted as Brook beckoned him to come closer. "Come sit down, Red," the old pony said. Our hosts have offered us dinner."
"Ah, yes," the mare said, standing up from the table. "It's almost ready, I think." she stepped away, going to a stove along the wall. Blueblood sat at the table beside his master, and looked at him carefully. Brook gave him a strange glance, but his eyes soon snapped back to the smith.
"So," the golden pony said, "what brings you into the city? Just the plough?"
"Yes," Brook said, nodding slowly. "Just the plough, and gathering a few more supplies. We'll be able to start planting soon, but we're running out of food in the meantime. Need to be able to last until the first crop comes in, and the traders don't come by often." The mare returned, levitating a large, steaming pot of stew. She laid down bowls, and began to ladle the stew into them. She heaped it into Brook's bowl, smiling sweetly at him as she did so, but when she came to Blueblood she spooned in a meager portion of broth and a few token vegetables. Blueblood thanked her regardless, but he could see Brook eying his bowl.
The mare poured herself a bowl, and sat beside her husband. "So?" she asked. "Shall we?" Brook hummed, and reached in front of Blueblood. He took away Blueblood's bowl, placing it in front of himself, and giving Blueblood his bowl instead. Blueblood stared at him, but Brook simply nodded.
"Yes," the old pony said. "Let's."
There was a strange air hanging over the meal. Brook seemed to sag, if that were possible. The smith and his wife, however, were exuberant. Pride seemed to emanate from them, and they beamed at Brook from across the table. The two feelings seemed to meet in the middle, fusing into a strange sort of awkwardness. The smith's wife, for her part, seemed blissfully unaware of this.
"So is it true?" she asked. Brook looked up at her, and she continued. "That you live out in the middle of nowhere, all on your own?"
"No," Brook said. "Red lives with me. But I used to." The mare rolled her eyes faintly - Blueblood barely saw it - but she continued.
"Why?" she asked. "Why not live in a city?" Brook shrugged.
"You can't farm in the city," he said. "I like the woods." His words were soft, and he didn't seem to be looking at the mare directly. Blueblood was silent as he ate, watching Brook out of the corner of his eye. It was still barely noticeable, but he could see it more clearly now. His shoulders had gone slack, and his neck hung forward just slightly, his eyes cast barely downwards.
"But you could always live just outside the city, couldn't you?" the smith asked.
"Hm." Brook said shortly, cutting off the conversation. There was silence for a moment, before the smith coughed.
He struck up another conversation, this one directed away from his guest. Brook joined in occasionally, giving his opinion, but he never seemed to lose that slacked quality that Blueblood noticed. Still, he chatted politely with his hosts, and the four ponies ate together. The already low sun dipped lower as they ate, and it was almost dark by the time they had finished.
The smith leaned back in his chair, patting his belly happily. "Ah," he sighed. "That was wonderful, sweetie."
"Oh, no," she said, "it was nothing. If I had known we would have company I'd have made you something better, sir."
"Nonsense," Brook said. "It was delicious." The mare smiled coyly.
"Well, thank you sir," she said. "Why don't I go light some candles - it's beginning to get dark in here."
"That sounds like a good idea. We'll clear things up in here while you do that," the smith said. His wife trotted into another room, and he turned to Blueblood.
"Why don't you clear up these bowls, hm?" he asked. Blueblood nodded, and stood, but Brook stopped him.
"Red," he said shortly. Blueblood paused, and the smith looked at the old green pony in surprise. "You're my slave," Brook continued. "Not his. You don't have to clean up if you don't want to."
Blueblood stood still, looking between his master and the smith. The air in the room was heavy, the tension palpable. Blueblood could almost feel the smith's confusion. Brook simply stared at the golden unicorn, his hooves folded in front of his face. From the smith's perspective Brook's expression must have been more impossibly difficult to read than normal. Blueblood was torn on what to do, for a while, but eventually began to gather up the bowls.
"These ponies were kind enough to let us stay with them," he said quietly. "This is the least I can do for them." Brook hummed, and nodded.
"That's very polite of you, Red." he said. Blueblood lowered his head, and smiled. He gathered the rest of the dishes silently, carrying them to a basin of water. He washed them quickly, stacking them neatly on the counter. The mare returned, carrying a few lit candles, illuminating the room.
"There we are," she said, placing the candles on the table. "How's that, sir?" Brook nodded politely to her.
"It's lovely," he said. He got to his hooves, however, and grunted softly. "But," he said, "I'm sure you two would hardly want to spend a wonderful evening like this with an old stallion in your way."
"Oh no!" the smith insisted. "It's not a problem at all, sir! We'd love to spend the evening with you. I'd love to hear some of your old stories."
"No, no," Brook said tiredly. "I insist. I know what you young pony's are like. Besides, I'm not as young as I once was. I can't go forever like you can. If you would show me and Red to our room, We'll be out of your manes."
"Oh... well, of course," the golden stallion said. He stood, and trotted into the next room. Brook limped after him, and Blueblood followed alongside his master. They walked through a living room, and the smith showed them into a small bedroom.
It was well-kept for what must have been a simple guest room. There was a medium-sized bed in the corner, tucked in beside a wardrobe. Across from these there was a stool and a writing desk. There was a board with several strangely carved pieces on it, all neatly in their places.
Brook limped inside the room, looking around. "I hope this is alright, sir," the smith said, bowing his head slightly.
"Yes, thank you," Brook said. "But, do you have a blanket you could spare for Red?" The smith blinked, and tapped his hoof on the ground.
"I think we might," he said, stepping out of the room. He returned in a few moments with a thin sheet, which Brook took gratefully.
"Thank you very much," he said. "Enjoy your evening."
"No, thank you," the smith said. "Enjoy your sleep. I hope everything suits you fine, sir." He bobbed his head again before he left, closing the door behind him. Brook sighed deeply when he left. Blueblood thought that he was looking a bit less tired than before, but he still seemed so much older than normal.
"Do you know them, master?" Blueblood asked. It didn't seem like that was the case - the smith had been amazed at who Brook was, for whatever reason - but it seemed odd that they would take them into their home if they didn't. Perhaps that had something to do with how Brook was acting.
"Hm?" Brook asked, straightening up slightly. "No, I don't know them. I've hardly ever needed anything forged before." Blueblood's brow furrowed.
"Then... why would they take in strangers for the night? Are you... famous?" Brook snorted, and smiled humourlessly.
"Famous," he said. "Hm. Yes, I'm famous... in a way." He gave a protracted sigh, and slumped forward again. Blueblood lowered his head, and took another step forward.
"Master," he asked quietly, "what's the matter?" Brook sighed again, and looked at the white stallion. He rubbed his eyes, and smiled faintly.
"No," he said. "It's nothing. I'm sorry if I seemed short, but... 20 years is a long time. Sometimes things change."
"That's not..." Blueblood said quietly, but decided not to finish. If his master didn't want to talk about it, Blueblood would respect that.
"No," Brook said again. "That isn't why they took us in. I forget, sometimes, you are Equestrian."
"Why?" Blueblood asked, tilting his head.
"Culture," Brook said simply. "Aloans are much closer to one another than Equestrians. We have to care for each other. It's how we started. So, if an Aloan needs a place to stay, they can just ask another to spare a room. Most houses have a guest bedroom like this one."
"Is that why you don't have inns?" Blueblood asked. Brook nodded.
"We have some, but only for large parties, or rich ponies. But yes, travelers will just stay with locals." Blueblood thought about this. It seemed to make sense - until he remembered the mare's reaction to him.
"But," he said, "the smith's wife..."
"We care for Aloans," Brook said again, perhaps a bit sadly. "Aloans. Nopony else."
"Oh..." Blueblood said. Brook shook his head. He looked at the desk, and Blueblood followed his gaze. He was staring at the game set on it.
"Do you play?" Brook asked him.
"What?" Blueblood asked.
"Casualty. The game. Do you play?"
"N-no..." Blueblood said. "I... think I've seen it before, but I've never played. I don't think I know how."
"That doesn't surprise me," Brook said. "It's a common game. They say the gods invented it to settle disputes before kingdoms and armies."
"Really?" Blueblood asked. Now that Brook said that, he remembered where he had seen it before. He remembered seeing a set in auntie Celestia's bedchamber. The set had been cast from gold and silver as opposed to simple painted stone like this one, but the pieces all looked the same. Brook stood, limping over to the set. He touched it gently with his bad hoof, then turned back to Blueblood.
"Would you like to learn?" he asked. Blueblood tilted his head, but smiled faintly.
"Yes," he said. "I would." Brook nodded, and lifted the set off the desk. He brought it over, and sat on the floor across from Blueblood.
"Do you know anything about it?" Brook asked. Blueblood shook his head shyly.
"No," he said. Brook nodded.
"The goal is to capture your opponents throne." he tapped a gold-coloured square on the edge of the board. "At the same time, you must lose as few pieces as possible. You can capture your enemies throne, but still lose if you lose too many pieces." Blueblood tilted his head, his brow furrowing.
"Why?" he asked.
"The game mimics a war between two kingdoms," Brook explained. "If you capture your enemy's kingdom, but you don't have enough ponies to hold it, then the victory was worthless. Every piece is valuable. You cannot waste any of them. Do you understand?"
"I think so," Blueblood said. "You can't sacrifice a piece to get ahead. You have to respect all of them, because they're all useful in the end."
"That's right," Brook said. "Some of the pieces move differently from one another, but each is useful. You must use each one to its utmost potential to win." Blueblood nodded.
"I understand," he said.
"Good," Brook said. "Now, this piece is your infantry..."
Blueblood slid an infantrypony onto the golden square on Brook's side of the board, and grinned widely. "I won!" he said happily. Brook shook his head.
"Look again," he said. Blueblood looked down at the board, and his mouth fell open. He barely had any pieces left - less than half as many as Brook. The old pony had cleared a path for him, then systematically destroyed his force while Blueblood had focused on pushing ahead.
"You lose," Brook said. Blueblood laughed weakly, and flopped his head down.
"Yeah..." he said.
"You need to pay attention to everything on the board," Brook said. "You can't afford to lose sight of your army, just because you've broken away from the fray. You were too focused on capturing my throne, and you let me take your units."
"Yeah..." Blueblood said again. "I... really messed that up, didn't I?" Brook nodded.
"In a real war, my forces would have been enough to rebel from the inside. This kind of loss is the worst kind. If you had taken my throne and won, I would not have been able to start another war. Now though, I could rebel and rip apart the country from the inside. When a game is lost like this, both sides have lost in the end." Blueblood stared at the board, and he suddenly understood just why Brook had beaten him so badly. While Blueblood had seen it as a game, Brook had treated each unit as an actual soldier on the battlefield. The white pony bowed his head.
"I guess... I'm not that good at this."
"No," Brook said. "You did very well." Blueblood looked up.
"Really?" he asked. Brook nodded.
"Yes," he said. "You were able to get a piece through my defenses. You read my line and found a gap. That's good, for a beginner." Blueblood smiled proudly, and rubbed his flushing face.
"I... thank you, master." he said. Brook nodded.
"Did you enjoy it?" he asked. Blueblood nodded as well.
"Yes, master," he said. "It was... fun. And interesting."
"I'm glad," Brook said. He stood up slowly. "It's getting late... we should probably sleep now." Blueblood nodded slowly. He stared at the board in front of him. The pieces were all where they had been when he lost the game, in strange positions around the board. His were haphazard, but looking at it now Blueblood could see a sort of organization to Brook's pieces.
Brook had treated the pieces like actual soldiers on a battlefield. Blueblood had treated them like pieces of painted stone. He hadn't played the game properly; he hadn't cared about his units.
"Master?" Blueblood asked. Brook turned to look at him.
"Yes, Red?" he asked. Blueblood looked up at him, smiling shyly.
"Before we go to bed... will you play one more game with me? I'd... like to try it again. Properly, this time. I promise I'll be better." Brook walked over, and lay down. A warm, earnest smile spread across the old pony's face. His horn lit up, and all the pieces slid into their places.
"I know you will," he said. |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which an Expedition is Made | Chapter 11: In Which an Expedition is Made
Miles away from Port Ponzance, miles away from any city in Aloa, a vast forest spread across the land. Strange tropical trees sprouted from the ground in droves, keeping the land safe from any ponies who might try to build there. The forest stretched on for miles and miles, across hills and over the mighty river that cut through the peninsula. The world inside it was a deep blue-green, painted by the moonlight filtered through the leaves far above. Every tree seemed the same; a pony could get lost in the forest forever if they weren't careful.
Wet Mane had not been careful. He had run through the forest blindly, following the flying pony. Now, he was lost. He trudged slowly between the trees, and sighed.
"Great," he said. "Just great." He stopped, and sat beneath a large tree that looked exactly the same as all the others. He had lost the pony's trail hours ago, and now he was completely lost. He had no idea how deep into the forest he was, or which way to go to get out of it. The earth here was bare of any grass, and the pools of rainwater all around were stagnant. If he couldn't find his way out soon, he would be every bit as dead as Brig.
He sighed again, and thought about his late partner. He wished that he had fought harder to convince him. He wished that he had been able to talk Brig out of returning to Iron. Wet had known that the gray earth pony was insane; they both knew it. Even so, they had gone back anyways, and for what? For their duty? If they were both going to die, what did duty matter?
Wet slid lower down the tree, lying on his back in the dirt and rubbing his eyes. He hadn't stopped to rest for hours; days even. His body ached, and demanded sleep and sustenance. He might not be able to feed himself, but sleep was something he could provide. He shifted again, getting as close to comfort as he could on the hard ground, and drifted to sleep.
In his slumber, Wet Mane dreamed. The dreams came in flashes and snippets, never a solid image. He dreamed of feelings; feelings of fear, feelings of despair, feelings of oppression. He saw the vague image of a great spectre: an enormous pony, stretched and distorted like a painting that had been left in the rain, with a ghastly grin. Wet tossed and turned, as if he were trying to run from the strange pony in his mind, but could not escape. No matter where his mind turned the spectre was always there. Throughout it all he felt another presence as well. It was subtle and faint, skirting along the edges of his consciousness, but it was always there. It kept the spectre away from him, but never came to him directly. Even as far away as it was though, he could always feel it, as deathly cold as ice.
Wet's eyes snapped open. The world was dark. The moon had slung low, and twilight was coming soon. The yellow unicorn's eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, and as the did he realized that there was a pony sitting across from him. Her coat was an amazingly deep blue, and almost seemed to sink into oblivion. It was like looking into the night sky. She blended into the night almost perfectly, and her bright azure eyes seemed to glow. She stared at him, silent and unblinking. As if to formally announce her presence, she shuffled her wings quietly. Wet stared at her, open-mouthed.
"You..." he said slowly.
"Me." she answered, her voice piercing through the night. Wet just stared, but finally managed to recover himself. He jumped to his hooves, and his horn lit up. A band of magic appeared around the mare, pinning her wings to her sides.
"You're coming with me," he said firmly. The mare spread her wings, dissipating the magic about her middle without a trace of effort. Pain shot through Wet's mind, but he shook it off. "Stay where you are!" he said.
"No," the mare said. She beat her wings powerfully, and took to the skies. She flew in circles above Wet's head, higher and higher. She paused for a brief moment, hovering and staring down at him, before taking off flying. Wet chased after her, dodging and weaving between trees and hopping over fallen logs and roots. He managed to keep pace with her as she flew among the high branches, but only just. More than once she would stop and sit on a branch, as if she were waiting for him. He grit his teeth, and ran faster. The mare was taunting him, but he would catch her yet. Brig was dead because of her, and he wouldn't let that be in vain.
He pumped his legs harder and harder. He was starving, and exhausted, but he kept running. A singular goal kept him moving forward: catch the mare. She weaved through the branches ahead of him, egging him on. His horn lit up, tossing a rock at her from the ground. She dodged it deftly, spinning in the air around it. Wet scowled, and launched another spell. Bullets of hardened air flew at her, but she dodged around them just as easily. She didn't even seem to be trying. She turned around, beckoning him closer, then disappeared through the trees. Wet growled at the darkness, and dashed after her.
He weaved between a tight line of trees, and when he left them he saw open air. He gaped, slowing to a halt. The trees fell away into sparse clusters before him. Grass began to sprout up, and not far away he could see a small stream. He ran to it, forgetting his quarry instantly. He slurped up the water greedily, drinking his fill. He sat down, and looked around. The blue mare was nowhere to be seen. He had lost her again.
"Well..." he said sourly, "at least I'm not in the woods anymore." He stood up and began to graze, filling his empty belly. Grass was hardly the tastiest meal he'd ever had, but hunger is the best seasoning.
Glad as he was that he was no longer lost, he wasn't sure what to do. If he tried to return to Port Ponzance, he'd be killed. He had no trail on his quarry, and no idea where she had gone. Perhaps she had returned to wherever she came from, or perhaps she was content to simply toy with him for a few more days. He lay down on the grass, grumbling to himself.
"You know what to do," a voice said. Wet whipped his head around, but there was nopony there. For a moment, he thought that he had imagined it.
"I know what to do, huh..." he said. The option was clear, of course. He could always run away. Head for the hills somewhere, and never look back. They couldn't kill him if they couldn't find him. Maybe he'd spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for somepony after him, or maybe not. At least he'd be alive for a little bit longer.
He rolled onto his back, and looked up at the dark sky. Brig had died in defense of his duty. Shouldn't Wet be willing to do the same? He grunted, covering his eyes.
"Duty," he snorted. "Duty to a madpony. Gods, what did I get myself into?" He heard a rustling noise, and uncovered his eyes. He sat up, and he saw the winged pony sitting staring at him, as she had done in the forest. He jumped to his hooves, binding her once more with his magic. She didn't react.
"I've got you now!" he said.
"You do, unicorn," she replied calmly. "But why?"
"I'm going to take you back to my commander," Wet told her. "He'll probably kill you. It's not personal... It's just my duty."
"Duty to a madpony?" she asked. There was a wry edge to her voice. Wet gritted his teeth, and did his best to ignore it.
"It's you or us," he said. "If you don't die, we'll all be killed."
"They'll be killed," the mare said. "Who says you have to die, unicorn?" Wet narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Any other pony would have been trying to talk their way out of this, but she didn't seem to care one way or another from her tone. Like she was content to live or die.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"You already know the answer," she said. "Run."
"Run?" Wet scoffed. "And abandon my duty?"
"Your duty to a madpony," she said again. "You wanted to run once. Why didn't you?"
"Because... I had a-"
"Duty," the mare interrupted. "What do you owe them?" Wet blinked.
"I... I... Iron will kill me if I don't bring you back!"
"You uphold duty to a pony who would kill you?" the mare asked. "Enough to kill a pony who saved your life?"
"Who... saved my life?" Wet asked.
"I did," the mare answered. Wet released her, and stepped back. She was right. She had lead him out of the forest. If she hadn't, he would have starved to death. She had saved his life.
"He doesn't care about you, unicorn," the mare said. "You owe him nothing. You aren't protecting him, you're protecting yourself. So run. An innocent pony should not have to die to protect another." Wet sighed.
"I'm not going to kill you," he said. "You can go."
"Of course you won't unicorn," the mare said, almost humorously.
"I have a name, you know," Wet said. The mare raised an eyebrow.
"I don't recall you asking my name," she said. Wet sighed again.
"What's your name, p-"
"I don't recall saying I would tell you it, either," she interrupted him. She spread he wings, and took to the skies again. "I know you won't kill me," she said. "I wasn't talking about me. I was talking about the prince." She beat her wings, flying higher and higher until she faded into the blackness of the sky, leaving Wet staring upwards blankly. ***
The smith's anvil rang out as his hammer struck down, sounding like the peal of a bell with each strike. It shot through Blueblood's mind sharply, shaking him to life. His eyes popped open, and as they adjusted to the dim light he remembered where he was.
He lay in the middle of the guest room, wrapped in the thin sheet that the smith had provided for him the previous night. The game set sat a few inches away from his nose; the pieces were still placed haphazardly about the board. Blueblood and Brook had wound up playing it several times before they had finally gone to sleep, but Blueblood had never managed to even come close to winning. Every time after the first Brook had shut down both his offense and defense, cutting through and taking the throne as soon as he had enough of an advantage over Blueblood to win.
Blueblood wasn't actually sure when they had stopped playing. He didn't remember ever deciding to go to sleep, and he certainly didn't remember pulling the blanket around himself, but there it was. He looked at his master, who was still fast asleep on the bed, and smiled faintly.
Blueblood stepped outside the guest room, closing the door gently behind him. He trotted to the kitchen, where the sound of the hammer was much louder, and poked his head in. The smith's wife was there, and she looked over at him.
"Yes?" she asked pointedly. "Did you need something?"
"Master is still sleeping," Blueblood said quietly, trying his best to ignore her sharp tone. "I thought that I might bring him breakfast. Do you have anything you could spare?"
"Oh, of course," she said. She got up from the table and trotted over to the counter, where half a fresh loaf of bread sat. "Here," she said. "I'm sure he'd appreciate this."
"Thank you," Blueblood said quietly, taking the loaf from her. When he brought it back into the guest room, his master had already begun to stir.
"He gets to work early," the old pony murmured to himself. He peered over at Blueblood, who had just entered. "Good morning, Red."
"Good morning master," Blueblood said, bowing slightly. "I brought you breakfast." Brook smiled faintly, and sat up.
"Thank you," he said. Blueblood gave him the loaf, which Brook tore in half. "I don't suppose you got anything for yourself?" Brook asked, peering at the white pony. Blueblood smiled sheepishly, and lowered his head.
"Ah... no, master," he said. Brook shook his head, and handed half the loaf to Blueblood, who took it gratefully.
"Thank you, master," Blueblood said. Brook nodded, and bit into the bread. Blueblood followed suit, and smiled. The bread was still warm, and perfectly baked. The crust was crisp and crunchy, and the bread was soft and chewy. It tasted of herbs, tingling faintly on Blueblood's tongue. He hummed with pleasure, chewing happily. Brook's faint smile grew a bit larger, and he took another bite out of his bread.
The two ponies finished their breakfast soon enough, and Brook trotted out with Blueblood trailing close behind. They went to into the front room, where they found the golden-brown pony hunkered over his forge. The sound of his hammer striking over and over was deafening in here, and Blueblood had to cover his ears. Brook ignored it, tapping the gigantic pony's shoulder. The smith stopped, and turned around.
"Ah, good morning sir!" he said. "I hope I didn't wake you - I know it can get loud sometimes."
"Oh, no," Brook said, shaking his head. "I wasn't expecting you working this early, though."
"I like to work early," the smith said, smiling proudly. "I do my best work early, I think." He shifted aside, showing Brook what he had been pounding in the forge.
He had been working on the plough, hammering the torn edge back into place. He had managed to get most of it aligned; a narrow crack ran down the side of the plough like a seam.
"Looks good," Brook said. "Looks like you'll be finished soon. We'll be able to get out of your manes, then." The smith sighed, and shook his head.
"I'm not so sure about that," he said. "I've got it realigned, but just trying to melt the edges back together isn't going to work. It'll be far to weak. It'll break again the minute you try to plough anything with it. I need to melt down some more steel to bond it, but I'm all out of scrap."
"So you don't have any more metal for it?" Brook asked. The smith nodded.
"That's right. I'll need to get more metal. That'll take a while." Brook looked at him.
"Can't you just go to the market?" the old pony asked. The smith shook his head.
"No," he said. "They don't sell good steel there. There's a small steel mill across the city that has good steel, I'll need to go there, but it'll take all day to get there." Brook thought about this for a moment.
"I imagine you have other things to do?" he asked. The smith shrugged.
"Well..." he said, "you're my only actual order, but that might not last. And I've got another side project I've been working on to sell. Not as important as your plough though, sir." Brook nodded.
"Don't worry about getting that steel," he said. Both the smith and Blueblood looked at the old pony. "Red and I needed to gather supplies while we were in town. I can gather food on my own. Red can go and fetch your steel for you." The smith blinked.
"That's very generous of you to offer, sir," the smith said. "But if you need your slave I couldn't take him from you -"
"I just said I don't need him, didn't I?" Brook said. "I managed before I bought him. I'll be fine." He turned to Blueblood, and nodded to him. "Red," he said. "Will you be able to fetch steel from the mill?" Blueblood nodded.
"Of course, master," he said. He was a bit surprised that Brook wanted him to go out and get it, but he didn't argue. He knew that he could do it, at least, and he trusted that his master would be fine on his own, so he was more than willing.
"Good," Brook said. He turned to the smith again, and asked, "Do you have any saddlebags for him?"
"I... think so," the smith said. "Let me just go find them..."
The smith had returned before too long with the saddlebags. Blueblood had put them on easily enough, and he and Brook headed outside. The old pony had paused for a minute, going inside to retrieve something, leaving Blueblood alone in the square.
He sat on the edge of the fountain, staring over the top of one of the buildings. The sun had only risen an hour or so ago, and its light was still creeping its way into the boxed-off collection of homes and shops. It had rained last night, but most of the water was already gone, either draining off into the ocean or turning into a thin mist that hovered just above the ground. The air was warm, and relatively dry for a coastal city. Blueblood breathed deeply, taking in the morning air.
He had never stopped to do this back in Canterlot. He had paused momentarily to appreciate the beauty of a morning, to be certain, but he had never soaked it in like this. He had always rushed along to something that he had managed to convince himself was more important. He could barely remember what any of those things had been, now. He couldn't imagine what he must have thought was so important. Hard as he tried, he could never picture just what he had done in those days. He imagined that he simply spent most of his time sitting around, or waiting for something to entertain him. He sighed to himself, and shook his head.
He heard shuffling hoofsteps behind himself, and turned around. Brook had returned from inside the smith's house. He carried no saddlebags of his own; he had told Blueblood that he would take the wagon into the market, and had been silent when Blueblood had asked how he would do that. Instead, the old pony carried a thick, folded cloth.
"Master," Blueblood said, nodding to him. Brook nodded as well.
"I have this for you, Red," he said. Blueblood tilted his head, looking at it.
"What is it?" he asked. Brook unfolded it, stretching it wide for Blueblood to see. The cloth was long and thin, like a scarf. It was a beautiful crimson red, as deep and vivid as a rose, and seemed to shine and shimmer magenta where it caught the light.
"It's a wrapping," Brook said. "I bought it for you yesterday... so you would be able to go through the city. This way, nopony will know you're my slave, and they'll leave you alone."
"Master..." Blueblood said quietly. He stared at the cloth, running his hooves over it gently.
"I thought the colour was... appropriate," Brook said quietly.
"Thank you, master," he said. He smiled widely at his master, who smiled back.
"Here," Brook said. "Let me tie it for you." He wound the cloth around Blueblood's neck deftly, years of practice guiding his old hooves. It felt strange; tight around Blueblood's neck and draping over his shoulders, but it was warm. When he was done, Brook took off his medallion, and used it to bind Blueblood's wrapping.
"You can show this to the mill workers when you buy the steel," Brook told him. "They'll recognize the name, and know I'll be able to pay him back."
"O-of course," Blueblood said, looking at the medallion. It was solid gold, and gleamed in the morning light. It bore the insignia of Aloa: Two small island and one large island arranged triangularly in the mouth of a river delta. It was one of the few things that Blueblood remembered learning about Aloa. The country was deeply proud of its origins as a fishing colony, one which had eventually spread out over the entire Aloan peninsula, as well as a small portion of the mainland.
"But, master," Blueblood said. "How will you be able to buy supplies without it? Won't they need to see it as well?" Brook smiled.
"I have other ways of identifying myself," he said. "But I came to Port Ponzance prepared. Silver is all the identification most will need." He gave a small smile, and put his bad hoof on Blueblood's shoulder. "Do you know where you're going?" he asked. Blueblood nodded slowly.
"I think so," he said. "The smith told me the name of the steel mill. He said it's west... I can ask for directions if I need them." Brook nodded.
"That's good. Be well, Red."
"Thank you master," Blueblood said. "You too." He and Brook exchanged a final nod, before the old pony turned away and went to retrieve his wagon from behind the smith's home.
Blueblood headed west, just as the smith had instructed. The westernmost exit of the square was a narrow alleyway, nearly identical to any of the other alleys leading outward. As he travelled along the cobblestones seemed less well-worn, and older. The gap between the buildings began to narrow, the darkness deepening. Blueblood looked up at the thin stretch of sky, high above him. It cut in like a line of sapphire, bright against the darkness. The buildings stretched at least three stories up here.
Soon the cobblestones faded away, and the street began to wind. Blueblood found himself making turn after turn in the narrow back alleys as he came upon sharp bends and three-way corners. The cityscape seemed to shift and mutate as he walked, like some perverse discordian labyrinth. He trotted through wide and clean streets, and through narrow and dirty streets. Most were vacant; once or twice he spied a pony in the distance, but they had disappeared before he could call out to them.
He had no idea if he was even going west anymore, or if he had been turned around and was now heading east. He had no idea where he was in relation to the square where the smith lived, or to anything at all. The only thing he knew was that he was far enough away from the port that the streets didn't even slope enough to give him a hint at his direction.
He trudged through the endless maze of alleyways, feeling for all the world like a mouse in some absurd experiment. He hoped that he would at least stumble across a major street, or find somepony who would help him soon. He found himself at another wall, and groaned angrily. He turned right without even stopping to consider the choice, and found himself heading into another tight street. It twisted and turned sharply, but it kept its cobbled ground. He came across no other streets while he walked. This path was completely closed in. At the very least the houses here were lower, and he didn't feel so much like he was trudging through a pit. He turned another sharp corner, and saw a pinprick of light ahead of him. His heart leaped, and he dashed towards it. Perhaps it was a main street, he thought to himself. Finally something away from the claustrophobic network of back alleys, where he could find his bearings properly. A place where he could find another pony who could give him directions. He galloped down the tight street, and into the blinding light. For an instant he couldn't see, his eyes having long since adjusted to the gloom, but as he blinked away the blurriness the scene was revealed to him.
Instead of a street like he had hoped, Blueblood found himself in another simple square. The ground was dusty, and the air was still and dry. Like the smith's square, this one was completely boxed in by homes. Unlike his, there were no shops to be seen. The doors to the stone houses were tucked away in the shadows of their balconies, as if hiding from Blueblood. The windows on the second stories were either dark or had their shutters drawn. The square seemed to be abandoned.
Blueblood sighed, and trudged slowly to the fountain in the centre of the square. He sat on the edge of it, resting his head in his hooves.
He would keep walking soon enough, of course. But for now his hooves were tired, his legs were tired, and he was tired. He was tired of the winding corridors, and the hundred same-coloured buildings surrounding him on all sides. He sighed despondently, rubbing his eyes. He sat there was a few moments, before straightening up again.
No point in just sitting around here, he told himself. I need to keep moving if I ever want to find that mill. Just as he was preparing to get to his hooves, he felt something bounce off the back of his head.
"Ow," he said, rubbing the back of his head. The object that struck him had bounced over his head, and now landed at his feet. It was a leather ball, about the size of his head, and it made a soft ping noise as it bounced along the ground. Blueblood reached down, and picked it up.
"Hey mister," he heard a young voice yell from behind him, "sorry about that!" Blueblood turned around, looking to the source of the voice. A small group of colts had run into the square, probably playing some foal's game.
"Can we have our ball back, mister?" a big colt in front asked. He stood ahead of the group, probably their leader.
"Right," Blueblood said. "Sorry." He tossed the ball across the square and it sailed perfectly, lading in front of the colt. "Actually," Blueblood called out to them, "could you help me out? I think I'm a bit lost."
The colt looked at Blueblood strangely, and another foal tapped his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. He seemed to consider this, and gestured to the other colts. They all huddled closely together, Blueblood staring at them awkwardly from the fountain. Every so often a scrawny colt would poke his head out from the group, making Blueblood smile. He looked like a flamingo with his pink fur and his big, ungainly headed seated on top of his scrawny neck. Eventually the group broke their huddle, and their leader trotted toward Blueblood, the ball floating above his head.
"Okay mister! We'll help you if you play with us first!" Blueblood blinked at him.
"Play with you?" he asked carefully. The colt nodded, and grinned widely.
"That's right!" the little red pony said. "You have to play with us first."
"Um..." Blueblood said, "well... alright. What are you playing?"
"Keep away!" the colt shouted gleefully. His friends darted around the square, and he tossed the ball over Blueblood's head. Blueblood watched it sail past him, and a colt plucked it out of the air with magic. Blueblood stood up, getting ready for the next pass. Instead of tossing it over his head like he expected, the colt whipped it to a friend at his side.
The colts tossed the ball in haphazard and unpredictable ways, making it impossible for Blueblood to follow where it went. He dashed to and fro across the square, trying to get closer to the prize, but for nothing. After a few minutes of this, another colt sent it sailing over the white stallion's head. Blueblood grinned, and leaped into the air.
"Aha!" he shouted, reaching out for it. For just a moment it looked like he had it; the ball was inches away from his grasp, and headed right for him. Suddenly, it began to glow, and jerked away from Blueblood's hooves. The colts all laughed as Blueblood came back to the ground, staring in confusion at the ball.
"Haw!" the leader of the colts laughed, levitating the ball. "What's the matter? Can't you use your magic to catch it?" Blueblood stared at him.
"I... don't have magic," he said quietly. The scrawny pink pony laughed, and called out to his friend from across the square.
"See? I told'ya!" he said. "He's an earth pony, like my Pa told me about! No magic at all!" The other colts laughed, and started to toss the ball again.
The leather ball zigged and zagged across the square, making it even harder for Blueblood to catch it, if that were possible. It spun and wove in impossible paths, dancing out of Blueblood's grasp every time the colts let him get close to it. More than once the ball would spin around him, just to ping off the back of his head. Blueblood dashed after it, but the colts always managed to keep it out of his grip.
Blueblood was beginning to get frustrated. The ball was hitting him more and more, and it was very obvious that the colts were just making fun of him now. He felt like he wanted to shout at them, but he didn't. He finally just sat in the middle of the square, glaring sourly at nopony in particular. The colts laughed harder, tossing the ball at him, bouncing it off his head and shoulders. He sighed dejectedly, less frustrated now than just tired. The colts clearly found this hilarious. A poor earth pony, unable to keep up with their magic. Blueblood had one thing they didn't though: patience. The colts weren't even using their magic now, just kicking the ball at him. Blueblood waited until the leader took his turn, kicking the ball and that back of Blueblood's head. The white stallion whipped around, catching the ball inches away from his face.
"Gotcha!" he shouted, grinning at the gaping colt.
"...Wow," the colt said slowly. "That was SO COOL!" Blueblood blinked at them, but the colts all ran forward, crowding around him.
"That was awesome!" one of the colts shouted. "Earth ponies really are super fast and strong and stuff!"
"Oh," Blueblood said, still surprised, "no, I'm not that strong, or fast."
"You mean earth ponies get STRONGER than you!?" another asked incredulously.
"O-of course," Blueblood said. The colts were swarming around his legs now, bombarding him with questions.
"Are earth ponies really all armoured?"
"How much can you lift?"
"Can you really make a tree grow in seconds?"
"Can you make an earthquake by stomping really hard?"
"Hey!" Blueblood said, waving his hooves. "I'm sorry, but I need to go. My master needs me to get some steel... do you know how to get to the White Hot steel mill?" The colts all looked among each other, and their leader shook his head and shrugged.
"Sorry, mister," he said. "Our parents don't like it when we go too far. We've never heard of it."
"Oh..." Blueblood said. "Well... that's okay, I guess."
"Sorry mister," the gangly pink colt said again. The colts had begun to move away from Blueblood, taking their game into another alleyway.
"Goodbye!" the leader called back to him, waving his hoof excitedly. Blueblood smiled, and waved back.
"Goodbye," he said. When they were gone he put his head in his hooves, and sighed again. It had been fun, playing with the colts, but it hadn't exactly gotten him any close to the steel mill. He sat on the ground, thinking to himself. If he tried hard enough he could at least find west again from the open square. It wasn't much, but it was something.
"That was pretty sweet of you," a voice said from behind him. Blueblood yelped, and spun around. The voice had come from a mare, sitting in the fountain.
Her fur was a vivid, icy shade of blue, complimented by her deep emerald eyes. Her mane was blue as well, and seemed to be tipped and tinged with a golden colour, like a lapis lazuli. She sat half-submerged in the fountain, leaning on the rim and cradling her head on the backs of her hooves. Blueblood swallowed.
"Um," he said quietly, "I'm sorry miss, I didn't know you were there. H-how long were you watching?"
"Just a few minutes," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "You were pretty cute with those colts. Friends of yours?"
"Oh... no," Blueblood said. "I didn't know them... I was just asking for directions." The mare laughed, her voice like bells.
"Well, you're an awfully patient pony," she said. "Most ponies I know would have cuffed them on the ear after sitting through barely half that."
"They're just foals," Blueblood said, taken aback by the prospect of hurting them. The mare laughed again, and leaned against the edge of the fountain.
"Well, you're sweet," She said. "What's your name?" Blueblood smiled in spite of himself.
"Red, miss," he said. "And... yours?" The blue mare smirked, and held out her hoof.
"Azure," she said. Blueblood walked up to the fountain, shaking her hoof gently.
"It's nice to meet you, Azure," he said. He titled his head, and asked, "But, if you don't mind me asking... why are you sitting in the fountain?" Azure laughed again, and water splashed out of the fountain, spraying Blueblood in the face. He spluttered, shaking the water out of his mane and face, and when he looked back he saw a finned tail sticking out of the fountain as well.
Blueblood gawked at Azure. Leaning in, he could see where the tail had come from. She had no back hooves; her body blended seamlessly into the flipper. Halfway down her body her fur seemed to harden, morphing into fine, sparkling scales. A fin protruded from her back, and on where her flank would be was the image of a scroll.
"What's the matter?" Azure said, laughing and waving her tail at Blueblood. "You've never seen a sea pony before?"
"N-no," Blueblood said, shaking his head and breaking his gaze from Azure's sleek body. The sea pony mare leaned on the fountain again, reaching out and brushing Blueblood's forehead. He winced away but she ignored him, patting his head where his horn used to be.
"Well," she said, "I've never seen a unicorn without a horn before. So I guess we're even."
"O-oh," Blueblood said, "I'm actually an earth pony..." He swallowed again, lowering his head. Azure's smile only widened.
"You're all earth ponies to me, Red," she giggled. "What makes you so special?"
"That's, um, my species name," Blueblood lied. The mare had a very magnetic personality, and he wasn't certain whether to run, or move closer. "We don't have any horns... or any magic."
"Well, that hardly seems fair," Azure said. Blueblood shrugged.
"It's not so bad. We're stronger. I guess." Azure smiled, and rested her chin on the ledge of the fountain.
"I'll bet," she said. "You look pretty tough. Say, didn't you say you were looking for something?"
"Hm?" Blueblood asked. "Oh, yes... I'm trying to find a steel mill on the west side of the city... I think I'm lost, though. I'm... not from here."
"I'll bet I could take you there," Azure said, straightening up. "I'm a messenger. I know the city like the back of my hoof!"
"Really?" Blueblood asked. "Thank you, miss. That would be wonderful!" He paused, and his eyes narrowed. "But..." he said, "how are you going to take me there? And... how did you even get into the fountain?" Azure giggled, and leaned forward. She wrapped her hooves around Blueblood's neck, pulling him close to her.
"Watch," she said gleefully. She leaned back in the fountain, forcing Blueblood to lean over the edge.
"W-wait!" Blueblood said as he was pulled over. "I-I'm not a good swimmer!" Azure ignored him, sinking into the water. She pulled Blueblood down with her, submerging him in the fountain. He held his breath, blinking in the dark water. Azure giggled, her voice echoing strangely in the deep. She pursed her lips, and blew.
A bubble of air formed as she blew, expanding around Blueblood even as he stared at it in confusion. It encircled his entire body, expanding even further. Soon a very confused Blueblood was lying on his back, on the base a large and slippery sphere. He could breathe perfectly, and he wasn't even wet anymore. Azure swam to the top of the bubble, and laughed at him.
"You land ponies all look so funny underwater," she said playfully. "You make the best faces."
"...What?" Blueblood asked, still not sure what had just happened. Azure laughed harder, her peals of laughter resounded by the water.
"It's magic," she said. "Don't worry, you're safe in the bubble. You'll never run out of air, and nothing can pop it until I let it go."
Blueblood struggled to right himself, eventually finding his way back onto his hooves. Azure swam around the bubble in playful circles, apparently taking the opportunity to inspect Blueblood from every angle. Blueblood reached out, prodding the bubbled wall. It stretched where he poked it, squeaking like wet rubber. It felt thick, somehow.
"Wow," Blueblood said, "this is amazing!" Azure smiled, swimming to his front and putting her hooves against the bubble.
"Well, thanks," she said. "But if you think that's impressive, wait until you see this!" She swam to the top of the bubble and set her hooves against it, beginning to push it down. The sudden movement dropped Blueblood on his bottom, and he slid back down onto his back. Azure grinned at him from on top of the bubble, and swam faster.
The bottom of the fountain seemed to be a well. It stretched deep down, and the light faded more and more the deeper they went. For a moment Blueblood was nervous that they would sink completely into blackness, but he soon realized that there was light below him. He couldn't roll over to view it, but in a few moments he didn't need to; they had reached the end of the fountain. Instead of stopping, the bottom was open. Azure pushed the bubble through the hole, and Blueblood gaped slack-jawed at what he saw.
The light from below had come from several open pools at various places in the city, and from several giant crystals. The crystals seemed to protrude from the bottom of the city itself, glowing softly like blue moons. Some stuck out in sharp clusters, others stretched all the way to the sea bottom below.
Port Ponzance was supported by hundreds of gigantic stone pillars, stretching from its foundations to the sea bed like the legs of a great colossus. The pillars were perfectly square, and Blueblood could see door-shaped gaps peppering them. Sea ponies would swim in and out of these holes every so often, waving to each other happily. They were like buildings, breaking up the gigantic, blue-tinged world. It was as if there was an entire other city built beneath the ocean, giving thousands of sea ponies a secret place to live. Blueblood could see specs of light coming from shafts like the one he and Azure had just come through; no doubt more fountains, one in every square in the city.
Sea ponies of every size and colour swam past. There were sea ponies almost as big as the smith, trundling past without a thought as other sea ponies darted around their enormous bodies, and flocks of colts and fillies who darted through the water, giggling and squealing. Every sea pony's sounds carried for miles, blending together into a soft hum; a choir of millions.
On the ocean floor more sea ponies swam, tending to fields of strange crops and herding stranger fishes. Blueblood stared at it all breathlessly. He couldn't think of a single thing to say. Azure drifted beside him, smiling.
"So?" she asked. "What do you think of your first sea pony city?"
"It's..." Blueblood said, unable to find words past his rapture, "It's beautiful..." Azure swam circles around Blueblood's bubbles, laughing her beautiful laugh. She eventually settled on top of it, resting her head in her hooves.
"Isn't it? I see your city every day, but it's just never the same. Too straight, too even. Too mechanical." She drifted down until her face was in front of Blueblood's, upside-down in the water. Her mane flared out, the golden flecks sparkling as they caught the light. "Forget what they tell you up there, Red. This is how Port Ponzance really got started." She kicked out her flipper, starting to push Blueblood through the city.
"Really?" Blueblood asked.
"Oh yeah," Azure said. "They all think that Port Ponzance got started as a trading hub a few hundred years back, but why do you think that was? It's all because of us." She weaved Blueblood through the pillars deftly, barely even paying attention to where she was going. She would dance around the bubble as she spoke, spinning it to make turning easier.
"We've lived down here for years longer than they did. They started coming here because we gave them protection, you know. They would give us stuff like gold and silver and food, and in return we would keep them safe."
"Who's 'them'?" Blueblood asked. Azure was below him now, and she grinned up wickedly.
"Pirates!" she said gleefully.
"Pirates?" Blueblood echoed. Azure giggled, and swam away from the bubble.
"Oh yeah," she said. "All the worst pirates came to Cape Ponzance, back before it was a port. Captain Kit, Red Beard, Calico Jackal; all the best of the worst. They all went a-pillagin', then came back here to share their loot with the sea ponies! Eventually they started setting up permanent residence and selling their loot to inland ponies, and it just sort of became a trading hub after that. Of course these days they like to say that it was a few merchants who had to weather a storm in here, but I know how it really happened." She grinned at him, and winked. "But don't go spreading it around, 'kay?" Blueblood grinned back, and nodded.
"Don't worry," he said, laughing. "But how do you know all this?"
"You think a messenger doesn't learn a thing or two?" Azure asked slyly. "I hear lots while I'm making my deliveries." She swam forward sharply, bumping the bubble with her hip and pushing it forward, knocking Blueblood over again. "Speaking of," she said, swimming back up to the bubble, "I've got a pony to deliver! Now, where did you say you needed to go again?" ***
Blueblood and Azure drifted up a wide fountain, surfacing in the centre of a wide-open square. The buildings here were different than in the square where Blueblood had met Azure: they were much larger, and very clearly not homes. They were in an industrial sector somewhere deep within the city.
Azure popped Blueblood's bubble, helping him onto the edge of the fountain. "This is your stop," she said sweetly.
"Thank you, Azure," Blueblood said. She nodded at him, and leaned on the edge of the fountain.
"Don't thank me just yet. You probably don't know how to get back from here, do you?" She smirked as Blueblood blinked and lowered his head sheepishly.
"Um..." he said, "no, I don't."
"Well, don't worry," she said. "I'll take you back to where you're staying once you've got that steel."
"Really?" Blueblood asked. "You'll wait out here for me?" Azure giggled, and splashed water at him.
"I'm not exactly going to get up and walk down the street," she laughed. "I've got nothing better to do; today's my day off. I'll wait out here for you. Just don't keep me waiting for too long." She smiled coyly, and Blueblood smiled shyly back at her.
"Aheh," he laughed awkwardly, "I'll try. I'll be right back, Azure."
"I'll be waiting," she said. Blueblood trotted away from her, chancing a quick glance back. She was resting on the edge of the fountain, leaning on one of her hooves and smirking.
The steel mill was obvious; it was an enormous, plain stone building with gigantic metal towers stretching up behind it. Blueblood trotted up to the doors, knocking on them politely. He waited for a moment, but no answer came. He knocked again, but still nopony came out to greet him, so he pushed open the door, peeking his head inside.
It was clear why nopony had answered him, at least. The mill was full of an amazing din, as if an infinitely long piece of metal was being scraped across a spike. The constant screeching droned over the entire interior, but annoying as it was the workers inside seemed to ignore it.
The mill was filled with big, bustling unicorn stallions, all trotting around with some place to be. Some were levitating gigantic bubbling cauldrons of molten metal, others were inspecting ingots on a factory line. Others still were pressing and molding the steel into strange shapes. Blueblood trotted cautiously into the fray of the building, skirting around the edges of the room. Ponies rushed past him, ignoring him completely. He kept his head low, afraid to venture further into the building lest he find himself in somepony's way. A nagging feeling in his gut was telling him, over and over, that he shouldn't be here. Still, his master had given him a job and he needed to do it. He swallowed hard, and ventured deeper into the strange chaos of the mill.
Strange machines swung too and fro, and more than once Blueblood had to dodge out of the way of a hefty unicorn with a large load. Shouts of "One side!" and "Watch it!"flew, and Blueblood ducked apologetically to each.
"Sorry," he said, dodging another irritable unicorn, "sorry..." He ducked onto a catwalk, and took the moment of peace to get his bearings. The mill was even more chaotic in here, almost completely packed with bustling ponies. As he looked around, Blueblood spotted one pony who didn't seem to be working. He was a great, steel-gray stallion, standing on the centre of a catwalk and looking over the workers. Blueblood approached him, trotting up carefully.
"Um," the white stallion said slowly, "excuse me..."
"I'm busy," the stallion said sharply. Blueblood winced and took a step back, but tried to catch his attention again.
"I'm sorry," he said, "but -"
"I'm busy!" the pony snapped again, whipping his head around to face Blueblood. He paused and looked Blueblood up and down, stopping to focus squarely on his forehead. "Oh," he said. "An earth pony. Well. Look, colt. I've got work to do, here. I need to make sure none of these idiots manage to kill themselves. I don't have time to deal with you. Go find somepony else." He enunciated the last sentence slowly and clearly, as if he only half expected Blueblood to understand. "You got that?" he asked.
"Yes," Blueblood said quietly. "But, I'm sorry, but -" The gray stallion groaned.
"I. Do. Not. Have. Time. For. You," he said, leaning close to Blueblood. Blueblood shrunk back, crouching low as the stallion leaned over him. "What part of that don't you get, Rocky?"
"I just need to buy some steel," Blueblood said quietly. The stallion sighed.
"Look, I don't care what you want, colt. I've got work to do here. Sales isn't my problem, so get out of my mane! Scram!" He brandished his hoof as if he was about to strike Blueblood, who darted backwards.
"Okay!" Blueblood yelped. "Okay, I'm sorry! But... can I just ask a question?"
"Whaddaya want!?" the stallion barked. " I already told you I don't do sales, didn't I? Or did you forget that already? Now beat it Rocky, before I kick your rump out of here myself!" Blueblood wanted to shrink back again, but he forced his legs still. His heart was pounding in his chest, but his master had given him a task. He needed to see it through.
"I know that," he said, mustering some confidence. "I just need to know who will sell me some!" The gray stallion scoffed at him.
"Why should I care who you find to sell you something? It's not my problem. Gods, I'll bet you even forgot to bring any silver, Rock-head!"
Blueblood frowned. His fear was beginning to give way to something else. This stallion reminded him vaguely of the old homeless pony he had met in Riverbank: dismissive, rude and gruff. It frustrated Blueblood, just a little bit.
"N-no," he said, still holding his head low, "I didn't bring Silver, but-"
"Well, there you go then!" the stallion shouted. He was clearly angry now, and he waved his hooves theatrically. "Look, Rock-head! If you don't have Silver, then it doesn't matter one bit who I send you to! Your not going to be able to buy any, so stop wasting my time and get out of here! Seriously, dense earth ponies!"
Blueblood frowned. The angry pony still frightened him, but with every word he was fanning the flame of frustration in Blueblood's belly more and more. The white stallion breathed deeply, and stood up straight. He did his best to put on a confident face, but he didn't think that it was working. The gray stallion just scoffed at him.
"Oh, what?" he asked harshly. "You think you can intimidate me into giving you steel? There's dozens of unicorns here, rocks-for-brains, just in case you can't count! You'd be done in a minute if you tried anything. Get out of here Rocky, you aren't fooling anypony."
"Stop calling me that!" Blueblood said. The gray stallion just stared at him with a dull, unimpressed expression. "Please, stop calling me Rocky, or Rock-head, or rocks-for-brains," Blueblood repeated. "My name is Red. And I may not have brought Silver, but I brought something just as good." He unclasped Brook's medallion, sticking it in the gray stallions face. the rough unicorn read it, and his eyes bulged.
"White Brook?" he asked incredulously.
"That's right," Blueblood said. "I'm White Brook's s... servant. He sent me to get steel. So I need to get steel. Who can I buy some from?"
"U-um," the stallion said, suddenly very humble, "yeah... right this way, I'll take you to somepony who can sell you some steel..."
Blueblood smiled. He felt like a weight had just been dropped from his chest. His legs were weak, and his heart still pounded furiously, but he felt good. He followed the gray stallion, showing his medallion to a clerk and fetching four steel ingots. He packed them into his saddlebags, then trotted happily out of the mill.
Azure was still waiting for him in the fountain, and she smiled as he returned.
"Well now," she said, "that's more like it! You've got you steel?"
"Yeah!" Blueblood said happily, sitting on the edge of the fountain. "Thanks, Azure." Azure blinked at him.
"Me?" she asked. "Why are you thanking me?" Blueblood blinked, and pawed at the ground sheepishly.
"Um, well... you brought me here, and waited for me," he said. "So, I guess... thanks for that? I guess I'm just in a good mood right now," He grinned, and Azure stared at him.
"You're welcome, Red," she said, giggling. "Are you ready to go back?" Blueblood nodded.
"I think so," he said. Azure smiled. She flicked her tail, propelling herself up to Blueblood's height. She leaned close to him, wrapping her hooves around his shoulders.
"Well then," she said, "we'd better get going. It's a long trip back; you made it pretty far before I found you. Lots of time to talk, you know."
"Really?" Blueblood asked, smiling shyly.
"Oh yes," she said. She leaned back, pulling Blueblood into the fountain with a splash. ***
It was late in the afternoon when Blueblood and Azure resurfaced in the fountain in front of the smith's home. The bubble raised to the surface, and Blueblood jumped out with a pop. He landed on the edge of the fountain, and turned back to Azure. She leaned on the edge beside him, smiling up at the white pony.
"This is your stop," she said. Blueblood grinned at her.
"It is," he said. "Thank you, Azure." She giggled.
"Oh, don't worry about it Red," she said. "It's not like I had anything better to do. Besides, it was fun."
"Well," Blueblood said, chuckling faintly, "I guess this is goodbye, then."
"I guess so," Azure said, sighing dramatically. Blueblood shuffled his hooves.
"Goodbye, Azure." he said. She smiled sweetly at him.
"Goodbye, Red," she said. "Maybe I'll see you again some time?"
"Maybe," Blueblood said. She smiled, and sunk into the water. Blueblood watched her sink down the well until she slipped out of sight in the darkness. He stepped down from the edge of the fountain, and turned around.
Brook must have been watching for him. The old pony was limping across the square, now. Blueblood smiled at him, and trotted over.
"Master," he said. Brook nodded to him.
"Red," he said simply. Blueblood unclasped Brook's medallion, and gave it back to him.
"Here, master," he said. "Your medallion." Brook took it, attaching it to his own wrappings, and sighed.
"Thank you, Red," he said. "It was nice to be at least somewhat anonymous, for a while. But it's nice to have it back." The two stallions smiled at each other, and Brook gestured to the fountain.
"Who was your friend?" he asked. Blueblood looked over his shoulder.
"Oh," he said, "Azure? She's... a sea pony. She helped me find the mill, after she found me playing with some colts." Brook raised an eyebrow at this.
"Playing with some colts?" he asked. Blueblood shrugged, and chuckled sheepishly.
"Well," he said, "I... sort of got lost. They said that they would give me directions if I played with them, so I played with them a while. Then Azure found me, and took me to the mill, and back here."
"Sounds like you had an eventful day," Brook said, smiling faintly. Blueblood smiled shyly.
"No, it was nothing exciting," he said. Brook smiled wider, and nudged Blueblood with his nose.
"Well... it sounds like you were pretty good, to me," he said, chuckling faintly. Blueblood stared at him, but Brook didn't seem to notice. "Come on," the old pony said. "Our hosts have almost finished preparing dinner. We shouldn't keep them waiting."
He began limping his way back to the house. Blueblood was still for a moment, still staring. A slow, earnest smile broke across his face, and he trotted after Brook. |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which a Garden Grows | Chapter 12: In Which a Garden Grows
It was a dull morning in Canterlot. The sun was high above the white city, its light pale and weak. It seemed to meander more than journey across the sky, as if it were tired or distracted. It did not help that the city's weather team had determined today the perfect day for cloud cover. The city was cast in a dull, almost gray pallor. Thin clouds drifted through the streets higher up the mountainside, creating a thick fog. Ponies all across the city mulled about their tasks, as listless as the sky itself.
Canterlot Palace stood in stark contrast to the rest of the city. The very air around seemed alive; ponies within all bustled about, consulting one another on their tasks and looking for something to do. There seemed to be a vaguely disorganized air about it, but nopony gave the slightest hint of urgency or concern. They moved briskly about their tasks, existing in a subtle state of panic.
Celestia had not been seen in almost two days. Those ponies who dealt with her prayed that she would return in timelier fashion than her sister, who had not been seen in nearly a month. The Palace could operate on its own for a time, but issues were piling up and they needed the goddess.
Princess Amethyst trotted briskly through the hallways, a scroll sealed with the insignia of Aloa clutched between the teeth of her bodyguard Oak. The two ignored the servants, trying their best to look as if they had somewhere to go. In truth Amethyst had no more idea what should be done than the rest of the staff; she simply needed to put on the face of importance and competence for her ponies.
The pair found themselves in the royal family's wing, and they turned into Amethyst's bedchambers. The princess flopped onto her bed, and sighed.
"Oh, gods," Amethyst moaned. Oak sat respectfully away, silent as Amethyst continued her moaning. "First Auntie Luna, and now her?" she complained. "Where on earth has she gone, Oak?" Oak placed the scroll on the floor.
"I don't know, your highness," he said. Amethyst looked back at him, and sighed sadly.
"Would you even tell me if you did, Oak?" she asked. Oak looked down, ashamed, and Amethyst sat up. "I didn't mean it, Oak," she said. "I'm just tired. I'm sorry. Do you know what the staff thinks?"
"Most of them don't ever see Her Majesty," Oak said. "They wouldn't know the difference. But everypony knows something is happening - they can feel it in the air."
"Do they know what is happening?" Amethyst asked. Oak shook his head. She sighed, and flopped back onto her bed again. "Well that's a relief," she said. "At least I'm not the only one in the dark this time."
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Oak said.
"Don't be, Oak," Amethyst said, shaking her hoof weakly. "I know why you did it. I know why Auntie wanted you to do it. I'd have done the same." She rubbed her eyes, and sat up. "Besides, it's not important anymore."
"Princess?" Oak asked. Amethyst gestured to the scroll in front of Oak.
"My duty is to rule when my auntie cannot," she said. "Unless she decides to show up right now, we need to seriously consider what might be inside that scroll."
"Then perhaps it is best I decided to cut my trip short," a voice said. It was soft, and warm, but there was an edge to it. Amethyst and Oak both turned in its direction.
Celestia landed on Amethyst's balcony, and entered the room. The purple unicorn gawked at her for a moment, before leaping off her bed and running into the goddess's embrace.
"Auntie!" Amethyst exclaimed. "You're back! Oh, thank goodness." Celestia pressed her neck against the unicorn's, sighing.
"I'm afraid I may as well be gone for the next few minutes," she said. "Come with me to my chamber, Amethyst. You can tell me what's wrong after I have some tea."
"Of course, Auntie," Amethyst said, nodding. Celestia strode out of the bedchamber, Amethyst and Oak following as closely behind her as they could. The goddess's long legs propelled her across the marble floors, forcing the two mortal ponies to trot to keep up with her. The three ponies made their way through the hallways in silence, heading up the tall, thin spire to Celestia's room. The alicorn threw open the door, flopping gracelessly onto her enormous pillow even as her teapot came alive and set itself to boil.
"Auntie!" Amethyst cried, running to her. "What's the matter?" Celestia smiled weakly at her.
"Politics, dear. Politics are the matter." With Celestia's encouragement the tea brewed itself within moments, and she poured three cups. She passed one to Amethyst and Oak each, taking hers and drinking from it gratefully. Amethyst and Oak were silent, watching her as she drank. When she was finished she set her cup down and sighed.
"That," she said, "is much better." She looked up, and smiled at her niece. "Now, what's this letter you're so concerned about?" Amethyst nodded to Oak, who produced the scroll. Celestia took it, levitating it in front of her face. She turned it around, fixing her eyes on the seal. She sighed again, and her neck drooped.
"Of course," she said."He would reply as soon as leave. When did this come in?"
"Just yesterday, Auntie," Amethyst said. "What's the matter?" Celestia shook her head, breaking the seal.
"We'll see," she said. "Perhaps it will actually be news, and not just a retread of our conversation." The scroll unfurled, and Celestia began to read.
To Her Highness Majesty Celestia of Canterlot, Queen and Goddess of the sun in the sky...
Celestia sighed, skipping over her paragraph-long official title and on to the body of the letter.
Your Majesty, I wish to take this opportunity to extend my sincerest condolences for your troubles at this time. I understand that a death, or even a loss in the family can be devastating, even for one such as yourself. If my own daughter Princess Golden Dreams had gone missing I know that I would certainly be distraught as well.
I also understand that the timing of this unfortunate incident is by no means ideal. With the treaty meetings just beginning at the time of your loss, I understand your frustration from a political standpoint, and I sympathize with your feelings that the incident is foul play. Equestria lost a large amount of sway without the Prince attending the meetings, and I'm certain that his talents with speech and persuasion would no doubt have turned the tide of the proceedings much more in your favor than was the case.
All that said, your accusations against my country were both unfounded and deeply offensive. Neither myself nor anypony in my court had seen your nephew since the night before the incident occurred, and to accuse them of conspiracy goes beyond offensive. It is an insult and an affront to my culture and my country, and thus to myself personally.
I will remind you Princess, that it was you yourself who invited us into you castle. My daughter and ambassadors were polite and humble guests in your home, and had done nothing to invite your scorn. I am acutely aware of the nature of Aloa and Equestria's relations in the past; however I had believed we left the war on equal and friendly terms. If this is not the case, and you have so little trust for us that your first instinct is to blame us for your troubles, then I would advise in the future you do not bother with the facade of friendship.
I will say again that the loss of Prince Blueblood is deeply troubling. If the nature of his disappearance is indeed one of foul play it bodes ill for all of our families, and even if not you still have my deepest sympathies. However, the court and country of Aloa have had no hand in this, and I sincerely hope that this is the end of the issue between our two countries.
Yours,
His Majesty Ocean Gold II, King of Aloa.
Celestia sighed, laying her head against the pillow. "I thought as much," she said.
"What did the letter say?" Amethyst asked. Celestia shook her head, re-rolling the scroll.
"Nothing I haven't heard before," she said. I suppose it explains why Ocean was so irate when I visited him, if he thought I had already heard all this."
"Heard all what?" Amethyst pressed, leaning forward. Celestia shook her hoof.
"It's not important," she said. "Let me handle it."
"No!" Amethyst shouted, slamming her hoof down. Celestia stared at her in shock. Oak simply lowered his head.
"I'm sick and tired of this, Auntie!" Amethyst shouted. "You've been keeping me in the dark for weeks - first that my son had gone missing, and then that he was -" she stopped, choking, but continued, "that he was dead, and now this. A letter came to us from Aloa, Auntie. An official letter from the king. What's happening, darn it!?"
"Amethyst," Celestia said, "I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this, but... I don't want any of this getting out. I haven't told anypony about any of this yet. The incident is bad as it is, we can't have word of this getting out to the populace -"
"Word of what!?" Amethyst interrupted. "What is this about!?" She glared at her aunt fiercely. The goddess was too tired to hold back her emotions, and shame was clear in her eyes. Amethyst's mouth fell open as she slowly came to the realization. "It's about Blueblood, isn't it?" Celestia sighed.
"I'm sorry, Amethyst," she said slowly. "I should have told you sooner... that stallion we found wasn't Blueblood." Amethyst's face lit up for just a moment, before screwing into a picture of fury.
"Dammit Auntie!" Amethyst shouted. "Again? He's my Son! I have as much right to know this as anypony else - more right! Why won't you ever tell me what's happening!?" She jumped to her hooves and started to march out before Oak leapt up as well, catching her gently. She looked at him sadly, and he gestured back towards Celestia. The alicorn was holding out the letter for Amethyst.
"Nopony knows yet," Celestia said. "But you're right. You deserve to know. I won't keep any secrets from you anymore. Here." Amethyst took the letter slowly, and read it. When she was done she looked up at her aunt, speechless.
"The stallion was a disguised Aloan soldier," Celestia said. "The body is with the doctor. He's the only one who knows anything, and it isn't much."
"So it was them?" Amethyst asked. Celestia shook her head.
"I still don't know for sure," she said. Amethyst brandished the letter.
"What do you mean we don't know for sure?" she asked fiercely. "He's obviously lying!"
"I went to him directly, Amethyst," she said. "Blueblood wasn't in the palace."
"Then they must be keeping him somewhere else!" Amethyst said. Celestia poured another cup of tea, and set it in front of her.
"Please Amethyst, try to be calm. I've considered that."
"How do you expect me to be calm when somepony has my son hostage?" Amethyst barked. Oak put a hoof on her shoulder gently.
"Princess," he said softly, "please. This isn't helping right now. Please calm down." Amethyst glared at him, but her expression softened.
"You're right," she said finally. "You're right. Thank you, Oak." She drank her tea, and Celestia continued.
"I spoke with the King himself," Celestia said. "He was... less than pleased with my visit, and made it fairly clear he had no intention of discussing it further with me. It could be fear, but he's never been fond of me at the best of times. I found Prince Tidus as well. He didn't know anything about it, but knowing him he simply might not care."
"So..." Amethyst said quietly. She had been in this situation once before, almost twenty-five years ago. She was young then. Now she had more experience, and she knew what was coming. The question hung in the air, and everypony in the room knew what it meant. Celestia sighed.
"Now we wait. We sneak, we spy, and we plan." She smiled weakly. "Now, we are politicians. Very, very careful politicians." ***
Many miles away, the sun was of little concern to the citizens of Aloa. The sky was overcast; a thick, flat gray sheet hanging high above their heads. Light filtered through weakly, casting the peninsula in a dark gray pallor. The clouds were empty, at least, and the air was dry. It would not rain today. Many farmers were taking this opportunity to plough and plant their seeds before the dry season came upon them. The heat would be nothing to sneeze at, then, and the farmers all wanted the hard work to be through.
Brook and Blueblood sat on the balcony of Brook's home, looking out over river. They had returned home the previous night, several months worth of food and a beautifully forged plough in tow. The sun had been low in the west sky when they had returned, and Blueblood had been exhausted from the trip back. Even as the pair ate their breakfast in the open air, Blueblood still yawned widely.
"Tired?" Brook asked. Blueblood shook his head.
"No master," he said. "I'm just... still waking up. I'll be fine."
"If you're still tired from yesterday, you don't have to work." Brook said again.
"I'm fine, master," Blueblood said. "Really. I'll be able to work easily. The new plough looks like it could cut through anything." Brook nodded.
"We should eat up, then," he said. "We'll need our strength."
"We?" Blueblood asked. Brook nodded, but did not elaborate. The two ate their meal in silence, staring out over the forest.
Blueblood had missed the view. The city had been nice, but it had felt claustrophobic compared to this. He sighed happily as a breeze whipped up, rustling the leaves in the distance. When Blueblood and Brook had finished their breakfast they returned into the house, depositing their dishes in the kitchen. Then they made their way out to the shed, bringing out their freshly-repaid plough.
Blueblood had not exaggerated. The plough was exquisitely forged, a keen edge running down its middle. The metal gleamed almost in spite of the dim light, as if it were proud of its own polish. Brook lifted the plough magically, and brought it out to the field. Blueblood slipped on the yoke, and followed after him.
The old pony set the plough on the ground, and Blueblood stood in front of it. He felt his master hitch him to the plough, but the old pony spoke before Blueblood could begin walking.
"Do you remember where you were ploughing before?" he asked. Blueblood nodded slowly.
"You said from here to the stump, up to the back of the house." He turned back to look at his master, and asked, "Right?" Brook nodded.
"That's right. Take it easy, this time. We'll make it in plenty of time." Blueblood smiled at his master, and nodded.
"Alright," he said. He began to walk, settling easily into the hard resistance of the plough. There was soft rumbling noise from behind him as the earth was shoved aside, falling into small hill on either side of the trench Blueblood had created. He found a steady pace, and soon enough the weight of the plough seemed to disappear.
He almost found himself laughing at how easy it was. Compared to taking the cart all the way home filled to the brim with supplies, and to pulling a pony-sized stump out of the ground, this was as easy as carrying a foal on his back. A wide grin spread across his face, and he picked up his pace slightly.
"Don't go too fast," Brook said from behind him. "Keep it steady. We want the trench to be as even as possible."
"Right," Blueblood said, slowing down again. "Sorry, master."
"It's alright," Brook said. "You're doing well." Blueblood smiled wider.
The pair reached the far end of their new field in hardly any time at all, and Blueblood slowed to a stop. He turned around to look at his master, and saw the old pony's horn fading. Blueblood blinked at him.
"Yes?" Brook asked, catching Blueblood look.
"Were you just using magic?" Blueblood asked. Brook nodded.
"I was pushing the plough," he said. "Helping you along, to make it easier." Blueblood lowered his head. So it wasn't that the ploughing had been easy, he thought to himself, but that he had had help.
"You... didn't have to do that, master," he said. "I can pull the plough just fine on my own." Brook smiled, and put his bad hoof gently on Blueblood's shoulder.
"I know you could," he said. "But you won't be saying that when we're done here." His horn lit up again, and the plough lifted into the air. Blueblood trotted beside the line he had just ploughed, and Brook placed the heavy plough down behind him.
"Ready?" the old pony asked. Blueblood nodded, his head still low. The pair set off again, cutting another line into the earth.
The task remained easy, for a while. After a few hours though, Blueblood's shoulders began to feel stiff, and sore. He ignored it, pulling on. They cut line after line into the earth, criss-crossing back and forth across the field behind Brook's home. Line by line they made their way closer and closer to the old house, and closer and closer to being ready to plant. Blueblood pushed on. He knew that it was important that they finish as soon as possible, so he never complained or asked for a break, even when his master offered them. He didn't need them, at least as first. But line after line the ache in his shoulders grew steadily worse, becoming a dull, hollow burning.
The sun was low before Blueblood knew it. He had no idea just how many lines had been cut into the earth, but they were only a few yards away from the house, now.
"How are you feeling?" Brook asked. Blueblood had sat down, and was panting faintly. He looked back at his master and smiled.
"I'm fine, master," he said weakly. Brook nodded, but did not seem completely convinced.
"Do you think you can managed a few more lines?" he asked. Blueblood nodded, getting back to his hooves.
"Of course," he said. Blueblood set the plough behind him, and they were off again. His shoulders ached fiercely, his sides and flanks joining in now. He throbbed with every step, but it wasn't a bad pain. It wasn't sharp, and he didn't feel as though he was being hurt, simply that he was working hard. He let the burning drive him forward, as if it were and engine deep inside him.
"Just two more lines," Brook said as they turned around again.
"Just two more lines," Blueblood echoed, nodded slowly. He dragged the plough along, feeling his master push harder. Together the pair cut another line into the hard earth, turning around for one final push. Blueblood stared dead ahead, marking the end of the field as a finish line in his mind. He pushed himself on, refusing to give up before they reached the goal. Finally, after an entire days worth of pulling, Blueblood reached the end. He dragged the plough to the end of the field, finishing the job entirely. He dropped to his knees, sighing in relief. The aching in his muscles felt like cheering, as if his body itself was congratulating him for finishing. He breathed deeply, grinning from ear to ear.
"Are you alright?" Brook asked, walking up beside him. Blueblood looked up at the old pony, still beaming.
"I'm fine," he said. "Just tired... thank you, master." Brook smiled as well, and sat beside him.
"You did well today, Red. Rest up. I'll cook dinner tonight." Blueblood laughed weakly, and nodded.
"Thank you master. I don't think I'd make anything good right now anyways." Brook smiled wider, and helped Blueblood to his hooves. Together the pair slowly made their way inside the house, finally taking a seat at the table in the kitchen. Blueblood practically lay on top of it, his chin and front legs resting on the old wood. He almost fell asleep as Brook worked, the old pony making his way slowly too and fro across the kitchen. Brook made a strange brew, and while it cooked he boiled and ground potatoes into a thick dough, making a heavy bread out of them.
Brook served the meal with little fanfare, and the two stallions dug in. The meal was thick, warm, and hearty. It seemed to fill Blueblood with every bite, the savoury stew blending with the heavy, tasteless bread and sitting heavily in his belly. The tiredness seemed to sink away from his muscles as he ate, and when he was finished Blueblood leaned back, sighing happily. Brook had finished as well, and set his spoon down.
"Did you enjoy it?" he asked. Blueblood nodded.
"Yes," he said. "It was delicious. Thank you, master." Brook smiled, and Blueblood thought that he saw the old pony's head lower slightly.
"Would you..." Brook said slowly, "like to learn how to make it?" Blueblood sat up, blinking at his master. "I just thought," Brook said idly, "there would be less to do once the field has been planted... you'll need something else to do." Blueblood lowered his head as well.
"I'd love to, master," he said. Brook smiled at him. Blueblood tried to smiled back, but instead he found himself yawning widely. His entire body ached when he yawned, his stiff muscles begging for rest. He stifled his yawn with a hoof, laughing sheepishly.
"Some other time," Brook said. "It's been a very long day... why don't we get some sleep, hm? There's still much left to do."
"Alright," Blueblood said. "That's sounds nice." He and Brook shared a faint smile, before climbing the staircase and heading into the bedroom. Brook clambered roughly into his bed, while Blueblood settled onto the old, familiar rug. He nestled into it, pulling the blanket over himself when Brook spoke.
"Red," he said slowly. Blueblood looked up at him. The old pony was seated upright in his bed, looking down strangely.
"Yes master?" Blueblood asked. Brook's brow furrowed imperceptibly.
"It isn't very comfortable sleeping on the floor, is it?" he asked. Blueblood looked down at the rug, blinking. It had been hard getting used to it at first, but by now sleeping on the hard floor just seemed natural to him.
"It's not so bad," he said, but Brook shook his head. The old pony got out of his bed, and beckoned for Blueblood to stand up.
"Come with me," he said. Blueblood stood, not completely sure of what Brook wanted. The green unicorn left the room, Blueblood following along beside him. The two walked slowly down the stairs, and Brook led Blueblood to an old door in a small wing of the house. Blueblood recognized it vaguely as one of the rooms he had cleaned, but he couldn't remember which. Brook pushed it open, standing aside for Blueblood to look in.
The room was nearly empty inside, save for an old bed tucked into a corner beneath a window. Blueblood took a step inside, looking around. There was still an old rug on the floor, but nothing else.
"It used to be a guest bedroom," Brook said, walking in behind Blueblood. "When I was young... but I don't tend to entertain guests these days." Blueblood turned to him, and his his master looking somewhat wistfully around the room. He turned his gaze to Blueblood, and smiled. "How would you like for this to be your bedroom from now on?" he asked. Blueblood stared blankly at him.
"My... bedroom?" he asked. Brook nodded.
"That's right," he said. "I... don't have much furniture for you. But it would be your room... if you want it." Blueblood stared at him, dumbfounded. He swallowed back a small lump that had begun to rise in his throat, and smiled.
"Of course," he said. "Of course, master. Thank you." Brook nodded slowly, his head lowering again.
"Then it's yours," he said. He smiled faintly. "Now... you should go to sleep. We'll plant seeds tomorrow, if you feel up to it."
"Of course," Blueblood said. "Thank you, master." Brook nodded and left the room, closing the door gently behind him,
"Goodnight, Red," he said just before he shut the door.
"Goodnight, master," Blueblood said. The door closed with a click, and Blueblood was left alone in the darkened room. He was too tired from working to think much of it. Instead he simply climbed into his new bed, settling beneath the heavy wool covers. They were warm, and amazingly soft. He sighed happily as he sunk into the thick mattress, and he soon fell into a deep, fast sleep. ***
Days came and went, blending into one another like grains of sand on the beach. The sun rose and set with perpetual rhythm, the steady beat of Blueblood's life. Every day while the sun was in the sky he would work the fields, Brook watching and helping where he could.
The rainy season lasted barely a few weeks, soon turning over to the arid heat of the dry season. Every day Blueblood would have to cart water over from the river to keep the crops from withering and dying. With his help they persisted, surviving in spite of everything. At first Blueblood had been worried: he was terrified that he might not be able to help them enough, and they would perish and die. For weeks he waited for the rough earth to show any signs of life. Soon, though, his patience was rewarded. A sprout emerged from the ground, its brethren following close behind.
Blueblood watched them as they grew, a strange new feeling welling in his chest. He had never felt anything like it when he had lived in Canterlot. It felt warm, as if the sun itself were in his belly, glowing down onto the plants.
In the evenings Brook and Blueblood sat on the balcony, watching the forest in the distance as if shifted and changed. They talked more and more as the weeks went by, but they were comfortable in silence as well. Some days they wouldn't say a word to one another, simply enjoying each other's company.
Blueblood stirred gently in his bed. His mind was slowly coming alive, and with consciousness came a familiar feeling. It was no longer painful, simply peaceful. He let the thoughts, feelings and impulses flow through him.
He felt the soft tickle of the sheets against his fur, the old fabric full of loose hairs that brushed gently against his coat. The morning warmth seeped into his bones, aided by the early sunlight. Even without opening his eyes he could almost see it, shining around the room. Blueblood could feel the wood breathe as it warmed. He could feel the subtle currents in the air, and hear the soft rustling of the leaves outside his window.
Blueblood rolled out of his soft bed, trotting into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Brook joined him shortly, and when the two were finished eating they went out to tend the field, as they had done every day. Where other days always seemed to have plenty to take care of, however, today there seemed to be little to do. They were finished their tasks well before noon, and they returned inside.
"What would you like me to do now?" Blueblood asked. Brook looked thoughtful for a moment.
"...Nothing," he said finally. Blueblood stared at him.
"Nothing?" he asked. Brook nodded.
"The fields have been watered, and weeded. The house is clean... there's nothing for you to do." Blueblood sat down, thinking about this. This was the first time in weeks that he had had nothing to do. There had always been something, some small task to keep him occupied. Tending to the field, cleaning the house, organizing his master's books. He had never had nothing to do, before. He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.
"There's really nothing you need me to do?" he asked again. Brook shook his head.
"Not for today. I'm sure something will come up soon enough. What's wrong with taking a few days off?"
"Well," Blueblood said, "nothing... I suppose." Brook smiled, and put a gentle hoof on his shoulder."
"You deserve a rest," he said. "You've worked hard. There's not going to be much to do until we can harvest." Blueblood nodded, and Brook trotted past him.
The white stallion thought about all the things that he could do with his new-found free time. He thought about sitting out on the balcony, or about reading. He found himself wracking his brain for anything else that he could do, but nothing came to him. Try as he might he simply couldn't bring himself to do much of anything. He sat in the main room of the house for a while, trying to muster up the motivation to start reading something, but nothing came to him.
In the end he began to wander the house. He had a strange compulsion to do something - anything - but he couldn't actually bring himself to do it. Occasionally he would stop to brush a bit of dust away from the wall, but they never really needed it. He was simply trying and failing to occupy himself.
He wandered back into the main room, where he found Brook headed through to the kitchen.
"Red," Brook said, "you've been quiet. I thought you were reading." Blueblood shook his head.
"No master," he said. "I wanted to, but... I don't know." He shrugged, and hung his head. Brook peered at him strangely.
"Is it really this hard for you to rest?" he asked. Blueblood sighed, and shrugged.
"I don't know," he said. "I'm sorry master, I just... I just feel like I should be doing something." Brook tilted his head thoughtfully, and tapped his chin.
"Hm..." he said slowly. His expression turned distant, and contemplative. Blueblood had seen him look like this before, but he had never been able to figure out just what he was thinking about. The old pony never spoke of the conclusions he came to, or even what the question had been.
"I think..." he said finally, "I may have something for you to do."
"Really?" Blueblood asked. Brook nodded slowly.
"Perhaps. Come with me."
Blueblood followed after the old pony as he climbed the stairs. To Blueblood's surprise the green unicorn ignored both the balcony and his bedroom, limping down to the door at the end of the hallway. He seemed to slow more and more the more he walked, as if there was something on the other side of the door that pushed him away.
Brook sat in front of the door, staring at it silently. Blueblood couldn't see his expression from behind him, but he could see his shoulders tense gently, and his head dip almost imperceptibly. He reached out with his bad hoof, setting it against the old door, and pushed.
The door swung open with a deep, rusty groan. Dust spilled out of it, swirling into the air. Brook sighed and stepped inside, followed shortly after by Blueblood. The room was still exactly the same as it had been when Blueblood had come in here before. Thick dust still caked everything in sight, from the ancient wooden desk to the yellowed scrolls and books. Soft yellow light filtered weakly through the grimy window, creeping across the desk. Even the two letters, still carefully sealed, sat in their places. Not a thing had moved.
As Blueblood mentally took stock of the room, something occurred to him. His heart pounded faster and faster in his chest as he continued to map out the room in his mind. If nothing else had moved, that meant that the armour was still there as well. It was only a few feet away from him. He could feel it in the corner. His legs trembled as he slowly looked over.
He had been right. It was still there, gleaming silver. Blueblood jumped back, bumping into his master.
"Red?" Brook asked, surprised. Blueblood ignored him, stumbling back and falling on his rear. He shook all over, his eyes set dead on the armour. It seemed to emanate dread, as if it were angry with him. When he looked at it, he remembered. His mind skipped back through weeks and months. It was as if they had never passed at all, and he was still right there, laying on that slab of rock at the base of the mountains. He could feel Iron's cruel gaze on him, hear his mocking laughter. It rang in his ears like some hellish choir, vibrating through his entire being. His heart pounded like a drum, keeping time with the hideous laughter. He squeezed his eyes shut, lowering his head.
"Red?" Brook asked again, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Red? Red! Can you hear me, Red?" Blueblood was shaking violently, but he managed to open an eye.
"Red," Brook said. "What's the matter?" Blueblood tried to speak, but his teeth clattered together every time he opened his mouth. He could see the armour over Brook's shoulder, still staring evilly at him.
"T-th-th..." Blueblood struggled. He turned away from the armour, closing his eyes again and gesturing limply at it. Brook looked over his shoulder, and understood.
"Red," he said softly. "Red, you have to listen to me. It's armour. It's empty. It can't hurt you. You're safe." Blueblood stopped shaking as much, and he managed to open his eyes again. "It's only armour," Brook repeated. "Nothing but iron. It can't hurt you." Blueblood winced again, but he breathed deeply.
"It can't hurt me," he repeated.
"That's right," Brook said, nodding. He sat with Blueblood, placing his hooves gently on the white stallion's shoulders. The two sat together until, slowly but surely, Blueblood's shaking subsided. His heart slowed, and the fear that gripped him faded. He still felt its cold hand when he looked at the armour, but he could bear it now. He got to his hooves, slowly and shakily.
"I'm sorry Red," Brook said. "I shouldn't have brought you in here. You don't have to clean it-"
"It's alright," Blueblood said. "I... I'm sorry master. I'm fine." Brook looked carefully at him.
"Are you sure?" he asked softly. Blueblood nodded faintly, not completely sure himself. Still, he would do as his master asked him.
"Yes..." he said finally. "But... master, will you... stay with me? While I clean? And... talk to me?" Brook smiled, sighing faintly.
"Of course," he said. "I'll be right here, Red." Blueblood nodded and smiled weakly. He set about cleaning the room, starting by opening the small window. A soft breeze blew in, stirring up the dust.
"What did you use this room for, master?" Blueblood asked, trying to fill the frightful silence. He needed noise, now. Something to take his mind off the armour in the corner. Brook looked around the room almost dreamily.
"It was my study," he said. "I would... study, I suppose."
"What did you study?" Blueblood asked.
"Magic, mostly." Brook replied. He limped slowly to one of the bookshelves, taking out one of the thick volumes. "There were other things too. Construction, agriculture... I needed something to fill my time..."
Blueblood looked up from his cleaning. Brook was looking somberly at the tome in his hooves. The old pony sighed, brushing the dust off it gently. Blueblood tilted his head. "To fill your time?" he asked quietly. Brook nodded silently.
"Sometimes... you become accustomed to something. Then it leaves, and you don't know what to do. I had to find something else to do, after I..." He set the tome down, tapping his bad hoof against it gently. "I needed a hobby, they told me. I started learning how to build... this place used to be much smaller. I expanded it as much as I could..."
"How?" Blueblood asked. Brook looked at him strangely, and Blueblood lowered his head. "I mean..." the white pony said quietly, "how could you add to your house, on your own?" Brook smiled humourlessly, brushing his hoof over the book.
"Magic, of course," he said.
"But... I never see you using magic," Blueblood said. "It seems like it would take a lot of power..." Brook shrugged limply.
"I don't use it anymore..."
"Why not?" Blueblood asked. Brook was silent for a long time, but eventually sighed.
"You don't use a sword to pick your teeth," he said. Blueblood stared at him, unable to grasp what the old stallion had meant. Brook didn't give him a chance to consider it, however.
"There's a lot of dust here," Brook said. "Why don't you go get a rag and some water?" Blueblood nodded slowly, and trotted out of the room. He felt a weight lift off him as he moved away from the armour, but there was still another strange weight there. When he returned Brook had placed the old volume back on its shelf, and seemed to be staring a million miles away. His eyes shifted slowly to Blueblood as the stallion entered, setting immediately to work.
Brook was silent for a long time. Blueblood managed to clean up most of the floor before the old pony spoke again.
"Red..." he said quietly. Blueblood looked up from his work. Brook was staring into the distance again, but this time he looked tired, and old. "What happened to you?" he asked. There was an edge to his voice, like he was in pain. Blueblood blinked.
"What... do you mean?" Blueblood asked. Brook gestured weakly to his armour, gleaming in the corner of the room.
"Why... does it frighten you so much? What happened?"
Blueblood looked slowly at the armour. He didn't shake when he saw it, but only just. He looked back at his master, every bit as slowly. The old pony seemed ancient, now. His head hung ever so slightly, his neck sinking between his shoulders. A hard lump raised in Blueblood's throat when he tried to speak. His heart beat hard in his chest. For a moment, he thought about lying. He trembled gently when he even thought about what had happened to him; he didn't think he could bear to say it aloud. But he looked at Brook again, and he couldn't lie.
"I... I'm not from here. Soldiers took me here, and... they hurt me." He shook, but tried his hardest to fight it down. "They hurt me," he repeated. "And... I don't know. I just couldn't... be, anymore. They... took..." He was shaking, again. He couldn't fight it anymore. His heart felt like ice, whenever he thought about it: whenever he remembered that awful, incredible pain. "I'm sorry..." he said weakly. His breath was shallow, and ragged. "I'm sorry master... I can't, I... I..." Brook Put a hoof on his shoulder, and hung his head.
"Don't," Brook said. "I understand. you don't have to." Blueblood swallowed, and nodded shakily. Brook sat with him until he had stopped shaking, and when he had Brook spoke.
"I'm sorry," the green pony said. Blueblood stared at him.
"Why?" he asked. Brook sighed.
"Because I was a soldier, once," he said. "I must frighten you... I'm sorry." Blueblood stood slowly, and shook his head.
"No," he said. "I'm not afraid of you, master. You were a soldier a long time ago, but not anymore... right?" Brook chuckled slowly: a dull, empty laugh.
"Yes..." he said quietly, looking at his desk. "Not for a long time... almost 20 years." Blueblood put down his rag, and inched closer to the old stallion.
"What happened?" he asked. Brook reached out, taking the two old letters from the desk and peering at them. He was quiet, almost contemplative.
"It's true, isn't it?" he asked to nopony in particular. "Equestria does wear blinders on its borders." He shook his head. "The same thing happened to me that happens to every soldier some day. 20 years ago there was a war... I was hurt. Too hurt to keep fighting... they gave me enough Silver for the rest of my life, and then some. Then, I came out here. I added to my home... making it what I thought it should be. I thought I would spend the rest of my life studying magic but... in the end, I never did." He looked around the room, concluding, "I haven't been in this room for almost as long, now. Almost 20 years." Blueblood swallowed, and took another step closer. Brooks face seemed empty, now. Blueblood hadn't seen him look so empty in a long time, almost as long as he had known him. In fact, he had only ever seen that expression the moment he first met his master. It hurt Blueblood, seeing it again.
"Why not?" he asked. Brook sighed.
"Because..." he said, "because you don't use a sword to pick your teeth."
"You said that before," Blueblood said. "What does it mean?" Brook stared at him. He looked around the room, and finally down at his hoof. The old pony closed his eyes, and began to hum to himself.
He hummed softly at first, but he grew louder and louder. It was steady, slowing rising and falling in a beautiful rhythm. As he hummed, Brook's horn began to glow. Like his voice it was soft, but grew brighter and brighter. Slowly but surely, the room began to stir. Dust lifted itself off the ground, particles encased in blue light flying through the air like a hurricane. Spilled scrolls rearranged themselves, and fallen books returned to their shelves. Blueblood watched in awe as Brook took control of everything in the room without even a trace of effort. He simply hummed to himself, calm amidst the chaos. In an instant, the once-filthy room was pristine. Brook opened his eyes, and spoke gently.
"Red... I want to show you something," he said. "Will you come with me?" Blueblood stared, open-mouthed, and nodded.
"Of course, master," he said. Brook nodded, and limped out of the room.
Blueblood followed him down the stairs, and into an old wing of the house. Blueblood could clearly see the changing wood. This was the oldest part of the home, only a few rooms big. Blueblood looked over his master's shoulder as they walked. They came to a stop in front of the one room Blueblood had never seen, the one room he had been barred from entering.
Brook was silent. His hoof hovered in the air, trembling slightly in front of the handle. Finally, he reached out, pushing the door gently. It swung open smoothly, and Blueblood could see inside.
Along the far wall of the room was an enormous bed. It looked large enough for a half-dozen ponies to sleep in; it took up nearly half the room. The only other things in the room were a small, old shelf, and a hearth in the corner.
Despite Blueblood never having entered the room, and never having seen Brook go inside, it was spotless. Everything was placed neatly and free of dust, as if it had been preserved in wax. In spite of the cleanliness, the room seemed bleak, and old. Brook stepped inside, looking around wearily. He sat in the centre of the floor, gesturing for Blueblood to follow him in.
"Red?" Brook asked.
"Yes?"
"How many plates are there in the kitchen?" Blueblood blinked.
"F-five," he said.
"And how many bowls?"
"Five," Blueblood replied again.
"There are also five cups," Brook said. "And five forks, and knives, and spoons. But there are only two ponies living here." He stood, walking to the small shelf. He picked up a picture frame, and returned to Blueblood, holding it out gently. Blueblood took the picture carefully, and looked at it.
There were five ponies in the picture, all unicorns. Two of the ponies were older: a deep green mare with a blue mane, and a pure white stallion. Gathered around their hooves were two colts, and a filly. The filly was pure white, like her father. One of the colts was white-coated, with a deep blue mane. The final colt, sitting in the centre of the picture, was a deep green foal with a brilliantly white mane. Blueblood looked up from the picture. Brook was looking down tiredly.
"This is the home my family lived in," Brook said. My father raised me to be strong, and to love my country." He unpinned his medallion, and removed his wrappings slowly. He turned to the side, and for the first time Blueblood saw his cutie mark. It was a powerful ocean wave, taking the shape of a shield. "I was a gifted magician... and I wanted to use my magic to protect my country. When we were old enough, my brother and I joined the military. They taught us to use our magic as a weapon. I took to it well... I learned how to use all sorts of spells. Spells for cutting, for crushing, for destroying..." He shook his head, putting the picture frame back. "You don't use a sword to pick your teeth. Somepony could get hurt."
Blueblood sat in silence. He didn't know what he could say. Brook was silent as well. His face was still and empty, his eyes focused miles away. He slouched just enough for Blueblood to see; just far enough for Blueblood to understand.
"What happened to them?" Blueblood asked quietly. He hadn't needed to ask; he knew the answer. It almost felt as though it needed to be asked. Brook sighed, as if he too understood what needed to be done.
"My parents were old," he said. "They passed on peacefully, in their bed. My sister died when we were young... she fell in the river during the rainy season. We saved her, but it was too late. She fell sick, and died. My brother..." Brook shook his head. "My brother died in that war, 20 years ago. He was killed in the last battle I ever fought. Magic... I came back here... I built up our home. And now..."
"And now it's empty?" Blueblood asked. For some reason, he understood. Perhaps it was the nature of growing up in a palace. Hallways upon hallways, filled with nothing and going nowhere. But at least there had been ponies there, if he had cared to talk to any of them. Brook had had none of that. The old pony nodded.
"And now it's empty," he said. "An empty home in the middle of nowhere... with an old stallion that nopony cares about anymore." Blueblood lowered his head, and stepped closer.
"That isn't true, master," he said. "There are still ponies who care about you." Brook looked at him strangely, and huffed.
"Are there?" he asked. "Like the smith? Ponies don't care about White Brook the farmer, Red. They care about White Brook The Raging River. I'm not The Raging River anymore." Blueblood shook his head.
"No," he said. He nudged Brook with his nose, and nuzzled him gently. "I care about you, master. I care about White Brook the farmer."
Brook was still for a long time. Even as his bad hoof slowly inched upwards, wrapping itself around Blueblood's neck he was silent. Finally, he spoke. "Thank you, Red," he said. The two ponies sat on the floor in silence for a long time. They didn't need to speak; they didn't want to. It was peaceful in the silence, and they were happy. Brook's horn lit up, and Blueblood heard a clattering from behind him. When he turned he saw a Casualty set assembling itself. He look back to Brook, who was smiling warmly.
"When I was little," he said, "my father taught me to play Casualty... it's been a while since we played, hasn't it?" Blueblood smiled.
"It has," he agreed. "Can we play again?" Brook nodded.
"Yes," he said. "I hoped you'd want to." The set drifted between the two ponies, assembling itself and setting down. "Would you like to move first?" Brook asked. Blueblood grinned, and reached out. Before he could make his first move, however, and ear-piercing whistle sounded. It was long, and shrill, like a warning siren. Blueblood dropped to the ground, covering his ears against the deafening noise, but Brook jumped to his hooves, his head snapping to the source of the sound. His entire body tensed, and even after the whistle stopped he stood stock-still, his bad hoof set squarely on the ground.He was still for a moment, but relaxed slightly.
"Who is that?" He asked slowly. Blueblood rubbed his ears.
"That was a pony?" he asked. Brook hummed to himself, and began to limp away. Blueblood jumped up, following after him. the two ponies left the house, trotting towards the riverbank. There was a sea pony in the river, carrying a waxy mailbag with him.
"White Brook?" the sea pony asked respectfully. Brook nodded slowly.
"I am," he said. "Who are you?" the sea pony shook his head.
"Just a messenger, sir." he said. "I'm sorry." He reached inside his bag, retrieving a scroll and handing it to Brook. He nodded respectfully once again as the old stallion took it, and swam west without another word.
Brook stared after him, looking between the rapidly disappearing sea pony and the scroll. He sat on the shore, humming to himself again. Blueblood blinked at him. He thought that there seemed to be an edge to Brook, but he couldn't put his hoof on it. It made him nervous.
"What's wrong, master?" he asked. Brook turned over the scroll, showing it to Blueblood. It was sealed with red wax, stamped with the insignia of Aloa.
"It's from the King," Brook said quietly. He unsealed the scroll slowly, and read it. Blueblood waited in silence, holding his breath. He had no idea what the King might want with Brook, but the thought of it frightened him. His heart pounded in his chest as Brook lowered the scroll. The old pony was silent, staring into space. His eyes drifted to Blueblood, and he sighed sadly. Blueblood swallowed, pawing at the ground nervously.
"...It's a summons," Brook said simply. "I'm being summoned to serve as a general. Equestria has declared war on Aloa." |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which the Truth is Learned | Chapter 13: In Which the Truth is Learned
All across Equestria, ponies rose. Farmers on the great plains went to tend their crops, craftsponies and merchants went to run their shops, and foals rose to get ready for school. Each and every single pony who woke looked to the sky in curiosity, and all for the same reason: though every pony across Equestria was rising from their nightly rest, the sun had not. A thin line of yellow and orange could be seen along the eastern horizon, telling the ponies of the sun's imminent ascent, but the fact remained that it was late. Still, most ponies did not concern themselves with it. It happened now and then, they all told themselves. The Princess must have simply been busy.
It was true Princess Celestia had been busy. For weeks she had been in almost constant contact with the Aloan Royal Court, but a week ago the letters had stopped coming. Celestia had shut herself in her room. The only ponies who visited her were her niece, the captain of the guard and - most worryingly - several retired, high-ranking members of the guard. No other ponies saw the princess during that week, and rumors flew in her absence. It was never the same rumor twice. Sometimes it was that Celestia was ill with a strange disease from her visit to Aloa. Sometimes it was that she was simply too frustrated from her communications to talk to any other pony. Sometimes the rumors were about her interesting choice of companions. In the end, only those ponies who had visited her knew exactly what was happening, with the curious exception of the palace blacksmith.
Princess Amethyst had visited him regularly over the week, always on her own. Rumors flew about this too, as rumors are wont to do. These were always quelled shortly, however, usually by the princess's diligent bodyguard Rowan Oak. He always seemed to be around when they were spoken, swooping in to defend his princess. As the week wore on though, he found himself more and more doubting his own words. Amethyst had not trusted even him with her secret. He had taken to wandering the halls in worry, in fact. He roamed the opulent palace, trying not to hear the whispered rumors, trying to shove them from his mind. He was in the public wing when he was approached by the acting captain of the guards.
"Lieutenant!" the captain barked. Oak jumped to attention, saluting smartly.
"Captain!" he said respectfully. The captain saluted as well, and both pegasi stood at ease.
"The Princess is asking after you, Lieutenant," the captain said. Oak ruffled his wings.
"Ah, Princess Celestia, Captain?"
"Princess Amethyst, Lieutenant," the captain said, a sarcastic edge to his voice. "The mare you are supposed to be guarding?" Oak blinked, and saluted again. It was the first time she had summoned him all week; she had always been too busy before.
"O-of course, captain!" Oak said. "Where can I find her?"
"In her chambers," the captain said. His serious expression faded into a sly smile, and he shuffled his wings knowingly. "Remember, Lieutenant - I don't want to be hearing about any sort of... untoward conduct. Am I understood?" Oak's face flushed, and he pawed at the ground before saluting.
"Yessir," he said quickly. The captain smirked again, and Oak flew off, headed for the Princess's chambers. The royal family's wing was deserted as always, giving him time to straighten himself up. He preened his feathers, laying them neat and smooth, and took off his helmet to brush his mane. He sat in front of the princess's door, his heart pounding in his chest, and knocked respectfully.
"Who is it?" Amethyst asked from inside the room. Oak cleared his throat, and spoke.
"It's me, Your Highness: Oak." There was a clinking and clattering sound from inside the room, before Amethyst spoke again excitedly.
"Oak? Wonderful! Come in, come in! And close the door behind you!" Oak swallowed, and quickly stepped inside, shutting the door tight behind him. He almost forgot to; his jaw dropped when he entered. He was not sure what he had been expecting - or perhaps hoping for - but this was most certainly not it.
Princess Amethyst stood in the centre of the room, clad from head-to-hoof in golden armour. It fit tightly around her body, imitating the unicorn guards' armour. There were, however, distinct differences. The mail was much looser on the sides, and the saddle had been replaced with Equestria's banner: the sun and moon set tightly alongside one another. A long silver scabbard stretched along her side, containing a basket-hilted rapier. All in all, the princess would have been very imposing if she were not so ungainly in the heavy metal. Oak stared at her, open-mouthed.
"What do you think?" she asked proudly, prancing lightly. The joints of the armour snagged, and she came to a jolting halt. She almost fell over, but managed to keep herself upright. Oak recovered himself, and shook his head.
"Your Highness, what in the world is all this?" he asked, dumfounded. Amethyst sighed at him.
"It's armour, of course. How does it look, Oak? Do I look ready for a battle?"
"Ready for a battle..." Oak said, still clearly stunned. Amethyst shook her head, and marched slowly and carefully over to him. More than once she stumbled, but she never quite managed to tumble over. She sat in front of him, and Oak shook his head once more. His face screwed up quizzically, and he searched for the right words to voice his concerns.
"But Your Highness... why!?" he asked finally.
"You remember what auntie said, don't you Oak?" Amethyst asked. "You remember what the last letter we've received from Aloa said?"
"Of course I do," Oak said. "They've declared war against us. We're going to have to fight them, or apologize for insulting them-"
"We have not insulted them," Amethyst said sharply, "and we are not going to apologize! They have my son, Oak, and we are going to get him back from them! One way or another!" She huffed, and put her hoof down firmly. The armour clanked quietly, and Oak sighed.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. But... what does that have to do with all this, unless..." He looked at her entreatingly, as if he were begging her to make him wrong. A horrible, tremendous fear gripped his heart. "Your Highness... you aren't seriously considering going out to the war, are you?"
"No, I'm not considering it," Amethyst said. Oak sighed with relief.
"Thank goodness," he said. "Your Highness, I couldn't imagine-"
"I decided that I'm going to the war a long time ago," Amethyst interrupted him. Oak jolted, and coughed hard.
"Your Highness," he said sharply. He paused, holding himself back. He knew it wasn't his place to criticize the princess; it was his place to protect her, regardless of what she did. But he knew that if she went to the war, there was a chance that she would not be coming back. Even the thought of it killed him, stabbing through his heart like a cold blade. He couldn't bear to see her hurt, let alone subjected to a real war. He had only seen a few months of the last war with Aloa, but it had been horrible. If she saw any of it, then the Princess Amethyst he knew, the princess he cared so deeply about, would never come back. Surely keeping her from it would be protecting her, he thought to himself. Perhaps it was not his place to question, but he could afford to stretch the rules this one time. He steeled himself for the princess's fury, and spoke.
"Your Highness, are you insane!?" he asked. Amethyst scowled at him, and stood up with difficulty.
"For wanting Blueblood back?" she asked, turning away from Oak. "Apparently, I am." Oak followed after, still trying to reason with her.
"Your Highness, you don't know anything about war! You don't even know anything about fighting!" Amethyst spun upon him, a smile suddenly back on her face.
"But you do!" she exclaimed. "It's perfect, Oak, you can teach me! Then I'll be ready!" Oak just shook his head.
"No... Your Highness, I'm not going to teach you how to fight. I won't help you with this."
"Why not?" Amethyst asked. "Do you think I won't be able to?" Oak was silent. Amethyst fumed, and her horn lit up. She attempted to draw the rapier from its scabbard, but it got caught, and she struggled with it. Eventually she managed to draw it out, brandishing it dangerously.
"Well, then you can help me!" she said. "Make me good enough!" Oak looked at her sadly. He stepped inside the blade and thrust out his wing in the blink of an eye. The sword was shaken from Amethyst's magical grip, flying across the room. Oak looked at Amethyst entreatingly. She looked between him and the sword, and huffed.
"I'm doing this with or without you, Oak," she said decisively. "You can help me, or you can step aside."
"I'm trying to help you, Your Highness," Oak said. "Please! We need you here, where you can manage the war."
"Auntie will be here," Amethyst said dismissively. "She won't need my help."
"Let her go out there!" Oak pushed. "She'll be worth a thousand of you on the battlefield! And you'll be here, and safe!"
"Auntie wouldn't set hoof on the battlefield," the princess said. "Not unless Tidus comes out." Oak winced and tried again.
"And what if Tidus does show up?" he asked. "What if you're there when he arrives? He won't care who you are, Princess! If you go out there..." Oak looked down, and pawed the ground. "If you go to war, you'll be killed, Your Highness." Amethyst stomped her hoof down.
"Don't you think I know that!?" she yelled. "I'm not some little filly anymore, Oak. I'm willing to do what I have to to save my son. If that means that I die, then so be it."
"But what about him?" Oak asked. "What happens if he loses his mother? You... you have ponies who care about you, Your Highness... Amethyst. We couldn't bear to lose you."
"And I couldn't bear to lose him, Oak," Amethyst said. She was quiet, now. She picked up her rapier, sliding it back into its scabbard. "Last time... last time I was young. I wasn't ready. I'll be ready this time, Oak. The Aloans already took Winter Star away from me. I won't let them take Blueblood too." Oak looked at her sadly.
"But what good is it if you aren't there anymore?" he asked. "Do you think Blueblood wants to lose his mother too? Do you want him too?" Amethyst stared at him, silent. She tried to keep a brave face. She tried not to let her emotions show. Hard as she tried, though, she was more like Oak than she would admit. She couldn't hold herself back. She sniffed sadly, and leaned against her bodygaurd's chest.
"I don't want to lose my foal, Oak," she whispered. Oak slowly wrapped his wings around her, comforting her.
"You won't," he said. "I promise you, they'll bring back your son. But please Amethyst... don't go. Stay here, where you're safe. Give him somepony to come back to." Amethyst sniffed again, and Oak could feel her nod slowly.
"You're right," she said. "You're right. But I still need your help, Oak." Oak opened his wings slightly, looking down at her. She looked up at him, and smiled. "I need you to help me be strong," she said. "Just for now. Just until they bring my foal back to me." Oak smiled back at her.
"I'll do my best," he said. ***
Brook limped slowly out of his home as the sun began to rise. He levitated a large trunk above his head, and Blueblood followed him out with two smaller bags on his back. The pair of stallions moved silently around the house, depositing their luggage in Brook's wagon. Brook sighed, staring out at the river. Blueblood sat beside him silently, his head low. The two sat in silence, taking in the view one last time. Today they would go into the city, and find a ship. They would go to Ys, the capital city of Aloa, where Brook would serve the king as a general. Blueblood pawed at the ground while they sat. He had fallen into silence last night; they both had. The situation frightened Blueblood, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. As it happened, he didn't have to.
"What's the matter, Red?" Brook asked. Blueblood's head sank.
"I... I don't like this, master," he said. Brook nodded solemnly.
"I... do not like it either," he said. "But it is my duty to Aloa. If the King asks for me, I must respond."
"But you can't be a soldier again!" Blueblood insisted. "Your hoof... they can't make you fight, can they?" Brook shook his head, and put a reassuring hoof on Blueblood's shoulder.
"They won't make me fight, Red," he said. "A general is a tactician. I'll organize campaigns, and order troops. I won't be on the field unless the war comes out here." Blueblood sighed with relief. That, at least, was one worry gone. Brook coughed quietly, and spoke again. "Of course, I'll need somepony to help me, still," he said. "Somepony I can trust. They'll probably try to give me a pony in the capital... one of theirs. I would like... somepony I know better to help me." Blueblood looked up at him, blinking.
"You want me, master?" he asked. Brook nodded.
"Of course I do," he said. "But they won't accept a slave in the capital. Where are your wrappings, Red?" Blueblood nodded, understanding.
"They're in my room, master," he said. "I'll go put them on?"
"Please," Brook said. Blueblood dashed inside, going to his room. His wrappings sat folded on the small table beside his bed. He had not worn them in a few months, but they still had a beautiful sheen to them. He ran his hoof over the soft cloth, relishing the texture. He wound the cloth around his neck, and returned to his master.
The old pony was seated in the back of the wagon, smiling down at him. Blueblood smiled back, and trotted in front of the wagon to push it.
"Don't bother," Brook said. "We won't go fast enough. Climb in." Blueblood stared up at him for a moment, but nodded. He clambered into the back of the wagon, settling in beside his master.
"Master... how are we going to get to the city without somepony pulling the wagon?" He looked over the side, and as he did he saw the wagon's wheel spark with magic. He looked back at his master, whose horn had begun to glow.
"I don't care for magic," Brook said, "but that doesn't mean I can't use it." His horn dimmed, and the wagon lurched forward. It rumbled to life, rolling out past the house on its own. Blueblood looked over his shoulder, watching the house slowly drift away. Brook looked back as well, and sighed. The house fell away, the wagon picking up speed as it traveled. Soon they were deep in the forest again, the old house far out of sight. Blueblood sighed, and laid his head down. Brook nodded knowingly, but remained silent.
Neither Brook nor Blueblood spoke for the trip into the city. Brook stared dead ahead, focusing on steering the wagon and keeping it moving. The wagon moved much faster than Blueblood could ever have hoped to pull it, and they were out of the forest in just a little under and hour.
Blueblood used the silence to think, and ponder the situation. His worry over Brook had been part of what bothered him, but it was not the only thing by far. The more he thought about it, the less he could avoid coming to the conclusion that he would be fighting a war against his own country.
Some old part of him wanted to shove the concerns aside. After all, it thought, Equestria was the most powerful nation on the continent. Aloa wouldn't stand a chance in the conflict. Even as he thought that, though, he doubted it. What if Aloa really could win the war? What if they took over Equestria? Or what if Equestria took over Aloa? He couldn't imagine what option would be worse. He thought about the outcome, and he could see rebellion. Just like in that first game of Casualty, the losing country might rebel, tearing itself apart from the inside. Aloa was too proud to be subjected to the rule of another, and Celestia would never allow her citizens to be put under Aloa's hoof. Blueblood shuddered at the thought. Even if it were not that bad, he knew the costs would be immeasurable. How many ponies would die in the battle?
Why? he asked himself. What could possibly make Auntie declare war? She wanted peace more than anything... He lay his head on the edge of the wagon, pondering the war. None of it made any sense to him. Auntie had wanted peace. That was why she had organized the summit. It just didn't make sense for her to declare war. Even if it had been propaganda, and the Aloans had been the ones who declared the war it still baffled him. The Aloans would have no reason to declare war, unless something had gone poorly at the meetings.
Then it struck Blueblood. something had gone wrong at the summit. One of the delegates had been missing - him. He had been kidnapped by the Aloans.
Did auntie find out? he wondered, a sudden tightness in his chest. Does auntie know what happened to me? But if she does... why hasn't she come for me? Unless she has... He knew what Celestia would have done first. She would have asked the king about him. And if the king didn't have an answer... would she keep pushing? Would she believe him?
Would auntie really go to war over me? he thought. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew that she would. Both Celestia and his mother would go to war over him. The thought of it made him feel sick in the pit of his stomach, was the knowledge that all that death and devastation was done for him. Hundreds, thousands of ponies would be killed all because of him.
The wagon arrived at Port Ponzance by mid-morning. The gates were flung wide open, with ponies trailing in and out almost constantly. Ponies with wagons, ponies with crops to sell, even just ponies with nothing more than the wrappings about their necks all corwded along the road..
Blueblood sat up, looking down at all of them. Brook shook his head sadly, and Blueblood looked curiously at the old stallion.
"Recruits," Brook said without being asked. "If war is coming... the kingdom needs recruits. Some of them will be young ponies looking for adventure. Some will want to protect their country. Some just won't have anything else to do." He sighed, and shook his head again. Blueblood felt the familiar pain of guilt, but it didn't have time to fester as it had before. They soon passed through the gates, and were plunged into a sea of ponies moving about within the city's walls.
Stalls had been set up along the streets, hawking various wares: gaudy jewelry, crops, advertisements for armour and weapons. Recruitment offices had set up stalls on every corner, and lines of young stallions zig-zagged across the streets to fill out the forms. Vendors shouted out advertisements, their voices blending together into an almighty din. There was no words, only noise. Blueblood could hardly hear himself think, and Brook was having a difficult time maneuvering the wagon through the crowd. He propelled it forwards, gently nudging at the ponies in his path until they moved out of the way.
The crowd seemed to mostly be gathered around the gates. Most of the ponies dispersed as they made their way deeper into the city, but the hub road to the docks was still far from empty. Still, Brook was able to move the wagon briskly through the streets, and Blueblood could soon smell the familiar, salty scent of the ocean. He could feel the wagon pick up speed as they began to roll down a steep hill, and in the distance Blueblood caught a glimpse of the ocean again.
It was the first time he had been truly lucid when he saw it. He hadn't appreciated the beauty of the spectacle before, but now he realized just why ponies gravitated to it so. It was magnificent, a sheet of blue stretching out for miles and miles. The morning light reflected off it like a mirror, gleaming brilliantly for the world to see. As they drew closer the the docks Blueblood could see ships pulling in and out of the harbor, passing by the enormous pillars in the water. He only vaguely remembered the ocean gate, but something seemed different about it. He squinted, peering at the top of arches. There seemed to be tiny figures moving back and forth across them.
"Are those..." he asked slowly, "ponies?" Brook looked and nodded.
"It's war time now," he said. "Things are changing. The gates will be ready until the war is over. Those ponies will lower barriers over the arches if an enemy is coming, to keep them away from the city."
"Oh..." Blueblood said. "Would they really attack a city full of innocent ponies?" Brook shrugged.
"You'd know better than me... but we can never be too careful. We can't risk the ponies here being hurt." Blueblood nodded and lowered his head sadly. As if it weren't bad enough that soldiers could be killed over him, was there really a chance that innocent ponies could die? He moaned quietly to himself. Brook looked over at him carefully.
"You've never seen a war before, have you?" he asked. Blueblood shook his head.
"No..." he said. "The one you told me about last night... it would have happened when I was a foal." Brook stared silently at him.
"Red... how old are you?"
"21 years old, master," Blueblood answered. Brook nodded.
"It would have ended a year after you were born, then," he said. "Not enough time to see it... they really didn't teach you about it?" Blueblood shook his head, and Brook sighed. "I don't blame them," he said quietly. "I wouldn't want to remember either..."
The wagon slowed to a halt as they pulled up to the docks. Blueblood got out and helped Brook down, the old pony levitating his luggage out of the wagon. He placed the two small bags on Blueblood's back, carrying the trunk himself.
"We'll find a boat here," Brook said. "Something nice and comfortable. You've never been out to sea before, have you?"
"Once," Blueblood said quietly. "When I was... well, when I was being brought here. I don't really remember it well." Brook nodded.
"I see," he said. "We'll get a big ship. Nice and comfortable. Besides..." The old stallion gave a sly smile. "It'll keep us away from Ys that much longer." Blueblood smiled faintly as well, and the two trotted onto the docks.
The docks were in chaos. The scent of salt in the air was accompanied by sweat as large, burly stallions dashed about madly. The cranes, ropes and pulleys were all constantly in action as crates full of supplies were loaded onto ships. Large stallions in armour trotted importantly to and fro, and Blueblood shied away from them all nervously. Brook was careful to keep close to him, leading him through the hectic crowd.
Eventually they broke through most of the hubbub and onto a less populated section near the bank. Blueblood saw dozens of sea ponies sticking out of the water, bickering with unicorns or tossing packages out of the water to ponies on ships and docks. Sailors ran up and down gangplanks and across decks, prepping their ships to sail or tying them into port. They barked orders back and forth, devolving into shouting matches between ship captains as they tried to have their commands heard over one another. The very air itself seemed ripe with tension. Everypony here was preparing, and they all knew for what. They all dreaded it, but they were preparing for it nonetheless. There was a somber air beneath the panic; Blueblood could feel it.
Brook limped slowly along the bank, inspecting each of the ships using some criteria that Blueblood couldn't even guess at. He followed after the old stallion quietly, observing the ships as they went past. There were small vessels with a single mast, and larger boats with three or four. Brook stopped in front of one three-masted boat. There was an ancient, grizzled unicorn sitting on the bow, giving orders to his crew. Brook headed up the dock, calling out to the old pony.
"Ahoy there!" he shouted. The ship captain looked down at him.
"Ahoy at you," he called back. "We're about to ship out, You'll have to make it quick!"
"Where're you headed for?" Brook asked. He was beginning to slip into a naval dialect similar to the sailors on the dock, and Blueblood imagined that he must have been used to sailing when he was a soldier. Aloa had an unparalleled navy, after all.
"We're going to Ys," the captain said. "Shipping steel. Good business for it out there, now."
"You might be interested in shipping a couple of stallions out there?" Brook asked. The ship captain scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Might do," he said. "Might do. You come on board, we'll talk it over." Brook nodded, and set the trunk down beside Blueblood.
"Will you stay here with the luggage?" he asked. Blueblood nodded, and Brook limped up the dock and onto the ship. The captain disappeared from sight, no doubt taking Brook into his quarters to barter over prices. Blueblood shrugged the bags off his back, sitting on the dock. He peered over the edge and into the water, staring at his reflection.
He tried to tell himself that there might be another reason for the war. If the Aloans were willing to kidnap him, it was possible that they would do even more for power. It was also possible that they had done something after Blueblood had been gone that caused it. No matter how he try to reason though, he couldn't shake the awful feeling in his gut that this was all his fault. He sighed miserably, staring at the water. His reflection seemed to rippled and distort, and to his confusion another face seemed to be replacing it. It looked like a mare - a mare with an icy blue coat and mane.
The face burst out of the water, a sea pony following along behind it. She leapt up, grabbing Blueblood around the neck.
"Surprise!" she shouted. Blueblood jolted, falling backwards and pulling the sea pony out of the water. She laughed hysterically, flopping her tail on the dock. Blueblood lay on his back, spluttering in shock. The sea pony dragged herself over to him, resting her chin on her hooves. "Hiya, Red!" she said excitedly.
"I... wha... Azure?" Blueblood asked, dumbfounded. Azure giggled happily at him.
"So you do remember me! For a minute there I thought you'd forgotten!"
"No," Blueblood said. "No, I... you remember me?"
"Of course I remember you, Red," she said. She reached out, brushing away his mane and feeling his forehead gently. "You're sort of a hard face to forget around here." Blueblood smiled in spite of himself, and chuckled.
"Thank you," he said. "What are you doing here?" Azure grinned, and patted her flank.
"I said I was a messenger, didn't I?" she asked. "There's load for me to do, now. Everypony wants a message sent to the sailors, or the shippers, or the soldiers. Sometimes they even want me to hand something off to get delivered in another city. It's crazy here, Red." He eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here? You're not... shipping out are you?" a look of concern flashed across her face. Blueblood rubbed his neck.
"Well..." he said, "my master's been called to Ys. To... serve as a general." Azure sighed, and laughed.
"That's a relief. I'd hate to think of you going off to war." She propped herself up on her elbows, and tapped her chin. "Did you say your master was summoned to be a general?" she asked. Blueblood nodded.
"That's right," he replied. Azure's eyes widened.
"That's amazing!" she said. "You'll be living the high life in Ys, you know. Good for you!" She punched his shoulder playfully, and he grinned.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah," Azure said. "I've been there once or twice. It's an amazing city, and if you're working for a military stallion during a war? I'll bet you've never seen anything like it." Blueblood smiled.
"Well," he said, "I think I might have. But it sounds nice anyways." Azure grinned at him. Blueblood was about to say something else when he heard his master call out to him.
"Red!" Brook called, appearing on the bow of the ship. "The captain is letting us travel to Ys with him! Bring the luggage on board!" Blueblood got to his hooves, nodding.
"Yes, master!" he shouted back. He turned to Azure, and smiled at her. "I have to go now, Azure," he said. "Do you need some help getting back into the water?" Azure laughed, and rolled off the docks.
"Of course not," she said, breaking the surface again. She leaned against the dock and smiled up at the white stallion. "You have a good time in Ys, okay?" she said. "Don't work too hard." Blueblood smiled back at her.
"Sure," he said. Azure winked at him and sank back under the water, and Blueblood ginned wider. He grabbed the bags, placing them on his back, and began to push the heavy trunk along the dock. ***
Azure swam between the docks, ducking under the surface and bobbing up to look for the recipient of her delivery. She had been around the dock for almost a quarter of an hour before she had seen Red, searching for the unicorn she had been told to find. She hated being at the dock when it was this busy. There were always too many ponies for her to be able to find any one in particular, and looking at all the magic gave her a headache. Even whistling probably wouldn't work; if she was heard at all she doubted that the unicorn that heard her would care enough to point her in the right direction. She sighed, floating on the surface of the ocean when something caught her eye.
She rolled over and swam closer to get a better view. For a moment she thought she had imagined it, but she had not. There was another earth pony on the docks: a tall, powerful-looking stallion with a steel-gray coat and mane. His mane was long and unkempt, and a ragged beard ran along his jaw. He had a fat red unicorn with him, and the pair were followed by a small pack of soldiers. The earth pony stomped down the dock, growling to his friend.
"...Lost him!" Azure heard him say as she approached. "How could we ruddy lose him!? He's the only earth pony here, and we somehow managed to lose him! He's pure white, the idiot should stick out like a sore hoof!"
Azure's eyes bulged. Could these ponies be talking about Red? She drifted closer, but something about the earth pony felt wrong to her. There was an edge to him, like there was to a soldier. He felt different from other soldiers, though: less disciplined, and more dangerous. The sort of pony who would start a fight over literally nothing. The very air around him seemed unstable. All of a sudden Azure felt a deep, pressing fear in the pit of her stomach, and she knew she needed to hear what they were saying. She swam beneath the dock, sinking until only the top of her head was above the water, and listened intently.
"Calm down, Iron," the red unicorn said, trying to placate his friend. "We haven't lost him. We know where he's going, and we know what ship he got on."
"I know that as well as you, you fat idiot!" the pony called Iron hissed. "What I don't know is, why did we let him get away!? Why didn't we just grab him then and there?"
"Iron please," the unicorn said, more urgently. "Keep your voice down."
"Oh, like any of you unicorns is going to care what some earth pony has to say." Iron scoffed. The red unicorn shook his head.
"Anyways, we couldn't just grab him here. We're surrounded by other ponies, and he was with White Brook. We'd have been caught in seconds!" Iron scowled.
"You keep using that name, White Brook. As if he were somepony I was supposed to care about." The unicorn sighed.
"Equestrians," he said. "You were a palace guard, Iron. You would think you of all ponies would know who White Brook is, and why he's dangerous." Iron snorted again.
"Dangerous," he said dismissively. "All I see is an old crippled unicorn. Nothing dangerous about any of you pin-heads." The unicorn looked like he was about to argue, but Iron spun on him in a flash, stomping his hoof down. The dock they were on shook, and the red unicorn clammed up. Iron scowled, and hissed under his breath. Azure had to swim directly beneath the pair to hear him.
"It doesn't matter who or who isn't with him," the gray pony said. "He's gone. What are you going to do about it, Letter?"
"If you had listened," Letter said quietly, "you would know I have a plan. They took a large boat. We know what it's called, and where it's going."
"So?" Iron asked harshly. Letter rubbed his brow.
"So," he said, "We take a small boat. We'll get there much faster. Then we can wait."
"Ah," Iron said, his voice taking on a cruel, gleeful edge. "A surprise attack. We jump him on the docks."
"In private," Letter corrected. "Ys is full of small, tight side streets. We get them in there, and then -"
"I kill them!" Iron hissed happily. Azure gasped, and the two ponies above her stopped. Her eyes bulged as she realized that they had heard her, and sank into the water. Iron looked over the edge of the dock, scouring the water for some sign of a pony. Luckily for her, Azure's eyes and ears were built for the water. She could see him clearly, but he would never be able to see her. His eyes twitched nervously back and forth, but he slowly turned back to his partner.
"Take care of White Brook first," Letter told him in hushed tones. "Kill him before he knows you're there. Otherwise, you won't get a chance."
"Don't tell me how to kill ponies," Iron growled. "I know how to kill ponies. Let's find a boat." Letter sighed, but nodded. The two set off, their soldiers following after them cautiously. Azure waited until they were all gone before she resurfaced. She swam too and fro nervously, thinking what she should do.
The ponies on the dock had very clearly been talking about Red. They might not have said his name, but who else could they have been talking about? A pure white earth pony didn't come along every day. She chewed at her hooves nervously for a moment, before diving underwater. She zipped in between the other sea ponies swimming below the docks, passing through the checkpoint and into the open ocean. No ship, no matter how fast, could sail faster than a sea pony - especially not her. Her delivery forgotten, she set course for Ys. ***
The trip to Ys was a long one. Port Ponzance was located near the middle of the peninsula, and the capital was at its very tip. The trip would take them just over a week, the captain had told them, and that was if they had good weather the whole way. For all the warnings he had about rough weather and storms, though, the grizzled captain was almost supernaturally talented at navigating them away from anything but smooth waters.
Blueblood spent most of his time on the deck. He would often watch the sailors working, and he found himself being put to use more often than not. The gruff sailors would send him running about the decks tying off knots and doing simple tasks like cleaning the deck. Brook watched silently from the sidelines of it all, occasionally giving Blueblood advice and encouragement.
When the sailors had nothing for him to do, however, Blueblood would sit at the bow, looking out over the ocean. He had never seen anything like it before in his life. It stretched for miles in every direction, a perfect blue world. At times Blueblood couldn't even tell where the sea ended and the sky began. It was as if they were suspended in some endless void, completely alone. Their only visitors were brief glimpses of tiny ships along the horizon. Brook and the crew were tense during these moments, and after they all sighed in relief as the ship passed for the second time, Blueblood understood. War time was different from peace time. They couldn't trust any ship that they saw to be a friend; Equestria had allies on the sea, now. Every ship they saw could attack at any moment.
An attack never came, though. The first half of the trip at least had been peaceful and beautiful. Blueblood lounged at the bow, staring out into the endless ocean. His head seemed to swim with each and every dip and swell of the ocean. It felt as if his mind flew through the air each time, stretching out over the ocean and into the beams of the ship with each pass, like some foal's toy. It was difficult to concentrate with it, even as accustomed to the feeling as Blueblood was.
Though the view was magnificent, it did not concern Blueblood at the moment. His mind was occupied with other things: dark thoughts of suffering ponies. He wracked his mind desperately for something that he could do to avert it; something he could do to stop the war before it started. For all he knew the first battles could have been fought already. He tried to think past the absurd feeling and focus, but nothing came to him. He sighed, and heard a familiar shuffling sound. Brook limped up beside him and sat down.
"Red," he said, nodding. Blueblood nodded as well.
"Master," he said. Brook stared out over the ocean, a vague smile creeping into his lips.
"It's beautiful, isn't it Red?" he asked. "The ocean." Blueblood looked over the ocean as well, and nodded.
"It is," he said. "It's... I've never seen anything like it."
"Equestria is in a valley, isn't it?" Brook asked. Blueblood nodded.
"Most of it. Some of it is on the slopes, though," he said. Brook nodded knowingly.
"It must be strange seeing the ocean, then," he said quietly. "You said you don't remember your trip here... did you ever see this?" Blueblood shook his head slowly.
"I don't think so," he said. "They... kept us in the hold. It's nice though, the view." Blueblood sighed again, leaning on the railings.
"What's the matter, Red?" Brook asked. Blueblood could hear the hint of concern in his voice, beneath the stoicism. It made him smile, just a bit, but not because he felt better.
"I... don't know," he said. "I think I'm worried."
"About what?"
"About... all of this. The war. I'm worried about the war." Brook peered at him carefully.
"If your worried about me, Red, I already told you I won't be in danger." Blueblood shook his head.
"It's not that," he said sadly. "I understand that. It's... it's just the whole thing. It feels wrong, I suppose."
"...You feel bad fighting against your own country?" Brook asked. Blueblood sighed.
"I guess," he said. "But I'm worried about everything. Both the Aloans and the Equestrians... I just wish that I could stop it all." Brook nodded solemnly.
"All we can do is try to end it quickly," he said. "But I'm glad you're concerned, Red." Blueblood looked up at his master, who was smiling down at him. "It means you understand." Blueblood smiled back at him. The ship bucked over a swell, and Blueblood's head swam. He blinked, stumbling and putting his hoof to his head. For a moment, tiny flecks of light swam through his vision like fairies, blinking in and out of existence. He shook his head, and Brook put a hoof on his shoulder to steady him.
"Are you seasick?" the old stallion asked. Blueblood blinked again, and shook his head.
"No," he said. "I don't think so. I've felt like this before... just not when I've been awake, really." Brook blinked at him, and Blueblood saw his eyes narrow faintly.
"Not... when you've been awake?" he asked. Blueblood nodded.
"It's how I feel when I first wake up... It's a strange feeling. I guess I'm just not used to it."
"What does it feel like?" Brook asked. There was a strange hint of something Blueblood couldn't identify in his voice. He looked strangely at his master, but tried to explain the feeling.
"It's like..." he said slowly, "it's like I'm not inside myself anymore. Like I sort of... drift out of my body. I can feel my body beside me, almost. I can feel other things, too... everything feels much more intense. Sounds are louder, and things like that." He paused for a moment, trying to articulate the bizarre feelings. "It feels like I'm everywhere at once," he said. "Like I'm not just myself anymore, but..." Brook was staring at him silently, a strangely hurt look in his eyes. Blueblood lowered his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "It must sound weird..."
"It's like you're a part of everything," Brook said suddenly. "You're not just you anymore, you're a part of something much bigger. A part of everything." Blueblood blinked.
"Y-yes," he said. "That's... that's exactly what it's like. Have you felt it before?" Brook nodded sadly. He reached out with his bad hoof, brushing away Blueblood's mane.
"Red..." he said. His voice was quiet, and hurt. "I'm so sorry Red... those soldiers. You said they took something from you..." Blueblood blinked. He felt his legs start to tremble, and his heart start to pound. Brook put his hoof against Blueblood's forehead gently, right where his horn had been. There was a soft scraping noise, and Brook hung his head. "Oh, Red," he said. Blueblood felt a lump rise in his throat.
"Master?" he asked quietly. Brook pressed his neck against Blueblood's, wrapping him in a tight hug. Blueblood began to shake. Brook knew. Even the thought that his master knew, that anypony could know, brought the memories rushing back to him. He shook violently, but Brook never let go of him. Strangely, Blueblood couldn't hear Iron's laughter. He couldn't feel himself being pushed against hard stone, and he couldn't see the cruel spectre of a mad earth pony before him. His shaking subsided, and he hugged Brook.
"I'm so sorry, Red," Brook said. "It must have been awful... no wonder you were so frightened." Blueblood shook his head slowly.
"It's... alright," he said. "I've gotten used to it. Being an earth pony isn't as bad as I always thought it would be." Brook let go of him, and brushed his forehead again. "Master?" Blueblood asked.
"Yes?"
"How did you know I was a unicorn?" Brook smiled faintly.
"That feeling you described to me... you aren't really an earth pony, Red. You're still a unicorn." Blueblood blinked at his master.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"That feeling was magic," Brook told him.
"Magic?" he asked. "But... my horn is gone. I can't use magic anymore." Brook shook his head. He brushed his hoof along Blueblood's forehead, but said nothing. Blueblood blinked at him, tilting his head quizzically, but the old pony seemed to have forgotten he was there. Brook turned to look out over the ocean, his eyes taking on a faraway quality, and he sighed sadly. Blueblood stared at him, but decided to leave the old pony be.
Blueblood grew more and more concerned by Brook's strange silence as the day wore on. True, Blueblood had never known him to speak much, but there was something different about this. He almost seemed to be on edge. Blueblood told himself that Brook was simply worried about the upcoming war, as he had been. The old stallion sat on the bow, staring out over the ocean endlessly. There was a strange tension about him. Not the tension of a pony who was expecting something to happen, but different somehow. He rested his chin on his hooves limply, but his shoulders seemed tense. His eyes had a faraway look, more so than Blueblood had ever seen.
The sun eventually dipped in the sky, and Blueblood left his master at the bow. He was beginning to feel concerned by the old unicorn's silence, but he told himself that he was just worrying. After all, Brook had seemed tired like this many times before, and nothing had ever come from it. Even as the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon took its place in the sky, Brook didn't move, save perhaps for his head tilting up to watch the stars.
Blueblood had retreated to the cabin the captain had offered them on the boat. It was small and cramped, but Blueblood didn't mind. He and Brook slept in two hammocks slung up along the walls. It was a strange way to sleep, swaying along with the ship. Blueblood rubbed his eyes, climbing into his hammock and beginning to unwind his wrappings when the door opened.
Brook stepped into the room slowly. He didn't close the door behind him, stepping just inside. Blueblood stared at him. There was a pained look in Brook's eyes. His neck hung slightly, and his once-tense shoulders were slack. He looked exhausted and beaten. His eyes set on Blueblood, then cast to the floor. He sat and sighed heavily. Blueblood froze, his wrapping held in his hooves. Concern welled in his gut. He had never known Brook to ever show his feelings before. The old unicorn looked up at him, and Blueblood could finally see what was in his eyes. It was a familiar, dull light.
"Prince Blueblood," Brook said quietly. Blueblood's breath caught in his throat. He stared at Brook, wordlessly and breathlessly. Brook looked at the floor weakly, as if he were trying to nod but did not have the energy. He reached into his wrappings slowly.
"Prince Blueblood," he said again. "That's your name, isn't it?" Blueblood blinked.
"I..." he choked. Brook sighed, and straightened up slightly. His voice regained some of its calm strength, but it was still hurt.
"As of today, you are released from your service to me," he said. "You are a free pony now. But before I set you free, I have one more task for you." He withdrew his hoof from his wrappings, producing an old letter. He placed it on the floor, sliding it forward. "Read this," he said. He stood and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Blueblood stared at the letter on the ground. He felt as though he were in shock, his heart thudding gently in his chest. He slowly climbed out of the hammock, and walked to the letter. His legs trembled, but he ignored them, picking up the letter.
The letter looked ancient, written years ago. The parchment was dry and yellowed, crinkling softly in Blueblood's grasp. It was sealed with a blob of red wax, unmarked by any seal. Blueblood recognized it instantly. It was one of the two letters he had seen in Brook's study. He gulped, and carefully broke the seal. The ink inside was faded, but still legible.
Prince Blueblood.
My name is White Brook, and I believe that you know who I am. If you are reading this letter, however, it means that you are old enough to at least know what I have done. I am deeply sorry.
What happened was a mistake. I was angry, and foolish. I know that this does not make it right. Perhaps by the time you read this I may have done something to redeem myself, but nothing would make what I have done to you right. I took your father away from you, and what is worse I thought nothing of doing it. I do not have the right to apologize to you. I do not have the right to beg for your forgiveness. I do not even have the right to address you. You must hate me, and I cannot blame you. Even still I want you to know that I am truly, deeply sorry for what I did, more than words could ever describe.
-White Brook.
Blueblood stared at the letter. He read it again, and again. He almost didn't understand what he was reading; his mind was blank. He set the letter on the ground, his hoof trembling faintly. Almost without realizing it, he opened the door and stepped out onto the deck.
The air was cool, and crisp. The night sky was astoundingly clear, and the moon full. Stars swam across the sky in clusters and pools, painting a masterpiece on the dome above the world. Blueblood walked across the deck silently, oblivious to the beauty. He found Brook, seated at the bow. The old pony's head hung low, his shoulders slack. Blueblood sat down beside him. Brook looked over his shoulder weakly, and he sighed.
"I'm so sorry," he said. His voice was hushed, almost a whisper. Even so, it was perfectly clear in the silence of the night. Blueblood didn't know how to respond. He blinked at Brook, who turned away, ashamed. Blueblood approached him slowly, and found his words pouring out.
"How long?" he asked. "How long did you know?" Brook closed his eyes.
"From the beginning," he said. "The first moment I saw you. I tried to tell myself that I was wrong. I didn't want to believe it, but... you look so much like him. I remember it so clearly."
"What happened?" Blueblood asked quietly. Brook sighed. He shook faintly, as if even the act of remembering it pained him.
"The war I told you about... the war 20 years ago. It was between Equestria and Aloa. I... had a squad under my command of a dozen unicorns. I was... a very different stallion then." He sighed weakly, but continued. "We had information that the palace was putting on a celebration. The defenses would be weak... we were told to attack it directly. We camped in the mountains for weeks, waiting for the celebration.
"The informant let us in when the time came. We thought that it would be easy: get in, get out. We were... we were sent to take a hostage, as a bartering chip." He looked slowly at Blueblood, who was barely breathing. "We were ordered to kidnap you," he said.
"The informant had second thoughts. He called for the guards. I... killed him, but it was too late. The guards heard, and they came for us. We fought our way through them, but most of my squad died. I didn't care. I had a mission." He seemed to cringe at the thought of it, slouching deeply. "I was a different pony then," he said again, almost as much to himself as to Blueblood.
"Those of us who were left, made our way through the palace. There were four of us... we lost two more in the hallways, but we made it to your chamber. The last soldier with me was... he was my brother. My little brother. He was under my command." He smiled humorlessly. "I remember talking to him before the mission. He was excited to be a part of it. He always looked up to me." He shook his head, and continued recounting the tale for Blueblood. "Your father was waiting for us in the room. He... killed my brother. Ambushed us when we walked in, and broke his neck. It was a lucky shot, he didn't mean to do it. But... I was furious." Brook was trembling, now. "I murdered him," he said. "I murdered your father in cold blood. I'm so sorry." He closed his eyes, turning away from Blueblood
The pair were silent. Blueblood stared breathlessly, and Brook stared at the floor. Blueblood slowly walked forward, and nudged Brook with his nose.
"Master," he said finally. Brook shook his head.
"I'm not your master anymore, Blueblood," he said.
"Yes you are," Blueblood said.
"No I'm not. I set you free. You aren't a slave anymore. You're free to... do whatever you want."
"That isn't why I'm calling you master," Blueblood said. Brook looked at him slowly. Guilt was clear in his eyes. "You taught me," Blueblood said. "That's why I call you master." Brook stared at him silently, his face still sunken. Blueblood pawed at the deck, but looked squarely into his master's eyes. "I never knew my father," he said.
"Because I took him away from you," Brook said.
"Master..." Blueblood said, "you've given me so much. Anything you took away from me, you gave me back." Brook blinked, and Blueblood could see him swallow.
"How?" he asked. "What I did was horrible. How can you forgive me so easily?"
"Because I never knew him," Blueblood said. He leaned forward, pressing his neck gently against Brook's. "How can I miss somepony I never knew? But master, I care about you. You helped me when I needed it, and taught me what I needed to know. You aren't the same pony who killed him. You said it yourself." Brook looked away again.
"I said I was a different pony," he said. "But that doesn't change what I did. We can't just forget who were, Blueblood."
"But we can be better," Blueblood said. Brook turned to him again. "You taught me that, master," Blueblood said. "You taught me so much." He looked up at Brook, smiling warmly. A slow smiled spread across Brook's face, and his eyes glistened.
"Did I?" he asked. He nuzzled Blueblood gently. "I think you learned better than I did..." He pressed his neck against Blueblood's, sighing sadly. "Oh, Blueblood," he said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even care when I did it. But then Celestia came..."
"You fought Auntie Celestia?" Blueblood asked, dumfounded. Brook chuckled faintly.
"It... wasn't much of a fight," he said. "She broke my hoof, and crippled me. She stopped the war all on her own. She stormed Ys, and dropped me in front of the king. She called Prince Tidus, and threatened to burn the country to the ground if the war didn't end." He shook his head. "They thought I was some sort of hero. But when I went home... It was so empty, without my brother. I wrote those letters. One for you, and one for your mother." He sighed once more. "I'm so sorry, Blueblood." he said. Blueblood smiled, and hugged the old stallion tight. Brook hugged him back gently.
A warm breeze blew through, filling the ship's sails. Blueblood breathed deeply, taking in the night with his master. He finally saw the stars. They were amazing, a million tiny dots in the night sky. He could see galaxies, stretching across the sky like trails of dust. Blueblood sighed happily.
"Master?" he asked.
"Yes?" Brook replied. Blueblood looked up at him, smiling warmly.
"I forgive you," he said. |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which Roads Converge | Chapter 14: In Which Roads Converge
The sky over the open sea was brilliant. A million tiny points of light were suspended above, reflecting off the still water and turning the ocean into a universe suspended in nothing. If it were not for the large ship cutting through the waters and disrupting the illusion, one might think it went on for eternity. The only sounds were those of the softly rippling sails, and the snores of the night sentry.
The boat was a large, four-masted vessel, bound for Ys. It was transporting soldiers: dozens of strong young stallions ready for the impending war. The ship was commanded by veteran officers, but most of the soldiers were fresh recruits. Only a few had been in active service before that night. As such, most of them had not yet adjusted to military life and were fast asleep, exhausted from manning the ship under the rough instruction of the captain and boatswain. Only Wet Mane was left awake, sitting on the aft deck.
Wet leaned against the rails, sighing quietly to himself. His voice seemed to blend with the wind, becoming an element of the night as any other. He stared a thousand miles away, as if he were trying to see the port he had left days earlier. That was not why he was up, however. He couldn't sleep. He hadn't slept well in months, now. Not at night. He could sleep during the day, but at night he could feel eyes, constantly watching him. He knew who they belonged to, who had followed him from the forest near Port Ponzance.
He smiled humourlessly. It was ironic, he thought to himself. He had been sent out to chase her, and she had chased him across the country for weeks. She would appear before him, occasionally. Sometimes she would even speak. He still had no idea what she wanted. He scratched his chin, and looked up.
The moon was full, casting a beautiful pale light over everything Wet could see. She would probably visit him, tonight. He heard the sound of ruffling feathers, confirming his suspicion.
"I thought I might see you tonight," he said without turning around. The winged pony said nothing, and he sighed. He looked over his shoulder, asking, "It's gonna be another silent night, huh?" The pony was sitting across the deck from him, watching silently. Her eyes still shone like stars.
"Not if you don't want it to be," she said. Wet shrugged.
"If I'm gonna be out here anyways," he said, waving his hoof idly. "May as well have company." The winged pony nodded, trotting closer. Her blue coat seemed to shimmer in the moonlight, and Wet smiled at her.
"Some night, huh?" he asked. The mare smiled faintly, and nodded.
"Yes," she said. "It's alright." Wet chuckled.
"So what brings you out here, miss?" he asked.
"You know why I am here, unicorn," the mare answered. Wet shook his head, sighing. He leaned back against the banister, folding his hooves.
"Honestly?" he asked, as much to himself as to the mare. "I don't know. Keeping an eye on me? Trying to teach me something?" He smirked, and chuckled. "Maybe you just like being around me?" he asked. The mare just stared at him. He sighed. "When are you going to leave me alone?" he asked.
"When you reach the border," she answered simply. Wet scoffed, what little goof humour he had fading.
"Well, that's going to take a while," he said. "Can't say where I'll be deployed. Could be across the border, could be an outpost somewhere in Aloa. Either way, there's still plenty of time before I get sent anywhere. You might actually like Ys. Very pretty. Very noble. You seem like the noble type."
"No," she said. "I do not care for nobleponies." Wet sighed.
"So much for making conversation," he said. The winged pony turned to him, ruffling her wings.
"You are avoiding the issue," she said. "As you have for weeks." Wet groaned, resting his face in his hooves.
At the end of the day, he knew what she wanted of him, at least vaguely. She wanted him to run away, to leave Aloa behind. That was why she had followed him for weeks now. That was why he could feel her watching him every night. The question was, why? He didn't understand why she cared so much about him, why she was so determined to see him out of Aloa.
"Look, I'm leaving the prince alone," he said. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"It was," the mare said, nodding.
"Then why are you still following me?" Wet asked. "Why is it so important that I get out of Aloa to you? Why do you care about what I do so much?"
"The prince is safe," she said. "I trust this, for now. But you are different." Wet rolled his eyes.
"Oh, what? I'm not safe?" he asked. "Who am I in danger of?" The mare took a step closer to him.
"Yourself," she said. Wet stared at her.
"Myself," he repeated. The mare nodded.
"You are dedicated," she said. "This is admirable, but what are you dedicated to?" Wet blinked at her.
"My duty," he said.
"So you always tell me," the mare replied. "But what is your duty to? To the kingdom? To the ambassador? To the pony that killed your friend?"
"What are you trying to get at, here?" he asked sharply. He didn't appreciate being reminded of what had happened to Brig. The mare stepped closer again. She was uncomfortably close to him, now. Their noses almost touched when she leaned in. Her eyes shone from beneath her light blue mane, a beautiful piercing blue.
"Why are you so dedicated, unicorn?" she asked. "What is worth endangering yourself by following these ponies for?"
"I..." Wet said, leaning away from her. She moved in, staying close to him. "I..." he said again.
"Why do you fight, unicorn?" she asked. Wet gulped.
"Because... it's what's right," he said. The mare tilted her head.
"Killing ponies is what is right, to you?"
"Not killing," Wet said, shaking his head. "Protecting. I want to protect ponies... and to do the right thing, so that ponies won't have to die pointlessly."
"Ponies like your friend?" the mare asked. Wet sighed sadly.
"I guess," he said. He turned out to the sea, looking away from the mare. "Maybe for ponies like Brig. Maybe just for ponies in general."
"And this is enough for you?" the mare asked again. "You could have run at any time. You wanted to, once. You could have left Aloa, and began again. They never would have found you. You duty to what is right is enough to forget your duty to yourself?" Wet hung his head.
"I guess it has to be, doesn't it?" he asked. "It's not like I can run, now." He leaned against the railing, folding his hooves and laying his chin on his legs. The mare sat in silence as he stared, thinking about his life as a soldier.
He hadn't joined because he had wanted to do the right thing, or to protect ponies. He had joined because he wanted adventure, and because he was proud of his country. Pride was what he had been taught since he was a colt, and it had always been enough for him. It was only lately that he had decided he wanted to protect ponies, since Brig had died. It was what had kept him from running. It was the only thing left connecting him to what he was. He hadn't been lying. It had to be enough for him, now. Everything else was starting to slip away. So, he clung to that duty, for all it was worth. It was not as hard as he had expected, in the end, but it wasn't easy. He sighed, and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a hoof touch him.
He opened his eyes, and saw that it was the mare. She had slid her hoof beneath his legs, placing it over his heart. He stared at her, and she looked back at him.
"I have seen what happens," she said quietly. "I have seen what happens when duty becomes corrupted. You believe you are only doing what you have always done, what you have always wanted to do. But in the end, you are not. Your duty is not to your king. It is not to the ambassador, or to the pony who killed your friend. Your duty is to what you believe in first. If you allow yourself to forget why you do what you do..." She shook her head. "I have seen what can happen first hoof, and it is not good." Wet stared at her, then looked down at the hoof on his chest.
"I still don't understand why you care so much about me," he said. The mare shrugged faintly.
"You have the power to protect many more ponies than you can imagine," she said. "I believe that you can do it, if you have the opportunity. I am giving you that opportunity." Wet looked up at her, blinking.
"How?" he asked. The mare leaned in to him, whispering in his ear.
"You already know," she whispered. "You know why the war is happening. You know how to stop it. Never forget that you are fighting to protect ponies. Protect the prince, Wet Mane. Protect both our countries."
Wet stared blankly for a moment, before his face screwed up with fury. He swung a hoof at the winged pony, but she was already beyond his reach. She had leaped into the air, taking to the skies. He fired bullets of air at her, but she dodged around them with ease.
"Equestrian spy!" he shouted at her. "You started this war, not us! We won't back down to you, and I won't let you use me for your damned country!" His words didn't matter. The mare was already gone.
Wet scowled at the empty air, breathing heavily. The sentry had been jolted awake by his shouting, and was now looking around dumbly. Eventually Wet's breathing slowed, and he sat down. He sighed sadly and hung his head. ***
Brook and Blueblood sat on the deck of their boat. The sun had begun to rise in the east, its light barely penetrating through a thick blanket of fog. The sailors eased about their morning duties slowly, staying out of the way of the two stallions. Brook dipped his bad hoof into a small bowl in front of himself, filled with a red paste. He lifted his hoof slowly, touching it gently to Blueblood's forehead where his horn used to be. The paste stained his fur a vivid, crimson red.
"There," Brook said. Blueblood blinked, staring at his reflection in another bowl of water. Brook dipped his hoof in it, cleaning off the excess paste, and Blueblood looked up at him.
"Close your eyes," Brook told him. Blueblood did as he was told, and Brook continued to speak.
"Do you feel it?" he asked. "The mark on your forehead. It's a part of you now, every bit as much as your horn was. You know where it is, instinctively. Find it." Blueblood concentrated, focusing on the feeling on his forehead. The paste was still wet, and felt cool against the stump of his horn. In the blackness behind his eyes he tried to focus on that cool circle. The bobbing movement of the ship made his mind reel, and concentrating was difficult. He opened his eyes, and shook his head.
"I can't," he said, rubbing his eyes. "I can't concentrate... my head feels too fuzzy." Brook reached out, putting a hoof on Blueblood's shoulder.
"That's alright," he said. "That feeling is good. Try again, and don't fight it this time. Just let it happen." Blueblood wasn't quite sure, but he trusted Brook. He closed his eyes, and tried again.
"Don't concentrate too hard," Brook said softly. "Know that the mark is there, and let it happen. Be aware of it, and let everything else fall away." Blueblood breathed deeply, trying to do as Brook instructed. He felt the coolness, even as it started to subside. He could feel the rest of his mind relaxing, the thoughts drifting away. Even still, his mind reeled sickly as the ship swayed and bucked, and he could feel himself leaning dangerously.
"Don't fight the feeling," Brook coached. "Let it happen, but don't give in to it. Let my voice keep you steady. I'm right here with you, Blueblood." Blueblood barely nodded in recognition of his master. He could feel himself falling into the mark, and as he did the bucking and swaying only grew more intense. Every twitch was an earthquake, every creak of the boards a cacophony in his ears. The breeze bristled his fur, each individual strand like a tree trunk in his skin. It was amazing, and at the same time excruciating.
The mark and the reeling feeling seemed to be competing, and he wasn't sure which one was winning. Brook spoke soft encouragements constantly, but Blueblood had stopped hearing him. Only the faint mumble of his voice told Blueblood that Brook was still there at all. The feeling was becoming stable, and his mind was completely empty, save for the mark.
All at once feeling seemed to slip away from him. The mark became everything, and at the same time nothing. The reeling feeling was replaced by an almighty awareness, as if he were a part of everything around him. He could feel each and every hoofstep of the sailors, each subtle shift of the wind. He could pinpoint each noise, and tell exactly what made it. He could even feel the water moving beneath them. It was as if they were an extension of himself, or rather that he was an extension of something else. Just another piece of something greater than he could ever be. Even among himself he could feel everything; he was perfectly aware of every part of his body. Even the mark on his forehead felt like another limb.
"Blueblood," Brook said. His voice rang in Blueblood's ears like an echo in a cave. "Open your eyes," he said. Blueblood did as he was told, and gaped at what he saw.
Golden particles flew through the sky in bizarre currents and eldritch patterns. The particles clustered around everything, buzzing like tiny insects and flowing in and out of every object. The ocean seemed to be coated in them. Blueblood looked at Brook, who shone with gold. They clustered about his horn, shifting and flowing in a spiral pattern. Blueblood looked on in awe, a slow smile spreading across his face as he realized what he was seeing.
"...Magic," he said, enraptured by the lights. Brook nodded.
"Most unicorns think of magic as something they create, and form," he said. "But magic is everywhere, all the time. We simply use what's already there." Blueblood saw the magic around his horn buzz into life, swirling into a great vortex that channelled down to the bowl, lifting it off the ground. "We use our horn as an instinctive channelling point," he said, "pushing our magic through it, and taking in more." The particles around his horn stilled, but before the bowl had chance to drop another stream formed around Brook's hoof, catching the bowl in the blink of an eye. He smiled, and said, "But that is not the only way. You can use your magic through anything, as long as you can focus on it."
Realization dawned on Blueblood, and he looked at his reflection in the bowl of water. There, right in the middle of his forehead, was the crimson dot. The magic danced around it like fairies in a circle, bunching in and bulging out. He smiled faintly.
"As long as I have something to focus on," he echoed. Brook smiled faintly, and nudged the bowl forward.
"Lift the bowl," he said. Blueblood looked up at his master, and nodded.
He stared at the bowl, concentrating. In truth, he wasn't quite sure how. He focused on the mark, trying blindly to push magic through it. He saw a few of the golden particles tremble. Encouraged, he focused harder. He remembered Brook's advice, however, and tried to remain calm. The gold particles shook in front of his face, and as he focused more he pushed outward. A small, weak stream began to form, moving out of his forehead. It was the same as using magic with a horn, but he had to focus on the mark as well. He pushed his mind through it, trying to reach the bowl. The stream moved inch by inch, finally reaching its target. Blueblood grinned, and pushed harder. The stream gripped the bowl weakly, and it began to shake. He pushed as hard as he could, and the particles trembled violently. All at once the particles scattered, dropping the bowl. Blueblood gasped, and the particles started to disappear from his sight. He looked around wildly, watching sadly as they faded away. Brook smiled warmly at his sad expression.
"It's alright, Blueblood," he said. "You did well." Blueblood smiled shyly, and lowered his head.
"Thank you, master," he said quietly. Brook's smile widened.
"We can try again," he said. "This time, relax. It's like seeing the magic in the first place. Don't force it, just let it happen."
Blueblood and Brook continued to practice as the morning wore by. The small bowl wobbled and shook, and sometimes it even lifted off the deck by inches. It was like learning to use magic all over again. Blueblood struggled to grasp it even a little; the golden flecks in his vision made it hard to focus, and his mind was becoming exhausted from the effort.
"Why don't we take a break?" Brook suggested as the bowl fell to the deck once again, rattling gently. Blueblood sighed and nodded. Brook smiled gently and limped to the bow, Blueblood following along. The sun was rising higher in the sky, its warm rays burning away the fog. A thin mist still obscured the distance, but everything on the ship was clear now. The sailors moved about with greater urgency, and Blueblood and Brook found themselves in relative peace at the bow.
Blueblood rested his chin along the railing, staring out into the mist. Brook sat beside him silently. His stoic expression had begun to fade, and Blueblood could see a hint of happiness on his old face. It made Blueblood smile as well.
The sun continued slowly along its arc, and as it went more and more of the fog burnt away. By noon it was almost all gone, and in the distance Blueblood thought that he could see a hint of something. He squinted, peering closer. Sure enough, a hump of land was poking out in the distance.
"Land, ho!" a pony in the crow's nest shouted down. "12 degrees port!" The soldiers bustled to life as the captain emerged from his quarters, barking orders harshly.
"We're almost at Ys, you unicorns! Get to work, you don't want to look like a lazy batch'a diamond dogs, do ya? Come on, look alive for the docks! Drum up some business for us hard-working Aloans! Rig up those knots, get the sails ready for port! Helmsman, start taking us starboard!" Blueblood stared at the sailors scurrying about, and turned back to Brook.
"We're coming close to Ys, now," Brook said before Blueblood could ask. "Appearances count for a lot in the capital... I guess you understand that." Blueblood nodded a bit sadly.
"Yes," he said. "But why did he say to go starboard? I thought he said the land was port?" Brook nodded, and Blueblood became even more confused.
"The land is the tip of the peninsula," Brook said, as if it explained everything. "The westernmost point of the Aloan landmass."
"Then why are we going around it?" Blueblood asked again.
"Because it is not the westernmost point of Aloa," Brook replied. He gestured in the direction the ship had begun to turn, and Blueblood looked curiously. In the distance, he saw a faint structure. The ship moved closer and closer, and the structure grew. Within minutes, Blueblood realized what it was.
It was an enormous city, miles away from land. Ships were sailing in and out of it in all directions, passing though tall arches in a miles-high wall that circled around the city. Just like the wall at Port Ponzance, unicorns patrolled along the top of the wall, staring carefully down at the ships that passed through.
They sailed closer, and Blueblood got a better view. The gate was made of a brilliantly polished white stone, rising from the water in pillars as thick as a small ship. Blueblood gazed up, following their path into the sky where they arched and met.
The ships mulled about in what seemed like traffic, constantly flowing around one another in an attempt to get closer to, or away from, the gates. Ships of all sizes moved in and out amongst each other, only stopping for the checks at the gates. Platforms stretched out across the water like miniature docks, ponies moving on and off of them, inspecting ships that came through for any suspicious cargo. Blueblood watched silently as one of the guards came aboard. They went into the hold, and returned nodding their heads. Then they inspected the sailors, all lined up and saluting smartly. Finally, they came for Blueblood and Brook.
Blueblood felt his heart start to beat fast as they approached, but he tried his best to remain calm. The guards looked them up and down impassively.
"Can we help you?" Brook asked. The guard inspecting them blinked, but spoke.
"The captain tells me that you aren't part of his crew."
"That's right," Brook said. "We're passengers." The guard nodded.
"I'll need to see both your citizenships." Brook looked slowly at Blueblood.
"My assistant doesn't have one," he said. "He's new."
"A slave?" the guard asked. Blueblood saw one of Brook's eyebrows rise faintly.
"Assistant," he said again, an edge to his voice. He untied his medallion, handing it to the guard. The guard inspected it, and his eyes widened.
"General White, sir," he said, saluting. "We've been expecting you. We, ah, thought that you would be on a military ship. My apologies."
"That's alright," Brook said. "You were only doing your job."
"Thank you, sir," the guard said, nodding. "We can arrange a ferry to take you directly to the palace when you make dock, sir."
"Does the King need to see me right away?" Brook asked. The guard thought for a minute.
"I'm afraid I wouldn't know, sir," he said. "But we haven't had many military ships come in yet, and none have left for deployment. I can only say that we're still preparing, I can't say how far along we are. Sorry, sir." Brook nodded.
"If the King wanted me there, you'd know," he said. "We won't need a ferry. They can bring my bags to the palace. Red has never been to Ys before. I'd like to show him around before we go to the palace."
"Of course, sir," the guard said. "I'll send a sea pony ahead to the docks. Somepony should be along to take your luggage shortly." He shifted uncomfortably, and asked, "Your assistant... is he a foreigner?"
"From Mihaan," Brook lied. A look of relief came over the guard's face.
"Oh," he said. "I see. Well, you can never be careful at war time, can you?" he asked. He saluted sharply, and Brook nodded.
"No," Brook said. "Thank you." He saluted back weakly, and when the guard had left he sighed.
"I suppose I'll have to get used to that again," he said. Blueblood tilted his head as the ship began to move again.
"Get used to saluting?" he asked. Brook nodded.
"Saluting, and 'Sir', and being looked up to." He shook his head, and quickly changed the subject. "I'll show you around Ys today," he said. "You won't have much time to see it... so you might as well take a little time to enjoy it." Blueblood smiled at him.
"Thank you, master," he said. Brook smiled back.
"You're welcome, Blueblood," he said. Their ship sailed inside the gates, and Blueblood and Brook looked out at the docks across the water.
Wooden docks stretched out like spokes, poking out in a long and slow curve. They went on for as long as Blueblood could see in each direction, and he imagined that the docks must have circled around the entire city. He leaned over the railings, taking in the sight and grinning. Ships weaved around each other and in and out of the docks with ease, navigating the large gap of water between the gates and the city. The water here was clean and clear, and he could see almost to the bottom if he looked hard enough.
Sea ponies dashed about beneath the water, breaking the surface occasionally to call out to the docks or berate a careless ship. Some of them were delivering packages and letters as they had in Port Ponzance. Blueblood half-expected to see Azure pop out of the water and wave at any moment. He smiled to himself, laughing at the thought that she might have come all the way out here.
Their ships sailed through the open water for several minutes, searching for an open dock, and eventually they found one. The pulled into port, throwing lines down to dock workers who hastily tied them, securing the large ship in place. A gangplank was laid and dock workers began to board the ship even as the crew started bringing the cargo on deck. The iron and steel was prepared to move, but Blueblood and Brook were oblivious to the preparations. They had already retrieved their bags from the small cabin they had been rented and were walking down the gangplank. A young, sleek sea pony was waiting to take the pair's luggage, and after they had given it to him, Brook and Blueblood walked off the docks as quickly as they could.
They had to weave their way around the heavy dock workers, making their way towards the streets inch by inch. Finally they were at the arching white gate, and they passed into the city of Ys. Blueblood gaped at what he saw.
To say that Ys was different from Port Ponzance would be understatement to the degree of insult. There was no comparison. The dusty yellow sandstone of Port Ponzance was gone here, replaced by gleaming alabaster. Every inch of the city seemed to glow; hardly a speck of grime or garbage existed. Blueblood imagined that the inner sector of the city must have been immaculate.
The streets were narrow, barely three ponies wide, though the buildings were far from tight-knit. Great canals cut between streets in a massive grid, with arcing bridges connecting the gaps between streets. The water in the canals was so pure as to be invisible. Blueblood could see sea ponies pass by. They waved to him when they saw him staring, as they waved to one another whenever two passed. Blueblood could see that many of the buildings stretched down in to the water as well. Two cities existed here, one on top of the other.
Brook took Blueblood deeper into the city, smiling warmly as the young stallion gazed excitedly at the wondrous city on the water.
"You like like a tourist," Brook chuckled. Blueblood lowered his head, smiling sheepishly.
"You're probably right," he said, chuckling. Brook smiled.
"It's alright," he said. "It's a beautiful city, isn't it?" Blueblood grinned, nodding.
"It's amazing," he agreed. "I never really stopped to look at Canterlot... I don't remember if it's anything like this, but Ys is beautiful." Brook's smile faded slightly, but he nodded happily.
"I'm glad you like it," he said. "Sometimes I think this is why we're so proud of ourselves. This is where Aloa began, you know."
"It is?" Blueblood asked. Brook nodded.
"So they say. They say that this is the place where the first king met the first sea pony. They say the sea pony showed him a gem deposit underwater, here, in exchange for food. The king sold the gems, and shared his wealth with the sea pony. Their fortunes grew, and they started to spread into the peninsula. The palace is built in the centre of the city, where the gems were found. It's also the place where Prince Tidus first accepted Aloans as his children."
Blueblood listened to the story intently, nearly walking over the edge of the street and into the water. A sea pony shoved him back onto the street, laughing cheerfully. Blueblood smiled, and thanked him as he swam off.
Blueblood and Brook made their way deeper into the city, Brook occasionally pointing out something interesting, or explaining a bit of history. They passed a flat square filled with statues of famous ponies: great kings and legendary warriors. Brook took Blueblood to a park as well, a great island of grass in the centre of a gigantic pool. A half-dozen bridges stretched out to the island, each aligned with a street. The park was walled with buildings, arranged circularly around the pool.
Blueblood took in every detail, Brook smiling happily all the while. The two enjoyed themselves deeply, revelling in each other's company. They were so happy that they failed to notice a pony who had shadowed them from the docks: a tall, powerful pony with dangerous eyes.
They sauntered down an empty street, warm smiles across both their faces. There didn't seem to be another pony around at all, save for the stallion who had been shadowing them. He crept through side streets and alleyways, steadily making his way closer and closer. He moved silently despite his heavy frame, always checking carefully if they had noticed him. They moved along, ignorant of his presence. A slow, cruel smiled crept across his lips. He had been looking forward to this for a long time. He would kill the old one first. Not because he was dangerous, like Letter had said, but because it would mean Blueblood would know he was there. It would give the princeling time to be afraid. Time to beg, just like last time. The powerful pony grinned madly, and dashed at the pair.
The water exploded beside Blueblood, causing him to jump back. For a moment he didn't know what was happening. All he could see was a spray of water, and a flash of blue and gold. He followed the flash unconsciously, and only afterwords did he realize what he had seen.
Azure arced out of the water gracefully, spinning in the air. She coiled herself into a tight ball, suddenly stretching out and bringing her tail down hard. There was a meaty thud as her tail struck the pursuer's head, and he dropped to the ground heavily. Blueblood gaped, and Brook dropped into a ready crouch. Blueblood blinked once, twice as Azure returned to the water, breaking the surface.
"Red!" she shouted.
"Azure?" he asked, dumbfounded. He looked at the pony she had struck, and his heart skipped. It was Captain Iron Towers. Blueblood stumbled back, falling to his rump. Iron got to his hooves, shaking his head and growling fiercely. He set his eyes dead on Blueblood, and a evil grin crept across his mouth.
"Hello, princeling," he hissed. Blueblood trembled, shuffling away from the gray pony.
"I-I-Iron?" he asked, his voice trembling weakly. Iron's grin only widened as he took a step closer.
"That's right, brat," he said. "Miss me? Because I missed you. I've been looking forward to seeing you again." Blueblood shook violently.
"Iron, I... I... please, Iron," he said weakly. His voice was failing him. Iron gave a barking laugh.
"Please?" he asked, mockingly. "Please? Oh, yes please. You want to know what I'm going to do with you, colt?"
"Nothing," Brook said. He stepped between the two ponies, staring intently at Iron. "You will do nothing to him," he said again. Iron paused for a moment, and Brook addressed Blueblood and Azure without turning around.
"Filly," he said. "Do you know where the palace is?" Azure blinked, but nodded.
"I do," she said.
"Take Blueblood there," he said sharply. "Both of you, get out of here. Go to the palace. I'll meet you there." Azure nodded, and turned to Blueblood.
"Red," she said. "Follow me." Blueblood didn't respond. He was still shaking and breathing heavily. Azure jumped up onto the street, taking a hold of him. "Red!" she said. "Listen to me! We have to go!" He still remained silent, until Brook spoke.
"Blueblood!" he said, his voice commanding. "Get out of here! Now!" Blueblood blinked, and shook his head.
"Master," he said quietly.
"I'll be fine," Brook said. "Get out of here now."
"Oh, like hell you do," Iron said, stomping towards the white pony. Brook moved in his way again. The old pony danced deftly in spite of his handicap, always taking up the gray pony's space, but always staying out of his reach. With Azure's help, Blueblood managed to get to his hooves, and she pulled him into the water.
Iron roared with fury, lashing out at Brook. The old pony skipped backwards, widening the gap between them.
"You made me lose him, you daft old pin-head!" Iron yelled. Brook did not respond, staring coldly at the earth pony. Iron lowered his head, pawing at the ground as if he were about to charge.
"Damn unicorns," he growled fiercely. Brook's eyes began to glow gently, and he spoke. His voice was soft, but clear in the silence. It was strong, and there was a dangerous edge to it.
"Are you the one who hurt Blueblood?" ***
It took Blueblood a long time to recover. Azure swam through the city streets as fast as she could with Blueblood's bubble in front of her. Other sea ponies leaped out of the way, shaking their hooves after her. Blueblood trembled inside his bubble, but he slowly came to his senses. He shook his head slowly, rolling onto his front and looking at Azure. She smiled at him weakly.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I... yes," Blueblood said. "Azure, we have to go back."
"What?" Azure asked.
"We have to go back for Master." A dire urgency creeping into his voice "You shouldn't have let him stay behind like that; Iron will kill him!"
"If this stallion is so dangerous, why do we want to go back, exactly?" Azure asked.
"Azure!" Blueblood shouted. "Please! I don't want Master to get hurt. Iron was after me, not him. We have to at least help him!"
"Your master is fighting him to protect you," she said, as if she herself were unsure. "You think he wants you to go back there and get yourself in trouble?" Blueblood leaned against the bubble wall, gazing into her eyes. She could see fear, there. More than that, though, there was a deep concern.
"Please, Azure," he said. "My master was there for me when I needed him. He's the only reason I'm worth anything. I'd never forgive myself if he was hurt..." Azure lowered her head slowly, looking away.
"That pony..." she said. "He was nuts. I got a look at his eyes... He terrified me. I've never done anything like that before."
"I know," Blueblood said. "Believe me, I know... but that's why we need to go back. Please, Azure, I need to help him. Please..." Azure looked into his eyes slowly, and sighed.
"Alright..." she said. "For you. But... who are you? Your master called you Blueblood. And that stallion called you princeling... you're not just some servant, are you?" Blueblood hesitated, and hung his head slowly.
"No," he said. "I'm not. My name is Blueblood Star. I'm... the prince of Equestria." Azure stared, and Blueblood winced. There was silence for a moment, then Azure swam around the bubble. She set her hooves against it, pushing it back towards where they had left Brook.
"Azure?" Blueblood asked.
"You wanted to go back to your master, right?" she asked. "I don't really care where you're the prince of. Nopony rules the ocean, after all." She smiled at him, and said, "I liked you when you were Red. That's not going to change now that you're Blue. I just wanted to know who you really were." Blueblood stared for a moment, then smiled back at her.
"Thank you, Azure," he said.
Azure pushed the bubble back down the canals, back to where they had left Brook. Blueblood's heart thudded in his chest all the while, half-expecting to see Iron standing over Brook's body at any moment. He was so worried that he almost didn't notice Brook limping down the street as they swam past. Luckily, Azure spotted him and shoved Blueblood's bubble up onto the street, popping it.
"Blueblood?" Brook said, surprised by the prince's sudden arrival. "I told you to go to the palace. What are you doing here?" Blueblood threw his hooves around Brook's neck, hugging him tight.
"Master!" he cried. "Thank goodness! I was so worried... I came back to help you fight Iron." Brook stood stock still, stunned by Blueblood's worry. He relaxed, and smiled.
"That stallion?" he asked, chuckling faintly. "He was nothing. I scared him off with no trouble. But... thank you, Blueblood." Blueblood let go of Brook, and sat on the street. He smiled back weakly, and Brook spoke again.
"Who was that pony, Blueblood?" he asked. Blueblood's head sunk between his shoulders.
"He... was my bodyguard," he said. "He kidnapped me, and brought me here." Brook nodded solemnly.
"We need to go to the palace," he said. "Right now." He turned to Azure, asking, "Can you take us both there?" Azure nodded.
"Of course," she said. "I can take you both no problem. Just hop in here and I'll make you a bubble." Blueblood and Brook both slid into the water, and Azure blew a large bubble around them.
She moved slower with two ponies to ferry, but she was still much faster than they would have been on the streets. The canals stretched straight into the city, the same as the spoke-like streets in every other Aloan city. Within minutes, Blueblood could see a tall structure starting to poke above the horizon. It was a palace, and the very definition of opulence. It was every bit the rival of his home in Canterlot, made from gleaming alabaster and marble, with gold and silver trim along its doors and towers. Great spires stretched into the skies, and its base was set firmly on the sea bottom. It was marked with holes like a honey comb, with sea ponies swimming in and out like underwater bees. Blueblood imagined they carried messages and packages as Azure had, but he could only guess at their contents. He didn't give them much thought, however. His mind was elsewhere for most of the trip.
Though the danger of Iron had passed, the earth pony still weighed on Blueblood's mind. The very fact that he was in the same city terrified Blueblood. Iron could strike from anywhere, for all he knew. Would he be forced to live the rest of him life in constant fear of Iron, now that the evil earth pony had found him? He knew that the thought was ridiculous - he would be safe in the palace, of course. Even still, just the thought of Iron being near chilled him to the very bone. He tried his best to shake the thoughts from his mind as they approached the towering structure.
A pair of lightly armoured sea ponies swam into their path, crossing tails armed with three-pronged spikes to bar their entrance. Azure slowed to a stop, swimming to the top of the bubble.
"What business do you have in that palace?" one of the guards asked forcefully. Brook stood, staring strongly back at them. Blueblood noticed one of the sea ponies shrink back slightly under his gaze.
"I am General White Brook," he said firmly. "War is my business in the palace."
"Ah..." the guard said, "of course, sir. We'll, ah, need to see your identification, of course -" Brook tore off his medallion impatiently, showing it to them. The guard nodded and moved aside.
"Would you like somepony to escort you to your quarters, sir?" he asked.
"No," Brook said sharply. Even Blueblood found himself flinching slightly at the force of his voice. "I will see the king."
"Ah, sir," the guard said, "I'm certain the king will be pleased to greet you, but he's holding court right now. Perhaps if you waited until he was finished -"
"NOW," Brook said. The guard flinched, and nodded.
"O-of course, sir," he said meekly. "We'll send for somepony to take you to the court..."
"The mare will take us," Brook said, gesturing to Azure. She looked down in confusion, as did the guard.
"Me, sir?" Azure asked. Brook nodded.
"You saw Iron," Brook said. "We'll need you in the court. Another voice is always good with politicians. It's the only way we can hope to drown them out." He saluted to the guards, who had moved aside fearfully, and Azure swam them inside.
The underwater tunnels in the palace were much different from the city canals. They were completely dark save for the soft blue light of crystals placed intermittently through the tunnels, casting a strange pale glow over everything.
Brook would occasionally offer directions to Azure, pointing her along the path to the throne room, but beyond that, the trip was silent. The only ponies they encountered along their trip were busy-looking officials, swathed in wrappings that flowed strangely in the water. Brook sat tensely for the entire trip, never making a sound. Blueblood looked at his master carefully, wondering just what had him so tense. Perhaps he was as afraid of Iron as Blueblood, the prince thought to himself. Perhaps that was why they were going to see the king so urgently, to tell him about the earth pony's presence in the city.
Whatever the cause of Brook's intensity, Blueblood was afraid to ask. The stress of seeing Iron again was finally starting to fade, and with the calmness came a sort of exhaustion, as well as a sense of dread. The danger was over for now and he could rest, but he could not help but feel something worse was on the horizon.
The tunnels were beginning to widen as Azure pushed them along, and they were becoming better-lit as well. They occasionally passed by small windows in the ceiling, no doubt portholes into a palace courtyard. Soon the tunnel began to slope gently upward, and it opened into an enormous room.
The room was every bit as large as the throne room in Canterlot. A large platform took up the middle of the surface, bridges snaking their way along to the walls. The platform was supported by enormous, engraved pillars. Sea ponies weaved through the pillars in a line, but Brook paid them no heed.
"Surface," he said. Azure looked at him oddly, but nodded and did as she was told. She pushed the bubble apologetically around the sea ponies, bringing it to the edge of the large platform.
The room above the surface was every bit as ornate as below it. It too was lit by phosphorescent crystals, casting a faint aqua hue over the room. The walls were decorated with intricate carvings, some merely decorative and some telling ancient stories of Aloan heroism and history. The figures on the carvings seemed to come alive, dancing along with the warbling light reflected off the water. It cast bright lines across everything in the room. The room felt ancient and regal. In spite of all the differences it reminded Blueblood deeply of Canterlot Palace. For the first time in months, he felt a twinge of homesickness.
At the very head of the platform were three massive thrones, one in the centre dwarfing those two that flanked it. In the centre throne sat a large, regal-looking purple unicorn with a golden mane, swathed in blue-green wrappings. An ornate crown swirled around his head, curling up his horn. It was cast with gold and inlaid with curling silver, an enormous and beautiful pearl in its centre. In each of the thrones at his side sat a mare, one of whom Blueblood recognized immediately as Princess Golden Dreams. The unicorn Blueblood presumed to be the king stared at them, looking decidedly unhappy.
"What is the meaning of this!?" he demanded, slamming his hoof on the arm of his throne. "Open court does not mean that ponies may barge into my throne room whenever they please. Explain yourselves!" Brook stepped forward, and bowed.
"Your majesty," he said graciously, "I am White Brook."
"I know who you are," the king said harshly. "The day you and I last met is very clear in my mind. I may have invited you here, White Brook, but I did not intend that you come to greet me the very instant you arrive at my palace. I hope that you have a much better reason for this interruption than that alone?"
"I do, your majesty," Brook said. "I hope to do the same thing today as I did last time." The king paused, and leaned forward. All traces of anger seemed to be gone from him, replaced by a keen and cautious interest.
"You intend to threaten me with death by fire?" he asked. The guards along the walls of the room readied their spears, but the king waved his hoof dismissively at them.
"I intend to end a war," Brook said. Blueblood blinked, and stared at him. The old pony suddenly looked as though he were in a deep pain. The king leaned back in his chair.
"You intend to stop the war?" he repeated, as though he were musing over the statement. "I believe your job is to win the war, White Brook, not to stop it."
"You may be right," Brook conceded, "but I wish to try just the same. If I can stop ponies from dying, I will consider it a victory." The king rubbed his chin gently.
"Are you even aware of the cause of the war, I wonder?" he asked. Brook looked at Blueblood sadly.
"I believe that I am," he said. "I believe that the prince of Equestria has gone missing." The king raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed he has..." he said. "Celestia seems to believe that we are responsible for his disappearance. Tell me, Brook, how you know this?" Brook sighed, and looked at Blueblood again. The wall he kept in front of his emotions was gone, and all Blueblood could see was an overwhelming sadness. A lump rose in Blueblood's throat as he looked at his master. The old pony turned back to the king, and bowed his head. His voice was deeply pained when he spoke.
"Your Majesty... may I present Prince Bluebood of Equestria," he said. The hall went silent as the king slouched back in his chair. Brook's head hung weakly, and Blueblood stared at him. The silence seemed to last for hours, nothing happening save for Blueblood and Brook's silent exchange. A slow realization washed over Blueblood, both grim and strangely wonderful. The old pony looked as tired as he had ever been. He seemed ancient, like a zombie. Blueblood could feel his heart pounding in his throat. The silence was broken by the king scoffing.
"I do not know what you have done since you were in Equestria twenty years ago, Brook," the king said, "but I am beginning to rethink my choice of you as a general. That pony is not the prince. He isn't even a unicorn." He nodded matter-of-factly, and sat back. Brook rose his head, and straightened up some.
"I... know what it looks like," Brook conceded, "but he is not an earth pony..." He trailed off weakly. He seemed as though he himself were not convinced. It was as though he wanted to be wrong. Seeing his master so weak made Blueblood's heart ache. He stood, almost without realizing it, and walked to his master's side. He looked across the room fiercely, and he remembered.
He remembered life in Canterlot Palace. He remembered dancing with princesses, and giving orders to servants. The memories pained him, to be true, but he held on to them. They helped him. He puffed out his chest, and stood straight and tall.
"He is not lying," Blueblood said firmly. "I am Prince Blueblood Star, son of Prince Winter Star and Princess Amethyst Star. The goddesses Celestia and Luna are my aunts, and all of Equestria mine to rule by birthright, as long as the sun and the moon shall traverse the world's sky. Even in the heat of the sun I shall not whither, nor in the dark of the night shall I be afraid, for their heat and their mystery are my sword and my shield."
The words came with practised ease. Blueblood had been made to recite them countless times as a foal, until they were burnt into his memory. It was the Equestrian oath. The royal guardsponies were sworn in under it, albeit a slightly different version. He had been told he would recite it only on his coronation day and matters of grave importance, and this seemed to be the latter. He stood proud and tall, trying not to tremble under the king's appraising glare.
"Let us entertain the notion that you are the prince," the king said. "What has brought you to my throne room sans horn, hm? What course could possibly lead the proud and powerful unicorn prince to stand before me as an earth pony?" Before Blueblood could speak, another unicorn called out to the king. All eyes turned to him: a single soldier, dressed in simple silver armour. He was not one positioned along the walls, but stood at the door as if he had come to seek an audience. His coat was a bright yellow, and beneath his helmet Blueblood saw a limp blue mane.
"You majesty," the soldier said, stepping forward to join Brook, Blueblood and Azure, "I can answer that." The king glowered at him.
"More interruptions!" he growled. "And just who are you?" The soldier removed his helmet, and bowed.
"My name is Wet Mane, sire," he said. The king raised an eyebrow.
"Wet Mane? You were one of the soldiers sent with Ambassador Letter, weren't you? One of the ten missing soldiers?"
"I was, sire," Wet Mane said. "That is why I know how the prince lost his horn. Because I held him down while it was cut off." The room fell into a hushed silence, and Blueblood winced at the memory. His heart pounded as the pony recounted his tale..
"Ambassador Letter had us kidnap the prince," Wet said. "We were told it was under orders from you yourself. We took him to the border of Aloa and Equestria, and an Equestrian guard cut his horn off with an axe. We tried to keep take him to a safe house in Dune, but he escaped. We've been running across Aloa for the past five months searching for him." There was silence in the hall, save for the nearly audible scowling of the king.
"Bah!" he shouted dismissively. "Words. Anypony can play act, even a dense earth pony. This is just an Equestrian trick to get us to lower our guard."
"Wait!" Azure offered, joining in. "He's telling the truth! I saw a pair of ponies talking at the docks in Port Ponzance! One of them was called Letter, he must have been the ambassador!" She propped herself up on the edge of the platform, leaning in intensely. "They were talking about killing Blueblood - they called him the prince!"
"Lies!" the king roared. "Guards! Arrest this spy, and his treasonous companions as well!"
The guards all readied their weapons, and Brook jumped to his hooves. He and Wet Mane stood at the ready, preparing for an attack. The guards all mulled tensely along the walls and bridges, some brave ponies creeping forwards. Brook whipped his head around, challenging the guards. They had all heard of him. They had heard legends of his skill and prowess in battle, and they could all see that he had lost none of it.
Blueblood looked fearfully at the guards approaching them. He wracked his mind for some way to convince the king of his identity. His mind raced, desperately grasping. He felt a familiar urgency, deep in his gut. As far away as he was, he was so close to home now. Now, when it truly mattered. He was so close that he could almost see the gleaming marble of the palace, smell his mother's sweet perfume again, and it was slipping away from him.
"You Majesty," he called, stepping forward, "please! Surely there is something I can do to prove myself to you! A secret of the Equestrian royal family, a family heirloom! Send a letter!" The guards were creeping closer, becoming more brave. Blueblood was grasping at straws, now. The king refused to hear him, brushing aside any suggestion. Then, Blueblood noticed the princess.
Princess Golden Dreams, one of the delegates from Aloa.
"Princess!" Blueblood shouted. "Princess Golden Dreams! Surely you remember me? At the summit in Canterlot, on the night of the opening ceremony! We danced for the whole night, surely you must remember me!" The princess stared at him from across the hall. For a brief moment Blueblood thought he saw a flash of recognition across her face, and he dared to hope she might remember him.
"I danced with a unicorn that night," she said. "Not some... simple earth pony. I am a mare of pride, you know." Blueblood's heart sank. He felt the last bit of hope slipping away. He felt his home growing more and more distant. Then he felt something else.
Perhaps it was how much the strange hall reminded him of home. Perhaps it was seeing a look of fear slip through Brook's normally stoic exterior. Perhaps it was even the haughty and arrogant expression of Princess Golden Dreams, so closely mimicking his own from all those months ago. Whatever it was, Blueblood felt something he had not felt in a long time. He felt a tiny fire flare up in his belly.
There was no indignation. There was no arrogance, no false sense of entitlement or worth. There was no ego. There was only the fire. It wasn't anger, not yet. It was fuel, like a stove or an engine. He was still nervous, there was no denying that, but the flame pushed him on. He took a step forward, heedless of the guards.
"Is that what I am?" he asked quietly. "Some simple earth pony? Tell me, princess, because I am so simple. What do you mean?" The princess raised an eyebrow at him. One or two of the guards turned their focus to him. He knew why. It was the same reason all heads turned when he had walked into great halls. He remembered more than just his oath. He remembered presence. He may have been quiet, and he may have been gentle, but he had presence. Perhaps it was because that his words were so quiet and gentle, amidst the tension of the guards, that they heard him. "Could you mean that I am some dirt-farming pony from some strange foreign land?" he asked. "Or do you simply mean that I am stupid?"
Even as he spoke, some part of him deep down trembled. Some small part of him was afraid of what he was doing. He was becoming his old self again. He breathed deeply, trying to keep himself calm, and humble. He rebelled against it, fighting to keep the little fire from becoming anger. He would not be the same. He would not be the old Blueblood, never again. The princess opened her mouth to speak, but he didn't let her. "I have been both of those things, Your Highness," he said. "I have farmed the earth. I have been stupid." He paused, feeling a wave of coolness wash over the fire. "I have been very stupid. A long time ago. But right now, I am neither of those things. Because a simple earth pony could not remember the colour of the dress you were wearing that night," he said. He stood up strong and tall. The guards barely moved now, all eyes on him. "It was green. It was beautiful, falling across your body like a waterfall. You wore a perfume that smelled of lilies, and told me that you loved to waltz." He looked her dead in the eye, and said, "I am the pony you danced with, Golden Dreams. I may be a simple stallion, now, but I am a unicorn. I am Prince Blueblood Star."
The room was silent. Princess Golden Dreams slowly lifted a hoof to her mouth. For a moment she looked as though she would speak, but it was the king who broke the silence.
"SPIES!" he roared, spittle flying from his mouth. "Talk all you want, I don't see a unicorn here! This is just some Equestrian trickery, and I will not stand for it!" He leaned froward in his throne, almost standing up as he yelled. "I will not stand idly by and let Equestria bully its way into my country! I WILL protect my ponies, and my culture from you! GUARDS!"
The guards came closer, more confidant. Wet Mane's horn began to glow, and Brook danced nervously. The old stallion's horn never lit up, no matter how close they came. The guards inched closer and closer, surrounding Blueblood and Brook. Sea pony guards emerged from the water, cutting off Azure as well.
"Wait!" Blueblood cried desperately, still trying to win over the furious king. His heart leaped into his throat suddenly, springing into panic. "What if I could prove to you that I was?" The king didn't answer, but Blueblood tried anyways. He tried as hard as he could, focusing on the mark Brook had drawn on his forehead. He felt a strange tingling sensation, but the guards ignored him. He focused with all his might, desperately trying to make some magic - any magic - happen.
Closer and closer the guards came, spears outstretched. Blueblood began to shake, and he could feel his heart pounding furiously in his chest. Brook tried to keep between him and the soldiers, but there were too many. Blueblood's mark bristled faintly. Each hair turned gold, and a sparking glow came off them. Each single strand swayed in some unseen breeze, as if they were a part of a great, invisible current. Blueblood could feel himself reaching out: a tiny, weak strand of magic. It rippled and spluttered, dying feet away from his head. He gasped, and tried again.
"I am a unicorn," he insisted, pushing himself into the mark. "I am Prince Blueblood Star!" The king stared, suddenly silent. He looked on in awe at the tiny, weak magic emanating from Blueblood's forehead. His eyes darted about, and an expression of disbelief came across his face.
"It can't be," he said quietly. "You can't be a unicorn. You can't be Blueblood." His brow furrowed slowly. "There must be some trick," he said. His expression grew furious again. "This is just some Equestrian trick! Celestia is just trying to get me to let my guard down! I will not stand for her coming in and trying to rule my country! I will not have her trying to rule over my ponies! I refuse to be fooled by some... cheap parlor trick!"
"Is that what it is?"
Then there was silence. For just a moment, everything seemed still. Nopony moved. Even the rippling lights along the walls seemed to freeze in place. The world was still, and silent, save for a single voice. It was strong, yet soft, and ancient. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, echoing through the hall as cold and clear as ice.
"Why do you blind yourself, Ocean Gold?"
The king's eyes bulged, and he sank into the back of his throne. The water in the room shifted and bulged, as if there were some enormous creature swimming beneath it. It stilled in an instant, as if it had become glass, and once more there was silence. Then, slowly, a figure rose from behind the king's throne.
It was an enormous, aqua sea pony, the biggest Blueblood had ever seen. It dwarfed every other pony in the room, easily twice their size. A horn protruded from its forehead in a perfect tight spiral, decorated with a crown even more ornate than the king's own. The most beautiful wrappings Blueblood had ever seen draped across his shoulders, shimmering with every colour of the rainbow and tied with a medallion made from solid mother-of-pearl. It was decorated with an emblem that Blueblood had never seen before: some bizarre, almost living symbol made of twists and curls that seemed to shift and warp as the mother-of-pearl shimmered in the trembling lights.
The pony's mane hung in heavy dreadlocks, each a living, swirling eddy of white water. His eyes were a piercing pale blue, locked dead on Blueblood. A long flipper swung out of the water, wrapping around the throne. The sea pony looked down impassively on the king, who seemed to be trying to become one with his chair.
"P-Prince Tidus," the king said weakly, suddenly devoid of his rage.
"I know you do not share my and my kin's eyes," Tidus said slowly, "but is it truly so difficult for you to see? Horn or no, there can be no mistaking this pony."
"You mean," the king said, "this is really Blueblood?" Tidus nodded. He left the throne, gliding across the open floor to Blueblood. He inspected him carefully, and his eyes glowed briefly.
"Yes," he said. "This is a unicorn. I recognize his face: he looks like his father." Tidus smiled faintly at Blueblood. "Do you remember me, foal?" Blueblood gaped at the divine figure before him and shook his head slowly.
"I'm... sorry, Prince Tidus," he said, "but I don't." Tidus nodded.
"I visited you when you were born," he said. "I always visit when Celestia's family has a new foal. She is a good friend of mine, you see. We met when she and her sister took the sun and moon." Blueblood blinked at this.
"Really?" he asked. "But that was thousands of years ago." Prince Tidus nodded.
"Yes," he said. "Time goes by so fast, it seems." He turned back to the king and nodded. "There is no doubt in my mind," he said, "that this pony is Blueblood Star. Celestia visited me as she did you, Ocean Gold. All she wants is him back. She meant no insult. Why must you place my children in harm's way with your pride?"
"I..." the king said, shrinking back, "I had no idea that he was here! I thought that he might have been kidnapped by somepony else! Or, or, that he had simply run off! It was Celestia who persisted, your divinity, not I!"
"The loss of a loved one is stressful," Tidus said, "even for creatures such as she and I. All she wants is her foal returned to her."
"O-of course," the king said weakly. "I'll arrange for a transport immediately. The fastest ship. We'll send him straight down the River Aloe, right up to the mountains. He'll be home within the month." He smiled hopefully, and Tidus nodded.
"This is good," he said, turning back to Blueblood. "You must be pleased to be going home, foal."
In truth, Blueblood was still having trouble believing it all. After everything that he had been through, he had given up on ever seeing his home again. A slow, earnest smile spread across his face.
"I'm going home," he said. "I'm going home!" He turned to his master excitedly, saying, "Master, this is wonderful! I can finally go home! Isn't this fantastic? I'll be able to see mother and Auntie again. You can give mother your letter - I'm sure that she'll forgive you if she knows how sorry you are, master. And she'll want to thank you for helping me, I know she will. We can get your chambers set up in the royal family's wing. Canterlot is a wonderful city, and you'll never have to worry about anypony recognizing you at all. It'll be... it'll be..." Blueblood's smile faded as he saw his master's expression. The old pony still looked ancient, and pained.
"...Master?" Blueblood asked. Brook lowered his head faintly.
"I can't go with you, Blueblood," he said. An incredible pain struck Blueblood, as if somepony had run him through. His mouth hung open limply, but he closed it and swallowed.
"You can't..." he echoed. Brook nodded slowly. "Why not?" Blueblood asked. He didn't need to ask. He already knew the answer. But he needed to hear it. It was as if it wouldn't be real until he heard it from his master.
"I'm the general of Aloa," he said. "I would never be allowed in Equestria. Even after you end the war... I couldn't." He sighed weakly. Blueblood nodded slowly, his expression slowly fading, just as Brook's had. The two looked at each other slowly.
To any other pony it would seem as though they were simply staring in silence. Nopony in the room knew just what was happening, save for them. Nopony understood the nature of the silent exchange. Nopony noticed Brook's expression become pained with loneliness, nor could they see Blueblood fighting against tears. They only saw two silent ponies, staring. Blueblood took a step forward, pressing his neck gently against Brook's. Brook sighed, and wrapped a hoof around him.
"Be strong, Blueblood," the old pony said. "Be strong for your ponies."
"I'll try, master," Blueblood said. "For you." He nuzzled Brook gently. "Can you... at least come with me to the border?" he asked. "I want you to be there with me." Brook smiled. His smile was like the sun, bright and full of an amazing, all-encompassing warmth.
"Of course I will," he said. The king sat up in his throne, and scoffed.
"My general!?" he demanded. "Go to the border? Unacceptable! I need him here, in case the Equestrians attack in the meantime. Or what if you're attacked at the border!? I won't have it. White Brook will stay here." Both Brook and Blueblood stared at the king in horror, but Tidus turned on him. His gaze was like ice; it seemed to chill the very air.
"Perhaps," he said coldly, "your general might escort Blueblood as a body guard. As a show of good will between the countries, of course, and to keep him safe on the trip?" The king sank back in his chair.
"Ah... of course," he said. "Excellent suggestion, Prince Tidus. Brook will escort the prince as a show of good will. To the border, of course."
"Very good," Tidus said, his tone warming considerably. Blueblood smiled, and pressed his neck against Brook's. It broke his heart to know that Brook couldn't be with him, but he was determined to make the most of what time they had left. The throne room was silent, and warm. Wet Mane stood, stepping forward.
"Your Majesty," he said to the king, "I would like to go with the prince as well." Once again, all eyes turned to him. The king raised an eyebrow.
"You are one of the ponies who kidnapped the prince to begin with," he said after a moment. "Why would you want to escort him? For that matter, what makes you think you would be allowed to? You are responsible for causing an international incident." Wet bowed his head ashamedly.
"I believed that we were acting under orders from Your Highness," he said. "Even so, what I helped do to Prince Blueblood was horrible. I want the chance to make it right." he raised his head, and spoke with more confidence. "Iron still has eight soldiers with him. They're all terrified of him, and will follow any order that he gives. If any one of those ponies comes close to the prince, I'll recognize them faster than any other soldier. Iron might still be able to find him. He could try a sneak attack at any time." The king folded his hooves in front of his face, considering this. Azure drifted to the edge of the platform, leaning on it and speaking up.
"He's found them already," she said. "That Iron pony tried to attack them in town today." Wet turned around in shock.
"Iron is in Ys?" he asked. Blueblood nodded.
"She's right," he said. "He was the one who attacked us."
"If he's this close, that's all the more reason for me to go with the prince," Wet insisted. "Iron is completely insane. He'll try to kill the prince as soon as he's out in the open, and he doesn't care if the soldiers are killed. I don't think it even matters to him if he lives or dies." Prince Tidus peered slowly at the king, and for once the king did not shrink beneath his gaze.
"I understand," the king said. "If this Iron is so dangerous, getting Prince Blueblood out of Ys is top priority now." He nodded to Wet. "You will escort him to the border. If you keep him safe, you will be absolved of your crimes." Wet bowed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said. The king nodded.
"You will all sleep in the inner sanctum tonight," he said. "I will arrange for a ship to take you to Equestria first thing tomorrow." |
The Colour You Bleed | In Which a Battle is Fought | Chapter 15: In Which a Battle is Fought
As midnight touched Ys, the city was silent. Hardly a single pony stirred in the night, tucked snugly in their warm beds. The wet season was on its way, and the ponies of Ys could already feel its damp chill beginning to creep into the air.
The moon was full and bright in the sky. It seemed almost unnaturally bright, as if it were trying to shed as much light as it could. The white stone buildings gleamed a faint, otherworldly blue, the moon's light reflecting off of them like mirrors. In the dark pool of the ocean, the city shone like a beacon. The gates were lowered along the outer walls, warding off all but the most important of ships. It was like a gigantic tortoise: protected from the outside by a great shell of white stone.
Guards crept within the city, sweeping the streets in twos and threes. They carried no torches; not because they were unnecessary, but because they did not want to be seen. They slunk through the streets, quietly making their ways into the homes of ponies and rousing them from their beds.
They were searching for a pair of ponies. One, they had been told, was a short red unicorn, plump of frame and cautious of demeanour. The other pony they searched for was a steel gray earth pony with a mad, dangerous glare.
The red unicorn paced around a small hut on the docks, barely big enough for the ten ponies which resided within. Eight were dressed in armour, skirting nervously along the edges of the building. None of them wanted to move too far into the building, for along the far wall sat the gray earth pony. He stared dead ahead, squinting in one eye from a deep cut above it. The wound had not been covered, and a rough scab ran along it. He glared fiercely at nothing in particular. His eyes were full of an almighty rage, burning like hellfire. His gaze had nothing but contempt and hatred for all he beheld. The red unicorn would stop occasionally and peer at the earth pony.
"Blast," the unicorn said. "Damn and blast." The earth pony's eye twitched faintly, and the unicorn stopped pacing. He stared back, trying to maintain some semblance of coolness and superiority, but he felt himself failing beneath the gray pony's withering glare. He tried to shake the feeling.
"I told you to kill Brook first, Iron," he said. "I told you he was dangerous. But did you listen to me? N -"
"YES," Iron interrupted. "I did. I tried to kill the old pin-head first. I wasn't expecting that... thing."
"That thing..." the ambassador said, rubbing his eyes. "You mean the sea pony? You are a trained soldier, Iron. I would have thought you could handle a single sea pony mare..." He looked back at Iron, and took a cautious step back. Iron's glare had intensified, and he seemed to radiate an ungodly heat.
"I can handle a single mare," Iron hissed. "I can handle some idiot princeling. I could have handled some crippled old goat. He didn't even try to fight me, the coward."
"Oh didn't he?" Letter asked. "Then where did you get that wound?" Iron scowled deeper.
"He just tossed me away," he said. "He probably thought that was all it would take. The building was hurt worse than I was." Letter sighed, shaking his head.
"White Brook wouldn't... never mind," he said, shaking his head. "We have bigger things to worry about right now." Iron got to his hooves slowly and walked past the ambassador. The red pony tensed as Iron moved past, but the earth pony merely began to pace the room.
"Bigger problems," he said coldly. "Bigger problems." He peered back at the ambassador. "There are no bigger problems," he said. "The prince needs to die. The old pony will die with him. Those are our 'big problems'." He smirked cruelly. "Not big at all."
"Forget about those," Letter said. The rising of a single eyebrow was all that changed on Iron's face.
"Forget about that?" he asked, his voice taking a harsh edge. "Killing them is what we've been trying to do. It's what we've been trying to do for months. Why would I just forget about that?" The last words were a hissing growl, the message of disapproval clear to everypony in the room. Several of the soldiers winced, pressing themselves against the walls. Letter faltered, but smoothed his curly mane and continued.
"Because we have a bigger problem right now, Iron," he repeated, hoping to calm the irate pony down. It didn't work. Iron growled fiercely, and Letter pressed on before he could interrupt. "They went to the palace. They have to have told the king about what happened. We missed our chance to take back the prince."
Iron was silent for a moment. His expression was completely blank, but his eyes were still brightly ablaze. His breathing began to come in ragged wheezes, and he trembled.
"WHAT?" he roared. All of the soldiers flinched back, and even Letter stepped away from the mad pony. Iron's shoulders heaved as he struggled to contain his rage. He marched across the room, his hooves thudding like sledgehammers against the wooden floor until he was practically nose-to-nose with Letter.
"What do you mean, we lost our chance?" he demanded, hissing through clenched teeth. Spittle flew from his mouth, and his eye twitched faintly.
"I mean," Letter said, trying to back away, "we can't attack him. He'll be surrounded by guards! They'll either keep him in the dungeons or escort him back home - one way or another, there's no way we'll be able to get close to him now. We're lucky if there aren't soldiers out there searching for us as we speak! We can't just run out and attack him!"
"Why not?" Iron seethed. "Because you clever unicorns are there protecting him? Bah! You all think you're so dangerous because of your magic. I can handle anything your little king can throw at me." He leaned in to Letter's face, inches away. Letter could feel Iron's hot breath against him, ragged and shuddering. "I am going to kill the prince," he said slowly. The fire from his eyes seemed to be creeping into his voice, giving it a terrifying, empty quality. Letter fought to keep from trembling, and stepped away from him.
"You can't," he said, trying to regain his composure. "These aren't just civilian unicorns, Iron. These are trained soldiers. Attacking them would be suicide!"
"Not for me," Iron hissed. He turned away from Letter, stalking back and forth across the room. The soldiers shuffled out of his way along the walls, giving him room to move where he pleased. Letter rubbed his eyes, and ran a hoof through his mane.
"Iron," he said. "Listen to me. The prince made it to the palace. The king knows about what we did. We're probably wanted for treason and inciting war, and if the prince is still bitter about you cutting off his horn he could find much worse things for us to be found guilty of. Both Celestia and Tidus will want to get their hooves on us. We can't go after him. He's won. We need to get out of here, now!"
Iron stopped dead in the middle of the room. All of the soldiers had shifted away from him; nopony in the room could see his face. All they saw was his shoulders begin to tremble, and his head sink.
He spun in an instant, leaping across the room as he did so. His hoof caught Letter in the jaw, sending him flying to the floor.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Iron roared at the unicorn. His face was a perfect expression of fury. Nothing else existed there. Nothing else could. His mouth hung open, teeth bared and tongue lolling out. His eyes bulged, threatening to leap out of his skull and attack Letter. They were consumed with rage, months of madness and hatred boiling in his mind like searing pitch. He roared wordlessly, stomping his hooves. The wooden floor splintered beneath the blows, and the soldiers tried to sink into the walls.
Letter struggled to get back to his hooves, his jaw aching fiercely from Iron's blow. The gray pony put his hoof against Letter's chest, pushing him to the ground. He stared into Letter's eyes, the red pony trembling in fright.
"What. Did. You. Say?" Iron asked again, slowly this time. There was no less of an edge to the words.
"W-we need to get out of here," Letter said. "There's nothing we can do! We have to run, Iron, or they'll find us for certain! We'll be flogged, skinned alive, dipped in boiling oil!" Iron didn't seem to hear him, pushing his hoof harder into the fat pony's chest.
"You said he won," Iron growled. "The princeling has NOT won! He's a spoiled damn brat! A nuisance! I WON'T LET HIM GET AWAY! I'LL FIND HIM, AND I'LL KILL HIM! HE WILL NOT GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU FAT! COWARD!"
"Iron, please!" Letter pleaded, trying vainly to reason with the mad pony. "We'll be killed! We have to get out of here! A ship is going to the Eastern Islands in an hour! We can board it, and they'll never find us. We won't be in danger. The prince doesn't matter any more -"
"COWARD!" Iron roared in Letter's face. "You fat, stupid coward! If it wasn't for you that prince would have been dead months ago!" He took his hoof off of Letter's stomach, stalking across the room. "You told me to wait!" he snarled. "You told me to wait for when the time was ready. I could have killed him when they were dragging him across the country! I could have killed him at the auction. I could have marched into the old pin-head's house and killed them both right then and there! IT WAS YOU!" He spun on Letter again, and the ambassador scrambled away from him. Iron marched forward, backing Letter into a wall. "IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S STILL ALIVE!" the gray pony yelled. "AND NOW YOU WANT TO JUST RUN AWAY?" He reared up, and Letter flinched.
For the briefest of moments, Letter thought he would die. He thought that Iron would bring his hooves down, crushing him into oblivion just as he had done to the poor soldier months ago. At least he wouldn't suffer, he thought to himself. The moment stretched longer and longer, and Letter realized that he was not dead. He peeked an eye open, looking up at Iron.
The gray pony was still reared in the air, but he had stopped. There was a puzzled expression on his face. He seemed to be pondering something. He put his hooves down slowly, and Letter saw him start to smile. It was small at first, but it grew quickly. An idea was forming in Iron's mad mind, and a perverse grin crept across his face. It was the most purely cruel thing that Letter had ever seen, and it terrified him to his very core.
"Run away," Iron said slowly. "Run away! Go on, fat stallion, run away!" He gave a barking laugh. "Run onto your boat! I don't need you!" He walked up to one of the soldiers along the walls, who shrank away from him. "All I need is soldiers," Iron said. "Soldiers who can follow orders... like you all, right?" The soldier gulped, and saluted weakly. Iron grinned, and looked at the rest of the soldiers. They all saluted as well, and Iron turned back to Letter.
"Run away, fat stallion!" he laughed. "We'll take a boat of our own. Your precious king will let his guard down eventually. The prince will be alone." He leaned in to Letter's face once more, grinning evilly, and said, "I know exactly where it will be." ***
Blueblood woke slowly in Ys Palace. The bizarre feeling he knew so well was more powerful than ever before, here. It was as if he could feel every gentle shift in the air, every smooth thread in the soft silk sheets on the plush bed. He could even feel the cold marble floors outside. He struggled to sit up in the oversized bed, yawning widely.
The apartment he had been given was beyond lavish. Blue and green silk clothes were draped over every available surface, and all of the furniture was made of expertly polished and worked mahogany. Mother-of-pearl ornaments decorated the room, and the paintings of masters hung on the walls. Compared to his spartan bedroom in Brook's home, it all seemed so excessive. He rolled out of bed, brushing his long mane into place, and walked to a window.
It was still dark outside. In the distant east, Blueblood could see a line of orange light peeking over the horizon. He sighed, and shook his head. He would board a boat soon, and in less than a month he would be home. Part of him was excited. He would, after all, finally be able to see his mother and aunt again. Thinking of his poor mother, how worried she must be over him, broke his heart. He wanted desperately to tell her that he was alright, and that she didn't have to worry.
More than excited, though, he was frightened. A lingering fear had come over him after the discussion in the throne room. He had ignored it while they made plans to return him home, and he had ignored it during the feast Prince Tidus had insisted be held in his honour. He had managed to ignore it long enough to fall into a fitful slumber, but he knew he couldn't avoid it for much longer. Soon he would have to face the fear. If not on the boat, surely he would confront it the moment he left Brook's side. He would face it the moment he set foot in Canterlot Palace, perhaps for the rest of his life. For now, though, he could ignore it again. A light rapping came from his door. Blueblood beckoned for the knocker to enter, and a young maid peeked in.
"Your Highness Prince Blueblood," she said quietly. "I'm sorry... were you already woken?" Blueblood shook his head.
"Not by a servant," he said. "I woke on my own. May I help you?"
"I was told to tell you that the ship is ready, Your Highness," she said, bowing. "It is prepared to leave whenever you are ready. Would you, ah, like me to fetch somepony to help you get ready?"
"That's alright," Blueblood said, walking away from the window. He lifted his wrappings from the small desk beside his bed, winding them around his neck. "I'm ready to go." He walked up to the blinking maid, and the pair were silent, staring at one another. Blueblood smiled awkwardly.
"I'm... afraid I don't know my way around the palace," he said quietly. "Could you lead the way to the ship?"
"Oh!" the maid said, jumping. "Yes, of course Your Highness. I'm very sorry..."
They trotted through the decadent hallways, silent save for the soft clop clop clopping of their hooves across the floors. Eventually the maid lead him into a large room with a wide canal cutting straight through the middle of it, leading into the city and out to the ocean. A small, two-masted vessel floated on the water, and several ponies were gathered around it. Most were the ship's crew, readying the boat to sail, but there was also a small group of soldiers. They were accompanied by the king, Wet Mane, and Brook. Prince Tidus and Azure sat in the canal as well. Blueblood approached the ship, thanking the nervous maid. She darted off to attend to her other duties, and Blueblood joined the group at the boat.
"Good morning, Blueblood," Brook said, nodding. Blueblood nodded back, and smiled.
"Good morning master," he said. The king nodded as well.
"Prince Blueblood," he said. "The ship is just being prepared now. It will take you to a small village east of the Equestrian-Aloan border."
"Riverbank?" Blueblood asked. The king nodded.
"Yes... how did you know?" He raised an irritable eyebrow, careful not to let Prince Tidus see it. Blueblood rubbed his neck.
"It was the first town I came to," he said. "It's as far east as I know. And I suppose it seemed appropriate." The king peered strangely at Blueblood, but continued.
"You'll be accompanied by a small company of guardsponies, as well as a few other small ships. From Riverbank you'll board a trade carriage. The trade routes are kept open during war time, so it should bring you all the way to the palace." Blueblood nodded.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty," he said. The king sighed heavily, and shook his head.
"No," he said slowly. Out of the corner of his eye Blueblood saw Prince Tidus smile faintly. "When you see your aunt again," the king continued, "tell her I wish to apologize for being so strong headed. I didn't want this war either." Blueblood nodded.
"Of course," he said. A husky sailor, the captain of the boat, trotted down the gangplank.
"We're ready to set sail," he announced gruffly. "We can ship out any time, Yer' Majesty." The king nodded.
"Good," he said. "Tell your sailors to be ready, then. You sail immediately." The captain nodded, and trotted pack aboard the ship. Wet Mane turned and gave an order to the soldiers, who all marched aboard after the captain.
As the soldiers climbed aboard, Blueblood noticed Azure staring at the ship intently. She was chewing on her hoof, using the other to balance herself as she leaned on the bank of the canal for a better view. Blueblood found himself watching her hesitantly as the ponies boarded. He was the last to step on the gangplank, and he turned away from Azure.
"Wait!" she called out. Blueblood paused, and turned to her. She rubbed her neck awkwardly, asking, "Can I... talk to you?"
"Of course," Blueblood said. The king gave an impatient sigh, but Tidus turned to him sharply.
"Ocean Gold," the god said, "may I speak with you as well?"
"Ah... of course," the king said. He and Tidus moved away from the two young ponies, leaving them alone. Blueblood walked up to the bank where Azure leaned. She pulled herself out of the canal, sitting so she was at the same height as Blueblood.
The golden tips in her mane gleamed in the morning sun, and her eyes seemed to sparkle. She rubbed her neck nervously as Blueblood sat beside her.
"So..." she said, "Blueblood... or I guess I should call you Your Highness?" Blueblood shook his head.
"Please don't," he said. Azure giggled. Her laughter was like bells, even when she was nervous.
"Alright... I guess you really don't seem all that princely." Blueblood smiled shyly.
"I don't really feel it either," he said. They smiled sadly at one another for a moment, sitting in awkward silence. Finally, Azure sighed.
"I guess this is goodbye, isn't it?" she asked. Blueblood nodded.
"It is," he said. "I don't know if I'll ever come back to Aloa." Azure's eyes cast downwards, and for a moment Blueblood thought that she seemed disappointed. "Azure?" he asked. She looked up, and he pawed the ground. "Why did you come to Ys?"
"I heard that pony talking about you," she said. "The one who tried to... attack you. He said that he was going to kill you. I came to warn you."
"But why?" Blueblood asked. "You must have known he was dangerous. Why risk it for a pony you hardly know?" Azure laughed quietly, and smiled.
"It wasn't for a pony I hardly know," she said, nudging him gently. "It was for you." Her smiled turned shy, and she looked away from him. "I... I dunno. I know we only met once or twice, but..." she looked back at him, and smiled wider. "I guess I care about you," she said. Blueblood smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Azure," he said. "I care about you too." Azure giggled, and threw her arms around Blueblood.
"I'm gonna miss you, Blueblood," she said. "Will you write to me when you get home?" Blueblood paused for a moment, before hugging her back.
"I'll try," he said. "But how will you get it?" Azure held him at arm's length, and smiled.
"I'm a messenger," she said. "I'll find it. Don't you worry." They hugged again, and Azure jumped back into the canal.
"Goodbye, Blueblood!" she called, waving from the water. Blueblood waved back from the gangplank.
"Goodbye, Azure," he called down to her. He trotted onto the boat, and the gangplank was raised. The sails were unfurled, and Prince Tidus returned to the ship.
"Are you ready?" he asked. The captain of the ship nodded.
"Aye, Your Majesty!" he called. Prince Tidus reared his head, and his horn lit up. The water beneath the boat swelled, and Blueblood was almost thrown back as the little boat rocketed out of its dock. A swell ran behind the boat, pushing in powerfully through the city, and out of the port. It nearly skipped across the waters onto the ocean. Its trajectory was unstoppable and unchangeable, pointed directly at the tip of Aloa.
For a brief moment Blueblood thought that they would crash, but as it reached the great land mass, the ship began to slow, and the captain spun the wheel to the side. The ship shifted to the side, sliding deftly into the river delta. The sailors scrambled about the ship, working to dodge the tiny craft around the small islands in the delta. All horns were alight as the boat shifted and rocked. They seemed to miss each island by inches, and after a few nerve-wracking moments they found themselves on the peaceful water of the River Aloe. The boost the prince had provided still carried the boat swiftly down the river, now with the added power of the wind in its sails. The sailors all laughed heartily as Blueblood picked himself up off the deck. As far as they were concerned, the worst of the trip was over. They slid into a steady pace down the river, following the path it cut to Riverbank.
The days came and went without incident on the boat. The sun and moon rose and fell across the sky, seeming swifter every day. The time almost seemed to pass too quickly for Blueblood. He knew that with each passing day they moved closer and closer to Riverbank, and to Canterlot. With each passing day he grew more and more afraid of what returning home would bring. He couldn't help but think of how he had acted in the throne room at Ys. True, it had been to prove who he was, to stop the war. True, he had had every right to be upset. None of that changed the fact that on that day, standing in the throne room of Ys and addressing the princess of Aloa, he had been overwhelmingly noble.
He hadn't thought of his life in Canterlot for months. He hadn't felt the pangs of guilt when he thought of how selfish he had been in so long he had almost forgotten about them. Now that he approached his home once again, though, he couldn't fight the rising feeling of fear in his gut.
A week passed aboard the boat. Blueblood spent much of the time sitting along the banisters, watching the scenery. His master joined him, sometimes. The old pony seemed more quiet than ever during the trip, and Blueblood could see that he was in pain. No doubt he felt much the same as Blueblood. When they did sit together, they were almost completely silent.
Brook sat with him now. They were staring over the edge of the ship into the passing forest. They had seen strange creatures creeping through the trees, and beautiful ponds and waterfalls in the depths of the wild woods. Blueblood couldn't help but think of how much there must have been left to see from Brook's home. He sighed, and shook his head. This forest reminded him of Brook's home to a strange degree. In fact, the two seemed almost the same. He narrowed his eyes, and watched more closely. As the ship rounded a slow bend, Blueblood's eyes bulged.
There, not a hundred feet away from the river, was Brook's house. It seemed somehow ancient, now. The beams seemed to sag beneath their own weight, and the building had taken on a dull, gray quality. Blueblood's heart sank as he watched it drift past. This would be the last time he would see the old house. The place where so much had happened to him, and he would never see it again. He swallowed.
"The crops..." he said quietly. "I think they're ready to be harvested." Brook looked silently out at the house. He nodded slowly.
"I think you're right," he said. The two stallions watched the house as they drifted by. Blueblood found himself craning his neck to see it for as long as he could. Eventually the ship rounded another bend, and the house slipped out of sight. Blueblood stared after it for what felt like ages. He could feel his heart rise in his chest. It was as if all the time he had spent in Aloa was trapped in the old house, trailing away from him like a thread on a bolt of cloth. All the time he had spent with his master, all he had learned and all the good he had done, slowly slipping away. Fear crept into his heart, fear he could no longer run from.
"Master?" he asked quietly. Brook turned to him.
"Yes?" he asked. The old pony's voice was quiet, and sad. Blueblood swallowed.
"I'm afraid," he said. Brook sat up a bit straighter.
"Are you afraid of Iron?" he asked. "We won't let him hurt you, Blueblood. I won't let him." Blueblood shook his head.
"That's not it," he said. "I... I know I don't have to worry about Iron." He lowered his head faintly. "I'm afraid of going back to Canterlot," he said. Brook blinked at him.
"Aren't you happy to be going home?" he asked.
"I am," Blueblood said. "I... I want to see my mother again, and my aunts. But..." he found it difficult to say out loud. Brook probed gently.
"Are you afraid they won't recognize you?" he asked. Blueblood shook his head.
"No," he said. "I'm afraid of... of..." He looked up at his master. The old pony was waiting patiently for him to finish. Blueblood swallowed. "I'm afraid of me," he said. Brook tilted his head quizzically. Now that Blueblood had finally admitted it, he found his fears pouring out to the old pony one last time.
"I know you don't want to believe me," he said, "but before I met you... I wasn't a good pony, master. I was just a spoiled brat. I took from everypony, and never gave anything back. I was stupid, and selfish, and ignorant." He leaned against the banister, running a hoof over where his horn used to be. "I remember the day that I was kidnapped," he said. "I remember everything about it. Do you know what the very first thing I did was? I insulted a maid for being an earth pony." He shook his head ashamedly. "I was... I was everything wrong with nobility. My mother is a wonderful mare. She'd never be as bad as I was... I don't know how she could even stand to look at me. I know that I can't run away from who I was, master. I know that I have to accept what I did... but I don't want to go back to being like that." He looked up sadly at the old pony. There was an expression of pure understanding on Brook's face. It was the look he had always given, Blueblood realized. From the very moment they had met Brook had understood him perfectly.
"You taught me everything," Blueblood said. "You taught me how to be good. You taught me how to see beyond the tip of my nose, and how to work hard. I owe you everything master, and..." He sighed. "I don't know if I can be good without you. I'm afraid if I go back to Canterlot I'll just be Blueblood again." For once, Brook didn't pause. He didn't stop to think, or hum to himself. He nudged Blueblood's face with his nose softly.
"I taught you something else, too," he said. "I taught you that broken things can be fixed." Blueblood looked up at him. The old pony brushed Blueblood's mane aside, and shook out two small iron nails. He held them in his hoof, showing them to Blueblood.
"That shed we built together is still standing," he said. "It still has pieces from the old shed, pieces that we salvaged. That plough you broke is still good too. Both of those things were broken, Blueblood. But now they're fixed, and they're stronger than they ever were before." He smiled warmly at Blueblood. "When I bought you, you were broken too. You hated yourself for what you had done, and you wanted to run away from it. But now? You're so strong, now. You're fixed, Blueblood."
"But is being strong good?" Blueblood asked. "You saw me in Ys, how I acted to the princess."
"You stood up for yourself," Brook said.
"I was angry with her," he said. "I hated how she looked down on me because she thought I was an earth pony. I was so close to snapping at her. I was so close to being the stupid pony I used to be."
"But you weren't," Brook said. He brushed Blueblood's mane, smiling warmly. "What you said wasn't cruel, Blueblood. It wasn't stupid, and it wasn't selfish." He pressed his neck against Blueblood's gently, and laughed. "The old Blueblood you're afraid of? He wouldn't have held back. But you did. You're stronger now than he ever could have been." He smiled, and the white stallion found a slow smile creeping across his face in turn.
"You are a good pony, Blueblood," Brook said. "You were always a good pony, you just needed to see it. I believe in you." Blueblood laughed, and pressed his head against Brook's chest.
"Thank you, master," he said. "I'll miss you so much... but I'll try my hardest to be good without you." Brook smiled and nuzzled him gently.
"You will be," he said. He paused, brushing Blueblood's mane gently. "But we still have some time together... I saw that the captain has a Casualty set in his cabin." Blueblood looked up at his master, grinning.
"Do you think he would let us play?" he asked. Brook smiled.
"I think so," he said.
The next week was at the same time the happiest and most painful week of Blueblood's life. He and Brook played Casualty almost relentlessly, only pausing to rest their minds. In these times they would watch the scenery pass over the bow together, or read books that Brook had packed.
Brook played circles around Blueblood at Casualty, as it always had been. As day after day passed, though, the white stallion began to improve more and more. The margin by which Brook won was smaller with every game. Blueblood was always focused intently on the matches, determined to do his best. Bit by bit, piece by piece, he built and improved his strategies.
The days passed as they ever had, and the ship moved along the river. It reached the mainland, leaving the Aloe behind and shifting into the muddy Crate River. They passed small settlements and tiny, ramshackle houseboats along the river as they made their way to Equestria, and Blueblood could see mountains rising in the distance. It was not long before they reached their destination: Riverbank.
The small ship pulled into port without a fuss. The docks were almost abandoned, most of the sailors having shipped out to Ys to lend their boats to the war effort, or to train as military ponies. The only ponies left at the docks were shipping boat crews and the dock managers.
The ship and its accompaniment slipped alongside the rough wooden docks, and the sailors began jumping down to secure them. Blueblood watched over the railings, Brook at his side. The two stallions looked on sadly as the gangplank was lowered.
A Casualty board lay in the front of them. The pieces were scattered in irregular formations about the board. Brook sighed, and looked down.
"Your move, Blueblood," he said. Blueblood blinked, as if he only just remembered that they were playing, and looked down as well. After a moment's thought he moved a piece, and Brook made his move in response almost instantly. They moved their pieces back and forth only a few more times before Brook set a knight on Blueblood's throne.
"I win," he declared. Blueblood looked down at the board, and laughed.
"No real surprise, I guess," he said. "I'd hoped I would be able to beat you at least once... I guess not." Brook smiled faintly.
"Would you have rather I'd let you win?" he asked. Blueblood smiled, and shook his head.
"Never," the white stallion replied.
The activity on the docks had slowed, and Blueblood saw the other soldiers disembarking from their ships. The soldiers aboard their boat were preparing to move out, as well. Wet Mane had them standing in a line, and with a salute they all marched down the gangplank and onto the docks. Wet turned away from the soldiers, trotting slowly to Blueblood and Brook. Blueblood shied away slightly. He had gotten more used to Wet in the weeks past, but in truth it was still a bit difficult to be so near to one of his kidnappers. Still, Wet was kind enough, and he almost seemed to tiptoe around Blueblood, as if he himself were afraid of the prince. He stopped at a respectful distance from the pair, and removed his helmet.
"General White Brook," he said, "Your Highness. The carriage is waiting for us just outside the city. I'm sure they'd like to get going soon... I'm sure we all would."
"Yes..." Blueblood said slowly. "Yes, of course." He glanced back at Brook, and asked, "Could you... give us a moment alone?" Wet nodded.
"Of course, Your Highness," he said. He trotted down the gangplank, leaving Brook and Blueblood alone on the boat. Blueblood looked down at the board, and sighed.
"I'll miss you, master," he said. Brook nodded slowly.
"I'll miss you too, Blueblood. It will be lonely without you at home." He sighed sadly, and looked away. Blueblood smiled hopefully.
"Once the war is over, you could always move to Canterlot," he suggested. Brook shook his head.
"I couldn't," he said. "I couldn't face your mother or aunt after what I did." Blueblood smiled sadly.
"I understand," he said. "I still believe that mother would forgive you... but I understand." He leaned forward, pressing his neck into Brook's. "Will you write to me?" he asked.
"Of course," Brook answered. Blueblood chuckled gently.
"And will you actually send the letters this time?" He felt Brook chuckle as well.
"Yes," he said. He leaned away from Blueblood, and reached into his wrappings. He pulled out the second letter from his study, and gave it to Blueblood.
"When you see your mother," he said, "will you give her this?" He smiled faintly, and said, "I should finish what I started." Blueblood took the letter.
"I will," he said. "I'll send you her reply."
"I... appreciate that," Brook said softly. The two ponies were silent for a while, neither moving. Finally, Blueblood threw his forelegs around Brook's neck. Brook laughed and did the same.
"Thank you so much, master," Blueblood said. "I'll miss you."
"Be strong," Brook said softly. "Be strong for your ponies. Be strong for your country. I know you can do it."
"Thank you, master," Blueblood said. The two ponies stepped away from each other, and Blueblood turned to walk away.
"Wait," Brook said suddenly. Blueblood turned around and saw Brook reaching into his wrappings once again. He pulled out a package, and gave it to Blueblood. "I want you to have these," he said. "A gift." Blueblood smiled, and took the package gratefully.
"Thank you, master," he said. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Blueblood," Brook said quietly.
Blueblood trotted across the ship and down the gangplank. Wet was waiting for him there. Most of the soldiers had gone, save for two or three.
"The rest of the soldiers are sweeping the town," he said. "They're checking to see if Iron and the other soldiers are hiding somewhere in Riverbank." Blueblood nodded slowly. He wasn't keen on being reminded that Iron could be nearby, but he knew he had to be strong.
"Either way, we should be enough," Wet said. "If Iron shows up we'll concentrate on him. The other soldiers won't be fighting too hard, and they'll surrender when he goes down. Are you ready to go?" Blueblood nodded again. He breathed deeply, and stood straight and tall.
"I'm ready," he said. Wet nodded, and gave the order to move out. The four soldiers surrounded Blueblood in a diamond formation, with Wet at point. They trotted across the dock and onto one of the town's many spoke streets.
They walked in silence, for the most part. Blueblood could see all the way down the street to a small opening in the distant wall. The streets seemed deserted; Blueblood assumed that the soldiers sweeping the streets had shooed the citizens indoors.
The guards' heads were on swivels as they walked, searching back and forth for any signs of trouble. Even Wet looked to and fro, although his heart did not seem to be in it. In fact, he seemed almost nervous compared to the others. Blueblood thought that he might be worried about Iron as well, but he was proven wrong when Wet spoke suddenly.
"Your Highness?" the yellow unicorn asked. Blueblood blinked at him.
"Yes?" he asked. Wet looked over his shoulder, and Blueblood saw a familiar gleam in his eye.
"I... wanted to apologize," Wet said quietly. Blueblood simply stared, and Wet turned away. "What I did to you was horrible, and I don't expect you to forgive me, but I still wanted to apologize anyway." Blueblood still stared, blinking. He wasn't sure what he should say. He wasn't certain if he had forgiven Wet, or if he even could. To say what Wet and the other soldiers did was horrible was an understatement, to be sure, and Blueblood didn't know if such a thing could be forgiven. All he knew is that, in spite of it, he didn't feel any real malice towards the yellow pony.
"You were only following orders," he said quietly. "I forgive you." He saw Wet smile faintly, and the soldier coughed gently.
"Your Highness?" he asked again.
"Yes?"
"May I ask you a favour?" Blueblood tilted his head quizzically.
"A favour? What could I do for you?" he asked. Wet lowered his head.
"Iron... killed one of the soldiers. He was my friend." He sighed sadly. "After I left, I heard that his body was sent to Canterlot. I don't know if it's true or not but..." Blueblood smiled as he trailed off.
"I can look into it," he said. Wet smiled back at him.
"If he is there," he said, "could you bury him? His name was Brig... he was a good pony. He deserves a proper burial."
"I will," Blueblood said, nodding.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Wet said. Blueblood shook his head.
"No... it's nothing," he said. Wet smiled back anyway.
The small procession returned to silence, trotting quickly down the street. They were getting close to the wall, now, and the street was widening out. There was a small square just before the gate. As they approached it, Wet Mane slowed. Blueblood peered worriedly at him, and the other soldiers stopped as well.
"Did anypony else hear that?" Wet asked. The soldiers looked around.
"This is the direction the first group went," one of the soldiers said. "It was the first area we swept. If anypony was here, we'd have found them." There was a soft murmur of agreement from the other soldiers. None moved, however, and they fell into silence. A swift breeze whistled through, and Wet's head turned sharply as a small metallic noise came from an alleyway. It was quiet at first, but it grew louder. Finally, a silver helmet rolled out of the alleyway, coming to a stop and Wet's hooves. The yellow pony stared at it, fear in his eyes, and took a step away from the alley.
There was a throaty chuckling, and a pony slowly faded into view. His dark fur blended with the shadows of the alley, but there could be no missing his eyes. They burned with an almighty hatred. Even the wound above the left eye seemed to glow with hellfire. It curved downward at a sickening angle, like a furrowed brow. He flashed a gleaming, toothy grin, giving him the look of a madly wry jester. He moved closer, the shadows melting away to reveal a steel gray earth pony.
"They found us," Iron said, laughing. Blueblood felt his legs tremble, and he shuffled back. More soldiers appeared from other alleyways, surrounding the small party. Wet's soldiers surrounded Blueblood, ready to defend him. It was Wet who acted first.
"Attack Iron!" he shouted. "Take him out first!" The gray earth pony laughed, and a soldier darted towards him. An ethereal axe appeared beside the unicorn's head, and he swung it at Iron's neck. The earth pony reared back, the blade of the axe swinging harmlessly under his belly. He brought his hooves down hard on the soldier's head, caving in his helmet. He laughed heartily.
"I've got one of those too!" he cried. He reached behind himself, retrieving a sharp axe from its holder. He charged on the soldiers, laughing madly around the handle of the axe.
Wet's soldiers moved away from Blueblood, forming a defensive line. Wet fired bullets of air, but Iron dodged around them with no difficulty. The other two unicorns both unleashed geysers of flame, trying to trap Iron for Wet to attack. The earth pony simply tightened himself into a ball and leaped through the flames. His thick armour protected him from most of the heat, only singing the tips of his mane. They smoked, creating a trail of mist as he ran towards them. He swung his axe into one of the soldiers, cutting through his armour like it was butter. The soldier was felled, and Iron turned to buck to the other. The soldier was sent flying, leaving only Wet at Blueblood's side.
Wet roared, rearing his head, and the earth below Iron's hooves erupted in a mass of dust and spikes. Iron leapt from spike to spike, dodging their keen tips deftly and using them to leap high into the sky. He leaped into the sun, and Wet squinted to find him. The yellow pony's eyes bulged, and he flung himself to the side just in time to avoid the axe than spun down from the heavens. It embedded itself in the ground, Iron landing shortly after it. The earth pony never skipped a beat, rocketing after Wet. He caught the unicorn with a headbutt in the chest, sending him sprawling backwards. Wet tumbled across the ground, coming to a still stop nearly a dozen feet away. Iron laughed cruelly.
"You thought that that would be enough for me? Hah! You damned pinheads are all the same, so damn sure of yourselves." He looked around cruelly at the felled soldiers, sneering. "What's your precious magic worth now, huh? NOTHING!" He laughed madly, stomping his hooves and kicking up dirt. Blueblood scrambled away from him, but Iron danced after him. He grabbed Blueblood's tail in his teeth, flinging the stallion across the street.
Blueblood struck the wall of a building heavily, falling limply onto the ground. He coughed, getting to his trembling hooves. He tried to run again, but one of Iron's soldiers blocked his path. They moved in on him, pressing him against the wall. Iron retrieved his axe from the ground, and was approaching the group.
"You aren't worth anything anymore, princeling," he said darkly. His brow furrowed, morphing from perverse glee into an almost unholy rage. "You were never worth anything. Do you know what happens to worthless things? They get thrown out." He gave a barking laugh, even through his fury. "That's what happened to you, princeling. You got thrown away because nopony wanted you, and now I'm going to finish the job."
Blueblood shook violently, his heart pounding in his chest. Iron stood above him like a monstrous spectre, malevolent and untouchable. His laughter echoed in Blueblood's ears, his scarred, distorted face the picture of death itself. Blueblood tried to press himself into the wall.
"I-Iron..." he said weakly, but his voice failed him. His words died in his throat.
"Going to beg for you life?" Iron yelled. "Go ahead, beg! It won't make any difference, but at least we'll all know what you are! Just some spoiled damn brat! A weakling! A coward! Everything you ever had, handed to you on a silver platter!" He glowered at Blueblood intensely. "I HATE you," he growled. "I hate you so much. I've waited for so long to kill you... before I kidnapped you. I wanted to kill you for so long, and now there's nopony here to stop me. No fat, stupid ambassador to tell me the time isn't right. No aunt to protect you. Nopony. Nopony cares about you, princeling." He leaned in close, hissing in Blueblood's ear. "Nopony ever did." He roared with laughter, rearing back. Blueblood tried to scrambled away, but he felt the soldiers' magic take hold of him. It pressed him against the wall, holding him still as Iron drew back his axe. For a moment the world was silent. There was no sound, save for Blueblood's heart pounding in his ears. Iron seemed to move in slow motion, rearing back. Blueblood could see madness in his eyes.
There was a soft sound, like a droplet of water hitting a pond. Iron stood still for a moment. The soldiers stared blankly as he began to rise into the air, drifting away from Blueblood. Iron roared madly, flailing at Blueblood.
"DAMMIT!" he roared furiously, twisting in midair. "Let me down! I'll kill the prince yet!"
"No, you won't."
All heads turned in the direction of the soft voice. Blueblood peeked around them, and in the middle of the street he saw a single, old stallion: White Brook.
He moved slowly down the street, an expression of pure determination on his face. He seemed almost young to Blueblood, but he moved like an ancient, tired pony. Iron screamed, thrashing in mid-air.
"Kill him!" he roared. "Kill that damned unicorn!" One of the soldiers stepped forward, his horn lighting up. His magic took hold of White Brook, but the green pony didn't seem to care. He glance impassively at the soldier, who clutched his head and began to scream. The magic around Brook disappeared, and the old pony stood straight and tall as the soldiers looked on in fear and awe.
His voice was quiet, and gentle, but it seemed to come from everywhere at once. "You all know my name," he said. "Your parents have told you stories of me." His eyes began to glow softly, and his mane seemed to drip with water.
"The armies of El'Bia speak of me in hushed tones. The warrior bards of Acmippo sing songs in my honour. I was the pony who protected you when Equestria attacked. I stood along the border as the hoards amassed, and I fought alongside the greatest mages this country has ever seen to hold them at bay. I led the attack on Canterlot Palace. I killed the crown prince of Equestria. I did battle with the goddess Celestia, and I lived to tell the tale. I am White Brook!" he declared. "I am the Raging River! And I will NOT let you hurt my colt!"
The dripping of his mane turned into a mighty torrent, a waterfall of white water. He reared his head and the torrent came alive, whipping across the street. Its tip was the head of a mighty dragon, snaking across the dusty ground. Iron's soldiers tried to dodge and run away, but the dragon caught them one by one, slamming them into walls and swallowing them whole. In moments the soldiers lay limply on the ground, unconscious or worse.
Brook turned his attention to Iron, the mighty water dragon ripping him out of the air. He flung the earth pony against a wall, but Iron recovered at the last moment. He sprung off the wall, leaping at Brook. The ancient pony hopped away, dodging Iron's mighty blow. The dragon snaked around for another strike, but Iron grinned madly. He whipped his head backwards, flinging the axe at Blueblood. Brook's eyes bulged, the dragon changing course suddenly to catch the axe. Iron laughed madly at the distraction, rearing up. Blueblood watched in horror as Iron's hooves met home, sending Brook flying down across the street. The world seemed still for a moment. Brook didn't move, didn't even twitch. Blueblood forgot to breathe, watching his master. An incredible pain came into his heart and he gasped weakly, like a fish out of water.
Iron howled madly, laughing at the ancient body at his hooves. "DAMN UNICORNS!" he screamed. "YOU ALL THINK YOU'RE SO DAMNED GREAT! YOU'RE NOTHING! I'M THE GREAT ONE, NOT YOU!" He laughed cruelly, turning back on Blueblood. He trotted slowly down the street, as if he was savouring each hoofstep closer. Blueblood sat on the ground, unable to move.
"That's it, colt," Iron laughed. "The last pony who would have ever wanted to protect you, dead. I'd say you should just give up and kill yourself, but that would deprive me of the pleasure." His grin was the embodiment of cruelty. His entire body glowed with a perverse joy, as if the hellfire in his eyes had spread, and filled him up. He stood imposingly over Blueblood, laughing hysterically.
"I WON!" he roared to the heavens. He reared, preparing to strike.
Blueblood moved without thinking. A mighty fire raged in his belly, driving him like an engine. He threw himself forward, driving his head into Iron's exposed chest. The earth pony was flung backwards, landing on his back. He lay for a moment, stunned, giving Blueblood time to recover.
His head pounded from striking Iron's solid chest, but he he stood strong. He shook, not because of fear, but because of an incredible anger. He had watched his master die, and he had seen the pony who did it. Iron got to his hooves, glaring violently at Blueblood. Blueblood couldn't tell whether his wide-open mouth was a grin, or a scowl. Whatever it was, Iron screamed at him.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN FIGHT ME?" he roared, whipping his head wildly. "YOU THINK YOU'RE A MATCH FOR ME?" He screamed wordlessly, charging at Blueblood. The white stallion leaped out of the way just in time, and Iron pounded his hooves against the building. Two deep cracks appeared in the wall, and Iron ran after Blueblood again.
Blueblood's heart pounded in his throat. The terrible fear of Iron was starting to rise again, and he tried his hardest to keep away. He had been stupid to attack Iron, he knew, but there was nothing else he could have done. Iron came close, and Blueblood lashed out with his front hooves. They caught Iron in the face, giving Blueblood just enough time to scramble away. Iron roared wordlessly, barrelling after Blueblood. He moved with frightening speed, driving his head into Blueblood's back and knocking him away. The white pony struggled upright, rolling out of the way of Iron's hooves as they struck down.
"I thought you wanted to fight!" Iron yelled. "Come here and fight me, colt!" He lashed out, bucking at Blueblood, but the prince ducked under the blow. He scrambled into the square, trying desperately to get away from the boxed-in streets. He had more room to run from Iron, here. He dodged away as the mad earth pony chased after him, only barely escaping. Iron caught him with a glancing blow, sending him spinning into a shop set up along a building. Iron launched himself at the shop, and Blueblood managed to throw himself away from it just in time. The tiny wooden stand exploded, sending shrapnel flying. Iron stood in the wreckage, flailing his head in search of Blueblood.
The prince had hidden behind another stall in the confusion. He covered his head, trying his hardest not to make a sound. Iron prowled the square, looking for any sign of him. The earth pony called out furiously, trying to egg him into battle.
"What the matter, princeling?" he called. "Waiting for somepony to come and save you? There's nopony coming, you damned brat! Come out here and face your death like a stallion, it'll be the first time in your life you've been one!"
Blueblood ignored him, his chest heaving. The gray earth pony was insane; even if he wasn't one of Equestria's best warriors, Blueblood would have never stood a chance against his savage attacks. He was going to lose this fight, and he was going to die. Equestria and Aloa would go to war, and both countries would burn. He breathed heavily, and shook. The fire in his gut was going out.
"There's nopony left to save you, colt!" Iron yelled again. "Even your precious White Brook is dead now! Hah! The old pin-head thought he was so damned special! Where is he now, huh! Dead on the ground!"
Blueblood pinned his ears against his head, trying to block out the taunts. He needed to escape, somehow. He needed to save Equestria and Aloa. He needed to get home. If he ran out of the stall, Iron would see him, and kill him. If he stayed there, Iron would find him eventually. He heard the splintering noise of Iron bucking another stall into oblivion, and the gray pony laughed madly.
"You're nothing!" Iron yelled. "Nothing without somepony to clean up after you! Nothing without your master! Worthless!"
The words pierced through to Blueblood. For a moment, he thought that Iron was right. He had never believed that he could be anything without Brook. He had never dared to believe that he could be a good leader, or even a good pony. But Brook had. Blueblood closed his eyes and breathed deeply, calming his pounding heart
He stood suddenly, leaping onto the counter of the stall. The flame in his belly flared into an intense fire, its heat raging through his entire body. His eyes were set dead on Iron, full of an intense determination.
"If I'm nothing," he said, his voice strangely calm, "then why are you so concerned about me?" Iron's head snapped to him, and the gray pony roared madly. Blueblood hopped down from the counter, charging at Iron. Iron set his hooves, charging as well.
The two ponies met in the middle of the square. Their chests struck one another powerfully, sending dust flying. Blueblood had expected to be flung back by the blow, but he had merely been stopped, as had Iron. For a moment they stood, necks interlocked, pushing vainly. Iron began to push Blueblood back, lifting him off the ground. Blueblood lashed out, slamming his head against Iron's. The gray pony didn't react, simply growling deeply as he pushed. In his lashings, Blueblood bit into Iron's wound. The scar opened, a fountain blood spraying out. It splattered on Blueblood's face and Iron reared back, screaming in agony.
"BASTARD!" he screamed, slamming his hooves down. Blueblood dodged out from beneath them just in time, and Iron turned into a flurry of lashing limbs. He was striking out blindly, trying to wipe the blood from his eye and to see again. Blueblood stared at him. There was no reason to his attacks, only fury. It took him a moment to see it, but Blueblood understood. Iron truly was insane, little better than an animal.
Iron finally managed to clear his eye, and he turned on Blueblood. He charged wildly, and Blueblood skipped to the side. He bucked out at the passing Iron, but the soldier dodged to the side. The buck was only a glancing blow. Whatever else was wrong with him, Iron's training still controlled his instincts. Blueblood had the advantage of reason and strategy, however. He goaded Iron into charging, skipping out of the way and attacking as he passed.
Around and around they went, moving through the square like dancers. Blueblood's heart thudded in his ears, and the fire rocked through his body. He could feel the blood pumping, feel his mind racing. Iron was screaming wordlessly, spittle and foam flying from his mouth as he charged. Blueblood turned, bucking him in the face. The earth pony flew backwards like he was a foal, tumbling across the cobbled ground. He jumped to his hooves, stomping madly. His hooves cracked the cobblestone, and he swung his head.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE WARRIOR?" he cried. "JUST BECAUSE OF SOME LUCKY BLOWS?" He charged at Blueblood again, and this time Blueblood met his charge. Once again they pounded against one another, dust flying away from the force of the impact. This time, however, it was not Blueblood who found himself skidding backwards.
The white stallion pushed as hard as he could. For a brief moment he was reminded of ploughing the fields at Brook's home. He pumped his legs steadily, working through the mad pony's strikes. He reared his head, throwing Iron to the ground. Iron rolled out of the way of Blueblood's stomping hooves, jumping upright again. His voice was like the screaming of a monster.
"YOU AREN'T BETTER THAN ME!" he screamed. "NONE OF YOU DAMNED UNICORNS ARE BETTER THAN ME!" He lashed out madly, catching Blueblood with a glancing blow. The unicorn hopped way, trying to distance himself from the mad pony.
Blueblood was getting tired. He was strong, but he was no earth pony. He was running out of steam, and Iron could keep going all day. While Blueblood was panting for breath, Iron was not even winded. The mad earth pony drove on, refusing to be beaten. He dashed at Blueblood, and the unicorn was too slow to dodge away. One of Iron's hooves caught him full in the face, sending him reeling backwards.
Blueblood's head swam as he stumbled back. Iron laughed evilly, taunting him. Blueblood could hardly hear his words, though. His ears rang, and his head ached furiously. He was only barely staying conscious, now. He fell to his knees, and Iron laughed even louder. The earth pony lowered his head, pawing the ground and preparing to make one final charge. He rocketed forward, and Blueblood's world went still.
Everything slipped away from him. All he knew was what he saw, and the furious aching in his mind. The fire still rocked through his body, concentrating on the centre of the ache. It felt like fire. It felt like ice. It felt like the air, and the earth. His mind reeled, and he took control of the reeling with practised ease, almost through instinct. His mind spread across the square, and the golden light of magic flooded his vision. He could see the flow of it, twisting and curling around the world. Light fled from broken stalls, joining strange new currents and drifting in strange patterns. Blueblood's mind swam, and he couldn't focus on any one part of it. So he focused on all of it.
There were no separate parts, he realized. It was all one single, flowing current. Shifting and twisting and warping, a single flow that moved in and out of everything. He watched Iron charge across the square, the magic swirling across his body and around his hooves. It rejoined the great current, moving through wood and stone, and into Blueblood's body. He reached out instinctively, taking hold of the current around Iron's hoof.
The earth pony stopped dead in mid-run, falling flat on his face. Blueblood's grip around his hoof was impenetrable. It was as if the current was a part of him, like another limb. He lifted it slowly, pulling a furious Iron into the air. Blueblood felt the fire blaze through his body, and he reared his head. His entire body shone with golden light, each single strand of hair bristling with a sparkling glow. The current flicked, rocketing Iron into the air.
Blueblood crouched down, setting his eyes on Iron in the sky. He could feel the current shifting around his hooves, curling into a tight spring. He leaped up, flying into the air. He caught up with Iron instantly, and for a moment the two sat, suspended in the air, unable to move. The current shifted as Blueblood willed it, taking hold of Iron again. A great whirlpool appeared in the air, spinning them both in a tight spiral. Blueblood let go of Iron, flinging him at the ground. He landed with a deafening crash, breaking the cobblestone and throwing up dust. Blueblood landed softly across the square, where it opened into the street. He was facing away from Iron, staring at his master.
The old pony's body still lay limply on the ground. The fire flared brighter in Blueblood's gut as he thought of what Iron had done. He noticed the earth pony's axe, not too far away. He retrieved it, returning to Iron.
The gray earth pony lay on the ground, moaning. The fall had broken him, but it had not killed him. He struggled limply, unable to move as Blueblood approached. He looked up at the unicorn weakly. His eyes were still full of hatred and disdain, but he was smirking.
"You found my axe," he said. Blueblood stared coldly down at him.
"You killed my master," he said. Iron laughed weakly.
"I did," he said. "What are you gonna do about it, huh? You gonna kill me?" Blueblood glared at him. He was going to kill Iron Towers. He knew that. Everything that had happened to him had been Iron's fault. Losing his home, his horn, being sold into slavery. His master's death. The war between Equestria and Aloa. It was all Iron's fault. He deserved to die. Blueblood hesitated.
"Well?" Iron asked. "Aren't you going to kill me? Or do you want some time to gloat, you damned unicorn?" He wheezed, struggling in vain to get up. "You think you're better than me? I would have killed you dead if it weren't for your damned magic. Does that make you better than me? Your magic?" He made a noise that was like laughter and coughing at the same time. "Just do it, bastard," he said.
Blueblood tightened his grip on the handle. He wanted to kill him. He wanted desperately to kill Iron, so why couldn't he? It would be easy. All he had to do was lift the axe, and let it fall.
"Maybe you don't want to just kill me, huh?" Iron said. "Maybe that's too dirty for you. Don't want to get your hooves dirty, huh?" He wheezed, and grinned madly. "You know what I like about axes, Blueblood? They're versatile. You can do so much with an axe. You can take revenge. You can dispense justice. You can make your way in the world." His smile disappeared. "Call it what you want," he said, "just stop looking at me like you're better than me. Damned unicorns... think you're so great. Just do it already!" Blueblood closed his eyes, and lifted the axe.
"DO IT!" Iron screamed.
The axe came down.
There was silence, for a moment. Iron stared at the axe inches away from his nose, a look of disbelief on his face.
"I want to kill you," Blueblood said. "I want to kill you so badly. But that's something the old Blueblood would do. I won't be like him. Never again." He closed his eyes, and turned away. "Nopony deserves to die," he said. "Not even you. It isn't personal." He walked away, and Iron screamed after him.
"YOU THINK THAT MAKES YOU GREAT?" he howled. "YOU THINK THAT MAKES YOU FUCKING GOOD? YOU AREN'T GOOD, YOU LITTLE BRAT! You can walk away, and you can pretend that you did good, but you and I both know what you are! YOU'RE A SPOILED GODDAMN BRAT!" He struggled madly, reaching for the axe at his nose. Blueblood looked back, flicking his head. The axe flew away from the screaming earth pony, embedding itself high on the wall. Iron screamed at him, thrashing madly and gnawing on the ground.
Blueblood walked slowly down the street. A few of the soldiers were beginning to come to, but Blueblood ignored them. He trotted slowly to the body of his master, lying on the ground. The green pony looked so old, lying there. He was alone, away from the other bodies. Blueblood knelt by him, nuzzling him gently.
"I knew you could do it."
Blueblood blinked. Brook shifted gently, leaning up to nuzzle Blueblood back.
"I knew you could be good," he said.
"Master?" Blueblood asked in disbelief. Brook smiled weakly.
"Of course," he said.
"You... you're alive?" Blueblood asked. "Iron... I thought he killed you!" Brook laughed.
"I fought a goddess," he said slowly. "I'm a lot harder to kill than that." He lay his head back down, wincing faintly. "Gods, I feel old. I stopped being a soldier twenty years ago." He laughed weakly, and shook his head. Blueblood pressed his neck against the old pony's.
"I'm so glad you're okay, master," he said. Brook smiled, and stroked his mane.
"I'm glad you're okay too," he said. "But you have to go now. The carriage home won't wait forever." Blueblood smiled weakly.
"You're right," he said. "you're right." He sniffed, nuzzling Brook one last time. "I need to make sure you'll be okay, master," he said. He looked over his shoulder, looking among the soldiers who were getting up. Wet was the first to his hooves, and he trotted over slowly.
"What happened?" he asked fuzzily.
"Iron attacked," Blueblood said. "He's in the square. He can hardly move." He turned back to his master, saying, "Master needs a doctor." Wet nodded.
"I can... ask somepony for directions to one. You need to get to the carriage, if it's still there." Blueblood nodded weakly. Brook reached up and nuzzled him.
"Go on," he said. "I'll be fine. Right now, your ponies need you. Be strong for them." He smiled warmly. "I know you can do it, Blueblood. I'm so, so proud of you." Blueblood smiled, tears in his eyes.
"Thank you master," he said. He got to his hooves, and dashed down out of the city. The carriage was waiting for him, two nervous ponies ready to pull it to Equestria. He greeted them excitedly, hopping into the back.
The carriage trundled slowly up the mountains, leaving Blueblood nervously in the back amongst its wares. His mind raced, but strangely he couldn't tell just what he was thinking. There seemed to be almost too many thoughts at once, blending together into a strange cacophony of images and notions. It was as if it was only now occurring to him just what had happened, and what was about to happen. His heart began to thump sickly in his chest, and an incredible nervousness gripped him.
He worried about Brook, wondering if the old pony would be alright. He wanted desperately to see his mother again, and to feel her embrace. He thought about what he had done to Iron, and about what he had refused to do to Iron. He trembled, and he wasn't certain whether it was nervousness or excitement.
In spite of how slowly the carriage moved, the trip seemed to pass in moments. The sun dashed across the sky, and before Blueblood knew it, night had fallen. He had managed to calm his mind, and now all that he thought of was how badly he wanted to see his family again. He would miss Brook deeply, he knew, but as the carriage came to a shuddering stop, he couldn't help but smile. After all this time, after everything that had happened to him, he was finally home.
Blueblood leaped out of the back, dashing to one of the servant entrances. The pony who had been pulling the carriage called something out to him, but Blueblood couldn't hear him. He pounded on the door and a young mare opened it slowly, peering out at him.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but we weren't expecting any ship... ments..." she squinted at Blueblood strangely. "Have we met?" she asked. Blueblood smiled, and offered his hoof.
"Not properly," he said. The mare shook his hoof gently. "I'm afraid I don't have time for a proper introduction," he said, "may I come inside?"
"Uh... why?" the mare asked. Blueblood looked at her entreatingly.
"Please," he said. "It's important." The mare stared for a while, and she couldn't help but nod. "Alright," she said, opening the door for the big stallion, "come in." Blueblood smiled, and trotted inside.
"Thank you, Miss Lilac," he said. Lilac spluttered, but Blueblood had left the room before she could say anything.
"How did he know my name?" she asked to nopony in particular.
Blueblood trotted swiftly through the palace, his red wrappings trailing behind him loosely. They were beginning to come undone, but he had not taken the time to tie them again. He had not had time to worry about it. He had much more pressing concerns.
He remembered the palace. He recognized the old paintings and tapestries hung along the walls, the layout of the ancient building burned into his mind like a map. He found his hooves guiding him almost automatically to his destination. He swept past several surprised servants, pausing only to nod apologetically to them. Eventually he made his way deeper and deeper into the heart of the palace. He found himself in front of a large set of double doors, guarded by several pegasi guards.
"Halt!" they declared, barring the doors with their wings. "Her Royal Majesty Princess Celestia and Her Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Star are attending a war meeting with the generals." Blueblood paused, but stood straight and tall.
"I need to see m - Princess Amethyst," he said firmly. The guards paused for a moment, looking between one another.
"You can't see her," they said. "Not until the meeting is done." Blueblood stared past them, at the door. Much as he wanted to stop the war before it began, he knew that there would be plenty of time between the end of the meeting and the beginning of the battles.
"Alright," he said. "I will wait for them." He took a step back, sitting in front of the door. The guards stared at him strangely and they discussed what to do.
"We have to ask you to go," one guard said. "You can seek an audience with Her Highness at open court tomorrow. Not here." Blueblood shook his head.
"I need to see her as soon as possible," he said. "It can't wait until tomorrow."
"Well, it's going to have to," the guard said firmly. He moved forward to shoo Blueblood away, but he started as the door behind him creaked into life.
The door swung open gently, revealing Blueblood's mother and aunt, flanked by several rough-looking ponies in ornate armour. The group took a few steps forward before pausing. They stared awkwardly at Blueblood, who stood expectantly.
"Ah, You Majesty," the guard said. "I apologize for the stallion, we were just telling him that he had to leave. He insists on speaking to you." Celestia waved her hoof, staring silently at Blueblood. His mother stared, open-mouthed. Blueblood blinked awkwardly, and noticed himself in the polished marble walls.
It was only then that he realized how different he looked from the pony who had disappeared half a year ago. Gone was the toned muscle and barrel chest, and the finely styled blond mane. The haughty expression had disappeared, replaced by a quiet, gentle face. His mane hung long, draping over his muzzle and across his neck wildly. He had grown large and thick from months of farm labour, and the red wrappings hung limply across his shoulders. His aunt and mother probably didn't recognize him. With the blood of another pony spattered across his face, he probably looked some strange transient, or worse.
"I..." he said, "ah..." He fell silent, staring awkwardly at the two noblemares. Amethyst stared at him. There was a strange look in her eye, like she was trying to understand something. It was as if she were staring at some long-forgotten language. She took a slow step forward, tilting her head quizzically. A look of understanding came over her, and of hope.
"...Blueblood?" she asked quietly. Blueblood smiled widely. His heart soared, and he swallowed.
"Hi, Mom," he said. Amethyst dashed across the hall, throwing herself at Blueblood.
"Oh, Blueblood!" she cried happily. "You're back! Thank gods, you're back!" She held him tight and he laughed, sitting down with her.
"That's right, mom," he said. "I'm home. It's alright." Amethyst was crying with joy, fawning over her son.
"Oh, my foal," she said. "My little foal! I can't believe you came back. I thought I'd never see you again. I thought they'd taken you away from me, just like your father!" Blueblood stroked her mane gently.
"I'm back now, Mom. You can stop this all." Amethyst stared at him, and he smiled warmly.
"The Aloans aren't the ones who kidnapped me, Mom," he said. "It wasn't their fault. Please, stop the war. I don't want anypony die over some mistake."
"I..." Amethyst said, "I..." her voice slipped away, and she sobbed happily into Blueblood's shoulder. Celestia walked slowly over to the pair, wrapping them in her wings.
"I'm glad you're safe, Blueblood," she said quietly. "You were all we wanted back. The war is over." |
The Colour You Bleed | Epilogue: In Which the Sun Sets | Epilogue: In Which the Sun Sets
The sun rose slowly in the eastern sky. Its light was full of warmth and happiness, washing over the Equestrian Valley like a golden wave. It washed down through the mountain villages, over the great plains and fields, finally falling on the beautiful city of Canterlot. Its alabaster buildings shone magnificently, and somewhere deep within the palace an ancient pony smiled the sort of smile only somepony who has worked their craft for millennia can manage. Elsewhere within the palace, a young stallion stirred.
Blueblood sat up slowly in his bed. He blinked blearily, and yawned. He leaned back to stretch, but found himself falling backwards into the soft mattress again. He sighed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He was having trouble adjusting to sleeping in such a large and soft bed. The silken sheets felt bizarre against his fur, and he sank deep into the mattress when he slept. He yawned again, rolling out of the oversized bed.
He trotted across the room, trying not to make too much noise on the marble floors. He made his way to a large vanity desk across the room and sat down in front of it, looking at the various pieces of ostentatious jewelry and clothing laid out. Chief among them was a large, golden crown. It had been crafted by the finest jeweller in Canterlot, summoned specifically to have it made. It was trimmed with silver, and in the very centre there lay an enormous garnet. Blueblood sighed when he looked at it. He had insisted that the stone be red, one of the few things he had managed to win the jeweller over on. The tiny mare had been remarkably stubborn about her design. At the very least Blueblood had convinced her not to craft the garnet into a false horn.
He set the crown aside, glancing at the other objects on the desk. There were several small hair decorations, which he passed over. Various suit necks and collars lay out, and there were more in the wardrobe by his bed. He passed these over as well, running his hoof across a beautiful red cloth. He shook his head, and picked up a brush. He ran it through his hair a few times, keeping it in a vague semblance of place, and stood up. He trotted to his door, pulling it open slowly. On the other side there stood a very surprised-looking maid, her hoof raised to knock.
"Ah, Your Highness!" the maid, a little blue unicorn, said. "I, ah, came to help you get ready this morning."
"Oh," Blueblood said. "I'm sorry. I didn't really need any help." The maid blinked at him.
"You are, ah, already ready, sire?" she asked. Blueblood blinked, and looked down at himself. True, his appearance was not as lavish as it had been in the past, but he was still presentable.
"Yes," he said. "I thought that this would be alright for today. Is something the matter?" The unicorn waved her hooves apologetically.
"No sire!" she said, "I'm very sorry!"
"That's alright," Blueblood said. "Have you had breakfast yet? You should take a break." the maid blinked at him.
"That's all right," she said. "I'm... sure I can find something else to do..." She took a step back, and Blueblood nodded.
"Alright," he said. "Have a nice day."
"You too?" she said, confused. Blueblood smiled at her, and trotted away.
He walked quietly through the hallways, smiling and nodding good morning to any ponies he passed. It had been nearly a month now since his return to Canterlot, and many of the servants were still growing accustomed to the prince's new behaviour. They gave him strange glances, and whispered to each other about what had happened. He found that he didn't mind the rumours. He had found two young stallions discussing him once, and he was surprised to discover just how strange many of them were. Most of the kingdom believed that he kidnapped by bandits, for ransom. Some rumours even said that he had been captured by a dragon, who had eaten his horn. He had surprised a old maid by laughing when he'd heard that particular rumour.
He entered the kitchens quietly, dodging between scurrying chefs. They were preparing the day's meals, of course, readying breakfast for the servants and nobleponies alike. Blueblood slunk up to a stove, sidling alongside a heavy-set beige pegasus.
"Mornin' Highness!" the pegasus said. Blueblood smiled.
"Good morning, Peanut. I don't suppose you have time to join me for breakfast?" The pegasus laughed heartily, and shook his head.
"No can do, Highness," he said. "We have to keep working to feed all those big ponies like you up there." He grinned, giving Blueblood a good-natured nudge. "Why, you alone could keep one of us busy all day, in your prime." Blueblood chuckled.
"Well, I'll lessen the load for you," he said. He poured a small sack of grain into a pot of water and cream, preparing a pot of porridge for himself. Peanut tossed a small hooffull of spices into the pot, winking at Blueblood. The unicorn thanked him, and had his breakfast silently among the chefs.
When he was done he ventured once again into the palace, this time making his way to the garden. He spent most of his day there, walking among the flowers and watching the animals play. Around mid-afternoon a young soldier came galloping up to him, panting heavily. He was an earth pony, his coat a pale orange. Morning Light, he was called. He was not much older than Blueblood himself, but had already begun to move up in the ranks of the guards. He was a talented fighter, Blueblood had been told when the stallion was assigned as his new bodyguard, and extremely vigilant. Blueblood had also happened to notice that he was very prone to worry.
"There you are, Your Highness!" the guard said. Blueblood had been watching a small pigeon hopping across the ground. The bird was brave enough that the guard's approach had not scared it away, and Blueblood smiled up at the earth pony.
"Hello, Light," he said. Morning Light caught his breath, and pawed the earth.
"I've been looking for you all day, Your Highness," he said.
"I'm sorry," Blueblood said. "I thought you must have had the day off. You weren't outside this morning..." Light blinked shyly.
"I... had taken a break," he said. "I thought I could get breakfast before you woke up. I didn't know where you had gone after that. I tried the auditorium, the gallery, the servants' wings -"
"I was just out here," Blueblood interrupted before Light could continue to list off the places he had been. "I'm sorry, Light. I hadn't meant to worry you." Light sighed.
"No," he said, "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. But I wish you wouldn't go off on your own. Something could happen to you." Blueblood smiled wryly.
"I appreciate your concern," he said. "But I doubt I'll run into much worse here than I've been through before." He smiled up at Light. "I was just watching the birds," he said. "Would you care to join me?"
Such was life for Blueblood now. The days came and went without incident or event. He often wondered just what he had found to do in the days before he went to Aloa. He found himself more and more wandering Canterlot Palace's vast hallways, desperately searching for something he could do. He offered to help the servants, but he was invariably turned down. Some days he sat on open court with his aunt, but many ponies were far too preoccupied with their farms and homes to concern themselves with the princess. It was harvest season now, after all. The last of the crops were being brought in, and prepared for the inevitable onset of winter.
He wondered how Brook was managing his little farm. Surely he would have more than enough food to last him through the winter, now. He and Blueblood had exchanged a few letters, but it wasn't the same as being there with him. He wished that he could see the old pony again. He tried to invite him to come to the palace, but Brook wouldn't budge. Blueblood's mother had refrained from commenting on the old pony. Her response to his letter had been one of strange silence.
So Blueblood wandered the halls. Some days he would sit in the library and read. Some days he would go into the gardens, as he had today. Some days he would even venture into the city, striking up conversation with the citizens. He had found a wonderful doughnut shop where the students of Canterlot University liked to eat, and he had taken a shining to it.
Now, though, the evening was fast approaching. Blueblood wandered the halls of Canterlot Palace alone, Light having been dismissed for a break. Blueblood found himself moving higher and higher through the palace, eventually finding his way to his aunt's great tower. He climbed the staircase up the tower, peeking his head inside. It was completely empty. He thought for a moment of turning back, but he noticed that the door to the balcony was open as well. He closed the door behind him gently, and trotted out onto the balcony.
The view was magnificent. All of Canterlot stretched before him. All of Equestria, in fact. He could even see over the tips of the mountains to the west. He strained his eyes, thinking that perhaps if he looked hard enough he could see Aloa again. All that was there were the mountaintops, though. He shook his head, and sighed.
He heard the door creak open softly, and looked back. Luna had entered the room.
"Auntie Luna," Blueblood said as the little goddess came to join him on the balcony.
"Blueblood," she said quietly. Blueblood smiled faintly.
"It seems a bit early to raise the moon, doesn't it?" he asked. To his surprise, Luna smiled.
"I suppose it is," she said. "I like to come up here early sometimes. The view is wonderful, isn't it?" Blueblood nodded.
"Yes..." he said, "it is." He looked out over the view, savouring the cool autumn breeze on his face. Both ponies were silent for a long time. Eventually Blueblood stirred awkwardly, leaning against the banister.
"So," he said. "Auntie Celestia tells me that you were gone for a long time."
"Yes," she said. "I took a small trip. I hear that I was gone almost as long as you were." Blueblood smiled contemplatively.
"About six months," he said. "That's some trip." He peered over at her. "Where did you go?"
"I went out of the country," she said. "The world is so much different now from the world I knew. I like to explore it. To visit other countries, and their ponies."
"Really?" Blueblood said. "I thought you didn't like other ponies?"
"I don't like being worshipped," Luna replied wryly. She smirked and said, "But it is the work of a moment to apply a simple disguise. Most ponies can't tell the difference between a pegasus and an alicorn without her horn." Blueblood laughed.
"I know what you mean," he said. "What were you doing for six months, though?" Luna shrugged.
"A lot of things, really," she said. "I visited a few friends of mine. I had a favour I wanted to ask of one of them. He's an old pony, very nice." she shook her head. "He and I used to talk until dawn. Then I looked after somepony else for a while." Blueblood peered at her, smiling.
"Sounds like you had a bit of a better time than me," he said. Luna smiled, and tilted her head.
"I suppose," she said. "But you had an adventure. There's so little adventure to be had, when you're as old as I am." Blueblood nodded.
"I guess it's all back to normal now, though," he said. "No more war... I'm home again... Iron's trial is almost over. They just have to decide whether to put him in prison, or an asylum."
"And the ambassador?" Luna asked. Blueblood shrugged.
"They haven't found him yet," he said. "There's a dock worker who thinks he either went to the eastern islands, or Ashantimare." They fell into silence again, watching the sun begin to sink along the mountains. Suddenly, Blueblood spoke.
"Auntie?" he asked. Luna peered at him. He was leaning on the banister, wringing his hooves. "What's eternity like?" Luna blinked at him. "I mean," he said, looking up into the sky, "What's it like to live forever? So much changed for me, so fast. None of this feels the same anymore. It's all so strange. Alien, almost." He sighed, and rubbed his eyes. "I'm afraid," he admitted. "Could it happen again? Will it always keep changing like this? In another six months will I look back on myself and wonder who I was?" Luna stared at him silently for a moment.
"Perhaps," she said. "But then, perhaps not. When I was a little filly, millennia ago, these mountains were wild and dangerous. A great forest creeps over the home that I knew a thousand years ago. Countries that I do not know have risen, and countries that I knew once no longer exist." She shook her head. "Things change," she said. "It can be frightening... but you learn to accept the change. You can never fight against it. It simply happens."
"How can you stand it?" Blueblood asked. "Knowing you could wake up one day and be somepony completely different?" Luna smiled sweetly at him.
"I am true to myself," she said. "I found something that I loved more than anything. I always work towards that, and I never let it slip away from me. No matter how much I change, I always have that. I will always be Luna, if I am nothing else." She looked out at the sky, and Blueblood followed her gaze. The sun brushed along the tips of the mountains in the west, turning them to gold in the twilight. "There's nopony pulling the strings," Luna said. "Things just happen. It isn't personal... so it's up to us to make it personal." She smiled faintly, and Blueblood found himself smiling as well.
"Thank you, Auntie," he said. Luna smiled.
"You're welcome," she said. A sly smile crept across her lips, almost imperceptible in faint light. "You know," she said, "I've been talking to big sister. After how poorly negotiations with Aloa went, she's thinking of sending an Ambassador."
"Really?" Blueblood asked. Luna nodded.
"Oh yes... she's trying to convince me to go, but I'm not certain that I'm really cut out for it. Politics isn't really my world anymore... and besides, I don't know anything about Aloan culture. I think it should be somepony who's spent time in Aloa before." She smirked at Blueblood, who began to smile. "Do you think you know anypony like that?" she asked.
"I might," he said. "Thank you, Auntie." Luna smiled.
"You're welcome," she replied. She flapped her wings, lifting off the high balcony. Blueblood watched her fly into the night, and left the tower. He trotted silently through the emptying halls of Canterlot palace, returning to his room. Light was waiting for him at the door, and Blueblood bid him a good night. Before the white stallion went to his bed, however, he stopped by his desk. There was a small package on it, wrapped in a soft old cloth. He opened it, smiling gently as the sun set.
Inside was an old book of poetry, and two small nails.
Author's note: So that's that. It's been a hell of a ride, for me. I just wanted to throw out a few 'thank you's here, now that it's all done.
Firstly, A huge thank you to both Vimbert and Vanner of the Ponychan /Fic/ board, my reviewers. You both helped this story along enormously, keeping me on the right track and helping me polish it up. I know that, without you, this story would never have been half of what it is now.
Thanks to everyone on the TVTropes Pony Fanfiction thread for being a test audience, and for offering advice and critique when I asked.
An especially huge thanks to BillyColt for sticking around and giving me someone to talk at when I needed to work through a block or a stubborn idea, and for inspiring me on with music and your own story.
Finally, and most importantly, thank you. You, reading this now. All of you. Everyone who commented, or even just read the story. I've never done anything of this magnitude before, and you guys were a huge source of drive and inspiration for me. Thank you all, and I hope that you enjoyed it. |
Admin Abuse | pre | "Really!?" Apple Bloom squealed.
"Well, I'm not really sure..." Dante trailed off.
"Does it make those shiny gold apples that you gave to Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked.
"Uh, no..." he responded.
"I'm gonna go up and see." Rainbow Dash declared.
"Hold on RD," Applejack called up to her stopping her in her tracks. "Princess Luna is gonna be here any minute now. We should make our way back to the castle."
Princess Luna, what kind of a name is that? Dante thought as he glanced around at all of the nearby pony's name tags. You know what, its not that bizarre considering the ones around me. |
Admin Abuse | Chapter 9 | "-BEST FREEEEEEIIIIIINNDS!~♪" The apparent improv song and dance group he was traveling with finished their sudden outburst. The cowpony had somehow convinced the trio of children to return to the farm to crusade something or other.
Dante sighed. This is like a freaking circus, where did the background instruments come from? Dante was lost in thought as he trailed behind the now reduced herd. So much so that he did not recognize a bush was rustling. It moved near silently from the side of the road to directly in Dante's path between himself and his companions. They, however, carried on as if they hadn't just put on a Broadway Musical performance. His mind still running on overdrive for what he may encounter, If this is the normal around these parts I don't think I'm gonna make it... His arms were crossed and he was nervously rubbing a stick in his inventory.
"HIYA~!" A pink blur tore Dante's concentration, and he blindly swung the only object in his hand. CRACK "OOokie see ya later...." The pink blob called as it sailed off into the distance. Dante recoiled as he realized what he had done. He glanced at his companions and they continued walking Okay I'll just pretend it didn't happen, everything's cool.. The one with the tag "AppleJack" turned her head to face Dante with an eyebrow raised.
"Did y'all hear Pinkie jus' now," She asked as she scanned the surroundings. The other two looked confusedly at each other. Applejack returned her gaze to Dante. "Oh that's right y'all ain't met her yet," she noted. Dante just nodded and kept walking, beginning to sweat bullets. He bit the inside of his lip, and decided to inspect the ground for a while instead of engaging further in conversation. road was surprisingly even and the dirt was hard enough that he couldn't make out any foot, or hoof prints. His mind wandered.
As they traveled farther from the farm Dante noted the change in paving. It had started as soft brown dirt and then there was a brick. It was a soft grey, with a tint of french blue-green. This was shortly followed by more bricks, then a fully laid road. He looked up to see an impressive arched stone bridge ahead. It crossed a fairly shallow but fast moving stream. Over the bridge stood the town hall. He shivered as previous events came back to mind. Okay interesting, they are quick with their work. They've got scaffolding up and some construction canvas. A small detail stuck out like a sore thumb. The black trail of destruction coming from the building.
Perhaps it was the existential horror that made him shudder or maybe it was that nobody seemed to notice any of it but him. Nobody is gonna say anything about that, He thought. We just gonna pretend nothing happened? OK Karma, I see you. It was really quiet outside. Like really, really quiet. "Is there a curfew or something," Dante finally spoke. All three of the ponies turned their heads to look, but kept their pace. "-Because there is no one outside, and the sun won't set for probably two more hours," he continued.
"Well, no... but they might be scared of you," Rainbow Dash replied. "You know, 'cause your a big ugly-" Rarity cut her off with a hoof in her mouth.
"Terribly sorry for her mouth," Rarity apologized. "You see, these nice folks are rather shy of newcomers. Although, I am quite certain that they will warm up to you in no time at all." She gave a glowing smile to punctuate her prediction. Dante couldn't help but smile back in an unexpected lift of spirits. He wanted to break the silence, but was drawing a blank.
They passed through the deserted streets of the town and over another stone bridge. Ahead was a gently rolling meadow. On a hill in this meadow stood an gigantic spire of crystal in the rough shape of a tree. The sun refracted through the thinner and the edges of the larger crystals. The glistening of the imperfections in the material scattered spots of multicolored light all about the base of the castle.
"Hey Dante, close your mouth or you'll catch a parasprite," Rainbow Dash mocked. Dante closed his mouth and frowned.
"Rainbow, where have your manners gone," Rarity shot back.
"Just trying to help," Rainbow Dash grumbled. Rarity gave an apologetic look. This must be a common occurrence.
They had reached the base of Twilight's Castle. There was one pony outside, that appeared to be a guard, standing in the shade on the left of the entrance. His, or he assumed it was a he, name tag read: Silent Wind. Dante noticed his pupils were slit like a reptile, or feline. He only noticed because of the steady glare he had been getting since he came into view. He just shrugged it off as another in a long series of oddities. The doors glowed a gentle blue, and swung open on their own.
The halls meandered through the castle. There certainly was no shortage of room, but the help seemed to be non-existent. Dante followed the trio down another hallway, again lined with doors. This time the end of the hall hosted a slightly larger door distinct from the rest. This one seemed to be the destination. Finally, He thought, impatiently.
Again the doors glowed blue and swung outward, seemingly of their own accord. Inside there were four ponies, who had all frozen what they were doing when the doors opened. Dante checked their name tags. The fidgety, excited yellow one was Fluttershy. To her left was the trigger happy death ray- Twilight Sparkle. The remaining two were new to him. To the left of the THEIL sat a significantly larger pony apparently called Luna. In the corner of the room stood another guard, Sweet Fang, in the same armor as the one outside. This time he noticed a pair of bat wings in addition to the slit pupils. Dante just shook his head and took a breath. I suppose I will start the introductions if everyone else is content to stare into space... He never had the chance as one of his companions started first.
"Twilight, here we are," Rarity announced their presence as if showing up hadn't been quite enough attention.
"I see, perfect timing," Twilight responded.
"You must be the Admin," Luna spoke this time. Something in her voice unsettled Dante. She seemed calm and spoke coolly, but her energy bristled with distrust. At least she has the courtesy to not laser blast me on first sight, He internally reasoned. "We are Luna, ruler of Equestria, Princess of the Night," She announced. "We would have you answer a few questions. Before that, introduce yourself." The princess was strict and very formal in her speech; he knew she was not in the mood for games.
Dante cleared his throat. At this, an inkwell, quill, and a stack of paper levitated into the air on Twilight's left. He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes, What am I, a professor? "Well, your majesty, my name is Dante, not Admin. Admin would be my title I suppose." This drew confused looks. All of the ponies began moving to a chair at the large white crystal table. Each one had a picture on it that matched the cutie marks of each pony. There was an empty seat between Applejack and Fluttershy.
"Please, have a seat," Twilight pointed to the cushioned chair with a picture of some balloons on it.
"I prefer to stand, thanks," Dante responded.
"That's fine," She chimed back. All the while the quill was scribbling away. Dante moved to where she had been pointing. Twilight proceeded to introduce everyone at the table except for Luna and Sweet Fang. Something about elements, he didn't really listen. "-and I would like to apologize for my behavior. I hope we can become friends," She quickly added, bowing her head.
Dante showed his palms, "It's cool." Internally he scoffed, Yeah and while I'm at it I'll make friends with the ground from the top floor. "So what do you want to know," He urged the conversation forward. Fluttershy looked like she was about to explode with her question and was the first to speak.
"So... Um, what kind of animal are you? I've never seen any creature quite like you at all," Dante was surprised how quietly she spoke for such high energy. All the other ponies seemed shocked at the outburst but quickly recovered. "Um... sorry," she squeaked. Why is she apologizing for that?
"I am a human," he answered to more scribbling.
"What is a human," Rainbow Dash followed.
"Do you know about monkeys," Dante countered. They nodded. "Kinda like bigger, less hairy, monkeys," he summarized.
"Why are you here," Luna hit with a hard question. Dante mentally winced. That is the question, Princess.
"I can't answer that, the details are fuzzy, really," He managed to say. He was surprised to see they seemed sympathetic more than suspicious.
"Could you tell us how you got here," Luna asked. What do I tell them, that I just randomly woke up in the street in the middle of nowhere? That I didn't look, like this 24 hours ago? No, maybe I'll just tell them that I know that I'm tripping really hard and they are goblins that are gonna eat my clothes? Ha, no. Think about it, I could just go with the history of my Minecraft Player Character, since I am in that body. He made his decision.
"Well, I guess I flew in from the forest to the South East," He suggested. This earned more confused looks. Oh crap, I haven't figured out how to fly yet! What if they don't believe me, he worried. Scribble scribble.
"Flew in, you say," The fire of competition was in Rainbow Dash's eyes.
"Yep that's what I said," he said.
"What do ya' mean, 'you guess,' you would know if you flew in right," Applejack pursued.
"Like I said the details aren't clear to me," he defended. Applejack seemed appeased with this answer.
"So your home is in the Everfree Forest," Luna asked.
"No I'm from Canada," he responded. He immediately facepalmed. Yeah, 'cause they're gonna know about Canada, smart guy, he scolded himself. He thought for a moment, shook his head, then answered, "I guess technically it is now." If I remember correctly, the spawn is over there somewhere. Fluttershy was giving him a sickeningly pitiful look.
"So you have nowhere to stay," Fluttershy was on the verge of tears. Oh no, they think I'm homeless... wait a second... Dangit.
"That may be so, but don't worry about me. I have it covered," Dante responded. The looks of confusion returned.
"If you wish," Luna spoke, "You may stay in Equestria and we will accept you as a protected citizen, but you must swear fealty to the Crown."
"And if I do not," Dante postulated.
"Then you will be under the supervision of my guard until we come to an agreeable solution," Luna responded. Her guard flared their wings in what He assumed was supposed to be intimidation. This action, clearly, accomplished the opposite making Dante snort in amusement involuntarily. Luna carried on, "We do presume you intend to stay long enough to recollect your bearings. We have further questions." My god, its like I'm on trial! I'm so tired of this, he thought. "Dante, what will you do now," Luna asked. He sighed.
"I honestly would rather be doing anything other than being interrogated like an enemy of the state," he droned. "Since I am homeless now, I would like to get started on fixing myself some shelter." He crossed his arms.
"Do not speak to the Princess of the Night with such contempt," barked the guard in the corner. Her lips were curled in a snarl showing long white fangs. Dante was quickly gaining confidence in his creative mode invulnerability as he was pinching himself as hard as he could, but he couldn't feel a thing. The fur had bristled on the chest of the dark colored guard only making her look fluffier. He bit his tongue and resisted the urge to make the pun 'sweetie the adults are talking.' The thought had him tearing up with restrained laughter.
"Enough Sweet Fang, you have spoken out of place," she reprimanded. "If you do not wish to associate with Equestria's society then you will at least understand that my duty is to ensure the safety of my ponies," Luna leveled with Dante. "I understand your arrival may have been traumatic. Even so, if I am to allow you to stay as a refugee, there is a certain level of caution that must be established." If that is the fastest way to get the hell out of here and back to testing, I'll take it! It's not like I can't just hide from them in the forest.
"That sounds reasonable," Dante agreed. "So when should I expect the police to come knocking?" Luna frowned at his comment.
"My personal guard will be accompanying you," she responded. "Sweet Fang, your new assignment will be the surveillance and investigation of our guest here. You are to stay near Admin Dante at all times, within reason of personal privacy, unless otherwise instructed. Do you understand your orders," Luna directed at the winged pony guarding the corner. A look of horror and dread, maybe a little betrayal crossed Sweet Fang's face. She quickly straightened up and stood at attention.
"Yes, your Majesty," Sweet Fang shouted with a salute. She turned her head to Dante and locked eyes with him. He at least faked a smile. She scowled back. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the barn this morning, he thought and snickered under his breath.
"We shall continue this discussion at a later date," Luna announced. She rose from her seat. Everybody else in the room stood as well. Odd, Dante thought, I thought they had a bunch more questions. Am I missing something? Dante dared to open his mouth.
"What's up, did something happen," he asked.
"It is sundown. You know, time for the Princess of the Night to raise the moon," Sweet Fang spat. Her face said, 'are you dumb?' She indicated at him to follow the troupe leaving the room.
"Raise the moon," he mumbled. "Of course, and the unicorns control the weather right," he asked over his shoulder. She just rolled her eyes.
"Didn't you go to kindergarten," was her retort. Dante threw his hands up, sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and kept walking. Just put up with it long enough to get out of here, he chanted internally.
When they had arrived at their destination, a large balcony at the east of the castle, Dante observed that the sun still seemed hours from setting. I thought Sweet Fang was being serious for a second, good one. I can see that we will get along so well, he thought sarcastically. Seemingly in response to this the sky suddenly grew darker. A beautiful spectrum of oranges, reds, pinks, and violets filled the sky. The rapidly setting sun splashed across the hills.
Suddenly the shadows stretched and grew. The valley the village sat in was plunged into the night as the last drops of daylight glowed on the clouds, before they too disappeared into the dark. The contrast of the darkness drew Dante's attention to the horn of Luna. It glowed with a radiant, almost neon, aura in a deep saturated blue. He unconsciously tensed at the sight. The Princess closed her eyes and raised her head, thrusting her horn heavenward.
As Princess Luna slowly spread her wings, the moon peaked over the horizon and rapidly ascended. All eyes were on her. The moon approached its predetermined position, Dante would have presumed was exactly midnight, and ceased its momentum. The glow faded from the princess's horn, and she turned to face the group. She was met with hoof stomping. Dante was too confused and shocked at the unnecessary display of power to try to decipher whatever body language that was supposed to analogue.
"What," was all he could manage to squeeze out. That was the lamest fake moon rise I have ever seen, he internally reasoned that it was not, in fact, a true change of day. Enough smoke and mirrors, I need daylight to start work. There is no way that was physical movement. I mean, just imagine the tide. it must be subjective, like an illusion just like the rest of this place, he justified. He decided it was time to go, now, "Okay well, that was a cool light show, excellent use of color, but I think, if we are done here, I would like the sun back now, it was just midday. I do have a few things I would like to do today." Luna looked amused but made no attempt to reverse her 'illusion.' "Please," He added, patience wearing thin.
"You'd better get used to it 'cause 'today' is over," Sweet Fang corrected him. "Sun won't come up until six-thirty in the morning."
"Six-thirty in the-," He guffawed, "it was literally about three hours past noon two minutes ago." Sweet Fang shook her head.
"It's actually eight-thirty in the evening," Twilight added. Whatever, Dante decided not to press further.
"As we have come to the understanding that there is no immediate pressing crisis, we will return to Canterlot to tend to our court," Luna announced. "Twilight, we trust you will keep my sister and myself informed as the situation unfolds?"
"You can count on me," Twilight nodded enthusiastically.
"I don't mean to interrupt, but I really don't want to sleep on the cold hard ground tonight. So... I think I will see myself out," Dante politely interjected. The ponies exchanged looks.
"Okay," Twilight replied. "SPIKE," she hollered. A small purple lizard waddled out onto the balcony. "There you are, will you lead Dante, here, to the door?" Spike sighed.
"That won't be necessary either, I think I will take a shortcut," Dante smirked. Yes! My escape plan is coming along nicely! He walked to the railing and stood on the edge. His palms became sweaty but there was no feeling of impending danger. I guess now is as good a time as any to take a leap of faith. He noticed the distress appear in the ponies' eyes as he took a step off of the rail.
"Wait," one yelled. He could hear them rushing to the ledge. One had tried to grab his hood to pull him back from the fall, but they had failed to grip it he presumed. The air was rushing around him, the ground approaching fast. Despite his momentum, there was a sense of calm. He crossed his fingers.
THUMP
When he hit the ground he felt the reverberation in his femurs. I survived? I SURVIVED!!!! He thought, and pumped a fist in the air. His gaze returned to the balcony above. All of the ponies were staring down at him in wonder. "Yuss," He breathed. "OKAY, SEE YOU LATER," He yelled up to them, turned, and started a jog back towards the Everfree. |
Admin Abuse | Chapter 10 | Silent Wind nearly jumped out of his skin. Out of nowhere the odd looking thing being escorted to the castle, from earlier, fell from the sky. It landed static on its hind legs; there was no flex in the landing form whatsoever. The Lunar Guard shivered at the impact that was surely excruciating, but on further observation it seemed not to even acknowledge the fall. Instead, it put a limb in the air and shouted back up to where, the bat pony assumed, it had fallen.
"OKAY, SEE YOU LATER," It hollered. It subsequently turned southeast and ran away. Silent Wind found himself at a loss for words.
Moments later, he noticed his coworker Sweet Fang giving chase to the thing. Silent Wind shook off his daze, refocused, unfurled his wings, and followed her lead. Despite how unbalanced it looked, the strange animal was quick on its feet; However, He estimated he would reach Sweet Fang midair, before she reached their target.
Sweet Fang saw Silent Wind approaching her, fast. She saw the alarm in his eyes and stopped her pursuit to meet with him.
"Stand down, He isn't a target," Sweet Fang said, gesturing to the distancing creature.
"So, what are you doing then? 'Cause it looks like he's your target," he shot.
"Ugh," she rolled her eyes. "The Princess put me on this stupid mission."
"And that is," Silent Wind motioned for her to continue.
"I have to follow this guy around all the time and watch him now, I guess," she complained. "You should probably go guard the Princess, since, you know," she didn't look happy at all.
"Roger that," he responded. "You good?"
"Yeah," her smile returned, if small. "It should be easy, he said he was going to sleep."
With that she turned and launched after Dante once more. He had gotten surprisingly far during the brief exchange she had with Silent Wind, and He almost back to town already. He showed no signs of slowing. Sweet fang estimated her trajectory would have them intercepting within a minute.
Dante relished the wind running through his hair. Despite running at a full sprint, there wasn't a lick of exhaustion in him. The stone bridge into the town up ahead was his next landmark back to the forest. From behind, it seemed, there was the sound of flapping approaching. Oh good God, just leave me alone. He turned his head to see- nothing, it was dark outside. A light bulb went off in his head. He planted a foot into the ground, halting his charge immediately, and opened his console.
The world halted the march of time once more. All of the singing insects and distant bullfrogs stopped, leaving a cold silence hanging in the air. In the darkness, Dante noticed that the white bordered command line, and the flashing cursor were in fact emitting a soft white glow. Some night vision should do the trick. At this rate i should reach the forest in... fifteen minutes, he mentally calculated. He typed: /effect NotDustYet minecraft:night_vision 900, and slapped the enter key.
As sound came back, light flooded Dante's eyes as well as a small night vision status icon in the top left corner of his vision. He shut them out of surprise, but he found that he could see the backs of his eyelids clear as day. "What the hell," He exclaimed to no one in particular. He opened his eyes again and turned his head once more to the flapping. It was Sweet Fang, and she was gaining fast. Oh lawd, she comin', he thought and returned to his sprint. He had made it to the central plaza near the town hall before his "supervision" had caught up.
"Sup," he greeted the guard she pulled up on his left.
"What," she asked back, keeping his pace with him in the air.
"What's up, how are you," Dante articulated.
"Fine, I suppose," She waived. "You know you're a lot quicker than you look." She took another look at him to see he was staring back. "What is wrong with your eyes, they weren't doing that before?"
"What do you mean," he responded, "Doing what?"
"They are glowing, like cat's eyes," she answered. A thought struck her, "Can you see in the dark?"
"Yeah, plain as day," he said nonchalantly. "And you?"
"Thestrals are typically nocturnal, so yeah," she pointed out.
"Thestral," He mimicked, "Is that what you are?" she nodded.
"Earlier, you said you flew into town," she said, "so, why aren't you flying now?"
"Does it matter," Dante deflected effectively shutting down conversation.
"Sheesh, I was just asking," Sweet Fang mumbled under her breath as she lagged behind.
As they neared the edge of the forest Dante stopped at the treeline. Sweet fang landed nearby. Dante had no problem seeing into the forest with his night vision, but he noticed the status icon flashing. "Not bad timing at all," he verbally patted himself on the back.
"Timing for what," the pony cocked her head. Dante's night vision wore off and the world returned to relative darkness. The meadows had a pleasant dim glow from the moon, but under the forest canopy was pitch black. The dense foliage blocked all traces of moonlight from the ground. "Your eyes," she noted, "They aren't glowing anymore. Is that what you meant?"
"Yeah kinda," he said dismissively. "There is no way I'm stumbling through the dark in there. I need some daylight."
"You do remember that the sun just set twenty minutes ago," she gave Dante another look, "Right?" He just shook his head to her further confusion. She then noticed his arms quickly raise. She opened her mouth to repeat, "Rig-"
The world froze around Dante. He glanced to to his new acquaintance. Her face, stopped mid sentence, made him chuckle. His hands moved with thousands of hours of muscle memory: /time set 0. He entered he command. The world bloomed with color, and the sky lit up. The sun appeared just above the horizon, and the moon had fallen out of sight in an instant.
"-ght?... Ahh!" Sweet Fang shrank in the sudden burst of light. "What is that bright light," she shouted. He laughed in response, totally not maniacally. Her eyes adjusted to the piercing rays of the morning sun. Dante stifled his chuckling and started into the woods, now dimly lit. Sweet Fang returned her focus to her POI.
"Hey, wait up," She called as she gave chase.
Later, deep in the forest, Sweet Fang had settled into a trot a good distance behind Dante. The dense foliage made it difficult to maneuver in the air. She had considered flying above the canopy but it was now daylight and steam had started to rise from the forest. The final decision was to spare herself the misery. Dante's larger profile made navigation relatively easy for the pony as he trampled the under story clearing a path.
Finally the pair came to a stop. Dante scanned his surroundings. They had arrived in a somewhat less densely growing and relatively flat area. He inhaled sharply to speak, "Okay, this is a nice spot. What do you think," he directed at his companion.
"It's okay I guess, we've been walking for a whole twenty minutes, and you haven't said a word except this. So... how far away do you live exactly?" Sweet Fang returned.
"I think we are here actually," Dante answered.
"The middle of the woods," she cocked her eyebrow, "you just stand outside in the unpredictable weather of the Everfree?"
"Yep, totally," He quipped, voice dripping with sarcasm. He smirked and turned to face his equestrian cohort, "Wanna see something cool?" He didn't give her a chance to respond before raising his arms once more, opening the console. with a few clicks on the mechanical keyboard, he entered: //wand. The console spit out some lines of various java arguments, but it quickly closed leaving Dante with a new tool in his right hand.
He took a step in the direction of Sweet Fang. She hadn't noticed him reaching for anything, but she immediately raised her guard on sight of the newly acquired improvised weapon. She was in a fighting stance ready for CqC; however, Dante walked right past her seemingly ignorant of her change in demeanor. He was clearly very focused on something. Her eyes returned to the sky. Her head was spinning with questions that Dante didn't seem keen to answer. She Decided to fly up to a tree to rest, it might be a better vantage point to watch this "cool thing" Dante had mentioned anyways.
Dante went to work walking back and forth with his axe. Sweet Fang could hear him ever so slightly counting under his breath as he passed multiple times seemingly counting something on the ground. Celestia's blazing sun rained down warmth throughout the clearing. One patch of sunbeams landed right on her back warming her wings. She yawned as her eyes got heavy, her circadian rhythm telling her that it was mid morning, way past her bedtime.
Celestia POV
The sun had set perfectly this evening. It was right on schedule and precisely executed,as always. Luna had been a few seconds late to begin, but why sweat the small details? The princess was proud of her sister regardless. Both had felt trouble stirring earlier today, and to Celestia's surprise, Luna was chomping at the bit to get into it. She was confident that Luna was more than capable. Her day of court was long. Aristocratic ponies pushing policies were swimming through her head. She removed her regalia and fetched her sleep mask. By her bedside, she let out an enormous sigh and flopped onto the sheets. As Celestia had many nights before, to the point of "muscle" memory, she lit her horn, donned her mask, and fixed the covers.
A thunder of hooves sounded in the hallway. Celestia moved a pillow over her face and pressed it tightly against her ears. She could swear a whole battalion of ponies were making their way in her direction. The closer they galloped, the deeper her stomach sank. Drowned out by both a pillow and the chaos coming her way, the princess let out a long groan of dread.
Celestia set her jaw, and steeled herself. It wasn't befit of a good ruler to avoid a crisis. She teleported herself to the bedroom door, additionally fetching her regalia. With a thought her horn ignited. The door swung inward to reveal a pile of castle guards struggling to untangle armored limbs.
As soon as the Princess made her appearance all of the guards began shouting at once.
"Princess! Are you okay," one cried.
"What happened, is everything okay, Princess?!" another demanded.
"Princess, Princess, what is going on-" another pony bellowed.
"-Please my ponies, one at a time," Celestia ordered. The guards immediately went silent. One Pegasus managed to pull herself free and popped out of the pile. She glided to the floor, in the doorway, before the princess and bowed.
"Your Majesty, the sun set just over an hour ago correct," The guard asked as she stared at the floor.
"You are correct, you may rise," Celestia returned. She cocked an eyebrow at the question, "Why do you ask me this, and what is with this commotion behind you," she asked.
The pony lifted her head, "Your majesty, the sun has begun to rise from the east, beginning approximately five minutes ago. These ponies, and myself, were concerned for your safety and well being," The Royal Guard reported.
Celestia's mind raced as she flexed her magic. She examined any trace of interference in the field connecting her to the stellar body. The report was impeccable, She knew in that moment where the sun should have been, but it was not there. She could feel exactly where it was; however, it was in a location nearly exactly opposite of what she had known.
"Thank you, your competence will be awarded. Please return to your post," Celestia replied. She was supremely confident that her magic wasn't wrong. The sun was up, and she couldn't tell why. She felt a pit slowly forming in her stomach.
With that said, Celestia closed her room door and retrieved a scroll of parchment from a shelf. She began scribbling, furiously. Many a parchment were covered in pristine, fine print over the next few minutes. The princess curling up hooffull after hooffull of parchment together, simultaneously binding and sealing them with red ribbons and gold wax. The thick rolls of paper, all combusting collectively, flooded the dark, curtained room with light. Which amplified by the white themed, gold trimmed accented, It probably would have looked really cool if someone were there to see it. |
Admin Abuse | Chapter 11, Like the Sun, Trouble Rises on the Horizon | "I HAD HIM RIGHT HERE," Luna yelled, as she continued reading the packet of parchment Spike's magic fire delivered moments ago. The poor baby dragon nearly suffocated spitting out the gout of flame required for the transmission of info. Twilight had put him down for a nap for all his hard work. "If I had only detained Dante a moment longer, and messaged my sister for advice," the lunar princess scolded herself.
"Luna, you made the best judgement you could have. There's no way that you could have predicted... This," Twilight replied sympathetically. "To be really honest, we aren't totally sure if Dante is responsible for all of this," She gestured at the small window to her left. The morning rays pierced the thin lavender drapes.
"After what we have been told by Admin Dante, I do not believe he was entirely truthful with us. I sensed nearly no magical signature whilst he was in the room directly across from me," Luna ruminated.
"I also didn't feel any magical presence, but I'm so excited by all of the possibilities," Twilight chimed.
"Celestia has requested my return to Canterlot. It is detailed here," Luna passed the packet to Twilight.
"I see," Twilight skimmed the packet. "Oh my!" Her pupils contracted and her ears flattened. She could feel a panic attack building. She took a deep breath and read aloud to the other occupants of the throne room. "Dearest sister, I do not have the slightest idea why my sun is up, nor how it got there. Help? Come back to Canterlot and give me a hoof with this please. Time is of the essence dearest sister. The tides!" The four other ponies exploded into feverish chatter.
"Celestia said, 'I have no idea,'" Applejack asked.
Fluttershy stared blank into a corner, quietly mumbling. It sounded something like, "Hippogriffs, not the Hippogriffs.
"I-I- I think I'm going to-," Rarity weakly said. She dramatically leaned backward, but she was caught just in time. Luckily there was a fainting sofa nearby. "Thank you Spike," She cooed. The baby dragon wiped a bead of sweat.
"What, What does that even mean," Rainbow Dash scoffed. "What about the rest of it," she demanded.
"It's all just guard and guard captain information about relief all across Equestria," Twilight answered. "Here is a section about Ponyville," She said shuffling the heap of parchment. "It says, 'Twilight, I included this section for you and your friends to use as a guide to relief in Ponyville. A temporary solution in these unusual circumstances. It will remain in effect until Luna and I resolve the cosmological situation.' It goes on, but it would be easier to let you read for yourselves." She placed the relevant papers on the table.
"I will be leaving, I must return at once. Thank you Twilight for the hospitality, I hope we see each other soon in a more favorable series of events," Luna bade farewell. She exited the throne room and quickly departed.
"Well girls," Twilight could feel the bags forming under her eyes. "It looks like we have some work to do."
Somewhere deep in the Everfree, Dante was extremely excited for his next experiment. As he stared at the ground, he noticed that with the "wand" in his hand, it enabled him to see a faint outline of what would be a cube on a grid. Oh my god, the ground isn't level with the blocks! This is a crime! I will never get over this, He thought as he began to wander around. He spent minutes just ambling around the meadow, examining how the height of the ground varied compared to the static grid. It seemed so perfect and unnatural. He heard a sound from above him. As he looked up, he noticed that his "professional" guard/spy was lightly snoozing, on the job.
Shortly after, He tunneled into the ground. He had spiral stair cased down in a four by four pattern. He used his handy wooden axe to bludgeon the topsoil and underlying solid stone away instantly, one cubic meter at a time. Not too far in he realized that there was a problem again, lighting. He decided to stop digging down at an even depth of twenty four meters.
When he reached this level he cleared a chamber measuring five meters cubed. Dante could hardly see his hand in front of his face, let alone dig farther from the dimly lit stairs. He had placed a block of glowstone in the ceiling halfway down the staircase. The /fill command facilitated repeating this in each corner of the room; However, Dante felt this becoming tedious quickly. He lifted opened the left side of his cloak and deposited his "wand."
His excitement began to boil anew as he removed his right hand from his cloak. I wonder what will happen if I, He thought as he held it out in front of him. It was pointed at a wall of stone about two meters above the floor. In his fist was a grapefruit sized anvil. He stood like this for about a minute, grunting and groaning. Come on man, MIND POWERS ACTIVATE, Dante thought as he strained. He leaned into it a little farther. Dude, I sound like I had too much Chipotle, work already, He thought indignantly. He shook his hand, leaned more, and suddenly, he lost his balance. He swung his arms and reflexively squeezed the item in his hand. A metallic clank sung out, followed closely by the sound of rushing air.
A moment later the man felt, what his mind registered should be, way too much force to survive. He remained still, in spite of this. The deafening sound of tonnes of metal crashing amplified inside the bare walled chamber. I can't tell if my ears are ringing, or if its just echoing, he thought. The top of his head felt cold, and heavy, so he looked upward to investigate. As he does so, another, not quite as loud impact sounds behind him. It was accompanied by the sound of small beads scattering across the floor, some of which, he felt hit his back.
Instantly, Dante whirled around to see a dark, iron anvil laying on its side. The hunk of iron had sunk into the floor about a centimeter, and the surrounding stone had developed several deep fractures. Small stone fragments littered the floor accompanied by a dense, lingering, haze of dust. Dante put the miniature anvil in his hand away. "Wow, just wow," He guffawed. That is insane! What does that thing weigh*, he asked no one. "If I just," he bent over the askew anvil, "pull!" He grunted in effort.
With one smooth motion, the anvil rocked upright. Some small stones were crushed beneath it in a heavy thud when the flat bottom met the floor. With a puff of dust, the silence of the chamber returned. Dante took a step to the side of the anvil and admired the two rectangular pits in the stone floor.
Suddenly a sound split the silence. Clip-clop-clip... Thump. It was getting louder, now starting to echo in the room. Uh oh, looks like I woke up the fun police, He thought. Why do I even need an "escort?" Dante's mind lit up. He raised his hands and typed: /give NotDustYet minecraft:barrier_block. He quickly pointed his hand to the door, and tapped enter. He squeezed the invisible cube that appeared in his hand twice, sealing the short tunnel to the stairs. He felt the air stagnate in the room as it sealed with the second barrier. A name tag appeared through the wall. It was exactly who he had expected to see.
Around the corner walked Sweet Fang. Dante could see her mouth something through the barrier. When she noticed him in the chamber in front of her she picked up the pace. Her effort was rewarded when she trotted face first into the barrier. The pain of walking straight into a wall made her tear up as she rubbed her snout. Dante watched in silence as she placed a hoof on the invisible barrier, testing it with a few taps. They both made eye contact. Sweet Fang held out her front hooves, tilted her head, and cocked her eyebrow. Dante shrugged in response. He returned to his examination of the anvil.
To his surprise, not the fall, nor debris had damaged the anvil. Dust had settled out of the air leaving a thin layer of grey speckling the striking face. He swept the dust off with a hand and leaned forward putting both of his palms flat on the cool metallic object. "Now how do I use this-," He was cut off when a familiar UI appeared, parallel with the surface. "Ain't that something," He chuckled. I should try this thing out, he thought as he retrieved his stick. He held the stick over the first slot on the anvil, and it fell out of his hand, scaling into place on the two dimensional menu. The bar at the top now read stick.
Dante tapped the bar with his finger, and the world froze. The console stood open, and the cursor blinked at the end of the line behind "Stick". It was erased and promptly replaced by the word "Whacker." "Yea, that seems appropriate," he stated approvingly and entered it. The world resumed and now there was a copy of his stick in the output box, that if he concentrated on long enough, he could see was now labeled "Whacker." With an enchantment cost of zero displayed underneath, he put his hand out to grasp it. This caused it to pop out of the UI and land directly in his palm. He held it up above his head. "Behold! I dub thee, The Whacker," He boomed.
Sweet Fang had sat down on the floor right in the middle of the hallway. Dante, clearly, didn't seem too interested in her or anything she had tried to mime to him through the invisible wall. "What is that," She mumbled to herself. She watched as Dante hold up what appeared to be a glowing stick. He seemed to be shouting something. "Whaa-," Her face was plastered with confusion. "Nothing this guy says, or does, makes any sense," She reasoned. "I mean how in Equestria did he even dig all of this rock out in such short notice. And if I can't hear what he is doing, what was that crazy loud noise?" Her head was spinning with questions, and the subject of all of them stood only a few meters away, yet entirely out of reach.
A wild thought caught Dante by surprise as he put his "Whacker" away. With his hands free, he opened the console. Rather than input anything, he examined the board itself. Now to find out where exactly I am, He thought. With a quick motion Dante pressed the F3 key. Color returned to the world. It was especially noticeable in Sweet Fang's large yellow irises and shiny lavender armor. That was not the first thing Dante noticed; however, it was the keyboard that continued to float in the air in front of him. Sweet Fang clearly noticed this as well as she stood up from where she was sitting to attention. She placed a hoof on the barrier again squinting to try and get as much detail as possible.
Aside from the keyboard continuing to hover midair, Dante noticed that in the edges of his vision many values were displayed. He focused for a few seconds to find the values he was looking for: his coordinates. This took no time at all as he was very familiar with the debug menu. He mentally noted these and a few other strange variables. One of these was the block observed. When he looked at the floor, the value for block observed read: equestria:stone rather than what would have been minecraft:stone. Odd, he thought to himself, I suppose it has to read something though.
Since Dante was clearly not in the console there was no command line. The keyboard was present, nevertheless, and he began to fiddle around with it pressing a few random keys. He started with the directional keys W, A, S, and D. No clear reaction resulted from these keys, so he continued across the board. Next up was the E key.
Upon input approximately half a meter from Dante's face appeared the classic Minecraft inventory UI displaying all of the items that he had acquired: An empty bucket, a wooden axe , and the Whacker. He pressed the key again, closing the display. He pressed the R key next. It was about as functional as the directional movement keys. This pattern continued, and he moved to T key next. This opened the command line, or so he thought, as the world paused again. There was one glaring difference. Previous instances of Dante opening the console resulted in a blank box with a blinking cursor. This time there was a message. He knew immediately that it was addressing him when he read it.
Yo Dust, you get the server set up yet?
"What the f-" He trailed off as he quickly typed a response into the box. When he entered it, his name tag was displayed in the chat, unlike the other party.
<NotDustYet> Do what? Uh, Hello? Who is this?
It's Mishtor? Silver keeps goin' on about this Minecraft server. You were supposed to be getting it ready.
Oh yeah, Mishtor, the moderator Sarah invited to Natura..., Dante recalled. I love playing with that guy, he's fun, he shook his head. There were more pressing matters at hand. Wait how am I supposed to explain this? There is no way this conversation is going to go smoothly, he worried. He prepared the best response he could, heavily downplaying the urgency he felt.
<NotDustYet> Right, the server, I was working on that last night. Uhh... I think there might be a delay in that due to some variables I didn't account for... Wait, how are you reaching me?
Through chat? How else would I?
<NotDustYet> ... Ha, right, of course.
Hm...
Where are you, you're showing up on the player list but whenever I try to TP to you it just TPs me to spawn.
<NotDustYet> I don't think I'm within the bounds of the server honestly, My current location is stated as 0, 89, -133, but I don't believe that, I would be able to see the spawn castle's south wall from here.
Mishtor didn't respond immediately, so Dante followed up with his best, extra concise, summary of the past day's events. I'm grasping at straws here, trying to get a guy on the internet to help me when I don't know how to help myself..., thought. Couldn't hurt to try, He hoped. He crossed
<NotDustYet> If I'm being totally honest, I think I somehow screwed up, and fell into a alternate reality with tiny aggressive horses. They have one spying on me . A couple of minutes ago she fell asleep. I slipped away, long enough to build a safe base, but she's back now. ...
Are you high?
Dante pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. There it is, he doesn't believe me. For real, I wouldn't believe me either if i told myself that, He thought. He reined it in, and carefully worded his next message.
<NotDustYet> I know I sound crazy but I'm being serious. Do you have any idea what could possibly have happened, or what I could do?
Is this a mod?
Clearly the message wasn't getting through, so He went for a more blunt approach.
<NotDustYet> I mean I literally woke up here! I wasn't paying attention in science class, but maybe it was an Einstein-Rosen something?
IRL?
That got him something, it seemed. Pleased, he responded.
<NotDustYet> Yea IRL, that's what I've been trying to say!!
So, you believe you got sucked through a wormhole. And are now in a world with tiny. aggressive. horses?
Seeing Mishtor report back what he had just said, Dante felt uneasy with the explanation.
<NotDustYet> When you put it like that, it sounds unbelievable. Yeah pretty much...
Well, quantum physics says anything is possible...
But, if you're in a completely different universe, how are we chatting right now?
<NotDustYet> That's what I said! Say,could you run a quick command for me? A simple: TP me to you.
Maybe I can get lucky, he hoped.
K, just a sec
There. Anything?
I'm not seeing you.
ERR, target not specified. Correct usage: /tp <player> [player] {x}{y}{z}
<NotDustYet> Yeah, I got a bunch of console Err and Syntax arguments on my chat line.
Do you think it would be possible to TP me to you?
<NotDustYet> Let me try to TP you to me.
Dante considered this for a moment as he closed the chat and opened the console. He began to type, Wait what if it works, He pondered. He quickly pressed F3 and T.
<NotDustYet> Uh before I do, In case this works, You don't have Equinophobia right?
No, I actually kinda like horses.
With that response, he returned to the console and input /tp Mishtor NotDustYet
You do not have permission to do this.
Dante deflated at this output. What do you mean I don't have permission, I'm the operator, He thought dejectedly.
<NotDustYet> Anything on your end?
Nothing here.
<NotDustYet> What now, I'm stuck and I honestly don't know where to go. I dug a base to test items and commands, but this whole ordeal has been somewhat disheartening.
He could feel his mood sinking as reality faced him. Am I even an operator still, he wondered. Determined to find out he slapped in the command /OP NotDustYet
Opped NotDustYet
You have been Opped
Dante put his hand to his chin, "So I'm still opped, but I'm missing permission? I'm so confused," he mumbled. He shot a glance to Sweet Fang. Her face was pressed up against the barrier, cupping her eyes with her hooves. The sight made Dante open the console to contain his outburst of laughter. With tears in his eyes he closed the console and turned to face the wall instead to reopen it. Theres no way I can concentrate on this conversation with that face staring into my soul, He thought with mirth. He gave her a second glance. Her snout was pointing towards the floor, but she effectively looked up, directly at him. This profile made it appear that her eyes were bugging out of their sockets. He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. Refocused, he opened the chat.
<NotDustYet> I still seem to have Operator Permissions...
Shouldn't that mean you can do anything?
<NotDustYet> That's what I'd think but there are some things that I can't apparently. As far as Minecraft gameplay goes, my authorities are intact, /give, /gamemode, /time and so on.
Maybe Silver limited your perms?
Is she there?
<NotDustYet> I haven't talked to her since she logged out yesterday. She got off before me while I was troubleshooting.
Damn
<NotDustYet> Just checked my perms. Like I said, I'm still opped. I know that it can't be the teleport command specifically, I have already used it successfully.
Wait I just realized something.
Do you have your computer with you?
The more honest I am, the less honest it sounds. If I can't tell the truth, then there's no way he can help, He thought. Having decided on one hundred percent open conversation, he replied.
<NotDustYet> No...? I am literally typing on a floating keyboard. huh
<NotDustYet>Wait, I'm not being sarcastic. It floats, like the chat box and console do. They also appear and disappear with a gesture!
As I understand it, you need a computer to do these things.
<NotDustYet> As I understood it, Horses didn't come in purple and shoot lasers!
HAHAHAHA
I'm sorry
I know this situation is serious, but the way you said that was just too funny!
<NotDustYet> It's cool, I have been nervous laughing since I started chatting to keep from having a breakdown.
Wait, back up.
You said purple horse.
<NotDustYet> Yep, Purple, pink, white, navy blue. Whatever color, there's eight of em somewhere
<NotDustYet> Probably doing horse cult things...
I know this sounds like an odd question, but just go with me here.
<NotDustYet> Okay, I'm all ears.
What does the purple one look like?
<NotDustYet> Uh, about a meter high, dark purple hair, a horn, and wings.
<NotDustYet> Her name was Sparkle, something.
Twilight Sparkle?
<NotDustYet> That's the one, tried to kill me on sight. Wait how'd you know that?! Is this an elaborate prank?
I could ask you the same, dude... That's the main character of a TV show.
This piqued Dante's interest. A tv show, am I really on tv getting pranked, He thought, anticipating a camera crew to come out of nowhere. Does he know, and isn't telling me because he's in on it?
<NotDustYet> What?
<NotDustYet> A TV show?
Yes, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
You trying to tell me you got sucked into a Cartoon for little girls?
Listen man, I got work in the morning, I just logged in to see how the server setup was going. When you wanna be for real, hit me up.
The messages fired off in quick succession, each one a blow to his ego. He hadn't even had a chance to respond before another message popped up.
Mishtor left the game |
Toadal Magic Island | pre | "WHAT!? I do not need a co-host. What kind of sick joke is this because I'm seriously about to lose it. Where's Bobei?!" Toad began complaining as he ran off to find his head intern.
"Last time on Toadal Magic Island," Jimmy began the recap, "Both of the teams climbed the treacherous mount Toadstone to retrieve the bean for Toad's morning coffee. Rarity and Sweetie Belle sat out for the challenge after eating that awful crap Toad calls food. However, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust had an epic standstill in the end, but it was Trixie who gave the Killer Dragons immunity. Since Snails failed to simply pick up a bean, Tempest and Discord advocated for his elimination. What will happen next-"
"NO! I'm supposed to say that." Toad whined as he pushed Jimmy aside and glared at the camera, "So what will happen next? And what are the chances Lightning Dust will dodge another elimination? Also, what is the possibility of me shoving Jimmy into the Hurl Of Shame."
"WHAT?!" Jimmy cried out in horror but Toad continued the intro anyway.
"Find out right now on Toadal! Magic! Island!"
The episode begins with Starlight and Spike in the Mess Hall together as Spike was trying to comprehend what Starlight just asked him.
"So you want me, Twilight, and Trixie in an alliance together with you?" Spike asked curiously.
"Yes." Starlight nodded firmly.
"Look Starlight, I'd love to be in an alliance with you but you're forgetting something, Trixie has jealousy issues when it comes to Twilight." Spike admitted sheepishly.
"I'm sure I can get them to be civil." Starlight smiled optimistically, "Twilight doesn't seem to mind Trixie that much and Trixie isn't that bad when you get to know her."
"If you say so." Spike sighed.
Confessional: Spike
"Starlight's great and all, but Twilight and Trixie in an alliance together sounds like it'll be a big hassle." Spike admits nervously.
Confessional Ends
We then see the Screaming Parasprites enter the Mess Hall with everyone looking tired except for Rarity who continued to babble, "And that's why we should secure the cabin just in case of any monsters. I mean, think of the multiple dangers on this island. We need to keep this Island safer for our sakes."
"Oh geez." Rainbow Dash groaned tiredly.
"That unicorn kept us up all night with her constant babbling." Lightning Dust rolled her eyes.
"Yikes. That sounds rough." Starlight said sympathetically.
"Ya think." Discord growled furiously.
Meanwhile in the Killer Dragons' cabin, Snips sighed despondently at the prospect that Snails was gone which attracted the attention of Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Grubber.
"Hey buddy, what's up with you?" Grubber asked curiously.
"I miss Snails." Snips admits solemnly, "He always knew how to have fun and now he's gone."
"Cheer up Snails." Scootaloo smiled reassuringly, "You can still try and win for him despite that."
"You think so?" Snips asked with a smile, starting to brighten up a bit.
"Yeah. Any of us could win this show if we try hard enough." Applebloom smiled back at the colt.
"Hmm, maybe you're right." Snips beamed.
We then cut to Toad walking onto the beach of the island before gasping in shock as the Shy Guy interns destroy his statues of himself.
"No!" Toad cried out in despair as he saw the statues now destroyed.
"We're sick of being your slaves." A yellow Shy Guy spoke up, "We're not sticking around for another season of your sick jokes and twisted challenges. We quit, no matter what our contract says we're going to hijack your boat and leave."
The interns then ran to the boat which they immediately boarded and began cheering as it went off.
"Maybe I shouldn't have gotten rid of that Jimmy guy." Toad muttered to himself before seeing that the eighteen contestants had arrived.
"Toad, what is going on?" Starlight asked curiously.
"Well my interns just ditched me, and all my statues are broken, so its time for a challenge." Toad said happily.
"Seriously?!" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously, "I didn't get any sleep, or food!"
"Well, right before my interns quit, they just found where I stashed the food on this island." Toad admitted nonchalantly.
"Wait. Does that mean we could have some?" Rarity asked happily.
"Yep." Toad smiled, "Once you complete today's challenge."
"You've got to be kidding me." Starlight rolled her eyes.
Confessional: Starlight
"I'm not exactly a picky eater. My taste buds have pretty much died once I got older. I mean, why else would I have allowed Sugar Belle to make subpar muffins back at my village." Starlight said sheepishly before glaring at the camera, "But I want some actual quality food and if it means we have to do these dumb challenges, so be it."
Confessional Ends
"So what's the challenge fungi for brains?" Discord glared at the mushroom creature.
"First is a bowling challenge, where you will each take turns taking a rock and throwing it the furthest." Toad explains. "The team with the most points wins an advantage in the second challenge."
We then see the contestants at the rocky grounds of the island where the bowling challenge would begin.
"Each of you will take turns throwing your smoldering piece of rock into one of five sections." Toad explained to the contestants.
"Uh Toad, don't the Dragons have to sit two people out to make this fair?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.
"Oh that's right. Sit two people out guys." Toad told the Killer Dragons.
"Grubber and Snips will sit out." Trixie spoke immediately.
"Why us?" Grubber asked curiously.
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Trixie rolled her eyes, causing the two to glare at her.
Confessional: Snips
"Trixie still can't be mad about me and Snails exposing her as a fraud by causing an Ursa Minor to attack... could she?" Snips asked sheepishly.
Confessional Ends
"Okay, starting strong we have Scootaloo and Discord." Toad said happily as the scene cut to a field with five signs with the signs one through five signifying how many points they would get.
"Pinning me against the Lord Of Chaos. How is that fair?" Scootaloo whined.
"I never said it was." Toad shrugged, "Ready. Set. HURL!"
Discord snapped his fingers and the rock was now in the five point mark while Scootaloo tossed her rock into the three point mark.
"Up next is Fluttershy and Twilight."
Fluttershy lightly threw her rock to the two point mark while Twilight levitated her's to the four point park.
"Okay, it looks like both teams are tied at seven points. Next up we have Rarity and Cheese."
Rarity used her horn to throw her rock into the three point range while Cheese winded up his hoof and then threw his to the five point mark.
"Next up is Rainbow Dash and Starlight."
"Watch how a super athlete does this Starlight." Rainbow Dash boasted before throwing her rock into the five point zone.
"Oh no. Whatever will I do to win now?" Starlight cried out in fake worry before smirking and levitating her rock before throwing it into the five point zone much to Rainbow Dash's shock.
"Alright then, it looks like the Killer Dragons have seventeen points while the Screaming Parasprites are barely behind with fifteen. Next up is are Lightning Dust and Pinkie Pie." Toad said happily.
Lightning Dust glares at the pink pony before kicking her rock which landed in the five point zone.
"Ha! Beat tha-" Lightning Dust began to boast before noticing Pinkie Pie had already gotten her rock to the five point mark as well.
"That was a good game. You did great." Pinkie Pie said kindly which only flabbergasted Lightning Dust even more.
"Next we have Applejack and Trixie."
Applejack bucked her rock to the four point mark easily while Trixie was lucky enough to get to two points.
"Now Sweetie Belle and Spike." Toad smiled as he enjoyed how the challenge was going.
Spike threw his rock into the three point mark while Sweetie Belle just threw her's into the two point mark.
"Phew." Spike sighed in relief.
"And finally we have Tempest versus Sweetie Belle with the scores being twenty-six to twenty-seven." Toad said happily.
Tempest and Sweetie Belle kicked her rock as far as she could but by a surprise, both of them made it to the three point margin.
"And with that, the Killer Dragons win the advantage." Toad said happily.
"Oh geez." Rainbow Dash grunted furiously.
We then cut to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo standing by the beach together with Scootaloo deciding to ask, "So what do you think the next challenge will be?"
"Probably something dumb like trimming Toad's toenails or something." Rainbow Dash playfully remarked getting Scootaloo to laugh.
"That's actually really funny, Dash." Scootaloo smiled but what neither of them noticed was that Tempest was watching the scene with a raised eyebrow.
Confessional: Tempest
"Rainbow Dash is quite the tricky one. She's great in challenges and has a solid social game but if she thinks she can pull other contestants from the other team into her corner. She can think again." Tempest narrowed her eyes.
Confessional Ends
Tempest then walked over to Starlight which surprised the reformed cult leader, "Oh hey Tempest. What's up?" Starlight asked happily.
"Nothing much. I just can't help but notice how well the Elements Of Harmony get along with everyone." Tempest begins the conversation which causes Starlight to raise an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Starlight asks curiously.
"Look around. They're able to connect with so many creatures even if they're on different teams." Tempest points to Pinkie Pie and Cheese playing some board game, Fluttershy talking with Discord, Applejack and Rarity hanging out with their sisters, and Rainbow Dash talking to Scootaloo, "They're quite the social butterflies around here. They'd probably do well in this game."
"Yeah..." Starlight gulped nervously before she saw Spike and Twilight talking to each other as well before gaining a suspicious look, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Simple. We both want to win this game, don't we? I'm prepared to do you a favor and I expect you to return this favor down the line. If we are able to decrease the connections the Elements Of Harmony have in this game, the better." Tempest held out her hoof for a hoof shake to which Starlight looked hesitant at before shaking the hoof.
"Fine, but just warning you, I am not voting off Twilight or Spike." Starlight affirmed.
"That's fine by me." Tempest smirked, "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
Confessional: Starlight
"I really hope I'm making the right decision here, but Tempest is reformed like me. I'm sure everything will work out fine." Starlight smiled nervously.
Confessional: Tempest
"Starlight is a valuable ally to have in this game given her connections with Twilight and Trixie. Considering her history, we can find common ground there. Rainbow Dash isn't the only one that can get friends on the other side." Tempest said in content with how her plan is going.
Confessional Ends
We then cut to the campers at the beach where Toad began speaking.
"Welcome to the next challenge, for the rest of the day all of you are my servants." Toad announces, "First I want you to fix the statues the interns broke. The Killer Dragons advantage is half of their statue is still intact."
"Yes." Snips hissed in excitement.
"Wait... so we're basically you're servants now?" Grubber asked incredulously.
"Well for the challenge at least." Toad said happily.
"Sorry, but the only ponies I work for are Twilight and Rarity." Spike smirked confidently.
"Not anymore." Toad replied smugly.
"Uh... then mess with the Killer Dragons." Lightning Dust pointed at the opposing team desperately.
"Okay then. Twilight, kiss Pinkie Pie." Toad smirked mischievously.
"NO!" Twilight, Pinkie, and even Starlight cried out in anger to which Twilight looked confused at Starlight.
"Why'd you say no Starlight?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Well... you're clearly not into her that way, and you're one of my best friends." Starlight blushed nervously.
"Okay, the first team to assemble my statue wins invincibility, and a delicious dinner of actual food first and no magic is allowed." Toad explains, "Your time starts now."
We then cut to the Screaming Parasprites at their team's statue when Rarity started complaining, "Do we have to assemble the statue in this heat?"
"Yes, now suck it up. Lightning Dust said angrily causing Rarity to roll her eyes at the pegasus.
"What we need is a fearless leader." Sweetie Belle told the group.
"Uh, in case you forgot. I'M the leader." Rainbow Dash pointed to herself.
"Actually, I'm the leader." Lightning Dust said smugly.
"Oh would you just-" Rainbow Dash began before Applejack interjected.
"I think that's why Sweetie Belle says we need a leader." Applejack narrowed her eyes at the rivals.
"I nominate Discord." Tempest said simply.
"What?!" Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity cried out in shock.
Confessional: Discord
"Well it's about time someone realizes how needed I am to the team." Discord smirked smugly, "Once I show off what a good leader I am, I will make it to the final three."
Confessional: Tempest
"Of course I don't want the Lord Of Chaos as the leader but I need to build social capital with my team before I end up being eliminated next." Tempest groaned.
Confessionals End
"Alright guys, let's start building already." Sweetie Belle said happily as Discord, Rainbow Dash, and Lightning Dust began picking up pieces to build when Applejack stopped upon a certain piece.
"Ew. Is that Toad's butt..." Applejack asked incredulously before realizing, "Wait no. That's just a part of his face."
Confessional: Sweetie Belle
"Ahahahahahahahaha! Oh that was awesome." Sweetie Belle laughed hysterically.
Confessional Ends
Meanwhile with the Killer Dragons, true to Toad's word, half of their statue was already built.
"Come on guys. We need to finish the statue for the challenge." Twilight tried motivating the team.
"Ooh, Ooh! I wanna help!" Grubber said happily as he grabbed a statue piece.
"No hedgehog. You'll just mess up everything." Trixie narrowed her eyes angrily, "Go sit down."
"You don't gotta be so rude. I can help too." Grubber glared at the showboat.
"You literally sent us all tumbling down a mountain and Trixie does not want us losing any challenges anytime soon." Trixie began yelling to which Starlight interfered.
"Trixie, calm down! Grubber can help as much as he wants." Starlight said calmly before turning to the hedgehog, "I'm really sorry about that Grubber."
"No biggie." Grubber shrugged amicably.
Confessional: Snips
"Man. This team is starting to crack at the seams. If I wanna do good on this show for Snails, I gotta make sure my team wins challenges." Snips said worriedly.
Confessional Ends
Snips then turned to Applebloom and Scootaloo with a bright smile, "Guys! I have an idea! If we can carry pieces together, we'll be able to finish faster."
"That sounds good to me." Applebloom smiled back with Scootaloo nodding.
We then see Starlight was struggling a bit to lift a big piece of statue when Twilight comes over and helps her carry it and place it on the ever growing statue.
"Thanks for the help Twilight." Starlight panted.
"No problem. You're my teammate after all." Twilight smiled reassuringly before going off to continue building the statue as Starlight smiled and blushed as Twilight left.
We then cut to the Screaming Parasprites where they were halfway done with the statue.
"Excellent work everybody. We're right where the Killer Dragons are. We can still win this." Discord smiled ecstatically, "I'm doing such a great job as leader."
"I'm sure you are Discord." Fluttershy said reassuringly.
Confessional: Applejack
"I don't know what Tempest is doing with Discord but I certainly don't like it. Especially since Discord's getting all big in the head."
Confessional Ends
Rarity is then seen trying to lift a piece of the statue as much as she can but she falters at the last minutes and drops it into the sand.
"I can't do this. It's too hot. I'm so sorryyyyyyyy." Rarity said dramatically to which Sweetie Belle and Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Oh no! They're almost done!" Fluttershy cried out in horror and as such, it would appear to be as all that's left of the Killer Dragon's statue was the left side of Toad's head which Snips, Applebloom, and Scootaloo were struggling to carry over.
"W-We got it." Snips grunted before noticing Rainbow Dash was grabbing the last piece to the Parasprites' statue.
"Quick. We gotta throw it in now." Snips alerted Applebloom and Scootaloo before they heaved the last piece and chucked it into the statue but instead of completing it, it just caused it to fall apart.
"Are you KIDDING ME?!" Trixie cried out incredulously which caused the kids to sweat nervously.
After that, Rainbow Dash placed the last piece on the statue and completed the Toad replica flawlessly.
"We did it!" Fluttershy said happily.
"Congratulations Screaming Parasprites, you aren't the suckiest of all today." Toad said happily.
"Yes!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"There's a fresh dinner waiting for you in the Mess Hall. Also you don't have to vote anyone off tonight." Toad reminded the winning team which caused them all to cheer ecstatically.
"As for the Killer Dragons, that was awful and I'll see you all at the campfire ceremony shortly." Toad shook his head in disappointment.
We then see Starlight was sulking by the cabins before Tempest walked next to her.
"Well well well. How are things going over here?" Tempest asked curiously.
"What do you want?" Starlight asked in annoyance.
"I'm sure you're confused on who should be eliminated tonight. Is that true?" Tempest guessed.
"Yeah..." Starlight trailed off, clearly confused on where Tempest was going with this.
"Well I have an idea on who you should vote off." Tempest smirked.
We then see the Killer Dragons were now sitting at the campfire ceremony where Toad began speaking.
"Okay by the way you all voted it was obvious who you all wanted out. So here we go, since this your first elimination these marshmallows represent life in this game. If you don't get a marshmallow that means you're out of the game and can't come back." Toad said before calling out names, "Marshmallows go to..."
"Starlight."
"Pinkie."
"Cheese."
"Twilight."
"Spike."
"Grubber."
"Applebloom."
"And... Snips."
"Huh?" Snips asked in confusion before accepting his marshmallow.
"Campers, the final marshmallow goes to..." ... ... ... ... ...
"Trixie."
Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Snips gasped in shock at this as Trixie laughed boastfully and accepted her prize.
Confessional: Starlight
"I know it doesn't seem nice to vote off a filly... but we're all here to win this and Scootaloo is known for her recklessness at times. It wasn't to hard to convince the team to eliminate her." Starlight admitted sheepishly.
Confessional Ends
We then see Scootaloo was in the Hurl Of Shame with Toad speaking up, "I'm sorry you got blindsided like that."
"It's okay. I figured this might happen-" Scootaloo sighed before Toad laughed.
"I was kidding. I don't care about your sob story." Toad smiled.
"Wait!" Rainbow Dash's voice cried out.
"Oh brother." Toad groaned.
"I'm sorry that you got eliminated, Scootaloo." Rainbow Dash sighed sadly as she approached near the catapult where Scootaloo was on, "I'll kick some serious butt for both of us."
"I'd be honored." Scootaloo gave out tears of joy before Toad finally flung the filly from the catapult which caused Rainbow Dash to sigh before walking off.
"We really are getting rid of some losers now." Toad said happily, "Will my interns ever come back and what do I have in store for the contestants tomorrow. Find out on Toadal! Magic! Island!" |
Toadal Magic Island | In Your Wildest Dreams | "Last time on Toadal Magic Island! My group of interns quit so I had the campers do my bidding. Some people sucked but the Killer Dragons sucked even harder and since Scootaloo sucked the most, she got eliminated. Who is really safe in this show? Will Starlight ever admit her feelings for Twilight? And will Spike ever stop being the butt of the joke... actually, we all know the answer to that one. If you thought the last challenge was bad. This one will be a nightmare. So stay put and enjoy this next episode of Toadal! Magic! Island!"
The episode begins with the campers all sleeping in their cabins and we cut to Spike sleeping in his bed and murmuring softly into his pillow, "Why yes I will marry you Rarity."
Suddenly an airhorn went off causing all the contestants to wake up, "Meet me in the main lodge! The next challenge is about to begin!"
"Seriously?!" Starlight asked incredulously as she got out of the cabin, "It's two in the morning!"
"Welcome to today's challenge." Toad said happily as he and Bobei stood in front of the contestants outside of the cabins.
"At this late in the night?" Fluttershy yawned.
"Yes. It's a sleeping challenge." Toad beamed which just confused everyone so he elaborated, " "I raided Ludwig's lab last season and stole a bunch of devices. One of them being 'The Dream-a-Tron 3000'."
"What does it do?" Spike asked curiously.
"It enhances my dreams tenfold, so anyone can go inside my dream." Toad answers. "Your challenge is to go inside my dream and destroy the nightmares I've been having for days. The first pony to do so wins invincibility for their team."
"Princess Luna could've easily done that for you." Twilight remarks with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah, but this way is more fun." Toad laughed.
"I feel there's a catch to this challenge. It seems way too straightforward." Trixie whispers to Starlight.
"Well of course there's always a catch to everything. There's alway a catch." Discord scoffed, having overheard his fellow reformed villains' conversation.
"Okay fine. The catch is that you can die in the dream world without dying in the real world." Toad rolls his eyes.
"Isn't that basic logic?" Applejack scoffed.
"Don't question my techniques!" Toad cried out furiously before calming down, "However, if you die in a dream world, you will wake up and the challenge will be over for you. Everyone ready?"
"No we haven't even had any breakfast." Lightning Dust complains.
"Zap away Bobei." Toad ordered.
Bobei then used the Dream-a Tron 3000 and soon all seventeen contestants were transported to the dream world.
We then see that the Killer Dragons were altogether in some distorted version of the island. It was now purple and blue instead of green and brown.
"Where are we?" Trixie rubbed her head in confusion.
"Inside my dreams, this challenge is so on." Toad said over the loudspeaker.
"Hustle everypony. We need to-" Twilight began before Pinkie Pie began gasping in awe at the sights of the dream world.
"We should totally go sightseeing guys! It's not everyday you have a dream where you know you're having a dream." Pinkie Pie suggested happily.
"That's sounds great! I'm in!" Cheese beamed excitedly.
"Me too!" Grubber, Applebloom, and Snips cheered before running off with Pinkie Pie.
"Guys... GUYS!" Twilight cried out but the five teammates had already ran off before looking to see only Spike, Starlight, and Trixie were still nearby.
"Come on guys." Twilight sighed miserably, "Let's go find the nightmare."
"What about the others?" Spike asked in concern.
"Who cares?!" Trixie scoffed, "They're probably not gonna be much help considering what they just pulled."
"No. We're all a team. We need to find them as well." Twilight reminded the showboat, "Just follow me."
Twilight and Spike immediately began walking together with Trixie following, Starlight gave a look of concern before following as well.
We then see the Screaming Parapsrites were together as Discord was once again trying to take charge.
"Alright team. As the team leader, I suggest we all split up." Discord smirked confidently.
"You do realize that you were only the team leader for one challenge right?" Fluttershy reminded her friend.
"Let's just do what he says. It'll save us a lot of time." Rainbow Dash said, deciding to go along with the Draconequus' plan.
"I'll go by myself if that's alright." Lightning Dust smirked arrogantly.
"Oh but please, don't let us stop you." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically.
Lightning Dust rolled her eyes but flew off regardless.
Back with Twilight, Spike, Starlight, and Trixie, it was clear that there was some tension in the air but sooner than later, Twilight and Spike began to have a private conversation.
"Hey Twilight, you seem to be a little down. What's wrong?" Spike asked in concern.
"I don't know Spike, it's just that sometimes I feel that our friends don't take me that seriously." Twilight sighed miserably, "I mean, you saw what happened earlier. The rest of the group ditched us to go sightseeing!"
"Well... that does sound kinda rough, but they are your friends, I'm sure they'll take you seriously when it counts." Spike said in an attempt to comfort Twilight which made the alicorn smile a bit.
Meanwhile, Starlight and Trixie were having their own conversation.
"You want us to do what?!" Trixie whispered in surprise.
"I know it seems crazy, but Twilight and Spike are two of my best friends like you. It would just be really great if all of us were in an alliance. It's a great power play." Starlight explained giddily.
"But what if it comes down to the four of us and Pinkie Pie. We all know Twilight would rather vote off Trixie over her." Trixie reminded her best friend.
"That's true, but I plan on convincing Spike to vote her off if it comes down to that." Starlight smiles uneasily, "And besides, if we're lucky, we'll never get to that point."
Confessional: Starlight
"I want to protect Trixie from the vote just as much as I want to protect Twilight and Spike. I just hope I can get Spike to vote off some of Twilight's other friends." Starlight admits nervously, "I know, I know it's probably a sucky thing to do to Twilight but it IS a game."
Confessional: Trixie
"Trixie does not want to place her faith in Twilight's assistant that he will vote our way." Trixie shakes her head in disapproval, "Sorry Starlight, but Trixie needs to take matters into her own hooves."
Confessionals End
Back with Pinkie Pie's group, they were all staring at the rainbow waterfall above them which made them all at awe.
"Wow! This is super duper amazing!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down, "I should visit the dream world more often."
"I'm glad you're having fun Pinkie." Cheese smiled before gaining a look of concern, "But we should probably look for the nightmare now. That is the challenge after all."
"I gotta agree with Cheese. Twilight and the others can't do all the legwork for us." Applebloom admits sheepishly.
"Yeah, I agree there. Let's save the dream world!" Pinkie Pie cheered ecstatically which made Cheese and Applebloom smile.
"Hey guys. Do you all know what this is?" Snips asked as he held up a Bob-omb.
"Snips, watch out! That's a bomb!" Grubber gasped as he ran over to Snips to slap the bomb out of his hands but all it did was cause it to explode and make Grubber and Snips disappear in smoke.
"Oh crud." Applebloom groaned once she realized that both of them were out of the challenge.
Meanwhile Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were all walking together in the caverns when they came across Rarity and Sweetie Belle.
"Hey girls, why don't you come with us." Fluttershy offered kindly.
"Really? Are you sure about that?" Rarity asked, "Discord did tell us to split up."
"Yeah, and besides, the two of us are together. I'm sure we'll be fine." Sweetie Belle said reassuringly.
"Well... it was just a suggestion." Fluttershy shrugged before she, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash walked off and once they were far enough, Rainbow Dash decided to speak.
"Okay girls, we gotta talk strategy." Rainbow Dash told her friends.
"Why do we gotta discuss strategy now in the middle of a challenge?" Applejack asked incredulously.
"Considering Lightning Dust is still in the game, I think it's for the best to ensure one of us doesn't get voted off." Rainbow Dash scoffed indignantly.
"This again." Applejack sighed in annoyance, "Maybe we should just focus on finding the nightmare and deal with the vote when it comes down to it."
"I agree. Strategy talk makes me feel uncomfortable." Fluttershy smiled weakly.
"Fine." Rainbow Dash groaned.
We then cut to Lightning Dust having some sort of meeting with Discord and Tempest in the caverns.
"Okay, so I officially declare this the first outcast alliance of the Screaming Parasprites." Lightning Dust said sternly.
"Okay really? How are all of us outcasts when you're the only one with a target on your back?" Discord raised an eyebrow.
"I think we're meant to presume that if Lightning Dust gets eliminated, the remaining Elements Of Harmony will just target us next." Tempest explains dryly.
"Yep. That's exactly what I meant." Lightning Dust smirked proudly before speaking again, "So now that the two of you are in my alliance."
"No one said that we were..." Discord trailed off.
"You need to protect me from the nightmares and the dangers to keep me alive in this challenge." Lightning Dust said, not knowing that shadowy purple hands were appearing behind her.
"Behind you!" Discord and Tempest cried out in horror before the purple hands blasted Lightning Dust from behind, turning her into stardust.
"Welp... she's out." Discord gulped before he and Tempest noticed the hands going after them next, causing Discord and Tempest to scream before Discord snapped his fingers to teleport them out.
Back with Rarity and Sweetie Belle, they were hiking through the forest together. It was silent, very silent and it was starting to creep Sweetie Belle out.
"I think we should go back. I'm starting to regret not teaming up with Rainbow Dash and Applejack when we had the chance." Sweetie Belle gulped.
"Sweetie Belle, I'm sure we'll be alright. After all, this is all only a dream." Rarity smirked confidently, "Besides, as long as I'm here, you'll be fine."
Suddenly a screech was heard causing Rarity to scream before regaining her composure, "Fear is only in the mind."
"Uh-huh." Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes dryly.
We then cut to Twilight's group near a cave when Spike gasped, "Guys, look! Maybe the nightmare's in there!"
"In that case, be quiet. You might alert them or something." Trixie said harshly.
"Should we go in?" Starlight asked curiously.
"Sorry, but I don't feel comfortable letting either of us face anything that terrifying alone." Twilight spoke adamantly.
"Well someone has to go in... well except me of course." Trixie rolled her eyes.
"Uh-huh." Spike said unamused.
"Hey guys!" Pinkie Pie said happily as she, Cheese, and Applebloom all made it over to the cave.
"Pinkie! I'm so glad to see you!" Twilight smiled optimistically before raising an eyebrow, "But where's Snips and Grubber?"
"They encountered a bob-omb and got blown out of the dream world." Applebloom sighed.
"At least all of us are together again." Cheese said optimistically, "What's going on here anyway?"
"We're trying to figure out who should go in this cave." Trixie replied pessimistically.
"Ooh, I can go. I have a lot of experiences with caves." Pinkie Pie said optimistically.
"Okay... I'll go with you just to be safe." Twilight gulped nervously.
"You sure about this, Twilight?" Starlight asked worriedly.
"Well I'd rather let myself go through this than any of you. I'm sure I'll be fine though." Twilight said reassuringly before going inside the cave with Pinkie Pie following her.
Suddenly a rabbit showed up much to the surprise of the rest of the Killer Dragons but Applebloom was quick to gush, "Aw. This rabbit is so cute."
"Yeah. It really is." Cheese began admiring the bunny himself.
"Wait, what is a random bunny doing inside the dream world?" Spike asked curiously.
"Yeah, it doesn't make any sense." Trixie raised an eyebrow but Starlight's eyes widened in horror.
"Guys! Get away from the rabbit now!" Starlight cried out in realization but the bunny suddenly grew purple arms and zapped Cheese and Applebloom before they could react, causing the two to become stardust like Lightning Dust was.
"RUN!" Trixie immediately ran off while the hands made a move to try and blast Starlight and Spike but Starlight was quick to form a shield and then lowered it to blast the purple hands herself while Spike joined by breathing fire, putting them in a standstill.
Back with Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, they were still trekking through the forest together when suddenly Trixie ran over screaming.
"Trixie. What's going on?" Applejack asked worriedly.
"The nightmare attacked us from the cave!" Trixie panted dramatically, "Trixie was lucky enough to escape with her life!"
"What?! Where's your team?!" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.
"Uh... Trixie doesn't know. Trixie ran off and assumed they followed me." Trixie said sheepishly.
"Ugh." Rainbow Dash facepalmed, "C'mon. We gotta head to that cave."
Rainbow Dash then flew off with Applejack running after her. Trixie just turned over to Fluttershy before they both followed.
We then see Rarity and Sweetie Belle continuing to explore the forest when a flash appeared in front of them much to their surprise before realizing it was Discord and Tempest.
"Phew. Thank goodness we found you." Discord sighed in relief, "Lightning Dust just got taken down by the nightmare."
"What?! Did you just lead it right to us?!" Rarity cried out indignantly which caused Discord to laugh comfortably.
"Would you relax? I literally teleported. I'm sure the nightmare isn't anywhere near us." Discord scoffed in amusement.
"Hold up, you're the Lord Of Chaos. Why didn't you just use your powers on the nightmare?" Tempest said in realization.
"I just saw Lightning Dust get blasted! I panicked!" Discord crossed his arms in annoyance.
"So the one time you could've used your powers for the good of the team and you fail to do that. Way to go." Rarity rolled her eyes.
"Don't you dare pin this on me. I'm doing my best." Discord argued in annoyance before they suddenly heard a shrill scream and saw that a purple hand had grabbed Sweetie Belle and threw her into a black portal.
"Sweetie Belle! No!" Rarity began tearing up as Discord readied himself for battle.
"Alright. No more Mr Nice Guy." Discord growled before snapping his talons and immediately sent a bunch of ice cream cones to attack the nightmare hand before conjuring up a cage and taking advantage of the distraction and trapping the hand inside. The hand tries to escape but the cage was really strong.
After that, Discord snapped his fingers again and the cage began electrocuting the hand which made it disintegrate.
"Phew. Now that that's over with, we better go." Tempest said in relief.
"What about Sweetie Belle?" Rarity said in distress.
"She'll be fine. It's only a dream. Now come on." Discord told the unicorn before snapping his fingers to send them elsewhere.
We then see that Starlight and Spike were starting to grow tired from fighting the shadowy hands and it looked like they were about to be blasted by them before Rainbow Dash suddenly punched the both of them away.
"Haha! Nailed it!" Rainbow Dash said happily.
The hands then began trying to grab the rainbow pegasus but because of the impact of the punches and their earlier fight with Starlight and Spike; they were getting tired and worn out, just enough for Applejack to lasso the both of them up and pin them to the ground.
"You did it girls." Fluttershy sighed in relief as she and Trixie made it to the scene.
"Hey. We've faced against a power hungry centaur and a Changeling Queen. At this point, these nightmares are practically nothing." Rainbow Dash scoffed arrogantly.
Suddenly Discord teleported over with Rarity and Tempest by his side.
"Ah. Glad we found all of you." Discord smiled in relief, "Is everyone alright?"
"I'm good." Starlight said weakly, "How about you Spike?"
"Oh... I'll be fine..." Spike said drowsily.
"Wait. Where are Twilight and Pinkie?" Trixie asked worriedly.
Suddenly two laser beams were seen from inside the cave and soon Twilight and Pinkie Pie came out looking worse for wear.
Suddenly, a gigantic anthropomorphic bat appeared floating out of the cave with a nasty glare.
"You vill regret messing vith my dreams. For I am the Bat King of Nightmares Antasma, and you vill not get away vith this!" Antasma growled before charging up an orb in his hands before blasting pretty much all of the contestants into the wall, turning them into stardust.
After that, Toad had finally woken up with all of the contestants doing so as well.
"Well... there are worse ways to spend my night." Toad sighed in annoyance, "All of you failed to destroy the nightmare for me. Just great."
"Oh give it a rest. I'm pretty sure the rest of us have suffered enough." Rainbow Dash groaned.
"Whatever. Since the Screaming Parasprites did the best job of evading the nightmare. They win the challenge and can go back to bed." Toad grunted, "Killer Dragons, let's get this elimination over with so I can hit the hay."
"How about you hit it right now amigo." Bobei smirked before blasting Toad with the dream beam, sending the mushroom creature to sleep.
We then cut to the elimination ceremony for the Killer Dragons when Bobei began announcing, "Okay primera, the creature that receives a marshmallow can continue on Toadal Magic Island, or should I say Bobei's Magic Island."
"So you're the host now?" Trixie asked in confusion.
"As long as Senor Toad is in the dream world, I Bobei have complete control of the show." Bobei replied smugly.
"Whatever, I guess." Trixie rolled her eyes.
"Anyway..." Bobei began.
"Senor Grubber."
"Applebloom."
"Cheese."
"Starlight."
"Trixie."
"Twilight."
"And Spike."
Pinkie Pie and Snips gulped as they saw the final marshmallow in Bobei's hands. ... ... ... ... ...
"Pinkie Pie."
"Aw man." Snips said sadly, "I was doing so good."
"Next time, don't play around with a bob-omb." Grubber scoffed.
"Noted." Snips sighed sadly.
Snips was seen on the Hurl Of Shame when Bobei asked, "Any last words Senor."
"Not really." Snips said solemnly before Bobei flung him out of the catapult.
"Huh? That wasn't really as dramatic as I thought it'd be. Perhaps I should wake up Senor Toad." Bobei sighed before doing the frantically outro, "Tune in next time what happen to the rest of the campers. How mad will Toad be since I trapped him in his own nightmare? Who will be the next camper gone? And what will be in store for the Killer Dragons? Tune in next time for ISLA! DEL! MAGIC!" Bobei said frantically. |
Toadal Magic Island | Dark and Desperate | "Last time on Toadal Magic Island," Toad began before hearing a familiar high-pitched voice.
"You know this is called Toadal Magic Island Returns right? "You keep saying Toadal Magic Island, but you leave out the 'returns' part, that's the most important part." Jimmy spoke up.
"I thought I blew you out of this island two episodes ago." Toad said, baffled.
"I swam all the way back. It wasn't that hard." Jimmy shrugged before smiling, "So, can I be your co-host now?"
"Co-host. Bahahahaha, no!" Toad glared at the hammer bro before smiling, "However, I do respect your dedication so I'll make you an intern as I try to find some new ones."
"Oh what fun this is going to be. I get to work alongside with the famous Toad." Jimmy smiled excitedly.
"Cool, now get out of my shot." Toad said before pushing Jimmy into the water, "Last time, the campers were sent into my dreams to destroy the nightmare. However, the nightmares became dangerous and started multiplying. In the end, the Screaming Parasprites did the best at evading the nightmare so they won invincibility and because Snips was a liability, they voted him off. Who will be the next one eliminated? So stay tuned, we've got more brutality coming to you live on Toadal! Magic! Island!"
"Returns!" Jimmy added.
The episode begins with all the contestants in the Mess Hall eating their gruel when Twilight spoke up, "I'm so upset that I got so easily taken down last challenge."
"Well to be fair, it's not like dreams are our domain. That's Luna." Starlight reminded the alicorn, "Toad honestly shouldn't have put all his faith in us to deal with that Antasma guy."
"Hehe. Fair enough." Twilight smiled at the unicorn.
Meanwhile, Discord was trying to talk strategy with Fluttershy while the others were busy eating their food.
"That's why I feel it's best if you, me, Tempest, and Lightning Dust all vote off Rarity or Sweetie Belle at the next elimination." Discord whispered to the Element Of Kindness.
"Uh... I don't feel comfortable voting off Rarity or Sweetie Belle. Especially with Lightning Dust." Fluttershy admits nervously.
"I know you guys aren't best buds but it's not like Rarity and Sweetie Belle are the most helpful in challenges. Do you really want our team being held back?" Discord replied calmly which caused Fluttershy to ponder her choices.
Confessional: Fluttershy
"Discord's been acting weird ever since the dream challenge. Not his usual weird but more paranoid than usual." Fluttershy admits nervously.
Confessional: Discord
"Tempest and Lightning Dust brought up a good point yesterday. Those ponies aren't exactly my bestest friends in the competition so if Lightning Dust gets eliminated, they'll be breathing down my neck next and they could totally eliminate me since they have the numbers. I need to turn this around and FAST." Discord said with a narrowed gaze.
Confessionals End
We then cut to the campfire where Starlight was talking to Twilight, "Hey Twilight, I know you and Trixie don't always see eye to eye on everything, but would you be willing to vote with me and her if we lose the next challenge?"
"Sure thing Starlight. I'd be happy to help out." Twilight smiled at the unicorn.
What they didn't notice was that Trixie was in the bushes grunting at the sight of the two of them together before walking away from the scene.
"Oh, I'd be happy to help." Trixie said mockingly before making noises of disgust, "It's sick, watching Starlight fawn over her. I'm her best friend after all."
"Ooh, Trixie's got a girlfriend. Trixie's got a girlfriend." Grubber teased mercilessly.
"Sit down and shut up." Trixie yelled at the hedgehog.
Confessional: Trixie
"Urgh. Things are getting more complicated for Trixie the more Starlight spends time around Twilight. It's stirring up old feelings of jealousy. I don't like that, and Grubber has been driving me up a wall more than usual lately."
Confessional Ends
Suddenly chomping noises were heard which caused everyone to head near the cabins in surprise.
"What the heck is that?!" Tempest asked incredulously before Toad and Bobei showed up to the scene, "Toad, what is the meaning of this?"
"As I said before, after last season went on hiatus, the island got inhabited by monsters. Bobei needs to cross the ocean to get new interns, but the ocean is being occupied by a sea monster." Toad explains.
"Why don't you just get rid of it?" Rarity glared at the mushroom creature.
"Because you primadona, I'm too beautiful." Toad smirked arrogantly, "That's why today's challenge will be to take out that monster. I'm providing one of you with a super powered bob-omb gun that can take out the monster but you can only use it once since I used up most of the ammo." He then tossed the guns to both Rarity and Pinkie Pie respectively.
"Ooh! Does it work like a party cannon!" Pinkie Pie asked happily.
"You can say that. The first team to destroy the monster wins invincibility." Toad finishes.
"Ugh. All we've been doing for the past few days is running around and doing stuff for you. Why can't we just have a simple puzzle challenge?" Grubber asked incredulously.
"Oh please, like you'd even be able to do that." Trixie rolled her eyes causing the hedgehog to glare at her.
The chomping noise is heard again but this time everyone was on the boat.
"Whoa. That must be one giant fish." Lightning Dust said in awe.
"He never said it was a fish." Rainbow Dash reminded the Washout.
"Excuse me but I don't think anyone asked-" Lightning Dust began before Rainbow Dash slid her hooves underneath Lightning Dust's, sending her falling into the water.
Confessional: Rainbow Dash
"Don't look at me like that. She was asking for it." Rainbow Dash scoffed.
Confessional Ends
"Come on guys, we can't be wasting time now." Applejack spoke sternly.
"Um... perhaps I should stay here." Rarity gulped nervously.
"Oh no. You are NOT sitting out in another challenge. We need you in this challenge. You have the bomb gun." Rainbow Dash reminded the fashionista.
"Well fine, you take it. I'd like to help on the sidelines." Rarity scoffed before handing it over to Rainbow Dash.
"Not so fast, whoever I gave the gun to must be the shooter." Toad walks over with a smirk.
"You never said that!" Rainbow Dash cried out furiously.
"Well now I did." Toad smiled before turning to see Jimmy walk over.
"Hey Toad, I got your latte." Jimmy said happily as he held out a cup of coffee but he didn't see the small puddle on the dock so he ended up slipping and spilling the coffee all over himself.
"AGH! IT BURNS! BUT IT FEELS SO GOOD SINCE IT'S TOAD'S COFFEE!" Jimmy cried out in pain and happiness...
"Oh brother." Toad rolled his eyes.
With everyone distracted on the Screaming Parasprites, no one noticed Lightning Dust smirking at the bomb gun.
Meanwhile, the Killer Dragons were experiencing some problems of their own with their bomb gun.
"Okay guys, let's get to it. I have the most swimming experience after all." Pinkie Pie smirked.
"But how are we supposed to even find the sea monster? You can't hold your breath forever." Applebloom reminded the party pony.
"Hmmm," Twilight rubbed her chin carefully, "Maybe I can cast a spell that lets Pinkie Pie breathe underwater. I'm not sure how long it'll last though."
"It's our best chance at immunity. Just try it out." Trixie urged the alicorn.
"Okay." Twilight gulped before placing her horn on Pinkie's chest before lighting it up for a spell.
"Ooh, I feel all tingly." Pinkie Pie giggled.
Back with the Screaming Parasprites, Discord smiled as he thought of an idea, "What if I use some magic to make a submarine."
"You can do that?" Lightning Dust asked incredulously.
"I'm the Lord Of Chaos." Discord rolled his eyes before snapping his fingers and suddenly a submarine appeared in the water.
"Everyone get in." Discord instructed the group before they all got inside the submarine and as such, Discord began driving off underwater.
"Oh crud." Starlight gulped nervously.
"Hopefully Pinkie Pie is doing okay in there." Twilight looked at Starlight with worry.
We then cut to everyone in the Screaming Parasprites in their submarine nearing a cave where a monsterous growl was heard.
"Okay, that's where the monster is. Rarity, it's time you get out there and shoot it." Discord instructed the fashionista.
"Here goes nothing." Rarity gulped before Discord snapped his fingers and because of this, she and the bomb gun were now underwater. Rarity was shocked to find out she could breathe underwater before she shrugged, "Must be Discord's magic."
Rarity then took aim at the cave and tried to fire her bomb gun but nothing came out, she clicked the button again but it still wouldn't come out.
"What's taking so long out there?!" Sweetie Belle cried out impatiently.
"I'm trying but it won't come out..." Rarity kept clicking the button but suddenly the gun began turning red which she didn't notice but the others did.
"Uh... Rarity... you might wanna stop that." Applejack gulped.
"Not now Applejack, I need to-" Rarity began growling before an explosion occurred, sending the submarine and Rarity all the way back to the dock with all eight members of the Screaming Parasprites groaning in pain.
"Thanks a lot Rarity." Tempest grunted.
"Oh come on. That bomb gun was impossible to use." Rarity scoffed before hearing an explosion underwater and after that, Pinkie Pie smiled as she rose above water.
"Hey guys. I just got the monster. It was so big and had so many tentacles. You really should've been there!" Pinkie Pie smiled brightly which caused the team to glare at Rarity even more.
"It appears the Killer Dragons have finally nipped their losing streak in the bud and as such, they win immunity today." Toad said happily as he walked over to the scene.
"You are SO dead Rarity." Lightning Dust glares at the Element Of Generosity.
We then see Fluttershy and Discord by the campfire when Discord speaks up, "Look Fluttershy, I know she's our friend but we have to face it. This environment is only hindering her and us as a team. We need to get rid of her. She'll understand."
Fluttershy only sighed in response.
We then cut to the elimination ceremony where the Screaming Parasprites were at.
"Well guys, that wasn't exactly your best performance." Toad admits.
"It's not my fault the gun you gave me was clearly a dud." Rarity scoffed with a roll of her eyes.
"Okay, so the first mushy marshmallow goes to..." Toad began.
"Sweetie Belle."
"Rainbow Dash."
"Applejack."
"Tempest."
"Fluttershy."
Discord, Rarity, and Lightning Dust all stared worriedly at the next two marshmallows before Toad called out,
"Discord."
"Phew." Discord sighed in relief.
"And the final marshmallow goes to..." Toad began ominously as Rarity sweated at the prospect of elimination while Lightning Dust just glared angrily at the last marshmallow.
Confessional: Applejack
"At the end of the day, it came down to Rarity and Lightning Dust. Rarity's my friend but Fluttershy talked to me about what Discord said about her not pulling her weight in challenges and honestly..." Applejack trailed off.
Confessional Ends
"Lightning Dust." Toad tossed the last marshmallow to the green pegasus which caused Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle to gasp in shock.
"What?! How could Rarity be voted off?!" Sweetie Belle asked incredulously.
"Oh, we're sorry Rarity." Fluttershy apologized tearfully as she embraced her friend.
"I'm sorry too." Applejack sighed, "You just haven't been doing so well in challenges and... we thought it was for the best."
"It's okay darlings. I suppose if I want to win this game I need to put in the hard work." Rarity admitted solemnly before sadly smiling at her friends, "I'm not mad, thank you for being honest with me."
Applejack and Fluttershy smiled before getting into a group hug with Rarity. All the while, Rainbow Dash just glared holes in the back of Applejack and Fluttershy's heads.
Confessional: Rainbow Dash
"I can't BELIEVE THIS! We have the perfect opportunity to vote off Lightning Dust and they DON'T take it and worst of all, they vote off RARITY! Ugh. Looks like I can only rely on myself for these competitions. I'll show them what a real winner is." Rainbow Dash said furiously.
Confessional: Lightning Dust
"Yeah, so I might have tampered with the gun a teensy bit while the others were distracted by Jimmy's coffee burns to make Rarity look bad." Lightning Dust smirked, "I'm so glad that worked. Now the three Elements Of Harmony hardly even trust each other and one of their alliance members is gone. This is too good."
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Rarity at the Hurl Of Shame with Toad getting ready to fling her, "Sorry Rarity. It looks like your own friends have gotten rid of you."
"Well, may I have a few last words?" Rarity asked with a nervous smile.
"Nope." Toad smirked before pressing the lever to fling the fashionista away from the island, "No one gets the last word except for me. What will Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust plot next? Will Starlight solve her weird little triangle with Twilight and Trixie? And how will the game go now that the first Element Of Harmony has been eliminated? Find out all this and more on Toadal! Magic! Island!" |
Toadal Magic Island | Crapture The Flag | "Last time on Toadal Magic Island Returns. The campers went on an underwater mission. Twilight used one of her spells to help Pinkie Pie breathe underwater while Discord outright made a submarine out of magic. Lightning Dust sabotaged the bomb gun Rarity was meant to use and because of that, she was sent to elimination by her own friends. Ouch. Only fifteen left, can the remaining players anticipate what I'm gonna do to them? No, of course they can't, but that's what makes this job fun. Stay tuned for Toadal Magic Island Returns!" Toad recapped.
Outside the cabin, we see that Starlight and Trixie were having another conversation.
"So you seriously got Twilight and Spike on our side?" Trixie asked curiously.
"Yep." Starlight smiled at her best friend.
"Awesome. So we control half the votes." Trixie began to squeal, "I was thinking in the next vote we target Grubber. He's so annoying."
"Actually... I was kinda thinking we should target either Cheese or Applebloom." Starlight admits sheepishly.
"What?! Why?!" Trixie asked incredulously.
"They're both big social threats, and Cheese and Pinkie don't have the best attention spans and I'd rather get rid of Cheese than Pinkie." Starlight explains.
"Oh come on. Grubber is clearly the bigger nuisance." Trixie groaned.
"Okay." Starlight sighed, "How about we make a pact. Whichever one of the three does the worst in the challenge and if we lose, we vote out the worst performer." Starlight compromised.
"Fine." Trixie groaned.
We then cut to Applejack and Fluttershy at the cabin, awkwardness in the air.
"Y'all get the feeling that maybe we shouldn't have voted off Rarity?" Applejack asked curiously.
"I'm so glad you asked that because I'm not sure if we made the right call ourselves. Especially with how hard Rainbow Dash is taking it." Fluttershy admitted sheepishly.
"Yeah, I tried to say good morning to her but she didn't even acknowledge me." Applejack raised a confused eyebrow.
"She must be really upset with what we did." Fluttershy sighed guiltily.
"What's done is done." Applejack said sternly, "The best we can do is try and win today's challenge and try to talk with Rainbow Dash later."
"You think she'll listen?" Fluttershy asked curiously.
"I wanna say yes, but I know how she is." Applejack rubbed the back of her head nervously.
Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie and Cheese were playing around with a ball decorated in stars.
"You're really good at this Cheese." Pinkie Pie complimented.
"Thanks Pinkie." Cheese said happily as they continued playing around with Grubber watching the two to see what would happen when he heard a Psst noise.
"Huh? Oh hey Applebloom." Grubber smiled at the filly.
"Look Grubber, I hate to say it, but I don't think you and I are very popular with our teammates." Applebloom admits nervously.
"What do you mean?" Grubber asked curiously.
"I mean, look around us. The teams are split into duos. Pinkie and Cheese, Twilight and Spike, and Starlight and Trixie and they get along real well so that leaves you and me." Applebloom said solemnly.
"So... you saying you wanna make some sort of pact to get one of them out?" Grubber raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly my point." Applebloom smirked at the hedgehog.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike were discussing in the mess hall, about a potential elimination.
"So I was thinking in the next elimination we could vote with Starlight and Trixie to vote off Cheese. He's not exactly very focused in challenges." Spike told the alicorn.
"Are you sure? Pinkie would be really upset about him leaving..." Twilight said nervously.
"Twilight. This is an elimination game. All of us have to go at some point and we're not as close with Cheese as Pinkie is. If we don't start pulling some moves, then we're going to be the next ones gone at some point." Spike said in a lecturing tone.
"Sorry Spike." Twilight sighed sadly, "I'm just a little shaken up after Rarity's elimination and all."
"Yeah, and I really miss her too, but we need to at least try to do the best we can to win." Spike comforted.
"Okay, I'll try to be less sensitive." Twilight smiled at the dragon who smiled back.
"Challenge time!" Toad spoke from the loudspeakers causing everyone outside the cabins to groan in annoyance.
"Hey, stop complaining. I practically give you food around here." Toad said angrily.
"Do we really need to make another joke on how bad the food is?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically.
We then see both teams in the forest meeting with Toad, Bobei, and Jimmy.
"Today's challenge is capture the flag." Toad said happily.
"Boring." Discord and Tempest chorused.
"With bazookas." Toad added.
"Oh." Discord and Tempest spoke in intrigue.
"Each team will have a world base. The objective is to prevent your flag from being taken by the other team. In your base you have a large supply of weapons and ammo. Guard your flag at all costs, if it's stolen and brought to the other base, your team loses. Also, if you get hit at all, you'll be teleported to the rest zone until someone presses the release button sending all the captured back on their team." Toad thoroughly explains.
"What do you mean by world bases?" Applejack asked curiously.
"These." Toad answered vaguely, "Hit it Jimmy."
"Aye aye." Jimmy smiled before pulling a lever which caused the contestants to teleport to their world bases. Half of it was a winter wonderland while the other was a dry and sandy desert.
"These are the world bases. The Killer Dragons have the dry desert base while the Screaming Parasprites have the ice sherbet base." Toad said happily.
"Please tell me the ice can hold us all up." Fluttershy whimpered.
"I'm sure it can." Applejack said reassuringly.
"Okay then, I will transfer you to your world zones, and on the horn you go." Toad instructs.
"But what if-" Spike was cut off by a horn going off.
"Alright guys. Let's open this crate already." Rainbow Dash said angrily before using her hooves to try to open the crate.
"Need some assistance, Rainbow Crash." Lightning Dust taunted.
"Only the Wonderbolts can call me that!" Rainbow Dash cried out indignantly before punching the crate open and what they ended up seeing was a few bazookas and lasers.
Meanwhile, the Killer Dragons were in the desert base and were about to open their crate.
"I wonder what we got." Grubber questioned before he opened the crate and what the Killer Dragons saw was a bunch of bazookas and lasers.
"Don't worry everyone. We have a literal God of Chaos on our side." Sweetie Belle said optimistically.
"Why thank you Sweetie Belle." Discord smirked smugly.
"But they have two of the most powerful magic users of all time, two party ponies who bends the laws of physics daily, a dragon that can breathe fire, a filly who has farm strength, well there's Trixie and Grubber but we may be outmatched." Tempest reminded the others.
"I'm sure we all can use our own strengths to win this challenge. And there's no use in giving up." Applejack said in a motivating tone.
"We just need to hide our flag so we don't lose." Fluttershy told the group.
"I'll do it." Lightning Dust volunteered before grabbing the flag and flying off.
"She better not lose this for us." Rainbow Dash grumbled.
We then cut back to the Killer Dragons with their weapons as Trixie spoke up, "Now we just need to figure out how to steal their flag."
"Weaponry!" Grubber shouted out.
"Anyway we could do it without needless violence?" Starlight asked with a roll of her eyes.
"You don't like weapons?" Grubber asked curiously.
"Not when we might not even need to use them if we can come up with another plan." Starlight explains.
"Alright you guys, this is war we're talking about." Pinkie Pie suddenly spoke, wearing a pink camouflage military uniform, "Survival of the fittest. Get your flanks in gear."
"Since when are you a general?" Twilight asked incredulously.
"Were you instructed to speak private! Grab a bazooka and let's go!" Pinkie Pie commanded.
"Aye Aye General Pie!" Cheese cried out enthusiastically as Twilight groaned at her friend's antics.
Back in the ice territory, Lightning Dust finally buried the last bit of snow on top of the flag before smirking in satisfaction, "Perfect."
"So... who's gonna be our spies?" Rainbow Dash asked sternly.
"I'll go." Tempest said roughly.
"Uh... how about I go." Applejack said nervously, clearly unsure about letting Tempest go off alone.
"Both of you can go for all I care. Just don't screw up." Rainbow Dash scoffed in annoyance.
Confessional: Applejack
"Discord may have been the one to blindside Rarity but someone had to put that idea in his head. He ain't exactly strategic after all. Lightning Dust is too reckless and Sweetie Belle would never vote her sister off so that leaves Tempest." Applejack spoke sternly.
Confessional Ends
"So that just leaves me, you, Sweetie Belle, and Discord to protect the flag." Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash.
"Ha. I have this in the bag. Here comes the Lord Of Chaos." Discord emphasizes arrogantly.
Sweetie Belle just sighed miserably.
We then cut back to the Killer Dragons at their base.
"Let's get down to business to defeat the Parasprites." Pinkie Pie said sternly.
"How does this thing work?" Cheese asked curiously as he fiddled with his laser until he accidentally fired it with a blast heading towards Starlight's direction.
"No no no!" Starlight cried out fearfully before getting hit by the laser.
"Aw great." Starlight grunted before fading away, we then see later that she was teleported inside a gigantic cage.
"Oh great Cheese. Now we just eliminated one of our players." Spike said angrily.
"Sorry." Cheese gulped.
"It was an accident that General Pie is willing to forgive. Anyway: Cheese, Applebloom, and Spike, come with me. The rest of you stay here and guard the flag. Now let's move out."
We then see Applejack and Tempest hiding behind a cactus field when Tempest began speaking, "I'll go ahead and scout."
"Oh I'm sure you will. Plan on doing another sabotage?" Applejack narrowed her eyes.
"What is your deal?" Tempest asked incredulously.
"My deal is that I know you're the one who got Discord and Lightning Dust to eliminate Rarity and thinking further, you likely sabotaged her bomb gun." Applejack said angrily.
Tempest's eyes widen at this accusation but she hums in thought before speaking.
"I campaigned for Rarity's elimination, that is true but I most certainly did not sabotage the weapon she was using in the last challenge." Tempest explained neutrally.
"Oh really?" Applejack narrowed her eyes.
"Indeed. Why would someone do that? It would take extreme recklessness and idiocy to pull a move like that." Tempest scoffed indignantly.
"Wait a minute... Lightning Dust." Applejack's eyes widened as she gasped in shock.
"Are you sure?" Tempest raised an eyebrow, "She is very competitive and I doubt she'd want to lose any challenges."
"I get what you're saying, but she thoroughly enjoys messing with Rainbow Dash. You just gotta trust me on this." Applejack told the former commander.
"Why should I do that after you accused me of sabotage?" Tempest scoffed, "Not exactly a solid foundation of trust to me."
Applejack just sighed and facehoofed at the mistake she made.
Confessional: Applejack
"Maybe I shouldn't have jumped so far to conclusions. So much for making up for my mistakes." Applejack sighed nervously.
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, and Discord sitting together and playing cards.
"Got any threes." Discord smirked at Rainbow Dash who groaned and gave her cards to the Draconequus.
"Ugh. You're totally cheating." Rainbow Dash grunted furiously.
"I'm doing no such thing." Discord gave a mocking smirk, "You just have horrible luck."
Suddenly they heard a scream from Sweetie Belle and saw her fading away, alerting them of Pinkie Pie, Cheese, Applebloom, and Spike's presence.
"Aw man. Sorry Sweetie Belle." Applebloom cried out to the skies.
Spike then began breathing a fireball which Discord and Rainbow Dash dodged but Fluttershy wasn't so lucky as she got hit in the chest.
"Ow!" Fluttershy grunted before falling to the floor, she then faded away afterwards.
"No one messes with the Lord Of Chao's teams and gets away with it." Discord growled before snapping his fingers and summoning a giant fireball and aiming it at Spike.
"Wait wait, come on Discord, let's talk about th-" Spike began before he and Cheese were then hit by the gigantic fireball and knocked backwards. The two males immediately faded away afterwards.
"Retreat!" Pinkie Pie cried out before running off fearfully with Applebloom following.
Discord smirked at his handiwork and turned to a stunned Rainbow Dash, "Come on. Go and see where the Killer Dragons hid that flag."
"Yeah okay." Rainbow Dash gulped nervously.
Back at the Killer Dragons' base, we see that Pinkie Pie and Applebloom have returned.
"It's about time you guys showed up. Where's the flag?" Trixie asked curiously.
"We got chased off by Discord." Applebloom grunted.
"Aw man." Grubber said sympathetically.
Suddenly a Bob-omb dropped from the sky near them which caused Trixie to begin freaking out, "AH! That's a Bob-omb. Everyone run!"
"Not so fast!" Rainbow Dash cried out confidently as she ran over to the remaining Killer Dragons, "I'm here for that flag, so we can do this the easy way or the hard way."
"Rainbow Dash, now is not the time to-" Twilight groaned before an explosion was made, causing all of the creatures nearby to be hit by it, including Applejack and Tempest who were still hiding and then faded away after all was said and done.
In the empty desert; Lightning Dust immediately swooped downward from the sky and took the Killer Dragon's flag and headed back to the ice base where Discord was waiting.
"Where's the others?" Discord raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry about that. We won!" Lightning Dust said happily.
"And she is correct. Because Lightning Dust got the flag, the Screaming Parapsrites win invincibility." Toad walked over with a smile.
"Woohoo!" Discord cheered.
"Yes!" Lightning Dust pumped a hoof in the air.
"But seriously, where is everyone who got captured?" Discord asked curiously.
We then cut to everyone in a giant cage but even with the cage's large size, it was still very cramped.
"Well this bites." Starlight rolled her eyes.
The elimination ceremony was now taking place, with everyone sitting at the logs.
"Alright, you know the drill. So let's get this show on the road." Toad said brightly.
Confessional: Starlight
"I'm voting off Cheese. He got me out of the challenge first and like I agreed with Trixie, the worst performer has to go." Starlight explained bluntly.
Confessional: Cheese
"Spike DID get both me and him out by targeting Fluttershy." Cheese said nervously.
Confessional: Trixie
"I can't take it anymore. I'm voting for Grubber. Sorry Starlight, but he needs to go." Trixie said solemnly.
Confessionals End
"Okay, marshmallows go to..." Toad began.
"Twilight."
"Applebloom."
"Starlight."
"Pinkie."
"And Trixie."
"The rest of you all got votes for this elimination." Toad told Spike, Cheese, and Grubber.
"Wait, the three of them got votes?" Starlight whispered as she raised an eyebrow before glaring at Trixie furiously who chuckled nervously.
"The next one safe is... Grubber." Toad tossed a marshmallow to the happy hedgehog.
"And the final marshmallow goes to..." Toad began. ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
"Cheese."
"What?! I don't understand! What did I do wrong?!" Spike asked in shock.
"You kinda angered Discord to the point where he chased us off." Applebloom said awkwardly.
"Sorry Spike, but it was a really hard choice." Pinkie Pie said solemnly, "You are honorably discharged."
"I'm so sorry Spike." Twilight apologized sincerely, "You really don't deserve to leave. I didn't even vote for you."
Twilight and Spike just shared a solemn look before Toad turned to Spike, "Spike. The Dock Of Shame awaits."
"Awwwwwwwww." Spike groaned while Starlight gave a piercing glare towards Trixie who gulped nervously.
Confessional: Starlight
"I can't believe it!" Starlight said indignantly, "Trixie totally went against our deal! Does she not realize how badly she just screwed us over?! Now if we lose, it could be me or her going home next!"
Confessional Ends
We then see Spike at the Dock Of Shame with Toad next to a cannon.
"So the Hurl Of Shame can no longer be rented due to budget cuts, so we made something infinitely cooler. The Cannon Of Shame." Toad said with a smirk.
"Let's just get this over with." Spike sighed solemnly before getting in the cannon to which it immediately blasted him away from the island.
"Only fourteen contestants left. Will anyone live to see tomorrow? Will Starlight regain control of the game? And will Pinkie actually get somebody killed? Find out on the next episode of Toadal! Magic! Island Returns!" Toad said happily. |
Toadal Magic Island | Camping Concerns | "Last time on Toadal Magic Island Returns! The campers had to face off in an intense battle to capture the others' flag. Applejack tried to form a temporary alliance with Tempest but that fell flat after the accusations Applejack threw in Tempest's way. Cheese ended up costing the Killer Dragons the win, but thanks to his popularity and also costing the challenge in his own way, it was Spike who ended up taking the brand new Cannon Of Losers. Now that all boundaries have been broken, what will Twilight do without her main ally? Will Sweetie Belle join any alliance? And will Trixie stay in any alliance? Find out on Toadal! Magic! Island Returns!"
(After theme song)
In the Killer Dragons' cabin, Twilight was freaking out over the events of the last elimination and Starlight was the unfortunate victims that had to deal with it.
"I can't believe we were blindsided like that. What the hay happened?! I thought everyone except Pinkie voted for Cheese!" Twilight asked incredulously.
"It wasn't my fault Twilight. Blame Trixie. She's the one who switched her vote to Grubber. And I wish she didn't because now me and her are screwed." Starlight said in annoyance.
"Okay, so if that's what Trixie did, clearly Applebloom and Grubber voted off Spike because the three of us voted for Cheese. What we need to do is get Pinkie and Cheese on our side to vote with us." Twilight strategized.
"After I almost voted him out, how do you know Cheese and Pinkie will vote with us?" Starlight asked worriedly.
"I think we can get past that. Just trust me Starlight." Twilight said with pleading eyes which made Starlight feel assured somehow.
"Okay. I'll follow your lead Twilight." Starlight smiled reassuringly.
Confessional: Starlight
"This is weird. Every instinct of mine was doubting if we can get Pinkie and Cheese on our side but Twilight has a weird calming effect on me." Starlight admitted sheepishly.
Confessional Ends
We then cut back to Applebloom and Grubber in the cabin when they heard grumbling from the outside.
"Was that Trixie out there?" Grubber asked curiously.
"She's probably just upset the vote didn't go her way and the fact that Starlight's probably mad at her." Applebloom shrugged dismissively.
"You think we'll still be able to get rid of her?" Grubber raised an eyebrow.
"I think so. The only one who really wants her around is Starlight and even then, they're on rocky terms right now." Applebloom smiled.
"Cool." Grubber beamed excitedly.
Confessional: Grubber
"After dealing with Trixie for so long, I'm so glad I'll finally be able to vote her off. I feel bad for screwing over Starlight though, she seems pretty nice." Grubber admitted.
Confessional Ends
"Attention everyone please report to the mess hall at once. It's CHALLENGE TIME!" Toad says on the loudspeaker.
"I thought you said I could use it." Jimmy interrupts.
"Go away, Jimmy." Toad said in annoyance.
We pan over to both teams in the mess hall waiting for the challenge from Toad.
"Welcome to today's challenge." The host announces gleefully.
"We haven't had any breakfast yet." Fluttershy points out.
"If you want breakfast, you'll have to earn it." Toad explained to the contestants.
"Earn it?" Starlight asked incredulously, "Through what?"
"Yes, you heard what I said. Anyway, today's challenge is an old TD favorite: camp-out. You guys will migrate to the dense part of the woods, and set up a camp there. In the morning, you'll have to find your way to me. The first team back wins invincibility and breakfast." Toad said happily.
"Let's just get this over with." Sweetie Belle sighed miserably.
We cut to the Killer Dragons walking in the forest together when Cheese decides to speak up, "Hey guys, I'm wondering how deep we should go into the forest."
"I think we should go to where shelter is first and then we can worry about getting food." Trixie said haughtily, "So let's go."
"Who died and made you the leader?" Grubber laughed mockingly.
"Excuse me?" Trixie narrows her eyes.
"I'm just saying that no one here probably wants to deal with your egotistical persona leading us to failure." Grubber chuckled again.
"Choose your next words carefully you pint sized hedgehog." Trixie spoke angrily.
Starlight just facehoofed at the interaction happening amongst them.
Confessional: Starlight
"We're so screwed." Starlight groaned.
Confessional Ends
"Okay guys, we'll make a camp here." Applejack said happily as she, Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle, Tempest, Lightning Dust, and Discord finally found a spacious area in the forest.
"Um, where's Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked curiously as she looked around the area.
"She said she was going out to find some food." Sweetie Belle explained reassuringly but that did little to reassure Applejack or Fluttershy.
"What?! Why didn't you tell us?!" Applejack asked incredulously.
"She said she wanted to be alone." Sweetie Belle replied sheepishly.
"But she's all alone in the woods. We have to go find her?" Fluttershy cried out worriedly.
"But we just found the perfect spot. We can't just wander around aimlessly to find Rainbow Dash all on our own or we'll lose the challenge." Lightning Dust groaned.
"And if we don't look for her at all, chances are we'll still lose the challenge." Applejack glared at the reckless pegasus.
"Look, how about Applejack and Lightning Dust go look for Rainbow Dash while the rest of us build the campsite." Discord said happily.
"What?! Why me and not Fluttershy?!" Lightning Dust asked incredulously.
"You're a better flyer than she is." Tempest explained neutrally, "Just go find her."
Lightning Dust grumbled under her breath before walking away from the scene with Applejack following the former Washout with a roll of her eyes.
Confessional: Tempest
"Was pairing Applejack and Lightning Dust together the best idea? Not really." Tempest admitted with a shrug, "But it will leave me room to try and convince Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle to eliminate Rainbow Dash. Even with Rarity gone, the Elements Of Harmony can still outnumber us so I need to make sure the next elimination goes smoothly if we lose."
Confessional Ends
Now that Applejack and Lightning Dust were gone, we see that the rest of the Screaming Parasprites were wondering how they could begin camping.
"Um, guys? Do we have shelter?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously.
"I can snap up a house for us to sleep in tonight. It'll keep us safe from wild animals and let our other teammates know where we are." Discord said happily.
"Wow, that was actually a good idea." Tempest admitted in shock.
"I know. I thought of it." Discord smirked with a roll of his eyes before snapping his fingers and soon a yellow house appeared before them.
Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy, and Tempest went inside without a word while Discord gave a wink to the camera before getting inside himself.
We then see the Killer Dragons in an open field in the forest when Trixie spoke up happily, "There it is. The perfect camping spot founded by the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
"We know who you are, no need to tell us over and over." Grubber rolled his eyes causing Trixie to growl at him again.
"Why are we camping out here, we are so vulnerable here." Applebloom asked incredulously, "It's literally out in the open."
"Well child, in order to get back to camp, we have to sleep closer to the cabins." Trixie declared dramatically.
"I don't think so." Grubber said nervously, "All in favor of going deeper into the woods, say aye."
"Aye!" Applebloom, Pinkie Pie, and Cheese said happily.
"What?!" Trixie cried out indignantly, "You're really going to trust the word of this hedgehog?! If we go deeper into the woods, we'll lose the challenge for sure."
"We'll be fine. I've camped out before, I'm sure we can make it before the Screaming Parasprites." Grubber smiled reassuringly while Trixie eyed the hedgehog with disdain.
Confessional: Grubber
"Not really. I just wanna make sure we're not mauled by bears tonight. And besides, if we lose we easily have the numbers to send Trixie home." Grubber said happily, "Man, I'm such a genius."
Confessional Ends
"Fine. If you want to go with this obnoxious little twit than be my guest but Trixie will have you know that if we lose, it's all his fault." Trixie said angrily.
"If you say so." Applebloom rolled her eyes before walking across the forest with Grubber, Pinkie Pie, and Cheese following leaving only Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie by themselves.
"I should probably keep an eye on them." Twilight admits cautiously to Starlight, "Are you alright staying on your own?"
"I'm sure we'll be fine." Starlight laughed nervously which didn't seem to assure Twilight that much but she knew Starlight didn't want to press the topic further so she walked off.
We then see Applebloom, Grubber, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Cheese hiding near some bushes as the sky grew darker.
"Okay, we should be safe here tonight." Twilight said in relief.
"Where's Starlight?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
"She decided to stay with Trixie." Twilight explained to the party pony.
"They're all alone?" Applebloom asked curiously, "Those two can easily get eaten alive out there."
"I'm sure they will be fine. Starlight can handle herself just fine." Twilight said happily.
"Uh... I hate to be a downer but don't those two usually end up in a pickle when they're all alone?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously, "Like the time Trixie teleported the map table and Starlight bottled up her anger?"
"Yeah. Starlight's cool on her own but when she's paired up with Trixie, things tend to go wrong." Applebloom said nervously, "And I think she's kinda upset with Trixie right now so that's a pretty bad combination."
"They also saved Equestria and the Changelings from Queen Chrysalis' reign so we should also consider that they'll be fine on their own." Twilight said sternly.
"I kinda agree with Pinkie and Applebloom." Grubber admits sheepishly, "From what I hear, those two are a messy pair. If we lose the challenge, we should probably vote Trixie off."
Applebloom nodded in agreement while Pinkie and Cheese looked thoughtful, Twilight just looked nervous.
We then see Trixie and Starlight were out alone in the forest with Trixie continuing to rant, "And they had the audacity to ignore me and follow that obnoxious menace who does nothing useful in challenges and only seems to want to anger Trixie more and more. Trixie is not sure how much more of this nonsense she can take." Trixie ranted furiously.
"Would you please shut UP?!" Starlight asked incredulously which caused Trixie to gulp nervously.
"Your feelings against Grubber are valid, but if you keep this attitude up you'll be the next one voted off and I won't be able to save you since you cost us the voting numbers by voting off Grubber instead of Cheese." Starlight said angrily.
Confessional: Trixie
"Wow... sometimes I forget that I can really infuriate Starlight." Trixie admitted sheepishly.
Confessional Ends
"I-I'm sorry." Trixie sighed miserably, "I just can't stand dealing with that guy."
Starlight's expression softens when she hears this and sighs, "I understand Trixie, but you need to get your head in the game so one of us can win this."
"Okay, I'll try my best." Trixie smiled confidently which caused Starlight to smile back.
We then see that Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle, and Tempest were practically in awe at Discord's interior decorating of the house he snapped up.
"Wow Discord, you really outdid yourself." Tempest smirked.
"Why thank you." Discord teleported next to the three ponies, "It's all thanks to my skills in interior decorating."
"I could get used to this life." Sweetie Belle smiled as she popped a cookie in her mouth.
"You're all welcome to stay in here to your heart's content. At least until the morning at least." Discord said happily.
Confessional: Discord
"Score one for Discord. No chance the team will vote me off now. Hahahaha!" Discord celebrated joyously.
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Applejack and Lightning Dust searching through the forest with the former doing much more to look for Rainbow Dash than the latter.
"Rainbow! Rainbow!" Applejack hollered out.
"Ugh, we're never gonna find her. Let's just head back to the campsite." Lightning Dust grunted.
"I'm not leaving my friend in the forest Lightning Dust, she might be lost!" Applejack cried out angrily.
"And if we keep doing this, we'll also get lost. You can go find her if you want, but I'm going where I'm safe." Lightning Dust scoffed before flying off.
"Guess it's just up to me." Applejack sighed miserably before continuing to trek the woods.
We then see Twilight and Applebloom's group next to a river where Applebloom smiles, "Alright, this is a neat camping spot. We have fresh water and we can sleep in the trees until morning."
"Good plan." Twilight complimented before growing a look of worry, "But how are we going to meet up with Starlight and Trixie."
"We're... not." Grubber admitted sheepishly.
"What?!" Twilight asked incredulously.
"If they're smart, they'll likely head for the camp like the rest of us." Grubber explained his reasoning.
"And if they don't?" Twilight raises an eyebrow.
"Then we have to vote one of them off. Preferably Trixie since she's been a massive pain lately. C'mon Princess, don't tell me you aren't sick of her antics?" Grubber said nervously with Pinkie Pie and Cheese giving each other a confused look.
We then cut to Rainbow Dash finishing a makeshift tent with a basket of berries by her side.
"There we go. Since I can't find my team, I might as well camp out here for the night." Rainbow Dash said in content before growing an annoyed look, "It's not like I can trust any of them right now. My own friends voted off Rarity after all."
Rainbow Dash sighed sadly before a southern voice was heard, "Rainbow Dash!" The familiar voice said and the rainbow-maned pegasus recognized it instantly as Applejack who ran over to her camping site.
"Applejack? What are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.
"I could ask you the same thing. Why in Celestia did you just leave like that?" Applejack asked incredulously.
"I was just trying to get food and got lost." Rainbow Dash grumbled before glaring at Applejack, "Besides, I can easily get back to the camp on my own. I know you'll vote me off if I don't."
"Dash, I'm sorry we voted off Rarity. You have a point, we should have consulted you about it first, but what's done is done. Me and Fluttershy aren't gonna make that same mistake again, so please, can we just go back to the way things were." Applejack said remorsefully as she held a hoof out.
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes before sighing and accepting the hoof, "Fine. I was kinda bored without you guys anyway."
Despite the bitter look Rainbow Dash had, Applejack smiled at this. The farm pony knew that Rainbow Dash was no longer mad at her even if she was trying to hold a grudge to look tough, but Applejack went along with it anyway.
"Come on, the rest of the camp was worried sick about ya." Applejack said happily as she and Rainbow Dash immediately began walking back, presumably to the campsite Discord had set.
We then cut to the sunrise in the early morning where Toad and Jimmy were waiting outside the woods.
"That's why she's pregnant Jimmy, it's not that hard to understand." Toad said, seemingly explaining something to his intern.
"I never get these soap operas." Jimmy raised an eyebrow in confusion.
We then see Starlight and Trixie run out of the woods and where Toad and Jimmy were.
"We're back. Thank Celestia." Trixie breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'd hold off on the relief Trixie. Our team isn't here yet." Starlight said solemnly.
"Yep. Your team does not win invincibility until all of its members arrive." Toad nodded.
"Where are they?!" Trixie cried out in worry as she tried looking through the trees to see if she could spot their teammates.
Suddenly Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Lightning Dust sped out of the woods and began panting as they finally reached to their destination.
"Phew. We made it." Applejack sighed in relief, "I thought we overslept."
"Here come a few more." Toad smirked as Tempest, Discord, Fluttershy, and Sweetie Belle exited the woods and made it back to the island.
"And that seems to be all of the Screaming Parasprites which means they win the challenge." Toad said happily.
"Yes!" Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust cheered in unison before glaring at each other, while the rest of the team celebrated their victory.
"We're finally here." Twilight panted as she went through the woods with the rest of the Killer Dragons but her eyes widened as they saw the Screaming Parasprites still celebrating and Starlight patting Trixie's back to try in a feeble attempt to comfort the stage magician.
"Oh no." Twilight gulped.
We then cut to the elimination ceremony for the Killer Dragons at the campfire. Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie all looked downtrodden, while Pinkie Pie and Cheese looked nervous, Grubber and Applebloom however, looked confident at their chances of survival.
"Killer Dragons, disappointed to see you here." Toad admitted.
"So am I." Trixie sighed shamefully.
Confessional: Cheese
"It was hard. In the end it really came down to Trixie and Grubber." Cheese admitted solemnly, "I like Grubber and all, but if he's willing to slack in challenges to eliminate one lousy teammate, I'm not so sure I can trust him."
Confessional: Pinkie Pie
"Both of them are my friends, so it really stinks to have to send one of them home. This game is becoming a big party pooper." Pinkie Pie admitted sadly.
Confessionals End
"Marshmallows go to..." Toad began, "Pinkie Pie, Cheese, Twilight, Applebloom, and... Starlight."
Starlight was the last to catch her marshmallow as she gave a sad glance towards Trixie.
"Campers, this is the final marshmallow, and it goes to..." Toad began dramatically. ... ... ... ... ...
"Trixie."
"YES! Trixie is safe!" Trixie caught her marshmallow with a huge grin on her face before settling down, "Uh, I mean, Trixie knew she'd be safe."
She then popped the marshmallow in her mouth and Starlight just smiled.
"Wait what?! I'm going home." Grubber exclaimed in shock.
Confessional: Twilight
"I talked to Pinkie and Cheese about sending Grubber home. I don't hate him or anything but he needed to learn how to handle dealing with an annoying teammate better, especially when it comes to putting effort in challenges." Twilight explained.
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Grubber at the Cannon Of Losers when Applebloom came to see him off.
"I'm sorry you have to go Grubber. It was fun being in an alliance with ya." Applebloom said fondly.
"Nah, it's cool. I probably shouldn't have been so confident on Trixie being eliminated." Grubber admitted sheepishly, "When the merge comes, I hope you win-"
Suddenly the cannon went off and Grubber was sent flying into the ocean.
"Well, with Grubber gone. What will happen next? It's getting good. So stay tuned for Toadal! Magic! Island Returns!" Toad said happily. |
Once More Into the Fray | pre | Tempest quickly returned her gaze to the tall man, a slight furrow in her brow as she opened her mouth to speak.
"A-and... the... pardon?' She croaked, each syllable a herculean task for her healing vocal chords.
John nodded, "And the pardon."
With her options laid out fully before her, the plum coated mare took a few moments to decide. Her decision came swiftly enough, and with a resolute look in her eyes, she gave a small nod.
"So you'll help me?" John questioned, once more.
"Y-yes." Tempest managed to say, before breaking into another agonizing coughing fit.
As the mare before him blinked back tears from the strain on her throat, John walked over to the nightstand beside her bed and grabbed the glass of water sitting there. He brought it over to her muzzle, and offered her the drink. Without a microsecond of hesitation, Tempest eagerly latched onto the glass with her lips and greedily drank the cold, soothing fluid down. John gently tilted the glass, allowing her to drink more and more of the water until it was all gone, before placing the glass back on the nightstand. With a gentle nod to the unicorn, he turned and made his way for the door.
Just as he reached the doorway, a voice made him pause.
"T-thank... you." Tempest wheezed, her voice sounding much less strained.
John looked over his shoulder at the mare still laying, hoofcuffed to her bed and nodded once more, "We'll leave tomorrow. Get some rest for now."
With that, he softly closed the door behind him, before turning into the hallway to find all four alicorns and a several high ranking royal guards all looking at him with mixed emotions on their faces. Most present of all, was anger.
"Are you serious!? A full pardon and special medical treatment? That mare deserves nothing of the sort!" Luna whisper-shouted, nearly stomping her hoof on the floor in anger.
"John, we did not agree to any kind of pardon for her." Celestia added, a deep frown on her face.
"Well you did now." John replied, pointedly ignoring the aghast looks in half the ponies' faces as he casually walked through the group.
All of the ponies in the hallway quickly followed behind as John walked through the hallway, away from Tempest's room.
"She sounded horrible." Twilight murmured, casting a worried glance back to the doorway, as if the mulberry mare were standing there.
"A crushed trachea will do that to you." John shrugged.
"John, we have some serious concerns about this. She's dangerous. If she were to get away from you, then what?" Captain Shining Armor spoke up.
"She won't get away from me. Twilight will make sure of that." John replied, casting a quick glance over his shoulder to the burly stallion.
Luna sighed in frustration, "John, a full pardon is off the table. She has to pay for her crimes!" She exclaimed.
"Well put it back on the table then." He replied, nonchalantly.
Luna's fur bristled as her muzzle scrunched up. The royal guards beside her quickly made some room between them and the fuming lunar alicorn. Both Cadence and Twilight also backed away with wide eyes at the blatant disregard for her authority. Even Celestia nearly stumbled in her gait, her eyes darting back and forth from her sister to the man still casually walking down the hallway as if he'd done nothing wrong.
"J-John!" Luna shouted, stomping her hoof into the floor and forming a spiderweb of cracks in the marble.
John paused mid step and let out a slow sigh. He slowly turned around to face the night princess as she gave him a pointed look of irritation.
"We need to get to the Storm King's weapon. She's willing to help for two things. What's worse? Giving her a pardon and trying to fix her horn, but the weapon is destroyed and Equestria is safe, or half a continent being rendered uninhabitable?" John questioned, looking to Luna with a raised eyebrow.
"You don't even know for sure that you can trust her!" Luna shot back.
"We've already argued about this, and you agreed to let me handle it. This is how I plan to handle it." John replied.
Luna grit her teeth as a scowl formed on her face. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Celestia cleared her throat, directing John's eyes over to her.
"John, I know we've agreed to let you handle this, but... can you at least tell us why you're so confident about her? From everything we've discussed, it sounds like you're going off of perilously little information. It just seems like... you trust Tempest for no reason." Celestia offered, putting a placating wing around her little sister.
John rolled his tongue in his mouth as the ponies before him awaited his response. In a surprising turn, he shyly looked away from the ponies and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I... don't know. I'm not sure if it's just a compulsion or complete lunacy but ever since I had that vision, I... I feel compelled to protect her. In the back of my mind, I just know she's important. I know she isn't going to try to sneak off or kill me when I'm sleeping. I can't explain it, but it's just there, no matter how I try to rationalize it. I know it doesn't make sense, but you have to just trust me." John admitted, before fixing the lunar and solar alicorns with a determined look.
Silence reigned over the dimly lit hallway for almost a minute, each pony looking at John with their muzzles scrunched up in deep thought, before Shining Armor finally spoke up.
"I know you've saved Equestria more than once in the last few years, but... that answer doesn't exactly inspire a whole lot of confidence." Shining hesitantly said.
Before John could respond, Twilight spoke up, "I trust John. We have numerous safety measures in place specifically to prevent Tempest from trying anything. This plan will work, we just need to trust him." She asserted, gesturing toward John with her hoof.
A few moments of silence reigned over the group as the princesses and guards thought over Twilight's words. Eventually, Shining looked at John and responded.
"If you're absolutely certain that this is how we should go about this, then I'll trust you on this. You've never steered us wrong before." He said, offering a hesitant smile.
John let out a quiet breath of relief he didn't even realize he was holding as the rest of the ponies gave similar sentiments.
"You saved our wedding from Chrysalis without a vision from Harmony... I think I can trust that you'll do the same this time around." Cadence offered, mirroring her husband's smile.
"I suppose... while I have many concerns, you have beaten far worse odds in the past. Perhaps we are just being a bit too fearful after yesterday's affairs. I will trust you this time, John." Celestia added, giving a small nod.
Luna looked back and forth between the rest of the group and the lone human standing before them. Her jaw flapped uselessly as she tried to find words to voice her disbelief, but she quickly came up short. With a sigh of resignation, she shook her head, "Very well, John. While I have numerous concerns, it seems I am in the minority yet again. I can only pray that I am wrong."
"I'll do everything I can to prove you wrong then." John replied, a thin smile on his face.
Luna rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Just don't get in over your head. As I stated earlier, you are not invincible. The last thing we need is you injuring yourself or worse, over a criminal you fancy for... some reason."
John nodded before turning to the last alicorn princess. Twilight stood straighter as she felt his eyes on her, and looked up to meet his gaze.
"Just be careful. This is a dangerous mission and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. We need you." Twilight said, in a gentle voice.
"Of course, Princess." John replied, giving a thankful smile to the lavender mare.
"So when are you leaving tomorrow?" Celestia questioned, a hint of concern still lingering in her voice.
"Before noon, or as soon as she's able." John responded.
"That's what I thought you would say." Celestia nodded.
"Well if you plan to wait for her foreleg to heal, you'll be waiting weeks or months before that mare will be walking normally again." Luna frowned.
"I'll figure something out. It might not be the most comfortable trip for her, but she'll survive." John replied.
"Very well, John. What do you plan to do until then?" Celestia questioned, tilting her head to the side.
"I have some things to pack." John answered, turning on his heels and heading for the stairs.
Later
John made his way through the castle hallway leading to his private bedroom. He passed dozens of royal guards, each taking a moment to stand at attention as he passed them, before resuming their routes. Soon enough he arrived at his room and opened the doorway, revealing his bed and closet once more.
He swiftly made his way over to the closet and stepped inside. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a map of Equestria's neighboring territories. He looked over the terrain for a few minutes, taking careful note of the vegetation, elevation, distance, and climates, he was likely to be going through. After nearly an hour of careful consideration and thought, he turned to his wall of weapons and made a few select choices. He grabbed a duffle bag from beside the gun shelves and opened it on the floor.
With the plethora of weapons in front of him, John took his time deciding. First, he grabbed his Glock 17 from the rack. He pulled the slide back to reveal the round sitting in the chamber before letting the slide forward and pressing the magazine release to drop the magazine. He inspected the holes in the rear of the magazine, finding brass in every hole and confirming a full magazine. Lastly, he inspected the tritium night sights by covering them with his hand and bringing his eye just behind the sights. He saw three glowing green dots and quickly shoved the pistol into the bag.
Next, he grabbed the Kimber Super-Carry 1911 and repeated his inspection. Once he was satisfied, he grabbed the Kimber's appendix holster from the shelf and holstered the pistol. He reached into his waistline and unclipped his current appendix holster before setting down the Smith &Wesson M&P 2.0 he'd been concealing. He swiftly donned his new carry pistol, before opening another drawer filled to the brim with magazines and pistol ammo. He grabbed a dozen Glock magazines and half a dozen Kimber magazines and threw them all into the duffle bag.
With that taken care of, he looked at the wall once more and grabbed the Benelli M4 shotgun off its shelf. He dutifully inspected the chamber, noting the red shell was double-aught buckshot. He flipped the shotgun upside down and inspected the tube, finding that it was filled to the brim with more of the same ammo. Once he was satisfied, he flipped the shotgun back over and inspected the side saddle. Five shells were held snugly against the side of the shotgun by way of Velcro. Satisfied with his weapon's status, he placed the shotgun in the bag and opened the drawer underneath its shelf.
John fished out six more velcro side saddles, all loaded with different types of shotgun shells and all loaded fully to the brim. He threw those all into the duffle bag alongside the pistol magazines, along with half a dozen boxes of shells. He gave the duffle bag an experimental lift, testing the weight and finding that the bag already weighed over twenty pounds. He glanced up at his shelves once more and quickly decided on one more weapon for the road.
John stood up and grabbed the Sig Sauer MCX Virtus rifle from its shelf and pulled the charging handle back just enough to inspect the chamber. 5.56 brass happily greeted him, before being sent back into the chamber as he released the charging handle. He shouldered the rifle, inspecting the Vortex Razor low power variable optic and adjusting from one to six times magnification. Once he was satisfied with the crystal clear glass, he canted the rifle to the side and looked through the Aimpoint T-2 micro red dot sight and saw the bright red dot still sitting happily in its tube.
He set the rifle down in the duffle bag and grabbed seven magazines from the drawer. With that finally finished, he walked over to the other side of the large closet and sifted through the many outfits hanging from heavy duty hangers. He inspected three different suits, all heavy with kevlar stitching, before settling on one suit that was lighter than the rest. He grabbed the hanger and neatly folded up the black suit before laying it atop all of his weapons and ammo in the duffle bag. He then walked over to the opposite side of the closet.
He sorted through all of his normal clothes, settling on a couple pairs of jeans, a few flannels, and several comfortable t-shirts. He packed them all away on top of his suit and finally zipped up the duffle bag. John hefted the now noticeably heavy duffle back out of the closet and set it down in the middle of his room. He made a few trips to his dresser and pulled out a few pairs of socks, underwear, and other small garments that were easily stowed in one of the side pockets of the duffle bag. Lastly, he unclipped the Tecto Skar knife from his belt and set it inside the duffle bag for later.
With all of his packing finally completed, John walked over to the closet once more and pulled out his Beretta 1301 shotgun from its shelf. He easily unloaded the weapon and set about disassembling it. Within a minute or so, it was in several pieces and being meticulously scrubbed clean of any carbon or lead residue. For almost another half hour, John cleaned every square inch of the shotgun, ensuring not a spot was missed, before finally looking up to the window to see the setting sun on the horizon.
With nary a sigh, John set about reassembling the shotgun and function testing it for any deficiencies he may have missed. Once he was certain it was in good working order, he placed the shotgun back on it's shelf and made way for the shower. He showered in cold water for just a few minutes to wash his hair and clean himself of any carbon residue, before exiting the shower and dressing himself for bed.
As John stepped out into his room once again, he looked out over the horizon, finding that the sun was long gone, and only the lingering vestiges of its light persisted in the far west skyline. He walked over to the window and looked out over the beautiful expanse of Equestria, finding the aurora borealis already forming in the majestic night sky. Hundreds of thousands of brilliant white dots littered the view, illuminating the world below in pale white light.
Under the majesty of it all, John could only let out a long, quiet sigh. He felt the smallest of smiles tug at his lips, but he resisted the urge.
"Once they're safe..." He whispered.
John observed the beauty of the outside world for a few minutes, before turning around and heading to bed. It took him some time to fall asleep after that. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 4 | Tempest awoke to the sound of banging on her bedroom door. She blearily opened her eyes and looked over to the door in question just as it was opened. John casually strolled in through the doorway, a large duffle bag resting on his back as he entered the smallish room. He quickly reached her bed and unslung his bag from his shoulders before gently placing it on the floor beside the bed.
Instead of the three-piece suit she'd previously seen him in, the human wore a pair of deep blue jeans, and a red flannel with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The top button wasn't fastened, allowing her to glimpse just a tiny amount of chest hair that peaked out from behind the shirt. His skin was noticeably more pale on his forearms and chest, as if he hadn't been out in the sun without his full suit on in years. Lastly, he carried a wooden crutch in his free hand. It was roughly the right size for her, although the thought of having to use it for the foreseeable future made Tempest wince.
"Feeling better yet?" He asked, setting the crutch against the nightstand.
Tempest looked down to her casted foreleg for a moment before looking back up to John and raising an eyebrow.
"Right, figured." John nodded.
Tempest observed him critically for a moment as he towered over her. His expression appeared calm and collected, but there was an undeniable tension that hung in the air over him. He quickly broke her from her observations by reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. He leaned over the bed and grabbed her good foreleg, noticing how she tensed from the contact. His grip felt strong and firm, coiling around her comparatively thin leg like an anaconda, and holding her in place as he unlocked the hoofcuffs.
Beside them, the heart monitor steadily increased its cadence, prompting a curious look from the tall man as the mare below him looked away, her muzzle just a shade darker.
"I'm not going to hurt you, remember?" He reiterated, looking down at her through the few inches of space separating them.
"I... I know." Tempest replied, her voice still hoarse and strained.
He looked over her curiously for a few more seconds before leaning back over her to unlock the cuffs. The restraint clicked a few times as the latch was freed, allowing Tempest to finally move her foreleg away from the railing. As John pulled away, she followed him with her eyes until he stepped back from the bed completely.
"Well, let's get moving." John announced, grabbing his duffle bag from the floor and slinging it onto his back.
Tempest opened her mouth slightly and tilted her head to the side. She slowly looked down to her casted foreleg and then back up to John.
"I c-can't... walk." She managed to say.
"That's what the crutch is for." John flatly replied.
"You can't... be serious." Tempest replied, just as flatly.
John looked down to her broken foreleg, then down to the crutch, and rolled his tongue in his mouth. After a moment, he set the crutch down against her bed.
"I don't think they have a wheelchair, so you'd best make do." He said, leaving little room for debate.
The seconds ticked by as she stared back at him, a look of disbelief and hurt on her face, but after nearly a minute, she slowly pushed herself to the edge of her bed with her good leg. She finagled with the lock and folded down the railing, allowing her to swing her hindlegs over the side of the bed.
Another jolt of pain shot through her flank as she put weight on it, but it hardly hurt anywhere near the day prior. With a small grunt, she hopped out of bed and landed on her three good legs. She used her teeth to pull the various monitor leads from her barrel and foreleg, leading to the heart monitor flat lining. An obnoxious, harsh and continuous beep filled the air, making her ears snap back against her skull as she grabbed the crutch.
Within a few seconds, the sound of several hoofbeats reached their ears, and several nurses rushed into the room.
"Harmony's sake, why did you remove your heart monitor!?" One nurse exclaimed.
"We thought you went into cardiac arrest!" Another added.
"It's alright. I'll take care of it from here." John announced, instantly silencing any other complaints the nurses wished to voice.
With a few grumbles and curses, the nurses swiftly unplugged the heart monitor, silencing the continuous beeping, and wheeled the machine out of the room. Once they were all gone, John turned for the door, only to pause as he saw the contemplative and downright sad look on Tempest's face. He cleared his throat, gaining her attention, before nodding toward the door.
Tempest indignantly looked up at the man, "So I'm just... supposed to crutch... my way across... Equestria?" She croaked.
"It's either that or I can drag you the whole way, 'cause I'm not carrying you." John shrugged.
Tempest frowned, her eyes falling back down to the crutch. After a few more moments of silent contemplation, she begrudgingly hooked it under her barrel and leaned her weight onto the wooden staff, taking weight off of her casted foreleg in the process. Once she was settled, she looked up to John to see him giving her an appraising once over.
"What?" Tempest questioned.
"You have more scars than I expected." John thought aloud, his gaze lingering on her haunches.
Tempest immediately went rigid as she realized she wasn't wearing her black bodysuit anymore, or her armor. A sickening feeling of exposure quickly filled her heart, and she wilted slightly under his scrutinizing gaze. He could easily see the three gashes along her barrel, along with the missing patch of fur on her croup, just a few inches above her dock. The longer his eyes lingered on her body, the more tense and embarrassed the mulberry mare felt. After only a few seconds, she reached her limit.
"Take... a picture... it'll last... longer." She growled, her ears pressing against her skull in irritation.
John gave a small start, as if he wasn't quite paying attention to her words, but as she limped toward the door, he shook himself from his stupor.
"Sorry. Just... lost in thought for a moment. Let's go." He said, following her admittedly sluggish lead.
With Tempest at the head, the duo glacially made their way out of the hospital and down to the street outside. As soon as Tempest stepped into daylight, she was surrounded by no less than a dozen royal guards, and just as many spear tips at her throat. She nervously gulped, despite the pain, and looked back over to John as he exited the hospital behind her.
"I have her under control. Is this necessary?" He questioned, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
All four royal alicorns swiftly, yet gracefully landed in front of the duo and guards. As she folded her wings to her side, Luna stepped forward.
"Verily. Certain contingencies must be in place when dealing with such dangerous criminals." Luna announced, looking down to Tempest with disgust.
Tempest matched the glare and stood her ground as the guards around her retracted their weapons and stepped back. The four alicorns quickly filled in the gap, and formed a half circle around her.
"She's barely able to even walk." John sighed, watching the princesses close in on Tempest.
"One can never be too sure." Luna responded.
Celestia cleared her throat, "Regardless, we are not here to intimidate anypony. We're here for Twilight to give you your insurance policy." She explained.
Tempest looked over to John, her neck twinging in pain and forcing her to turn her entire body.
"In...surance policy?" Tempest asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Just something to make sure you don't run." Cadence offered, directing Tempest's gaze back over to her, albeit sluggishly.
Tempest looked at the Love Princess as if she'd just said that up was down. She slowly looked back down to her broken foreleg, and then slowly back up to the pink alicorn. She tried to shake her head, but the motion was quite painful, so she could only move her head a few millimeters in either direction.
"Though it would make things a lot easier for all of us, that won't be broken forever." Cadence tersely replied, a frown forming on her face from Tempest's response.
"In fact, it should be steady enough to walk on in just a few more days." Twilight chimed in, taking her chance to step in-between her sister in-law and the most dangerous pony she'd ever met.
Tempest fixed her with a look of skepticism, until she felt something wrap around her neck. She gasped as she tried to duck away from whatever was coiling around her airway, but even that movement felt like pulling a muscle.
"Relax, don't worry. This isn't going to hurt. This is our insurance policy." Twilight offered.
Tempest attempted to look down at the leathery object now securely fastened around her neck, but could not see it. She looked up to Twilight and then the rest of the princesses, finding a golden aura around Celestia's horn.
"There we go. Twilight, you can enchant the collar." Celestia announced, looking down to Twilight.
"COLLAR!?" Tempest exclaimed, her throat burning in protest and quickly sending her into a coughing fit.
"It was the easiest thing we could come up with. Don't be such a foal." Luna rolled her eyes.
"Is this... some sort of... sick joke?" Tempest managed, through her coughing.
"It really is the best option we could think of. It's the most simple, so therefore, the least likely to fail. All I'm doing is putting an enchantment on it so John will know if you go beyond a certain distance from him-" Twilight explained, only to pause as Tempest cut her off.
"I don't care... about the enchantment. It's the... bucking collar... dogs wear collars, not ponies." Tempest indignantly asserted as blood rushed to her cheeks.
"It'll only be for a little while. As soon as the mission is done, we'll take it off." John spoke up.
"Have you ever heard... of cruel... and unusual punishment?" Tempest spat, looking up to Celestia and Luna and completely ignoring John's placating tone.
"Considering that you're supposed to be dead right now, I don't think that really applies here," Luna responded, before leaning in until she was just a few inches away from Tempest's face, "Unless of course, you wish to return to the gallows and carry out your sentence, that is." She growled.
Tempest firmly stood her ground, although the tiniest bead of sweat slowly coalesced on her brow. For a few moments, the plum unicorn and the midnight alicorn were locked in a silent staredown, both boring looks of pure hatred into each other's eyes, until a white wing pulled Luna away.
"That's enough. Luna, stand down," Celestia ordered, before turning to Tempest, "And you, don't forget that your freedom and continued existence on this world depends entirely on whether or not you successfully help John complete his mission. Disrespect the crown of Equestria again, and you can return a bonified hero for all I care, you'll still spend the rest of your natural life in a dungeon. Do I make myself clear?" She explained, a fierce frown on her face as she stared the mulberry mare down.
Tempest gulped, but held her gaze, "Yes, Princess." She relented.
"Good. Now, Twilight, please enchant the collar and we can be done with this." Celestia instructed.
"R-right, of course." Twilight stammered, as she hurriedly dashed over to Tempest.
Tempest eyed the slightly pudgy alicorn princess as she approached. Her horn lit up in a deep purple hue, and a tingling sensation enveloped Tempest's entire neck. Purple light emanated from the collar for a few moments, before Twilight finished the spell and extinguished her horn. She stepped back with a smile on her face, before turning to John and walking over toward him. She nodded toward a royal guard standing beside the human, and said guard quickly turned to him before pulling out a small box.
"This watch is enchanted with the other half of the spell. If she manages to get outside of a hundred hooves from your position, you'll be alerted. Also, if she somehow manages to get the collar off, you'll know. The enchantment will soak into her coat a little, so even if she does get the collar off, you'll still be able to track her for a short time before it dissipates." Twilight explained, as John opened the box and donned the watch.
"Thank you." John replied, giving a polite nod to the young princess.
Twilight returned a smile before turning around and regrouping with the rest of the princesses. Tempest maintained a neutral expression as John walked up to her side and adjusted his duffle bag.
"The train leaves in ten minutes. We'll escort you there, and there will be a guard detachment waiting for you in Manehattan. Your train will depart from there tomorrow at six o-clock sharp." Celestia explained, turning to lead the group to the train in question.
"Understood. I'll try not to get into too much trouble before then." John smirked.
Celestia rolled her eyes with a small smirk as the group and entourage of guards made way for the train station. Tempest struggled to even keep an appreciable pace, forcing the princesses and guards to maintain the same pace, so as not to lose her. It immediately became apparent that they wouldn't be reaching the train station in the allotted ten minutes at the mulberry mare's pace.
"Harmony's sake, can you hurry her up?" Luna called over her wither.
John looked down to Tempest, finding her grunting in pain and fighting for breath as she struggled to hobble along beside him. With a sigh, he turned back to Luna and shook his head.
"Not likely." He replied.
"Can't we just teleport down there?" Luna groaned.
"Unless you want to risk killing John in the process, no." Celestia responded, eyeing her sister.
"He can just meet us down there." Luna countered.
"Luna, no. If you're so adamant, then you can teleport yourself down there and hold the train for us. You know why we're doing this." Celestia rebutted.
"As much as I understand the why, it won't mean much if we miss the train." Luna deadpanned.
As I said, you can teleport down there and hold the train, or I can send one of the guards to do it." Celestia responded.
Luna rolled her eyes before her horn ignited in a brilliant sapphire hue. With a flash of light, and a resounding *pop* she disappeared from view, leaving only three alicorns to escort the entourage. Celestia chuckled quietly to herself at her sister's impatience, before Twilight trotted up to her side, filling the gap.
"Um, is Luna alright?" Twilight asked, looking up to Celestia curiously.
"She's fine, Twilight. I'm sure she's still just a little peeved that Tempest was able to best her, so she's taking out some pent up frustration." Celestia replied.
"How are you not peeved?" Cadence questioned, leaning in from Celestia's other side.
"I am, but I know that we'll soon be rid of her, and I trust John to handle her once they're out of Equestria." Celestia calmly answered.
Cadence and Twilight shared a look, before both looking back to Tempest. From the look on her face, it was obvious the unicorn heard every word, but elected to keep her mouth shut and trudge along at the snail's pace she was already barely managing.
The group quickly lapsed into uncomfortable silence, and as they progressed down the street, they soon reached a more residential area. Dozens of ponies out and about on their daily routines stopped and stared at the group walking down the street with Tempest in the center of a circle of guards. Almost immediately, hushed whispers filled the growing crowd, and they followed the formation at a respectable distance.
Tempest's eyes flicked back and forth through the ponies following her. A frown here, bared teeth there, and some outright shouting at the back of the crowd, made her nervously gulp. Tempest found herself unconsciously scooting closer and closer to her human escort, until her wither bumped into his thigh. He looked down at her as she looked up to him, a nervous blush forming on her face before she hurriedly looked away.
"It'll be alright." John said, just loud enough for her to hear.
Tempest's ears flicked back at his words, and as she struggled to keep pace with him, she looked up into his eyes once more.
"W-why are you... being so... nice to me?" She questioned, a hint of desperation in her voice.
John rolled his tongue in his mouth as he slowly looked down to the ground. After a few moments of deliberation, he looked up to Tempest once more. However, as he opened his mouth to answer, a chorus of shouts rang out from the ponies surrounding their group.
"Traitor!" They shouted.
"She should be dead!" One mare cried.
"I almost lost my little filly because of you!" A stallion shouted, angrily pointing at Tempest.
"She's done so much damage already!" Another added.
"Is that a leather collar?"
More and more ponies shouted and screamed their disgust at the mulberry unicorn, making her ears press against her skull and her cheeks flush as she hobbled along. John looked out over the crowd, finding dozens and dozens of angry Canterlot citizens all voicing their displeasure at the mere sight of the broken mare.
They continued down the street without stopping, yet the crowd and their voices followed like a shadow, all aiming their hatred toward the mare in the center of it all. The guards shouted a few commands in an attempt to restore some semblance of order to the crowd, but their voices were lost in a sea of angry shouts and screams. For almost twenty minutes, the group continued through the streets of Canterlot, drawing more and more angry citizens to join in their shared hatred of the traitor, Tempest.
"Auntie, this is starting to get a bit out of hoof!" Cadence shouted, her muzzle just a few inches from Celestia's ear due to the sheer loudness of the crowd.
"We should have just teleported her!" Twilight added, looking back and forth over the raging crowd.
"She needs to hear this." Celestia responded, calmly.
Twilight and Cadence almost stopped in place. They both slowly looked back behind them toward the plum unicorn to find that the crowd's words and anger were having an effect. Her ears pinned back as far as they could against her skull, and she held her muzzle low, her eyes darting up to the crowd over and over as she tried to keep her cool under the verbal onslaught. She winced as a crying filly hugged her mother just from the sight of her, before looking down to the ground again.
Tempest no longer looked quite so threatening. She looked sad and broken, and the words of now over a hundred ponies following her so closely, only made her look worse. It took quite some more time, but eventually, she finally saw the train station just down the road. The group made its way there as quickly as possible given the circumstances, before Celestia turned back to the guards.
"Guards, please secure the entrance. I think the point has been made." She said, her tone just barely loud enough to be heard over the raging ponies behind them.
Without a word, all of the royal guards broke off their circle formation around Tempest and John, and took up positions blocking the entrance. There weren't nearly enough of them to cover the entirety of the train station, but the ponies following them stopped without pushing past the guards. They yelled and screamed from behind them, but no pony attempted to rush toward the mulberry mare as she was escorted to the waiting train.
As Celestia led them to the doorway of the first train car, Luna stepped out and fixed the group with an even look.
"Well it certainly took you all long enough." Luna announced.
"I admit, it took longer than I planned, but then again," Celestia replied, before turning to look at Tempest, "I didn't expect her to be quite as handicapped as she is."
Tempest spared Celestia a glare for just a moment, before looking down and away from the sun princess. Her ears repeatedly flicked back and forth as she heard the slightly distant voices still cursing her from just outside the train station. She took a shaky, and admittedly painful breath, before slowly crutching forward.
"Are we... done here?" She asked, slowly making her way to the train.
"Just about," Twilight answered, before turning to John, "Is there anything else you need for your mission?" She asked.
"I think just about everything has been taken care of thanks to you four. I'll have the guard send a letter once we reach Manehattan." John replied.
Luna continued to eye Tempest as she reached the door of the train car, "Just make sure you keep an eye on her. She's dangerous, even if you refuse to acknowledge that."
John nodded, "She won't leave my sight."
Celestia watched Tempest slowly board the train, before turning to look at John, "I will await your letter. With any luck, you'll be back in just a couple of weeks."
John nodded, before heading for the doorway, "If anything changes here while I'm gone, you know how to reach me." He said, giving Twilight a wink.
Twilight nodded, "We'll keep you in the loop if anything happens here." She said as John stepped onto the train.
John gave a single wave to the four alicorn princesses before the door closed behind him and the train engine sputtered to life. After a few seconds, the train gave a small jolt and slowly increased its speed. The soft chugging of the engine drowned out the angry crowd as the train left the station, and Canterlot altogether.
As the train chugged along, Tempest looked out the window with a look of melancholy in her eyes. Beautiful mountainous scenery and spiky pine trees passed by the window like a majestic painting, yet she could hardly bring herself to even notice the lush landscape outside. She almost didn't notice as John sat down in the seat opposite her, his duffle bag coming to a rest just beside him.
After a few moments of silence, Tempest noticed a peculiar feeling, as if someone were staring at her. With only one possible culprit in mind, she let out a quiet sigh and turned to look at the human sitting across from her.
"What?" She asked, more resentment in her tone than she intended.
John slowly leaned back in his seat, his eyes never leaving hers, "You look down." He said.
Tempest scoffed, "And why wouldn't... I be?"
John shook his head, "Well you're at least getting something out of this at the end of it all." He offered.
Tempest slowly turned her head to look out the window again, "Just forget it." She replied, her voice just a whisper.
John gave a single nod, before turning to look out the window as well. The jagged mountain peaks of the Foal Mountains greeted his eyes as the train continued its journey to Manehattan. After some time, they shrunk and vanished, only to be replaced by rolling hills and gentle magnolia forests. Hours slowly passed, and as the sun made its gradual descent down the horizon line, the train continued along to its destination.
Eventually, Tempest nodded off, her head resting against the window of the train as it gently chugged along. John eyed her from his seat, one arm propping his head up as he rested against the glass as well. His brow furrowed as he recalled the day's events. He didn't sleep the entire ride. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 5 | The train pulled into the Manehattan station with a slight jolt, waking Tempest in the process. She sleepily opened her eyes and yawned. She immediately noticed that the pain in her throat was nearly gone, allowing her to finally let out a sigh of relief after the previous couple of days.
"Thank Harmony." She murmured, smacking her lips as she turned her head.
A twinge of pain still shot down her neck, but much like her throat, the pain was far more manageable than before her nap.
"You're looking better already." John commented, getting up from his seat and stretching.
"I feel better. My throat doesn't feel like I'm gargling glass anymore." Tempest responded, before turning to look out the window.
A bustling view of the busy city and enough lights to make the stars jealous, greeted her. However, there were no ponies present on the train station platform. Tempest turned her head to look out the opposite window of the cart to find that the same was true on the other side of the station. Her eyes flicked back up to John as he slung his duffle bag once more.
"The nurse said that with the drugs and treatment they gave you, rest would heal you the fastest. You should be back to normal by the end of the week... minus the foreleg." John replied, sparing a glance to her still casted foreleg.
Tempest followed his eyes to her broken limb, before rolling her eyes, "You know, it's your fault that it's broken this bad." She muttered.
"I'm aware," John flatly answered, before looking out the window, "Get on your hooves. Our escort is here." He instructed.
Tempest looked out the window, finding a group of seven ponies approaching their side of the train. While they only wore a simple shirt or buckball cap, it was immediately obvious that they were Royal Guards. A dark grey unicorn stallion with a short blond mane led the group, wearing a flannel much like John's. Tempest let out a quiet sigh as she pushed herself off of her seat and grabbed her crutch.
John led the way to the front of the cart, where he opened the door and stepped out onto the platform. Tempest struggled to limp down the stairs, but managed to follow behind him easily enough despite her circumstances. As they both made their way to the middle of the platform, the squad of undercover guards approached.
"Some nice buckball weather we've got right now." The stallion at the front of the group offhandedly mentioned as he neared John and Tempest.
"I prefer Rugby." John answered, as if anypony present knew what 'Rugby' was.
Tempest raised an eyebrow at the exchange while the leader of the squad gave a satisfactory nod. His horn lit up in an emerald hue, forming a similar aura around his throat.
"Haystack, this is Apple seven, package acquired. Progressing to safehouse." He said, before his ear lit up green.
Tempest couldn't hear anything, but she assumed he received a response as he swiftly turned tail and walked away. The rest of the squad turned to follow, but waited. As John stepped forward, she followed suite, and the guards smoothly formed another defensive circle around both of them as they slowly made their way off the platform. As they progressed, the leader slowed down enough to allow the squad to catch up and envelop him too.
"Gotta say, I didn't expect you to be so tall." He mentioned, glancing up at John.
"Most don't." John responded.
"I'll bet. Name's K. John, right?" K asked.
"That's right." John answered.
"And this must be the infamous Tempest Shadow." K added, looking down to Tempest with a frown.
Tempest tried to look away, but she was surrounded by ponies that gave her similar looks of disgust or anger while they progressed out of the train station and onto the street. The hustle and bustle of such a busy city quickly filled the air; a sharp contrast to the relatively quiet nature of the train station. Carts rolled along the asphalt streets and ponies hooves clopped along on concrete as their chatty voices filled the air. As her hooves made contact with paved concrete, Tempest slowly looked back at K, finding that he was still waiting for an answer.
"Is there something you want?" She dryly asked.
"No, just trying to get a read on the worst traitor in Equestrian history. Gotta say, you're a lot less impressive than I expected." K commented.
"Likewise." Tempest coolly replied.
That earned her several glares from the ponies surrounding her. A few mutters of disapproval were made but Tempest couldn't quite make them out over the busy city. She spared a quick glance to each pony in the squad, finding two pegasi, three earth ponies, and one more unicorn in the group. She begrudgingly looked down to her broken foreleg and let out a quiet sigh.
It'd be easy if I could just walk normally or use my horn... She thought to herself.
Albeit tensely, the group made its way through the busy nighttime streets of Manehattan. Random ponies on the street passed by the group, many of whom recognized Tempest and gasped at the sight of the unicorn. She glowered at the passing ponies, but the escort quickly ushered her past any pedestrians before they could make too much of a scene. K navigated them through the bustling maze of a city as if he grew up at its heart, and within a matter of minutes, he nodded toward a quickly approaching hotel.
"That's the place. We'll be staying in the basement." He said, looking back to John.
"Got it." John replied.
They quickly arrived at a red light and waited at the edge of the sidewalk as carts passed through the intersection before them. The guards surrounding her, quickly looked away from Tempest to scan for other threats or compromises to their security. Several of them tensed as over a dozen ponies arrived behind them, all waiting for the same light. A family with two fillies and one colt stopped just beside the formation, earning a quick glance from the guard between them and Tempest.
The little colt turned and looked right between the guards and at Tempest just as she looked down at him. Tempest held his gaze for a few moments, a small frown forming on her face as the young pony tilted his head to the side in wonder at the sight of her. The silent staredown continued for almost thirty seconds, leaving Tempest with a distressed feeling of scrutiny in her chest.
"Wow... your scar looks awesome!" The little colt exclaimed, suddenly.
Tempest gave a start at the sudden outburst, along with the guards surrounding her and the little colt's parents.
"Firefly! What did we tell you about just blurting things out about other ponies on the street? That was very rude." The colt's father admonished, stepping closer to his son to drag him back to the family group.
"We're so sorry about that, miss. He's just a little..." The colts mother trailed off, before a realization hit her with regards to who exactly she was looking at, "O-Oh my Celestia..." She whispered.
The father corralled his son back with the family, but followed his wife's gaze to see the mulberry mare standing before them.
"T-Tempest..." He added, his wings flaring out defensively over his family.
The other ponies standing around the intersection crosswalk instantly turned their attention to the mohawked mare, many of them gasping in fear and surprise. Several ponies stepped back and some even ran away, screaming in fear.
"You must have her confused for somepony else." K spoke up, trying to calm the rapidly declining situation.
"What!? That's Tempest! The traitor who attacked Canterlot!" Another mare shouted, clear anger in her voice.
"Ma'am, you're mistaken." K placatingly replied.
"Is she wearing a collar!?" One mare shrieked, in disgust.
Tempest blushed hard and fought the urge to turn around and shout obscenities at the mare. She felt a pit in her stomach as some ponies laughed at her or cringed at the clothing item. Her tail instinctively tucked itself down, almost between her legs, but she willed it back up to a normal height, lest she show weakness to all the ponies surrounding her.
As the scene around her descended into shouting and fearful ranting, the light finally turned green, and an icon of a pony walking, appeared on the small post in front of them. Tempest looked back and forth at the unfolding scene around her, a feeling of panic welling in her gut as more and more ponies recognized her. She took a step back, only to bump into the guard behind her. He brutally shoved her forward, nearly knocking her to the ground in the process. She yelped in pain as she planted her weight on her crutch and broken foreleg. John helped her back up to her hooves, although she shoved his hands away with her good hoof once she was standing.
"Light's green. Let's go." John ordered, looking to K.
K nodded and trotted out into the crosswalk. The rest of the group hastily followed, nearly shoving Tempest along the entire time. They swiftly reached the other side of the road and made their way up the hotel stairs to the front lobby. Once there, K opened the door for everyone and ushered them all inside. Luckily, the crowd didn't follow behind, but insults and fearful shouting still reached his ears from across the street.
K let out a long sigh before turning around to face John, Tempest, and the rest of his squad. A tense silence hung in the air like a smog as the group caught their breaths. The front receptionist stared at them from behind, his eyes wide in shock at the sudden entrance of so many ponies.
"Um, w-welcome to the Manehattan Monocle. Can I help you ponies?" He asked, swallowing back his nerves.
"No need. We have an arrangement with the owner of the hotel. We'll be downstairs." K responded, walking up to the front desk.
The receptionists eyes lit up in recognition, "Oh! You're that party that was going to stay in the basement. I remember now. I'm terribly sorry, but we've been having a lot of rain recently, as you know, and the basement has been having some flooding issues. My manager said to move you all to the first floor, if that's alright with you. We're terribly sorry for the inconvenience." He explained.
"Flooding issues? Are you kidding me?" One of the guards huffed.
"I-I'm sorry, sir. There were some issues with minor flooding downstairs. We've provided you with the closest floor we could to the basement and five rooms with all the amenities comparable to our suites on the higher floors." The receptionist offered, swallowing back a nervous gulp at the clearly upset burly stallions before him.
"It's fine," K announced, casting a glare to the stallion behind him, "We'll take whatever rooms you can give us."
The receptionist noticeably relaxed, "R-right, of course, sir. Here, these are your keys." He replied, before pulling out five different keys from his desk and hoofing them over to K.
"Right, thank you." K responded, giving a curt nod.
Near the entrance of the hotel, Tempest stood beside John, her eyes glued to the floor as she thought over the events of the last several minutes. The guards around them eyed her warily, but maintained their distance as K finished up with the receptionist. The shouts and screams echoed in her ears again and again, but one memory in particular stood out above all the rest.
Wow... your scar looks awesome!
As K ushered the group forward to their respective rooms, Tempest moved in a daze. She limped through the hallways of the hotel, her mind wandering the whole while. Velvet carpet and mahogany wood lined the hallways, and masterful paintings filled the walls with life that she couldn't seem to even notice. K swiftly led her to a room and motioned for her to enter, before John followed in just behind.
Before she could even realize it, Tempest found herself sitting on one of the beds of the room while John unloaded his duffle bag onto the other bed in the room mid conversation with K. Their words fell deaf on her ears, and soon enough, K left the room, leaving her alone with John as he walked over to the window.
Tempest finally snapped out of her stupor as the door clicked shut behind K. She glanced over to the now closed mahogany door, and then over to John, finding him looking out between the curtains of the window. After a few moments, he closed the curtains fully and turned around to face her. At her wide-eyed stare, he raised an eyebrow.
"Something on your mind?" He asked, stepping toward her and sitting on his bed.
Tempest shook her head to clear her thoughts, "N-no, not really. Nothing important, anyway." She replied.
"You sure?" John pressed, resting his elbows on his knees.
"It's nothing. Just something somepony said out there, is all." Tempest admitted, looking down to the carpet.
"Well, your reputation precedes you." John shrugged.
Tempest scoffed, "It's not what those ponies said. It's what that little colt said... he was the only one that didn't seem afraid of me."
"The colt that liked your scar?" John asked, sitting back upright.
Tempest nodded, before slowly fixing John with a serious look, "Ever since I got this scar, I've always thought it was ugly. I always thought that it was a mark of failure... of weakness. Scars mean that you've taken a hit... means you weren't good enough to avoid the damage. That's what the Storm King would say, at least." She explained, with a sluggish roll of her eyes.
John raised an eyebrow, "I imagine it'd be pretty damn hard to never get hit in a fight, ever." He said.
"He reminded me pretty often that no creature had ever landed a hit on him... Whenever I was training with the soldiers, if I got hit, and he saw... he made sure that I knew I was weak." Tempest muttered.
John slowly opened his mouth to speak, only for Tempest to continue.
"I thought that attacking Canterlot would be my chance to prove that I was strong... strong enough to earn my horn back... then blast the bucker until his fur melted," She whispered, through grit teeth, before looking back up to John, "But then you were there, and now I'm here... even more broken and weak than ever before... more scarred, than ever before... figures."
John eyed her warily for a few moments, unsure if she had anything more to say. After nearly a minute, he spoke up.
"The Storm King... can you tell me what he looks like, again?" John asked.
Tempest snorted, "Did you not get that info from my interrogation? I already explained it to the princesses."
"I know, but I want to hear it again, directly from you." John rebutted.
Tempest frowned as she held John's gaze. After it became clear that he wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, she rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Fine. He's a yeti, just like the rest of the storm soldiers. He's noticeably taller, and not quite as burly. Really the only notable difference between him and the storm soldiers is that he doesn't wear a mask like they all do... and the horns, I suppose." Tempest recollected.
"What color are his eyes?" John asked, leaning forward.
"Um, blue. Very icy blue. Why?" Tempest questioned, tilting her head to the side.
John leaned back, letting out a quiet sigh through his nostrils as he sat upright, "No reason. Just need to make sure I can identify him."
Tempest slowly nodded, "I suppose if any creature is capable of hurting him, it'd be you... I've never quite seen anything like you." She added, tilting her head to the side, curiously.
John laid down on his bed, his head resting on his pillow, "Aside from me, you're not likely to, either." He replied.
"And why's that?" Tempest pressed.
"I'm the only one here." John answered, simply.
Tempest's eyes widened, "What? How is that even possible?"
"It's a long story." John answered, stifling a yawn.
"I've got time." Tempest pressed.
John rolled his tongue in his mouth for a few moments, before letting out a quiet sigh, "Get some sleep, Tempest. We're on the first train out in the morning. Guards will be checking in on us throughout the night, so don't get any ideas." He ordered, before reaching over and turning out the lamp beside his bed.
The room noticeably dimmed, but Tempest's light still kept her side of the room illuminated as she stared at John from her bed. His closed his eyes in an attempt to go to sleep, but after a few minutes, he opened them again to find Tempest still staring at him.
"What?" He asked, a small amount of irritation present in his voice.
Tempest shrugged, "I'm just trying to figure out what you are, exactly." She replied, honestly.
"Well, do it in the morning, will 'ya? Turn that light off." John ordered.
Tempest flinched at his tone, and quickly turned out her light. The room immediately plunged into darkness, the only illumination coming from a small slit between the curtains of the window. Despite the decreased visibility, Tempest eyed John's dark form warily from her bed. She looked down at the cast enveloping her foreleg, and nervously swallowed. Eventually, she managed to lay down into something of a comfortable position.
She soon heard soft breathing from the bed opposite her, indicating that John was sleeping. She rolled over away from him and faced the blank wall beside her bed. With a resigned sigh to herself, she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. It took nearly an hour, but eventually she was able to nod off and fall asleep. . . . . .
Tempest's eyelids fluttered open in the wee hours of the night. She groggily looked over to the window to see the night lights of Manehattan still vibrantly illuminating the world outside. She looked over to the clock on the wall, her eyes squinting from dryness due to the lack of proper sleep.
Three A.M? She wondered to herself.
Tempest looked over to John's bed, finding him resting peacefully with one arm under the sheets, and the other on his chest. His chest moved slowly with each soft breath as he exhaled. A strange feeling welled in her heart as she observed the man, now completely at peace. Without the threat of another broken foreleg, or some kind of weapon tearing through her flank again, she found herself struggling with the realization that the human looked somewhat... attractive.
She hastily shook away those thoughts and pushed herself to her hooves in her bed. The bedsheets clung to her coat for a few moments, before sliding off onto the mattress. She noticed that her flank barely hurt at all anymore, and her foreleg, while still quite sore, wasn't quite as stiff and clublike as before. She could actually roll her wither and put some weight on the appendage without instant, searing, agony. There was still quite a bit of pain and soreness in the limb, not to mention the limited motion due to the cast, but her injuries were healing even faster than she expected.
Tempest stealthily skulked down from her bed to the floor, ensuring to put as little weight on her foreleg as possible. With some minor fenagling, she managed to get to the carpet. The velvet did an incredibly effective job of muffling the sound of her hooves, essentially silencing them completely. Even so, she kept her eyes on John's sleeping form, lest he awake and question her motives or behavior.
However, just as she turned away to head for the door, a shadowy, bipedal figure blocked her path. She inhaled sharply, but held her ground as the dark from towered over her from across the room. As the seconds ticked by, she felt her heart beat faster in her chest, her fur stand on edge, and her adrenaline spike.
"So it's true, you did survive." The figure hissed, its voice just a whisper in the quiet night.
Tempest looked over her wither to John, finding that he was still softly breathing and none the wiser about the large creature blocking the doorway across the room. Once she was sure he wasn't waking up, she turned back to the figure and let out a silent sigh.
"What do you want, Merkle?" She asked, her voice as quiet as a mouse.
Merkle held a claw to his chest, "Can't an old acquaintance come check up on you?" He questioned, feigning innocence.
Tempest rolled her eyes, "You'd sooner stab me in the back than make sure I was okay. What? Did you come to gloat? Rub my face in my failure?" She spat, keeping her voice low.
"Oh, you wound me, Tempest," Merkle dramatically sighed, "-and here I thought we were so close back in the Badlands."
"Get to the point before you wake him up." Tempest ordered, raising her voice just a few decibels.
Merkle rolled his green serpentine eyes, "Very well, if you insist," He replied, before reaching into the rags he wore. He pulled out a long, crooked knife, "-the Storm King would pay handsomely for your return... and I am a bit of a freelance these days."
Merkle stepped forward, his knife pointing straight at Tempest's throat as she backed up a step.
"Y-you do know that if you wake him up, he'll kill you." Tempest hastily informed him, while glancing behind at John.
"I think I'll take my chances. Now keep quiet. I don't want to have to kill the rest of the guards, but I absolutely will if any more get in my way." Merkle replied, taking another step toward the slowly retreating unicorn.
Tempest's eyes widened as she looked down at the blade, now glistening in the light spilling through the slit in the windows. The edge of the knife looked as if it'd been dipped in blood, and a single drop of crimson fluid fell into the carpet below. Tempest gulped nervously as she took yet another step back.
"Y-you really killed them?" She stammered.
Merkle paused, a grin forming on his scaly face. He let out a snicker, and then a quiet chuckle as Tempest backed up into John's bed, "Oh, Tempest, that's just too rich. You always were way too soft. No wonder you got your flank kicked by a bunch of ponies and this... hairless monkey thing." He shook his head.
Tempest felt anger well up in her heart. She grit her teeth as she tried, and failed, to conjure any kind of magical energy to lash out with. With a sickening feeling in her gut, she remembered the ring snugly fit around her broken horn, and her spirits fell.
"Heh, Storm King might even give me your old job if I bring back his little pet failure." Merkle snickered, closing the last of the distance between him and Tempest.
He brought the knife up to her throat as he leaned in close, the tip of the blade coming to a rest just underneath her collar. Tempest felt her blood run cold at the feeling of somepony else's blood sinking into her coat. The icy steel pressed into her neck, her jugular just a few precious centimeters from the jagged metal. Her lip trembled as Merkle's forked tongue flicked out against her throat.
"You always did look like cotton candy... maybe the meal would be better than the payday." He grinned, rows of razor sharp teeth glistening with saliva as he leaned in closer.
"Why don't you eat this instead." John spoke up, startling both Merkle and Tempest.
Merkle only managed to look up to John, before a flash of light illuminated the room, followed instantly by an explosive *crack*, making Tempest's ears ring as she jumped from the shock. Less than a second later, Merkle fell to the floor, blood leaking from the fresh hole in his head. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 6 | Tempest blinked the stars out of her eyes as her ears pressed flat against her skull. The painful sensation from the loud bang was accented with an equally loud ringing that just didn't want to go away. It took her a few moments in her daze to even realize that Merkle was laying dead next to her. Only when his pooling blood reached her hoof, did she look down and gasp.
Tempest staggered back from Merkle's corpse, before looking over to John. He pulled himself out of bed and kicked Merkle's leg while aiming his pistol at the dead reptilian. Once he was satisfied with the knowledge that Merkle was dead, he lowered his weapon and looked up to the unicorn before him.
"Not much of a friend, was he?" John asked.
"I-no, not... not really... you killed him. H-he's dead. Just like that... what the buck is that weapon?!" Tempest bleated, her breathing rapidly increasing.
"It's a gun." John replied, simply.
Tempest stammered for words as John walked over to the door. The sound of several other doors slamming open and shut echoed from the hallway outside, indicating that at least everyone in their hallway heard the shot.
"H-how long into that did you wake up?" Tempest questioned, finally finding her voice just as John grabbed the knob.
He slowly turned his head to look at her, "I was never asleep." He replied.
"I-I was just getting up because I couldn't sleep. I wasn't trying to run." Tempest hastily asserted.
John gave a single nod,"Sure." He said, before opening the door just as K and half of the guards rushed over.
"What happened!?" K demanded.
"We heard a crack like lightning and now L and T aren't answering their door!" Another guard exclaimed.
"They're dead," John replied, stepping out of the way for K and the guards to see Merkle's dead body, "He made it in here before I took care of him."
K's jaw dropped at the size of the reptilian, before he shook his head to clear his shock from his face.
"W-wait, what do you mean they're dead?" He questioned, fear and uncertainty creeping into his voice.
"M-Merkle said that he killed them... his knife was coated in blood." Tempest explained, her gaze drifting down to the still bloody knife just a few feet away.
The rest of the guards rushed down the hall and into the room, falling in behind K, "We got into the room! L and T are dead! Their throats were slit!" The guard exclaimed, panic in his voice and fear in his eyes.
K and the rest of the guards fought to keep their jaws from dropping or their anger from boiling over as they took in the news. The room descended into silence for a few moments as everyone processed the loss, but quickly enough, one of the guards reached a tipping point.
"It's her bucking fault they're dead!" He exclaimed, pointing an accusing hoof toward Tempest.
Tempest recoiled slightly, her eyes wide in confusion at the sudden accusation while K and the rest of the guards physically held the stallion back.
"Calm down M!" K shouted.
"We take this bucking traitor for one bucking day! One day! Two of our best ponies are bucking dead, K! He killed them to get to her!" M screamed.
While M fought to attack Tempest, John discreetly stepped between them, ensuring that if the muscular stallion somehow got through the rest of his entire squad, that he'd have to get through him as well. However, his efforts proved to be unneeded, as the squad managed to physically pull M out of the room and out into the hallway. K hastily shut the door behind him, locking the furious stallion out of the room. With a heavy sigh, K slumped to his haunches against the wooden doorframe.
Slightly muffled yelling still reached them through the doorway for a few moments, prompting K to ignite his horn and cast a silencing spell over the door. With that accomplished, he slowly looked up to John and Tempest.
"L and T were some of the finest recon specialists I've ever known. I hope your mission is worth the cost it's already taken." K muttered, his eyes falling to the floor once more.
"It is. Trust me." John offered.
K softly scoffed, "I sure hope so. What the hay even is that thing anyway? I've never seen anything like it." He asked, pointing to Merkle's body.
"He's a lizard. At least, he's some kind of lizard. He'd never explain anything about himself in the Badlands." Tempest explained, earning a raised eyebrow from K.
"So you knew him? Why did he come for you? To break you out?" K questioned, getting to his hooves as some aggression creeped into his voice.
"He probably heard about Tempest from the ponies panicking on the street last night. The Storm King knows his invasion failed. He doesn't know Tempest is alive. Merkle thought he could take her back to him for a reward." John explained.
Tempest gave John another look of surprise while K simply shook his head and sighed. A tense silence filled the air for several moments until K finally turned around to the door.
"The train leaves in just over an hour. You two should get ready to move. We'll have to send out M and B to scout the station before we move there. I'll grab you in a few." K said over his wither.
John and Tempest both gave a nod as K opened the door to the hallway. The sound of M screaming and shouting over the rest of the squad instantly reached their ears, only to be cut off as K shut the door once more. Now bathed in perfect silence, John and Tempest slowly turned to each other. Tempest bit her lip before looking down to Merkle's body. A large pool of blood surrounded his corpse and soaked into the velvet carpet beneath him. Tempest cringed at the sight, but John simply stepped over the body to grab his boots from the other side of the room.
As she watched him, Tempest found herself struggling to keep her emotions in check. He casually slipped his boots on and threw on his flannel over the white t-shirt he slept in. Within a minute, he was fully dressed and ready to go. He gave her an expectant look as she sat on the floor, an uneasy look on her face.
"You alright?" John asked, before stepping over Merkle's body once more and grabbing his duffle bag with a huff.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Tempest replied, shaking her head and getting back to her hooves.
"Not squeamish about blood, are you?" John questioned.
"W-what? No, of course not." Tempest defensively replied.
John raised an eyebrow but continued on to the door. After a moment, Tempest grabbed her crutch and limped after him. As he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, he intercepted a black hoodie, thrown from slightly down the hall. John easily caught it and raised an eyebrow as the stallion approached him.
"Have her put it on. It'll make it harder for ponies or other creatures to recognize her." K instructed, nodding toward Tempest.
John turned and handed the hoodie to the unicorn. She almost eagerly accepted and sat on her haunches to don the garment. She managed to slip her head into the bottom easily enough, but her broken foreleg and jagged horn made it difficult to get the hoodie all the way down. After a few moments of struggle, she felt two strong hands grab a hold of her wither and the black fabric stuck on her horn. John gently adjusted the middle of the hoodie enough for it to slip down her wither and onto her barrel.
With John's help, her head poked through the top hole of the hoodie, and she managed to get both forelegs through the sleeves. The sleeve covering her cast noticeably bulged outward more than her other leg, but otherwise, the clothing looked normal.
"Keep the hood on." K ordered.
Tempest complied and flipped the hood over her head, her mane smooshing down in the process. Her horn and most of her face were completely obscured by the black fabric, prompting a nod of approval from K. With her disguise situated, Tempest fell in line between John and K as the stallion led them out of the hotel hallway and into the front lobby.
The rest of the squad turned their heads to observe as the trio walked through the doorway. M and one of the other stallions were gone, prompting a relieved sigh from Tempest as she limped behind K.
"Alright, everypony ready?" K asked, looking over his squad.
"Ready." They all replied.
"Let's move out. Standard VIP formation. Mr. Smith will keep close tabs on Tempest while we reach the objective. Keep your eyes open. We don't need to lose any more ponies today." K ordered, gaining several sad nods in response.
Without another word, the squad opened the front doors of the hotel and stepped outside. John and Tempest found their place in the center of the noticeably thinner circle and proceeded down the stairs onto the street outside. A brisk wind breezed through the much emptier street, sending a chill through everyone present. After taking a moment to ensure no threats would appear out of thin air, the group moved forward.
They progressed through the streets unmolested for almost twenty minutes. Big, bright neon signs slowly passed them by as the group continued to walk along the concrete streets, giant skyscrapers looking down on them as if they were ants. Even at the early hour, every light in the city beamed in all directions, turning the dark morning into a veritable rainbow of colors that all illuminated the dark and dull ground in various shades of every color imaginable.
A few were out and about, although whether they were still up late or just up early was fairly easy to determine by the stagger in their step, and the drunken slur of words spewing out of their mouths. The group paid them no mind as they passed several bars and reached the metropolitan center. Dozens more ponies and other creatures littered the streets in the bustling city centerpoint, making the entire group tense.
"Subway is just ahead and down tenth street." K stated.
"Let's go." John replied.
Without hesitation, the group pushed on through the streets toward the subway. A few heads turned their way, mostly observing John due to his higher stature than the rest of the group, but thankfully, nopony noticed the plum mare limping alongside him. It took them nearly ten minutes, but they eventually arrived at the subway entrance and hastily descended the stairs, save for Tempest. With her crutch and limp, she struggled to get down the stairs at any appreciable rate, forcing the rest of the group to tensely wait for her while the sound of shouting echoed from below.
Finally, she reached the bottom of the stairs and they proceeded onward. The subterranean entrance was filled with ponies, all bickering and arguing back and forth at the ticket booth ponies. Bright flashing red 'X's' above each line to the subway indicated that the train system wasn't available, prompting outrage from the ponies all trying to make their morning commute. K nodded toward the line at the far left side of the entrance and led the group toward the only ticket booth with less than a dozen ponies shouting in front of it.
Quickly pushing past the civilians in his way and arriving at the ticket booth, K pulled his badge out of his flannel. The mare at the booth gave a short nod and ushered them through, much to the dismay and outrage of the ponies just behind them. A renewed chorus of angered shouting and screaming echoed from behind the group as they hurried down the stairs to the metro hub below. Bright green and blue lights illuminated the subway with aqua colors, allowing K to easily find their designated train.
"Over there. Six seventy one. That's your ride to Baltimare. From there, it's up to you." K explained, pointing to the train.
John looked to the silver colored train with its flat and smooth design. It almost looked like a bullet, only there were windows lining either side and the doors. He gave a nod before the group dispersed around him and Tempest, allowing them to proceed without them. He quickly led her to the train and found the conductor waiting patiently for them at the helm. John gave a quick wave to the conductor, which was promptly returned with a smile, before turning back to Tempest.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yeah." She responded, before stepping into the passenger cabin.
John turned around to face K and the rest of his squad as the conductor powered the train up and prepared to leave.
"I'm sorry about your ponies. We'll make sure they didn't die in vain." John announced, giving a nod to K.
K returned the nod, "You'd better." He said, before turning away and leading his squad back up the stairs toward the entrance.
Just as John turned around and stepped into the train, a small banging sound caught his ear. He turned around to look for the source of the noise, but saw nothing in the aqua colored subway. His eyes squinting in suspicion, he slowly reached for his concealed pistol. However, before he could do anything, the door shut in front of his face, startling him slightly.
"Oh, sorry about that. These old train doors can get stuck sometimes and make all kinds of a ruckus that echoes off the walls down here." The conductor explained, giving John an apologetic look.
John looked to the conductor and then out the door once more. After a few seconds of searching, and still finding nothing, he nodded once and stepped away from the window. John quickly found his seat across from Tempest as she laid down on the booth in the center of the train cart. After a few moments of silence, the engine fired up and the subway jolted forward. John gazed out the window as the lights passed by faster and faster, until the lights passed in a steady line of blue-green.
His eyes slowly drifted back over to Tempest as she sat across from him. As soon as she felt his gaze on her, she looked away from the opposite window and gave him a questioning look.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing." John replied, averting his gaze to look over the top of the booth and to the back of the cart.
John's eyes quickly squinted in scrutiny as he saw something move in the cart behind his and Tempest's. Without hesitation, he pushed himself to his feet and made his way toward the rear door.
"Where are you going?" Tempest inquired, looking at him with some concern.
"Stay here." He ordered, drawing his pistol from his pants.
John kept his gun low as he reached the end of the cart and opened the door. Immediately, the sounds of the engine running and wheels scraping along the tracks flooded the room. The sound was made infinitely worse by the tunnel echoing the noise to a nearly deafening level. Tempest's ears pressed against her scalp and she winced from the sheer volume of the train in the small subway tunnel.
John quickly shut the door behind him, and grabbed the handle of the door leading into the next cart. With a quick shove, he opened the door and stepped inside. Only the outside lighting of the tunnel illuminated the second cart of the train, making long shadows dance up the walls and down to the floor. Unlike the first cart, this one wasn't first class, and lacked in many of the decorative amenities John expected to see. There were only a few places to hide, such as the booth, bathroom, around the corner of the exit to his left, and in the skylight above. However, the light played tricks with his eyes, making shadows appear where they weren't, and long lines of illumination that bended and curved around the furniture in front of him.
John held his pistol close to his chest as he carefully proceeded through the train cart. He quickly peaked around corners and over furniture in search of any threats. Over and over he cleared the dead space of the room, finding nothing but lingering shadows that were quickly illuminated by the flashing lights of the tunnel. Within thirty seconds, he cleared the entire cart, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He slowly looked up to the window, finding Tempest looking back at him from the front cart with a curious look on her muzzle.
John gave her a shrug and a shake of his head, prompting her to nod turn away from him to return to the booth. As she walked away, John reholstered his pistol and made his way for the door, only to pause once more as the sound of something scraping against wood reached his ears from above. He slowly looked up to the ceiling, only to find the skylight blocked out by a minotaur. His hooves and hands were pressed against the edges of the raised portion of the cart, keeping him suspended above John, a fact that quickly changed as he released his hold to drop down on top of the human.
John jumped to the side, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid the impact of the falling minotaur, and found himself knocked to the floor immediately. He felt a strong hand grab his ankle and pull him closer, but John quickly kicked the creature in the snout with his other foot, forcing him to break his grip. Now free, John hastily scrambled to his feet, but once again, the minotaur was too fast, and charged him straight into the wall. John felt the air knocked from his lungs as he slammed into the wall under the weight of a bull, and struggled to fight back against the mountain of muscle pinning him.
John's pistol fell from his grasp and landed on the carpeted floor below. He tried to heave air into his lungs but the bull pinned him against the wall so tightly that his chest could not expand. With surgical precision, he cocked his arm back and slammed his elbow down into the minotaur's spine, between his shoulder blades. The creature immediately dropped to its knees, air forcing its way out of its lungs from the impact.
Now with room to breathe, John gasped to fill his lungs, before the bull wrapped its muscular arms around his legs and jumped back, growling fiercely as it pulled John off of his feet. The human landed flat on his back and hissed in pain as the minotaur dragged him away from the wall. John tried to reach for his pistol but he slipped just out of reach before he could grab a hold of it. He swiftly looked up to the bull, finding him rearing back to stomp on his head with one of his heavy cloven hooves.
John instantly rolled to his back, just barely dodging the impact of the hoof and pushing himself to get back to his feet. Unfortunately, the bull gave him no time to right himself, and grabbed him by the collar and the pant-leg. With a feral shout, he picked John up and threw him into one of the wooden support beams just a few feet away. Wood splintered and snapped as John sailed through the beam, before slamming into the wall on the other side of the subway. He fell to the floor with a groan of pain, but quickly pushed himself back up to his feet.
The bull gave him little time to recover, opting to rush the human once more. With only half a second to react, John lunged forward as well, only he stooped low to grab a large splinter of wood off of the ground mid stride. As the two closed the distance, John thrust upward with the wooden stake toward the behemoth's throat, but once again, the bull was too quick and ducked his head low, his horns blocking John's thrust and also catching his thigh, just above his knee. The minotaur gave an angry snarl as he threw his head back, catapulting John over his back and onto the floor in the center of the room.
John landed on his back with a grunt, and quickly rolled over to his stomach before pushing himself up to his feet. Just as he reached his full height, the minotaur turned around and rushed at him again, his hooves pounding on the floor as he swiftly closed the gap between them. John took a split second to look to the floor behind him for his pistol, finding it laying just a half dozen feet away near the window. Without waiting for his foe to catch up, he sprinted forward for the pistol.
John moved as fast as he could, but the hulking beast was simply larger and faster than him, giving him no time at all to grab his gun. Just as his fingers brushed against the polymer frame of the handgun, John felt the muscular arm of the minotaur grab his collar and stop him in his tracks. The bull harshly yanked on his collar, snapping him back from the weapon, sending him flying over the booth, and into the window on the opposite side of the train cart. A spiderweb of fractures appeared on the glass before John slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.
John uneasily pushed himself to his feet once more. His back ached and pain lanced through his shoulder all the way down to his fingers. It took him almost five seconds to get back up to his full height, but the effort required to maintain that posture felt completely draining, forcing him to hunch over and rest his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
Across from John, the bull smirked to himself as he prepared another charge. His eyes squinted as he focused on the final charge that would end the human for good. Without even a word, he broke into a sprint, his horns lowered at ready to either impale, or launch John out the fractured window and into the subway train tracks while the train moved at a steady sixty miles per hour.
John didn't move as the bull rushed toward him, steam billowing from his nostrils as each step sent a heavy jolt through the floorboards of the train and into John's feet. Only at the last possible second, did John react, by simply diving to the floor and curling into the tightest ball he could muster, his back aimed at the minotaur's legs. The minotaur reacted instantly, jumping over John and completely dodging his attempt to trip him, however in doing so, he lost any way to stop his advance.
With a sudden shriek of fear, the minotaur crashed through the damaged window and sailed out of the train cart. The sound of rushing wind and shattered glass smashing into stone ground, flooded the train, making John wince as his ears were suddenly assaulted with noise. A meaty thud, along with a squelching noise echoed out in the tunnel, followed by nothing but the rushing wind and engine noise.
John slowly stood back up with a hiss of pain, before staggering over to the window. He looked out behind the train, finding the bull splattered against the wall hundreds of feet away, red blood surrounding his immediate vicinity. With a shake of his head, John turned around and walked over to the other side of the train. He picked up his pistol and sluggishly made his way back to the front cart.
As John opened the door to the front train cart, Tempest looked back over her wither, casting him a concerned glance.
"What were you doing back there?" She asked, taking in his disheveled appearance with a raised eyebrow.
John made his way over to the booth and slumped down into the seat opposite the mulberry unicorn. He let out a long, slow sigh.
"Dealing with one of Merkle's friends." John answered.
"On the train!?" Tempest exclaimed.
"Not any more." John replied. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 7 | As the train chugged along out of the subway tunnel and into the open air of the Equestrian morning, harsh rays of early sunshine beamed into the large windows of the cart, and forced Tempest to stir. Her eyes groggily opened to see the gentle brilliance of the Equestrian ocean just a few dozen feet away from the train. Small waves caressed the sandy beach as the train ran alongside the waterline toward Baltimare.
Tempest squinted her eyes to see better through the glistening light reflecting off of the crystal clear ocean. After a few moments to appreciate the view, she turned her head to see John sitting across from her, his arms crossed and his head hung low. His hair obscured her view of his face, but upon seeing his fingers tapping on his forearms, it became apparent that he was still awake.
"Morning." Tempest greeted, quietly.
John slowly looked up and met her gaze. He gave a small nod of affirmation before lowering his head back down and resuming his quiet meditations. Tempest watched him with a raised eyebrow for almost a minute before deciding to speak up again.
"So... it was a minotaur. Did you at least get a name?" She asked.
"He wasn't feeling very chatty." John replied, not bothering to look up from his arms.
Tempest slowly nodded, "Ah. Probably not one of Merkle's then. He only had one minotaur ever work for him, and that bull wouldn't shut up."
John only gave a grunt in response, prompting Tempest to prop her head up with her good elbow as she continued to stare the human down. She rolled her tongue in her mouth for a few seconds before clearing her throat and gaining his attention. John slowly looked up through the stray locks of hair spilling down his face.
"What is it?" He asked.
"You seem pretty nonchalant about the fact that two creatures have tried to kill you in a matter of a few hours." She acknowledged.
"I'm used to it." John curtly replied.
A tense silence quickly followed, leaving Tempest to anxiously tap her good hoof on the table between them. After a few minutes of tapping, John fixed her with a raised eyebrow.
"What?" He asked.
"That's not an answer a normal creature would give to that statement." Tempest said, flatly.
"I didn't realize there was a normal answer to that statement." John rebutted.
Tempest's ears flattened against her head and she gave him a deadpan look, "That's because it isn't normal. Why is this normal for you?" She asserted, a flicker of irritation sparking in her voice.
John rolled his tongue in his mouth, "What do you mean?"
"Why are you doing this? All of it? The killing, the working with Equestria, this whole mission with me? I can not figure you out." Tempest questioned, her frustration finally boiling over in her voice.
John sluggishly sat upright and fixed her with an undiscernible look, "Does it matter?" He asked.
Tempest slammed her good hoof on the table, "Yes! Of course it matters! I don't even know what you are and yet you've killed two creatures to protect me after almost killing me and then suddenly having a complete change of heart! You keep doing little things to be nice to me that no one else notices, but I do! What game are you playing!?!" She shouted, her tirade leaving her slightly panting for air.
John rolled his tongue in his mouth for just a second before responding, "That all?"
Tempest's face morphed into one of disbelief, "A-are you kidding?" W-what do you mean 'is that all'?" She rebutted, her brain struggling to process the human's reaction.
John looked out to the passing ocean for a moment, his gaze as unreadable as ever, and he let out a quiet sigh through his nostrils before his gaze dropped and he returned his attention to Tempest.
"We've got a few hours until we reach Baltimare. Are these really the questions you want to ask?" John replied.
"I-wha-yes! Tempest shot back, shaking her head in disbelief.
John nodded, "I'm a human." He answered, simply.
"Are we really going to play twenty questions here? I know that. You already told me that. Princess Cadence already told me that! What I don't know is what the hay a human even is! Where does your kind come from? I've spent the better part of two decades outside Equestria and never seen anything like you." Tempest responded.
"Well, we evolved from apes. I'm not really sure how best to explain it other than that." John replied with a noncommittal shrug.
Tempest groaned and facehoofed, "You look nothing like an ape, save for maybe the hands and lack of fur..." She trailed off, looking up to John to see that he looked completely uninterested in the conversation, as his eyes routinely glanced out to the ocean, "Fine, I'll just have to accept that that's all I'm getting there. Can you at least answer the rest of my questions?" She asked, an almost pleading tone in her voice.
John returned his gaze to the broken unicorn and gave a single nod, "All I can say is that Harmony brought me here, and gave me one mission: Protect the ponies. While I can still fight, that's what I intend to do."
"But why!? Buck Harmony! That's just a myth they tell little fillies and colts to keep them well behaved!" Tempest exclaimed, leaning forward against the table between them.
"Harmony is more real than you realize. It pulled me from my world... brought me here, and gave me one last mission." John replied, a somber tone in his voice.
"Pulled you from your world? Last mission? What are you talking about? You're not from this planet!?" Tempest exclaimed.
John shook his head, "Not even from this universe."
Tempest's jaw dropped, "What the buck even are you?" She questioned, slowly shaking her head in disbelief.
John smirked, "Human."
It took Tempest a few moments to find the words to speak once more, but when she did, they came with a hint of worry, "W-what did you do back on your world? In your universe?" She asked.
John's eyes fell, "The same thing I do now... only... for less of a righteous cause." He admitted.
Tempest slowly shook her head as she sat back in her seat, her mind reeling from the overwhelming amount of outlandish information she received, "So... so you're just an assassin from a different universe?" She asked.
John nodded.
"Why... why would Harmony send you?" She wondered aloud.
"I don't know. All it said to me was that I was needed and that no one else could do what needed to be done." John explained, his eyes lingering on the wooden grain pattern of the table between them.
Tempest's brow furrowed in scrutiny, "You're lying."
John chuckled exactly once, "Only by omission."
Tempest rolled her eyes, "Oh what, so that's off the table? I just... I do not understand you at all. You're open about some things, and then you won't talk about other things. Why don't you make any sense!?" She shouted, slamming her good hoof on the table.
John listened to her outburst with an unamused look on his face, "Because you don't need to know everything, and I still don't trust you." He replied.
"Oh come on! Do I have to bring up all the nice things you've said to me!? The helping me get back up when nopony else would? Helping me put a bucking hoodie on? You either trust me, or you just want to buck me!" Tempest snarled.
John raised an eyebrow, "That's a hell of a jump."
"Well what the buck am I supposed to think!? Why are you so nice to me!? You tried to kill me! You would have killed me if it weren't for Princess Pudgy back there! Every creature in Equestria hates me except you for some reason!" Tempest screamed, standing up to her hindlegs and leaning over the table.
"She wanted you alive. If you kept fighting me, I would have had to let her down." John answered, refusing to back away from the furious mare across from him.
For a few seconds, they stayed locked in a staredown, neither one willing to back down or budge. Tempest's glare bore into John's dark eyes with enough fury to kill, but he only stared back with a small frown. John's cold gaze soon wore down Tempest's anger, and eventually, she backed down and sat in her seat with an angry huff.
She attempted to cross her forelegs, but her broken leg made that impossible. With a blush and a growl of displeasure, she settled for looking out the window instead of facing John anymore. While John raised an eyebrow in amusement at her childish behavior, he kept his mouth shut for almost a minute.
"Any more questions you want to ask?" He questioned, almost out of curiosity, himself.
Tempest huffed, "Not until you answer the ones I already asked."
John tilted his head to the side, "Thought I did."
Tempest instantly turned on him, "How can you go from having enough hatred to kill me without a second's hesitation, and then turn around and do all these nice things for me? What, do you feel guilty or something? I bet that's a first."
John slowly shook his head, "Hatred is poison. It eats away at you just as much as it does the object of your hatred. I've only ever hated one person... and only because he killed my dog. I never hated you. I was just doing my job. ." He explained.
Tempest gave him a look of confusion, "How... how do you kill so easily then? How can you kill creatures without hate? Is it really just a job to you? Taking somepony's life?" She questioned, her brow deeply furrowed.
"A lot of ponies were going to die in your invasion. Did you hate them enough to kill them?" John asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I was not going to kill anypony!" Tempest screamed, rage finding its way into her voice once more.
"Could have fooled me." John replied.
"I-I wasn't! The orders I gave were to take all ponies alive! I'm not like you! I don't just kill!" Tempest shouted, angry tears threatening to claw their way out of her eyes.
"Over three dozen ponies were being treated at the hospital with life threatening injuries when we left Canterlot. All of those were directly or indirectly caused by you. Would your soldiers have shown them the care and medical attention they're receiving now?" John pressed.
"I-we... I would have..." Tempest found her words dying in her throat, as she knew them to be untrue. Her gaze slowly fell to the table, and then to the floor below.
John observed her for a few moments as the inner turmoil that was her thoughts raged about in her mind. He watched her struggle to fight his accusations for almost a minute before speaking up again.
"For what it's worth, I believe that you don't want to kill anyone. The Storm King on the other hand... that's why we're doing this." John offered.
Tempest slowly looked up to John, "There you go again..."
John shrugged, "I never wanted to kill anyone either."
Tempest gave him a deadpan look, "You can't seriously expect me to believe that." She muttered.
"Why not? In a world with magic and unicorns and dragons... why can't that be true?" John asked, giving her a level gaze.
"Because... just because! The world isn't a nice place, as I'm sure you're well aware. Bad things happen to good ponies, and justice is never served! It took my horn from me, my freedom, and now, thanks to you, my sanity. All you've done is kill and tell me about how much you kill, and now you expect me to believe that you don't want to do it." Tempest spat, a snarl forming on her face.
John eyed her, unimpressed. Once he was sure she was done, he replied, "That what happened to you then? Some pony broke your horn and got away with it? Is that why you came back and attacked your own people?" He asked.
Tempest rolled her eyes, "Oh drop the preachy speech, will you? What? Did the princesses not tell you anything from my interrogation? First the Storm King and now this?" She asked with an exasperated sigh.
"I didn't ask. I was busy dealing with the rest of your army." John explained.
"Killing the rest of my army." Tempest disdainfully corrected.
John paused before letting out a long sigh. He rubbed the bridge of his nose for a few moments before fixing Tempest with a more melancholy look.
"I don't enjoy killing, Tempest. It's just all I know." John said.
Tempest let his words sink in for a few seconds. She felt quite a bit of discomfort at John's admission, making her break eye contact to look out the window at the ocean once more. She pursed her lips as she thought over his words, although, the uncomfortable silence weighed heavily on her mind the entire time. Eventually, she quietly sighed and her gaze fell to the passing sandy beaches.
"It was an Ursa minor... when I was just a filly. One swipe of its claw, and I lost my horn and almost my eye too." She admitted, feeling a slight bit of relief at finally having said something.
John gave a small nod, "I'm sorry that happened to you." He offered.
Tempest scoffed, "Why would you be? Why do you care about me at all?
John pursed his lips for a few moments. His sudden silence caused one of Tempest's ears to flick back toward him, followed shortly by the rest of her head as she eyed him with melancholy.
"I need to stop the Storm King. I think you'll be instrumental in that endeavor. I don't see a reason to be harsh or cruel to you." John responded, thoughtfully.
Tempest shook her head as her gaze went right back to the ocean, "You sure you aren't just a machine?" She muttered.
John rolled his tongue in his mouth as Tempest's words stirred about in his head. He opened his mouth to respond, but slowly closed it. He looked over to the unicorn, finding her posture and the frown on her face as an indication that she didn't wish to speak any more. John quietly hummed to himself for a moment before standing up and making way for the train conductor's cabin. Tempest didn't even look over to him as he left.
John opened the door to the conductor's cabin, finding the stallion happily sitting at the controls of the train as it chugged along.
"How much longer until we reach Baltimare?" John asked, curiously.
"Oh, just about an hour or so." The conductor replied over his wither.
"Thanks." John replied, before turning back around to the first cabin.
Baltimare
John stepped out of the train cart and into the busy Baltimare train station with Tempest slowly coming out behind him. John gave the conductor a single wave, to which the stallion enthusiastically returned, before looking down to Tempest.
"Alright, we just need to get to the other side of the city and take a carriage ride to the Badlands. We should only need to stop once for rest. From there, it's on you to lead the rest of the way to the Storm King's shipyard." John instructed.
Tempest gave a single nod before striding off ahead of John, limping on her crutch the whole way. John quickly rushed after her and covered the admittedly small distance between them in a couple seconds, although Tempest kept her eyes straight ahead. John raised an eyebrow at her behavior, but decided to ignore it and continue on while adjusting his duffle bag.
Unlike Manehattan, the ponies of Baltimare didn't notice Tempest at all with her simple disguise. They simply went about their day as if nothing were out of the ordinary, save for the tall, bipedal human walking amongst them. John received several stares and confused glances, but also many gasps of recognition and excitement.
Tempest sourly watched as more and more ponies saw John and their faces lit up in enthusiasm. Ponies waved to the human-savior and cheered for him as he strolled past them. She eyed the tall man for just a moment, finding that while the pony's cheers did bring a small smile to his face, the happiness did not reach his eyes, and he only gave the smallest of nods to the ponies celebrating his arrival as if he were one of the Princesses.
Tempest eyed him warily for a few moments as they progressed to the tram station, her gaze locked on the far off expression John wore as ponies gave him a hero's welcome. There was something else there. What it was, she couldn't quite place, but before she could speculate further, they reached the tram.
"Tickets please." The tram officer asked, politely.
John reached into his pant pocket and fished out a couple of tickets to hand to the officer. The stallion in question gratefully accepted the tickets and looked them over with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Right then, you're all good to go mister Smith." The stallion happily announced as he hoofed the tickets back over to John.
"Thank you." John replied, before placing the tickets back in his pocket and stepping onto the tram.
Tempest managed to make it half way up the step, but her broken foreleg and crutch made crossing the last bit of height impossible. She uselessly kicked her hind legs in an effort to get some leverage, but putting any weight on her cast sent a shooting pain up her leg that made her wince. After several moments of painful, embarrassing failure, she saw a hand come into view before her face. She slowly looked up to the offered hand and the man attached to it, a small scowl forming on her face.
"I don't need your help." She muttered.
"What's so wrong with accepting help?" John asked.
"Because it's yours." Tempest growled as she forced herself up onto the tram with her good hoof.
With a slight heaviness to her breath, Tempest got back to her hooves, finding John slowly retracting his hand. He pushed himself back up to his full height and turned around without another word, before leading her to their seats just a few steps away.
With no other souls on board, the tram gently jostled to life and cantered down the street toward the other side of the city. Tempest deliberately sat as far away from John as she could, which was only a half dozen seats away due to the small size of the vehicle. She adjusted her hood to hide the majority of her face, save for the very edge of her muzzle and looked down to the floor of the tram.
John watched her from his seat across the tram, a slight furrow in his brow as he sucked in some air through his teeth. He moved to get up, but paused almost instantly. He quickly sat back down and shook his head. A few moments later, he tried again, only to sit back down and let out a quiet sigh.
Despite the outside noise, and the lack of volume coming from the human, Tempest's ear flicked back toward him, and she slowly turned her head to give him a sidelong glance. He instantly noticed her gaze, and opened his mouth to speak, only for her to quickly look away again.
At this, John let out a tired sigh, making both of her ears flick towards him.
"Listen, I get that you're angry. I understand why and I can sympathize-" John began, only for Tempest to cut him off.
"Oh really? How exactly can you do that? All I am to you is a tool so you can kill the storm King. I'm nothing more to you than I was to him. Just a tool... meant to be used and then thrown away when it inevitably fails." Tempest muttered, her eyes falling to the floor once more.
John eyed the mare for a few more moments, before getting out of his seat and making his way over to her. Tempest's ears flicked toward him as he approached, although her eyes stayed glued to the floorboards directly in front of her. She winced ever so slightly as he sat down beside her, almost as if expecting a blow to land, or a strong hand to coil around her throat once more. Instead, she only felt the close proximity of the human as he sat beside her, his hands staying on his lap.
The tram chugged along through the Baltimare cityscape with nary a care in the world, least of all for the only two creatures on board while they maintained an uncomfortable silence. Outside of the tram, ponies went about their days with smiles on their faces and sun shining down on them. Meanwhile, the cover of the tram bathed both John and Tempest in shadow as they found their eyes pulled to the bustling city life all around them.
Tempest found her eyes locking onto a small filly, a scar none too dissimilar from her own on her face, playing among her friends. She was a pegasus, not more than nine or ten years old. Most notable about the filly, however, was the distinct lack of one wing on her back. She flitted by with her friends with only one working wing and a stump, yet, there was a massive smile on her face.
Tempest stared after the filly long after the tram rounded a corner and she disappeared from sight. Her brow furrowed slightly and she felt her withers slowly sagging as she looked back down to the floor again.
"You want to know why I kill?" John suddenly spoke up, prompting Tempest to return her gaze to him.
She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
"It's because sometimes the only way to protect good, is to do evil. Sometimes... good people have to do bad things, so the ones they care about don't suffer." John explained, gazing out over the crowd of little colts and fillies apparently on a field trip to the zoo down the road.
Tempest followed his eyes to the object of his attention, finding joyful and laughing faces as the class followed their teacher to the zoo just a block away. The tram quickly passed through another intersection, cutting off her view and leaving her staring out at yet another busy street.
"And what if you've only done bad things for selfish reasons? Then what?" Tempest asked, her voice just a quiet whisper.
John took a few moments to answer her, but when he did, he looked down to the mulberry mare and placed his hand on her wither, "It's never too late to change."
Tempest softly scoffed, "Unless you're dead."
John nodded, "That's why you have to be precise when you do evil. Only ever give them what they deserve, no more."
Tempest slowly looked up to John's hand on her wither. The contact felt odd; comforting, yet foreign. It sent a warmth down her wither and into her chest as she continued to raise her gaze until she met John's eyes.
"So did I deserve to die when I attacked Canterlot? Was it only Princess Twilight's word that kept you from killing me?" She asked.
John rubbed his thumb through the dense fur on her wither as his brow furrowed slightly, "At the time... I would've said yes. But... I think I was wrong. We all make mistakes. We all fail. Even me." He admitted, slowly removing his hand.
Tempest watched John for a while after that. Throughout the rest of the tram ride, they stayed side by side, content to watch the beautiful city around them. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 8 | John and Tempest departed the tram after it arrived at its final destination on the far side of Baltimare. At the edge of the city, they found themselves walking among scores of ponies on their lunch breaks or just enjoying a nice day off as the sun reached its precipice in the sky. The park just ahead was overflowing with ponies, filling the air with the sounds of laughter and joy in the beautiful sunny day.
Tempest limped beside John, her face mostly hidden by her hoodie as she occasionally glanced up at the gatherings of ponies in the soft grass. As they progressed on the sidewalk, she felt herself involuntarily slowing down to linger ever closer to the happy, gentle atmosphere beside her. Her hesitation did not go unnoticed, and after taking a few more steps ahead of her, John stopped and looked over his shoulder. He followed Tempest's eyes to the park, his gaze softening in realization, before he looked back to the mulberry mare.
"Hey, we need to keep moving." He called.
Tempest flinched slightly, as if startled from her thoughts, "O-oh, right..." She replied, slowly turning away from the sight before her and catching up with John.
John turned as Tempest reached his side and continued on toward the taxi carriages just further down the road. They reached the corner within a few minutes, finding no fewer than a dozen taxi's waiting and chatting amongst themselves. The burly stallions didn't notice John or Tempest right away, but after a few moments, one head turned, followed by another. Soon enough, the entire entourage of taxi's were looking at John and Tempest.
"You need a ride, sir?" The nearest taxi pony asked, tilting his head to the side as he gazed up at John.
"Yeah. We're heading to the Macintosh Hills. Do any of you think you could take us to the closest town on the way?" John asked.
"Well... there's Hoofenfield down south, but it's a bit close to the badlands. Those are dangerous parts and it's not going to be a cheap ride all the way out there." The taxi pony replied, scratching his chin in thought.
"That's fine. Bits aren't an issue. Can you take us there now?" John questioned.
"I sure can. For that trip, and the two of you... that'll be about four hundred bits." The taxi pony explained.
John unslung his duffle bag from his shoulder and reached into one of the side pockets. After searching through the pocket for a few seconds, John withdrew a large bag of bits. The golden currency jingled slightly as he held the bag out for the taxi to take.
"This should cover it." He said.
With his jaw slightly dropped, the pony accepted the bits and gave a thankful nod, "W-well alrighty then! Hop on while I get myself strapped in and I'll get you guys there before sunset." He cheerily exclaimed.
John picked up his duffle bag as the pony hurriedly set about strapping himself into the harness of the taxi carriage. Once the bag was resting on John's shoulder once more, he turned to Tempest and nodded toward the carriage. Taking the hint, Tempest made her way over to the vehicle and stepped up onto the cushioned seat in the very back. John patiently waited for her to set her crutch down before boarding and sitting down on the seat opposite of her.
Once they were both seated, the taxi pony finished attaching himself to the carriage and pulled them forward. The carriage jolted forward before settling back down and proceeding comfortably. John looked over his shoulder at the road ahead of them for a few moments before turning his head back to look at Tempest once more. He observed her as she looked out at the passing Baltimare scenery, finding her gaze to be slightly troubled.
"Something on your mind?" John inquired, earning the purple mare's attention.
"Not really. Just a dumb thought." Tempest shook her head.
John curiously raised an eyebrow, "You sure?" He pressed.
Tempest pursed her lips and looked down to the passing sidewalk beside them, "Well... it's more of a dumb question." She admitted.
"What is it?" John asked.
"When you left your world to come here... didn't you leave your entire family behind?" She asked, looking at him with a slightly nervous glance.
John's gaze fell to the floor of the carriage between them. For a few moments, he didn't say anything, prompting Tempest to speak up.
"L-like I said, it was a dumb question. Just forget I said any-" She began, before John spoke, cutting her off.
"No. It's fine. I didn't have any family when I left." He replied.
Tempest tilted her head to the side, "N-no parents? Siblings?" She questioned.
"All dead. That was a long time ago... before I was even ten years old." John answered.
Tempest's lips parted slightly as she took in John's past. She nervously swallowed before responding.
"I-I'm sorry. That must've been hard." She offered, averting her eyes.
"It's nothing I haven't come to terms with-" John answered with a nod, "-but thank you."
Tempest squirmed slightly in her seat, her face mostly hidden by her hoodie. A strange feeling welled up in her chest, encouraging her to continue her questioning. After taking a few seconds to debate with herself, she looked up at John once more.
"What... what about a marefriend? O-or whatever your species calls your mates? Did you have one of those?" Tempest asked, feeling her cheeks burn and her fur stand on edge.
John rolled his tongue in his mouth and leaned back in his seat slightly. He looked up to the sky for a few moments, a look of deep thought on his face as he thought over the question. With each passing second that he took to answer, Tempest felt more and more of her nerves faltering inside of her chest.
Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!! Why would you ask a question like that!? What the buck is wrong with you!? He's absolutely going to take that the wrong way!
As the thoughts in Tempest's mind raged with each other, driving her further and further into her hoodie to hide away from John's gaze when it eventually returned to her, the man in question let out a quiet sigh. He slowly looked back down at the increasingly nervous unicorn before him and shook his head.
"No, not really. Never had the time." He answered, plainly.
Tempest felt a wave of relief instantly wash over her at John's calm reaction, and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"Why's that?" She asked, reflexively.
Another wave of nerves washed over her, prompting another screaming match with herself in her head as John thought the question over.
"Just never really had the time, I suppose. Met plenty of women over the years, but the job always came first. A relationship would have just gotten in the way." He explained, with a small shrug of noncommitment.
Tempest felt her entire body relax at the answer, before another strange feeling assaulted her mind: Disappointment.
What the buck is wrong with me? She thought to herself, shaking her head to clear her mind of those thoughts.
After taking a moment to collect herself, she leaned back in her seat, fixing John with an even gaze the whole while.
"So you're just married to the job, then? I suppose that means that it'd be pretty easy for you to leave your world and everything you knew behind at the drop of a hat." She gave a slow nod.
John let out a slow sigh, "It wasn't an easy choice, regardless." He admitted.
Tempest tilted her head to the side, "How's that?" She asked.
"Just because I didn't have anyone to call my own doesn't mean I didn't want to live in my own world anymore. It was just... complicated." John explained, after a moment.
"Complicated... how?" Tempest pressed, leaning forward slightly.
John slowly shook his head, "Too complicated to get into right now. Maybe once this is all over and if you stick around, I'll tell you." He responded with a smirk.
Tempest rolled her eyes, "Fat chance of that. Once we're done with this, I'm disappearing forever. You won't see hide nor tail of me in Equestria ever again."
"Shame," John shrugged slightly, "I was just starting to enjoy your company."
Tempest paused for a moment, her brow furrowing in scrutiny. Her mouth opened slightly to respond, but she quickly found her words drying up on her tongue. As she struggled with a response, John looked over his shoulder to the pony pulling their taxi along on the road leading out of Baltimare.
Lush greenery greeted his eyes, beckoning him closer as the taxi slowly reached the edge of the city. Off in the distance, he could make out the snowcapped tips of the Macintosh mountains. He looked down to the pony pulling the cart, finding him happily humming a tune to himself and seemingly unaware of the conversation happing behind him, or just willfully ignoring it completely.
John turned back to Tempest just as she managed to control her jaw and close her mouth. She quickly shook her head and gave him a hard look.
"So-" She started, but John spoke up.
"So what about your family? You must've had parents or siblings when you were a filly." John said, taking note of the pointed frown Tempest quickly sported.
"What... what brought that up?" She asked.
John shrugged, "You asked about my family. It's only fair."
Tempest sighed quietly to herself, "I... haven't seen my parents since I was a filly. After I lost my horn... I just couldn't bear to be in that town anymore, so I ran away just a year after it happened. They... they probably think I'm long dead, now." She admitted, a sad look crossing her features.
John cocked his head to the side, a sympathetic look in his eyes, "You ran away when you were just a filly?" He asked, softly.
Tempest gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, "Honestly didn't think about them for two decades... was too busy trying to just stay alive or find a way to fix my horn." She recounted, her eyes failing to meet his.
John thought about her answer for a few moments as the taxi continued along out of Baltimare.
"You're a very driven mare, aren't you?" He asked, already well aware of the answer.
"Only driven enough to abandon my family, live two decades in some of the worst places I can think of, and betray my own kind in the hopes of getting my horn back... Harmony's sake, when I say it all like that I sound like the worst kind of pony in the world." She mirthlessly chuckled.
"Did the Storm King actually show that he could keep to his promise to restore your horn? Or did he just say that he was going to once you gave him Equestria on a silver platter?" John asked.
"He... had a staff. With the combined magic of all four alicorn princesses, he could control just about anything. Day, night, and everything in-between would have been fair game for him to control. I just... figured that if he could control all that, then restoring my horn would be easy." Tempest elaborated, a sad look on her face.
John nodded, "Understandable assessment. Question is, do you think he would've actually held up his word?"
Tempest shook her head, "I honestly think he was going to betray me the second he got what he wanted. That's why I planned to beat him to the punch..." She trailed off.
"But I was there." John surmised.
Tempest nodded, "Yes, you were. You wiped out the army he sent me with and nearly killed me in just a few minutes," She chuckled, "Honestly, I think he was just sending me to probe Equestria's defenses, hoping I'd die and save him the trouble of killing me himself."
"He'll come to regret that soon enough." John replied, firmly.
Tempest gave John a thin smile, "You really are certain you can kill him? He's got an army about fifty times the size of my attack on Canterlot." She questioned.
John nodded, "He can have the largest army on the planet. It won't matter."
"I would ask what makes you so confident... but I suppose you've already shown me time and time again that you're more than capable," Tempest shrugged, before a thought crept into her mind. Before she could stop herself, she continued, "Out of curiosity, what do you plan to do after you kill him?"
John tilted his head to the side, "The same thing I've been doing this whole time." He answered.
Tempest pursed her lips, "Really? No retirement plan? Just... keep fighting and killing until you die of old age?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I told you, as long as I can still fight, that's what I intend to do." John responded.
"I get that, but I didn't think you... literally meant fighting Equestria's enemies until you're on your deathbed... heh, I guess we're both very driven, aren't we?" Tempest chuckled.
John smirked, "I suppose we are."
The duo lapsed into a somewhat comfortable silence after that, both deigning to simply enjoy the passing scenery or purse through their thoughts. As they progressed toward Hoofenfield, the taxi pony continued humming his little tune to himself, content to simply pull the carriage and lost himself in his music. Soon enough, the tune was stuck in both John and Tempest's heads as well. . . . . .
The sun slowly crept down the skyline toward the horizon, bathing the world below in a blood orange hue that cast long shadows from the scattered trees and hills filling the valley below. Tall grass rustled back and forth in the evening breeze, almost giving the impression that the land itself was breathing and teaming with life. With the ever darkening skies approaching from behind, and the warmth of the fading sunlight to their front, John and Tempest arrived at Hoofenfield.
The small town boasted an equally small population of only a hundred and thirty, as indicated by the sign posted just at the entrance. As the taxi pony pulled the carriage into town, John and Tempest eyed their surroundings critically. Several smallish and medium sized buildings lined both sides of a single lane road leading toward a taller, three story building at the end of the town. From the outside, almost all of the buildings looked the same, save for a few small details such as outdoor furniture or paint color.
Only a couple dozen ponies were out and about at the twilight hour, but those that were, froze in their step as they turned to observe the newcomers to their humble village.
"Anyplace in particular you folks wanted me to drop you off? Hoofenfield is sorta small, so it's only a minute or two walk from one side to the other." The taxi pony asked, looking up over his wither.
"Here is fine. Thanks." John politely replied, before grabbing and slinging his duffle bag once more.
As the carriage came to a soft stop, John jumped down to the ground below with a small grunt. Once he was situated, he turned to Tempest and offered his hand as she attempted to get down without use of her broken foreleg. Albeit with a moment of hesitation, Tempest accepted his offered help and got down to the ground beside him. Together they headed toward the building toward the end of the single lane road while the taxi pony opened up a compartment on the carriage and pulled out his dinner.
As they progressed across the town, more and more ponies stepped out of their homes to observe the newcomers. Several tilted heads and hushed whispers filled the air as dozens of eyes followed the human and unicorn. While John simply ignored the whispers, or just gave them a sidelong glance, Tempest held her head low, instinctively hiding as much of her face under her hood as she could.
Soon enough, they reached the large structure at the end of the town and walked up the steps to the front door. John gave three polite knocks before waiting for a response, his eyes scanning over the ponies all standing around outside. Tempest felt a nervous feeling in her stomach as the seconds ticked by. More and more eyes fell on her and John, making her reflexively tuck her tail in slightly, as if to hide her ruby red hair color from the ponies that might recognize it.
Finally, the sound of hoofsteps on hardwood floors reached her ears, and the door opened, revealing an slightly middle-aged unicorn stallion with a mustard yellow coat. His blue eyes almost instantly lit up upon seeing the human standing before him, and he immediately lost any composure he may have been preparing while he approached the door.
"Oh my goodness... JOHN! The human!" The stallion excitedly exclaimed, slightly startling both John and Tempest.
Without waiting for a word of response from either the human in question or the unicorn standing beside him, the stallion rushed out onto his balcony and shouted to the entire town who, by now were all out in the street and observing the interaction with extreme interest.
"Everypony! It's him! It's the human! John is here!" The stallion announced, a beaming smile on his face.
"Really!?" A stallion questioned.
"It is! I knew it!" One mare shouted.
"He really is here!"
More and more voices cheered for the arrival of the human, prompting a questioning look to form on his face as he observed the crowd now cheering and celebrating his name. The stallion who began all the excitement quickly rushed over to his side and grasped his hand with both hooves, shaking vigorously as he beamed a wide smile up at the tall human.
"I can't believe it's actually you! I never thought we'd get to see our town hero!" The stallion enthusiastically explained.
John hesitantly allowed the pony to continue to shake his hand, "Uh, thanks. Wasn't sure if you'd heard of me." He said, giving a small nod to the stallion.
"Heard of you? Of course we've heard of you! How could we not!?" The stallion chipperly responded, "You saved the princesses from Chrysalis, Tirek, and we just heard word that you stopped that traitor, Tempest! You're a legend!"
At the mention of her name, Tempest buried her face further into her hoodie. Luckily, the movement went unnoticed by the excited stallion, as his attention was solely focused on John.
"Why, we've taken all of your teachings to heart here in Hoofenfield! We just killed a diamond dog last week that kept tearing up our land, trying to find some gems that we sell to the dragonlands." The pony explained, a wide smile on his face.
John slowly nodded as the stallion finally let go of his hand, "I... see. I imagine he was threatening your people quite a bit." John hesitantly replied.
"Oh like you have no idea!" The stallion exclaimed, "That dog was causing a whole mess of trouble for us. We must've lost thousands of bits in trade," He explained, before a look of realization hit his face, "Oh! right, how careless of me. I know who you are but you have no idea who I am! The name's Malt Hoofenfield! I'm the founder and mayor of this town." He proudly announced.
John nodded once, "Right... Thank you Malt. I hate to just cut straight to the point, but I'm in need of a place to stay and rest for the night."
Malt eagerly nodded, "Oh! We've got plenty of spare rooms that you can stay in. The Inn just a few houses down the road will get you all situated. Apologies for not having the sign put up yet, we only just decided that we would use that house as the Inn." He replied, pointing to a two-story green house down the road.
John gave a thankful nod, before turning to leave. Tempest quickly limped after him, ensuring to keep her head low and her face as concealed as possible.
"Oh John! One more thing before ya turn in for the night!" Malt called after them, making John and Tempest both freeze in their step.
"That Tempest pony. We heard word that you were going to have her executed but ended up sparing her. Any particular reason?" Malt asked, a curious look on his face.
John slowly turned to face the stallion. He rolled his tongue for a moment before responding, "We weren't done questioning her. It's... partly the reason I'm here right now."
Malt gave a slow nod, "Ah, I see... and, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice that you're not traveling alone. Will you be needing a room for two?"
John hesitantly looked down to Tempest, finding that she was still frozen in place, her face still mostly obscured by the hoodie. Something was slightly off with regard to her posture. Even with all the eyes on her, her attention was focused on the spot of dirt just before her, as if she were contemplating something.
John quickly turned to Malt, "We would appreciate a room for two. It's been a long day and she's very tired. Not very talkative when she's tired, this one."
"Ah, I know the type." Malt replied, winking at John, "No worries at all, friends! We'll get you both sorted out at the Inn. Sea Breeze should be up at the front desk, so go ahead and head on in. She'll get you sorted for the night." He instructed, a friendly smile on his face.
"Thank you." John responded, before turning back around and heading toward the building in question.
After only a few steps, he noticed the lack of hoofsteps behind him, and turned around to find that Tempest hadn't moved. He immediately turned back around and walked over to the mare as she stood, still as a statue.
"Let's go." He instructed, receiving no response of any kind.
With a frown, John grabbed her wither and gently shook the mare, finally snapping her out of her trance. With a start, she looked up at him, a deep frown visible on her face in the dim sunset lighting. John opened his mouth to question the unicorn, but before he could get a word out, she limped past him, her eyes once more darting to the ground as she held her head low and hid her face.
A few ponies that were still watching from afar whispered amongst themselves as Tempest laboriously made her way to the Inn, John hurrying after her.
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" John questioned as he caught up to her.
Tempest pointedly ignored him as she reached the front door of the Inn. Without waiting for him to speak again, she shoved the door open and limped inside. John rushed in after her, a frustrated frown forming on his face at her sudden attitude shift. Before he could question her further, the Innkeeper stepped out to the front desk.
"Good evening! How can I help... you..." Sea Breeze trailed off, her eyes focusing on John, "Oh my Celestia! You're John!" She exclaimed, a beaming smile on her face.
John gave a small nod, "Yeah. Sorry to just rush you like this, but it's been a long day. Is there any way we can just get a room for two?" He asked, as politely as he could.
The mare blushed in embarrassment, "O-oh, of course! My apologies, I understand you must be very busy and very tired. Here, take these keys to room three. It's upstairs." She hastily replied, grabbing the keys out from under the desk and hoofing them over to John.
"Thank you." John responded, giving a grateful nod and heading to the stairs.
As the mare gave a friendly wave goodbye, John reached the stairs, finding that Tempest was already at the top, and slightly out of breath. John quickly made his way up the stairs after her, finding her standing in front of the door marked with a '3'. John unlocked the door and let Tempest in first, before following in after and locking the door behind him.
Once they were alone in the modest room, he threw his duffle bag on the bed closest to him while Tempest made her way over to the other side of the room.
"You mind telling me what's got you all pissed off all of a sudden?" John questioned, irritation clear in his voice.
"You were the one that suggested execution." Tempest spat, her words laced with venom. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 9 | John eyed Tempest warily as she glared daggers into him.
"What?" He asked, after a moment of hesitation.
"You were going to have me executed!" Tempest spat.
"Why are you suddenly so surprised at that?" John questioned.
Tempest balked, "What the buck do you mean!? You told me that you saved my life when you cut the rope! You were the one who put me in that noose in the first bucking place!" She screamed.
John was slightly taken aback at her volume. He held his hands out placatingly as he tried to calm the furious unicorn, "It was a decision that I came to regret making within a day. I didn't want-" He tried to explain, only for Tempest to cut him off.
"Oh don't even try to act like you didn't want to! You had no problem killing me before the Princess intervened, and you clearly had no problem killing me after! Why don't you just bucking do it then! Just get it over with!" She snarled, limping over toward John.
"Tempest, I don't want to hurt you." John asserted, as the angry mare closed the distance between them.
"What!? Why can't you now!? What the buck changed from then to now? What do you bucking want from me!?" Tempest shouted, rearing up on her hind legs and aggressively pressing her good hoof against his chest.
Even on her hind legs, Tempest still stood two heads shorter than the human, and had to crane her neck back to look him in the eyes. John instinctively grabbed her hoof with his left hand, while his right migrated to the pistol still concealed in his waistline. For a few heavy moments, the human and pony simply glared into each other's eyes, neither willing to back down as Tempest breathed heavily through her nostrils and the atmosphere around them grew more tense.
"You tried to kill me... spared me, then sentenced me to die anyway. Next thing I know, you save me from the execution that you ordered, only to drag me out on a mission that I already told you the details of during my interrogation. Why the buck are you doing this? What do you want from me?" Tempest demanded, through grit teeth.
John stared down into her turquoise eyes. A fire burned behind that piercing gaze, forcing him to choose his words slowly, and deliberately. As the seconds ticked by, Tempest grew more and more impatient, and gripped his shirt with her hoof in an effort to appear more intimidating.
"I was given a vision." John finally answered, after quite some time.
Tempest's scowl lifted slightly, only to be replaced by a frown of confusion, "A vision?" She deadpanned.
"Yes. A vision from Harmony." John answered.
"You've got to be bucking kidding me," Tempest rolled her eyes, "The Harmony thing again?"
John nodded, "Like I said, it's more real than you realize.
"Oh buck off with Harmony! You can take that crap and go to Tartarus with it. What the buck does your 'vision' even have to do with me!?" She demanded, regaining her volume and anger within milliseconds.
"You're important in helping me kill the Storm King." John answered, plainly.
"How!? How the buck am I important!? I'm just a bucking nopony with a broken horn!" Tempest screamed, tears clawing their way out of her eyes as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.
John didn't respond, he simply stared back into Tempest's watery eyes, a simple look of concern on his face. A moment of silence passed, before Tempest finally broke her gaze and squeezed her eyes shut as she hung her head low.
"I'm nothing..." She whispered, so quiet that John could barely hear it.
Another moment passed in silence, and in that time a thousand thoughts went through John's mind. His jaw worked up and down but no words came out. He stared at the mare still held in his grasp, her sniffling registering on his ears over and over as he tried to think of how to comfort the distraught mare. Eventually, his gaze was pulled down to his grip on her foreleg, finding that the soft fur and muscular structure of her limb felt strangely warm, and soft.
John quickly shook his head clear and released his grip on her hoof, allowing Tempest to drop back down to the floor once more. Once on all fours, she slowly turned away from him and sluggishly made her way to the bathroom. John struggled to compose any kind of words to say to the broken unicorn, finding that for the first time in a very long time for the assassin, he was coming up empty.
Without another word, Tempest entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her, ensuring to lock it before sitting on her haunches and leaning back against the doorframe. She let out a shaky sigh before wiping some of the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Her lower lip trembled as she sniffled and took sobering breaths. After a few moments, she heard John's footsteps on the hardwood floor of the bedroom. He slowly approached the bathroom until only the door stood between them.
John reached his hand up to knock on the door, but paused just before his knuckles could make contact. He rolled his tongue in his mouth as he thought over what to say, his mind once again coming up blank.
On the other side of the door, Tempest silently prayed for him to just leave her alone and go somewhere else for a while. Eventually, her wish was thankfully granted, and John's footsteps reached her ears as he turned and sluggishly walked away from the door to go sit on his mattress. Tempest let out a thankful, yet nearly inaudible sigh as she gently thudded her head against the door.
Time passed by like an eternity as the tense air hung over both man and pony like a blanket of smog. After some time, Tempest managed to get control over her emotions and take the bathroom interior into view. The floor and ceiling matched each other, both being a plain white with porcelain tiles. Her gaze slowly transversed over one-pony shower to the window looking out over the town below, then over to the plain white sink on the opposite side of the room. She paused, her eyes darting back to the window and the fact that there were no latches or locks on the window in question.
With the speed and silence of a glacier, Tempest rose to her hooves. She gingerly crutched her way across the bathroom, ensuring to make as little noise as physically possible on the porcelain tiles with her hooves. After nearly a minute, she reached the window and inspected it. Confirming her suspicions from before, she found no locks of any kind on the frame, and with an experimental push, she attempted to open the window. It almost effortlessly slid upward, allowing the cool nighttime air from outside to flow into the bathroom.
Almost out of instinct, Tempest looked back over her wither to the bathroom door, fully expecting John to burst through the wooden frame and break her other foreleg for even considering what she was considering. She licked her suddenly dry lips as the seconds ticked by, yet John never came. The door never opened, and the only thing that moved in that perfectly still room was the fur on her cheek as a small gust of wind blew in through the slightly ajar window.
Tempest gently pushed the window further up in its track, opening it fully and allowing her unrestricted access to the outside world. The frame of the window was just large enough for her to crawl through, even with her casted foreleg. Albeit hesitantly, she peaked out through the open window and looked out over the townscape, finding that with the sun now fully behind the horizon, the nighttime sky loomed over Hoofenfield. She couldn't see any ponies on the street, giving further credit to the idea floating around in her head.
Tempest took just a few more seconds to decide for sure. She thought over her own predicament, as well as John's involvement in her current state, and a deep frown slowly wormed its way onto her face. With her mind concluded, she crawled through the open window, ensuring to make as little noise as possible to avoid alerting the human to her escape. She carefully maneuvered her broken foreleg through the window before ducking her head down and out as well. Her good foreleg soon followed, leaving her halfway stuck in the window before she grabbed the windowsill and slowly rolled forward.
With smoothness and grace that she struggled to maintain, given her broken appendage, she flipped forward, while maintaining her hold on the windowsill with her good hoof. Suppressing a grunt, she took stock of her surroundings once more, finding that the streets were still clear and no ponies noticed her escape. Once she was certain that she wouldn't be alerting the neighborhood, she dropped down to the ground below with a thud. She managed to not land on her broken foreleg, allowing her good limbs to take the entirety of the impact.
With nary a sound, she limped forward, only to realize that she left her crutch back up in the bathroom.
"Buck." She muttered, under her breath.
Tempest continued to limp along the outside of the Inn, her eyes glancing back and forth for any signs of other ponies or John. She eventually reached the edge of the structure and peaked out into the street. After a moment, she found the taxi carriage they'd rode in on, still sitting where they left it on the side of the road. The taxi pony was sleeping soundly on the top of the carriage under the starry night sky. Setting her brow in determination, Tempest sluggishly made her way across the street, while swiveling her head back and forth in search for any prying eyes.
That carriage should be within a hundred hooves... Tempest thought to herself.
With glacial speed, she limped her way across the street toward the carriage. Eventually, she reached the vehicle and knocked on the side fender with her good hoof. The noise started the stallion awake, and he pushed himself up to a seated position while rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes.
"Ugh... what the?" He muttered, only for Tempest to clear her throat and gain his attention.
The stallion looked down at the mulberry mare with a lopsided frown, "Uh... can I help you, miss?" He asked, somewhat groggily.
"I need to leave. Can you take me to the Macintosh Mountains." Tempest quietly explained, quickly glancing over her wither to see if there were any prying eyes.
"Macintosh Mountains? Lady, do you know what time it is? I just took you and mister Smith here an hour or so ago. I'm beat." The stallion replied.
"Please? It's very urgent that I get there tonight." Tempest pleaded, not so subtly looking over her wither once more.
The stallion slowly shook his head as he rose to his hooves, "Listen, I'm not a train. I need to rest after pulling a taxi all day. Unless you've got enough bits on you for me to take a week off work after this, I ain't doing it." He replied, firmly.
Tempest let out an exasperated sigh, "I don't have any bits on me, but I can pay you once we get there."
The stallion sat on his haunches and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, "And just what will you be paying me with? I don't take ponies at their word, I need to see proof of coin, so to speak." He fired back.
Tempest bit her lip and looked away. She took a few moments to rummage through her thoughts to see if there was something, anything useful she could think of as a way to pay the stallion, but quickly came up empty. Any coin she'd procured over the last two decades was spent almost immediately, and any valuables were sold off or traded. Eventually, and with a heavy sigh of resignation, she looked up to the stallion once more.
"What do you want? I don't have any bits." She admitted.
The stallion scratched his chin in thought for a few moments as he looked down at Tempest. He eyed her carefully, almost as if he were appraising her. The look sent a chill down her spine almost immediately, but she held her ground, lest her only chance at escape slip out of her hooves. Finally, the stallion gave a small nod, apparently having made up his mind.
"Well, you are a pretty attractive mare... and it does get pretty lonely being a taxi pony sometimes..." He trailed off, implicatively.
It only took a moment for Tempest to digest his insinuation, and she immediately recoiled with disgust, "Are you bucking kidding me!?" She shouted, infinitely louder than she meant to.
The stallion held his hooves up placatingly, "Woah, woah, I was just-" He began, swiftly being cut off by the fuming unicorn below him.
"What the buck is wrong with you!? You think I'm some kind of whorse? I'm not bucking you for a ride you creep!" Tempest indignantly screamed, ignorant of the many lights flicking on in the houses nearby.
The stallion fearfully looked back and forth at all the lights turning on and ponies stepping out to see all the commotion at such a late hour, "Just calm down-" He tried to speak, only for Tempest to shout over him once more.
"I need your help and the only way you'll even consider helping me is if I let you buck me!? You're disgusting!" She seethed.
In her fury, Tempest quickly whipped her head back, incidentally throwing her hood off of her head and exposing her broken horn, scar, and very recognizable mohawk to the ponies now surrounding her. A resounding gasp filled the air from the ponies around her, followed by utter silence. For a few pregnant moments, the only sound to fill the air was the sound of her heavy breathing after her tirade. Her nostrils flared as she grit her teeth and scowled up at the stallion responsible for her anger.
Eventually, however, she realized that the stallion was no longer attempting to calm her down, instead, he wore a look of pure terror. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead, before he finally found his voice once more.
"T-tem.." He whispered, his teeth nearly chattering in fear.
A cool breeze quickly blew through the air, sending a chill down her neck. It was enough of a shock to break her from her death glare and return her mind to the situation around her. A pit formed in her stomach almost instantly as the realization that her hood was no longer hiding her identity, filled her mind. She slowly looked down from the stallion and to the ponies surrounding her. She saw faces filled with rage, disgust, fear, but most of all, hatred.
Her jaw fell open slightly, but words failed her. Horns illuminated around her with malicious intent, wings flared defensively, and hooves scraped at the dirt in clear signs of aggression. With a sudden dryness in her throat, she stumbled back a step from the carriage, her strength fleeing her in an instant. She didn't even see the first hoof before it slammed into her cheek.
John rubbed his temples with his thumbs as he thought over the night's events. He felt an undeniable guilt in his chest for the situation he created, but as he glanced up at the bathroom door, seeing that it was still closed and locked, he let out a quiet sigh. He slowly sat upright, before getting to his feet. He walked around the plain room, finding that the flowery wallpaper reminded him of his own bedroom from his childhood.
With a wistful sigh for a time long since past, John turned away from the wallpaper and gradually made his way over to the bathroom door. As he reached for the doorknob, he paused, his fingers just a few scant inches from the knob. This could've been the fourth time he'd found himself in this position since the fight, and just like every time before, he found himself thinking over what she'd said.
I'm just a bucking nopony with a broken horn!
I'm nothing...
John thought back to the many fights throughout his life, and the many close calls he'd endured. Assassinations that went so smoothly that he was able to get back home and get a full night's rest, along with firefights that lasted days, flashed though his mind. Throughout his time on Equestria, he couldn't recall a time where he genuinely felt like his life was in danger. At least, not in the same sense when compared to his fights back home.
He struggled to think of a fight he'd fought in Equestria that left him struggling for breath, bleeding profusely, or even scared of the prospect of losing his life. However, he found himself coming up empty over and over. The thought of repeated failure was an alien one to him, yet he felt his heart reaching out in sympathy for the broken mare all the same.
What is it about this mare? Why do I care? He thought to himself, his brow furrowing deeply in thought.
As per the last few times, his mind drew a blank at that question as well, leaving him simply standing at the bathroom door, his hand just a few inches from the knob. Rolling his tongue in his mouth, John forced himself to reach forward, having grown weary of the constant struggle in his mind. His fingers finally coiled around the doorknob, gripping it tightly, before he attempted to twist. The brass knob refused to give, forcing a quiet sigh through his nostrils.
He let go of the clearly locked knob and gently leaned forward until he rested his forehead against the door. A few moments passed in silence, the air around him growing heavier and heavier.
"Tempest..." John said, receiving no answer.
"Listen, I get that you're angry... you're right to be. I don't think I'd be any better in your situation, myself... I just need you to know that I am sorry for making that call. I didn't think that you deserved a second chance... but that was hypocritical of me..." John trailed off, listening for any response through the door.
After a few more moments of silence, and no response to speak of, John took a breath and continued, "The truth is, when Harmony reached out to me... I was on the brink of death, myself. I was surrounded, over two dozen guns pointed at me and no way out. I've done some bad things in my life and more than once... innocent people died. I deserved to die that day but Harmony gave me a second chance... and I'm sorry... I should have given you the same." He finished, his eyes downcast and his posture slumped slightly.
Once again, he received no answer, prompting a sad sigh from the tall man as he slowly stood back up to his full height. Seconds passed in silence, and yet, still no response reached his ears through the door. Eventually, John sluggishly turned around and made his way back to his bed. He just reached the edge of the bed, before his watch illuminated in a bright purple light, accompanied by a harsh buzzing alarm that instantly snatched his attention. John looked down to his watch, and then back to the bathroom door.
Without a second of hesitation, he sprinted over to the bathroom and kicked the door open, splintering the wood and breaking the lock in the process. He was immediately greeted by an open window and an empty bathroom. John rushed over to the window and looked outside, toward the street. He saw firelight illuminating the houses lining the street, along with several ponies galloping toward the source of the light. Cheering and shouting quickly reached his ears, although he couldn't see the source of the noise and light from his side of the house.
Looking down to his watch once more and finding the brilliant purple light still visible, John turned around and ran to his bed. He grabbed his duffle bag off of the sheets and opened it, before reaching in and grabbing his Benelli M4 shotgun. He hastily ejected the shell in the chamber and unloaded the weapon, ensuring to pocket the red shells in his right pocket. Once that was done, he swiftly reached into the duffle bag once more and grabbed a box of yellow shells. He loaded the shotgun as fast as he could and pocketed the rest of the shells in his left pocket.
With that finished, he quickly opened the door and sprinted to the staircase. He rushed down the stairs and bolted through the main lobby and out into the street. As soon as he was outside, he looked over to the source of the light and shouting, finding a blazing pyre right beside a mob of townsponies. All of their anger and rage was focused on one figure standing on a raised platform, her ruby red mohawk easily visible from across the town. She was tied to a pillar, and the ponies around her appeared to be pouring some kind of liquid all over the platform she was tied to.
John instantly sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him toward the sight. He rushed past the straggling ponies still trying to make it in time to witness the spectacle that held their town's interest. He blew past house after house as he sprinted through the single lane leading to the mayor's house, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
John made his way across the town within thirty seconds, and came to a skidding halt just before the crowd of ponies and the pyre. His eyes were drawn up to Tempest, and the fresh bruises and cuts all over her body. One eye was almost swollen shut, and a deep purple, while her cast had noticeable cracks all along its frame. She barely looked awake from his vantage point, but he could just make out her one good eye as it sluggishly scanned the crowd, tears slowly streaking down her cheek.
She almost didn't notice him, however, after taking a moment to take him in, Tempest's eye widened in recognition. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out to John, the mayor stepped in front of her and addressed the human, himself.
"Mister Smith! There you are!" Malt announced, turning the crowd's attention toward the human standing behind them.
John locked eyes with Tempest for a few pregnant seconds of silence, before slowly looking over to the mayor pony beside her, "Malt, let her go." He ordered.
Malt chuckled as he shook his head, "Now mister Smith, why would we do that? You've hoof-er, hand delivered Equestria's worst traitor to our doorstep! After all, it was your teachings that helped us ensure the safety of our little village. We're only doing what you taught us to do." He reasoned.
John frowned, "Malt, let her go. Now." He demanded.
Malt's eyes widened slightly, "But John! You know we can't do that! She's too dangerous to be left alive! Maybe you've been getting softer since you came to Equestria, but we've been growing stronger. I can't let a dangerous traitor like this go. She has to die." He responded, shaking his head once more.
"This doesn't have to end in violence. Give her back to me and I will take her far away from your town." John offered, his grip tightening on his shotgun.
Malt licked his lips, "I'm... afraid I can't do that, John. Not with a mare this dangerous."
John quietly sighed through his nostrils, "You want a war? Fine." |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 10 | John eyed the dozens of ponies in front of him for several seconds. The tension in the air blanketed the entire town, leaving most of the ponies nervously glancing back and forth with each other as they blocked John's path. A hushed silence reigned over everypony present as they waited for John to make the first move.
John's gaze slowly swept over the crowd, looking for the biggest threats among the ponies as well as the quickest route to Tempest. He counted twenty one unicorns, thirteen pegasi, and thirty earth ponies. They only had a few spears and improvised weapons made from farming equipment among them all. John quickly glanced behind him, finding another half dozen ponies at his rear, all unarmed, but two of the bulky stallions looked poised to pounce on him.
Quickly looking back to the crowd, John found that the ponies still in front of him were very slowly advancing, albeit fearfully. His grip tightened on his shotgun's pistol grip as the crowd closed in from the front. The air itself felt thick and heavy as the tension reached its fever pitch. John only heard the sound of hooves scraping on the dirt from behind him, and he instantly reacted.
John dove to the side, narrowly dodging the earth pony stallion charging him from behind. He quickly rolled back to his knees and shouldered his shotgun, pointing it straight at the stallion's chest. Time froze for the pony as a look of horror adorned his face, only to contort into one of pain as John fired, and knocked him to the ground. The concussive blast made every pony in the crowd jump and cover their ears, but that only gave John more time to pick targets.
Turning to the ponies previously behind him, John fired five more shots, striking each of them in the chest or barrel, and knocking them to the ground. He quickly whirled back around to the ponies still blocking his way to Tempest, finding that many of them were already turning tail and running back to their houses. The roughly two dozen that stayed, wasted no more time once they were over the shock of the first round's fired, and rushed toward John.
Two pegasi took to the sky, while the three remaining unicorns stayed in the back, preparing whatever spells they knew that could be of some use against the human. Meanwhile, John aimed at the two closest earth ponies and fired his last two shells off. The closest pony was knocked back and fell to the ground, while the second only staggered from the shot, but continued to rush John. With speed and precision, John rotated the shotgun in the pocket of his shoulder, grabbed another shell and slapped it into the chamber, before smacking the bolt release and chambering the shell.
The charging stallion's eyes widened in fear as John reshouldered the shotgun and aimed straight at his chest. A blinding flash of light and concussion sent the stallion tumbling to the ground, clutching his chest as he wheezed in pain.
With his weapon empty once more, John fished into his pocket and retrieved a handful of shells. He quickly pushed himself to his feet just as a beam of magic flashed right past him. He ducked down and retreated as several more beams fired all around him, while hastily reloading his shotgun. Just as he managed to load the third shell into the gun, one of the pegasi swooped down and slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground and sending his extra shells flying.
The quickly approaching ponies rushed to get to John before he could get his hands on his shotgun once more, but he managed to grab the pistol grip just as the first stallion reached him. John rolled onto his back and fired straight into the stallion's belly and knocking his legs out from under him. With a howl of pain, the stallion rolled on the ground, clutching his gut.
"Above you!" Tempest cried out, before Malt smacked her in the face with a backhoof.
"Keep your mouth shut, traitor!" He shouted, before turning back to the fight.
John gave Tempest a quick nod, but before he could get back to his feet, the second pegasus swooped in and tried to knock the shotgun from his hands once more. However, this time John was ready, and rolled out of the way just as the stallion slammed his hooves into the ground beside him, kicking up a cloud of dust. John quickly canted the shotgun in his grip and fired blindly into the dust cloud. His only assurance that he hit his target was the high pitched squeal of pain from the pegasus as he fell to the dirt.
Swiftly rolling to his side and pushing himself up to his knee, John glanced up at the remaining ponies around him. He only had an instant to react before another stallion swiped at his head with a spear held in one of his hooves. John just barely ducked under the staff of the spear as he rotated the shotgun in his hands, effectively holding it like a baseball bat. Once he got back up, he swung the buttstock of the shot gun in a wide arc, smacking it against the stallion's head and knocking him out cold.
John rolled the shotgun back around in his hands, before noticing an unfired shell laying on the ground in front of him. He quickly grabbed the yellow shell and loaded it into the gun, before looking up just in time to see two more ponies charge him. He hastily shouldered the shotgun and fired at the one on the left, sending the stallion tumbling, before the mare on the right slammed her wither into his shoulder and knocked him to the ground. John's shotgun fell to the ground just a few feet away from him, but before he could attempt to grab it, another stallion kicked the weapon away, forcing John to grab the next available weapon before him.
Just as John grabbed the fallen spear off of the ground, another pony armed with a second spear, swung at his face. John brought his own spear up vertically, blocking the incoming blow just a few scant inches from his nose. Without giving the fearful stallion a chance to swing again, John pushed himself to his feet and kicked the stallion in the face, dazing him momentarily.
While that pony was stumbling back, John spun on his heels and swung the spear in a wide arc, smacking the mare to his right on the top of her head with the back end of the shaft. Without missing a beat, he swept the blade to the side, slapping the stallion beside her in the face with the flat side of the steel. Both ponies stumbled back from the hits, giving John time to hold the spear horizontally in his hands and rush forward, catching both ponies by the throat and slamming them into the house behind them.
John held both ponies against the wooden structure, all eight of their hooves dangling several inches above the ground below as they sputtered and struggled for air. As John held them in place, a beam of magic slammed into his back, making him grunt in pain. Slowly, so very slowly, John turned his head and glared at the unicorn mare who's horn was still smoking just a few dozen feet away. She audibly gulped before turning around and galloping away on shaky legs. With that, John released the two ponies trapped against the house, unceremoniously dropping them to the ground as they coughed air back into their lungs.
Hearing quickly approaching hoofsteps from behind, John turned and adjusted his grip to swing the spear in an upward arc, just narrowly missing the pony as they skidded to a stop just in front of him. With his new angle, John gave a downward swing, smacking the back of the pony's head with the flat side of the blade and nearly shoving their muzzle into the dirt. Then he thrust forward with the blunt tip of the end of the shaft, smacking the pony's forehead and making them stumble back a step.
Finally, John spun on his feet once more while adjusting his grip much like he'd done with his shotgun, and swung the spear in a wide arc. The center point of the staff slammed into the side of the pony's head so hard that the wooden spear snapped in half from the force of the impact, and sent the pony straight to the dirt, unconscious. John threw down the broken spear, before he heard charging hoofsteps behind him once more.
John spun to the side, just narrowly dodging the spear thrust from the previously dazed stallion. He grabbed the shaft with his right hand, then further down with his left, essentially walking his way down the spear. He pulled with his left hand, as he stepped forward, and shot out his elbow, smashing in the stallion's snout and knocking him down to his haunches as he let out a cry of pain. Now with the spear fully in his grasp, John eyed the remaining pony's still presenting a threat. All of them looked at him with terror in their eyes, and with a feral growl, John snapped the second spear on his knee, making all of the ponies jump.
"F-forget this!" One mare cried as she turned tail and ran.
"There's no way we're beating him!" Another shouted as she also fled.
"I think he broke Snowbell's muzzle!" A lanky stallion exclaimed.
John took two steps forward before the remaining ponies scattered and fled, dropping their weapons or spells as they galloped away to their houses. As they ran, John surveyed the street, finding many of the ponies still laying on the ground and rolling about in pain. His gaze quickly flicked back up to the platform, finding Malt still standing his ground with Tempest tied to the post beside him. He was visibly sweating and wide eyed from the display.
John looked down to the ground, finding his shotgun just a few feet away. He walked toward the weapon and quickly picked it up before fishing more shells out of his pocket. He walked toward Malt with a frown on his face as he loaded four shells into the shotgun, the sight alone making Malt wince.
"N-now mister Smith, I think we can be reasonable here..." Malt announced, his voice cracking several times as John reached the edge of the platform.
John simply held the same expression as he walked up the steps to the stage. Once he reached the platform, Malt staggered back several feet until he was just an arm's length away from Tempest.
"J-John, we can come to an understanding, I'm sure." Malt offered, a nervous grin on his face as John continued to approach.
"What if I offered you an all expenses paid trip to... Tartarus!" Malt exclaimed as his horn ignited and a beam of bright white light shot out, aiming straight for John's face.
John swiftly ducked his head to the side, narrowly dodging the beam of energy and pointing his shotgun right at Malt's face in the process. Malt reacted by casting a shield bubble spell around himself and Tempest just as John fired a blast from his gun. The shield held firm, only to be pelted by the rest of John's shotgun ammo, forming a visible crack just in the center. Malt winced with each shot, his horn pulsing with energy as it struggled to block the power of a twelve guage.
Without giving Malt a chance to recover the shield, John threw the shotgun to the ground and drew his Glock 17 from his waistband. He fired once, sending another crack all the way across the shield as Malt struggled to keep his mana field from snapping under the strain. John fired again and again, forming a spiderweb of cracks all along the shield until finally, after nine rounds, the shield shattered, and Malt stumbled back, his horn fizzling out with a shower of sparks.
John quickly cocked his arm back and threw his pistol as hard as he could at the stallion, smacking him right in the face and knocking him to the floor. John quickly rushed the stallion as he tried to get back to his hooves, before sweeping his legs out from under him, and dropping Malt to his belly. The now terrified stallion looked up to John in horror, blood flowing freely from his nostrils and the new cut directly under his horn.
John stared down at the stallion, his fists clenched in anger, however, he slowly released the tension in his hands, and let his shoulders slump some as he caught his breath.
"It's over. Go back to your home and don't follow us. The next time you see me, I'll kill you. I'll kill all of you." John growled, his brow deeply furrowed as he stared Malt down.
Malt hastily nodded his head as he held up his forelegs placatingly, "O-okay... whatever you want."
John gave a single nod, "Go. Now." He ordered.
Without another word, the stallion scrambled to his hooves and bolted for his house just a little further down the street. John watched Malt all the way until the stallion scampered into his doorway and slammed the door shut behind him. With a satisfactory nod, John turned around and made his way over to Tempest, observing the rest of the ponies still in the street as they rolled about, clutching their wounds and bruises.
Now that he was actually close to the mulberry unicorn, John could see the actual extent of the damage she'd sustained. Heavy bruising on one side of her face, combined with dirt matted all over her fur and cheek were heavy indicators that she was beaten into the dirt, and then beaten some more. One of her eyes was completely swollen shut, and the other had a broken blood vessel. Her hoodie was ripped in several places, especially around her cast, which also appeared to have been cracked several times and matted with dirt.
As John arrived at her side, he reached into his other pocket and pulled out his knife. He opened the switchblade and set to work cutting the ropes binding her to the post in the center of the pyre.
"You need to stop getting yourself into these kinds of situations." John muttered, with a smirk.
"I'll... try to keep that in mind, next time." Tempest replied, no small amount of gratitude in her voice as she was quickly freed from her bonds.
Once she was free from the rope, John knelt down to her level, his gaze soft.
"Listen, about what happened between us-" He started, but stopped as Tempest lunged at him, her good hoof wrapping around his shoulder as she buried her muzzle into his neck and hugged him tightly.
She trembled as she held onto John as if he were her only tether to the ground itself. Soft sniffles soon became harsh, and after just a few moments, she sobbed into John's neck. The contact left John speechless yet again, and he simply stared down at the distraught unicorn, his mouth slightly agape, for some time. Eventually, he wrapped his arms around her barrel and wither, pulling her into a gentle hug that she eagerly accepted.
For a few minutes, they simply held each other, the contact as comforting as it was foreign. John softly stroked his hand through Tempest's disheveled mane, the soft bristles playing through his fingers as they sprang back up to their natural resting position. Tempest only squeezed him tighter in thanks as she shook in his warm embrace.
Eventually, they pulled away enough to look into each other's eyes, although they stayed in each other's arms.
"You... you came for me... why?" Tempest asked, her voice just a whisper.
John rubbed small circles on her wither with his thumb, "I made a promise. No harm would come to you under my watch. I keep my promises." He answered, softly.
Tempest slowly looked down to her disheveled appearance, before looking back up to John and cocking her good eyebrow back, "You sure about that?" She asked.
John gave her a deadpan look, "You know what I meant." He smirked.
Tempest held his gaze for a few seconds before a small grin formed on her face as well. She let out a giggle, prompting John to quietly chuckle with her. The quiet air filled with the sounds of their soft laughter, and for a short while, they only enjoyed the moment, content to hold and be held as the night warmth of the now flaming pyre kept the nighttime chill at bay.
As with all things, it was not destined to last, and they both relaxed once more. John looked into Tempest's good eye, his brow furrowing ever so slightly as he thought over the right words, but before he could speak, she spoke up first.
"I... I'm sorry. For running away. I just... well, you know." She admitted, her gaze falling to the floor.
John gently cupped her chin with his thumb and index finger, guiding her gaze back up to his. However, instead of the disappointed gaze or even harsh glare Tempest expected, John simply looked down at her with an undeniable softness in his eyes.
"I understand... and I'm sorry too. I was wrong to order your execution... I've been stuck in my old way of thinking for so long that I thought you were irredeemable. That... wasn't fair of me. Not when I've made mistakes too." John responded.
Tempest stared back at John with a slightly slack jawed expression, "W-what do you mean?" She asked, hesitantly.
"I've made mistakes too... killed people that didn't deserve to die. When I was cornered and about to die, Harmony saved me and brought me here. I guess I got to thinking... if I got a second chance after the wrongs I've done... why shouldn't you? So I'm sorry. I should've given you a second chance like I was given." John elaborated.
Tempest took a few moments to take John's words in. Her mind raced as the implications whirled about in her brain, and as her brow furrowed, she glanced down to the floor once more. Eventually, she felt a strange feeling of elation in her chest. Almost as if she could suddenly breathe easier, despite the bruising her ribs sustained just minutes prior. She looked up to John, a moment of silence hanging in the air between them, before she finally responded.
"T-thank you... for saying that. I guess you aren't just a machine after all." She quietly chuckled.
"Last I checked, at least." John replied, a small smile on his face.
Several groans of pain suddenly caught Tempest's ears, and she looked over to the scene of carnage in front of the platform, finding all of the ponies John fought to get to her, struggling back to their houses. She tilted her head to the side in confusion, before looking over to John and finding that he was also looking at the injured ponies as they retreated.
"You... didn't kill them?" She asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
John shook his head, "I tried not to kill any of them. Some are hurt worse than others, but they should all make a full recovery." He offered.
"B-but... how? I've seen you kill creatures three times their size with your weapons. How did you not kill any of them?" Tempest replied in bewilderment.
Rather than answer verbally, John reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the remaining yellow shells. He held it up for Tempest to inspect, while pulling one of the red shells out of his other pocket.
"Bean bag rounds. Meant to incapacitate, not kill," John explained, before holding up the red shell for Tempest, "Buckshot. For killing whatever you need to kill."
Tempest looked at the two shells before her with clear interest. After a few moments to read the lettering on the sides of the shells that confirmed John's explanation, she looked up to the human with a small smirk.
"So you do have a non-lethal mode." She teased, receiving a snort of amusement from John.
"On occasion," John answered, before putting the shells back into his pockets and pushing himself to his feet, "Can you walk?" He asked.
Tempest moved her casted foreleg slightly, before giving John a small shrug, "Well luckily they weren't able to do much more than twist my foreleg a bit. The cast took pretty much all of the damage, so I don't think they rebroke anything. It doesn't hurt any more than it did before to put weight on it or anything. I just don't have a crutch anymore."
John gave a sympathetic nod, "We'll figure something out. For now, let's just get back to that Inn."
Tempest arched her eyebrow, "Are you seriously saying we should stay the night here? After what you just did to the ponies in town?" She questioned, a stark amount of disbelief in her voice.
"It's not like we have anywhere else to go for the night. Besides, what are they gonna do? Ask us to leave?" John smirked.
Tempest giggled as she shook her head, "I suppose they wouldn't want to earn your ire twice in one night." She replied.
"Then that's the plan. Come on, some sleep will hopefully help heal that foreleg enough for you to actually walk on your own." John said as he walked over to pick up his pistol and shotgun.
Once his weapons were secure, John helped Tempest walk down the steps of the platform and through the now vacant street. Orange light from the pyre easily lit the way for the duo as the broken unicorn leaned most of her weight against his thigh. Within a few minutes, they found themselves at the front door of the Inn, and although the lights were still on, there was no sign of Sea Breeze. Without a word, John opened the door and ushered Tempest inside, before leading her over to the staircase heading up to their room.
Tempest sluggishly made her way up the steps while John patiently walked behind her, ensuring the she didn't fall or stumble. Soon enough, they reached the top of the staircase and stepped into their room. John quickly closed and locked the door behind him, as well as place a chair under the door handle to prevent any chance of somepony breaking in. Lastly, he went into the bathroom and closed the window, ensuring to lock the latches on the frame, just in case.
With that, John walked back into the room to find Tempest already laying down on her bed.
"Before you go to sleep, take the hoodie off." John ordered, receiving a wide eyed stare of confusion from the mulberry mare.
"Uh... w-why?" She asked.
"To make sure you aren't bleeding or hurt anywhere else." John replied, sitting on the bed, just beside her.
Tempest gave a small nod and got to her haunches. She attempted to remove the hoodie, but quickly found the task almost impossible with only one good hoof. After a few moments of her struggling, John reached over and helped slip the hoodie off of her head and forelegs, exposing several nasty cuts and bruises all along her barrel. Tempest wilted slightly under John's wondering eyes, but he quickly found a spot on her back that needed attention.
"Looks like a pretty deep cut. Could probably use some stitches." John announced, before grabbing his duffle back and fishing out some sutures.
John sat down on the bed again, motioning for Tempest to come closer and face her back to him. She closed her eyes and winced as John pricked the first suture just below her wither. He worked quickly, and soon enough the wound was sutured up nicely.
"Alright, you should wash that blood off and then get some rest." John explained as he put his stitches away.
"Well... I can't exactly reach my back right now," Tempest replied, looking over her wither, before an idea forced its way into her mind, "Unless... you want to help." She suggested, a blush forming on her face.
John shrugged, "Sure." |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 11 | Tempest sat on her haunches in the small shower while John knelt in the open doorway. She softly sighed through her nostrils as John slowly brought the showerhead down on her back, the warm water instantly seeping into her coat. Droplets trickled down to the drain below as John rinsed over Tempest's most bloodied spots. The water ran a sickly crimson as he washed the blood away, leaving her coat mostly clean, save for the dirt and grime still compacted in her fur.
As John washed her back, he looked up to her face, finding her eyes closed and a dreamy expression on her muzzle. He stifled a chuckle before noticing the dirt and blood still smeared into her mane. He slowly brought the showerhead up her back, then her neck, and finally up to her mane, the action making her crane her neck back slightly toward the source of warmth. Dozens of jets of water rippled through her mane and into her scalp, the feeling sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as John's dexterous fingers danced through her mane. He added some shampoo into the mix, quickly creating suds that dripped down through her fur and into the plaster below. As he massaged her scalp, the mulberry mare leaned further and further into his arms, until she made contact with his broad chest, instantly soaking his flannel with suds and water. John let out a sigh but otherwise continued his ministrations until he was satisfied that the dirt and blood were washed free from her coat.
With a gentle push, John eased Tempest back onto her haunches, her good eye opening curiously as she was pushed away. She quickly noticed the damp spot on John's shirt, soaking all the way down to his abdomen, and a fiery blush covered her face.
"Uh... S-sorry." Tempest mumbled, her gaze directed to the opposite side of the shower.
"Don't worry about it. I have some clothes I can change into." John replied, before bringing the showerhead over Tempest's mane once more.
The last of the soapy suds were quickly washed away from her coat, leaving her mostly clean, save for the still dirtied and cracked cast on her foreleg. Both man and pony looked down to the offending fiberglass wrap before looking up to each other once more.
"We can probably take that off in the morning, if you're able to put weight on it." John offered.
Tempest nodded, "Here's hoping." She replied, before attempting to step out of the shower.
"Want that thing off so it can dry?" John asked, pointing to the damp collar still affixed to Tempest's neck.
Tempest attempted to look down at the aforementioned collar, before pursing her lips in thought.
"Huh, I... actually forgot I was even wearing it." She admitted, looking back up to John.
"I think you had other things to worry about." John smirked.
Tempest chuckled, "Yeah... yeah I suppose I did. My fault for running off, though. If this thing wasn't enchanted to help you find me... I'd be dead now, wouldn't I?" She asked, her voice taking a more somber tone.
John nodded, a small frown on his face, "Yeah. Most likely."
Tempest returned a nod of her own, "I think I want to keep it on... for the rest of the mission, at least. You never know what might happen." She responded, a soft look in her eye.
John gave her a half smirk, "Even if collars are for dogs?"
Tempest returned the smirk, "Even if collars are for dogs." She laughed, prompting John to chuckle along with her.
Soon enough, John pushed himself to his feet and helped Tempest limp out of the shower. He brought a towel down onto her back and helped dry her off, ensuring to avoid rubbing too harshly around the still fresh stitches near her wither. She dried off in a matter of minutes and made her way over to the beds, with John's help. Before she could crawl into her bed, however, she looked up to John to find that he had dirt smudged into his hair and on his damp shirt.
"You gonna take a shower too?" She asked, curiously.
John nodded, "Just a quick one. Tomorrow will be a long day, you should get some sleep."
With that, John wrapped his hands around Tempest's barrel and helped her into bed. She heavily blushed at the treatment, before laying down on the mattress and looking down away from John. He didn't seem to notice the clear darkening of her features, and made his way over to his duffle bag. John fished for new pairs of clothing and made his way over to the bathroom.
After setting down his clothes on the countertop, John set about removing his dirty flannel. As he pulled the fabric up and over his head, Tempest stared with rapt attention to the contours and muscles of his torso. He looked strikingly similar to a minotaur, save for the fur. John only had a trail of hair that led from his pectoral muscles down to his abs. However lost she was in her admiration of the human's body, Tempest quickly found herself frowning in concern at the sight of the large purple bruises on John's chest and shoulder.
Before she could say anything, John closed the door to the bathroom, blocking her view of the human before she could see any more of his unclothed body. She opened her mouth to protest at the denial of her line of sight on the object of her interest, but quickly shut her mouth and shook her head. The sound of running water soon reached her ears through the closed bathroom door.
Tempest sighed through her nostrils as she leaned down to the sheets beside her. She bit down on the edge of the soft cotton fabric and pulled the sheet up to cover the majority of her body. She laid her head down on her pillow and let out another quiet sigh. Aches and pain still registered in her brain, but the sheer exhaustion she felt from the stress of the ordeal with the town left her barely able to keep her eyes open for more than a few minutes.
Just as she felt sleep claiming her for the night, the bathroom door opened, and John walked into the room, his bare feet nearly silent on the hardwood floor. He stealthily laid down on his mattress next to hers and covered himself in the bedsheets as well. Tempest opened her eye to watch as John relaxed into the softness of his bed. For several minutes, she stared at the human as his breathing slowed.
It was never apparent to her whether John did fall asleep or not, but as she watched him peacefully resting, she felt a warmth in her heart at the sight. She couldn't quite place where the feeling came from or why she felt so content to simply watch the human rest. She tried to think of a reason for the feeling in her chest, finding the rationale of gratitude for his saving her life from a fiery demise to be sufficient enough for the night. With a quiet yawn, Tempest closed her eye and finally allowed sleep to take her for the night.
The Next Morning
Tempest awoke to the sound of John zipping up his duffle bag. She blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes and looked over to the window to see rays of yellow light spilling in through the curtains on the window. Rolling over to her side, she gave a grunt of acknowledgement to John as she sat up in bed. He wore a new flannel and pair of jeans, though the colors and patterns were almost identical to the previous pair. He heard her waking and looked up to the plum unicorn with a thin smile.
"Feeling any better?" He asked, already sure of the answer.
Tempest yawned and stretched her hooves, finding that while several of her joints popped during the exercise, she felt little to no pain. Even the swelling and bruising on her face were essentially gone, allowing her to open both of her eyes fully. Her left eye was still noticeably bloodshot, but aside from that, she could see clearly and her depth perception was still accurate. She returned the smile with a much wider one, both due to the lack of pain upon waking, and because of the man looking at her, a softness in his features that she hadn't seen much of before.
"I am. Thanks for asking." Tempest replied, cheerily.
"Well you certainly seem in good spirits. That's good to see." John mentioned, walking over to the window.
"I haven't felt this good since... well since before I attacked Canterlot." Tempest admitted, her happy tone quickly fading away to pensiveness.
John looked down to the cast around her foreleg, "How's the leg feeling?"
"Good. I can move it without a stabbing pain shooting up my wither," Tempest replied, rolling her forearm around to demonstrate.
John gave a satisfactory nod, "Well then, do you think you can walk on it?" He asked.
Tempest returned the nod, "Yeah. I think I can put weight on it now." She answered.
John pulled his knife out of his pocket and opened the switchblade, "Let's cut that thing off, then."
Tempest somewhat hesitantly held her foreleg out for John as he sat down on the bed beside her. He gently grabbed her cast and slid the knife underneath the plaster and against her flesh. She tensed slightly from the feeling of the steel against her foreleg, but as she glanced up to John's eyes, she found him offering her a small smile. The sight alone made her relax and let down her guard, much to John's gratitude as he pressed the cutting edge of the blade against the inside of the cast.
With a calculated sawing motion, John slowly and methodically cut through the plaster, freeing her foreleg inch by inch. Tempest's fur was matted and smelled from days without a proper washing, but the feeling of fresh air on the appendage was as refreshing as her shower the night before, and she couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh of relief. John pried the rest of the cast off of her foreleg and tossed it to the side, before fixing her with a curious look.
"How's it feel?" He asked.
"Almost like new." Tempest happily replied, flexing her hoof and rolling her wither.
"Good. Then we should probably get a move on. Sun's up and we need to get to the Storm King's shipyard as soon as possible." John responded as he pushed himself off of the bed and got to his feet.
Tempest nodded, "Well we should at least be able to get there faster now that I can actually walk." She said with a chuckle.
John smirked, slinging his duffle bag to his back as he made his way toward the door. Tempest hopped off the bed and followed after him, the tiniest hint of a limp in her step. Together, they made their way down the stairs and to the front door of the Inn. Sea Breeze was once again, nowhere to be found.
John opened the door and stepped out into the morning sunlight, finding that there wasn't a soul outside in Hoofenfield. It resembled a ghost town, and even a tumbleweed gently flitted across the lone street running down the length of the town. John slowly gazed across the street, finding that the residents of Hoofenfield were still very much present, only they were hiding in their homes, their eyes pressed against their windows, all gazing fearfully at the human and unicorn as they stepped outside.
Tempest followed John's gaze to the houses across the street and she raised an eyebrow at the fearful ponies eyeing her and John as if they couldn't see them.
"Well you certainly leave an impression wherever you go." Tempest snorted.
John simply shrugged, "Hopefully they at least learned something from all this."
Tempest surveyed the town once more before fixing John with a raised eyebrow, "Bit optimistic, don't you think?"
John quietly sighed, "Probably. Hopefully I just don't have to pay them a visit in the future."
With that, John stepped out into the street and headed toward the town entrance. Tempest followed close behind, giving one last glare to the townsponies as she left.
Together, John and Tempest made their way toward the Macintosh mountains while the sun steadily rose to its apex in the sky. After a few hours of travel, John and Tempest arrived at a fork in the road. One way led back toward Baltimare while the other headed up the mountains.
John turned to Tempest, "Alright, it's on you to lead the rest of the way now." He said.
Tempest looked at the fork in the road, then back up to John, "I suppose it is. It'll be about a day of walking at this rate. We need to head toward the Bloodstone Gorge. Taking the trail through the Macintosh mountains is going to take us way out of the way. We're going to have to go off road." Tempest explained.
John nodded, "Lead on then." He replied.
Tempest returned the nod and stepped off of the main road onto the short grass covering the fields as far as the eye could see. John followed her lead and quick enough they were strolling through knolls of grassy hills beside the Macintosh mountains while the sun continued its trek across the sky. Eventually, the sounds of Tempest's growling stomach caught John's ear and he looked down to the mulberry mare.
"Hungry?" He asked, noting the blush on her features as she tried to look away.
"I guess you did hear that then... yes, you could say I am a bit hungry considering we haven't had anything to eat today." She replied.
John slowly looked out over the grass fields they were walking through, "Isn't this like... an 'all you can eat buffet' for you out here?" John asked, tilting his head to the side.
Tempest gave him a deadpan stare. Eventually John awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
"I... guess that would be a bit demeaning, wouldn't it?" He asked.
"You don't say?" Tempest replied, continuing her deadpan stare.
"Well, I might have a few things you can eat." John responded, unslinging his duffle bag and fishing around for some of the food rations he'd packed.
Tempest sat on her haunches as John fished through his bag. After a few moments of digging, he pulled out a few bags filled with apples and a few other packaged items that Tempest couldn't discern. He set the duffle bag down on the ground and sat down beside her as he handed a bag of apples over to her.
Tempest gratefully accepted the apples and took a bite as John dug through one of his mystery bags. She eyed him curiously as he pulled out a piece of dark red colored material and bit into it. It took a few moments for the smell to register in her muzzle, but the second it did, she instantly recognized the scent.
"Is that... meat, you're eating?" Tempest asked, tilting her head to the side.
John slowly looked over to her, "Yes. Is that a problem?" He asked, curiously.
Tempest took a moment to contemplate before shaking her head, "Honestly, that does explain a lot. I remember the smell from the badlands. That's beef jerky, right?"
John nodded, "Yeah. Just some from my world. Not a sapient animal, if that thought's going through your mind."
"I figured as much. Luckily the cows down in the badlands aren't sapient either. Still, it was really hard to come to terms with the fact that most every creature this far south has no qualms about killing and eating another creature, sapient or not." Tempest explained.
"They don't care if the creature is sapient down here?" John asked, a small amount of surprise in his eyes.
"You heard Merkle talking about eating me back at the hotel, didn't you?" Tempest questioned.
John nodded, "Thought he was just a particularly uncivilized individual."
"Believe it or not, that was him at his most polite." Tempest shrugged.
John snorted, but continued to eat his food, prompting Tempest to return her attention to the apples in her hooves. Together they ate their relatively meager meals in peaceful quiet, both content to let the sun's warm light wash over them as it traversed toward the West. Once they were both finished with their food, John pulled out a canteen filled with water and drank a few swigs before offering the drink to Tempest. She gratefully accepted the water and drank until the canteen was nearly half empty.
With their meal and hydration situated, John repacked the canteen and empty bags while Tempest stretched her healed foreleg. Once he was ready, John gave a nod to Tempest, prompting her to take the lead once more toward the Storm King's shipyard. They continued their walk until the sun nearly crested the horizon, casting long shadows from the Macintosh mountains just to their right. Blood orange and purple light filled the sky, fading to darkness and white starry spots on the opposite side of the sky.
Still, they continued to trek past the mountains, finding that the grassy plains soon gave way to desolate fields of dirt and sand. Lush greenery faded to dead trees and brown as far as the eye could see. John looked down to Tempest, finding that she wore a far off look in her eyes, as if just the sight of the Badlands drove the joy from her body and drained the color from her eyes.
"You okay?" John asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
Tempest glanced over to him and gave a tiny nod, "Just... we're really doing this. I guess it's just finally setting in."
"If we don't, hundreds of thousands will die." John offered.
Tempest sighed, "I know that... it's just strange coming back here after everything. It's only been a few days but it feels like years since I lived out here, struggling to survive. I honestly thought the only way I'd ever step hoof out here again was if I were conquering the entire continent." She admitted.
John chewed his tongue in thought for a moment, "If it makes you feel any better, you aren't alone this time." He offered.
Tempest nearly froze mid step, allowing John to walk right past her. He stopped and turned to the mulberry mare as she looked up to him with wide eyes.
"What?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.
"N-nothing, just... thanks." Tempest quickly replied, a small smile forming on her muzzle.
John returned the smile with a nod before turning and continuing on, Tempest quickly galloping after him to resume her place at the lead. Soon enough they arrived at a canyon extending several miles into what appeared to be a large mountain range. John looked up to the towering mountains and let out a low whistle as he followed behind the plum unicorn. She pointed toward the largest mountain at the end of the canyon.
"There. The shipyard should be just behind that mountain." Tempest announced.
John let out a long sigh, "That's gonna be a long walk." He said, a forlorn look on his face.
Tempest nodded, "There are a few shortcuts we can take. I remember a few that are pretty close. If we're smart about it, we can be there by sunrise." She explained, nodding toward the moon slowly rising into the sky.
John took a moment, appearing to mentally prepare himself, before letting out a small huff, "Lead on, then."
Tempest smirked at John's behavior and pushed on ahead, "What's the matter? Not a fan of long walks through the night?"
John shook his head as he followed after her, "Not particularly. Wish I had my car here, sometimes."
"What's a car?" Tempest asked over her wither.
"Long story. I'll tell you once we're done." John replied.
"Well, we've got a lot of time to kill in complete silence otherwise." Tempest reasoned.
John gave her a deadpan stare, "You ever hear of scouts? Sentries? Security?"
"All moot points when you have their rotations memorized and know that they only guard that last mountain before you get to the shipyard." Tempest fired back.
After a moment of contemplation, John let out a long suffering sigh, "Alright, where should I start?" . . . . .
"-so that was when I got my sixty nine mustang back." John finished explaining with a huff as he crawled up a large boulder.
Tempest allowed him to grab her hoof and helped pull him up to the top of the boulder alongside her, letting out a huff of exertion, herself.
"I didn't realize... cars were so important to your people... and the names you all came up with... mustang has a much different connotation here, you know?" Tempest replied, breathing some air back into her lungs.
"I'm aware," John answered, catching his breath, "we should keep quiet now. I think I see some guards up ahead."
Tempest followed his eyes, finding that a pair of burly figures moved with the grace of a sledgehammer along the ridgeling of the mountain they were currently scaling. Luckily, the last mountain at the end of the valley was easy to scale without any special kind of climbing gear, but their particular segment was highly exposed to the sentries, prompting John to direct Tempest to a ledge just in front of them and duck under it.
They heard the sounds of the guards as they loudly grunted in their language in what appeared to be a heated conversation between the two storm beasts. John peeked his head up from the ledge, watching the pair as they progressed out of sight and out of earshot. Only once they were gone, did he look over to Tempest, finding her also peeking over the ledge, beside him.
"I honestly expected better security." John admitted, shaking his head.
Tempest shrugged, "The Storm King wants to keep this shipyard as low profile as possible. It's right on Equestria's border and its purpose is literally to stage an assault on the entire country. Plus he thinks he's invincible and that no creature is crazy enough to attack him first." She explained.
"Well, time to prove him wrong, then." John responded, before pushing himself to his feet and climbing the ledge.
Tempest followed his lead, the two of them rushing up toward the ridgeline on the side of the mountain that wrapped around to the opposite side where the shipyard allegedly resided. Together, they skulked over rocks and boulders, under dead and decaying trees and between the long draws that led all the way to the bottom of the mountainside. It took some time, and when they finally reached a vantage point that could see the opposite side of the mountain, the sun was already high in the sky.
John got down on his hands and knees and crawled under several broken trees and boulders until he arrived at a small opening that overlooked the shipyard below. Immediately, he let out a low sigh at the sheer volume of the Storm King's forces. Blackened hulls underneath blood red war balloons lined the valley below as far as the eye could see. Smoke billowed from the hundreds of ships engines and other machines transporting troops, munitions, weapons, and fuel all across the landscape. Each ship adorned the familiar icy blue lines of the Storm King's banner, but what caught John's attention most of all, was the triple pyramid-shaped building at the center of the shipyard that radiated a ghostly green glow into the air around it.
For a moment, John simply observed, until he felt something brush against his legs. He looked back to find Tempest squeezing into the hole with him, her body pressing firmly against his as she pushed her way up his torso and to his chest.
"You know, you could just wait your turn." John muttered, pushing himself against the rocks to give Tempest more room.
"Stealthier this way." Tempest replied as her muzzle popped up beside John's head to observe the shipyard below.
John followed her gaze back out to the army ahead, "Look familiar?" He asked.
"Unfortunately." Tempest answered. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 12 | "His fleet has over one hundred air ships. Each one has eighty infantry troops on board with vehicles and support troops ready to deploy on command." Tempest explained, her steely gaze focused on the troop movements below.
John watched the troops moving with a steady frown on his brow, "Equestria doesn't have the firepower to take on even a quarter of that." He responded.
"Bit overkill isn't it?" Tempest asked, knowingly.
"Yeah."
"That's because it's not an invasion force. It's an occupation force. Whatever weapon the Storm King has in that pyramid building... he's convinced that it'll be enough to either make the ponies surrender immediately, or wipe enough of them out until they have no choice." Tempest explained.
"Well then we'd better get down there and stop them before they can take off." John replied.
"Not a good decision. I know you're strong, but several thousand armed and armored storm soldiers are a bit larger a threat than a town of untrained ponies, don't you think?" Tempest reasoned.
John watched a half-track filled with two dozen storm soldiers speed by on the road a few hundred feet below them. He chewed his cheek in thought for a few moments, before turning to Tempest once more.
"Stealth it is, then."
Tempest nodded, "Our best shot is going to be taking out the fuel supply. It's highly explosive and with all the air ships lined up like this... assuming they're all fueled up and ready to go... you could potentially wipe out the entire fleet and weapon facility in one fell swoop." She explained, tilting her head to the side in thought.
"Sounds like that's the plan." John replied.
Tempest scratched her chin in thought, "Only one problem. You're going to need a pretty big explosive to rupture the fuel tanks and cause a chain reaction of that size. I don't suppose you have anything that fits that bill on you, do you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
John shook his head, "No... although..." He trailed off, his brow furrowing in thought.
Tempest looked up at John before following his gaze to the pill-shaped fuel cells just a few hundred feet from the pyramid building, "What's on your mind?" She asked.
John nodded toward the fuel tanks, "Is the fuel a gas, or a liquid?" He questioned.
"It's a liquid, but the vapors are what's flammable anyway. Why, what are you thinking?" Tempest responded.
"If I can punch a few holes in the tank and let some of those vapors out, a little electricity would probably make the rest of it go up in flames." John explained, looking down to Tempest's broken horn.
A small grin found its way onto Tempest's face, "That just might be crazy enough to work. We'll have to get close though. I can only control my magic for a short distance. After that, it just goes to the path of least resistance... we might be a bit too close to the tanks if I'm being honest." She finished, her grin turning to a slight frown.
John nodded, "Unless you have any better ideas, that's our only choice. We don't have long to do it either. They look like they're about to move out." He pointed out, gesturing to the troop movements as they boarded the ships below.
Tempest sighed, "I suppose you're right. How do you wanna do this?"
"Stay close to me. Once we're spotted, it'll get real loud, real fast." John replied, as he shuffled back out of the hole they'd both crawled into.
Tempest followed his lead, and crawled back outside. Once they were both free, John set his duffle bag down on the ground and unzipped it while unbuttoning his flannel with his other hand. He pulled out his Sig MCX and the Benelli M4, as well as his Kimber 1911. Tempest watched in amazement at the assortment of weapons laid out before her, only to tilt her head to the side in confusion as John started stripping out of his pants as well.
"Uh... what are you doing?" Tempest asked, her eyes not so subtly wandering all over John's body.
"Changing." John answered, simply.
Tempest opened her mouth to reply, but as John pulled out a suit from the duffle bag, she closed her mouth and pursed her lips.
"You know... this isn't exactly a formal affair." She said, cocking an eyebrow back.
"Yeah, I kinda figured that-" John replied, as he pulled his pants up, "-but I don't have any other kind of body armor here."
"Body armor?" Tempest tilted her head to the side.
"The suit has armor woven into it." John explained as he donned his vest and jacket.
Tempest nodded, "I see. That must be some impressive stuff if it can fit into a simple suit like that. Let's hope that it'll do the trick against the Storm King." She added.
John grabbed the M4 and slung it onto his back before grabbing the MCX and slinging it on his front, "Here's hoping." He replied, before digging through the duffle bag for more ammo.
Tempest eyed the amount of ammunition in the bag, as well as John's already somewhat encumbered appearance with a frown. After he shoved three magazines into his pockets and pants, she cleared her throat to get his attention.
"Why not keep most of this in the duffle bag like you've been doing this whole time?" She asked.
"Need to access it quickly. If it's on my person, I can get to it faster." John answered, pulling out several pistol magazines.
Tempest hummed, "Well, if I'm being honest, I don' think that your suit has enough pockets for all of this. What if you gave some to me?" She asked.
John raised an eyebrow, "You sure?"
Tempest nodded, "Might as well."
John returned the nod before placing a few more magazines back into the duffle bag and tightening the straps enough to fit on Tempest's much smaller frame. He slid the straps over her barrel as she guided her forelegs through them, quickly securing the duffle bag. Once that was in place, John pulled out another belt from the bag and strapped it around Tempest's barrel.
"Uh, what is that for?" Tempest asked, quirking an eyebrow as John cinched the belt down on her barrel.
"For this." John replied as he pulled out his Kimber 1911 and its holster. He clipped the holster under the belt and tightened it down just a hair more to ensure it wasn't going to fall out or get lost.
Tempest eyed the gun now mounted to her body with a worried glance, "This thing isn't going to just go off on its own, is it?" She asked, attempting to angle her body away from the barrel of the gun.
"Unless someone pulls the trigger, no." John answered.
With one final check over the tidiness and tightness of their gear, John nodded toward the shipyard below, "Alright, let's get moving. We can use the trees for cover until we reach the perimeter. We'll have to go building to building after that, unless we can hijack one of those vehicles."
Tempest gave a nod of acknowledgement, "Alright. Let's do this." She replied.
John headed down the side of the mountain, Tempest close on his heels as the shipyard bustled with activity. They rushed from cover to cover, finding small bushes, trees, or boulders just large enough to hide them from view as the sentries passed by on their routes. Quick enough, they arrived at the road leading straight into the camp, both diving to the ditch on the side of the road as a squad of storm soldiers ran past near the entrance to the base.
John slowly peeked his head up from the ditch, his eyes scanning over the shipyards defenses now that he was closer and could identify weak points easier. Sharp, angular fences lined the entirety of the perimeter of the base, making entry from anything other than the designated roads, almost impossible. He mused over the idea of creating a distraction at one side of the gate and climbing over another, but his thoughts were cut short as the rumble of another half track filled the air.
The vehicle exited a tunnel that bore into the mountainside, it's heavy engine echoing off of the walls as it chugged along toward the shipyard. Instantly, John could see that there weren't any storm soldiers on the back; instead there were several cannons and large harpoon guns, half covered with black tarps that hung loosely off of the barrels and frames. John quickly looked down to Tempest and nodded toward the approaching half track.
"Looks like that's gonna be our ticket in. Gonna have to hop on as it passes though." John quietly explained.
Tempest eyed the half track with suspicion, "Are you sure that's the best way? Sometimes those get inspected by the guards on the way in." She reasoned.
"Unless you've got a secret entrance up your sleeve, that's our best shot. Plus, they're about to leave. They're in a rush." John shot back.
Tempest let out a quiet sigh, "Alright, fair point. On your mark." She replied, crouching down into an athletic pose as she prepared to move on the vehicle.
John crouched down beside her, taking a similar pose as he prepared for the inevitable arrival of the half track. A few moments passed, nearing a minute, and with each passing second, the sound of the vehicle grew louder and louder, until it was nearly on top of them. Just as the rumble of the engine, and the vibrations of the tracks shook the ground around them, John bolted out from his position on the side of the road, Tempest right at his heel.
John jumped forward and caught the back door panel of the half track and quickly hauled himself up onto the flatbed on the back. Tempest swiftly leapt onto the opposite door panel and hooked the frame with her hooves. With a helping hand from John, she easily climbed up onto the flatbed as well.
With the gate entrance quickly coming into sight, John crawled under one of the tarps. Tempest followed his lead and hid herself under the tarp just adjacent to his, ensuring to tuck in her tail and keep her mane under the fabric. Together, they waited in hushed silence as the track approached the front entrance of the shipyard. Just as they reached the gate, the vehicle came to a stop, and two storm soldiers approached the driver from either side of the cab.
John slowly, and carefully lifted the tarp just enough for him to glance under the fabric and see the soldiers as they communicated with the driver in their strange tongue. A series of grunts reached his ears over the sound of the engine, but aside from that, he couldn't discern what they were discussing.
Eventually, the soldier John could see, nodded his head toward the direction of the center of the camp and turned around to resume his post. A moment later, the half track jolted to life once more and pushed forward into the camp. John smoothly hid his face beneath the tarp as he passed by the guards, before lifting it back up slightly so he could see where the vehicle was heading to.
Across from him, Tempest did the same, her eyes scanning the passing tents and structures for any sign of their objective. For a few minutes, they only saw the mundane aspects of the shipyard. Mess halls, barracks, and formations of troops loading onto the airships, passed by at a steady pace, before quickly being replaced by much more of the same.
"Any of this look familiar?" John asked, his eyes still scanning for his objective.
"Vaguely. I remember a few of these buildings... I think we're going to reach the fuel tanks at the next intersection, but I can't see out in front to be sure." Tempest responded.
"I think I see an opening. Get ready to jump out and move to me on my signal." John announced, getting to his knees under the tarp.
Tempest quickly pushed herself to her hooves and scooched over as close as she could to John. A few moments of tense silence passed, before John spoke up.
"Now." He ordered, throwing the tarp over his shoulder and quickly dismounting the half track.
Tempest was only a second behind him, and with two distinct thuds, they both hit the ground and broke into a sprint and gallop toward an open doorway leading into a tall, jagged building. John rushed in first, shouldering his rifle and quickly clearing the room of any signs of life, before Tempest rushed in after him, closing the door just enough to leave a crack of light peering in for them to see with.
There were no windows in the room, only a few basic electronics and radio equipment that seemed completely unattended to for at least a few days. Tempest kept her eyes glued to the crack in the door, her gaze scanning for any approaching storm soldiers as John walked through the room and looked up the spiral staircase leading to the roof.
"Do you see anything?" Tempest asked.
"Nothing. Just some old radio equipment," John replied, lowing his rifle and looking over to Tempest, "You?"
"I see the fuel tanks." Tempest answered.
John quickly walked over to her side and glanced out the crack in the door to see the fuel tanks just a few hundred feet down the road. The storm soldiers surrounded the fuel tanks with no less than fifty guards, along with barbed wire fences, and several vehicles with armor thick enough to stop a cannon. John frowned at the sight before him, stepping away from the door and fixing Tempest with a contemplative look.
"I can get us to the fuel tanks, but it won't be quiet. They're gonna know we're coming and they aren't going to be showing any mercy. You ready for this? You're going to have to kill to survive this." He stated, firmly.
Tempest turned away from the door and gave John a nod, "I am." She firmly replied.
John leaned down and grabbed the mana nullification ring on her horn for a few seconds. The ring flashed green before unlocking and falling away from Tempest's broken horn, and allowing the feeling of magic to finally register on her broken appendage once more.
Tempest smiled as she felt the familiar feeling of her admittedly untamed arcane might, and let a few sparks fly, almost as if testing to see if she could still do it. With a happy nod of affirmation, she looked up to John and smirked.
"Let's blow this place." She said.
John nodded, "Alright. You know the plan. Stay close to me."
With that, John grabbed the door handle and shoved it open. He sprinted out into the street with Tempest galloping close at his heels. Together, they rushed past dozens of storm soldiers, many of whom recognized the mulberry mare and tilted their heads to the side as she galloped past them alongside a creature they'd never seen before. Such confusion was short lived, however, and after just a few moments, several of the soldiers recovered from their shock and shouted warnings and commands to their comrades upon seeing where Tempest and John were headed.
The storm soldiers guarding the fuel depot all turned their attention to the rapidly approaching John and Tempest, many of them assuming a defensive position with their spears and shields. John shouldered his rifle as he closed in, his finger migrating to the trigger and squeezing off several rounds as he slowed to a brisk walking pace. The echoing gunfire ricocheted off of the metallic structures around them, amplifying the colossal volume of the rifle as bullet after bullet sped through the air at thousands of feet per second.
One soldier fell, then another, and then another. Those that weren't covering their ears, covered their chests as bullets tore through their armor and flesh like a hot knife through butter, leaving them bleeding profusely from the many new holes in their bodies. Tempest's ears flicked down in agitation as each shot fired made her flinch, but she managed to keep pace with John, her horn sparking to life to keep back any soldiers that might approach from John's rear while his attention was occupied.
Dozens of soldiers sprinted toward the duo, spears and swords at the ready as they quickly covered ground. Tempest sparked her horn to life, sending a wave of magical lightning across the ground in front of her and catching all of the closest guards. They cried out in agony as the electricity seared their fur and sent their nerves haywire, making many of them spasm or contort their bodies in all manner of different ways.
With his back covered, John quickly dispatched the last of the guards protecting the entrance to the fuel depot. He reached back with his left hand and tapped Tempest's wither, gaining her attention and nodding toward the depot. She instantly got the hint and followed after him as he rushed toward the front gate, jumping over a few dead bodies along the way. They both quickly found themselves standing among over a dozen fuel silos, each one labeled with their maximum quantity of fuel on the side.
Forty thousand gallons per silo John thought as he looked over the silos.
Half a dozen more storm soldiers inside the depot rushed toward John and Tempest, their weapons at the ready. John quickly reshouldered his rife and canted it to the side, aiming with his red dot sight at the close range threats. He fired six more rounds before his magazine ran out of ammo, forcing him to switch to his Glock. As John peppered the approaching soldiers with nine millimeter ammunition, Tempest covered his back once more, sending a continuous bolt of lighting at a soldier just as he rounded the corner. The lightning seared his skin, making the creature howl in pain as it collapsed to the ground, writhing about for a few moments before falling still.
Beads of sweat dripped from Tempest's brow as she caught her breath. The strain of practically dumping her magical energy on the first few soldiers to approach her, left her feeling drained. She took a quick breath and shook her head to clear the slight dizziness from her mind, and focus on the next approaching soldier while John reloaded his weapons, six dead soldiers laying in front of him.
The next storm soldier to round the corner thrust at Tempest with his spear, but she deftly jumped over the weapon and flipped into a somersault, her hind leg spinning into a downward kick that caught the back of the soldiers head and drove his jaw straight into the mud below. The creature let out a grunt of pain as he slammed into the ground, his spear falling from his grasp and somewhere out of reach as he tried to push himself back up to his feet.
Just as the soldier looked up once more, Tempest kicked out a hindleg cracking his jaw for good and knocking the beast unconscious. As she turned back to John, an crossbow bolt sailed right past her face, before slamming into the fuel tank just a few dozen feet away from her and splintering into a thousand shards of wood. Both her and John looked over to the nearby guardtower, finding the source of bolt nearly instantly.
John quickly shouldered his rifle, and with a gentle push, increased the magnification of his optic enough to see his shot clearly. He squeezed the trigger and fired off another round, dropping the storm soldier immediately as blood spewed from the new hole in his head. With that threat cleared, John turned back to the fuel depot and fired off a volley of bullets that pieced the metal frame of the silo nearest to the both of them with ease. Plumes of green smoke billowed from the dozen holes now present on the fuel tank, filling the air with a noxious gas that John and Tempest stepped away from.
Without hesitation, John emptied the rest of his magazine into the other silos present in the fuel depot. The air filled with a haze of green gas that made it difficult to see more than a few dozen feet ahead. John quickly reloaded his rifle before turning to Tempest and nodding toward their exit.
"Let's get to a safe distance, and then you can light it." He instructed, turning on his heels and rushing to the front gate.
Tempest nodded and raced after him, her hooves plowing through the bloodied mud as she kept on John's heels. They quickly reached the exit, only for over three dozen storm soldiers to rush them from just outside the perimeter. John instantly fired his rifle, not even bothering to shoulder the weapon due to the extreme proximity of the soldiers, while Tempest ducked under the first soldier's sword and leapt upward, using her jagged horn to puncture the soldier's throat.
The gas quickly approached them from behind as they fought against the soldiers surrounding them. Both Tempest and John were too busy fighting to notice the quickly encroaching gas as wisps of green licked at their heels. Soldier after soldier dropped in front of John, multiple new holes littering their corpses and running the ground red with blood. Beside him, Tempest dropped the second soldier to approach her by jumping over the horizontal slash of his sword and headbutting him as hard as she could. The action both knocked the soldier to the ground, and cut her forehead, leading to a bleeding wound the spilled down her face.
Momentarily blinded by the blood now filling her vision, Tempest stumble back a step, only for a claw to grab her by the throat and throw her into the street, away from the depot and into the center of the crowd of soldiers. She landed with a splash of mud and blood, but she managed to quickly roll to the side to avoid a spear plunging into her belly.
Across from Tempest, John quickly shouldered his rife and fired three rounds, killing the soldier nearest to her before he could attempt to spear the unicorn again. Unfortunately, in his moment of focus, John didn't see the soldier approaching from his other side, and was brutally thrown nearly a dozen feet away. He landed with a splash, just a few feet away from Tempest. He let out a grunt of pain from the impact, but quickly pushed himself to a kneeling position just as the soldiers rushed from all sides.
John aimed his now very muddy rifle at the storm soldiers approaching from in front of the fuel depot. He fired again and again, his bullets cutting down several of the soldiers until he ran out of ammo. Tempest ducked under a spear while kicking her hindleg out and knocking the wind out of the soldier behind her. She deftly rolled to the side, dodging a sword swipe from another guard but found herself completely surrounded. As she frantically looked back and forth for an escape, she saw the green wisps of gas as they reached the outside wall of the depot.
"Get down!" Tempest screamed, her horn sparking to life.
Without hesitation, John dove to the mud and rolled away from the guards while Tempest shot an arc of lighting straight into the thick of the cloud of gas. The electricity connected with the wisps of fuel vapor, igniting the flammable material and turning the entire cloud of smoke into a blazing inferno that quickly enveloped the whole fuel depot. The following explosion sent all the soldiers, Tempest, and John flying as the entire world around them blew up into a bright flash of blindingly brilliant light. The fire burnt so bright and hot that entire buildings blew away, and tents ignited instantly.
As Tempest slammed into the ground, dozens of feet away from the entrance to the depot, she fell unconscious, her vision quickly fading to black. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 13 | "Hey."
Tempest felt her eyelids straining to flutter open, but the crusty, sticky sensation on the inside of her eyes kept them closed.
"Hey! You alright!?" A voice reached her ears, so faint that she couldn't be sure she'd even heard it.
"Wake up! Come on!" The voice shouted, much closer this time.
Tempest willed her eyelids to open, much to her immediate discomfort. Her entire body felt warm, much too warm to be comfortable, and a throbbing pain ached all the way from her hind legs to her forehead. She gasped for breath, her mind immediately becoming aware of the fact that she hadn't breathed in quite some time. The smell of sulfur and burning flesh instantly filled her sinuses and mouth, making her gag and cough almost as soon as her lungs filled with air.
After several moments to accept the newfound stench that surrounded her completely, Tempest finally looked up to her surroundings, finding nothing but scorched earth and burning airships all around her. Smoke billowed through the air, filling the sky with greenish black clouds that looked almost as sickly as the carnage they orbited. Charred bodies littered the streets and filled the collapsed tents and structures all around the fuel depot. She slowly surveyed the destruction, her eyes moving from one desolate ruminant of the storm king's fleet to another.
Tempest gagged again as she looked at the bodies scattered all over the shipyard. Memories of just a few minutes prior quickly flashed through her mind, and she quickly found herself struggling for breath. She vividly recalled the feeling of her horn spearing into a soldier's neck, his blood oozing down her forehead and into her eyes. His gagged gasps of agony filled her ears, driving her to nearly hyperventilate as the memories rushed into her mind, one after the other.
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Her heart rate slowly decreased, but the nauseous feeling in her gut lingered, making her swallow back the bile before she would lose control and vomit into the mud. It was a losing battle, and after only a few moments, she doubled over and dry-heaved, her stomach attempting to empty its contents.
Aside from a small amount of spittle and bile, Tempest vomited nothing. She heaved breath into her battered lungs, each breath nearly sending her back into a puking fit as the stench of the charred world around her filled her sinuses. Slowly, but surely, she managed to control herself and quell the feeling in her gut that seemed to only want her to empty her insides. Finally, after wiping the last of the spittle from her muzzle, she looked up from the mud below and surveyed the carnage once more.
After taking some time to look over the damage, Tempest became aware of an acute ringing sensation in her ears that didn't seem to want to go away. She flicked her ears back and forth in an attempt to clear them or pop them, but found no such luck. She slowly brought a hoof up to her ear and rubbed the fuzzy extremity. Her hoof came back in front of her face covered in blood. She stared at the crimson fluid soaking into her fetlock with wide eyes and a blank stare.
Despite all the stimuli around her, Tempest hardly registered the feeling of a gentle hand on her wither. Only after a good shake, did she look over to her side and find John kneeling beside her. Black soot and mud caked his face in dozens of places, nearly appearing as if he was wearing some kind of war paint. His suit matched his face well, and he appeared to be covered in more dirt and mud than even she was.
After nearly ten seconds of staring at John, she realized that he was speaking to her.
"What!?" She cried, her voice a strained croak that she could barely hear.
"Are you okay!?" John shouted back, grabbing her head with both hands and looking over her bloodied ear.
"I c-can barely hear." Tempest replied, looking back to John with a slightly fearful look.
John tilted her head to the side and inspected the bloodied ear in question. While her entire face and head were caked with dried blood and mud, he easily found fresh crimson fluid soaking around the appendage in question. He gently folded her ear inside out and looked at her inner ear, finding that there was little blood inside of the extremity. He quickly traced his finger along the outside edge of her ear until he reached the base, finding a laceration just underneath. With a small sigh of relief, he released her head and with his left hand and calmingly rubbed her cheek with his right thumb.
"It's just a cut. Don't worry, your hearing should come back in a bit." John explained, giving a supportive smile.
Tempest let out a shaky breath but nodded her head in thanks as John pulled away. He quickly checked his rifle and magazine, finding that he still had nearly a dozen rounds left. With that done, he got to his feet and looked back over to Tempest.
"Can you still fight?" He asked.
Tempest looked around the scene of utter desolation around them, "Fight what!?" She asked, louder than she meant to.
John pointed to the sky behind her. Tempest turned on her haunches and looked up, finding a sight that made her heart sink.
Just beyond the burning remnants of the shipyard, nearly a dozen airships hovered, all with large, green tanks affixed to their hulls that could only be carrying a volatile payload of the storm king's secret weapon. Beneath the airships, the pyramid shaped building that housed the storm king's weapons, burned. The sight was as beautiful as it was terrible, but the airships ominously hovering just above, only served to douse her elation in kerosene and ignite it. The sinking feeling in her chest only worsened as she saw the storm king's flagship, hovering high against the blue sky, the black smoke surrounding it on all sides.
"B-but.. how?" She weakly asked, despair clawing its way into her voice.
"Must've got airborne before we were able to destroy the fuel depot." John answered, getting to his feet.
Tempest shook her head side to side, "How... how are we going to stop them? We've got no way to cover that distance and get into the air." She replied.
John rolled his tongue in his mouth. He quickly surveyed the destruction around them, before his eyes landed on a vehicle that was still intact. The entire left side was scorched, the black tarp was reduced to nothing more than a few smoldering rags, and the paint was blistered, but the tires were still in usable condition. What held his attention, however, was not the vehicle itself, but rather, the large harpoon gun on the rear.
John quickly turned back to Tempest, "What kind of range does that harpoon gun have?" He questioned, pointing at the aforementioned battle implement.
Tempest's muzzle scrunched up in thought, "Uh... about five or six ship lengths. That was probably going to be mounted to one of the airships before we destroyed them."
John nodded as he turned and walked over to the vehicle. The building beside the half track crumbled in on itself as he walked, having taken the majority of the explosion and more than likely saved the vehicle from becoming a casualty as well. Tempest quickly pushed herself to her hooves and rushed after him, although, after just a single step, she nearly lost her balance. She shook her head clear and hurried after him, her mind still struggling to catch up after the massive explosion.
"You can't seriously be thinking what I think you're thinking." Tempest spoke up, eyeing the track wearily.
"I am." John replied.
"Those airships are well past that gun's range right now, and there's no way in Tartarus that piece of crap is starting after that explosion." Tempest responded.
"Only one way to find out." John rebutted as he reached the driver side door.
John threw the door open and stepped up to the driver's seat. He looked around the admittedly foreign design of the storm soldier's vehicle for a few seconds before finding a key in the ignition. With an almost indiscernible shrug, he grabbed the key and twisted. The heavy engine turned over several times, but failed to start. John tried again, and within a few seconds of cranking, the engine roared to life, a puff of black smoke billowing out of the exhaust pipe and into the already blackened sky.
Tempest shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe this piece of crap started..." She muttered.
John looked over to her as he revved the engine, "Get in." He ordered.
With just a sidelong glance to the storm King's airborne ships, Tempest obliged and made her way to the passenger door. She quickly hopped inside and found her seat. Once she was seated, she gave John a small nod, to which he shifted the vehicle into drive and stepped on the gas.
The half-track jolted to life, its wheels pushing through the muddied ground with relative ease as it slowly accelerated. John kept his gaze up on the airships, his eyes quickly attempting to find the closest one that they could harpoon and board.
"You're gonna need to get on that gun. I think I see our target." John announced, pointing up at the lowest airship.
Tempest squinted her eyes as she followed John's finger to the airship, finding that it was heading away from them and gaining altitude.
"We're gonna need to go a lot faster if we're gonna catch up to that before it's out of range." Tempest replied, before turning around and sliding open the rear window.
"What do you think I'm doing?" John muttered as Tempest crawled out to the harpoon gun on the flatbed behind him.,
The half track plowed through mud and half burnt tents, quickly closing on the airship as smoke billowed from its rear. The engine growled and roared as John pressed the pedal against the floorboard as hard as he could.
"They just fired up their main engine! We need to get in range in the next twenty seconds or that ship is gone!" Tempest shouted as she manned the harpoon gun. She aimed up at the airship as black smoke poured from the cone shaped hole on the stern of the ship.
"I'm working on it!" John rebutted, before turning off of the road and heading straight for a shoddily built wooden barracks, "Hold on back there!" He called over his shoulder.
Tempest complied and ducked down behind the gun as John plowed the beefy half track straight through the barracks. Wood splintered as the heavy vehicle obliterated the small building, sending fragments flying in all directions. A shower of wooden splinters rained over Tempest and the half track jolted heavily from the impact, but she managed to hold on as they continued on a direct path to the airship.
"We're getting close! Get ready!" John ordered, slamming his foot on the gas pedal as hard as he could.
Black smoke poured from the exhaust pipe as the half-track strained to meet it's driver's demands. Obstacles and debris did little to slow the barreling behemoth as it raced through the remains of the shipyard toward the fleeing airships. As they quickly covered distance, John looked back over his shoulder, finding Tempest already aiming the harpoon gun at the airship in question.
"Tell me you've got a shot!" John shouted over the roaring engine.
Rather than reply verbally, Tempest squeezed the massive trigger of the gun. A blast of smoke and concussion rocked the half-track as the harpoon sailed through the air, heavy steel cable waving through the air behind it. John and Tempest both watched for over a second as the harpoon soared toward its target. Time seemed to slow, and for a moment, neither man nor pony could breathe as they watched the projectile.
Finally, the harpoon slammed into the back of the airship, sending a tremor through the entire hull and filling the air with a solid *thwack*. John and Tempest both watched, part in awe and part in relief as splinters of wood fractured from the hull of the airship from the impact of the harpoon. Once she was sure they were connected, Tempest leaned down to the cab of the half track.
"We need to get off this thing before the airship gets up to speed. It'll rip the gun off of the bed!" She shouted, getting a nod of affirmation from John in response.
John quickly turned in his seat and let his foot off of the gas. The roaring engine instantly quieted down as the throttle closed, swiftly slowing the vehicle down as John climbed out of the back window and onto the flatbed. Once there, he hurried up to the harpoon gun, finding the rope already being pulled taught by the airship as their half-track slowed. He quickly tightened the slings on both his MCX and Benelli M4 before jumping up and grabbing a section of the rope with his hands and pinching another section with his feet.
The thick rope easily held his weight as he slowly climbed upwards, making room for Tempest to jump on as well. She wrapped all four hooves around the rope and bit down on a section, using her jaw as something of an anchor for her to pull herself up with. Just a few seconds after they'd both cleared the flatbed of the half-track, the vehicle slammed into a berm on the edge of the shipyard. The harpoon gun instantly snapped from its mount and dragged along behind them, making the rope sway and ungulate from the impact and lack of anchor point.
John and Tempest both held on as tight as they could as the rope swung back, forth, up, and down. With determination and sheer strength, they pulled themselves upwards toward the airship. Each foot upwards felt like a titanic task that sapped away at the strength of the tendons in John's fingers, as well as the muscles of Tempest's jaw. Foot by foot, inch by inch, they struggled and fought their way up the rope. The airship grew ever closer as it rejoined the rest of its squadron.
As John clawed his way up the wisping rope, he took note of the lack of soldiers peering over the edge to attempt to dislodge the harpoon from their ship. He heaved breath into his lungs as he silently thanked his lucky stars that the soldiers didn't seem to notice or care about the potential boarding party they were about to receive. He cast a quick glance back to see that Tempest was still holding on for dear life, her teeth digging into the rope as she squeezed it as tightly as she could with her hooves.
"You good!?" John called over the sound of the wind.
Tempest couldn't nod or reply without letting go of the rope, so she opted to simply wink at John and continue her slow ascent after him. Satisfied with her answer, John turned back toward the ship and pressed on. Inch after inch they climbed until finally, John reached the side of the airship. Due to the harpoon's impact location, their only means of boarding was to climb up the side of the airship nearly a dozen feet to the deck. John hastily looked for a hatch or window for them to break in through instead, but found that the only hatches were gunports that were all closed.
John braced his heel against the harpoon and pressed his arms against the hull of the ship to keep himself balanced as he leaned over to the only gun port within reach. John stretched his arm as far as he could, his fingers just touching the hatch as he tried to wiggle them into the crevice between the hatch and its frame. After a few seconds of precarious fenagling, he found that the hatch was locked, preventing him from pulling it open. Before he could attempt again, he felt Tempest reach the harpoon and wrap a hoof around his leg.
Upon releasing her vice-like grip on the rope, Tempest spit a few twines of the black fibers out of her muzzle and worked her jaw over a few times to try to get a semblance of feeling back into it. John looked back to her, opening his mouth to tell her that the hatch was locked, only for it to suddenly open behind him. John twisted back around just in time to see a storm soldier lean out to look outside.
Instantly, Tempest fired off a spark of magical lightning, electrocuting the storm soldier and making his entire body go rigid for several seconds. So much electricity flowed through the soldier's body that he couldn't even scream in pain, as all the air was driven from his lungs within an instant. Finally, after nearly five seconds of blasting her magic, Tempest extinguished her horn, allowing the soldier to slump down over the gun port, half his burly body dangling out the window.
John quickly reached over and grabbed the singed arm of the soldier and strained to pull him out the rest of the way. After a few seconds of struggle, he managed to drag the rest of the yeti out of the gun port and drop him to the world below.
"Nice job!" John complimented, before reaching to the now open gun port and grabbing the frame.
"I aim to pleashe!" Tempest replied, still working her jaw some.
John hopped off of the harpoon and hoisted himself into the gun port. Once he was inside, he quickly surveyed the room, finding no sign of any other storm soldiers. Once he was sure it was clear, he turned around and reached out the window to Tempest. There was a considerable distance between them, and considering her smaller stature compared to his, she couldn't quite reach all the way across.
"You're gonna have to jump!" John instructed.
"Seriously!?" Tempest exclaimed, looking down several thousand feet at the passing land below.
"You got a better idea!?" John shouted back at her, reaching out with his hand again.
Tempest looked back and forth from John's hand to the world below several times before gulping and preparing herself to jump. She took a few deep breaths before crouching down slightly to aim for the gun port. With a final wiggle of her hips, she leapt off of the harpoon and reached out for John with her forelegs. For a split second, she sailed through the air, nothing but her forward momentum keeping her from falling to her death, several thousand feet below.
Then, she felt John's arm wrap around her barrel, and she instinctively wrapped both forelegs around his back as her hindlegs dangled in the open air below. She squeezed herself as close as she could to the human, thanking her lucky stars that he had fingers and could maintain a solid grip on her barrel as he heaved the both of them back into the airship. Once her upper half was inside, she clambered her hindlegs up to the port and pushed herself the rest of the way in, before releasing her death grip on John and collapsing to the floor as she panted for breath.
Once she was safe, John sat down against a wooden support beam and caught his breath as well. For a few minutes, they simply panted for air in the empty room. The only sound to join them was the rushing air, passing by the still open gun port.
"Let's not... do that again." Tempest muttered, after some time.
"Deal." John replied, eyeing his hands.
"What's wrong?" Tempest asked, tilting her head to the side.
John shook his head, "Nothing. Just rubbed my hands raw, climbing that rope." He explained, showing Tempest his bloodied palms.
Tempest's eyes instantly widened in alarm, "Harmony's sake, are you okay?" She asked, getting to her hooves.
"I'll be fine. Just burns a bit, is all." John replied, dismissively.
"If you say so..." Tempest trailed off, although she didn't quite look convinced. She curiously looked over the room they were hiding in for a few moments, finding one cannon still tied to the wall, alongside dozens of bags of black powder and cannonballs, "Hey, John." She said, her eyes glued to the explosive material.
"Yeah?" John responded, looking up to Tempest, then over to where her gaze was pointed, "Ah, I see."
"I always did tell them that much black powder in one place was practically begging for the entire ship to go up if any creature ever hit one specific spot." Tempest acknowledged, shaking her head.
"Think there's enough here to completely destroy this ship and any of the Storm King's special weapon?" John asked, pushing himself to his feet.
Tempest nodded, "There's enough black powder here to light this ship up, the next ship over, and still have enough to put a dent into the Storm King's flagship all at once if we can get them close enough to each other... then again, I know his ship is reinforced with steel in most places, so we might need more than this ship to take his out. As for the weapon... I know almost nothing about it. I just know that he was convinced that it would bring Equestria to its knees if he ever had to use it."
"Bit counterintuitive to destroy the land you want to conquer and render it uninhabitable, don't you think?" John questioned.
"That's how the Storm King is. He'd rather see an entire continent burn and rule over the ashes as a show of his power, than let a nation stand up against him. It's not about what he's ruling over to him, it's about what he's shown he can conquer. The only reason he wanted Equestria in the first place was for its magic. If he can't have it, he'll gladly wipe it off the face of the planet." Tempest explained, solemnly.
John walked over to the bags of black powder and rolled his tongue in his mouth. After a few moments, he turned back to Tempest, a slight frown on his face.
"Well then none of these ships can be allowed to make it to Equestria; Canterlot, specifically. We're heading North right now. How long until we reach Canterlot in this thing?" John asked.
Tempest chewed her cheek in thought for a few moments, "At cruising speed, it should take just a day... but after what we did to his fleet already, they're moving in high gear. My guess? At this rate, we'll be in Canterlot airspace by the afternoon. What's our plan?"
John grabbed one bag of the black powder, almost as if testing its weight. After hefting the bag a few times, he set it back down among all the rest. With that done, he walked back over to the gun port and looked outside at the rest of the airships still flying in formation. After a few moments, he nodded and turned back to Tempest.
"There's nine other airships, including the Storm King's flagship. We take control of this ship, use the cannons to take out the ships nearest to us. There's three that we can easily destroy as long as the ships hold formation. Once that's done, we'll get as close as possible to the the next ship closest to us. We can use the harpoon gun to get close. Once we take that ship, we scuttle this one." John announced.
Tempest gave a hesitant nod, "That... still leaves five other airships that we'd need to worry about. They'd all just open fire on us once they saw us board the next ship." She replied.
John looked down and chewed on his lip for a few moments as he thought over the wrench now firmly wedged into his plans. Eventually, he came to a conclusion and looked up to Tempest once more.
"Then we board the Storm King's flagship instead." |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 14 | "You sure about this plan?" Tempest asked, looking at the doorway leading out to the rest of the munitions deck of the airship.
"It's the only option we have." John replied, checking the magazine of his rifle.
He saw that there were still a dozen rounds in the magazine, and proceeded to change it out with a fresh magazine from one of his pockets. He quickly realized that he only had one full magazine left, and as he reloaded his MCX, he turned to Tempest.
"I'm gonna need the rest of the ammo from the duffle bag." He stated.
Tempest nodded and unslung the duffle bag from her withers before hoofing it over to John. He swiftly filled his pockets with the remaining magazines of 5.56 before filling his pockets with the rest of the shotgun shells and pistol magazines. Once he was fully loaded, he gave the duffle bag back to Tempest.
"You know, there's still a chance the rest of his ships will fire on us even if we're on board his ship." Tempest mentioned as she put the duffle bag back on.
"There's a greater chance that they wont. If the Storm King is anything like you say he is, he won't tolerate his own troops firing on him." John reasoned, stepping toward the door.
"His ship is reinforced with steel. Even if they do fire on his ship to kill us, he probably won't even notice. Also, if we don't board fast enough, they can seal us out. If that happens, we won't be able to get in until the they open up to attack Canterlot." Tempest rebutted.
John paused mid step. He looked over his shoulder to Tempest and nodded, "Well then, we'd better be fast."
With a quiet sigh, Tempest followed after him and took her place on the opposite side of the doorway, "Alright, but if this goes sideways, just remember that it was your plan." She replied, with a teasing smirk.
John chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind. You ready?" He asked, shouldering his rifle.
"Ready as I'll ever be." Tempest responded, preparing herself for what was about to come.
John nodded. With a calming breath to collect himself, he reached forward and twisted the door handle, pulling the door open. Immediately, he was greeted by two storm soldiers on the far side of the deck, both seemingly bored and not paying attention to him as he came into view. That quickly changed as John stepped into the room, and both soldiers jumped to their claws, spears and shields at the ready as the human pushed into the room.
John fired off several rounds, dropping both soldiers in a matter of seconds. With the threat neutralized, he pushed forward toward the ladder leading up to the next deck. Just as he reached the ladder, his rifle already pointing up at the open hatch leading to the next deck, another soldier looked down at him, a sword in his claws as he peeked at the deck below. John fired another round, instantly killing the soldier and knocking him onto his back as his brains leaked out of his skull.
John quickly climbed up the ladder and up to the next deck, finding no less than a dozen storm soldiers surrounding him on all sides of the deck. He quickly engaged the soldiers directly to his front as the rest closed in on him from all other sides. However, before they could get close enough, Tempest hopped up from the ladder and took her position watching John's back, her horn already sparking at the ready.
Three storm soldiers fell from John's hail of bullets before any of them could get close. The first soldier to close in met Tempest head on, only for her to blast him backwards with a bolt of lighting from her horn. As quickly as she dispatched one, however, two more were on her, and Tempest quickly ducked to the side to avoid a downward slash from the soldier to her right. She quickly leapt to the opposite direction to avoid a spear thrust from the other soldier, her horn glowing as she prepared a powerful wave of electricity.
Meanwhile, John emptied the magazine of his MCX on two more soldiers, before ducking under a sword, and then spinning to the side to dodge another. He held his rifle up vertically in front of his face, catching a blade between the magazine and pistol grip, before yanking the rifle down to get the sword clear of his person, and thrusting at the creature's face with the buttstock. The hard plastic connected with a heavy impact, knocking the soldier back and giving John a moment of breathing room. He quickly drew his pistol and fired three rounds off. Two struck the yeti's stomach, making him hunch over, before the third punched right through his mask and into his skull.
Just as one assailant fell, another swung at him, forcing John to spin out of the way to dodge the attack. The yeti's momentum carried him between John and Tempest, giving John an opening that he immediately seized.
"Tempest! Duck!" John ordered, before shooting the soldier before him, in the knee.
Tempest, while busy dodging and ducking under two sharp blades, did as instructed, and quickly dropped to the ground. John spartan kicked the soldier before him, knocking him back and forcing him to trip over Tempest and block the two soldiers attacking her for a moment. Tempest gladly took the newfound breathing room to push herself to her hooves and jump back from the three soldiers before firing a wave of magical energy forward. All three soldiers howled in pain as they were knocked off of their claws and sent flying off of the deck of the ship.
Just behind her, John dodged another swipe of a sword, the blade just barely cresting the tips of his hair. He quickly aimed behind to shoot the soldier approaching his rear, and fired off a round, striking the creature in the stomach. The approaching soldier stumbled, giving John the opportunity to duck low and sweep his legs out from under him. The yeti slammed to the deck between John and the other soldier, giving him just a moment of space.
John used the room to his advantage, firing two rounds into the approaching soldier's chest, making him stumble back. Pressing his advantage, John fired three more rounds, dropping the soldier. However, just as he turned to deal with the last soldier on the deck, he felt a strong claw wrap around his leg and pull him down to the ground. John used his free leg to hold the soldier at bay as the yeti tried to rip into him with his claws. John felt the impacts against his thigh and hip as the soldier swiped at him, before angling his pistol to get a clean shot.
Once John managed to find a sight picture that wouldn't result in him shooting his own leg, he fired, killing the last soldier. With the work finished, John got to his feet and changed the magazine of his pistol. Once that was done, he moved to drop the magazine of his rifle, only to find that the trigger guard was snapped inward, and there was a harsh dent in the frame of the rifle. He released the bolt and tried to pull the trigger, but couldn't complete the action, as the trigger locked in place.
With a heavy sigh, John unslung his rifle and dropped it on the deck. He unslung his M4 from his back and checked the chamber to ensure he still had buckshot at the ready. He quickly fished any rifle magazines out of his pockets and dropped them on the deck before turning to Tempest, finding her panting for breath as sweat dripped from her brow.
"You good?" John asked, walking toward the helm of the ship
"Y-yeah... just gotta... catch my breath. That spell always takes a lot out of me." Tempest replied, walking after him.
"Well we're gonna have to jump ship soon. Our entrance wasn't exactly subtle, and the infantry on the decks below will be up here soon." John responded as he reached the helm.
"What's wrong with your... other weapon?" Tempest asked, eying the MCX behind her.
"Trigger mechanism was damaged. It won't fire now." John answered.
"I see..." Tempest said, before turning back to John and tilting her head to the side, "Uh, do you even know how to steer an airship?" She inquired.
John hesitated for a moment, before sighing, "I was kinda hoping you would take the reins on that one." He replied, stepping away from the helm.
Tempest smirked, "Just leave it to me."
The plum coated unicorn quickly trotted up to the helm and took her position. She eyed the airships surrounding them with a scrutinizing gaze, scanning for a target of opportunity.
"I think I found us a window." She said, pointing to the airship at the head of the fleet.
"I'll get the powder." John announced, before rushing down the deck and to the ladder leading below.
As Tempest steered the airship, she observed the other airships closest to theirs. She watched for any sign of gun ports opening, or ships turning to aim their harpoon guns. While she could see movement and several soldier's pointing at her from afar, she didn't see any sign of retribution from the surrounding fleet. Instead, she heard the muffled sound of gunfire from the deck below. The concussive blasts sent vibrations through the wood of the deck and into her hooves, making her wince at just how much more powerful those shots sounded.
Within thirty seconds, she saw John climb back up the ladder. Once he was up, he rushed back over to her side while hurriedly loading more shells into his shotgun.
"Alright, we've got a trail of powder leading to the ammo room. I locked the hatch leading below, so that should hold them until we can board the Storm King's flagship." John explained.
"Good. We've got no way to know just how long that powder will take to burn, so I'll light it as soon as we're ready to board. If you man the harpoon gun and hit the ship at the front of the formation, it should reel this ship in without any more guidance from me. That should at least take out the front three ships and this one in the chain of explosions." Tempest replied, giving John a nod.
"Just tell me when." John said as he ran back down the deck to the harpoon gun.
He quickly manned the massive gun, its giant triggers taking up both of his hands as he aimed the rudimentary crosshair sight at the specified target ship. Once he had a clean sight picture, he gave a thumbs up to Tempest, who returned the gesture with a nod.
"Harmony, if you are real... please let me do this right." She whispered, before stepping on the throttle.
The engine of the airship roared as it pushed harder and harder, black smoke billowing from the rear and propelling the ship forward. Just as the ship jolted forward, Tempest saw gun ports open on both airships beside theirs. A volley of cannon fire reigned through the sky, black lines shooting past and through the airship as cannons ripped through the air. Tempest nearly fell over as a cannon slammed into the wood behind her, showering her with splinters.
The airship managed to avoid the majority of the volley, having only been hit by the very front guns of the opposing airships, but the damage was still severe. However, much to her surprise and elation, as Tempest looked over her wither, she found that the storm king's soldiers did more damage to themselves in the crossfire. Both airships now behind her sported a scattershot pattern of holes and black smoke billowing from their insides. She let out a grateful sigh of relief as the two airships slowed to a halt behind them, their engines too damaged to continue.
One airship even started falling from the sky, it's balloon having been torn asunder by shrapnel and cannonballs, while the other sustained severe damage to the tank holding its payload of the storm king's weapon. Blackish green smoke wisped from the ruptured tank, catching the breezing air and engulfing the hull of the airship. Tempest watched, part in fascination, and part in fear as the hull hardened into stone, increasing the weight of the ship tenfold. Much like its comrade, the other airship quickly plummeted out of the sky and to the land below.
Tempest watched as the enemy airships fell below her field of view before returning her attention to the Storm King's flagship as it quickly came into range. She squinted slightly to see the ship at the front of the fleet, ensuring that it was still in position. Luckily, it hadn't reacted to the destruction behind, yet.
Tempest turned to John, "As soon as we're alongside the flagship, fire the harpoon and I'll light the powder!" She ordered, turning the helm slightly to position their airship on a flight path that would give them the admittedly small opening they needed.
"Got it!" John called back.
The airship barreled through the air, a trail of smoke and falling debris trailing behind at they flew in close to the Storm King's ship. Once they reached the stern side of the flagship, John squeezed the trigger of the harpoon gun. A blast of concussive force rocketed forward from the airship as the harpoon sailed through the air and impaled itself in the hull of the distant airship.
"Let's go!" John shouted, abandoning the harpoon gun as the winch swiftly spooled to life, pulling the airship on a boarding course.
Tempest nodded and rushed over to the ladder leading down to the second deck. She quickly found the trail of black powder John trailed all the way back to the munitions room. She sparked her horn to life, igniting the powder and sending a flame down the line toward the back of the ship. With that done, she quickly turned on her hooves and rushed up the steps of the ladder to the deck. Once there, she hurried over to John's side as he climbed onto the railing to jump to the flagship beside them.
Tempest followed behind and climbed onto the railing, her eyes searching for the best place to jump to. After just a few moments, several gun ports opened, before nearly a dozen cannons quickly presented themselves, all trained on the hull of their airship.
"Shit." John muttered, just before all cannons fired off at once, peppering the hull of their airship with cannonballs.
Both John and Tempest nearly fell off of the railing as the shock of the cannon fire rocked their airship. Wooden splinters sailed through the air as the airship's hull was decimated by the close proximity barrage.
"We need to jump now!" Tempest shouted, casting a fearful glance back at the deck ladder.
"Go!" John responded, before leaping from the railing to the side of the flagship.
John slammed into the opposite railing, his arms quickly wrapping around the wooden frame as he quickly clambered up. A moment later, Tempest landed in much the same position, her hindlegs scraping against the wood and steel inlaid hull as she tried to get onto the deck. As they both managed to climb to the deck, they found that, to their surprise, there weren't any soldiers on the top deck. In fact, there weren't any yeti creatures at all. John shouldered his shotgun and hastily cleared the entire top deck of the flagship, finding no sign of any life at all. Once he was completely sure that there weren't any soldiers around at all, he turned to Tempest with a frown.
"Dammit. They're locked in." He said, walking back over to Tempest's side.
He received no response for a moment, as Tempest's attention seemed completely focused on their previously hijacked airship as it closed the last of the distance and collided with the airship at the front of the pack. Just a moment later, a massive explosion rippled through the air, completely obliterating both airships, and sending a flaming chunk of debris falling to the earth below.
"What's the move here, Tempest?" John pressed, looking down at her.
"He's locked the hatches. They're reinforced steel," Tempest sighed, "I don't think even your weapons can punch through that." She explained.
John frowned, "Is there any other way to get inside?"
Tempest shook her head, "Unless you want to go crawling down the side of the airship with no harness or rope and try to pry one of those gun ports open again, no."
John heavily sighed, "Well we need something here." He stated, urgency in his tone.
Tempest bit her lip, "There is nothing here. We weren't fast enough. We're stuck until he opens the hatches back up, and half of Canterlot will already be solid stone by then."
John tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean 'solid stone'?" He questioned.
"That's the weapon. I saw it leaking from one of the airships that fired on us before we boarded. They caught each other in the crossfire and ruptured the tank. That dumped the weapon out. It's the same gas that he filled my medusa orbs with when I attacked Canterlot. His plan is to turn Equestria into stone." Tempest explained.
"Are you certain?" John pressed.
"I watched it turn the entire ship's hull to stone, so yeah. Pretty sure." Tempest replied.
John quickly turned on his heels and walked over to the front of the ship. He squinted slightly as he watched the slow approach on Canterlot mountain. Just as Tempest trotted over to his side, he turned around again and marched back over to the center of the deck. Tempest gave him a confused look, but continued to follow behind as John checked his watch. She tilted her head to the side as he twisted the face of the watch a few times. Eventually, he unscrewed it and removed the face entirely, before dropping a purple crystal out onto his hand.
Tempest's eyes widened as she observed John place the crystal on the deck, "Is that a communications crystal?"
John nodded, "Insurance policy." He said, as the crystal glowed to life.
A fuzzy image appeared above the crystal. It appeared faint at first, but quickly cleared up, giving an image of the crystal castle, and the cutie mark map surrounded by six pony-sized thrones and one smaller one. Sitting on one of the thrones, her muzzle buried in a book, was Twilight. A half eaten bagel laid on the table beside her, along with a healthy amount of crumbs.
For a few seconds, she didn't notice that she was being watched, but eventually, the little purple alicorn looked up, shrieked, and jumped, falling out of her throne to the crystal floor below.
"Ughhhhhh." She groaned, getting to her haunches.
"Twilight, can you hear me?" John asked, receiving a nod in response.
"Yes, I can hear you. You scared the heck out of me, John," Twilight responded, looking up to the hologram before her, "And I see you're on a ship... oh hi, Tempest!" She added, giving a small wave to the mulberry unicorn.
Tempest hesitantly returned the wave with a small one of her own, while looking to John for help. Ignorant or uncaring of her plight, John cleared his throat to get the friendship princess's attention.
"Twilight, we have a problem and we need your help." John started, getting her full attention.
"What do you need me to do?" Twilight asked, her entire personality adopting a much more serious tone.
"We're on the Storm King's flagship. We were able to destroy most of his fleet but a few ships managed to get away before we could burn them. At the moment we count five airships, not including the flagship." John explained.
Twilight quickly magic'd a notepad and quill before scribbling down her notes, "Alright, and what about his secret weapon?" She asked.
"It's the same one he gave Tempest when she attacked Canterlot. His plan is to turn Canterlot and everything along his path to stone. He's barricaded himself inside the flagship and we can't get in. You need to get word to all of Equestria that a storm is coming from the South. Evacuate Canterlot and every town or city along our path." John instructed.
Before he could continue, the ship jolted upward, nearly knocking both Tempest and John to the deck. They both looked around in confusion for a moment before a look of realization flashed across Tempest's face.
"Oh, buck..." She whispered.
"What? What is it?" John questioned.
"Buck, of course he would..." Tempest muttered.
"Tempest, what is he doing!?" John demanded.
"He's going to a higher altitude. My guess is the edge of the troposphere. John, if he releases that gas at that altitude, he won't have to get anywhere near Canterlot. The wind currents will carry the gas across the entire continent!" Tempest explained.
John's brow quickly furrowed as his gaze fell down to the deck below. After a moment, he looked over to Twilight, "Any ideas?" He asked.
Twilight bit her lip in thought, "This is worse than even I was expecting. I understood the Storm King was ruthless, but not completely reckless. He could easily end up turning a quarter of the planet to stone. Is there any way you can force him to stay at a low altitude?"
John shook his head, "Not on the flagship. Everything's covered in steel and I don't have a weapon that can punch through that.." He admitted, "At least... not on me right now."
Tempest tilted her head to the side, "What does that mean?" She questioned.
Rather than answer her, John fixed Twilight with a serious look, "How quickly can you teleport to my room in Canterlot Castle?"
"I can be there right away. What do you need?" Twilight replied.
"On the bottom shelf in my closet, there's a safe. You can't miss it. The combo is six, three, seven, seven. You'll find the biggest rifle I have. I need it along with all the ammunition in the drawer below it." John explained.
"I'll be right there." Twilight responded, before disappearing in a flash.
While the duo waited for Twilight to return, Tempest tapped John on the shoulder, earning a curious look from the man.
"What kind of weapon is she bringing?" Tempest asked.
Before John could respond, Twilight reappeared in the crystal image. She held a long metallic rifle in her magic. Atop the frame, rested a long scope, capable of six to thirty five power magnification. A folded up bipod sat under the barrel while the buttstock rested on the floor due to the sheer length of the gun. Twilight held several box magazines and massive .50 caliber bullets in her magical grasp, all with red and silver tips.
"This the one?" Twilight inquired, huffing slightly from the exertion of teleporting twice in such a short time.
Tempest's eyes widened in shock at the sheer size of the weapon, along with its ammunition.
"That's the one. Can you teleport it to our position?" John asked.
"I can try. You're moving pretty quickly, and if your crystal's signature is any indication, you're closing on Canterlot pretty quickly too... alright, I think I know where to teleport this. Be ready." Twilight answered, closing her eyes in concentration.
A few seconds passed as her horn lit up in a violet hue that slowly turned white. Eventually, the rifle disappeared in a flash, only to reappear just a few feet in front of John, and drop to the deck. The rifle made a loud, metallic *clang* as it hit the deck, followed by the sound of bullets reigning down around it.
"Thanks, Twilight. If all goes well, I won't have to call you again until this is all over." John said, giving a thankful smile.
"Just make sure you both get out of there safe, okay?" Twilight replied.
"Will do. I'll see you soon." John gave a nod.
With that, the crystal image faded away and John stepped over to the colossal rifle. As he grabbed and loaded the weapon, Tempest picked up one of the bullets with her hoof and examined it.
"Why is the tip colored red and silver?" She asked.
"Armor piercing, incendiary tracer rounds." John answered. |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 15 | John finished loading the bullets into the magazine, ensuring to place the extras in his pocket, while Tempest tried to lift the behemoth of a rifle.
"For buck's... sake," Tempest groaned as she heaved the rifle into her hooves, "How much does this thing weigh?" She asked, incredulously.
John looked over to Tempest, "It's a Barrett .50 cal. It's about thirty pounds. That's why I didn't bring it with us from the start. Here, give it to me." He replied, holding his hand out for the weapon.
Tempest sluggishly hefted the Barrett over to John's waiting hands, and albeit with a grunt of his own, he took the rifle and set about loading it. He shoved the magazine into the mag-well and pulled the heavy charging handle back. The large spring squealed as it was compressed, before slamming the bolt home with a metallic *chunk*. With that finished, John hastily made his way over to the railing and rested the handguard of the rifle on the wooden frame.
"Do you know roughly where to aim to hit the munitions' cache on those ships?" John asked, resting his cheek against the cheekpad.
Tempest squinted as she looked out at the airship that John was aiming at. After a few moments of deliberate thought and observation, she nodded her head.
"Do you see the starboard window, to the left and above the gun port hatches?" She asked.
"Yeah." John answered.
"Aim level with the gun ports, but directly under that window." Tempest instructed.
John moved the rifle slightly, "Got it. You might want to cover your ears. This one is particularly loud."
Tempest quickly heeded his warning and clamped both hooves over her ears. She watched as John let out a steadying breath, his finger slowly squeezing the trigger, until he reached the wall. With just a few more pounds of pressure, he fired, and a blast of concussion washed over her so quickly and ferociously, that she was nearly knocked off of her hooves. Even with her hooves coving her ears, the sound of the rifle was completely deafening, sounding more akin to a cannon firing just beside her head, than a rifle.
Despite nearly being knocked to her haunches, Tempest watched in awe at the sight of the bullet speeding through the air. A red beam of light bolted through the sky at blistering speed, before slamming into the hull of the airship and exploding in a flash. However, the airship did not explode. Tempest felt her hopes quickly die as the smoke from the impact faded away behind the airship, leaving nothing more than a scorch mark on the wooden hull. Just as she opened her mouth to voice her despair, however, John fired again.
Another bolt of red hot light streaked through the sky, covering the distance just as fast, before once again slamming into the hull of the airship with a flash of light. This time it was swiftly accompanied by a massive explosion that ripped the entire hull apart and sent pieces of wood sailing for hundreds of feet though the air. This time, Tempest did fall to her haunches, her mouth agape in awe at the fantastical explosion brought on by only two shots from the massive rifle in John's hands.
"B-bucking Tartarus..." She whispered, shaking her head in amazement.
"We've still got one more to take out." John stated, as he hefted the Barrett from the railing and hurried over to the starboard side of the deck.
Once there, he rested the rifle on the railing once more, finding his target just a few hundred yards away. The crew on board the airship frantically rushed back and forth, the captain fearfully turning to the ship to run away. John quickly acquired his sight picture and focused on the same spot as before, only from the other side this time.
"Can that thing really punch from one side of the airship to the other?" Tempest wondered, her hooves still covering her ears.
"One way to find out." John muttered as he squeezed the trigger.
Another blast of fire and concussion rocked through the frame of the railing and deck, all the way back into Tempest's chest and lungs as the bullet sailed through the air once again. The laser beam of death slammed into the hull, exploding in a flash of light once more, but failing to ignite the munitions' room. Without hesitation, John fired again, and again. Each shot sent a wave of pressure through the air that made the steel around them ring, and the wood creak.
Tempest felt the air being forced out of her lungs as each blast of explosive power washed over her like a mini explosion, making her ears ring and her bones shake. Finally, after eight violent blasts, John pulled the trigger once more, only to receive a *click* instead. He set the rifle against the railing and hastily released the magazine, before fishing extra bullets out of his pockets.
With her senses no longer under constant assault from the beastly rifle, Tempest looked up over the railing to find several trails of white smoke following the airship as it tried to continue its escape. She even saw the beginnings of flames licking along the side of the ship, nearly cresting onto the deck.
"Even if you didn't hit the black powder, I think that ship is still going to burn down soon." Tempest mentioned.
John merely nodded as he finished reloading the rifle. Without another word, he took aim once more and fired off five more rounds at the fleeing airship, seemingly ensuring that the wooden hull caught fire. Only when he could see flames billowing from the deck and climbing the ropes to the air balloon, did he finally return his attention to Tempest.
However, just as he turned to look at the mulberry unicorn, John's blood nearly froze in his veins at the sight behind her. While they were focused on killing the rest of the Storm King's fleet, the soldiers aboard his flagship had quietly filtered on deck.
"Tempest!" John shouted, wheeling the barrel of the massive sniper rifle around to face the now rushing soldiers.
Tempest barely managed to duck under the barrel of the gun as she turned her head, her eyes widening in alarm at just how close the soldiers were. The closest soldier was already preparing to thrust forward with his spear, its tip aimed right at John's chest. Unfortunately for the soldier, however, John was just barely fast enough to spin the Barret into position and squeeze the trigger.
Tempest instantly lost her hearing as the shockwave of concussive fire exploded forward from the barrel of the gun, the bright flash instantly blinding the soldiers in front and nearly knocking them off their paws. The bullet shot forth like a rocket, blasting straight through the chest of the approaching soldier and sending a fountain of blood spewing from the half inch hole in his chest.
Without so much as a struggle, the soldier lifelessly dropped to the deck, his spear flopping out of his claws as the wooden material ran red with his blood. The soldiers beside him covered their ears in pain from the volume of the rifle, while Tempest tried to correct the dizziness in her head and clear the ringing in her ears.
John, on the other hand, took full advantage of the confusion to pivot and fire a second shot, knocking the next soldier off of his paws and sending him sailing backwards, blood erupting from the hole in his chest as well. The last soldier in such close proximity finally snapped out of his surprised stupor, his eyebrows furrowing with rage at just how quickly John killed his brothers. He quickly rushed forward, swinging his sword in a sideways arc, aiming for John's neck.
With barely a moment to react, John instinctively slipped the buttstock from his shoulder and dropped the rear of the rifle, bringing the muzzle up to aim the rifle straight upwards and block the blade just before it could cut into his throat. The sword crashed against the steel of the rifle, sending a spark flying through the air as the creature pressed forward, quickly pinning John against the railing.
With no room to maneuver, and the snarling soldiers growling down at him, just a few scant inches between them, John glanced up. The muzzle break of the rifle sat just a few centimeters away from the soldier's temple. An idea formed in his brain, and with grit teeth, John twisted the rifle with all his might to aim the vent holes of the muzzle break straight into the soldier's ear.
The blade inched closer and closer to John's throat, but he kept his focus on the muzzle break and his trigger. Millimeter by millimeter, the barrel twisted in the standstill, the openings of the muzzle finding their target just a hair's breadth away. Finally, just as the edge of the blade pressed against his skin, John squeezed the trigger. The blast of concussion from the Barrett slammed into the side of the soldier's head, cracking his skull and hemorrhaging his brain in an instant. He quickly fell to the side, all the fight leaving his body as blood oozed from his furry ear.
Now with some breathing room, John looked over to see Tempest holding off the rest of the soldiers, her horn blasting wave after wave of magical electricity through the remaining soldiers. He felt relief at the sight, but just as he pushed himself up to aim his rifle at the group and help her finish them off, the airship suddenly listed to the side, nearly knocking him over the railing and making everyone else on deck stumble. While he managed to keep himself from falling, John could not maintain his grip on his rifle and keep himself on the deck, and he quickly lost control of the rifle, sending it falling off the side of the airship to the ground far below.
John glanced up at the airship's balloon to find a new hole venting the helium gas inside at an alarming rate. The airship quickly lost altitude, and descended down into the clouds below. While the rest of the soldiers stumbled and fumbled over themselves, all trying to figure out what exactly happened, John hastily unslung his shotgun and took aim. He emptied the tube of his weapon, red shells flying out into the air and falling the thousands of feet to the ground below, and killed the remaining soldiers on deck.
With all the present threats taken care of, John rushed over to Tempest's side, finding her panting for breath while sweat dripped from her coat.
"You alright?" John asked.
"What!?" Tempest shouted back, looking up to him as she slowly caught her breath.
"Are you okay!?" John shouted back, looking her over for any overt or serious wounds.
"I'm good! Just a little... winded!" Tempest replied, before turning to the front of the deck, "What happened!?" She questioned.
John tapped her wither, regaining her gaze, before pointing up at the air balloon. A shocked look adorned her face, before she looked back down at John.
"We need to get off of this ship!" She shouted.
"The Storm King has to die first!" John replied.
"He'll die in the crash!" She shot back.
"I'm not taking chances!" John shook his head.
Before either Tempest or John could say anything else, the airship jolted heavily, nearly knocking them both to the deck. They both looked around in confusion, before John rushed over to the railing and looked over the side of the airship. He saw what appeared to be the bow of the airship splitting open, and folding out to the side.
"What the Hell is happening down there!?" John questioned, just as Tempest looked over the side.
"I don't know! I've never seen anything like that before!" Tempest replied.
John and Tempest watched in disbelief as another, smaller airship slowly descended from the bow of the flagship. It only took a moment for them to realize what was happening.
"He's escaping!" Tempest exclaimed, looking over to John.
"We need to get on that ship!" John said, rushing over to the railing at the front of the deck.
"What are you planning on doing!?" Tempest questioned.
"What does it look like!?" John answered, before climbing onto the railing.
Tempest shook her head and opened her mouth to respond just as the airship finally dropped out of the cloud cover. Now with a clear view of where exactly they were going, they both looked over the front of the airship, finding Canterlot fast approaching. They were noticeably lower in the sky than either would have liked, giving them only a few seconds before the airship would crash into the upper district.
"No time! Jump!" He ordered, before jumping off the side of the airship and falling toward the smaller airship below.
With barely a moment of hesitation, Tempest galloped after him and jumped off the side of the airship as well. They both fell, seemingly in slow motion, through the debris-ridden air. They both aimed as best as they could for the helium balloon, each trying to twist or angle their bodies to land on the soft fabric. Just a couple of seconds passed, but for them, an eternity, before John slammed into the balloon, followed closely by Tempest.
Due to his larger frame and weight, John bounced much higher off of the balloon than Tempest did. He caught enough air to flip back over onto his back and land at the edge of the balloon while Tempest bounced and landed in place. Her eyes locked on his as he slid from the edge of the balloon, off of its side and toward the ground below.
"John!" Tempest shouted, reaching out with her foreleg, though she knew it was a fruitless endeavor.
John desperately tried to grab a hold of something to keep him anchored to the balloon, but found nothing. Just as he slipped off of the side, however, his frantically grasping hands caught hold of a length of rope tied to the balloon. Under his weight, the rope quickly snapped on the rear of the balloon, sending him falling down once more toward the city below.
With only a few dozen feet between him and the buildings, John tucked his legs up as high as he could to avoid slamming them into the rooftops of the cobblestone buildings littering the streets of Canterlot. While he occupied himself with dodging buildings, Tempest looked down at him from her spot atop the air balloon. She let out a sigh of relief at the sight of him still breathing, but found her attention quickly pulled to the obstacles coming at him.
John's eyes narrowed as he held onto the rope, the buildings growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. He eyed several houses or gardens he could potentially land on, but found nothing that wouldn't shatter most of his bones on impact. With his time running out, and no options available, he settled on simply dropping from the rope at the last second before impact.
He didn't have to wait long, as the airship scraped the rooftops of the buildings, and John watched the cobblestone street approach much quicker than he was hoping for. With his options running out, and only fractions of a second left, John let go of the rope and tucked his body down. He hit the street hard and fast, ensuring to drop his shoulder and roll to disperse his kinetic energy as much as possible. He rolled nearly a dozen times before slamming into a fruit stand, destroying the plywood construction and sending fruits of all kinds flying in every direction.
Just a few seconds after John's body came to a halt, the Storm King's flagship smashed into the buildings just up the street and ignited in an explosion that ripped the entire frame apart. Burning wooden splinters sailed through the air as fire and toxic gas exploded in all directions. Every building in a several hundred foot radius went up in flames as gunpowder, fuel, and wood sprinkled all over the city.
Over at the fruit stand, John sluggishly pushed himself to his knees. Everything hurt, from his head, all the way down to his feet. He sported several small cuts on his face and hands, along with a healthy share of splinters and quickly developing bruises. Luckily though, nothing felt broken, although he noticed that his pistol was missing from its holster. With a groan of pain, John searched around himself for the pistol, but could not find it amongst the debris. After a few moments of searching, he sighed heavily and forced himself to look upward at the destruction and burning city before him.
"John!" Tempest cried out, as her airship swiftly turned to leave the city.
John looked up to Tempest, finding that she was just barely visible atop the Storm King's airship.
"Can you bring that airship down!?" John shouted as he pushed himself to his feet.
"I can try!" Tempest called back, just before losing sight of him.
Just as John turned to limp after the airship, he caught sight of the quickly approaching gas as it engulfed the street, turning everything in sight to solid stone. He pushed himself to get away from the gas, the pain in his knee almost making him limp. He pushed through the pain, gritting his teeth and growling with each breath. Behind him, the toxic gas swiftly consumed the fruit stand he'd crashed into, turning even the splinters of wood to solid stone.
John rounded the corner, scanning for the airship as the buildings around him obstructed it. He hastily searched the sky for any sign of the ship, and after a moment, caught the barest glimpse of the dark black fabric belonging to the balloon of the airship, as it rushed to escape. He hurried forward to follow after it, quickly pushing the pain in his leg to the side and running forward, gritting his teeth with each throbbing pain that jolted through his knee.
With his goal in mind, John unslung his shotgun from his back and rushed through the deserted streets. The gas swallowed the buildings behind him, pushing him to move even faster, lest he find himself turned into a statue among the remains of the city.
In the air above him, Tempest eased herself down the side of the air balloon, grabbing hold of the dangling rope John fell from, to make her way down to the deck of the airship. She was instantly spotted by several soldiers on the deck, each of whom unsheathed their swords or pulled out their spears to attack the quickly descending unicorn.
She landed on the hard wood deck with a *thump*, her horn igniting with malicious intent as the first soldier swung at her. She deftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the swinging blade before firing a bolt of energy at the second soldier and kicking out her hindleg to strike the first one in the temple. Both soldiers were knocked to the floor, giving her time to rush forward to the helm.
Tempest jumped clear over the horizontal slash of another soldier's sword, before using his back as a springboard to leap forward into the amassing group of no less than a dozen soldiers. Her horn glowed white hot as she poured every once of her magical might into another massive blast of arcane energy, and as her hooves connected with the wooden deck in the center of the gathering of soldiers, she fired a wave so powerful that it sent all of them flying off the deck.
However, in her haste, Tempest failed to see the kegs of black powder behind the group of soldiers. The wave of electrical energy blasted through the kegs, igniting the powder inside and creating a chain explosion that ripped the deck apart. The pressure wave knocked her off her hooves and to her back, while flames engulfed the majority of the deck and reached for the air balloon above.
Quickly shaking the shock from her head, Tempest looked up at the destruction she'd caused on the deck. Her path to the helm was barely accessible, as most of it covered in flames. She hastily galloped over to the bow of the airship, her eyes scanning the deserted city for any sign of John. After a few moments of searching, she found a hastily moving dot in the middle district, running down the street away from the gas quickly descending over the entire city.
"John!" Tempest shouted as loud as her lungs would allow, "Middle district! Get to the platform! I'll steer the airship over there!"
Unsure if he'd heard her or not, Tempest rushed back over toward the helm of the airship. She carefully dodged the flames now engulfing the better part of the entire deck of the airship, and climbed the stairs leading to the helm. Once she was there, she grabbed hold of the wooden spokes and redirected the airship toward the middle district of the city, while also lowering the altitude of the airship. She carefully descended until the ship was flying just a few feet above the rooftops of the buildings below.
Several more of the storm soldiers rushed out onto the deck, all equipped with firefighting tools or extinguishers. They fought to control the flames and douse them while Tempest throttled down the airship until it was just barely coasting along toward the aerial platforms on the middle district. Before she could properly land the airship, however, several more soldiers rushed the helm, their weapons at the ready.
Tempest tried to duck and dodge the blades being thrust and swung at her while also trying to steer the airship, but quickly found the combined tasks impossible. She felt the cold steel of a sword slice her wither, making her gasp in pain, before a thrusted spear caught her flank with the edge of the blade, cutting deeply into her flesh and making her cry out. Wave after wave of agony pulsed through her wounds as she tried to avoid the onslaught of blades, and despite her best efforts to use her magic, the strain of using so many high powered spells simply left her too drained to rely on it anymore.
She was forced to back up to the edge of the deck, her haunches bumping into the railing as she panted in ragged, pained gasps. Sweat and blood dripped from her body to the wooden deck below as the three soldiers cornered her, all prepared for the kill. However, before any of them could make a move, a blast rang out from the platform beside them, and one of the soldiers fell to the deck, blood splattering from his chest.
Tempest and the remainder of the soldiers instantly looked over to see John, sweat soaking his clothes as he heaved air into his lungs. He fired two more blasts from his M4, cleaving a section of the arm off of one soldier and knocking another to the floor. Without another word, John rushed forward and leapt from the platform, covering the twenty or so feet of air between him and the airship in spectacular fashion, before landing on the deck and rolling to a kneeling position. The bolt on his shotgun was locked to the rear, indicating that he was out of ammunition, but he quickly remedied that by hastily loading another shell into the chamber, hitting the bolt release, and finishing off the last soldier.
As the soldier fell to the floor, his body landed on the throttle, slamming it all the way to the max. The airship jolted forward with force as the engine roared and a cloud of black smoke shot out the back. However, John ignored the state of the airship and rushed over to Tempest's side, his hands quickly grabbing hold of her and pulling her close as he inspected her wounds.
"Are you alright?" He asked, breathlessly.
"I... I think so." Tempest wheezed, leaning gratefully into John's torso.
"Okay. You stay here. I'll finish this." John announced, looking down at her.
"No chance in Tartarus. We do this together." Tempest firmly asserted.
John looked into her eyes for just a few moments, before giving a small nod.
"Okay. Let's get the bastard." |
Once More Into the Fray | Chapter 16 | John and Tempest made their way down the ladder leading to the lower decks of the airship while the Storm King's soldier's busied themselves with putting out the massive fires Tempest started. They were able to easily sneak by unnoticed, and soon found themselves in what appeared to be the main internal deck of the airship. Unlike the previous wooden interior of the last airship they boarded, the interior of the Storm King's escape ship was made entirely out of metal. Dark, angular steel support beams ran the length of the deck, while panels of welded black steel adorned the walls and floor.
Aside from a few thoroughly thrashed training dummies, however, the deck appeared to be empty. John swiftly cleared the entire floor, finding no trace of the storm king in the dimly lit room.
"Where else could he have gone?" John asked, turning to Tempest.
"I'm not sure. I've never seen this style of ship before. For all we know, he could be any-" Tempest began, only for a loud bang to grab both her and John's attention.
They both turned to the massive steel doors behind them. John aimed his shotgun at the doors, waiting with his finger hovering just above the trigger for any kind of threat to appear and attack, but nothing happened. The only sound to fill the air was the sound of the engines roaring from the other side of the door, their mechanical chugging muffled by the thick steel plate between them and the rest of the room.
John slowly stepped toward the door, ensuring to step to the side in case something were to punch through the steel and into the room with him. Tempest mirrored his actions on the other side of the door, and they both quickly reached the handles. John grabbed one side while Tempest grabbed the other, both giving each other a look to confirm they were ready, before yanking the doors open. John instantly shouldered his shotgun and aimed into the room as the roar of the engines filled the air.
However, as John and Tempest swept the room, they found no sign of the Storm King, or any of his soldiers. John's eyes narrowed and he slowly lowered his shotgun. Just as he and Tempest turned to face the rest of the room, however, a white mass of fur and steel dropped from the ceiling, slamming into the floor just a few scant inches in front of John. Before he could aim his weapon at the massive creature, a steel-clad claw lashed out, hitting his shoulder so hard that it sent him tumbling to the ground several feet away, his sleeve ripped all the way down to the last few layers of Kevlar.
"John!" Tempest cried out, her eyes wide in alarm.
Tempest and John both looked up to the massive creature standing between them, the ladder gritting his teeth in pain. The Storm King stood nearly nine feet tall, his beastly form towering over even John. He wore black steel armor over his white furred torso, and atop his head sat a twin horned helm. Staring down at John and Tempest, full of contempt, were two icy blue eyes.
"Well, well, well. Welcome back, Tempest. I see you've brought a guest." The Storm King growled, his voice just as cold as the steel surrounding them.
"It's over. Your invasion, your rule, and your life end here." Tempest snarled, sparks trickling out of her horn as she prepared to fight.
While the Storm King's attention was focused on her, John pushed himself to a kneeling position as quietly as he could. He nearly silently shouldered his shotgun and moved his finger to the trigger.
"That would require you to have enough magic left to fight me, Tempest," The Storm King scoffed, "But I think we both know you've got one, maybe two shots left in you." He replied, before swiftly spinning on his claws and kicking John in the chest.
With a grunt, John sailed through backwards, before slamming into a steel support beam nearly a dozen feet away. The impact knocked the air from his lungs, and he grit his teeth in pain as his back absorbed the impact.
"No-ehgh" Tempest grunted as the Storm King swiftly grabbed her by the throat.
The titan of a yeti easily lifted the small unicorn several feet into the air until she was dangling higher than John's height. She writhed and gasped in his grasp, her throat squeezed shut by the massive claws wrapped around it.
"You know, considering how easily you two killed my soldiers, wiped out my fleet, and destroyed my medusa gas cache, I'd have thought you'd put up more of a fight. Guess I was wrong to assume." The Storm King coldly stated, squeezing his claws tighter.
While Tempest desperately tried to free herself from the Storm King's strangle-hold, John fought to clear the blurry vision in his eyes. He felt throbbing, agonizing pain emanating from all over his back and shoulder, and a ringing sensation filled his ears. For several seconds, he struggled to right himself and get his bearings, but all he could manage to do was cough up a measure of blood. The crimson fluid dripped down his chin as he forced air into his battered lungs.
"J-Jo..hn.." Tempest croaked, her vision fading to black as the Storm King's grip tightened even more.
At the sound of the mulberry unicorn's voice, however, John's eyes lit up in realization, and he looked up to the sight before him. As if spurred on by a wave of magical clarity, John's eyes focused, and he realized just how perilous Tempest's situation was. He hastily shouldered his shotgun and fired a shell into the Storm King's back.
The blast caught the yeti completely by surprise, both in volume and force, and he stumbled forward, his grip on Tempest's throat failing as well. The unicorn fell nearly three times her height and crumpled into a heap of gasping, heaving pony as the Storm King fought to keep his balance. He growled from the pain of the steel plate covering her back absorbing the impact, before leaping to the side just as John fired a second shot.
Fragments of lead scattered through the air as the buckshot slammed into the steel wall, making both John and Tempest duck their heads. When they both looked back up, the Storm King was quickly rushing toward John, his claws thudding on the floor as his massive frame sprinted the admittedly short distance between them in just a mere second.
John reacted as quickly as he could, just barely managing to fire another shell off at the Storm King's breastplate, and stagger him back. John aimed for a hasty headshot to end the confrontation as quickly as possible, but just as he pulled the trigger, the Storm King ducked low, seemingly already recovered from the shock of buckshot at near point blank range. He brought his claw into an upward slash, intent on ripping John's head clean off his body, but the attack just barely missed as John threw his head back to dodge the slash.
With John on the backfoot, the Storm King aimed low, delivering a sweeping kick that took John's legs out from under him and knocked him flat onto his back. John grit his teeth and growled in pain as the Storm King stepped on his shotgun, keeping him from using it. With his other foot, the Storm King stepped on John's chest, his immense weight and size nearly caving in the human's ribcage in an instant.
Just as the Storm King went for the kill, however, a bolt of lightning blasted him in the back, electrocuting him and making his entire body seize in agony.
"GRWAHAAYA!!" He screamed, smoke forming from his horns and armor.
Despite being pressed under the behemoth, John felt none of the effects of the lighting coursing through his entire body. He took the reprieve to push the foot off of his chest and try to free his shotgun. Meanwhile, just a few feet away, Tempest panted heavily, her horn sparking and sputtering as her magic reached its last legs. She managed to hold the spell just long enough for John to pry his shotgun free from under the Storm King, before it sputtered out and she fell to her knees.
With his body no longer held in a constant state of agonizing electrical paralysis, the Storm King looked down just in time to see John point the barrel of his shotgun right at his face and squeeze the trigger. Unfortunately, the yeti was simply too fast, and spun just enough to move his head out of the line of fire as another concussive blast of twelve gauge roared past his ear. As he spun on his feet, he kicked one leg out, connecting with John's shoulder and sending him flying nearly a dozen feet.
Dazed, but still lucid, John slid to a stop, his shotgun falling from his grasp and landing just a few feet out of reach. He struggled to push himself to his feet, but another cough forced its way up, and he felt his lungs throb in pain as more blood splattered to the cold floor beside him. He pushed himself to his feet as the Storm King attacked a Tempest who simply had very little fight left in her. She ducked under one swipe of his claw, but simply could not dodge the second in time. The steel-clad claw ripped three more gashes into her wither, forcing a bloodcurdling scream from her maw, before he silenced her by grabbing her throat once more.
John rushed to grab his shotgun, only for the Storm King to throw Tempest at him as hard as he could. The little pony was easy for the mountain of a yeti to launch the distance at a frightening speed, and before John could even reach down to grab his weapon, her body slammed into his shoulder, knocking them both to the floor, on top of each other. John landed on his back once more while Tempest found herself tangled in a mashup of his left arm and her forelegs as she laid on his chest, her breaths coming in quick, ragged rasps.
John could only grit his teeth and look over Tempest's rapidly heaving barrel to see the Storm King rushing toward them both. John looked over to his Benelli, finding all too quickly that he still couldn't reach it. He hastily looked down at Tempest's barrel as she struggled to not slip into shock, instantly finding his 1911 still holstered on the belt wrapped around her waist. With less than a second to react, John grabbed and unholstered the pistol, his thumb flicking the safety down while his finger reached for the trigger.
John frantically fired off all eight rounds of .45 ACP, striking the Storm King in the thigh and making him stumble as he gasped in pain. Two bullets slammed into his chest plate, with another hitting him in the shoulder, and a fifth clipping his forearm. The sixth punched through his neck, just barely missing his jugular, while the last two flew high and missed. The Storm King staggered back in pain, blood pouring from his now numerous wounds and turning his white coat red.
With a moment of breathing room finally established, John hastily moved to reload the pistol, but as he moved his left forearm to grab another magazine from the duffle bag on Tempest's barrel, he found that his arm was trapped underneath her weight. With the moment slipping away, he set the pistol on the ground beside him and dug into the duffle bag with his right hand. He managed to grab a magazine, but just as he moved to load it into the 1911, he felt the Storm King's claw constrict on his foot like an anaconda.
The Storm King ruthlessly yanked John away from the pistol and out from under Tempest, growling in fury all the while. John reached out on instinct and managed to grab ahold of the stock of his M4, before the Storm King violently threw him as hard as he could. John sailed through the air, before slamming into the door beside the engine bay. The whiplash of the impact made him slam the back of his head against the steel, instantly concussing him and nearly knocking him unconscious. The metal bent slightly from the impact, and John slumped down to the floor, spitting out more blood in the process.
His head spun and he dazedly tried to get back to his feet, his spine, shoulder, and most of all, ribs, protesting heavily at the thought. With a colossal amount of willpower, John fought to get to his feet, his sight reduced to blurry tunnel vision as he wheezed and fought to fill his battered lungs with air. He looked up, finding with no small amount of dejection, that the Storm King was quickly approaching him. John brought his M4 up to bare as quickly as his battered body would allow, just barely managing to shoulder the weapon and fire before the yeti could grab ahold of him again.
John winced from the recoil of the shotgun as it pounded his wounded shoulder, and momentarily lost sight of the Storm King amidst the blast and gasses that exited the barrel. He blearily blinked his eyes to catch sight of his target, but found nothing but a thin cloud of smoke and darkness. With no body laying on the ground before him, John was forced to push himself off of the wall and search the dimly lit room for any sign of the massive yeti.
As John stepped into the light of one of the weak white lanterns illuminating the room, his head throbbed, and his breaths came in weak, gurgled rasps. He coughed up another small measure of blood, before spitting a wad of the sickly red fluid onto the floor. Struggling to maintain his focus amidst his injuries, John heard a cackle run through the room. He quickly whirled around toward the source of the noise, but found it nearly impossible to pinpoint with his senses blurring the way they were.
"You know, I must give credit where it's due. You are the first creature in my lifetime to ever injure me." The Storm King's voice echoed off the walls, giving it a sickly, taunting aura.
John elected not to respond and continue his searching. He kept his finger just a hair's breadth off of the trigger as his eyes meticulously searched every corner as best as they could.
"If I didn't have to kill you both, I might even have considered offering you a place as one of my generals..." The Storm King continued.
John checked around one of the metallic pillars before looking up toward the ceiling for any sign of the yeti. He continued to come up empty, only finding shadows and steel everywhere he looked. A blur of movement caught his eye just as he checked behind another pillar, and he whirled his shotgun around to aim at the threat, only finding more of the same dark room around him.
"Too bad you and that traitor won't survive to have that chance." The Storm King announced, his voice suddenly much closer this time.
John saw a blur of white, red, and black motion as the Storm King lunged out from the pillar behind him. He spun on his heels and and pointed his shotgun in the direction of the yeti barreling toward him, but there simply wasn't enough distance and time. Just before the muzzle of the M4 could find its mark, the Storm King grabbed a hold, halting the barrel in its place, aiming just barely off to the side of the yeti. With his other claw, he grabbed John by the throat, and hoisted him into the air.
John choked as he felt the vice-like grip tighten around his throat, forcing him to release his grip on his shotgun and try to pry the claws off of his neck with both hands. The sharpened steel covering the Storm King's hands dug into John's neck, lacerating the flesh as he squeezed. John grit his teeth as the stabbing, burning, crushing pain inflicted on his neck threatened to cut right through his jugular and possibly even decapitate him completely.
The Storm King effortlessly tossed John's shotgun away, his victory all but assured as he squeezed ever tighter. With time quickly running out, and John's options running out even quicker, he desperately reached into his pocket and pulled out his switchblade. He hastily flicked the blade out with his thumb, before thrusting the steel into the Storm King's wrist with all his fading strength.
The thick, furred hide of the massive yeti absorbed the blade all the way to the hilt, but the Storm King only winced. He growled as he grabbed the knife with his other claw, ripped it out, and threw it to the side. With a snarl on his face, the Storm King squeezed even tighter, the blades on his hand inching ever closer to John's jugular.
With his options exhausted, and his body too oxygen deprived to fight back, John's hands fell limp at his sides as his vision faded to black. The last thing he heard was the cackling, heinous laugh of the Storm King as he choked the last of the life from him.
However, just as John faded from consciousness, a blindingly brilliant blast of white lightning burst forth from the shadows, forcing the Storm King to drop John to the floor as the massive yeti was flung all the way into the engine room from the force of the electricity. He crashed into one of the engines, his giant frame and steel armor leaving a sizable dent in the cylinder head of the motor while more and more lightning poured forth from Tempest's broken horn.
Step by step, she walked forward, her magic blasting the Storm King in an unending torrent of arcane might that she didn't even realize she had. Despite her energy feeling as if it were completely depleted just mere moments ago, she found new life being breathed into her as each step forward, and each spark of magic, made the imposing yeti scream in agony. Her magic wildly attacked everything in sight, searing orange hot gashes along the steel and sending sparks flying from the engines caught in the crossfire.
As she reached the doorway to the engine room, her magic slowly returning to its bluish tint as her renewed strength dwindled, she grit her teeth and bared down even harder. The pain in her wither, barrel, neck, and horn ached immensely, but the adrenaline pulsing through her veins numbed her senses to anything other than completely eradicating the Storm King. Tears streamed from her eyes but she couldn't blink, nor could she look away as the Storm King's fur caught fire, and he wailed a horrified, tormented wail as he burned.
The wayward lines of magical energy whipped at everything in the room as the yeti convulsed and writhed about, most of it finding its way to the engines. It only took a few moments for the fuel lines to heat up to the point of boiling the fuel inside, and only a few moments past that for the pipes to rupture, spraying flammable, superheated gas fumes into the air. Errant strands of magical energy quickly caught the wisping gas, and an explosion immediately followed.
The explosion was relatively small, only consuming the engine room and knocking Tempest off her hooves and to the floor, however it was only the first. A chain reaction of explosions ripped through the hull and toward the fuel tanks, each blast sending a vibration through the ship that almost launched Tempest back into the air each time. It only took a few more moments for the chain to reach the fuel tanks, before the final, most massive explosion tore through the hull of the airship and completely obliterated the entire stern of the ship.
This explosion, and the accompanying drop in altitude, did launch Tempest into the air slightly. She flopped to her belly as fire tore through the stairway leading up to the top deck, and a massive dent appeared in the floor as the majority of the explosion was directed out through the weaker wood frame below. The sensation of falling quickly registered on her mind, and she felt her stomach in her throat as the airship dropped from the sky.
Tempest frantically looked around the room as the sound of rushing wind echoed above her. She found her gaze almost inexplicably pulled toward the motionless form of John, laying just a couple dozen feet away. The ship's gravity swayed back and forth as it rapidly descended toward the ground, but it managed to thankfully stay upright, making the short but trying walk possible. She forced her hooves to move, each step feeling like a herculean task, but the adrenaline still pumping in her blood gave her a respite from the weariness she felt for just a little longer.
On shaky legs, and with blood still dripping from her wounds, Tempest sluggishly made her way over to John. The journey could have taken a minute, or a few seconds, or even the better part of an hour, as each passing second seemed to blur into the next. Tempest finally managed to reach John's lifeless form, finding his eyes to be just barely open, and his chest weakly rising and falling every so often. Blood pooled around his neck where the Storm King's claws dug deeply into his flesh, and he didn't even react to her arrival.
"John?" Tempest asked, her voice a fearful whisper in the violently shaking world around her.
John's response was only the tiniest stir of movement, but for Tempest, it might as well have been an entire sentence.
"John! Can you hear me?!" She exclaimed, fear, panic, and even hope in her voice.
John's eyes slowly fluttered shut, making her heart sink with despair.
"John! Get up! Please!" She cried.
For the first time, he felt strength well up in his lungs, and a weak, desperate plea sang from his lips, "Did... did you do it?"
His voice felt broken, and jagged. It could more aptly be called a croak, not a voice, yet it was enough for her.
"Y-yes... it's done." She answered, sniffling once.
"Good... that's good." He softly murmured.
"John... please no." She whispered, leaning down until her head was just a few inches from his.
"Knew this was... a one way trip." He whispered, the strength in his voice nearly gone.
"It... it doesn't have to be. We can... I can get you out of here." Tempest pleaded, tears dampening the fur on her cheeks as she hugged John close with her forelegs.
"I'm... sorry... but we both know that's not... gonna happen." John replied, almost absentmindedly.
Tempest sniffled hard as the tears came. She squeezed John's body closer to hers as she bawled into his chest. For a few moments, that was her entire world; just her tears, and the warmth of the human dying in her forelegs, but her eyes snapped open as she felt something touch her cheek. She glanced down to see John's hand weakly caressing her cheek, his thumb stroking a long, slow circle into her fur.
"Don't cry... you did good. You did... real good... I'm... proud of you... Tempest." John's voice trailed off.
Tempest held back her sobs as John lost consciousness. His hand fell away from her cheek, and he let out a quiet sigh. With her lip trembling, she laid down beside him, holding herself against his chest and resting her cheek on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable. The simple act allowed the last of the tension, adrenaline, and pain to leave her system, and she found that she was indescribably exhausted. Her entire body felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, but the feeling of John beside her, comforted her as the airship reached the ground and crashed. |
Once More Into the Fray | Epilogue | Tempest's ears flicked at the sound of the heart monitor beeping away every second or so. The constant rhythm of the machine slowly stirred her from her deep sleep, forcing her eyes to flutter open. The first thing she saw was the same bright light she'd woken up to after her execution. She felt an incredible warmth and comfort all over her entire body, all the way from her head down to her hooves, and for a few moments, she wondered if she was dead.
She could feel, rather than see, several bandages wrapped around her barrel, wither, and flank, along with a dull soreness in her throat that felt unfortunately familiar. She swallowed some saliva to soothe the admittedly small ache in her throat, finding the task to be much more palatable than her last recollection of waking in the same hospital bed.
Then another beeping sound reached her ears, and she glacially looked over to her left. Her heart immediately jumped in her chest at the sight of John, laying on a hospital bed beside hers, a peaceful expression on his face as he rested. She couldn't see the majority of his body under the sheets, but his arms and face were visible, allowing her to immediately see some of the damage the Storm King inflicted in their fight.
John's neck was wrapped in bandages that were soaked through with blood in some spots, and his left arm was almost entirely purple. There were a few cuts and bruises on his face, along with a bandage wrapped around the back of his head as well. Tempest felt deep concern welling in her chest at the sight of his beaten appearance, prompting her to search the room for any signs of nurses or doctors.
The room was empty, save for the two beds they rested on, a couple of chairs off to the side, and the medical equipment monitoring their vitals. Tempest's brow furrowed in confusion, before she turned her admittedly stiff neck to look back over at John. She pursed her lips in thought for a few moments, before coming to a decision and throwing her sheets off of her barrel. Thankfully, there wasn't a set of hoofcuffs connecting her to the bedrail this time around, and she was able to crawl out of bed and down to the floor.
Immediately, she winced as she put weight on her previously broken foreleg, which appeared to be fractured once again, if the sharp, stabbing pain was any indication. Tempest balanced on her three good legs and made her way over to John's bed, some leads connected to her heart monitor dragging behind her as she limped. Once she reached John's bed, she pulled the rail down and out of the way, before carefully crawling onto the bed, ensuring not to step on him or hurt him in any way.
With some minor fenagling, made much more difficult due to her rebroken foreleg, she managed to climb onto John's bed and lay down beside him. She rested her head on his chest, carefully listening to each breath and ensuring that her added weight wasn't going to make breathing any harder for him. For a time, she simply watched him sleep, the soft expression on his features garnering a soft smile on her muzzle. She eventually looked over to the clock for a moment, finding that it was still before noon, and a small frown of concern formed on her face as she pondered John's condition, but her spirits almost immediately lifted once again as she watched him open his eyes.
"John?" Tempest asked, her voice feeling slightly horse.
John let out a small groan as he blearily blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. He slowly looked down to Tempest, a look of surprise on his face from her immediate proximity, but that quickly changed into small smile as he gently placed his hand on her wither.
"What'd I miss?" He asked, taking in her appearance as if she were an old friend.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I thought we were dead for sure." Tempest chuckled.
John laid his head down and looked up at the ceiling with a whimsical sigh, "Must've been Twilight." He chuckled.
"Twilight? Princess Twilight saved us?" Tempest asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"She's a good friend to have." John acknowledged.
Tempest shook her head and let out a snort of amusement, "I suppose so. How're you feeling?"
John looked out the window at the city of Canterlot outside. Ponies were busing themselves with reconstruction of the city, or using their magic to turn the blackened stone back into whatever material it was before the Storm King's airship crashed into the middle district. The last of the medusa gas was long gone, having been contained and destroyed, or absorbed into whatever material it transformed.
"Better than I have in years." John admitted, a smile on his face. He turned over to face Tempest, wincing ever so slightly as he turned his neck, "How about you? Nothing rebroken, right?" He inquired.
Tempest let out a huff, "Unfortunately, my foreleg is broken again." She snorted, in amusement.
John chuckled, "Ah, well. It healed in about three or four days last time. Shouldn't take too long this time around." He offered.
Tempest laughed, "I guess you're right. No more flips for another week, at least."
John nodded, "Those were pretty impressive. I meant what I said up there, by the way. You did real good, Tempest. I knew you would." He offered, encouragingly. As he talked, he subconsciously rubbed circles in her fur with his thumb, the subtle gesture sending a small shiver down Tempest's spine.
"T-thank you. That really does mean a lot... I'm sorry I made things difficult at the start-" She tried to respond, only for John to shake his head and cut her off.
"Don't apologize for that. You had just about every right to hate me and the entire situation. Having said that, I'm glad you came around. You're not a bad pony, Tempest. Just made some bad decisions. No shame in that." John stated, giving her a supportive smile.
Tempest pursed her lips in thought for a few moments to let his words sink in. She nervously swallowed before leaning her head down again and squeezing herself closer to John's chest with her good foreleg. The hug brought a smile to his eyes, and John softly moved his hand up her wither and to her cheek, where he gently played his fingers through the shorter fur along her neck and the side of her head. Tempest's eyelids flitted shut as she rolled her neck slightly to give him better access to her ear, and, taking the hint, John rubbed the velveteen appendage between his fingers.
Tempest let out a nearly silent groan of satisfaction as John's deceptively gentle fingers scratched her ear and cheek, and for a few minutes, they simply enjoyed the contact. Eventually, John halted the scratching and simply rubbed his thumb against her cheek. Tempest reluctantly opened her eyes once more, her gaze locked on John's as they rested in each other's warmth.
"You've got a full pardon and the entire world at your hooves. What will you do now?" John asked, an uncharacteristically hesitant and almost fearful tone in his voice.
Tempest pursed her lips and looked down at John's chest for a few moments. Eventually, she looked out the window to the sight of Canterlot and the rebuilding happening outside.
"It sure is a big world out there." She admitted, after some time.
"Especially if you're all by yourself." John added, giving a knowing nod as his gaze fell.
Tempest returned the nod, "Yeah... not looking forward to life on the road again, if I'm being honest." She dryly chuckled.
After a few moments of tense hesitation, John spoke up, "And if you didn't have to leave?" He asked.
Tempest sighed, "Don't think I can stay here. Even with a full pardon, the ponies here won't forget what I did... what I became." She replied, her own gaze falling as well.
John slowly placed his hand on her wither, giving her a gentle squeeze to regain her gaze, "What if I asked?" He questioned, softly.
Tempest held John's gaze for a moment, her jaw slightly agape. She nervously swallowed before looking down to the point of contact and letting out a shuddering sigh.
"Are... are you sure you want me around here?" She asked, fearfully.
John gave her a reassuring squeeze, "Never been more sure of anything in my life." He answered, confidently.
Tempest leaned forward, her eyes sparkling, "A-and if I wanted something in return?"
"Anything." John answered, softly, but firmly.
Without another word, Tempest leaned in until her lips were just a scant few millimeters away from his, "Even this?" She whispered.
"Even this." John murmured, lost in her eyes.
Without another word, Tempest leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Both of their eyes fluttered shut at the soft, warm feeling of the kiss. John's hands softly stroked through Tempest's fur as she tilted her head to the side to deepen the act. In return, she gently hooked her foreleg over his bicep, squeezing him ever closer in the process. A feeling of utter bliss welled in both of their hearts as they kissed again and again, both of their hearts racing in pure ecstasy.
They were blind to the world around them, and neither paid the sound of approaching hoofsteps any mind.
"What in the world made both of their heart rates shoot up so quickly?" Celestia wondered aloud.
"Maybe they both just woke up." Luna suggested.
"The nurses said not to worry. I'm sure it's normal." Cadence offered.
"I hope they're... okay..." Twilight trailed off as the quartet of alicorns rounded the doorway and stopped in their tracks.
"W-well... that's unexpected..." Celestia said, staring wide-eyed at the scene before her.
"Tch, of course she stole him. Figures." Luna rolled her eyes.
"Ohmygosh! They're so cute!" Twilight squealed.
"You know, not what I thought would happen, but I'm quite happy with the result, nonetheless." Cadence grinned, flashing a wide smile to the rest of the alicorns.
As they were observed, John reached over with his free arm and pulled the privacy curtain over, instantly obscuring the view of the gathered princesses. Tempest giggled into the kiss, prompting John to smile and hug her ever tighter. Eventually, they broke the kiss, their lips both still lingering just a hair's breadth away from each other.
"By the way, Tempest... isn't my real name. It's... Fizzlepop Berrytwist." Fizzlepop admitted.
John raised an eyebrow, but a smile formed on his face all the same.
"You know what, I like that name... heh, I knew I tasted pop rocks." John laughed, prompting her to laugh along with him.
They enjoyed each other's warmth for some time after that, neither ready to separate after so long on their own. |
The Lion's Roar | pre | It was enough to earn a giggle from Applejack, but it only lasted a moment. She eyed him with lingering concern, but all he could do was repeat that he'd be fine. And every time he did, she had to convince herself it was the truth. With Twilight on the case, surely those words held some weight.
What am I thinking... It's Twilight. Of course they do.
"How exactly do the dreams start again, darling?" Rarity questioned. By now, everyone had their eyes turned to Lyon, genuinely curious, if not already concerned. It wasn't the first time they all wondered about the dream; each following one had new bits and pieces to delve into and look over, so it was only reasonable to know more, right?
"Well..."
Lyon started to recount the latest dream, only to stop when he heard the sound of a panting creature behind him. Everyone turned in the same direction to see Spike rapidly approaching. The young drake maneuvered his way through the picnic table to avoid knocking over or stepping on any of the treats scattered about.
"Twi... light...! I... have... lemme just..." Spike attempted to form a coherent sentence, but found himself choking on his own words and resting his claws on his knees.
Before Twilight or the others could ask if he was okay, the drake belched out a small parchment. Twilight was quick to take and read it aloud.
"Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot." She paused for a moment. "Wedding?"
But the unicorn held off her confusion for just a moment and continued to read down the line, revealing that everyone was given a specified task by Princess Celestia herself--from Pinkie Pie's catering to Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom.
Lyon wasn't expecting to be on that list too.
"To Lyon: With your exceptional skills in archery, I would appreciate having you guide our guardsponies in the final fireworks display."
The stallion was left stunted by the rest. "I... uh... o-okay, then. That happened, I guess."
Twilight laughed silently as she finished reading the rest of the letter, but already Lyon found himself daydreaming. Celestia, the princess of Equestria, asked him to participate in a wedding! Per her request! As an archer! It'd been years since he actually put his talents to proper use--apart from the Hearts and Hooves incident last year--but this was a complete step up!
He stared up towards Canterlot, already thinking of what he'd have to do. Fireworks and arrows? Ages! One of his favorite things to do during the Summer Sun Celebration. And he was doing it again for Celestia?
Already, this day was shaping up to be even better.
"... My brother?!"
Yep. This should be good. |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 2: Canterlot | The train ride to Canterlot was full of anticipation. From Rainbow Dash boasting about her Sonic Rainboom, to Spike wanting to know what a bachelor party was, everypony had something to talk about.
And yet, Twilight couldn't help but sulk as the city of Canterlot loomed in the distance. She sighed, her breath fogging up a small patch of the window in front of her.
"Why the long face, sugarcube?" Applejack questioned, staring at Twilight with concern.
The unicorn bit her lip, almost as if she didn't want to answer her friend, but she also didn't want her to get even more worried.
"I'm just thinking about Shining Armor. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, we've been seeing each other less and less. And now that he's starting a new family with this "Princess Mi Amore Ca-whatshername", we'll probably never see each other." She stared at her reflection, which disappeared as more fog clouded the glass.
Applejack waved a dismissive hoof. "Come on, now. You're his sister. He'll always make time for you."
Twilight scoffed.
"Couldn't seem to make time to tell me he was getting married."
She then lent Applejack an apologetic smile. She knew none of it was her fault, so why take any frustration out on her?
Lyon let out a shrug, walking over to Twilight and leaning against the wall of the car.
"Well, he is a captain. And he's getting married to royalty. I'm sure he just had a lot on his plate and couldn't get around to telling you before the letter came."
At first, Twilight looked at Lyon with somewhat of a hopeful gleam in her eye, pondering on his words. But the shine faded as quick as it appeared, and she shook her head briefly.
"Still," she said hesitantly, "even a small word of mention would've been fine. Not great, but not terrible, either."
Lyon scrunched his cheeks.
"Well... in any case, I'm sure he's got a good reason why he didn't tell you."
"Then I'll do my best to get it."
For a brief moment, Lyon placed a hoof gently upon Twilight's shoulder. She went back to looking out the window, just as the train finally reached Canterlot.
They all noticed it initially in the morning, but it didn't occur to them until now to ask why there was a massive purple bubble surrounding the entire city. As soon as she felt it course through her body, Twilight knew it to be a type of force field; and considering it covered the entirety of Canterlot, the spell was far greater than anything she had conjured up in the past.
Lyon shivered as he went through, though not by a drop in temperature, he noticed. As soon as it passed, the feeling was gone. The others didn't seem all that affected--just him. It was odd, for sure, but he didn't let it get to him. He always had a personal pet peeve against magic. Just the feeling of being around any kind of long lasting spell-casting made him feel uneasy. Who knows what could go wrong?
As the train pulled into the station, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but note the vast increase of royal guards, from those standing at the station itself, to those lining the streets leading up to the palace.
"I'm sure they're just taking the necessary precautions," Rarity suggested, observing the diverse range of guards on stand. "Royal weddings do bring out the strangest ponies."
And almost on cue, Pinkie let out a sneeze of confetti. Literal confetti. Despite their wide-eyed stares of disbelief, it seemed to be business as usual for her.
"Now, let's get going!" she added. "We've got work to do!"
And you've got a big brother to go congratulate," Applejack added, turning to Twilight with a grin.
The unicorn only glared toward the palace, her mouth moving as if licking her teeth.
"Yeah. Congratulate," she mumbled frustratedly. "And then give him a piece of my mind."
A couple of the girls eyed the royal guards around them, who no doubt heard Twilight speak her frustration aloud. Even they looked back and forth at one another, wondering what to do. Surely they knew who she was?
Before any of them could call out to Twilight, she was gone.
"I'm sure she'll be just fine," Rarity mentioned after a silent moment. "Twilight's not one to overreact too badly... right?"
Despite their hesitation, they knew the guards would be foolish to actually attack their captain's sister--even if they were technically doing their job.
Applejack nodded. "We should head on, then. Shouldn't take long to git settled. We can catch up with Twilight later."
The group nodded their heads firmly, making their way down a road parallel to the one Twilight went down. Applejack couldn't help but make an occasional glance at the increasingly shrinking lavender blob until it disappeared behind a corner.
It'd been the Grand Galloping Gala since Lyon had been to Canterlot, and not once did he miss it, especially after that night.
But damn, if its builders didn't do a superb job crafting it from bottom to top. He never got a chance to really admire the architecture of the place! From courthouses to even a simple coffee shop, everything here was unique and original! Granted, it didn't feel as diverse in some spots, but even a place like Canterlot had its charm.
Regardless, he wondered how someone like Princess Celestia could stand folks like this potentially bothering her during a busy day and complaining about whatever made them upset.
Ugh, Mister BellBuckle stole my tie and I DEMAND I have it back post-haste!
I believe I ordered SIX pies, not FIVE. And yet these hooligans refuse to give me a refund!
His clothing is absolutely DRAB! I can't be allowed to let my eyes burn any further!
And judging by the way the ponies looked at him and his friends... he wouldn't put it past them to waste her time.
Then again, the same thing happens to Mayor Mare every other day, so he heard. He laughed to himself as he wondered what happened behind those doors.
"Now," Rarity began, levitating a map in front of her, "with a bit of wiggle room, we should be able to make a quick trip to a particular clothing shop nearby."
Already, Rainbow was gagging. "Ugh. We're here for a wedding, not a fashion show."
Rarity rolled her eyes.
"Yes, and if I'm going to be making a perfect dress for the bride, I need a little bit of inspiration. I can't exactly do that surrounded by a couple of simple curtains and drywall, now can I?"
"Hey, it wouldn't hurt to try," Rainbow joked, only receiving a glare from the unicorn in return. Despite this, Rarity couldn't help but at least agree a little bit. Some have had far better success with far less in mind.
With the wedding only a couple days away, it was no surprise that the city streets were crowded with ponies eager to join in on the celebration. Thankfully, nopony seemed too interested in them at the moment, and hopefully it'd stay that way, at least until after the wedding.
"Y'all smell that?" Applejack brought up, sniffing the air around her like a hound dog. "Smells like... whooey! That smells like apple stroganoff!"
Rainbow recoiled. "... Did... did you just say--"
"I know what you're thinking. Blegh, that's gross, utter disgusting, deude!"
"First off, I don't say "utter" like that in a sentence. Also, YES, that sounds gross!" Rainbow retorted, waving her hooves about and looking at the farm mare like she had gone crazy... and she most likely had.
"Oh yeah? Well, remember last month when we had that party on the orchard? That dessert you ate that you said was "really yummy"?"
"Duh--" Dash paused. "Oh."
"Uh huh. Not so gross now, ain't it?"
"W... Well, why did they have to call it apple stroganoff? Why not something like..."
As the two mares bickered about the name of the particular apple treat, Lyon quietly chuckled to himself and lingered behind the group for a bit. The further on they went, the closer the royal palace became. It was only a matter of time before they were at the gates.
"Um... isn't that Twilight up there?" Fluttershy pointed up to a balcony that overlooked what seemed to be a garden, Lyon had recalled. There, they could see Twilight and presumably her brother Shining Armor exchanging words, but they were too far away to be heard, even if everyone in Canterlot decided to stop talking at this very moment.
"Oh boy," Rainbow groaned, "I can only imagine the earful that guy must be getting."
Rarity turned to her friend. "Well, he did tell everyone but Twilight about his wedding. Poor darling has at least the right to be upset."
Lyon looked up toward the balcony and continued to watch the two siblings. Not once did he see any major frown or scowl from his friend. Of course, there was at least a little frown here and there, but nothing of any concern.
"Guess they made up already," he said.
"That's a relief," Rarity sighed. "It wouldn't exactly be a good thing to have some sibling rivalry right before a special day, wouldn't it?"
"Good thing I never had to learn that from experience," Lyon joked.
The stallion watched the balcony again, just as Twilight and her brother disappeared behind the ledge, seemingly drawn to something obstructed. He sighed as soon as she was gone.
He had become so focused on the moment, he didn't notice the stranger in front of him until he bumped into him.
"I'm sorry, sir," Lyon was quick to apologize. "I didn't see you there, I..."
The stranger, a stallion dressed in similar Canterlot attire, said nothing in response. He stared instead, and in just that one single moment, the way he looked at him felt off. There was something about his eyes, the way they looked back at his own, that made this feeling bubble up from the pit of Lyon's stomach.
"Sir? Are you alri--"
Before he could finish asking, the stallion flung one of his fore hooves straight at Lyon's face. He was quick to dodge the attempted hit, only nicked on the side of the head, but the sudden attack was hard enough to knock Lyon to the ground. The others turned to see the sudden scuffle and immediately ran to his aid.
Before they could reach him, three royal guards swooped down and were quick to restrain the attacker, who struggled against their grip, but ultimately failed to break free.
"Lyon!" Applejack yelled, kneeling down to the stallion. "Are you okay?"
Lyon, however, was too struck with confusion to answer right away.
"I just bumped into him," he eventually said. "I didn't even mean to, it was an accident. He didn't even give me a chance to say sorry."
By now, a small crowd had formed around the group and still-struggling stallion. Applejack helped Lyon to his hooves, and they watched as the royal guardsponies began dragging the stranger away.
And the entire time they did, not once did he take his eyes off Lyon. They pierced into his own, and they seemed cold. His growls were animalistic, like a zombie hungered for blood.
But the way he spoke--what he spoke--chilled Lyon to his very core.
"Traitor! You'll get what you deserve, you traitor!"
Traitor.
Traitor.
Applejack had to shake him just to get him to finally breathe again. He hadn't even realized he stopped. By now, the stranger was gone, but his voice echoed to the sky.
"Look at me," she demanded. "Are you okay?"
"I... yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."
Lyon lied. Of course he lied, he didn't want them to worry! Not now! Not after what he just said! Do they know what the dreams told him? Did he ever tell them? What would Twilight think? What would she have done if she was here?
"Did he hurt you?"
He shook his head. "No, he just clipped me. I'm okay, I promise."
It should've been made clear earlier that Lyon had an awful poker face, at least sometimes. Applejack was in no way convinced, and yet she didn't want to make the situation any worse than it already was.
"How about we just cancel the clothing plan and get to the palace first?" Rarity suggested with a worried tone. "We should get you checked out, just in case."
"I... okay," Lyon replied, despite initially insisting it wasn't necessary. He felt perfectly fine, but he didn't want to upset any of them. Plus, he did at least want to be sure it wasn't going to shape up into anything more than a quick nick.
The crowds gradually dispersed as quick as they formed. Lyon followed behind the others, while Applejack walked beside him, giving him an occasional glance, ready in case the stallion suddenly fell over. Concussions were no joke.
And yet, concussions were the last thing on Lyon's mind.
Traitor! You'll get what you deserve, you traitor!
Suddenly, everything was uneasy again. |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 3: Goings On | The feeling didn't leave Lyon. The words of the stranger bounced around in his head, playing over and over again, and they continued to play no matter what he did to quell them.
At first, he tried to come up with the most basic of assumptions. The first one was a mistaken identity. He was certain he had seen a couple stallions across Canterlot that looked just like him! Some were unicorns, and very few of them were pegasi, but beyond that, and a different cutie mark... they were sometimes indistinguishable from him.
He wasn't the only tan stallion in the world. Then again, not very many ponies have gray and dark stripes in their hair, either, at least none that he could find.
But with that slim possibility in his mind, he came up with assumption #2: Relationship problems.
Lyon knew a fair share of filly-foolers and colt-cuddlers throughout his life, and he wanted to assume the stallion downtown might have been someone's ex-lover. Someone betrayed him, he saw Lyon, and something sparked in him to assume he was said lover. Hooves fly, words are spat, and he's taken away. Right? It seemed like it'd make sense.
Anything but what his mind dialed back to.
Traitor. No.
It couldn't be related. There was no way. How could that stallion even know? It's not like he was some kind of mind reader! Or was he? Did those even exist, or was there some kind of spell for it, or...
No. No, it doesn't exist. Even if it did, he couldn't be one. He couldn't know about his dreams! It has to be just a coincidence.
Traitor.
And yet, that same word. He said the same exact word.
Traitor.
The same word uttered as he lay surrounded by countless dead bodies among a hellish blaze.
Traitor.
The same word uttered by his monster.
Trai--
"Stop."
He hadn't realized he said it out loud until the nurse stopped tending to the wound. He looked up to see a middle-aged unicorn mare, Nurse Luckhorn, eyeing him with concern as she held a wetted wipe in her telekinetic grip.
"Sorry," he apologized with a faint smile, "not you. Just my thoughts getting in the way."
"You want me to keep going?"
"Yes, please."
She went back to tending to the wound. As soon as they arrived at the infirmary branch of the castle, it became clear the hit was more than a simple "clip," as Lyon initially believed. A small gash ran just under his left ear, with blood dripping down the side of his face. He didn't remember the attacker wearing anything sharp on his hooves, but everything happened so fast, it might've gone over his head.
Not entirely literally.
"Can you tell me what this guy looked like, sugar?" the mare spoke in a southern drawl that would give Applejack a run for her money. "Was he wearing anythang specific?"
"Just a black suit," Lyon answered, lifting a hoof to dismiss Luckhorn's followup. "The guard took him away before we could say anything."
"Well... if that's the case, then there's no need to take this up to the princesses. I figure they already know by now. What in the hay did you do to tick him off?"
"I..."
Lyon froze. What could he say?
"I don't know. I just bumped into him a little, then he was on me. I didn't even get a chance to say sorry."
Luckhorn sighed. "That's Canterlot for you. One of the richest places in the world, and everyone who lives in it is an entitled snob that gets uptight about the smallest inconvenience."
"Yeah..." Lyon's voice faltered for a moment, wincing as the wipe hit a sensitive spot in the cut. By now, the wound had stopped bleeding, and it would be a moment before she began stitching it up.
"What brings you here, anyhow?" she asked him as she finally reached for the needle. "If you're up here, I'm guessing you got some kinda appointment for the princess?"
"Uh, sort of. I'm supposed to be leading the fireworks display for the royal wedding."
Luckhorn recoiled.
"Really, now?!" Lyon nodded, earning a quick snort from the nurse. "Well, gee, I wasn't expecting that at all, haha! And she asked you herself?"
The stallion nodded again, grimacing slightly as the stitching process began.
"My friend Twilight's brother is the groom of the wedding, so in a way, I guess all of us were kind of part of the whole thing."
"Huh. Well, I guess I do learn something new every day," Luckhorn prodded. "I've had Captain Armor come down here a couple times for a fixer-upper, though it was never too serious an injury. He never really told me about a sister of his."
"... He didn't?"
She shook her head, but recoiled for a moment. "But, then again, he's never really talked about his personal life all that much. I think he mentioned his dad one time, and that was it."
"Oh. I was gonna say... well... I guess it's a long story. Plus, I don't think Twilight would be fine with me blabbing about family stuff."
"Twilight Sparkle? I've had her down here too sometimes. It never really clicked in my head that those two were siblings. Guess it was because I never saw them here together. But that mare... oh, hoho, she would go on and on about her studies with the princess. I always thought she was an earful, but... deep down, she's a good kid."
"Yeah.... she is."
Lyon hesitated for a moment, a thought crossing his mind. But he merely felt it to be a way to hide the pain of having a needle piercing his flesh just so it can put it back together. He shivered at the thought, not wanting to look in the mirror for a few days.
Or weeks.
Soon enough, Luckhorn had finished stitching the wound and seemed Lyon fit to leave.
"Now, next time you see Twilight Sparkle, tell her Nurse Luckhorn sends her regards."
"I will," Lyon promised, giving the mare a grin. "Thank you again."
"Anytime, sugar. And you be careful with those fireworks now!"
"Will do!"
Lyon waved the nurse goodbye as he made for the exit. Down the hall, he laughed to himself.
"What a nice lady."
He couldn't remember the last time he saw a nurse that kind. Sure, he could count Nurse Redheart back in Ponyville, but she seemed a bit strict at times. Of course, she was dedicated to her job, but...
Well, it's not wrong to love your job 100%, is it?
Lyon shook his head in attempt to laugh, only to grimace again slightly as cool wind from the outside brushed against his wound. Instinctively, he rested a hoof against it, careful not to damage the stitches. He was sure he had to sleep on one side for a while.
After a moment, he lowered his hoof and inspected the wetness he had noticed, revealing a faint bit of blood. It wasn't too much, just a smidgen of red and... and...
Is that green in there too?
Lyon shook his head, doing a double take on his vision, and yet the green didn't go away. His eyes abstracted. Surely, he was seeing things?
It was only when he looked away from his hoof that he noticed more green. Green grass. All around him.
He was in the middle of one of the castle's few gardens. Already, he was laughing to himself.
That's what it was, then! The blood was reflecting the green of the grass! Of course!
"I really need to sleep after this, dear Celestia," he muttered to himself as he wiped the blood on his fur. It wasn't too much, so it shouldn't be too noticeable.
With a change of pace, Lyon went to work as he was ordered. Hopefully that would be enough to get his mind off the sting.
Yeah... because being around sharp edges is just what this gash needs.
A few minutes of trotting, and a quick rundown later, Lyon was standing around in a small garden, one of few with very little vegetation, the only mentioned being the overgrowth accumulated over the last several years.
Standing before him were some of the finest members the Canterlot Royal Guard had to offer, hoof-picked by Celestia herself. And it showed, in both size and strength.
That was good. Holding a bow is hard sometimes.
Lyon paced across the line of nearly 20 stallions, all of which were tall, short, scrawny, or bulky. A third of them were unicorns, another pegasi, and the other earth ponies.
He could feel his heart beat in his chest, but he told himself simply to breathe. With a close of his eyes, he let out a deep breath, and held it there for a moment.
As soon as he felt the crave, his eyes opened again, and what came out... well...
"Alright, you maggots! Our dear leader has put ME in charge of your sorry flanks! I advise you to get into tip-top shape, or there will be tartarus to pay! And I expect you to be FLAWLESS, or I swear by Celestia's 13th right feather, I'll tear you a new one! Capiche?!"
They stared at Lyon. Then they eyed each other. Then back to him.
He couldn't keep the charade up any longer than a few seconds, before he bowed his head, trying to hide his embarrassed laughter. Looking up, the confused expression on their faces only grew.
"Sorry. I always wanted to do that." He tilted his head. "Celestia did put me in charge of the fireworks show, though, so... let's get down to business, then?"
Standing behind Lyon was a decent-sized board with a few markers on a support. Grabbing the black marker in one hoof, he turned back to the guardsponies.
"Earth ponies, step forward?"
Almost immediately, 7 earth ponies walked through the rows of lined-up guards and stood before Lyon. They gave him a steady salute. Lyon stepped back for a moment; he wasn't entirely used to royal guards listening to him. It was usually the other way around, in some cases.
"Right then," Lyon began, making some quick sketches on the board. "Earth pony archers will go first here, at the south garden facing directly towards the gazebo where the reception will happen. Seven of you, plus me, equals eight of us."
He began pointing at various guardsponies and telling them their positions and timings. It wasn't long before he sent them back to where they stood earlier, and called up the pegasi next. Their goals were simple: Perch up on top of a series of clouds that will overlook the opposite side of the gazebo, facing the valley towards Ponyville. As soon as the earth ponies stopped firing their shots, the pegasi would swoop down and immediately let off a barrage of fireworks that would fill the sky with a glistening array of pink and white.
"Unicorns?"
On cue, the remaining 6 guards stood before him, all of them unicorns. This time, Lyon grabbed the red marker to make the difference between the black and yellow.
"Your job will, in a way, be the bread and butter of the finale. This part isn't necessarily archery... but then again, this is just a fireworks display." He drew 6 simple stick figures down in a location resembling the west--or main--garden of the castle. "What I want you to do is stand here, altogether."
One of the guards looked around at the others surround him.
"All of us?"
"Yeparooni!"
Lyon walked over beside the board and reached into a small wooden basket. Inside were a series of spell books, taken from Twilight's library earlier in the day. The books were short and curt, as was intended, only a few pages worth.
"I've been looking these over before I picked them out, just to make sure they were what I was looking for!" Lyon exclaimed as he passed the copies out to the guards. "Now these are firework spell books, containing some of the most basic of firework spells that have been seen typically at coronation ceremonies--not that there are very many to come by--and Summer Sun Celebrations. Though they're basic, it still requires unicorns of a high level to actually focus them, especially for the Triple-O: The Octagonal Orion Outburst."
Lyon paused.
"No wonder they call it Triple-O. Mouthful and boring."
Shaking his head, he walked past the guards as they skimmed through the few pages, then looked back up to him.
"From what Celestia briefed me on, you 6 are some of the most skilled in the Royal Guard. So your goal for tonight is to read through these books and practice your share of the spell. After tomorrow's training, if you still feel you're rusty in parts, keep reading. There's no shame in not being ready."
"Wait," another unicorn guard spoke up, "tomorrow's training? We're not doing anything today?"
"Nope! Today was just an orientation course!"
Coming down from his brief bout of happiness, Lyon laughed in embarrassment and looked towards the sun, already inching its way towards the horizon. It was far too late for anything now.
"I got caught up in an... incident earlier today. Explains this gash," he recalled, briefly touching the stitched wound before keeping away. "If it weren't for that, we'd probably at least get an hour in. But Celestia needed you guys for your evening shifts, and I didn't wanna keep you any longer than I needed to. So for today, no training. But first thing tomorrow at 10 AM, we'll get right on it!"
"Are you sure we'll be ready by then, uh... sir?"
"Of course! Celestia wouldn't have put me on the job if I wasn't skilled at my work! Though, the unicorn part isn't really part of what I do... trust me: You'll see what I'm capable of tomorrow."
With a few final words, Lyon dismissed the group of guardsponies, whom all immediately made their way to wherever Princess Celestia had them assigned. He had hoped he didn't make them unintentionally late to their shifts, though he'd be willing to take responsibility for it. Maybe she'd be lenient, given there's a big wedding coming up?
Lyon trilled his lips as he grabbed the now-empty basket and started back for the living halls where he and the others were staying for the wedding. He yawned slightly as fatigue started to set in. He was surprised it hadn't set in sooner with all the sugary treats they had at the picnic, but honestly, it was better to be tired now than... than before...
You traitor! You'll--
He shook his head and sighed. Lyon wanted to tell Twilight about it, and maybe the others already said something. It wasn't so much that he was worried about her finding out about the incident. But it never occurred to him until today that he didn't actually tell them what was said. That part of the dream didn't start becoming clear until only a few weeks back, and at first, he didn't think much of it, just something it whipped up on a whim.
Then that stallion came along, and suddenly, he could feel his heart racing with anxiety, his breathing labored with fear. He did his best to hide it, and sometimes, he was good at it. He doubted those guards noticed anything out of the ordinary.
But around his friends, it was a different story. He wanted so badly to just say something, but he didn't want it to be blown out of proportion. He knew how easily Twilight could take something a simple as a ripped out book page and treat it as something that could threaten Equestria. Something like this would probably make her brain explode.
And... if that was the case... Did he even want to tell her he l--
"Guuaah!" Lyon yelped as he bumped into something. He failed to hasten his balance before falling to the pavement.
Whatever he bumped into, it definitely wasn't a wall. Walls don't have fur.
"Sorry, sorry, that was my bad!" he quickly apologized, waving a hoof in the air as he tried to get himself back up from the ground. "I... don't really have any excuse, but... my bad."
It didn't take long for Lyon to recover, and presumably, whoever he bumped into was getting back on their hooves as well. Looking over to his accidental victim, he heard a feminine shiver.
"It's fine," she hesitantly said. "I can say the same thing, I guess."
He walked over to the mare and held out a hoof. "Here, let me help you up."
"I'm fine, I assure you."
"Oh. Okay, then."
Slowly, the mare stood up on all fours and appeared before him. She sported a reddish coat of fur and a yellow mane. She appeared to be a unicorn from here, judging by her attire. At first, she opened her mouth to say something, but something stopped her.
"Is something wrong?"
"Say... Don't I know you from somewhere?" she asked after a moment. Lyon had noticed she had been eyeing him almost intently.
"Uh... can't say I know many red-furred mares where I'm from. Sorry."
That explanation didn't stop her, though. She twirled her body left and right, looking him up and down, even to his very cutie mark. Lyon didn't know whether to be nervous or confused. Or maybe flattered, if she was technically checking out his flanks.
The mare's horn glowed faintly, though Lyon hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Then after a few short moments, the glow dissipated, and her eyes widened briefly, looking back at his own.
"My... apologies, sir," she said slowly. "I just had to check if you were my, uh... snooty husband. I kind of got a bit drunk last night and... well, it's a long story."
"Oh. Well... that's okay, I guess. Relationship troubles?"
"You don't know the half of it. And here's to hoping you never do."
Lyon shrugged. "Anyway, I'm sorry for knocking you over. It was an accident."
"No need," she dismissed, "the fault is all mine. I hope I didn't inconvenience you any."
"No, not at all. I've literally got no place to be at the moment. Well, other than to catch some Zs."
"But of course!" the mare exclaimed, exchanging a brief smile. "Don't let me keep you any longer."
Lyon smiled back, bowing his head. "Well... bye, then! I hope things go well between you and your husband. "
"Hmm-hmm... me too."
With a better pep to his step, Lyon picked up the basket he had dropped and continued his way down the road leading to the castle. After a few moments, the mare had done the same, walking in the opposite direction.
Once he was out of earshot, she talked to herself.
"See you later... traitor."
"Bet I can guess what you're all thinking, Cadance is the absolute worst bride-to-be ever."
Whatever had been bickered across the table was now suddenly silent, as the other 7 members of the group stared back at Twilight Sparkle, who uttered the words with a drop of her drink against the table. It was later in the evening, after everypony had finally retired from their duties for the night. The stares the unicorn received were nothing but confusion.
Well, except for Spike.
"Who, me?" he asked in a girly voice, holding a small figuring of the mentioned bride Cadance.
"Spike!" Applejack said sternly. "That goes on the cake." The young drake was quick to put the figure down on the table, laughing nervously as Applejack stared at him with an eyebrow raised.
Rarity looked at her friend across the table, confusion replaced with curiosity.
"Twilight, whatever are you talking about? Cadance is an absolute gem!"
"Rarity, she was so demanding!" the mare insisted, as if pleading for her friend to believe her. But Rarity simply shrugged it off with a faint laugh.
"Well, of course she is! Why shouldn't she expect the very best on her wedding day?"
Twilight didn't answer her question, instead turning towards Applejack and waving her hoof about extensively.
"Applejack, did you know that after she told you how much she just 'love-love-loved' your hors d'eouvres, she threw them in the trash?"
At first, Applejack looked at Twilight with a bit of bemusement, but she simply smiled. "Aw, she was probably just trying to spare my feelings." She then took a sip from her drink.
The unicorn closed her eyes. "No, she was just being fake and totally insincere!"
Despite her claims, the group eyed each other with uncertainty, even going far as if pretending Twilight didn't have much of a reason to be uppity.
"She did raise her voice at one of my birds during rehearsal," Fluttershy mentioned hesitantly.
"See?" Twilight pointed to Fluttershy. "Rude!" The mare then crossed her arms, confident it was more than enough evidence to convince them.
Fluttershy then lifted her hoof from under the table, a small bird perched on her foreleg. "But he was singing really off-key."
As if on cue, the bird immediately began to scream in an out-of-pitch, deafening tone, prompting all of the table-goers to cover their ears and wince in pain as the animal attempted to sing his heart out. Well, sing.
"Ugh," Lyon groaned, "are you sure it was the singing she was worried about? No offense to your little birb, either."
"Uh... bird."
"Same thing."
Twilight turned to the pink pony opposite from her. "Pinkie Pie, you had to have noticed how Cadance treated-"
She stopped talking once she realized Pinkie and Spike had taken both cake figures and were making smooching sounds, smashing the two figures together. She sighed in frustration.
"Never mind," she grumbled, turning towards one of her other friends. "Rainbow Dash, you're with me, right?"
But the pegasus only shrugged, to Twilight's disdain, and seemed more interested in polishing the tips of her hooves.
"Sorry, Twi. Been too busy prepping for my sonic rainboom to pay much attention to the bride's bad attitude."
Twilight growled, her patience failing her. She placed her head down on the table and snorted. When she lifted herself back up, she turned to Lyon, who had looked onto her with concern in his eyes.
"... Lyon? Please tell me you saw something out of line with Cadance today."
The stallion scratched his head. "Actually, she didn't come to the orientation today. Probably because of how late we started."
"She didn't come at all?"
Lyon shook his head, taking a quick slurp of his drink. "Maybe she was too busy with the others? Or maybe she got there too early and left beforehoof? Well, early, if we were actually there."
Twilight opened her mouth as if to say something, but Rarity came to her side and rested a hoof on her friend's arm.
"The princess is about to get married," she stated bluntly, "I'm sure any negative behavior she might be displaying is simply the result of nerves."
Stomping on the table, Twilight retorted, "And I'm sure it's the result of being an awful pony who doesn't deserve to even know Shining Armor, let alone marry him!"
The group stood silent again for a few seconds as Twilight caught her breath. Applejack eyed her worryingly.
"... Think maybe you're being just a tiny bit possessive of your brother?"
Much to Twilight's shock, an echo of questioning 'uh-huhs' filled the table. But the unicorn only shook her head and doubled herself down. Firmly.
She shouted at them. "I am not being possessive, and I am not taking it out on Cadance! You're all just too caught up in your wedding planning to notice that maybe there shouldn't even be a wedding!" She ended her rant with a hard enough slam against the table that caused everypony's drink to fall over. With another bitter sigh, Twilight walked away, mumbling to herself.
"Jeez," Rainbow Dash groaned with a roll of her eyes, "Cadance doesn't like a couple things, and suddenly she's an evil witch? I think I know who the off one really is around here."
"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity shouted. "I can understand that Twilight's accusations are a bit out of hoof, but there's no need to go and do the same."
"Not exactly an accusation as much as it is just spitting a straight fact."
As the two bickered about the developing situation, Lyon couldn't help but glance back to Twilight, who at this point had becoming increasingly smaller the further away she became, until she disappeared behind a corner.
He sighed, reaching for his drink. Then he forgot it was all over the table.
"I'm gonna go talk to Twilight," he muttered quietly, excusing himself from the table, but judging how Rainbow and Rarity were still arguing as he left, he was sure they didn't even notice he was gone.
Not that he minded, really. They always find something to argue about, it seemed.
A few minutes later, Lyon found himself wandering the living halls and opening individual doors trying to find the one Twilight was staying in. On the last try--what were the odds?--he opened her bedroom door, only to find the mare sitting at a desk and writing a series of scribbles and notes in a notebook.
Upon closer inspection, he could see the phrase "EVIDENCE" written on the top of one page in big, bold letters. Even closer, he could see writings related to what she claimed had occurred today. From the hors d'eouvres Cadance threw away, to the supposed intolerant behavior.
"Uh," Lyon hesitated, "Twilight?"
"Uh huh."
"Are... you okay?"
"Uh huh."
Lyon awkwardly looked around the room, trying to figure out what else to say. Anything to break the ice!
"Well... I know it's not much, but if you wanna talk about this whole thing, I'd love to--"
"Lyon, if you haven't found anymore evidence proving Cadance is a lying she-beast, can you do me a favor and not come back until you do? That'd be really great, thanks."
... Ouch.
"... Oh. Uh... okay."
Knowing she seemed far too busy at the moment, Lyon slowly started for the door. Maybe it'd be a better time to come back later, when she's not... this?
"Lyon, wait."
Hoof on the knob, the stallion paused, looking back to her. Twilight had put her pencil down and began walking towards him. Before he could say anything, she embraced him in a warming hug, but didn't let him go so soon.
She sighed, her warm breath cascading down his shoulder, giving him goosebumps.
"I'm sorry," she whispered against his body. "I know something is off about Cadance, I just know it. But that's no excuse for me to treat you like that."
Lyon hugged her back. "It's okay, Twilight. I know you're just worried about your brother."
"Even so, I shouldn't be putting you down over a hunch."
"Well," Lyon pondered with a shrug, "if you're so determined about all this, then... maybe it isn't just a hunch."
Twilight pulled away from her friend. "You think?"
"Not 100%. I never got the chance to see Cadance, but if I did, I'd probably notice something off if you were able to."
His comment earned a faint blush from the unicorn, who departed from him completely and started back for the desk. She said nothing for a moment as she scrolled through the individual pages she had taken out of her notebook. With a scrunch of her cheeks, she put down the papers and sighed.
"What should I do?" she questioned to Lyon, who briefly tapped his chin.
Then he came up with an idea he was surprised hadn't already popped up earlier. "Why don't you talk to Shining Armor? I mean, he is the groom, so I'm sure he'd see it clearer than any of us."
"Of course!" Twilight gasped and flipped around. "He has to have noticed something off at some point!"
At first, Twilight had a hopeful gleam in her eye again. But it didn't take long for the glimmer to fade.
"But he would've said something by now. I would've heard it from Celestia or Luna, or even when him and I were talking earlier today. But he didn't say anything."
"Nothing?"
She shook her head. "So... what do I do then?"
"Just tell him." Lyon walked over to Twilight and placed a hoof firmly on her shoulder. "Talk to him slowly and carefully. Don't let yourself stumble over your words. The way you talk about him, I'm sure he's an understanding guy, yeah?"
Twilight nodded.
"And you're his little sister. You both got enough a bond that he's gotta hear you out and look things over, no matter how ridiculous it might sound. Okay?"
Twilight eyed her notes again, then Lyon. With a smile, she nodded again.
"Okay. I'll go talk to him right now." She embraced the stallion in another warm hug. "Thank you, Lyon. I'm sorry again for snapping at you."
"Don't worry about it, it's totally fine. I would've done the same. I mean, not the "snapping" part, but... you know what I mean."
Giggling, Twilight pulled away and started for the door, Lyon following beside her. On the way down the hall to the exit, Twilight turned to him, not breaking her pace.
"Are you gonna be at the rehearsal tomorrow?"
Lyon sighed. "Nah. I gotta be up and early to train the guards for the fireworks show. A little bit earlier than I wanted because of the little "incident" today, but eh... no big deal."
"I've been meaning to ask you about that. I just wasn't sure if you wanted to talk about it."
"It's fine. It just kinda bugged me a bit, that's all."
"Why?" Twilight tilted her head.
Traitor.
"Uh... I'll tell you later. Probably wouldn't be the best time right now, would it?"
"... You're right," the mare agreed, slinking back just a bit, then returning to her usual posture as she approached the exit doors. "You don't have anywhere to be right now, do you?"
"No. In fact, I think I'm actually gonna turn in for tonight, if that's alright."
"Of course."
"Oh, and um... if you do find out more stuff, you can always wake me up."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't wanna be a bother."
"Nonsense," he persisted, "if something big could be going down, I wanna be able to help however I can--even if that means losing a couple hours of sleep."
Twilight laughed to herself, and with a comforting smile, she exchanged with him a final hug of the evening. This one was just a bit longer than the other two, though Lyon blamed himself for that. She was always so warm!
With that, she stepped out the door and trotted her way to the small home Shining Armor was supposedly staying in. Lyon watched her go until she was once again another blob mixing in with the other passing blobs of the night. Sighing, he shut the giant door and rested his head against the inner side.
He stayed silent for a moment, pondering whether to go out there and catch up with her. But he stopped himself.
"Bad time," he said aloud as he walked back to his room. "Bad time, bad time, bad time."
He passed by two royal guards, keeping their stand in the hallway. He didn't notice them the first time when he and Twilight passed through.
"Yo," he quipped, raising a hoof in a quick salute and clicking his cheek twice. The guards didn't respond to his gesture, nor make any form of movement.
He was in good hooves. Creepy, but good.
Returning to his own bedroom, Lyon flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Immediately, he felt relaxed, and a shiver ran down his spine as a cool breeze washed over him. Eyes closed, he anticipated finally sleeping.
For two hours.
He tossed and turned in his bed, got under the covers, and then pushed them aside. He felt comfortable, but for some reason, he couldn't just get his brain to shut off for the night. It started to frustrate him after a while, and he was sure he was starting to look crazy. Guards were not going to listen to someone that looked like they escaped from an insane asylum!
Would they?
"Why did I even think that?"
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. At first, he thought it'd be Twilight, since he did say she could wake him up anytime. And if she was waking him up, that meant--
"Lyon? You awake, sugarcube?" Lyon heard Applejack's familiar accent echo through the polished wood. Plus, she was the only one who actually said "sugarcube."
"Yeah!" he hollered, "one sec!"
Lyon fumbled to get out of the mess that was now his blankets. He eventually was successful, at the cost of planting his face against the ground. Luckily, there was a carpet to break his fall, as opposed to the marble floor beneath it.
Opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of Applejack, who seemed to be not too awful for wear, but still carried small bags under her eyes, and her hat was missing.
"Hey," he greeted her. "You okay?"
But she laughed tiredly. "I'm fine. It's just been a long day, between making the food and trying on a... heh, gown."
"Gown?"
"Eeyup," she smiled. "Cadance hired us to be her bridesmaids. She didn't say why, but hay, I still think it's an honor, gown or no gown!"
"Well, that's... great!" Lyon replied, at a loss for words. But he couldn't help but laugh as he imagined Applejack wearing a gown. "I'm sure you guys'll look nice at the wedding."
Applejack blushed faintly. "Heh. Yeah, I reckon we will."
"I'm sure of it." Lyon nodded his head. "So, uh, is everything okay?"
"Huh?" The farmer looked up at him in brief confusion, only to snap to attention. "Oh, right! Sorry, heh. Yeah, everything's fine and dandy, just... well... You don't mind if I come in for a moment, do ya?"
"Not at all, come on," he insisted, motioning a hoof to allow her inside. Applejack walked into the room, shivering as the air from Lyon closing the door fell on her. "So, whatcha need?"
Immediately, Applejack paused, opening and closing her mouth whenever she seemed ready to talk.
"Well... it ain't something I need, exactly, it's just... I don't know how to say it."
"It's fine," he grinned, "take your time."
The two leaned against the nearby wall for a moment, and Lyon was patient as the seconds ticked on. Applejack would start to say something, and then stop for a second like she was readjusting it in her head. Lyon was okay with that, as he had done the exact same thing in the past.
"So... I really think that... no, no, that ain't it... there's a... ugh, sorry..."
"Applejack." Lyon lifted her chin and looked at her with a calm smile. "Breathe. Take your time."
And all she did was look back at him, her eyes fixated on his for what felt like such a long time. The way her eyes glistened at the right angle, the way she breathed in and out slowly at his request. She swallowed the spit in her mouth and sighed.
"Land sakes, fine. Lyon, I'm... ugh... I like you, alright?"
He recoiled faintly. "... Oh."
Applejack sighed again.
"Yeah. I know, it's probably a big shocker to ya, finding out your boss has a crush on you and all. But I... I don't know, I just... you're just amazing." Lyon said nothing, listening to Applejack as she was able to find her words. "You're a smart cookie, a capable worker, you're funny, and you don't let even the worst thangs in life get you down. You're always there to help no matter what comes at ya, and... well, I know this probably sounds silly, but I... feel safe around you. I don't know if this is the right thing to say right now... but I love you, Lyon."
That look on her face... no longer was there exhaustion, but a sense of bliss.
Lyon was at a loss for words. He had no idea Applejack felt this way for her! And he had been working with her for nearly 5 years now! Those feelings must've been harboring inside her for a while!
"Sugarcube?" she said as the air filled with silence. "You okay?"
"I..." It took a moment for the words to catch up with his throat. "Yeah. I... um..."
The bliss in her eyes started to fade as he hesitated.
"Applejack... I..." Lyon tried to get the words out as best as he could, but he felt himself struggle under a sudden weight that drooped onto his shoulders.
"... You don't feel the same."
The bliss was gone. He saw it.
Her eyes...
Lyon lowered his head. "I'm... sorry... I didn't know that you--"
"I-It's fine, sugarcube. I was going too fast, I didn't think, I..." She laughed to herself, but it was cracked and ragged. "I didn't mean to bother you with this. I was just being dumb."
"No, AJ, I--"
"Don't worry about it," Applejack whispered hastily as she hugged Lyon in almost a half-flanked attempt. Each new word she say sounded more broken than the last. "It ain't a big deal. I should git going now anyway. G... Goodnight."
"AJ, wait," he pleaded to her, wanting her to stay just a bit longer, but she was already gone. Even looking outside the bedroom, Lyon didn't see a trace of Applejack in the hallway. Only the clopping of her hooves against the marble floors could be heard echoing faintly.
Lyon thought about chasing after her. He really did. But deep down, he knew that would only make it worse... make it hurt more. Reluctantly, he closed the door and sat against it, letting himself fall to the floor. Already, he was cursing himself and banging his head against the door softly.
That was when he noticed the wetness against his hoof. And his shoulder. They were tears, still fresh as they soaked into the fur on his hoof. And all he could do was just sit there, unable to move or do anything without the urge to cry.
He had broken her heart.
"Dammit..." |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 4: Sneaking and Entering | The howls of the dying rang in his head as he ran. Everywhere he turned, a new body lay. Some were burnt, yet other punctured by spears.
A young one lay with a spear still in his back. There was nothing that could be done for him.
Explosions near and far rocked his body, distant screams were suddenly silenced forever, burning branches would collapse from their foundations and create new fires to spread. War was here.
He tripped over a dead one, her face forever screaming back. Tears and blood clashed together into one. Rain would wash it away quickly.
He struggled to get back up. He dragged dirt and blood beneath his hooves. The pain in his side was greater than ever before, and yet he pushed to lift himself.
Suddenly, something stood before him, and all he could do was look up. And the monster looked him back. Cold, unfeeling eyes dug into his soul, a buzz rang behind her. And the land around them burned.
But he was all she saw. All she wanted. All she needed.
"Traitor."
"That... was... exhausting."
It was late in the afternoon, and Lyon had just finished going over the practice show with his assigned guards.
They weren't awful--far from it! No wonder Celestia picked them out for him!--but Lyon felt like he had forgotten what it was like to lead such a massive group. The last time he properly did something like this was for the Summer Sun Festival about a year after he came to Ponyville. That was the work of over 50 various archers and pegasi. Granted, it all worked out in the end, but Lyon wanted nothing more to do with big groups.
Even when he said he was ready, he wasn't.
But he couldn't say the practice work alone was the cause of his exhaustion. Add onto that the twisting and turning in his bed as he tried to sleep.
And Applejack...
He hadn't seen her since last night. He even went to her room as soon as he got up in the morning, only to find nopony there. Of course, she was at the rehearsal with the others; they became last-minute bridesmaids, after all! ...
Lyon sighed. "Why couldn't I just say something?"
He wasn't entirely sure if speaking clearly would've been enough to sooth her aching heart, but he wanted to at least try. Otherwise, he risked losing her as a friend. And having a former friend hurt by his rejection, acting as his boss, wasn't exactly a good thing.
Of course, Applejack wouldn't fire him over heartache... would she?
"Oof!" Lyon yelped as a pony bumped into him from behind.
Oh, for crying out loud, again?
Unlike before, however, he was able to keep his balance and right himself, then was quick to locate the pony that ran into him, who eyed him briefly with teary eyes. Only it wasn't a stranger.
"Twilight?" he called out to her.
Twilight stood before him, her eyes puffy and red with lines of tears running down her cheeks, and occasionally, she sniffled.
"Oh... s-sorry, sir. I-I..."
But the unicorn didn't say much before she was running off again, crying her eyes out and bawling her voice to the wind.
"Twilight, wait!"
Immediately, Lyon ran after her, hoping to catch up with her, but the mare was much faster than he was--which was both surprising and not surprising--and soon vanished through the thick crowd of ponies in the downtown region. He attempted to navigate his way through the ponies, but they were either too ignorant or too squeezed in to move.
Having barely made his way through the crowd, he gave up with a frustrated sigh.
"Great, now how am I gonna..." But it wasn't long before he smacked his head, and he realized where she was headed. "Of course."
A couple minutes later, Lyon stormed through the doors of the living hall, immediately darting for Twilight's room. What was going on with her? Did something happen? Was she hurt?
As soon as he turned the corner to where her room stood, two royal guards kept a post on both sides of the door.
What the...? Lyon thought. They weren't there last night!
The stallion began walking up to the door. And already, he could hear his friend crying her eyes out just a few feet away.
He didn't think he ever heard her cry before. He wished he didn't have to.
Before he did anything, he eyed the two guards, glancing at them left and right. They didn't look back at or even acknowledge him.
That is, until he tried opening the door.
Suddenly, two massive wings shot in front of him, and he yelped. "Halt! Twilight Sparkle does not want visitors at this time!"
Lyon softened and placed a hoof against his chest. "Look, I'm a friend of hers. I just want to know what happened, that's all. It'll only take a second, I promise--"
"Miss Sparkle has insisted that she be alone at this moment," the guard declared as Lyon's charismatic attempt failed him. "Any and all who attempt to invade her safety will be met with lethal force, at her request!" ...
"Wait... what?"
"If you attempt to trespass, Miss Sparkle has given us authority to protect her at the cost of your life. Now step back!"
Lyon only stared at the door, then to the guards, and then back to the door.
"Y... You're joking, right?"
Judging by the spears that sit pointed against his face less than half a second later, they apparently were not joking.
"Get back, sir!"
Tail tucked briefly between his legs, Lyon did what he was told and stepped away from the door.
But the crying from inside didn't get quieter. Twilight was practically bawling, at this point, sounding to be attempting to hold in her cries, but ultimately failing.
"Twilight?" he shouted. Surely they couldn't punish him for at least talking to her, right? "Twilight, it's me, Lyon! Can I come in? What's wrong?"
She didn't answer him at all.
"Twilight?"
And still no answer, only more crying. The guards began to eye him cautiously, as if ready to strike at a moment's notice. His attempts obviously having failed, Lyon raised his hooves.
"Alright, alright, I'm... I'm going! But I'll be coming back later to check up on her! I deserve that, at least!"
The guards didn't reply to his statement, and with that, Lyon walked away, the feeling of eyes on him never leaving until he turned the corner, and even then, he felt they watched him through the walls.
And they probably very well did.
Lyon paced slowly through the castle, thinking silently to himself as he attempted to locate the others.
It doesn't make sense, he muttered mentally, it isn't like Twilight to say something like that. 'Kill whoever tries to talk to me'? That's crazy! She would never do something like that! Unless she said something and they misinterpreted it, maybe? That could be it. Maybe there's a word that sounds like kill. Cull? No, that's basically the same thing. Call? Maybe, but I couldn't exactly test that either, could I? Not worth the risk.
He sighed, holding up a hoof as the sun blinded him across a window for a moment.
But then she didn't even acknowledge I was there. Maybe she couldn't hear me? Maybe, but... but... I don't know.
Lyon hung his head, lost as he attempted to debunk the situation. Then he stopped.
But she called me Sir, he realized. And she looked at me like a total stranger, like she didn't know it was me. It was completely out of place for her!
Just like...
"Rude!"
"There's something off about..."
"Insecure!"
"... awful pony who doesn't even deserve..."
"Demanding!"
"... there shouldn't even be a wedding!"
"FAKE!"
"She acted like she didn't even recognize me...!"
Cadance.
Sweet Cerberus Almighty.
In an instant, Lyon was sprinting down the halls. He needed to find someone, ANYONE!
The others would be a good start! Maybe Celestia, or Luna! No, that couldn't work, Celestia is Cadance's aunt, for Her sake. She'd never listen, and there was no doubt Luna would also ignore him! But the others practically laughed at her last night and talked about her behind her back... WHILE she walked away! What were the chances they would pay attention to--
"Fwuh--" was all Lyon could muster as he turned the corner, before tripping over something in his path. He flew in the air for a brief moment before crashing to the floor.
Oh, gods, this is gonna be what I'm remembered for around here, isn't it...?
"Oohhghh..."
Wait a second... he recognized that voice!
Hopping up on all fours and turning a full 180, he was greeted with a purple drake, sitting on the ground and holding his head with dizzying groans.
"Spike!" Lyon shouted with glee as he quickly enveloped the dragon in a firm hug. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"
Spike groaned again. "Uhhnng... Lyyoon? I think I got run over by a mongoose or something..."
It took Lyon a second to remember what just happened, and laughed awkwardly, lifting Spike onto his back. He was quick to adjust as Lyon started back down the hall at a slower pace.
"Sorry. Uh, let's get you patched up before I say anything."
"Mmhmmm... a couple gems would be goood, too..."
~~~~~~~
"Wait... so Twilight was right?" Spike asked slowly as he stuffed a red gem into his maw.
It was a few minutes later that Spike and Lyon were sitting in an isolated break room, alone and away from any ponies that could potentially listen in on them. And in this case, Lyon preferred it that way, even though he would occasionally look out the window or out the door. Can't be too careful!
"I can't say 100 percent..." Lyon replied in a disappointed tone, "... but I know she was onto something. I mean, why else would Cadance act the way she was, according to her?"
Spike grabbed another gem and twirled it softly in his claws. "Well, Shining Armor already explained that at the rehearsal today--"
"And let me guess: He immediately dismissed her claims because of how ridiculous they sounded, am I right?"
"Well... there was a little bit of yelling too..."
Lyon facehoofed himself.
"Don't you think with the way she was talking about Cadance before our little argument beforehoof, that would've raised a bit of suspicion?"
Spike scratched the side of his head for a moment before shrugging. "Well, I guess... but maybe it could've been just part of Cadance she never got to see?"
"What about the part where Twilight mentioned Cadance acting like she didn't even recognize her?"
Spike stopped mid-bite on his gem.
"Oh. Well, I guess that would make someone curious."
"And what's worse," Lyon moaned as he started pacing the room, "is that whatever's going on has apparently gotten to Twilight, as well."
"What do you mean?"
Lyon stopped in his tracks and faced him. "I bumped into... "Twilight"... earlier, and she was crying her eyes out. Something clearly happened at the rehearsal, didn't it?"
"Well," Spike answered a bit somberly, "Shining Armor got angry at Twilight and told her not to come to the wedding."
"And that's it?"
The dragon nodded.
"Then how come she didn't recognize me?"
"... Huh?"
"When she looked at me, the way she did, it was like... I don't know, it was like she didn't know who I was all of a sudden! And she called me Sir! Twilight never calls me Sir. She said it in the way you'd say it to a complete stranger. She had no idea who she was looking at!"
"Maybe her... tears made it difficult to make you out?" Spike suggested reluctantly, and he knew it was a poor excuse.
"Even if that was the case, she would've at least recognized my voice, don't you think?"
"Maybe...?"
"Oh, and get this: According to the guards, Twilight gave them strict orders to "use lethal force" against anyone trying to see her."
"Wait... what?"
"That's what I said! Does that sound like Twilight Sparkle to you?"
"I..." Spike stammered, unsure of how to process this new bit of information. "... No. It doesn't. But that doesnt make sense, why would Twilight say something like that?"
"Because maybe that wasn't Twilight at all," Lyon suggested. "Maybe it was someone, or perhaps something pretending to be her."
Spike stared at him.
"... You lost me."
"Ugh!" Lyon sighed with frustration. "This is gonna get us nowhere. We gotta talk to Twilight if we're gonna get to the bottom of this."
"But you just said--"
"I know what I said," he interjected, "but we're not gonna solve this problem unless we're face to face with her. Or "her"."
"Where is she? Or "she"?"
*-*-*-*-*
After a few minutes of navigating through the corridors, Lyon and Spike found themselves back in the living hall, taking cover behind a corner as they peered down the hall where the royal guards continued to stand by Twilight's bedroom door.
Even from the end of the hall, her cries could be heard. Lyon didn't know what to feel at the moment.
"She's been like that for an hour," he whispered to Spike.
"Really? ... Wow. I didn't think losing the best mare honor hit her that hard."
"Assuming that's actually Twilight in there, it's not losing that. From what you told me, it sounds like you guys totally bailed on her."
"I didn't bail on...!" Spike started whisper-shouting, but stopped himself, looking down the marble floor. "Oh. I guess I did."
Lyon sighed, resting a hoof on the drake's head. "Look... don't worry about it. Let's just figure out a way to get inside."
"How? Those guards look pretty tough. And if Twilight really did order them to... you know... it's probably not a good idea to just force our way in."
"Hmm..." Lyon hummed as he began inspecting the visible hall, hoping to find some form of leverage in his favor.
A ceiling vent? No, nothing. Besides, they couldn't get up there anyway. Maybe a reachable wall vent? He would've noticed something like that earlier, but there was no such thing to be found.
And then he found something, and a part of him was already regretting it.
"I think I know how to get past them."
"How?" Spike questioned.
Lyon turned around fully and pointed to the end of the hall, prompting Spike to follow his hoof. At the end of the hallway stood a large window that, when Lyon walked over to and peered through it, overlooked a large chunk of the mountain Canterlot stood upon. Just in front of the window sat a ledge that could easily be reversible, and a sigh of relief escaped Lyon.
"Oh..." Spike deadpanned. "Tell me we're not gonna..."
"We might have to. C'mon, let's head to my room. They won't see us in there."
Lyon and Spike walked casually down the hall, passing by Twilight's door. As soon as they noticed the stallion, their eyes followed him, and their grips on their spears grew tight.
There was this hint of uncertainty bubbling in his stomach, something that told him he was about to make a mistake. But how he could be sure unless he acted on it?
Two rooms down, Lyon and Spike walked into the former's bedroom chambers. On the other side of the room stood a window of the same size and shape as the one in the hall.
Lyon peered out again and noticed a similar ledge in front of him. The only difference between this ledge and the other is that this one had an extra mile sitting beneath it.
It wasn't that he hated heights... but he hated heights.
Inspecting the window frame, he noticed four bolts on its base keeping it held in place--probably for the aforementioned reason.
"Now, I can probably loosen the bolts on this window and get it open, but it'll take a few minutes," he talked quietly.
"Are you... sure this is a good idea?" asked Spike, nervousness apparent in every word.
"Well," Lyon began, "given that the wind outside, at this height, is strong enough right now to make even the most stable of earth ponies lose their balance... no. This is probably one of the worst ideas I could come up with."
"... Then why are you going through with it??"
"It's either that, or try to get through two experienced guards with spears. And I doubt any distractions would work in our favor."
"Why not just tell Celestia what you know so far?"
Lyon shook his head as he successfully removed one bolt. "If Celestia was at the rehearsal and also left Twilight there, then she probably also thinks she's crazy. That means she wouldn't listen to me either."
"Princess Celestia can be rational, if you give her a chance. I'm sure once she hears you talking about it too, she'll have to look it over!"
Pausing on the second bolt, Lyon thought about Spike's suggestion. He did have a point. If he went to Celestia and presented her with this new information, maybe she would listen to reason?
Oh... s-sorry, sir. I-I...
"If whatever's going on with Cadance has affected Twilight too... telling Celestia might put us both at risk."
"You really think so?" Spike asked with a sigh.
"Maybe. I think we're on our own for now." Lyon then paused and turned to the young drake. "Well... maybe you should head back to the others. If something happens, I don't want you getting caught in the middle."
At first, Spike thought about it. But it didn't take long for him to shake his head firmly.
"Twilight is my friend. If she is in trouble, I wanna be there to help save her."
"Are you sure? This could be dangerous."
"I'm a dragon," Spike boldly stated. "Danger is in my blood."
"You're also just a kid. If something ever happened to you..."
"Nothing will. I promise."
Lyon stared hesitantly at Spike, hoping he could somehow convince him to back down... even if he was the one that got him involved.
But he knew Spike was never one to back down easy. He saw that when Rarity had been kidnapped by Diamond Dogs. He was willing to put himself at risk to save her.
How could he deny him this chance?
"Okay. But let's be careful about this. Okay?"
"Got it."
The second bolt came loose a moment later. Two more to go.
"Anything else you can tell me about the rehearsal?" Lyon asked as he started twisting on the third bolt. "Anything strange or odd catch your eye?"
Spike tapped his chin with a single claw, humming for a moment, but ultimately, he shrugged.
"Well... Applejack was a bit off during the show."
Lyon paused, concern clear in his eyes. "Applejack?"
"Yeah. I mean, whenever she was talking to the others, she looked like her usual self, but when she was on her own, she just looked so... sad."
He paused, the faint trembles in his muscles relaxing, and he sighed--but it was anything but relief.
"Wait," Spike started, quick to notice Lyon's change in expression, "do you know why she was acting like that?"
Reluctantly, he nodded. "It's... it's a long story--"
"Tell me."
Lyon had noticed Spike stared at him with suspicion, his eyes a steady glare, and one claw curled into a brief fist. It made sense, Spike was always defensive of his friends.
He knew he couldn't keep it a secret for long, and he sighed.
"Applejack likes me."
Spike recoiled. "... Oh."
"Yeah. She told me about it last night before she went to bed."
Spike's posture softened, and his glare faded.
"I didn't know she felt that way about you." The young drake's eyes were a bit more open now.
The third bolt came undone, and Lyon moved onto the final one.
"Me neither."
"And I'm guessing... you said no? Didn't you?"
Lyon shook his head. "No. I couldn't even get a couple words out right. I guess I was just shocked. I'd been working with that mare for years, and it never clicked in my head that she felt something for me. Am I really that dense?"
"Maybe she didn't want it to be too obvious? Or make it awkward, or something?"
The stallion faintly shrugged. "I mean... Applejack is a good friend and all. But I... I... just never saw anything more than that."
Lyon stopped again, a hoof pressed against the cool glass.
"And the look on her face when I said absolutely nothing..." He stared out to the valley below Canterlot. "... If I could undo one thing in my life, it'd be seeing that."
Spike lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's my fault, anyway."
Lyon continued to twist the bolt, much quicker and harder than before.
"As soon as we get to the bottom of all this, I'm gonna make it up to her."
"How?"
"I don't know." He sighed. "But I'll think of something."
What could he do without hurting her more?
With a final click, the last bolt was successfully removed, allowing the window to open and close at will. Lyon pushed it open until it could touch the outer wall, having to hold it on his own as the wind battered it the other way. Who knew it'd be this windy this high up?
Just before he climbed out onto the ledge, Lyon turned back to Spike, who stood behind him.
"Last chance?"
Spike shook his head again. "I'll be careful. I promise."
And there was that determined look in his eyes again. For such a young dragon, he was already growing into something more than that. Lyon didn't know whether to be proud or concerned.
"Alright." Lyon nodded and hunched down to the floor, inching towards Spike. "Hop on my back, it'll be safer."
Spike was quick to climb onto Lyon's back and adjust himself, latching onto the stallion with no intention of letting go. Lyon breathed deep a few times and tried relaxing his hooves. He felt his body tremble as the wind brushed against his mane. After a moment of howling silence, he started to feel his muscles relax, his breathing slow to a steady crawl, and his sight clearer than it had ever been.
Though, it might've been because he was responsible for a baby dragon's life as he prepared to climb on a ledge thousands of feet from certain death.
No pressure, right?
"Okay..." Lyon whispered to himself as he grabbed the sides of the window frame and carefully pulled himself upward, keeping his grip strong. One hoof at a time, he started to place himself onto the ledge, cold to the touch from wind exposure.
Lyon shivered at the contact, but pushed forward until he found himself standing entirely on all fours. There was more than enough space to support at least another half a pony, but the sheer force of the wind made him wobble at least a could times.
He felt Spike struggle to keep his grip. "Lyon, I-I--" But Lyon held a hoof against the drake and kept him in place.
"I got you. I got you."
Slowly and carefully, Lyon began trudging his way across the ledge towards Twilight's window. Attempting to work with the wind, he was able to keep a steady balance, all the while keeping Spike on his back. Despite moving slowly, it wasn't long before he approached the first window, the room between his and Twilight's.
Taking a quick peak inside, he noticed nopony was inside, and a look at the belongings indicated this was Fluttershy's room. He was sure even someone like her would kill him if she saw Spike the way he was.
Continuing forward before someone did decide to open the door, Lyon paid attention to the wind direction. Halfway towards Twilight's window, he felt it shift against him from the front, forcing him to shut his eyes as the cold air quickly dried them. He leaned against the wall for support, careful not to accidentally injure Spike in the process.
"C'mon," he grunted, "almost... there..."
Looking down at the ledge, Lyon attempted to keep his eyes wet. He felt the wall and guided himself to the window. It had to be close now. Just a few... more... feet... and...
"Aha!" he cheered as he touched the window frame. "I did... it..."
Then he noticed the bolts. Inside.
"How... did I... forget that...?" Lyon breathed, coming down from his momentary high.
He growled to himself. How did he completely forget in literally 2 minutes that these windows had bolts that took time to pull out?!
"Now, what do we do?" Spike asked.
Lyon didn't answer right away, instead looking at his surroundings for any potential way of getting through. Maybe there were vents on the outside? Or perhaps a singular lock to pick through? Or...
... Or maybe there were four bolts at the top of the window on the outside?
What in the...--Never mind, I'll take it. How am I gonna get up there?
Nearby was a large metal pipeline that extended all the way to the top of the window and lined itself across the rest of the building, only going vertical when a window was near. Tapping the pipe a few times--and careful not to be too loud doing so--Lyon realized it seemed incredibly sturdy. And to further add to his luck, there was a ledge he could climb onto.
Thank you to the weirdos that created this place.
"Spike?"
"Yeah...?"
"Hold on tight."
"I was afraid you were gonna say that."
Gripping the pole tightly on both sides, Lyon took in a deep breath and began to climb. He was lucky it wasn't winter, otherwise it would've been impossible. Even then, he began to wonder if would've been less effort to just try and barge his way in.
Then again, being stabbed to death in front of Spike probably wouldn't be the greatest idea...
"Don't look down... don't look down," he repeated as he tried looking up instead, noticing he was already halfway up. Spike was gripping his neck tightly, but not tight enough to choke him. He was lucky he was only still a baby dragon.
After a couple of excruciatingly long minutes, Lyon finally reached the top, resting on the upper ledge for just a moment to regain his strength. He panted, having not climbed the strenuously in a couple years. It were times like this he wished he was born a pegasus, then none of this would be a problem!
"Alright," Lyon sighed, "just like before. Here's to hoping the air didn't freeze them in place."
What was awkward with this particular set of bolts was that it was underneath the very ledge Lyon sat on, but luckily, he was able to reach down far enough and grab one of the bolts. To his luck, it was able to turn with ease, unaffected by the cool wind. As he continued to undo the bolts, Lyon peered out into the endless valley below the city, as it had started getting a bit... darker.
The sun was going down.
"We gotta hurry," he said to Spike as he started twisting the bolt much quicker. Within moments, it came loose, and he set it aside on the ledge before moving onto the next one.
Each individual bolt took a good minute to undo. By the time he had finally unscrewed the final bolt, the sun began to dip beneath the horizon. As soon as the bolt came out, however, the window quickly began to slide open. He snapped down to grab it before it could make a noise, but struggling to keep his balance, Lyon slipped and swung off the ledge, barely catching it by a remaining hoof.
"Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall, don't fall...!" Spike screamed into Lyon's back as the latter found himself hanging by his hooves over a mile high drop. His breathing sped up, and he felt himself sweat profusely. Just in time, he was able to stop the window falling again with a hind leg.
"Spike," he whisper-yelled to the dragon, "I need you to slide down me and jump through the window!"
"What? You're crazy!"
"That's besides the point!"
"But what if I fall?!" Fear hung on his every word.
"You won't!" Lyon shook his head and looked into the dragon's eyes. "Trust me!"
Spike was shaking, scared stiff, and wanted nothing more to stay held onto Lyon's back for comfort. But now, he knew he had no choice but to do what he was told. They'd both fall if he didn't, he knew that.
"Okay... okay... okay..."
Twisting his body until he was sitting on top of Lyon, Spike started to crawl on top of his friend, careful not to hurt him. At times, he felt his balance begin to go, but Lyon would quickly twist his own body until Spike was comfortable enough to keep moving.
Lyon felt his hooves begin to slip ever so slightly. "Spike, hurry up...!"
With no time to waste, and his breath labored out of fear, Spike took his daring leap of faith, and jumped to the window. Without much effort, he was able to grab onto the edge of the opened window and started pulling himself in as quick as he could. In his haste, his grasp slipped beneath him, and he found himself falling from the top.
At first, Lyon stopped moving, even stopped breathing for a moment, fearing that Spike had fallen onto the hard floor and hurt himself... or worse. He tried looking inside, but could see nothing due to how dark it had gotten.
"Spike...?" he whispered as quietly as he could. For several seconds, there was nothing but pure silence. "C'mon, buddy, say something..."
And soon enough, he heard something rustling near the bottom.
"Lyon?"
Using his dragon's breath as a form of faint light, Spike revealed himself, sitting in a pile of clothes that lay scattered across the floor. Enough of those clothes had been piled up to make a pretty clean fall for the dragon. Lucky too--
Lyon stopped for a second. Pure silence? But... that didn't--Gaah!
The stallion's hooves slipped from their grip on the upper ledge, but before he could fall any further, he was able to reach out and grab the window. He heard Spike gasp for a moment, only to then let out a quick sigh of relief. Without any haste, Lyon quickly pulled himself up and into the room, finding something to at least slide down on. Using the corner of the window frame, he carefully began climbing down until he reached the floor.
"You alright, Spike?" he whispered.
The dragon nodded. "Uh huh. You?"
"Yeah." Lyon sighed, relieved that his dragon friend was unharmed. Twilight would never forgive him if...
Twilight...
Lyon and Spike slowly turned their heads to something that caught their attention. It was quiet, all but the sounds of sniffles filling the silence among the howls of wind. Not a single light illuminated the vastness of Twilight's bedroom chambers.
Nothing but a single, dimmed light beneath a thick blanket on the bed cast some form of light. The source of the crying came from underneath, muffled, and yet loud enough to be clear.
"Twi...?" Spike attempted to call out quietly, but Lyon motioned him to keep quiet. The latter gently walked along the marble floor, using clothes from the pile to muffle his steps.
The closer he got to the bed, the clearer her cries became. The lump beneath the blanket shifted for a moment. The crying stopped just as long, then continued again.
Part of Lyon started to believe that beneath that blanket, harboring that faint glimmer of lavender light, his best friend was there, crying and believing that everyone had abandoned her. He wanted to tell her he was there for her, that he would never abandon her, that everything was going to be okay.
Until her voice blipped, and she started crying all over again.
Fiercely, Lyon pulled the covers away from the bed, exposing whatever lay beneath. Immediately, he and Spike found themselves humming in bewilderment at what they were looking at.
A small crystal floated in the air, emanating a faint purple hue. But the strangest thing is that it seemed to also be creating a faint hologram-esque projected of Twilight, a still image that sat in a crying stance.
"It's a... fake?" Spike whispered, more confused than concerned at the very moment. He eyed Lyon, and Lyon eyed him back.
Slowly, the stallion began reaching a hoof out towards "Twilight", curious to see what would happen--even as the voice in the back of his head screamed at him not to.
His hoof went right through "her" like she wasn't there at all, and instead he went straight for the floating crystal. The very moment it made contact with his hoof, the looping sound of Twilight's crying began to glitch out, stuttering and freezing until it simply stopped, and her projection faded, yet the glowing of the crystal remained. He held it out in front of him, observing it closely.
Slowly, his voice rose to attention. "You know what this means?"
"Uh huh..." Spike nodded his head anxiously. "Twilight was right."
"And if Twilight was right, then she's in trouble."
"And if she's in trouble..."
"So are you."
Spike and Lyon froze in place, the scales and hairs on their bodies standing on end. In the reflective material of the crystal, two figures stood behind them.
And what was that one do--WHOA--
With a fraction to spare, Lyon ducked, barely missing the swing of the axe, and... AXE?! WHERE DID THEY GET AN AXE?!
Lyon quickly grabbed Spike and jumped out of the way, turning around to reveal two familiar figures, the royal guards that stood outside. Only something looked... different about them. He was sure eyes weren't typically all green.
"We told you to "step back, sir,"" the guards spoke in perfect unison, only their vocal differences clashing together. They started walking towards the two slowly, who found themselves quickly backed up against the window.
"Lyon? What do we do?"
Lyon eyed the window, wondering if he could use it as a form of escape, only to realize the bottom was still bolted shut. But the bedroom doors were wide open, allowing an easy escape. Now to get past the two royal guards carrying spears and axes in their... magic auras?
Furrowing his eyebrows, Lyon stood his ground, waiting for the right moment. Spike glanced at him worryingly as the guards started closing in on them.
"G-Get back!" he shouted, trying to puff out his chest. "Don't come any closer...!"
"Cute. A brave fighter indeed," they responded in a sarcastic tone. "We'll make this quick."
The guard holding the axe swung it back, preparing a deathly strike. And in that same moment, Lyon sprung into action.
Before Spike could interject, he found himself flying through the air as Lyon threw him upward and over the royal guards. The axe came swinging down, but Lyon was quick enough to run and slide in between the two figures, coming out on the other side. As planned, Spike fell onto his back, and he immediately sprinted to the door.
"Spike, hang on!" he shouted as he slid across the hallway floor and twisted to the left. He started down the hall, running as fast as his hooves could carry him, and it was only seconds later that explosive green balls began flying in his direction, missing him as they exploded several feet away.
"They're shooting things at us!"
"I know! Gah!" Lyon shrieked as he barely avoided one of the projectiles, which exploded at the end of the hall, successfully shattering a window.
"But they're pegasi!"
"Well, then they're probably not actually pegasi!" A projectile exploded just feet away from them.
"THEN WHAT ARE THEY?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!"
Lyon drifted again, turning down the hall leading to the exit doors. He heard the sound of clopping hooves echoing behind him before more projectiles started shooting at him once more. Spike ducked as one nearly clipped him, instead striking the exit doors and making a large enough hole to...
"Wait, what are youuuaaaggh!" Spike screamed as Lyon grabbed and tossed him through the hole, before flying through himself. The two rolled momentarily before coming to a stop, trying to collect their thoughts.
But Lyon didn't have that long a luxury before he lifted Spike on his back and continued sprinting. Several feet behind him, the door exploded off its hinges, the two guards emerged from the smoke and cinders, and immediately gave chase.
Along the way down the stairs, Spike couldn't help but look up to the watchtower where the Sisters would overlook Canterlot.
"W-Where's Princess Luna?!" he shrieked. "She should be up there right now! Why isn't she up there--"
"Keep it together, buddy!" Lyon panted as he darted his eyes around him, looking for some kind of exit strategy. "Let's ditch these guys first before we--"
But the stallion was unable to express the plan before he was braking against the dirt. In a matter of moments, he was surrounded.
Dozens of guards, dozens of ponies in fancy attire, stood all around him, all sporting those same green eyes as the guards. All of them eyed him and Spike with a lustful hunger that made Lyon freeze in place. He thought of jumping over them or shoving a few over, just to get through them, hoping he could somehow get the upper hoof.
But if two pegasi were able to suddenly use magic, then these ponies could do the same.
"Lyon...?" Spike's voice was low, but not yet a whisper.
Lyon tried to back up, turn left or right, but in every direction, someone was in his way. He was trapped with no way to get out, and he knew it.
And then he saw him. The stallion that attacked him yesterday, standing before him, wearing the same clothing he had been wearing then. Looking down, a sharpened hoof duster was attached to his arm. He didn't notice it the first time.
"Spike..."
Before he could say anything, several of the ponies became enveloped in an equal green magical field. Lyon held a hoof against Spike, keeping him firmly against him.
Suddenly, green beams shot from the ponies and directly at Lyon and Spike. The two groaned as they found themselves unable to move, petrified by whatever kind of spell this was.
And suddenly feeling tired.
"I... I don't feel so... good..." was all Spike could say before he fell unconscious, falling from Lyon's back.
The stallion said nothing, falling to the ground without any effort at all, and feeling weaker by the minute. His eyes grew heavy, his arms weighted to the ground. The last thing Lyon saw looking up was that same stranger standing over him.
Then it was darker than dark. |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 5: Wedding Crashers | And then it wasn't.
Lyon woke up with a groan, and a tremendous pain bustling in his head. He felt dizzy all of a sudden, like he was hungover.
"What happened... last..... night..."
I don't feel so... good...
"Spike?" Lyon quickly examined his immediate surroundings, but found no such trace of the tiny drake. "Spike?!"
"Lyon!" he heard his name be called from a distance. Getting up from the ground, he attempted to follow the sound, only to bump headfirst into... a force field?
"What the...?"
He pressed a hoof against where he walked, only for it to make contact with nothing, and yet something. Whatever he touched made a faint greenish glow, illuminating the area for a brief moment. He was able to only make out nothing but rocks and stones. That indicated he was no longer in the castle. Or maybe even Canterlot, for that matter!
"Spike?" Lyon called out. "Where are you?"
"Right in front of you," the young dragon said as he belched out a quick flame, revealing himself and lighting up the area faintly. "It's a force field. I already tried getting out, but nothing's working."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he insisted, "but... where are we?"
With the brighter light, Lyon attempted to make out where they were. More rocks and stones were visible, but the light extended further out to reveal a series of tunnels that split off into different directions, none of them harboring light beyond.
Then it hit him. "Wait a second... I know where we are! These are the Crystal Caves!"
"The what Caves?"
"It's a huge tunnel system that used to have tons of gems all throughout it. Unicorns apparently cleaned the entire place out and forgot about it. The tunnels run all throughout beneath Canterlot."
"W-Why would they take us here?"
"Like I said: They forgot about this place. Whoever's behind all this doesn't want us telling anyone. And they picked the one place nopony would expect to go looking."
"What do we do?" Spike asked.
"First thing we need to do is get out of here. Get to the wedding before it's too late."
"Yeah," Spike shrugged at his predicament, "but how are we gonna do that?"
Lyon scrunched his lips and began to think of every possible way he could break this force field. A few knocks brought no hard noise, only a whir of magical sound. He started thinking back to the times Twilight practiced a share of field spells. They were far from perfect, at least the initial ones, as they could easily be broken through by someone like Applejack giving them a hard buck of the legs. ...
Maybe...
Releasing his touch from the field, Lyon turned around and started the rear himself. Spike asked what he was doing, but he didn't answer straight away, too busy channeling his energy directly into his legs, as if he were bucking a tree at the orchard.
With a firm fling of his hind hooves, he struck the field with the greatest force he could ever have mustered.
Then he did it again. And again. And again, and again, and again.
After the seventh whack, he was left panting on the floor, struggling to catch his breath. When he finally could, he sat quietly.
"... I thought that'd work."
"If it was Twilight's work, maybe it would have," Spike suggested, earning a faint eye-roll from Lyon. But even the mention of her name emitted a saddened sigh from his throat.
"I hope she's okay."
Spike hung his head. "Me too."
Out of the distant silence, the sound of hooves clopping against stone caught the attention of the duo. They turned to one of the empty tunnels, only to see nothing at first, but they knew someone... something was coming this way.
Out of the darkness of the nearest tunnel, three ponies emerged, all wearing common Canterlot attire. Two of them being unicorns, their horns faintly glowed with equally green-like hues. But the oddest one was the earth pony beside them, whose eyes glowed instead.
"Finally," one of the unicorns spoke in a calm manner, "the traitor is awake."
Traitor.
"Who are you? What do you want from us?" Lyon demanded to know, standing firmly to attention.
"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" another spoke, their tone much deeper. "If only you weren't such a coward, you might've been able to prepare."
"Prepare? Prepare for what?"
The only mare of the trio, the earth pony, boomed, "You'll find out soon enough, traitor!"
"What do you mean "traitor"? What are you talking about?!"
"And what have you done with Twilight?!" Spike yelled, stomping his foot firmly on the ground. "Where is my friend?!"
One of the unicorns walked over to Spike's field. "The little skank is fine. We're making very sure of that."
"If you lay a hoof on her, I swear--" Lyon tried to threaten, but was cut off.
"We don't have to lay a hoof on anyone. At least... not physically. I'm afraid your "friend" is in dire need of some... reeducation."
"Let her go!" Spike banged his fisted claws against the walls of the force field, but it did nothing but cast green shockwaves.
"In time, little dragon. Now that you're finally awake, we believe it's time for your own reeducation. We can't exactly have some conflicting information between you three, now can we?"
"Leave him alone!" Lyon barked to the ponies. "Whatever problem you've got, it's not with him! Do whatever you want to me, but leave the kid alone!"
"And have him disrupt the Queen's plans by blabbing his mouth to your ignorant princesses? I'm afraid we can't allow that."
"So sit down, students--class is in session," the earth pony stated bitterly. Suddenly, her eyes glowed once again, and a beam of green magic illuminated Spike's force field. The young drake shrieked in pain as his body's nerves felt as if they fired off all at once.
"Stop!" one of the unicorns shouted. Almost immediately, the earth pony ceased her magic and turned to the unicorn. Spike was left lying on the ground, clutching his stomach tightly. All Lyon could do was watch, powerless to stop them.
"Why did you stop me?" the earth pony demanded, a glare in her eyes. But the glare soon faded as the unicorn pointed his hoof straight to Lyon.
"Let's start with the traitor," he suggested. "We owe it to the Queen."
"I'm assuming "Cadance" is your Queen?" Lyon jested bitterly.
"And soon, she'll be yours again."
Lyon looked at them, confused yet defensive. "What do you mean again?"
The three ponies didn't directly answer his question, instead powering up their magic as they did with Spike. The sheer luminosity of their combined magic lit up the cave, and forced Lyon's eyes closed.
"Wouldn't you like to know..." they repeated in unison. "... Traitor."
In a single burst, a torrent of magic engulfed Lyon's force field, channeling the ponies' magic directly into his body. He fell to the ground, the pain overwhelming his nerve endings as if he were on fire. Spike, having recovered from his own pain, pounded against the walls of his field, trying whatever he could to break it down and stop them! But nothing worked.
Spike was doomed to watch them do whatever they wanted.
Lyon gritted his teeth, trying to prop himself up with his fore hooves. He felt heavy, invisible baggage pushing him down. Every second, he felt weaker, the pain stronger. A tear ran down his cheek. His mind screamed, banging around the inner walls of his subconscious to get out, get out, getoutgetoutgetoutGETOUTGETOUTGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADOUTOUTOUTOUTOUTOUT--
In an instant, the three ponies were blown away, crashing against the walls of the cave. A shockwave rippled down the tunnels, ringing its corpse like a bell. The force fields surrounding Lyon and Spike were suddenly shattered as if they were glass, disintegrating into pixie dust. Spike felt himself get blown back, but kept firm to the ground until there was no longer any push against him.
When it was over, he opened his eyes. Lyon stood in the same spot, hooves clutched to the ground and his teeth grit to the point where it felt they would break. His eyes glowed a bright tan-yellow, only to suddenly fade away to nothingness seconds later. Once they did, he fell to the ground, trying to catch his breath and coughing with every wrong breath he took.
Spike ran over to help Lyon back on his hooves, but he couldn't help but hold bewilderment in his eyes.
"How... did you do that?" he asked.
Lyon shook his head, gasping through every word. "I... don't... know..."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," he insisted, waving a hoof weakly. "Give me a sec."
After a few patient moments, Lyon was able to stand on all fours. Once he was sure he could stand on his own, Spike pulled away to let him catch his breath. A distant groan caught his ears, and he turned to see the three strangers lying on the ground, unconscious but alive.
"They're out cold." Spike looked up to Lyon. "What do we do with them?"
Grunting, Lyon bent down and lifted Spike onto his back. "We leave them here. Let's go."
"What about Twilight? What if she's down here too?"
Lyon eyed the unconscious ponies, scrunching his lips angrily. Ultimately, he let out a shaky breath.
"We'll find her."
With that in mind, Lyon started walking down the tunnel the strangers originally came from. It was the best indication at the moment that there was a way out down the line. As soon as the light dimmed itself to nothing, Spike let out a belch of dragon fire, tuning it until it shone like an oil lamp, allowing the duo to see a good several feet in front of them.
Spike struggled to ask questions, as to avoid accidentally putting out the fire. "Do you know the way out?"
"No," Lyon admitted, "I've never been down here before. Very few ponies these days actually know this place still exists."
"Like Princess Celestia?"
"Probably not her, assuming this place was mined out centuries ago. Otherwise, if she did suspect something was off, this place would probably be one of the first to look in."
Lyon tried to recount the general written "maps" of the caves, but it'd been a while since he last looked at them. Who knows where he was at this moment? When did he ever see an intersection leading down two distinct paths? Why did it feel like this particular tunnel only went further down? Anyways, who was to say the hoof-drawn maps were entirely accurate?
But the stallion kept moving forward, sure that he would eventually find the way out. There was no way a place as complex and expansive as this only had one exit--especially if it ran under the entire city!
"How long do you think we've been down here?"
"I don't know. But considering they had enough time to drag us all the way here, I'm guessing we've been down here all night."
Spike gasped. "But... that means the wedding could be over by now! We could already be too late!"
Then the sound of a ringing bell echoed directly above them. Lyon and Spike looked up to the ceiling of the tunnel, where the noise emitted from.
"That's the clock tower," Lyon realized. "We're near the center of town."
Spike eyed him suspiciously. "For a guy that's only visited Canterlot once, you sure know a lot about this place."
"Well," shrugged Lyon, "it's not that hard to look around and figure out what goes where."
"And let me guess: That's what you were doing on the night of the Gala?"
"... Maybe."
A moment later, Lyon stopped talking. He held a hoof against Spike's mouth to silence him. Lyon placed an ear against the wall of the tunnel, which allowed the sound to resonate in a clearer tone as he listened to the individual bells going off, one after the other. At the end, a higher-pitched clang could be heard.
"Eleven-and-a-half bells," he noted, removing the hoof from Spike's mouth.
"That means it's 11:30. The wedding starts in half an hour!"
"Then we need to be up top by then."
"How are we gonna do that?"
"Other than walking in random directions... I don't know." Lyon sighed. "I should've just listened to you and told Celestia. I mean, we probably would've ended up here regardless, but at least she would've been more suspicious of the whole thing if more than one pony is talking about it."
"Well... it's a bit late for that now, isn't it?"
"I'm sorry, Spike," Lyon frowned apologetically. But the drake only snorted a laugh.
"Eh," he shrugged, "it's fine. I let myself get into this mess. If you were going down, you weren't going down alone."
The stallion rolled his eyes and grinned as he continued walking. "Thanks."
"No sweat. Now onward! We have a wedding to crash!"
"... Did you just kick my sides?"
"... Maybe."
A few minutes later, Lyon turned down another corridor, covered with the same texture of rocks and fake diamonds. This particular section of the tunnels seemed to be moving in a slightly upward slope, indicating they were approaching the surface. According to Spike, slopes usually meant an exit was nearby. They just had to be on the lookout for the faintest glimmer of light.
"Where do you think they took Twilight?" Spike questioned.
"Probably somewhere down here. And if the Cadance from yesterday is just a fake--"
"Which she is."
"--then the real Cadance is probably down here somewhere too."
"Should we go looking for them?"
"I've been thinking about that too." Lyon shook his head and eyed Spike for a moment. "But you and I both know that if something ever happened to Twilight, she'd want someone to finish whatever she started."
"Do you think she's... dead?"
"No," Lyon said sternly. "This is Twilight we're talking about. If anything's gonna kill her, it's her."
A hiss stopped Lyon in his tracks. The sound came from behind him, but he could see nothing beyond the several feet he just walked from. It echoed off into the distance, indicating it was much farther away. He looked up, down, left, and right, but nothing was there but rock and stone.
Then he saw them: Twenty eyes pierced the darkness, all of them an equal, yet sinister green. They stared him back, growing slowly closer as the sounds of clopping hooves echoed across the emptiness.
"Run," shouted Spike. "Run!"
Immediately, Lyon began running in a dead sprint down the tunnel, and soon after, the creatures behind him did the same. He heard the familiar sound of winding magic, and feared such an attack like before would cause the entire cave to come down on top of them!
But that didn't stop them from firing off whatever shots they could.
"Left!" Spike screamed, and Lyon quickly darted to the left, barely missing an explosive ball of magic. "Duck!"
On command, the stallion ducked down, drifting slightly against the rock, but not in a way that caused him any harm. Another ball flashed by and exploded down the tunnel seconds later. However, the light didn't fade, and Lyon laughed with excitement.
"The exit!" he screamed. "Hang on, Spike!"
Spike clutched his claws around Lyon's neck and held his body firmly against him. Lyon pushed himself faster than before, almost faster than his own hooves could carry him. He could hear his pursuers begin to fall behind, their hissing becoming more aggressive.
"They stopped shooting at us," Spike noticed. "What are they--"
In that moment, a large green blob, larger than anything they fired before, shot towards them from the far darkness. Lyon didn't stop running, even as it started to close in on him.
He felt his legs burn with such intensity, his lungs feeling as if they would collapse in on themselves, his vision growing blurry. But it was coming. Closer and closer and closer, brighter and brighter and brighter, and...
"Jump!"
And he did, leaping through the massive hole while holding Spike tightly against him. Just a moment later, a great explosion rippled behind them, firing outward in a massive shockwave. The force was so great that the rock above the hole collapsed, completely sealing in their pursuers.
Spike caught his breath only in the sense of the sheer tension of it all, whereas Lyon was gasping for sweet oxygen. His head pounded with dizziness, and he could feel his lungs inflate and deflate like paper bags. He occasionally coughed, but ultimately could still hold in a good breath or two.
Lyon couldn't help but laugh wildly as he could feel the warmth of the summer day brush against his fur, and the simultaneously cool wind washing over him.
"We did it!" Spike exclaimed. "We made it out!"
But curious about the sensation of grass beneath him, Spike took in his surroundings and recognized this as Canterlot's rural gardens, just by the downtown area, though closer to the mountainside.
With a weak hoof, Lyon pointed to his right, revealing the now-distant, but still readable clock tower.
"And... with twenty... minutes... to spare."
The clock read 11:40, just indeed twenty minutes shy of noon. They knew that as soon as those bells rang, and those two say 'I do,' it'd be all over. Lyon hoped Twilight was or already had beaten him to the punch, that they had solved the problem and saved the day before any of these cronies had a chance to realize their plans had been tarnished, and that by the time they got there, it would all be okay.
But he couldn't take that risk, no matter who Twilight was--no matter what he always thought of her.
"We... We need to keep moving," Lyon struggled to say, still catching his breath. "It'll take us ten minutes to get there. But in this... case... it might be longer."
"Are you sure you're fit to walk? Or even carry me?"
Lyon nodded, lifting the drake onto his back slowly. "As long as we don't run into anymore of those... whatever they are... we should get there by the time Celestia starts talking. I've always wanted to crash a wedding. Well... at least one that deserves to be crashed."
Supporting Spike on top of him, Lyon set out back to the inner city, as well as getting as far away from the cave as possible.
It wasn't more than a few minutes later that the duo found themselves back in the center of town, practically a stone's throw away from the castle. What they also noticed was just how crowded the streets were, even on a day like this. They thought ponies would be more revolved around the castle area instead of scattered equally across the city.
And yet, countless folks were setting up little booths for merchandise and foods to buy, from Princess Cadance balloons to Shining Armor popsicles. Along the way, several stand owners hollered over to Lyon and Spike, hoping to encourage them to try out whatever they had to offer, but they kindly refused every time.
... Well, at least Lyon refused.
"Do you think once this is over," pitched Spike, "we can grab some of those gems back there?"
Lyon rolled his eyes. "Even when you're in danger, you're still thinking about a meal?"
"Hey, I can't always save the world on an empty stomach!" Spike claimed, earning a lighthearted scoff from Lyon.
"Fine. But how about we focus first?"
With a happy nod, Spike stayed hooked against Lyon's back as the two continued down the street. Though still distant, the familiar pillars of the castle grew larger in size, and the crowds continued to increase until ponies were practically shoulder to shoulder.
"Jeez," said Spike, "I didn't think it'd be this bad!"
"Me neither. Hopefully it thins out before... we... get there..."
Then Lyon stopped. In the midst of the thousands of ponies that surrounded him, he was able to stare down two of them. Both earth ponies, from the looks of it, looked back at him with firm stares from fifty feet away. Their mouths opened as if talking to each other, but it was drowned out by the chatter from everyone else. At first, Lyon assumed they might've been looking at someone else, or something near him and he was a mistaken bystander. It happened more than he wanted it to.
Then their eyes flashed green.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."
The two ponies leapt off the ground in a heap, sprinting their way through the crowd. Lyon made sure Spike was gripped tightly to him, then darted off down the street to the castle. He was surrounded by crowd goers, practically swimming his way through them as they yelled incessant insults at him.
"Well, I never!" one mare yelled as Lyon brushed her aside. Only to he knocked over by the pursuers a few moments later.
The duo tried ducking beneath the crowd, hoping to sneak their way out, but the amount of ponies looking down at them or laughing at the strange obscenity only painted a further target on their heads. Eventually, Lyon slid onto the sidewalk, where there was surprisingly less traffic. The pursuing ponies quickly caught wind and also hopped onto the sidewalk, able to run far more freely.
"Uh, Lyon, these guys seem a lot faster than the others!" Spike mentioned worriedly.
Lyon opened his mouth mid-sprint, only to notice notice something coming up from the front. He smirked.
"They may be faster, but we're smarter!"
"What do you mean?"
"On my count, get ready to fire on the left, got it?"
"Why?" Spike questioned, but he too quickly noticed the approaching obstacle. "Ohhhhhh!"
"Ready?"
Lyon ran faster, his hooves nearly stumbling beneath him, but he kept his pace. His lungs didn't burn as much as they did in the caves, but he could feel something. Just a little bit further...!
"One... two...!"
With a boost of his hind legs, Lyon leapt over the fireworks stand and turned each individual rocket in the direction of his pursuers--who immediately stopped in their tracks.
"Three!"
Spike inhaled, only to let out a great torrent of balefire that engulfed the rockets. Instantly, they all began to fire at random intervals, but all towards the strangers, who ducked and jumped themselves out of harm's way.
The fireworks exploded among the crowd, the sound rippling across downtown and turning countless heads. Folks began scrambling in a panic, some overreactive ponies screaming at the top of their lungs. In an instant, it felt more like a riot than a celebration. A perfect distraction.
Amidst the chaos, Lyon ran away, far until his pursuers, still reeling over the spontaneous attack, could no longer see him.
As Lyon hoped, the closer from downtown he was, the less ponies there were crowded in the streets. However, as he ran, several panicked residents followed behind him, but not all of them fled down the same road. Eventually, the screams echoed into the air, only to be overshadowed by the greater tolling of the clock tower bell.
"It's noon!" Spike yelled.
"And just in time, too!" Lyon assured as he made it to the royal palace. The royal guards stood aside to let him and Spike through, indicating they were still the same guards as yesterday and the day before. It had been one of the most relieving moments of the day.
In the distance, the clock tower bell was joined by a series of smaller, higher pitched bells that played a series of cheerful wedding chimes over the royal palace. The last time Lyon heard those bells ring was during the Grand Galloping Gala. He never thought he'd ever be so happy to hear them.
Lyon climbed up the stairs leading to the wedding hall, feeling his legs ache and his lungs finally begin to burn proper again, but he knew he couldn't stop now. He was almost there!
He barged through the first doors of the wedding hall, revealing a long hall that branched off into four different halls exploring deeper into the castle. At the very end of the hall stood two massive doors, beside them two royal guards armor-clad as usual. Lyon ran down the hallway, and straight away he caught the attention of the guards, who stood in front of him in an attempt to keep him out. Inside, Princess Celestia began to speak, entirely unaware.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."
"I just need to get in there! It's an emergency!"
"... to honor the union between these two loving..."
"He's telling the truth! We're in danger!"
"If there is any reason as to why these to should not be wed..."
"Sorry about this!"
Lyon apologized as he stomped on one of the guards' hooves. The guard recoiled in pain, giving him the strength to push the other away. While he didn't fall, it gave Lyon enough to get through.
"Let them speak now, or forever hold their--"
Princess Celestia was interrupted by the sound of crashing doors and the sliding of hooves.
"Stop the wedding!"
A collection of gasps and rearing heads filled the wedding hall as everyone turned to see Lyon and Spike standing beside each other, with a guard ready to lunge at them from behind. Celestia only held a single hoof, calling off his defense.
"What is the meaning of this?" Celestia questioned, staring down the duo fiercely.
"Probably the same reason as Twilight?" Cadance asked almost monotonously. But despite her tone, it was that stare of hers. She looked Lyon down as a predator would their prey. He didn't even notice.
"You're damn right it is!" Lyon shouted with a stomp of his hoof, earning a couple of gasps. "I'm here to stop this yakcrap, whether you like it or not!"
The crowd murmured quietly among one another. In the distance, Rainbow Dash planted a hoof against her face, and Rarity could only glare at Lyon, clearly upset that he had gotten Spike involved.
And Applejack... she didn't know what to think. Her face told a variety of feelings, but Lyon couldn't even focus on that.
Cadance started to shed tears. "W-Why are you doing this? Why can't you just let me have my day in peace?"
"Your day?" Lyon barked. "What kind of day? Total control of Equestria? Enslaving everypony here? C'mon, I'm dying to hear it!"
"That's enough, Lyon!" shouted Celestia.
Spike stepped forward. "Please, you have to listen to him!"
The goddess looked down upon the young drake, and rather than be convinced, only sorrow fell on her face.
"It's one thing to play along with Twilight's charade, no matter how reckless it be... but to bring Spike into this matter is more than." Celestia stared at Lyon coldly before lifting a hoof upward. "Guards! Escort Mr. Lyon out of here."
On command, three extra guards emerged from the sides of the massive hall and joined the fourth, all of them quickly convering on Lyon. The murmurs resumed, even among the remaining Elements, though theirs were more questioning, more concerned, but they said and did nothing beyond that.
"Princess Celestia, please! You have to listen to what Lyon has to say!" Spike repeated.
"I'm afraid Twilight has told me more than a fair share of nonsense," Celestia rebutted softly to Spike before turning to the guards. "Take him to the royal chambers. I wish to talk to him in private after this is over."
"Yes, ma'am."
The four guards grabbed Lyon, who immediately began to struggle against their grasps, but they were far too strong.
"Let me go!" Lyon shouted repeatedly, but they refused to listen, slowly dragging him out of the hall.
Some of the wedding crowd laughed softly at the scene that unfolded before them. Applejack watched in disappointment, or what looked like it. Rarity glared and scoffed.
"Sheesh," Rainbow Dash muttered loudly, "what a killjoy."
And Lyon could feel it again. That bubbling feeling, the same feeling he got when those three strangers crept their way into his mind, telling them to get out. He felt hot, his head hurt. And his eyes glowed again.
"I... said... LET ME GO!"
A great flash of light filled the hall for a fraction of a second, and a loud boom shook the place. When it was over, nothing was damaged or out of place, but the four guards that held Lyon were now all several feet away, knocked to the floor and reeling in pain, while Lyon himself stood on all fours, sucking in breath.
The hall went entirely silent. There were no laughs, no murmurs, no bickering, and no shouting; the only thing that persisted were the stares of every single person there, and Lyon's silent breaths.
The glow faded, but it did not leave him.
"I have been kidnapped, shot at--I've had guards threaten to kill me, I damaged royal property, and I had a bunch of freaks swimming around in my head with their magic! And half of them didn't even have horns!"
Lyon stepped forward, each plop of a hoof more of a stomp the closer he got, and his voice growing with intensity. Not even Celestia, the one that could easily put him in his place, did anything to hinder him. It might have been the glowing eyes that kept her from doing anything.
"My best friend is missing, and for all I know, she could be dead, and this freak," Lyon emphasized, pointing to Cadance, "probably killed her, and now she's trying to act all innocent about it! And the worst part of about it is, all of you are too stupid to even figure that out! If you actually figured it out, you wouldn't have abandoned your best friend when she needed you the most!"
The stallion shook almost feverishly, his breath escaping him faster than he could take it in. Nopony said anything for a moment. Cadance looked at him with faux sorrow. He could see that. The Elements stood in place, too afraid to move.
"Twilight is missing?" Celestia spoke silently, yet worriedly.
Lyon scoffed. "Now you care about her? Where was that kind of care yesterday?" Before she could respond, he beat her to the punch. "She's been missing since yesterday. I tried looking for her, me and Spike. We were jumped by a bunch of goons. But I guess because Twilight was 'so paranoid,' you didn't even bother to check up on her, did you?"
"Lyon..." he heard Spike call quietly to him. He turned, only to see Spike aiming at his own face. "Your eyes..."
Holding up a hoof to his face, he realized a faint glowing reflection bounced off it.
"And this..." Lyon turned to Cadance. "What is this? What did you do to me?"
"I... I don't..." She struggled to say anything, but a quick look at her face could show she was merely putting on a performance. And yet the audience ate it up like it was candy going out of style.
Celestia stood behind Lyon, her voice hinged on concern, yet unwilling to let her regal appearance falter for just a moment. "And do you have any evidence to support these claims?"
Lyon grit his teeth behind his closed mouth for a moment, letting his frustration nearly get to him. How dare she? After everything I just said, everything she saw, she still refuses to believe me?! Why else would Twilight not be here?!
But he felt his ears twinge a bit as a thought came to him. Wait... of course! he thought as he reached into the satchel still nestled on his back. Celestia watched on. Everyone watched on, all curious as to what he could possibly be looking for. After a moment of searching and hoping, successfully he pulled out a small crystal, the exact same crystal from Twilight's bedroom chamber. He was lucky they hadn't bothered to search his bags!
It was almost worth the change in expression on Cadance's face.
"What's the matter, Cadance?" Lyon asked almost mockingly. "Know what this is, do ya?"
Celestia was the one to answer instead. "That's a holographic crystal. Those are... exceptionally rare. How... and why... do you have that?"
"Ask your niece," Lyon jested, yet honestly, "it's hers, after all."
Hopping down the altar steps, Lyon tapped the crystal a few times and let it fall to the floor. A second later, the crystal whirred itself to life, emitting a powerful burst of energy that shot upward, revealing the familiar image of Twilight Sparkle, a full three-dimensional rendition of her, crying behind her hooves. Collective gasps and awes filled the room again as the loop of Twilight sobbing played for several moments. Any expressions of doubt or frustration or anger on any of the Elements' faces quickly disappeared.
Celestia still held some doubt in her eyes, but they conflicted with everything else, warring against the other thoughts in her head. At times, Lyon caught her looking at the facade in front of her, then back to Cadance, and still she couldn't believe it, or maybe she did and simply refused to believe it.
Several moments later, the image of Twilight glitched out and shut itself down. Lyon sighed and picked up the crystal. As satisfied as he was that this was out in the open, seeing and hearing Twilight cry like that kept haunting him. He hoped now that everything had finally been exposed, Celestia would start a search, lock up the faker, find Twilight and the real Cadance, and everything would be back to--
"How dare you?"
... normal.
"... What?"
Cadance stomped her hoof against the marble. "I said how DARE you?! How DARE you accuse me of such things?! Such... such a scandal?!"
"Accuse?! I just showed everyone in this room what you did! What you're capable of!"
"What part of that ever proved it was me?!" Cadance screamed. "All you did was show a hologram, and that was enough for you to paint me as a monster?! In front of everypony here?! In front of my husband?!"
Lyon reared back slightly, but kept his stance. He didn't react greatly, but the overall reaction from the crowd seemed to stir in the alicorn's favor. He knew what kind of game she was already starting to play, and he didn't like it.
He realized she wasn't entirely wrong, either.
"You and Twilight feel so determined to take everything I hoped for--everything I ever wanted for this day--and shred it like it's nothing but scrap paper! It seems like all you ever want now is just to have the attention all on you, all on her, to get your 15 minutes of fame and then hop off into the sunset like you saved the world! It's like all you want is to ruin my big day and turn it into a laughingstock!"
This time, Cadance was the one walking towards Lyon, even as Celestia initially told her to stay. The crowds surrounding them murmured to each other, while Lyon sat in silence, growing nervous on the inside as the audience seemingly turned against him with every word that escaped the mare's throat.
"All I wanted was one day where I could be the happiest mare in the world! To not be afraid to stand with my husband and be proud! To be HAPPY! And you took it from me!"
Lyon glanced at the crowd, and among his friends. All of them glared now, but not at Cadance. At him. They glared at him. The only one out of the crowd that didn't do so was Spike, and it was because he was the only one who knew the real story. He hoped he never spoke up out of fear. Already, ponies were taking Cadance's side again. He turned to Celestia, hoping she could at least hold some reasonable doubt, enough to warrant an investigation.
She glared at him too. He felt alone, now.
How could they be so gullible?
"Cadance," Shining Armor said in an almost monotonous tone, though nopony seemed to notice. "It's okay. Come back up here. It's okay."
Crocodile tears shed from her eyes as the alicorn ran back up the altar and into Shining's arms. Negative whispers surfed across the room, and Lyon could practically feel the glares beating down on him. He stared at Cadance with discontent, but he knew he no longer had any leverage.
You and Twilight...
"... Then where's Twilight?"
It seemed to get Cadance's attention, and the whispers dimmed. "What?"
"You said me and Twilight were desperate to get our 15 minutes of fame, because we're so determined to ruin your special day! Right?" She didn't say anything. "Then where is she?"
Suddenly, Lyon bonked his head with a hoof.
"Oh, silly me, I guess I forgot like everypony else that she's missing! Why would I make that up?! Why would I make up the fact that my best friend is nowhere to be found and could probably be dead?!" The stallion paused, pointing a hoof up to Cadance. "I know what little game you're playing at, and I'm not gonna sit here and let you take the high road! If you lay even a hoof on my Twilight, I swear I'll--"
"Your Twilight?" she rebutted in a less-than-sad tone, earning at least a faint glance from Celestia.
"Yes. My Twilight. Not a clone, not a fake, not whatever in Tartarus you are... I want My. Twilight. Sparkle. Back! So where is she?! Where is Twilight Sparkle?!"
Suddenly, the doors at the end of the wedding hall burst open for a second time, and the sound of trotting and a slide against the marble floor could be heard.
"Stop!"
The voice was familiar. All too familiar. Everyone in the hall turned to the open doors to see...
"Twilight...?" Lyon said weakly.
"Twilight!" Spike yelled as he ran over to the lavender unicorn, who openly embraced the young drake in a hug. Surprised chatter filled the hall, and even the Elements looked at each other, unsure of how to feel. No doubt, everything felt so conflicted.
Lyon approached her slowly. "Twilight? Twilight Twilight?"
Looking up, she grinned. "Yeah, it's me--"
She couldn't finish before she was suddenly embraced in a tight hug by the stallion, who let out all his breath. To Twilight, it was as if he suddenly felt lighter.
"I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I tried looking for you. Spike and I, we tried to find you, but we got ambushed and... I thought..."
"It's okay. It's not your fault. It's not your fault..."
Lyon felt himself breathing heavily again, the emotional strain trying to leave and come back altogether. He didn't care, though. As long as she was here, as long as she was alright, he didn't care now.
"You see?!" Cadance screeched from the altar, forcing Twilight and Lyon apart. "They did this on purpose! They only did this to make this their big day! They planned it from the start!"
She started to cry again, even as Shining rubbed her back in a robotic fashion.
"Why can't you just let me have my special day?!"
"Because it's not your special day!" Cadance's familiar voice boomed... but not from her.
Turning to the doors again, everyone watched as an equally identical alicorn stormed inside and glared at the mare at the altar.
"It's mine!"
A chorus of gasps swarmed the room, and everyone found themselves looking at each other, as if doing double, triple, even septuple checks to see if what they were looking at was reality. Even Lyon, despite knowing he and Twilight were right, had trouble realizing he was still awake.
And Cadance dropped the charade. No point now, was there?
"What?" She stared in disbelief at the matted alicorn before her. "But how did you escape my bridesmaids?"
From there, the real Cadance went into detail on how they escaped their pursuers, down deep within the Crystal Caves. The mention of the caves themselves caught Lyon's attention, and already he could feel the guilt hang him down. Every time Spike had an idea, he was always right about it.
Note to self, he thought somberly.
"Hmph. Clever," Cadance admitted sarcastically, "but you're still too late."
Applejack stepped forward, shaking her head in disbelief. "I-I don't understand. How can there be two of 'em?"
She's a changeling!" Cadance exclaimed. "She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them!"
The duplicate Cadance standing on the altar grimaced bitterly at the alicorn, her eyes quickly turning from a familiar purple, into an equally familiar green. The very same green harbored by Lyon's pursuers, he realized.
Suddenly, a ring of green fire circled across Cadance, engulfing her in seconds. Despite this, she did not scream, did not yelp in pain or agony.
Instead, she laughed.
In an instant, a beam of light burst upward, and behind it, Cadance changed before everyone's eyes. Her luscious pink wings shed themselves into an ugly mess of tattered wings that resembled an insect's. Her hooves and body, enveloped by the fire, turned into a gangrenous black with holes scattered around at random. Her horn cracked and curved into that of a dagger that glistened from nothing.
Then her eyes... her laugh... Why did it look... so...
No.... It can't be....
Lyon froze in place, gripping Twilight firmly out of fear, and she noticed it. She asked him what was wrong, why his eyes looked so scared, that indicated determination faded away and leaving a shell in its wake. But Lyon didn't listen. He didn't hear her, or he thought he didn't hear her. Everyone was gone, in his eyes. Equestria was gone, Applejack was gone, Rarity was gone. Twilight was gone.
All he could do, with nothing but terror flowing through his body, was stare.
And the monster stared back. |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 6: Out of the Cage | The next minute, the next two minutes, the next three minutes... however long it had been, it blurred together.
One minute, Lyon froze in place staring at the very creature that haunted his dreams for a year, as she changed into her true form, overlooking the ponies surrounding her and blurting out her plans for total control...
And the next minute, Princess Celestia was blasted to the floor. Even then, Lyon didn't even think he moved.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight screamed as she ran to her teacher's aid. Lyon turned his head laggardly as Celestia lay practically paralyzed against the marble floors, surrounded by Twilight and the others. He had this need to run, to follow Twilight, to help Celestia no matter the circumstances beforehoof.
But he couldn't move, and his eyes always turned back to the creature before him. Chrysalis, she called herself--leader of the changelings--barked with laughter, standing before everypony with a sinister smile and caressing Shining Armor's face with one of her lengthy hooves.
"And I have you to thank for all of this, sweetheart," she said almost sarcastically as she kissed his cheek.
"Get your hooves off of him!" Cadance exclaimed. She wanted to fight back, but she lacked the energy she needed to do anything to her. Even then, she feared faring worse than her aunt.
Regardless, Chrysalis felt the need to encase her in a force field, preventing her from trying to escape. Twilight noticed this and attempted to fire off a warning shot to distract her, but the Queen was quick to imprison her as well. Immediately, Twilight and the others tried banging against the field, but the field didn't change in condition.
Chrysalis laughed. "Oh my... MUCH stronger than I ever thought, indeed."
Some of the ponies in the crowd started to flee out the door, but the rest were shivering in their boots, if they had any. In the distance, the sound of banging could be heard, echoing in everypony's ears. Twilight and the others looked out the great window panes to see black masses converging over Shining Armor's city field, constantly smashing their bodies against it in an attempt to destroy it. And no doubt, it was working.
Lyon took a step back, never taking his eyes off Chrysalis. Unable to see behind him, he stumbled and fell to the floor. And that was all it took to get her attention.
The way her eyes stabbed his straight back... just like the dreams, it haunted him. He wanted to believe he was sleeping, that he was really just wrong all along and he would wake up in bed.
But this was real.
"And how could I forget about you, my little lion?" Chrysalis questioned darkly. Slowly, she started to approach him.
Lyon could feel his heartbeat quicken, his muscles tense up. He backed up against one of the empty pews. He stuttered, struggling to speak anything.
"Lyon, run!" Twilight screamed, but he did no such thing. "Lyon!"
"It... It..." he faltered. "... It's you."
"So you do remember me! My... how you have changed since I last saw you." Chrysalis leapt towards him, but only to force him further back. She laughed. "And yet the same little rodent I had the displeasure of knowing."
Lyon recoiled, confused. "I... I don't know what..."
Suddenly, Chrysalis transformed into a familiar figure--the red mare he met downtown the other evening. He hadn't the thought of asking her name at the time. Now he didn't need to, it seemed.
"Then again," she spoke, her vocal tone the same as he remembered, "the fault was all mine, after all."
With a flash of her horn, she returned to her original form, a complete contrast; Twilight continued to bang on the force field, even charging up a quick spell, but still nothing worked.
"Get away from him!" Twilight yelled, but Chrysalis ignored her, preying herself slowly on Lyon until she was nearly pressed up against his body. She felt him shiver faintly, and his eyes remained locked.
"What's the matter? You seem... scared." Chrysalis' pupils blackened for a moment. "Where was that fierceness before? You were so brave. So very brave."
And suddenly Lyon recalled his dreams again. The fires, the bodies, the chaos that fell upon him.
The monster staring down at him--just as it did now.
"Who are you...?" he asked. He didn't demand it. He just asked.
She smiled almost sweetly for a moment, a motherly calm plastered on her face as she looked down at the stallion. She laughed.
And then the smile was gone.
"Wouldn't you like to know... Traitor/Traitor."
Before Lyon could react, a burst of magic shot from Chrysalis' horn and struck him, sending him flying into the nearby wall, hard enough to leave a crater. The remaining crowd gasped and shrieked.
"LYON!" Twilight and the others screamed simultaneously, watching helplessly as the changeling queen slammed their friend into the wall a second time, then held him there firmly telekinetically.
Lyon mumbled something, but nopony could understand it, except for one word.
"Please..."
Chrysalis' horn charged up again, glowing a sickly green mixed with a darker shade. Without warning, she engulfed Lyon in it.
Twilight's bones rattled.
She never heard him scream like that before.
"Stop!" she shouted, shooting bolts of magic into the force field, despite no visible progress. "STOP!"
But Lyon couldn't say. He only thought--and it hurt.
OHGODSTHEPAINITHURTSPLEASESTOPDONTDOTHISNONONONONOTWILIGHTAPPLEJACKSOMEONEHELPMESPIKECELESTIASTOPHERITHURTSPLEASESTOPHURTINGMEPLEASENONONONOWHOAREYOUWHOAREYOUWHOAREYOUIAMNOTYOUIAMNOTYOUIAMLYONIAMLYONIAMLYONLIONLIONLIONLYONLYONWHOAMIIAMYOUNOIAMLYONIAMNOTYOUIAMYOUGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTGETOUTGETOUTOUTOUTOUTOUTOUT
Suddenly, as quick as it started, the pain was gone, and Chrysalis' magic had ceased. Lyon fell to the ground in a broken heap, trying to breathe whatever air he could suck in.
And he paused, his eyes drifting forward almost deadly. He looked at his hooves and realized them.
"What...?" he asked himself, realizing his voice. He recognized it, surely. But all the same, it felt so different.
The room was silent, and for its duration, Lyon couldn't stop looking at his hooves. His alien little hooves.
Who was he? The question was pointless. He knew.
Yet he didn't.
"You little wretch!"
He glanced up weakly, only to see Chrysalis' familiar form reeling back and resting a hoof against her side. A small mark had appeared on her back; looking at the source, he saw Cadance kneeling to the floor, her horn discharging for a moment.
With another fit of magic, the queen sent Cadance flying backward, landing on the altar beside Shining Armor, who didn't at all react to his fiancee's pain. More of the crowd fled the wedding hall.
In that brief moment of weakness, Twilight conjured up another spell, and with a great whirl, she successfully smashed the force field to pieces, which dissipated into pixie dust. Now free of her imprisonment, she ran over to Lyon, who struggled to get up on his hooves.
"Lyon!" she yelled shakily, holding out her arms to support him. "Hey, hey, easy!"
Applejack assisted Twilight, better supporting the stumbling stallion. "Easy, hon... You okay?"
"I'm... nnggh..." He froze for a second. When it passed, he was more collected, yet hesitant. "I'm fine."
"You don't sound fine," Twilight mentioned, and she was right. Lyon realized his voice had gone raspy, his legs shaking, his mane tattered, and he was sweating relentlessly. He couldn't stop breathing so hard.
He grimaced, nauseous.
"I'll be okay. I just... need a minute..."
"We might not have a minute!" Rainbow Dash insisted, pointing towards Chrysalis, who stormed towards Cadance with dark magic coursing through her horn. Unable to charge up any remaining magic, Cadance was locked into place, a greenish slime covering the base of her hooves. She tried to escape, but to no clear avail. Chrysalis laughed in triumph.
"We have to get to the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight exclaimed worriedly. "They're our only hope!"
The six mares all nodded firmly, realizing their task at hoof. However, Lyon stood in front of them, leering towards Chrysalis and weakly planting his hooves against the marble floor.
"Go," Lyon said simply. "I'll hold her off."
"Are you crazy?!" Twilight looked at Lyon like he had gone mad, and he very well might have.
Am I? he thought.
"It should buy you enough time. I'll be fine!"
"We're not just gonna leave you here!" Spike exclaimed. Lyon turned back to them with pleading eyes.
"Just trust me!"
The brief bout of arguing caught Chrysalis' attention. She turned around and began to approach the seven ponies, but Lyon held himself firmly in place, despite his legs still wobbling heavily. Lyon repeated for them to leave him behind, but Twilight continuously refused. Lyon knew he was running out of an option here, out of space again.
But this time, he wasn't helpless.
"Shining, you're free!" the stallion suddenly screamed. It was a lie, of course... but it worked.
"What?!" Chrysalis snapped her head a full 180 and looked in the direction of Shining Armor, who was still no different than he was five minutes before. Before she could realize the trick at hoof, Lyon snagged one of the cameras out of a bystander's hooves and whipped it at the changeling queen, striking her successfully against the side of the head and momentarily dazing her. On instinct, she fired a warning shot, but luckily there was nopony in its path as it struck a window pane that shattered without effort.
Lyon turned to the rest of the crowd.
"Run!"
On command, the ponies remaining in the hall got up in a frenzy and started for the door, Twilight and the others leading them. The room became a mess of panicked stallions and mares trying to escape. Amidst the chaos, Lyon hid within their ranks.
Chrysalis growled, but soon let out a sinister chuckle. "You can run, but you can't hide!"
Once Twilight, Spike, and the rest of the Elements reached the outermost double doors, the crowd behind them separated, pooling outward in a frightened mass. Chrysalis lagged behind, but she was still all too close by. Lyon emerged from the crowd and caught up with the girls.
"You guys get to the Elements," he insisted, "I'll do whatever I can out here."
Twilight stared worriedly at Lyon. "But what if something happens to you?"
"I can handle myself. You guys are far more important right now."
"But--"
"Hey." Lyon placed a hoof against Twilight's hoof. "I'll be okay. I promise."
Despite his claims, Twilight still worried. She wanted to stay behind, or somehow force him to come with them and fight whatever may be ahead, instead of leaving him all on his own. But right now, he was right, and she had no choice but to trust him with just words.
"Okay."
Lyon smiled at his friend, but the smile faded. His eyes felt cloudy for a moment, like something else was on his mind at the same time.
"Ly--"
Before she could ask, Twilight found her lips pressed against Lyon's, but she was in no way the one who initiated it. The stallion before her kissed her sensually, nuzzling her cheek with his hoof. But it only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away, leaving a dazed Twilight to look him back.
"Be careful," he said simply. But the way he said it was so different from the way he said anything before.
Left speechless, Twilight could only nod in that moment, yet firmly, and within seconds, was off in the other direction, Spike and the girls trailing behind her.
As soon as she was gone, Lyon let out a shaky sigh, only to freeze momentarily as he heard Chrysalis' shrills in the distance. In that same moment, a loud shattering noise echoed in his ears. Looking up, he could only watch in horror as the mighty shield put up by Shining Armor disintegrated into nothing. The black masses circling around it all descended down to Canterlot. Changelings by the thousands swarmed the city.
And now, Lyon could swear he even recognized some of them.
Even from the top, he could see the chaos that ruptured below. In mere moments, changelings scoured every corner, chasing ponies left and right as they fled into their homes. Some even tried to repel them with whatever magic they could muster, but the changelings were able to subdue them before they could deal any damage. Some were left battered and bruised as other changelings were more thorough in the assault. Fires rose across the city, their smoke billowing high into the air.
In just moments, the forest burned--
No. Canterlot. Not forest. Canterlot. Canterlot. This is Canterlot, not--
Lyon circled the area surrounding the wedding hall. With simple observation, he had noticed all of the royal guards had gone, either already captured or deployed elsewhere. Many of their bows and arrows were left behind, scattered across the ground. Further down, he came across bodies of royal guards, but luckily all of them were alive, but unconscious. He had recognized some of them as those he trained the day before, to serve in the fireworks show.
Leaving them alone, Lyon began to grab individual arrows off the ground and store them into a harness he had fastened on his back. He picked up one of the few similar bows and gripped it precisely. It held a similar texture and shape to the one he used back in archery school--
No. No, that never happened, he remembered.
Counting his ammunition, he only had seven arrows available to him. He knew how thick-skinned changelings were, and all he could do was hope seven would be enough.
Cautiously, Lyon paced his way up the stairs leading back to the royal hall. He opened the double doors and walked back in, and realized the two guards from before were now gone. Had they fled the scene?
Or were they changelings too? He was sure he would've noticed something was wrong, even if...
The closer he got to the wedding hall, the better he could hear her. She was boastful, overconfident it seemed, and overall far less sane. Her shrills of laughter contained nothing but a darkness that was contagious even to the most durable of persons.
Rearing himself his hind legs, Lyon readied his bow, shaping his hoof to grip the bow tightly. He reached into the harness pouch and took out an arrow; he had no problem lining it up. It felt natural now.
With a slow sigh, he pushed open the inner double doors, revealing a cleared out wedding hall. Some of the glass windows had been completely shattered. Very few changelings flew above the hall, guarding what appeared to be a massive cocoon.
Inside was...
"Celestia," he muttered worriedly as his eyes fell upon the unconscious princess. Given the time frame, they probably only just set her up there. And deep down, Lyon knew that even if he was completely careful, he'd end up there too if they were able to subdue the ruler of the sun.
"Such a lovely day, is it not?" Chrysalis asked to Cadance, who refused to answer her question. "Oh, stop with the melodrama. Inside an hour I'm going to make it even better. Isn't that right, dear?"
Shining Armor nodded monotonously.
"Uh huh."
Tears welled up in Cadance's eyes. "Shining! You have to snap out of it, please! I'm right here! It's me!"
"I'm afraid he can't understand you very well, dear Cadance. His total love for you has left him at my mercy and mine alone. Nothing you say or do will snap him out of it."
"That won't stop me from trying, you monster!"
Chrysalis laughed.
"Go ahead, then. I'm not stopping you. At least... not right now."
The changeling queen let out another fit of sinister laughter as Cadance tried futilely to free her fiance from his mental prison, but with her goo'd to the floor, she could do nothing beyond screaming his name and hoping it would be enough.
"Shining!" Her voice started to break. "Shining!"
Chrysalis and the drones around her only laughed louder.
"Bieneshcka Butuu!"
The laughter quickly died, replaced by a hideous chorus of hisses. Cadance and the creatures all turned to the doors to see Lyon standing beneath them, bow and arrow held firmly at the ready.
Chrysalis stepped forward a couple feet, grinning. "I'm sorry, dear, could you be more clear? You are speaking in a dead language."
Lyon's brows only furrowed, but his posture did not change.
"I said let them go."
"Ah, now that's more like it. But no. I don't think I will."
The changelings circling Celestia's cocoon swooped down and formed a barricade in front of Lyon to prevent him from going forward. To their surprise, Chrysalis dismissed them.
"He's no threat to me," she boasted. "Continue preparing the princess."
With a directed hiss to Lyon, the changelings once more returned to the cocoon. Lyon kept his arrow aimed at the queen.
"It's almost good to see you again, my little hatchling... almost," Chrysalis said in a mildly sarcastic tone.
"Hatchling?" Cadance asked faintly.
"I can't exactly say the same for you at all," Lyon said to Chrysalis, who only laughed in a semi-jesting manner.
"Oh, come now. Surely you missed me on some of those cold, lonely nights?"
"After what you did," Lyon recounted, "you were always the last thing on my mind."
"And look where it brought you now: A surprise visit from mommy, after all this time. You should be thanking me for being so considerate."
Cadance looked between Lyon and and Chrysalis confusedly. "She... and you're her... but... you're... at her, and..."
Annoyed, the queen goo'd her mouth shut.
"Can you please be quiet for a moment? I'm having a talk with my son for the first time in lifetimes, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't spoil the moment more than you already have."
Lyon snorted. "That's funny. Ten minutes ago, you were calling me a traitor."
"And you still are!" Chrysalis suddenly screeched, only to control her voice by clearing her throat. "But everyone makes mistakes. Even you--so young as you were."
"You destroyed Sanctity."
"That was nothing compared to the trouble you put me through!" Chrysalis stomped herself forward again, her eyes flaring green with anger. "You betrayed me, your siblings, our trust for you, and you pursued your own selfish desires!"
The anger seemed to fade from her eyes, but Lyon hesitated to call it another faux gesture, so he kept his hoof firm on the arrow.
"I spent a very long time looking for you, to reunite you with the hive because I was willing to give you one more chance. I was willing to accept your mistake--and I was willing to forgive and forget."
Chrysalis walked forward. Lyon stepped back.
"You always felt so alone, even when you were surrounded by those you believed truly cared. I could feel it in your heart. I could sense it." Chrysalis stopped moving and stood firmly in place, carrying that same motherly expression from earlier. "But you're not alone. You've made a mistake, and the hive remembers it all. But you don't have to be alone anymore. I'm here. Your brothers and your sisters are all here for you, ready to take you back into our arms. We are willing to put aside our past and make amends. We are ready for you to come home, little lion."
Her eyes seemed more genuine, he noticed. The motherly essence that emanated from her felt real. She seemed serious with her intentions, and it wasn't entirely a facade. He remembered how one of the elders used to speak of better solutions, ideas that would benefit the hive. When he had broken her trust, she gave him a second chance, and left it alone. At least... until she discovered he had been researching behind her back.
He could still remember the screams.
But that was a long time ago. And she was known to put on a show. He knew the moment he took her advice, she'd have his head strung on a flagpole overlooking the valley.
Lyon wasn't stupid.
"Kuuntaa Dylebo," Lyon responded in kind, pulling back the bow string. "Remember what that means?"
Chrysalis growled, and her left shoulder twitched faintly. Magic sparked from her horn, but she only let out a breath. She saw him pull back the string and snorted.
The face was still there.
"Come now, my little lion. You couldn't possibly shoot your own dear mother, could y--"
She couldn't finish the sentence before Lyon let the string go, launching the arrow straight into her shoulder. He did it intentionally. Chrysalis recoiled, letting a pained shriek escape her throat as her eyes fell upon the arrow. It had dug itself deep into her shoulder, her blood already dripping from it. The air escaped her and she was left panting heavily.
And then the smile was gone.
"You son OF A--"
Her horn practically exploded with a shot of dark magic that jettisoned towards Lyon, who only barely dodged it in time. The shockwave following the blast nearly knocked him down, but he successfully landed and started running in a zig-zag line towards the back of the room. Had the pillars been further out, he might've been able to take cover behind them.
Chrysalis shot countless beams and balls of explosive magic towards Lyon, missing him by mere inches. Each impact sent dust and debris into the air, and craters to form obstacles about. Successfully, Lyon was able to grab another arrow and shoot it at the queen, but unfortunately missing her by an inch and striking the wall behind her. Cadance flinched as she stood almost directly behind.
Another massive burst from Chrysalis' horn shot out and detonated against the back wall, engulfing the immediate area around it in a storm of green fire.
In a matter of moments, so much dust collected in the room that Lyon could hide behind its plumes and recover. The idea impressed, yet angered Chrysalis, who only roared in retaliation.
"You can't escape who you are, little lion! You can't escape what you've done! And you can't escape me! Once a changeling, always a changeling!"
The arrow hung on the bow lazily, and Lyon drifted again. His eyes connected with the marble reflection staring back at him, slowly becoming covered with dust as the seconds ticked by.
Chrysalis' words echoed in his mind, and no matter how hard he tried blocking them out, they would come back. It was a chant of the hive once upon a time. It was a code, even a moral one to stick by, that no matter what, you were always dedicated to what you were born to do. In this case, it meant if you born to feed, you will always feed if it meant you or them.
But Lyon didn't follow that code for a long time.
"I'm not you."
Somersaulting from the dissipating dust plume, Lyon pulled the string on his bow and prepared to fire, only to hesitate when he saw Chrysalis aiming her horn directly at Cadance's frail form, with sparks trickling out to show just how much had built up already.
He had never seen that before.
"Put down the bow," Chrysalis threatened as she pushed her horn against Cadance's side, "or the bride-to-be gets blasted into oblivion."
Cadance whimpered; the sparks coming from the queen's horn shocked her body, and the nerves in her side started to fire off at random. She wanted to cry out in pain, but due to the goo, all that came out was a muffle.
"Let her go!" Lyon demanded. Chrysalis refused to listen, increasing the frequency on her horn to deliver an even greater pain towards Cadance. Her knees buckled, and she was left sucking in air through her nose. Chrysalis stopped for a moment.
"I'm waiting~" Chrysalis mocked in a sing-song tone.
Lyon knew he had only one shot to make. An aim to the head and it'd be over. She'd either die or be incapacitated for the rest of her life. But he knew if he missed, Cadance was as good as dead. He knew it was a risk.
Cadance looked up at him, and the way she looked at him through the pain, it was like she told him, 'No, don't do it. Fight her, even if it means my life! Try, even!' She even shook her head subtly.
He could see it all. But if he tried, and he failed, and she...
It wasn't worth the risk, and he knew it.
With no other choice, he realized, Lyon dropped the bow and arrow. Chrysalis laughed and ordered some of the changelings in the room to restrain him. He apologized to Cadance with sorrowful eyes.
After the changelings restrained Lyon, he was left stuck to the floor as the same green goo keeping Cadance now trapped him. No matter how strong he'd been, he was powerless.
And no amount of his magic could save him.
"Good boy," Chrysalis said faux soothingly as she nuzzled Lyon's cheek with a hoof. He tried to push her away, but she gripped him firmly. A second later, she pushed him herself, laughing silently. She walked back over to Cadance and removed the goo from her mouth. "It's been a long time since I've talked to my dear boy, and I couldn't do that with you whining behind my back. Sorry, not sorry."
"You won't get away with this!" Cadance stomped her hoof and glared. A snort of steam escaped her nose. "Twilight and her friends will--"
Before she could finish, the doors of the wedding hall swung open. Lyon forced his head around to see Twilight, Spike, and the Elements forced into the room, changelings surrounding them on all sides.
"You were saying?" Chrysalis asked Cadance, before eyeing Twilight. "You do realize the reception's been cancelled, don't you?"
She rose a hoof to the changelings that hovered above her, commanding them to feed. With nods and hisses, they stormed out of the hall and locked the door behind them. Twilight eyed the obstacle before her and recognized it to be Lyon.
Calling his name, she ran to his side and quickly noticed he had also been goo'd to the floor. "Are you okay?"
He nodded, holding her close for a moment. "Yeah. I'm okay."
But Twilight recounted the scratches apparent across his body. He didn't notice them before, and he assumed it to be from the conflict with Chrysalis. They didn't hurt too bad, only stung. Twilight's horn glowed as she attempted to heal them, but Lyon stopped her.
"Save your strength," he sighed.
"Go ahead," Chrysalis cooed, "enjoy this moment while you still can. I so do love a good dessert."
Twilight glared. "What do you plan to do to us?"
Chrysalis stepped forward, inching herself towards Twilight, but keeping herself distanced as if prepared for anything. She cracked her back, savoring the comforting feeling and laughing to herself.
"My plan is simple: As we speak, my changelings are working overtime to ensure that nopony escapes Canterlot. Once we have total control over the city, with Equestria under our domain, and its inhabitants too stupid to even realize it, we'll be able to milk your love for all it is worth. I will be able to feed my subjects for generations worth of a dinner!"
"Not if we stop you first!" Rainbow Dash flared, raising her hooves in a combat stance. But Chrysalis only laughed and flicked her onto her back with a burst of magic. Applejack and Rarity quickly ran to her side.
"Please," Chrysalis scoffed, "not even you could defeat my drones in simple combat. And I single-hoofedly defeated your princess without even trying. As soon as my changelings have taken control of Canterlot, you can say goodbye to your precious Equestria."
Then her eyes turned almost dark as she stared down Lyon.
"Then I'll deal with you afterwards."
Lyon didn't recoil in fear like before, and Twilight realized this almost right away. Questions wanted to ring in her mind, but she didn't know what to think. Something had changed in him, she felt. What had Chrysalis done to him?
The queen paced herself over to the window and overlooked the city of Canterlot down below. Fires raged everywhere, and where ponies weren't running, they were covered in goo and practically held hostage by the changelings, now hording their way through the streets as they rounded up every stallion, mare, and foal they could find. Soon, they would all disappear.
It was enough to make Chrysalis giggle.
As the changeling queen stood distracted by the wondrous view below, Twilight took it as a chance to sneak her way over to Cadance. Her steps made noise, but they became muffled with every explosion from the outside, giving her the advantage. It wasn't long before she was standing before the trapped alicorn and conjuring a spell to destroy the slime.
"Quick," Twilight exclaimed in a whisper as she successfully removed the goo from her legs, "go to him while you still have the chance!"
Cadance eyed Shining Armor standing just a few feet away and ran quietly to his side. The first few times, she called out his name, but there was no response. She touched his shoulder hoping he would do something, but instead he continued to stare endlessly to the wall in front of him. Tearfully, Cadance held him close and cried into his shoulder. Her husband was gone.
And then the Elements saw something catch their eye, a small pink heart that emitted from Cadance's horn. Gradually, it floated its way over to Shining. The very moment it touched him, a brief flash illuminated the area around him, blinding everyone momentarily. When it faded, the green in Shining's eyes were gone, the incoherent ramblings were no more, and he moved weakly, yet freely.
"Wha- where... huh?" were the first words out of his mouth as he held his head wearily. "Is... is the wedding over?"
"It's all over!" Chrysalis boomed as she returned, forcing the ponies to recoil back. Twilight stayed close to Lyon, attempting to break his goo, but she realized it was far more dense than what Cadance had been trapped in.
Twilight looked to Cadance and Shining Armor. "Your spell! Perform your spell!"
"What good would that do?" Chrysalis laughed. "My changelings already roam free."
Despite her claims, Shining Armor attempted to power up his horn, yet nothing but a fizzle was all that sparked out. Shining fell to the floor as his legs nearly failed him.
He exclaimed painfully, "No! My power is useless now. I don't have the strength to repel them."
But Cadance held her lover's head in her hoof, directing his eyes to her own.
"My love will give you strength," she said with a smile.
Chrysalis chuckled and walked back over to the window. "What a lovely but absolutely ridiculous sentiment."
Cadance felt an anger bubbling within her, but she knew better than attempt anything against the queen. Looking back to Shining Armor, she gazed once more into his eyes, and already the two knew what the other was thinking.
Shining Armor let magic channel through his horn again, but this time, Cadance let the tip of her horn connect with his. Static magic began to flicker between the two, until it started circling around them, forming an active pink barrier that engulfed the couple. The spectacle surprised even them, but they instead embraced it welcomingly. A whirling heart took shape around them as they were lifted into the air. Twilight and her friends looked on and smiled with glee, knowing what was coming.
Lyon felt fear rising in him, for he also felt what was coming.
He struggled against his restraints, trying to free himself from the slime, but he made no such dent. He pulled his hooves, letting his weight carry down into his hind hooves, but he stayed in place. He panicked internally.
"Come on," he exclaimed quietly, "come on!"
He could feel the magic channel through him again, his eyes beginning to shine a familiar yellow color. He let the flow move down to his arms, then his hooves, until they practically radiated his essence. He felt the sweat run down his face, his muscles ache and burn once more. His lungs wanted to fail him.
But he was successful. In a matter of seconds, Lyon broke free from the goo, the remains bubbling away from the excessive heat. Lyon nearly collapsed to the floor, but he kept himself up.
By then, he realized it was too late to run. He wouldn't escape it. In a matter of seconds, it would be over.
He glanced over to Chrysalis, who watched the couple hover in the air as their magic billowed and contorted rapidly. That look of sinister determination faded from her face.
And the bow was right there.
"Lyon...?" Twilight called out.
Lyon didn't hear her as he darted for the bow and arrow he had dropped earlier. Sliding against the floor, he struggled to pick it up initially, but was able to hold it firmly in his grasp and aim it at the queen.
But before he could fire, the lovers beat him to it.
They expelled their magic in a great shockwave that dashed through the wedding hall and breakneck speeds. In an instant, it struck Chrysalis and sent her flying through the window. The spell they produced repelled any and all changelings.
Even Lyon.
Before he could even cover or shield himself, the shockwave sent him hurling across the room and bursting through the double doors, which shattered off their hinges from the sheer force.
He was unconscious before he even touched the floor.
"LYON!" Twilight screamed. The moment she was coherent, she ran out the doors, with her friends following close behind her.
Applejack had questions running through her head. Was Lyon okay? Was he hurt? Why did the spell affect him? Or was it debris? She couldn't tell, nor notice.
Was he... dead?
"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods..." she muttered worriedly as her muscles weighed herself further unto the marble. "Please be okay..."
They saw a form some distance away from the door, near the end of the hallway leading to the courtyard. Whatever happened, Lyon flew far.
Twilight picked up her hooves and ran faster.
"Lyon?!" she called out. "Lyon!!"
Tears ran down her face as she approached what she assumed to be Lyon. As her eyes fell upon his befallen form, she gasped in silence. At first, she thought the spell had scorched him.
But then she looked closer, and it became more apparent it wasn't burnt skin. It was just skin. The gray and black strands of his mane and tail were gone, replaced with only webbed fins. His arms and legs scored holes across them. He sported a horn. Half of one, at least.
And his eyes... no longer were they the shade of blue that she liked. They were just a simple, plain tan color as they opened for just a moment before closing again, none the wiser.
"No..." Rainbow broke the silence among them. "It... can't be..."
They all eyed each other, then turned to the changeling laying on the floor, each of their faces carrying varied emotions, from shock to bewilderment to even the faintest of anger.
Twilight just stared. She didn't know what to feel. Applejack was numb, for she couldn't feel anything.
And the changeling continued to sleep, for he noticed nothing at all. |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 7: Shattered | "Oww... my head..."
The fact that he was still talking relieved Lyon. He was still alive, thank Celestia. Perhaps it was smashing into those double doors that cushioned the major impact?
The stallion propped himself off the floor, which he quickly realized was no longer the familiar marble of the wedding hall, but instead a denser, rougher form of concrete.
"What the..."
And then he saw the bars.
Jail bars, thick and compacted together, stood as an obstacle in front of Lyon. He touched them, only to retreat his hoof. Not because of how cold they were.
But because of his hoof.
Black, lifeless, and littered with holes. He looked at his other hoof, and it was the same thing. His hind legs, just the same. His body, though hole-less, was still the same equal shade of black. He felt his head, and his hair was gone. He felt the edges of the horn on his head and sucked in a shocked breath of air.
He was a changeling again. And if he was sitting here now...
"The prisoner is awake," he heard a voice say in the distance. Looking through the bars, Lyon saw an open door, and a royal guard talking to somepony out of view.
"Thank you, lieutenant," the voice spoke back, the familiar tone of Shining Armor unmistakable.
They knew. Everyone knew. By now, the word had to have gotten all the way back to Ponyville. "Loveable Lyon, a monster in plain sight!"
Well, he wasn't exactly "loveable," but everyone appreciated him for who he was. But how could they now after... this?!
Shining Armor stepped through the doorway, while the guard that was presumably watching over Lyon took position outside, shutting the door after the captain motioned himself in. He looked down at Lyon, initially expressionless.
The way he eyed Lyon... for the first time in years, he actually felt a bit unnerved by it.
"What do we call you?" was the first thing Shining Armor said to him. Lyon raised an eyebrow faintly.
"Call me?"
"Doesn't your kind give each other names?"
Said that way, it made more sense now. But Lyon couldn't sit well the way he said "your kind." He bit his inner cheek and hesitated to answer for a moment. Shining grew impatient.
"Lyon," Lyon finally said. Shining shook his head.
"No, it isn't," Shining retorted. "Tell me your real name."
"That is my real name."
"You are not--" Shining escalated the situation further, but Lyon held up his hooves to pause him mid-sentence.
"Look," he stated plainly, "whatever you believe right now, my real name is Lyon. It has been for as long as I can remember. Sooner you can understand that, the quicker you can ask me whatever the hell you want."
"Excuse me?" Shining said darkly, glowering at the changeling before him.
But Lyon didn't flinch nor recoil. He kept his cool, but said nothing more. With a frustrated snort, Shining Armor had no other choice but to let it go.
"Fine... Lyon. I'll play your little game."
"I'm not playing a game."
Shining ignored him, moving onto the first question.
"Do you know why you're here?"
Lyon nodded against his will. "I'm a changeling. I'm here because you want to interrogate me."
"That's one of them," Shining said stoically as he paced the floor in front of the cell. "But we'll get to that in a minute. You're here because I want information."
"About?"
"Don't play dumb with me, changeling!" Shining Armor exclaimed with a stomp of his hoof. "Your kind! Your queen! I wanna know what you did to my wife while she was down in those caves! What your queen is planning next! And don't give me any yakshit, because I'll know!"
Lyon didn't shrink away from Shining. He didn't know if it was right, but he pitied him. He was one of the most experienced ponies in Canterlot, if not Equestria--a feat that still made Lyon jealous now that he could think straight--and he was used and toyed with while his wife starved right under his hooves.
He understood his anger. He shared it.
"Well?!"
Lyon hadn't realized he had been sitting there silent for a moment. Shining glared, even as he tried to collect himself. He couldn't interrogate an enemy if he was on the verge of killing them.
"I don't know anything," Lyon said hesitantly, and the captain noticed it.
"You're lying!"
"I'm not."
"And why should I believe you?"
"For starters, I'm sitting in a jail cell. Second, you could easily blast me to dust if you wanted. I don't have any incentive to lie to you."
"Except for when you lied to my sister."
"That's... different," Lyon faltered as Twilight was mentioned. "I didn't lie to her."
"You took the place of her best friend. Someone she valued. You took advantage of her trust just so you could feed yourself," Shining judged. "You definitely lied to her, changeling."
"I didn't... I..."
Lyon didn't know how to respond to that. Deep down, a part of him was right. But it wasn't intentionally! He would never take advantage of a close one!
Especially not Twilight. Never Twilight.
"I still don't know anything of my m... the queen's plans," Lyon repeated.
"You're all connected," Shining insisted. "You all have one single connection with one another. From what I've heard, your kind can communicate with each other towns away. Cities, even."
"They cut me out of that a long time ago."
"I doubt that."
"Doubt it all you want," Lyon said solemnly. "But it's the truth."
Shining bit his inner cheek, looking at the changeling oddly for a moment before returning to his usual posture.
"Sorry if I don't believe you," Shining said almost sarcastically. To a bit of his surprise, Lyon shook his head.
"I don't blame you."
Lyon adjusted his posture, leaning against the brick wall and observing the floor beneath him.
"Up until today, I thought I was all that was left." He snorted a laugh, ignoring the captain's stares. "What a wake-up call, right?"
Shining said nothing, as did Lyon, and it was quiet for a few moments. Eventually, Shining let out a brief frustrated sigh and clicked his tongue.
"Let's move on, then," he said.
Lyon sighed. "Which is?"
"You are also being held in contempt with the suspected abduction of Lyon, an earth pony from Ponyville, and a dear friend of my sister."
So they didn't know. They really thought he was missing.
At first, Lyon felt some excitement building up within him. An opportunity sprung into motion! If he could convince them that he was actually captured by the changelings, and he broke free from this jail cell, he could run off, find a place to hide, and turn up back in his original form. They'd find him, defeat Chrysalis, and everything would be back to... normal.
And yet, already, Lyon saw the flaws. The hives knows him. His friends have the ability to undo a changeling's disguise, if that love spell at the wedding was any indication. And who was to say Chrysalis wouldn't just undo any of that progress before he could make any? Before he could...?
And that was just a few of the problems already stemming. What if Twilight "uncovered" him years from now? They wouldn't believe it a second time, would they? What if--
"Changeling," Shining boomed, breaking Lyon's brief train of thought.
"What?"
"Where is Lyon?"
"I..."
Words formed in his head, ready to shoot out anything he could think of. But he stopped himself.
This wasn't him. He didn't deceive intentionally. He didn't lie to ponies or creatures that trusted him. It just wasn't in his nature. His spirit denied him that.
And Twilight...
He could never lie to her. Even if it meant her life.
"I am Lyon."
"We're not playing this game anymore, changeling," Shining Armor demanded, planting a hoof firmly against one of the cell door bars. "Where is the real Lyon?"
"Right in front of you."
"No," Shining repeated on the verge of yelling. "Stop lying, if you know what's good for you."
"I'm not--"
Shining Armor reared himself, his horn lighting up. Lyon stood defensively, ready to jump if need be. But before the captain could do anything, the door opened, and the head of the guard from before peered in.
"Captain," he began, "the doctor from the Medical Wing is here. Princess Cadance is awake."
Shining Armor's horn stopped sparking, and his eyes opened further for only a moment before they returned to their usual stance. He gave a firm nod to the guard.
"Thank you, lieutenant. Tell her I'll be out shortly."
"Yes, sir." The guard shut the door behind him, leaving Lyon and Shining alone once more. The latter squinted at Lyon.
"We're not done here, changeling. I can do this all day, for however long you want to go."
"Then go ahead," Lyon stated. "I'm just gonna keep repeating the same answers."
"Then you'll rot until you tell the truth."
Lyon could only stare at Shining frustratedly.
"Then why bother telling you anything if you don't believe a damn thing I say? Why should I even bother talking to you if you don't listen?"
Shining paused for a moment. The changeling did bring up a decent point... as did any other prisoner that mirrored his claims. But right now, he was tired, and his wife was finally awake. He sighed.
"We'll continue this later," was all he could say to the changeling before exiting through the door. Lyon said nothing as he left.
On the way out, he walked up to the guard and ordered him back into the room.
"Make sure the prisoner is well fed and hydrated," Shining instructed. "We don't know how long this might last for."
"What should I feed it?"
"... I don't know. Whatever it can stomach, I guess. And send someone if there are any changes."
The lieutenant saluted the captain and went back into the chamber where Lyon stayed. Sighing, Shining Armor proceeded down the hall until he came across Nurse Luckhorn, who greeted him warmly.
"How've you been, sugar?" she asked with a smile.
"I've been a mixed bag, I'm afraid," Shining responded with a weak chuckle.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I'll live," he laughed almost heartily, following behind the nurse.
Already, he found himself putting the day behind him, if even just for a single minute. Even if it didn't last long, it was still a welcome change of pace.
"Why should I even bother talking to you if you don't listen?"
Very welcome. That worried him.
Lyon paced slowly around the small cell, letting faint breaths escape him. Occasionally, he would tap a hoof against a cracked concrete tile, and every lap back to it, he would chip it more, but was careful not to tear it off.
Beyond that, the cell was rather... quaint, as Rarity would likely put it. It felt more like a private school dorm than a jail cell. There was a small window near the ceiling, and if Lyon looked through it, he could see down into Canterlot, with the courtyard nearby, indicating he was likely still in the castle, or a more private sector that was off to most ponies like him.
Well... creatures like him.
A few minutes after Shining Armor had gone, a knock came at the door. The guard turned towards the door and opened it, so shortly that Lyon couldn't see who it was. Even the brief conversation they had was so quiet.
But the accent was indistinguishable.
"Do you have permission to be in here, ma'am?"
"Captain Armor said I was allowed to come in."
"Are you sure you want to do that?"
"I'm willing to do whatever I can to git anything out of that thing."
Applejack?
"Very well. You've got five minutes."
A moment later, the guard pushed the door open and stood aside. As he guessed, Lyon's eyes fell upon Applejack's all too familiar figure. But already Lyon noticed something different about her.
Her mane and tail were no longer smoothened out, and without her hair ties, they fell freely, yet they were also frazzled in places. Bags rested under her eyes, indicating she hadn't been sleeping right... and confirming that Lyon had been locked up as least a day. At most... who knows? He had never been hit by a "love bomb" before.
The tension was thick; Lyon never expected the phrase of cutting it with a knife to ever be applied to any situation.
But when Applejack stared him down in that moment, he knew it would probably be one of many times he would use that.
She approached the cell with a cautious eye. Lyon said nothing, for his tongue was caught in his throat. Applejack said nothing, for she didn't know what to say.
"Applejack--" Lyon started, only to be cut short with a shot of spit to the face. The mare's glare was bitter now.
"Don't ya dare call me that, you... freak," she answered in an equally bitter tone. "You don't git to call me that, you hear?"
Lyon didn't respond immediately, instead starting to walk a few feet.
"Don't walk away from--" Applejack flared, only to pause when Lyon walked his way over to the sink, flipped it on, and started to wash off his face.
"I'm sorry," Lyon apologized, "I just need to--"
"DON'T do that!" Applejack roared again, stomping her hooves, and Lyon reeled back in confusion. "DON'T use his voice! Don't talk like him! Don't you dare try that on me!"
He realized what she meant by it.
"This is how I normally talk."
"You're lying," she insisted.
"I'm not. I've always talked like this."
"He always talked like that. He."
"So have I."
Applejack was far from convinced, her glare worsening, and her eyes on the verge of tears. She was frustrated, more than Shining Armor could've been. No matter how honest he was, she was too clouded to believe it. So he cooked up a new voice on the spot to make her feel "comfortable," in a sense.
"Fine. Better?" he asked in a dark, grovelly tone that an old sibling of his shared from his early days. He changed his expression to sound more ignorant, more aggressive, even if she didn't criticize his reactions.
"Not even close." Applejack stayed still, as if her body tensed up for a second. "Not even close."
"I'm sorry."
"Shut up," she demanded.
Lyon said nothing more. Instead, he waited for her to ask another question. It took her a few grits of the teeth to get anything going.
"Where is he?" she eventually asked. "Where is Lyon?"
He wanted to tell her the truth, like he did Shining Armor--even if he didn't believe him. But he didn't want to scare or anger her even further.
"I don't know."
Lying didn't make any difference, as Applejack punched one of the cell bars hard enough to bend where she struck.
"Where is he?" she repeated.
"I don't know." Lyon grew sad. He knew the outcome would be the same whether he lied or told the truth.
Applejack pulled her hoof back, ready to punch the bar a second time, but she stopped herself. She realized it would be a fruitless matter. Plus, she would only be hurting herself even more... in this case, literally.
With a frustrated sigh, she pulled away and paced the outside of the cell for a moment, before setting her haunches down onto the floor. She growled feverishly, but ultimately her breathing slowed.
"I'm sorry," she said silently.
"It's okay--"
"Not you," she barked. He wanted to know who she was apologizing to, but he dared not ask.
Applejack fidgeted against the floor for a few seconds, and her eyes were clamped shut. A tear ran down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away, as if keeping up appearances.
It wasn't easy for everyone.
"If I were anyone else," she started bitterly, "I would bust down this door and beat the tar out of ya. But that'd make me no better than any of... you. You're not fooling anypony, do you understand? Drop that stupid act of yours, you... freak."
Applejack turned towards the changeling, her expression almost a deadpan.
"Lyon is the the sweetest, most dedicated, and most loyal pony I have ever damn well met. I love him more than anything in the world. I would go to tartarus and back for him... and I'm willing to risk spending eternity in tartarus if it means finding him.
"So let me be clear," Applejack stated, her voice growing deeper and darker, something he had never heard from her before. "If anything... ANYTHING happens to him, it will be on you, and I will not rest until you pay more than a price for it. I will make you wish you were blasted away like the rest of your kind. You hear?"
Lyon swallowed the spit in his throat. He was scared of Applejack for the first time in his life. And he couldn't blame her for acting this way.
He nodded slowly, careful not to do anything out of place.
"I should've figured something was off the moment we got here. I should've listened to Twilight. I can't believe I let a changeling git in my head."
Applejack contemplated spitting in his face again. Instead, she bit her lip, enough to make a mark, but not bleed.
"You ain't worth it. Ain't worth hurting. It wouldn't even make a difference," Applejack said, stumbling over her words. In a haste, she turned around and started for the door.
Lyon wanted to call out to her, tell her to come back. He wanted to find a way to explain himself somehow, some way. But he knew it likely make things worse.
Against his better judgement, against his own wishes, Lyon let Applejack leave in silence.
"Ma'am?" the guard called out as she passed him, but she paid him no mind.
Even from here, Lyon could hear her cry.
"Dammit... God... dammit..."
The room was quiet for a while. Nothing but short breaths and the ticking of a clock on the wall were all Lyon heard. From here even, he could hear the chatter of ponies down in the city streets, but they felt more like whispers, and whatever they talked about conflicted with everything else, so he couldn't understand anything they discussed.
No doubt, they were all talking about the wedding. Some were probably even talking about Twilight. Maybe even him. Did they mention him in passing sometimes? None of it was likely good, he figured.
Of course. Duh.
A little under half an hour after Applejack left the room, a second guard entered, carrying what appeared to be a tray of food on his back. Once he was close enough, he opened a small compartment within the cell door and slid the tray through. On the tray was a side of mashed potatoes, with a main course of salad and a daisy sandwich. A simple meal.
"The captain wants you fed," the guard instructed to Lyon as he shut the compartment, "but we are merely guessing what your kind eats."
Picking up the fork, Lyon picked at his food for a second, not because he was hesitant to eat it, but just out of habit.
"It varies, I guess," Lyon replied, "depending on the changeling. Most of them feed off love alone. Not all of them. Takes time, though."
"Do you eat food?"
"Yeah... yeah."
Lyon scooped up a chunk of the mashed potatoes and stuffed it into his mouth. The flavor was savory, but nothing too special.
"... Thank you."
The guard didn't respond, but he did nod. A moment later, he saluted the other guard and left the room, leaving Lyon alone with his personal guardian. For a few minutes, the stallion changeling ate his food in silence, with nothing but chewing and swallowing being the only noise apart from breathing.
Occasionally, Lyon glanced at the guard, who eyed him for a second before returning to his normal posture. He continued eating for another moment before his curiosity returned.
"Does your captain always doubt everyone he locks up?" Lyon immediately shook his head. "Poor phrasing. I mean... does he ever trust anyone? Even after a while?"
Regardless of his correction, the guard didn't answer him. Lyon found his eyes wandering the room for a second as he tried to think of something else to say, but he struggled to break the ice with anything new.
Not like the guard would gossip with him about anything, anyway.
"Look... I know you and your captain are not gonna listen to me right because I'm... this... but I had nothing to do with what happened today... or yesterday, or however long I've been out." Lyon shifted against the wall and pushed the tray away. "The queen... my mother... I had no idea she was even alive."
The guard stayed still, but his eyes wandered to Lyon.
"I thought she died. Her and everyone else I knew, loved or hated. I thought I was the only one left. I thought my race was gone but me. And honestly, I wanted it to stay that way." Lyon chuckled somberly. "What a coincidence that I would suddenly bump into my mother again... who was disguised as the bride of my best friend's brother?"
He laughed for another few moments, covering his mouth with a hoof--only for the sound to reverberate outward as he realized his hooves sported holes. He had already forgotten.
That didn't take long.
The laughter faded from his throat, but Lyon still found himself snorting a chuckle every now and again.
"Yeah." The guard said silently. "What a coincidence."
He wasn't laughing like Lyon was, so the laughter stopped entirely. Lyon pulled the tray back to him and he continued eating. It didn't take long for him to empty the tray and leave nothing but crumbs. Nearby stood a wooden bench attached to the wall. Lyon grabbed the tray and placed it down onto it. Opposite of where Lyon stood, there was a sink and toilet sitting side by side. He hoped he wouldn't be in here long enough to need it.
The changeling walked over to the sink and let it run until the water went cold, then started to pool it into his hooves, making sure it was clean before he started gulping it down. The refreshing taste soothed Lyon's taste buds, and he found himself digging down for more and more until he was satisfied.
But as he washed off his hooves and rinsed out his mouth, something caught his eye: a bar of soap. To most folks, it was any usual bar. To those living in Canterlot, it was a bar built for those who earned it.
To Lyon, it was pure amethyst alkaline. Harmless in normal concentrations--such as washing your hooves--but under the right pressures, unbeknownst to most common creatures... it was exactly what Lyon was looking for.
Behind his back, Lyon sparked his horn for a moment, just to gather up a quick fit of magic. Most of it had been repelled by an apparent force field that surrounded the cell--no surprise there--but a minuscule amount was able to burst out. It wasn't as much as Lyon wanted, but even a microscopic amount of magic was enough with the right level of focus.
However, Lyon knew he wouldn't be able to do anything in time before the guard caught on and stopped him. He had a good five seconds between the door being opened and tackled to the ground. He needed thirty seconds... at least. And with the force field holding back most of his magic, he wouldn't be able to shield himself well for that long, either.
He knew there was no way to sneak his way around this.
Unless... ugh, was he really going to do that?
Was he really going to...?
"S-Sir? I don't feel so good..."
Judging from the amount of vomit that immediately spewed out of his mouth almost on command... yes.
Yes, he most definitely going to fake dying.
Lyon dropped to the floor like a bell, shaking and coughing up a storm, hacking his spit... and on the inside, tickling the tartarus out of his uvula until his stomach started turning inside out.
It was the most uncomfortable thing he ever felt. ... Okay, maybe the second most uncomfortable thing.
"What's going on?!" the guard immediately exclaimed, standing just outside the cell.
"I... I don't--" Lyon vomited again, just barely missing the guard's forelegs. "Did... did y-you poison me...?!"
"I... I--"
To add further emphasis, Lyon began convulsing against the cold concrete. At a cost, some of the vomit dripped onto his chest, but he let it be. He vomited into his hoof, sputtering it outward.
As convincing as it was, it genuinely started to hurt. Luckily for Lyon, the guard began inching his way back to the door.
"W-Wait," Lyon mumbled, but the guard didn't stop. "H... Help... Help me...!"
Lyon knew a fair share of frightened folks that would run with their tail in between their legs in any given situation. This guard was one of them. He honestly felt bad for tricking him.
Nearly stumbling over his own hooves, the guard turned to the door and flipped it open with a rushing hoof. Without another hesitant moment, he fled the room, leaving Lyon all alone. As soon as he was sure he was out of earshot, the stallion changeling picked himself off the floor, ran over to the sink, and hastily washed his face and hooves off.
"Okay," he muttered, "never doing that again."
As soon as they were clean enough, Lyon grabbed the bar of alkaline soap and ran over to the wall nearest to the outside, dodging the small puddles of vomit as he went. He placed the soap down onto the bench as close as he could get it.
"Alright... here we go... Come on..."
With as much concentration as he could muster, Lyon channeled any and all available magic into the tip of his horn. Already, he felt weakened, but he couldn't stop now. Who knows when that guard would come back?
"Come on, come on, come on...!"
In one focused burst, Lyon created a beam of green energy that coursed through the soap bar. At first, there was no visible change.
But in a matter of seconds, the bar started to glow as the alkaline substance began to react to the sudden pressure change Lyon was enacting upon it. The bar began to shrink and grow slightly, and even started to glow a faint amethyst light that only brightened the more magic he directed into it.
Lyon felt his head begin to ache after a few moments, and with each passing second the pain escalated. He wanted to pace himself or he risked passing out. But if he did, he wasn't getting out.
But in a welcome change of pace, the bar of soap began to contract and distort widly, spiking outward and sending bits and pieces flying like shrapnel. It emitted a whirring sound that grew in intensity and outward force. A calm wind formed inside the cell, which also increased in speed. The bar shook wildly, and the light became blinding to look at.
Just... a little... bit... more... and...!
It was quiet in the meeting room. Silent, yet nopony could bother to keep it down from all the thinking.
Typically, the meeting room was where delegates and ambassadors of different nations would meet with the princesses of Equestria to discuss any and all diplomatic quarrels--however big or small they may be.
But for now, only Princesses Celestia and Luna, Captain Shining Armor, and the Elements of Harmony were its only occupants. In the early hours of the morning when everyone could be assembled, Queen Chrysalis was the talk. They knew nothing of her current whereabouts; as beneficial as the love bomb had been, their only regret is that it sent the changelings--most of them, at least--scattering, flinging outward however the bubble allowed them. Their only course of action for now was to deploy battalions of royal guards to major areas and weed out whatever they could find.
But for the last hour, they had been discussing another potential option: the changeling sitting in a jail cell not too far away.
"Are thou sure we can trust this creature's words?" Princess Luna asked Celestia. "We know nothing about it... other than what had supposedly transpired."
She felt ashamed at the notion that she had been sleeping while her home was attacked, but Celestia didn't bother to dwell on it. Why would she?
"I am not entirely confident," Celestia admitted, "but if we can successfully gather any kind of information from... it... it just might prepare us in case of another attack."
Shining Armor sighed, placing a pocket watch upon the delegation table.
"Well, good luck. I was in there earlier and couldn't get one scrap from it. At least, nothing that could help us."
"Sooo, it's not gonna tell us anything?" Rainbow Dash claimed. "So we can blast it into mush then, right?"
"Rainbow Dash," Rarity chided with a high tone. "We're all frustrated, but we can't simply just destroy someone because they aren't cooperating with us!"
"Tell that to Discord," Rainbow brought up. "And Nightmare Moon... and, you know, Chrysalis?"
Rarity rolled her eyes and snorted, only to pipe up her ears when Twilight agreed with her.
"Rarity's right, Rainbow. No matter what happened, violence isn't going to solve this issue. We need to get information, but we can't punch an answer out of someone. That's not how we do things."
Rainbow Dash scrunched her lips, but ultimately sighed and rested her chin against her hooves.
"Sorry. I just hate sitting around here and talking. Who knows what they could be doing to Lyon right now?"
Twilight felt a sting in her chest at the mention of his name. Ever since her eyes fell on that changeling lying on the floor, Twilight found herself conflicting with her thoughts, even trying to wind back the clock to any suspected moment something felt off, but nothing of much value beyond glances.
And the kiss. But... it felt so real. Genuine. That had to be him.
"He's okay," Twilight stated silently. "He has to be. He just... has to be."
Most eyes in the room fell on the lavender unicorn, whose eyes drifted to the table in front of her. She refused to look up at anyone. She tried breathing normally, but an occasional labored sigh would come out.
Shining Armor crossed along the table and held his sister's chin.
"Hey," he said simply, prompting her to look up. "We'll find him, Twily. We all will."
Hesitantly, she nodded to her brother, who held her close in his arms. Twilight wanted to cry already, but crying would do nothing but cause further heartache.
He'd want her to be strong, she believed.
After a moment, Shining Armor pulled away from Twilight, but stayed by her side and continued the discussion.
"The problem with dealing with changelings is that we don't know whether they're telling the truth or lying through their teeth. On another note, they seem to be more... I guess ignorant is the best word, at the moment."
"How so?" Princess Luna asked.
Shining Armor clicked his cheek. "Well... despite the circumstances... the changeling insisted to me that he is the real Lyon."
"Really...?" Applejack asked in surprise. Shining Armor nodded.
"He claims it'd been his name for "as long as he can remember.""
Applejack furrowed her eyebrows. "He didn't say that to me before. He told me he didn't know where Lyon was."
"Is that so?" Shining asked, receiving a nod from the tattered earth pony. "So he's... it's already lying to us. Trying to deceive us, keep us off any right tracks."
"Um... are we sure it's not just scared?" Fluttershy suggested.
This time, everyone stared her down in confusion, a couple ponies even doing a double take. The mare shrunk down, yet still stood her ground as best as she could.
"I mean... it is being being held against its will. Maybe it doesn't know what to say?"
"That would've been a likely story if a whole mess of identical changelings hadn't tried to take us over yesterday," Shining Armor said. "From the information we have from Chrysalis... through Cadance... changelings are practically compulsive liars whenever their intentions aren't truly set."
"So," Luna began, "we can't exactly trust a single thing the changeling tells us?"
"I'm afraid not. Unless we hooked it up to some kind of lie detecting machine." Before Celestia could protest, Shining held up his hoof. "I know what you're thinking. And no, I'd never do that. I run the guard, not a prison camp."
"Then what do we do?" Celestia asked.
Shining Armor looked down at the table, then glanced at all the ponies waiting for an answer.
"We--"
The door of the delegation room suddenly pushed upon, revealing a frantic and distraught royal guard rapidly sucking in air.
"Captain! The changeling! I think it's dy--"
Without warning, a muffled boom rippled through everypony's ears, and the resulting shockwave knocked over a few of the standing water bottles upon the table. Some of the ponies gripped the table and covered their heads as tiny bits of the ceiling came falling down. One bonked Rainbow Dash in the skull.
"... Ow."
"What in Equestria was that?!" Luna exclaimed.
Shining Armor looked up to the ceiling as soon as the ripples stopped. "That came from upstairs."
He gasped.
"The changeling!"
Everyone pushed away from the table and ran out the door, the guard following behind them. It didn't take them long to make it up to the next floor.
When they arrived in the prisoners' ward where the changeling had been locked up, they were greeted to an entirely missing room, its walls blown out and the door bashed to pieces. A purplish fire raged, but didn't seem to spread very far.
"It's gone!" Shining yelled, marching over to the guard. "What happened?!"
But the guard stammered at first. "I-I... He was vomiting! He claimed he was poisoned! I didn't know what to do! I'm n-not a doctor!"
Shining sighed in frustration. He noticed two higher-ups who were also investigating the explosion.
"You two!" he yelled to them, grabbing their attention. "Go fetch the second-in-command! I want Canterlot under immediate lockdown until further notice!"
"Yes, sir!" the two soldiers shouted simultaneously before retreating down the hall.
Princess Luna inspected the debris that launched scattered everywhere, and noticed distinct traces of magical residue.
"I thought this cell suppressed a prisoner's magic?"
"It was supposed to!" Shining explained confusedly. "Apparently not very well, if that thing was able to blow it all up."
But Shining Armor stopped and watched with a raised eyebrow as his sister scavenged the ruins of the room. Before he could ask, he noticed she was picking up small pieces of a purplish color similar to the fire.
Twilight sniffed the pieces and recoiled.
"It's soap," she said.
"Well, there was a bathroom in there too, wasn't there?" Rainbow Dash questioned.
"No, this isn't just any soap. It's amethyst alkaline."
"What about it?" Spike asked.
The embarrassed look Twilight noticed on Celestia's face said more than enough.
"Amethyst alkaline, under enough pressure, acts as an explosive substance," she explained. "It's how we were able to clear out portions of the crystal caves under Canterlot. Apparently, this changeling had enough knowledge of it to... well... blast its way out."
As soon as Celestia finished her explanation, Shining Armor turned to the guard still standing by. "You, lieutenant!"
"Yes, sir?" he asked, his tone far more calm now.
"Go through all the cell blocks containing unicorns and get rid of any soap that might contain amethyst alkaline," Shining commanded. "We can't let any copycats try the same thing right now."
"Yes, sir," the lieutenant saluted before trotting off in the same direction as the other two guards.
"What should we do?" Twilight asked Shining, but the stallion could only furrow his brows and sigh again.
"I don't know, Twily. With that changeling out there, I can't risk sending you into town. It's too risky."
"I'm willing to do whatever we can to find it."
Spike and the other Elements huddled close to her.
"Yeah!" Rainbow exclaimed. "We're not gonna let a thing happen to Twilight or any of us! You can count on it!"
Shining Armor examined his sister's group of friends, and let out a calm snort of air.
"Alright." Shining pulled Twilight into a firm hug. "Just be careful, okay?"
"We will. I promise."
With an easy nod, the two siblings parted from each other. Twilight and her friends ran down the hall until they turned the corner, leaving Shining Armor's sight. It was then he realized by a passing glance that Luna had disappeared too, presumably to calm the frantic public down below, yet Celestia remained, observing the rubble almost in a trance.
"Celestia?" Shining asked, breaking the alicorn's concentration. "Are you okay?"
"Yes... I'm fine." With a snort of her own, Celestia turned around and started slowly down the hall. "Let us check on Cadance, see if she's improved."
"Shouldn't you go with Luna?"
"In a moment. First, I need to see if my niece is okay."
"Right... right."
Taking him under her wing, Celestia and Shining Armor paced themselves to the medical hall. On the way, several firefighters passed them by, and Celestia would point them in the right direction.
Celestia had no need to worry about amethyst fire. It was as harmless as a typical fire, but useless if anyone tried to use it against someone else.
It wasn't necessarily the fire, though, that disturbed her. Mostly, it was the fact that the changeling knew what it was. Very few ponies have a distinct knowledge of the stuff.
But that creature figured it out within two hours of waking up. Who knew what else it knew? What it was hiding?
"Celestia?" a faint voice rang, knocking her out of her mind. She looked down to Shining, the source. "Are you sure you're alright?"
This time, she nodded. "Just thinking. That's all."
"I'd love to know what of," Shining said sympathetically.
Celestia smiled warmly, but her face soon turned to one of curiosity.
"Before I told you, did you know how to ignite amethyst alkaline?"
Shining Armor tilted his head. "Uh... not really, no."
Celestia's smile faded.
"That's what I was afraid of." |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 8: Pride | In the span of ten seconds, Lyon already regretted his decision.
Then again, it wasn't every day that he found himself being propelled towards the paved streets of Canterlot after jumping from the gaping, burning hole of what used to be a prison cell. Of course, there was that time in Mareocco...
With whatever strength he had left in him, Lyon buzzed his wings hard enough to give him a momentary bout of flight, long enough to avoid falling into the crowded streets, and retreated into an empty alleyway. As soon as his wings gave out, Lyon hid behind a dumpster a few feet away and slunk against its side, catching his breath and mumbling. The entire time, he held his head in pain, more so the area around his horn.
"Great plan, Lyon," he said sarcastically to himself. "Blowing yourself up with half a horn in a magically suppressed jail cell? Real smart of you! Ow..."
Random sparks continued to protrude from the "tip" of Lyon's horn, but he knew it was fine as long as he used it sparingly. Not that disguising himself in earth pony form would work anymore, even if he had the strength to change. Assuming it didn't potentially kill him...
Right, time for an actual plan, Lyon thought as he occasionally glanced in the direction of the street. Get out of Canterlot, grab what I need from back home, hightail it out of Ponyville, find dear old mother, get rid of her, and try to fix everything! Simple, right?
The brief moment of optimism coursing through him quickly died.
Right... right.
The plan seemed simple... but it... didn't seem right. It wasn't right. Nothing could ever make it right. It would've been fine in his old way of thinking, maybe.
But these were his friends. And he was talking about leaving them behind. Even if they didn't know who he really was, he still couldn't just abandon them like this. And if he did ever go off to find Chrysalis, and she was able to...
Oh, who was he kidding? Even if he did have the courage to abandon everypony, the plan was far from simple. The mother he saw in that wedding hall wasn't the same mother he knew then. He was lucky he still had his head upon his shoulders.
He shook those thoughts out of his head. He couldn't think about that now. He had at least one part of the mission to focus on--escape Canterlot. And judging from the countless royal guards that were now patrolling the streets just twenty feet away, all equipped with countless spears and bows and even swords...
Yeah, this was gonna be a cakewalk... totally.
"Real smooth, Lyon. Real smooth."
As the Royal Guard began marching their way down the brick roads of Canterlot, Twilight and her friends were busy searching corner to corner of the city in hopes of finding the escaped changeling.
Well, it was more them following Pinkie as she sniffed her way through the city like a lost puppy.
"Found it! Wait, no, that's just a sandwich. Aha! It's over... nope, that's a used tissue... ugggh! Wait, there he-- Sorry, that's the same sandwich..."
As much as she loved her antics, Rainbow Dash felt she was seconds away from throttling the pink mare.
"Ugh," she groaned, "this is getting us nowhere! We need to be busting down doors and taking names, not sniffing moldy sandwiches!"
"Well, how do you know they can't actually turn into sandwiches?" Pinkie suggested.
"I... whuh... what?" Rainbow stuttered, watching as Pinkie grabbed the aforementioned sandwich from the alleyway and started to pick through its contents.
"Maybe it's all part of a super secret conspiracy! AttaaaAaack of the moldy hay sandwicheeeEeees!" Pinkie sang in a sinister tone as she flipped open the pieces of moldy bread to mimic a monster's mouth.
Fluttershy recoiled in a mix of disgust and fear. "Um... I might've eaten a hay sandwich this morning."
Pinkie dropped the sandwich back into the trash can and rested a hoof gently upon the timid mare's head.
"Then it's already begun."
"Can y'all focus here?" Applejack asked in a frustrated tone. "We're supposed to be looking for a changeling. We don't got time to dilly-dally."
"I'm totally focused!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Focused on busting down doors!"
Rarity rolled her eyes at the pegasus. "Darling, we aren't going to find a changeling by breaking into ponies' houses."
"Well, what about after they open the door for us? Then it isn't necessarily breaking and entering!"
"..."
"Ugh, fine." Rainbow turned to the lavender unicorn, now leading the charge. "So, what's the plan, egghead?"
But Twilight didn't answer her friend. Instead, she continued forward, her head moving almost out-of-place with the rest of her body, and her eyes in a daze.
"Twilight?"
Still no answer. Applejack walked up to her friend and briefly tapped on her shoulder. Initially, there was no reaction, but a second, slightly rougher tap brought the unicorn out of her stupor.
"Wha...? Oh... sorry," she apologized, stopping in place.
"Are you alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked with concern, noting Twilight's slightly distant eyes.
"I'm fine. It's just... I'm just thinking about Lyon. That's all."
"We all are, darling," Rarity remarked. "And we'll find him. Don't you worry. But we should probably look for--"
"The changeling. I know. I'm just..." Twilight stopped and stared at the ground for a moment, deep in thought, before looking back up to her friends. "I'm just trying to think of when he could've been replaced. Maybe that could help us know where to look?"
"Well... you got a point," Applejack said. "72 Hour rule and all, right?"
Twilight nodded.
"Had anything... odd happened at all with Lyon since we got here? Anything unusual or unlike him?"
The mares all shook their heads... only to stop almost at the same time.
"Actually," Applejack spoke, "... now that you mention it, Lyon was jumped on the way to the castle just after we arrived."
"Jumped?"
"That's right! Some ghastly stallion he bumped into," Rarity added. "And over a simple bump, no less!"
"Right... that scar... he was gonna talk about it after the wedding, but..."
"I think that stranger was also screaming about somethang really odd, like... ... like..."
"Traitor," the five mares all said in unison, even unnerving Twilight. They all looked at each other with nervous glances. Rainbow Dash held up her hooves in protest and landed to the ground beside Pinkie.
"Wait... so he was replaced literally ten MINUTES after we got here?" she asked. "How could we not have seen that?!"
Applejack lifted her hoof to stop Rainbow. "Now hold on, Sally. We don't exactly know that."
"Uh, what are the chances that some random schmuck and the changeling queen both happened to call him a traitor? There aren't a lot of Lyon-looking ponies in this city!"
Rather than attempt to explain, Applejack turned to Twilight, hoping that she might be able to shed a bit of her own ideas. But the mare found herself shaking her head in confusion.
"But in that case... that doesn't make sense," Twilight eventually explained. "He wasn't acting any different afterwards. We would've noticed that, at least."
"That's... that's true," Rarity said in realization. "The way your brother explained it, even the most skilled changelings have trouble replicating a pony's personality, do they not?"
Twilight nodded. "But he was acting just like him. All his mannerisms, the way he spoke... the way he spoke... the way he looked at me... That was all Lyon."
The five mares eyed each other with concern.
"Are you... sure, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. Twilight nodded slowly.
"Nopony could mimic any of that so well."
Twilight paused, looking up at the hole on the side of the castle, the fires now extinguished, but the charred texture still prevalent around it.
"At least... I hope not."
"How in the world did I get myself into this mess? ... Again?"
Lyon had to have asked himself that same question a dozen times as he climbed the side of the Canterlot living quarters palace. He had thirty different answers to that question, and only five of them he actually liked. Or was that too strong a word?
Before Chrysalis sparked him back, Lyon wouldn't have thought to come back here, much less sneak his way through alleyways while wearing a series of twisted rags that made him look more like a mummy than a homeless person. But he wasn't willing to start stealing money from ponies.
Besides, most of the guards had been off in the downtown areas, leaving the residential quarters practically unguarded. For the moment, at least. But with the front doors still being repaired at the time--it was more than just the doors, he noticed--Lyon had no choice but to take the long way around.
That meant climbing up a series of poles and pipes on the side of a building where a single slip meant falling thousands of feet to his death.
"I better get a Hooflitzer for this," Lyon grunted to himself as he gripped the cold pipes and lifted himself up.
It would've been fine, in his opinion, if he wasn't already severely weakened from the blowout. But juggling around in his mind, it was nowhere near the dumbest thing he had done.
Lyon stepped up against the brick wall, only for his hind hoof to slip against it. He stammered as he adjusted himself and buzzed his wings. Suddenly, he found himself breathing heavier than he was a moment ago.
But it might just beat the record...
After a few tense minutes, Lyon was able to successfully prop himself up back onto the lower ledge connecting the bedroom windows. He gripped his head in pain, but luckily his horn had stopped sparking for the time being. But that didn't mean he was going to try changing form anytime soon. All that mattered right now was getting back into his room.
"Please still be unlocked," he hoped silently, "please still be unlocked..."
Like he did before, Lyon slowly paced himself across the ledge, holding a hoof against the wall to support himself. The wind didn't seem as rough as it was the last time, but he still was careful not to move too fast. As he passed what he believed from memory to be Applejack's window, he stopped, taking a quick peek to check if anyone was inside. As soon as he was sure the coast was clear, he moved on.
Even though he was sure they were out in town trying to track him down, he couldn't risk being careless now, of all times.
Lyon crawled against the wall until he finally was once again standing by his own window. To his surprise and simultaneously glee, the window hadn't yet been fixed, the bolts still sitting beside the pane.
"Yes!"
With both hooves, Lyon pressed against the window and lifted it swiftly, yet gracefully, until he was able to fit through. He peeked his head in first, glancing around the room quickly, while his ears stayed attentive. With not a peep from even the dustiest corner, Lyon practically hopped into the room, fluttering in the air briefly as he gently closed the window again.
"I should really think of adding wings or something," Lyon whispered to himself as he set the window back in place, only to mentally facehoof. "Right... earth pony. Friends. Find. Me. Wouldn't work. Discovered. Ugh... I didn't really plan that whole part out well, did I?"
Lyon shook his head and turned back to the room, which had looked no different from when he last saw it. He was surprised nopony decided to pillage his room for any clues yet--but maybe that was a good thing.
"Now," Lyon began, "where did I leave that pouch...?"
The changeling started rummaging through the dresser drawers and under the bed sheets looking for a decent-sized pouch of bits--just enough to get a quick ticket for the next train out of Canterlot, assuming Shining Armor hadn't locked down the train station too.
Wait... the train... the shield...
Lyon winced.
"You idiot," he grumbled. "The shield's back up. Even if I did have the bits, how could I get back outside without the shield splattering me against the back of the train?"
But he paused.
"But... it didn't crush me before. It just... felt off. Maybe it doesn't affect changelings in a form? Ugh... this is getting complicated."
The sound of metal clinking against the marble floors behind him brought a shiver down his spine. Slowly, Lyon craned his neck a full 180... only to meet himself face to face with Spike, holding a bowl of what seemed to be ice cream, which soon also fell to the floor alongside the now identified spoon.
"... And now it just got more complicated. Great."
Spike stood frozen, staring at Lyon for several seconds, before holding up a claw and pointing at him while slowly backing towards the door he just came in through.
"Y-You... You're..."
But the door having closed behind him it seemed, Spike found himself pressed up against them, fear plastered into his eyes. Lyon held up a careful hoof, trying to find the words to say, but nothing seemed to come up other than simple uh's.
"S-Stay back!" Spike exclaimed while attempting a defensive stance. "Don't come any closer!"
"Spike," Lyon called out, "it's me. It's Lyon."
Inside, the changeling was cursing himself. Really? That's all you could come up with?
"No! You're lying! You're a changeling! You take the form of others to feed from their love!"
"I'm not like that, Spike. I promise. It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you."
Despite Lyon's claims, Spike was still attempting to reach for the door handle. The young dragon continued to warn Lyon not to approach him, but it wasn't until a small puff of fire escaped his throat that the changeling chose to listen.
"Okay," Lyon said hesitantly. "Okay... I won't come any closer. Okay?"
Spike didn't move straight away, but he took on a sad glare. Lyon looked him back with sad eyes.
"Where is Lyon?" the drake asked. "What did you do to my friend?"
Lyon sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to lie his way out of this situation. Besides, he couldn't do that to Spike, being as young as he was. He trusted him too much.
"I am Lyon," he confessed. But Spike shook his head and snorted.
"That's not what you said to Applejack! She told us you didn't know where he was!"
Lyon winced again and sighed, bowing his head.
"I knew that was gonna bite me in the flank," he said loud enough to for Spike to hear. He looked back up. "Look, I... I was just trying to spare her the truth. I swear."
"And how do I know you're telling the truth now?"
The changeling opened his mouth, but stopped when he realized... Spike was right. There wasn't a way to show he was telling the truth apart from a lie-detecting machine, but even those were faulty at times these days. Besides, where was he going to find one at this very moment?
"Hmm..." Lyon hummed. "Okay... ask me something only I... I mean, Lyon... would know. About you, I guess."
Spike's hand lowered away from the door handle, but his postured stayed cautious. He was looking at Lyon with curious eyes, but ultimately played into the game.
"Okay, then... Who do I have a crush on?"
Really? It's that easy?
"Rarity," he answered. "She's been your crush since you came to Ponyville."
"And what race is she?"
"Unicorn."
"Hairstyle?"
"Curvy... I guess you can call it curvy?"
"Cutie mark?"
"Three diamonds in a triangular formation. Checkmate."
Spike relaxed just a bit more, even as Lyon tried his damnedest to hold back a chuckle. Of course everyone in the world at this point knew about Spike's crush, but he was willing to let it slide if it meant getting Spike to trust him.
"Do you believe me now?" Lyon asked.
"Not yet," Spike said. He placed a claw under his chin as he tried thinking of another question to ask.
"I can wait. If you want, I can just answer random facts that no average pony would know about. Like... how Twilight nearly fell into Froggy Bottom Bog, how Fluttershy once tamed a manticore, how the girls dressed up as Mare-Do-Well to make Rainbow Dash jealous--"
"Who does Lyon have a crush on?"
"... I was afraid you were gonna say that," Lyon said with a sigh.
"And only I know who he actually has a crush on, so don't try lying to me about it."
He was right about that... Lyon hoped. He was the only one he ever really told. He wanted to tell Rarity at one point--since she seemed more the 'experienced' type--but he felt worried she would gossip her heart out accidentally one day, and suddenly everyone knows. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing... but he wanted to be the one to tell her.
Guess he already did that... technically.
With a blush, Lyon reluctantly answered.
"Twilight Sparkle."
Spike stepped away from the door, but not before locking it. He quickly looked upon Lyon with more of an optimistic gaze, but his eyes remained squinted.
"I still don't 100% trust you... but you do know about that. And I tried my hardest to make sure nopony knows but him and me."
"And yet I know about it, meaning..."
"... That you're either a spy..."
"... Or...?"
Spike looked up, eyes locking for a moment as he froze in place. A mix of astonishment and confusion ran over his face.
"You're... telling the truth."
Though Lyon nodded faintly, inside he was letting out torrents of relieved breaths. He was nearly compelled to wrap the drake in a firm hug, but it was best to play things slow. He didn't want to risk bringing the Guard down on him.
Spike looked him up and down. Slowly.
"It... It's really you... isn't it?"
"Yeah. It's me."
Spike inspected him again, far slower than before. The air grew still around them, yet everything whirled about.
"So... you're a changeling."
"... Yeah."
The air was tense already, as if it hadn't already been. Spike carefully walked over to the bowl of ice cream he had dropped and picked it up, inspecting it for traces of dirt or specks upon it before reaching for the spoon.
"Have..." Spike froze, looking at Lyon who had still been standing in the same spot. "Have you always... been a...?"
Lyon nodded.
"Even before... this?" Spike asked, waving his spoon around to emphasize their current predicament, earning a second nod from the cautious changeling.
"I know--you've probably got a thousand questions ringing in your head--"
"That's... an understatement."
Lyon laughed weakly, only for the laughter to dissipate as quick as it started. "But I swear I had good intentions. I still do."
Spike took a scoop of ice cream and ate it hesitantly. "That would've been believable... beforehand."
"Yeah. Yeah, it would've."
Spike's eyes then grew, curious abound on them, and the ice cream hung in between his jaws.
"Wait," he began, "if you were a changeling before... then you... you knew about this in advance... You could've--"
His eyes took an investigative glance at Lyon, who couldn't help but scoff nervously and hold up a quick hoof.
"Not exactly."
Spike raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.
"I... may have wiped my memory before coming to Ponyville."
"Memory wipe?" Spike asked, his expression unchanging. "How?"
Lyon tilted his head. "I may have given Zecora a visit beforehoof."
"Wait, you knew Zecora before we did?"
"Kinda...? I mean, the time we all saw her together, I didn't exactly recognize her, 'cause of the... you know..."
"Right. Memory wipe."
"... Yeah."
Lyon cleared his throat in an almost timid manner, though he was more unnerved than timid.
"Look... whether or not you believe it's me, it's a really long story. But I promise you, I'll explain everything. Eventually."
"Or you could just come clean now," Spike suggested, setting the bowl down on the nearest desk. "Twilight and the others are out there looking for you right now. The whole city's on edge."
Lyon blushed again, this time in embarrassment.
"Yeah, I didn't really think the whole 'blowing up a jail cell' part through 100%. I probably could've done better than puking all over myself."
"What?"
"Long story... ish." Lyon moved again for the first time in a few minutes and started rummaging through the nearby desk drawers.
"Uh, what are you doing?"
Lyon shut the drawers with no luck. "I need to get out of here, Spike. I need to get on the next train out of here, get back to Ponyville, and grab some things from my house."
"For...?"
Lyon sighed. "My mother is still out there, and until yesterday, I thought she had died when she... The point is, she's still out there. And it's because of me that this all happened. And now it's my job to do what I should've done all those years ago."
"Which is...?"
Lyon's eyes caught his reflection in a nearby mirror. He had forgotten just how ugly he looked, how the rotted parts of the skin beneath his scales were blacker than black, how the broken horn upon his head mocked him as it always had. A constant reminder.
"Defeat my mother." He turned away from the mirror and ran over to the bed, glancing down under it. "But before I can do any of that, I need to find enough money to buy a train ticket. Do you think you can help me find a small green pouch? With a little red arrow symbol on the front?"
Lyon looked up from under the bed to see Spike standing there indecisively.
"Please, Spike? You're the only person I can trust right now."
Spike looked up curiously. "... Really?"
Lyon nodded.
"Well... okay, then. Green pouch, you said?"
Lyon nodded again, then smiled to the young drake. "Thank you, Spike."
"You're... you're welcome."
Lyon and Spike spent the next few minutes practically tearing the room apart looking for the supposed green pouch. From under the bed, to over it, to inside the cracks of the desks and dressers, but nothing came up. Lyon was completely flabbergasted. How could he have lost it? Where could he have put it?
"Where was the last place you remember putting it?" Spike asked Lyon.
"I--gnngh," Lyon grunted while pulling an ottoman above him. "I thought I put it in one of these drawers. Unless someone took it while I was gone! But nothing else is missing, so that doesn't make much sense."
"Are you sure you didn't drop it at the wedding?"
"No, why would I--"
Lyon paused, only to audibly groan with frustration.
"It's in my satchel. And let me guess: It's still sitting in the prison wing."
"Actually, I'm sure I saw Twilight with it when she ran off."
Lyon laughed in a scoff at the news, burying his face in his hooves. "Well, that's even better."
The changeling sighed in his hooves and tried coming up with an entirely new part of the plan--one that didn't involve resorting to petty theft, and one that preferably didn't involve him going out in broad daylight. He was no thief, not anymore, and he wasn't going to start again anytime soon.
"So, now what?"
Lyon lifted his head as an idea sparked within him.
"Do you happen to have anymore of those gems I gave you?"
Spike recoiled, but nonetheless nodded his head. "Why?"
"Because I might need to bribe the conductor. And maybe the co-conductor. ... Do co-conductors exist?"
A few hours passed in sleepful silence between Lyon and Spike, the latter of which kept guard near the door to warn the former of any approaching company.
Lyon knew Spike was still doubtful of his identity. The subtle glances he exchanged told more than he believed. But he knew Spike was working his way around the whole oddity of it all--even if it still seemed strange.
Knowing it was too risky to go out while the sun was still in the air, Lyon chose to wait until nightfall before going out into the streets. Once the sun had vanished beneath the horizon, Lyon glanced out the side window, hoping to see the streets below. However, the building was angled right enough to keep that from happening.
"Alright," Lyon began, "guess we'll just have to go out and see for ourselves."
"Uh, shouldn't we find something for you to wear?" Spike suggested, pointing to Lyon's default form. "I don't think you'll be able to blend in looking like that. Don't you guys transform?"
"Of course we do. It's just... for me, it's more taxing. I've only got half a horn."
Spike looked up at the broken horn and grew curious.
"How did that happen?"
"..." Lyon stood silently, sighing off to a distant nothing.
"Chrysalis. Right."
"Most magic for me, even changing form, could... Well, let's just say it won't end well if I did it in too many bursts--even if someone like Twilight could do it without breaking a sweat. If I do it now, I might not have enough energy to run away if I get caught."
"Then we'll need to dress you up." Spike walked over to the door and unlocked it. He opened carefully and slowly to prevent any noise; the young drake peeked his head out the door and looked in both directions, even though the door was at the end of the hall. You can never be too careful.
Spike motioned a claw for Lyon to follow behind him. Though confused, the changeling paced himself carefully behind Spike down the familiar living quarter halls.
"Where are we going?" Lyon whispered.
"Rarity's got a ton of clothes sitting around. I'm sure we can find something for you!"
"Let's just hope it doesn't involve me wearing a maid's outfit."
Even though he couldn't see it, Lyon knew the young drake was already blushing deeply. He bit his lip trying to stifle a giggle.
"W-What makes you think she has something like that?"
"It's Rarity," Lyon stated simply. "I can think of thirty different reasons. And a half."
"... Do any of them involve dragons?"
"Let's keep going."
The duo continued down the hallway, which seemed to lack the presence of even the royal guards; that didn't surprise Lyon, considering what he had done earlier, but he was surprised Spike was all by himself.
Speaking of which...
"Why are you here, by the way?" Lyon asked curiously. "I thought you'd be helping Twilight look for me."
"I was," he exclaimed softly, "but she wanted me to come back here so I'd be safe. I told her I could handle myself, but she still treats me like a kid!"
"... You are a kid, Spike." The dragon turned back to glare at him briefly, but Lyon felt unfazed by it. "Don't act like it isn't true."
Spike scoffed, turning back around.
"Even if I am just a kid, I'm still capable of helping! So I decided I'd give your room a bit of good old detective work!"
"That explains why you were in there to begin with... but why with ice cream?"
"I can't exactly solve a missing persons case on an empty stomach, can I?"
"Fair enough."
Not more than a moment later, Spike and Lyon arrived at Rarity's bedroom. Like before, Spike opened the door slowly and peeked his head in. After a few seconds, he opened the doors wide and motioned Lyon to follow him inside. Instantly, the smell of perfume rang through his nostrils. That was the only thing he hated about Rarity's perfumes: the strength of their stench.
"Gods," Lyon said bitterly, "I'm never gonna get used to that."
"It's not that bad."
"You're telling me your nose hairs aren't on fire right now?"
"Nope," Spike admitted, but paused after closing the doors behind Lyon. "Maybe it's a changeling thing?"
"Probably..." Lyon said, realizing there might've been some truth to that, after all. "Let's just get something fancy and concealing and get out of here, alright?"
"Got it."
Breathing through his mouth, Lyon started to unpack all the individual suitcases Rarity had brought along with her. In any other scenario, he would've been barking why she had so many damn suitcases. But once this was all over, he was going to thank her for being overpacking!
If she didn't kill him, that is...
For several minutes, the changeling and dragon found bits of fabric and cloth capable of covering areas that normal shirts and pants would not be able to conceal. In front of the triple mirror that sat by Rarity's bed, Lyon tried on an assortment of different clothes, many of which seemed too obvious. Spike even recalled one of them making him look just like a mummy.
"If I wasn't already the walking definition of a rotting cockroach, I might've been a little offended. Maybe."
Eyeing the various clothing pieces that the unicorn had harbored, Spike's attention suddenly fell upon a trench coat and mask set. Swiftly, he handed them to Lyon.
"Will this work?"
"Let's see," Lyon said, taking the clothing from Spike's grasp and fitting them over his body. The most difficult piece of the uniform to put on was the trench coat itself, as it required him to fold in his wings as to not accidentally crush them inside.
As soon as they were snug enough, he put on the beach hat that seemed to go along with it, which concealed most of his face, but still left it somewhat visible. However, attached to the trench coat itself seemed to be a fabric mask that could wrap around his face easily. As soon as it was done, there was zero indication a changeling's face could be harbored beneath.
The last thing to add were a set of gloves that covered his hooves, as well as a set of boots that he could fit his hind hooves into. As he looked into the mirror, Lyon saw a hidden figure staring back at him. Mysterious, creepy, but most of all: Canterlot... y.
"How do you feel?" Spike asked.
"I feel like I'm about to die of heatstroke," Lyon admitted, "but it should feel better off once we're outside. But I gotta say: I respect Rarity a whole lot more than I did before putting all this on."
"Welcome to my world," Spike said with a smirk. "Just... lay off the merchandise."
Lyon rolled his eyes with a muffled chuckle, then made one final check in the mirror to be sure he wasn't missing anything. After that, he started his way to the door.
"Let's try to stay away from the crowds as best as possible, alright?" Lyon suggested. "If we do get singled out, I don't wanna be surrounded by hundreds of fear-fueled ponies."
"Got it. Lucky for you, I know Canterlot like the back of my claw."
"Then you're my eyes till we get to the train station, okay?"
"Will do!" Spike answered with a brief salute. Lyon then grabbed Spike and lifted him onto his back. "Whoa... you're a lot stiffer than before."
"Yeah, I got that a lot in the past."
Spike raised an eyebrow. "How often did you have dragons riding on your back?"
"... I'll tell you when you're older. If I get out of here alive."
"Right..."
The streets of Canterlot at night were no less crowded than they were in the day, but it was only a matter of time before ponies were cramming themselves back into their homes. Behind the chilled chirping of crickets, a distant voice screamed from an intercom.
"Attention citizens of Canterlot:" the voice boomed, resembling the very tone of Shining Armor, "A rogue changeling has escaped from the royal palace and is on the loose. If you encounter this changeling, DO NOT try to apprehend it yourself. Locate your nearest Royal Guard and they will help you. Your life is important."
And the message would repeat every couple minutes. By the fourth loop, Lyon and Spike were far from the castle by now, and courting their way through the outer edges of the city.
"So what's it like being a changeling?" Spike asked in hopes of passing the time, though careful not to ask it too loud.
"Uh... It's... something," Lyon said almost reluctantly. "Not much of the good kind of something, either."
"Are there others like you? Ones that aren't exactly... y'know...?"
"Ravenous, lovethirsty serpents of death?"
"Uh... yeah...?"
"I..." Lyon chewed on his lip for a moment before sighing. "I don't know. But there used to be."
"Well, what happened to them?"
Lyon sighed again. "I'd rather not get into that. At least, not right now... okay?"
Spike nodded his head and tried to think of another question that wasn't so similar.
"Is any of the stuff you told us in the past true?" Lyon looked up at the drake as if looking for more details. "I mean, your past life. You used to talk about growing up in Baltimare, then travelling from place to place and dealing with some scandals here and there..."
"Ah, that stuff," Lyon realized. "Yes and no. All that stuff did happen to me one way or another, but it didn't happen in the right order. I hoof-picked specific memories to shape the persona I was going for. So while a lot of it wasn't really fresh from my mouth... I was never lying to you guys."
"Really?"
"Really. I guess I just... wanted to be sure there wouldn't be any holes in the stories without me knowing. Plus, I... I don't really like lying."
"Huh," Spike said with a huff. "Well, why did you decide to wipe your memory?"
Lyon bowed his head, but kept it level enough to see where he was going.
"I've lived a long enough life that I wanted to just... forget. At the time, it sounded like a good idea. But after everything that's happened... that's probably one of the dumbest things I ever did."
"I wouldn't say that."
"Why not?" Lyon looked up.
"You said it yourself, right? You had no idea your mom was alive, so you did what you thought was the right choice."
Lyon shrugged. "And now we're stuck in this mess."
"Well... it could be worse."
Lyon scoffed a laugh.
"Yeah. It could."
As the duo turned the next corner, the familiar sights of the train station platform came into view. So did the countless guards that occupied it.
"And now I remember why that should never be said."
Spike hopped off Lyon's back and observed the station perimeter. Countless guards stood around the platform, more so than when they first arrived, but other than that, it seemed that ponies were still coming and going as they pleased.
"I thought Shining Armor would've locked this down too," Spike said, mentioning his words back in the delegation hall. "They must have some crazy security detail if they're keeping it open."
"Then that means getting in the usual way is out of the question, unless we plan on hijacking the thing."
"We're not... going to, are we...?"
"Wouldn't be the first time, heh... but no."
"Phew," Spike sighed in relief. "So... new plan?"
Lyon didn't respond immediately, instead looking at the individual train cars that made up its overall form. Most of the cars were passenger cars, but the last few cars seemed to be that of storage units. Those typically had doors on both sides.
"Ever snuck into a storage car before, Spike?"
"Not... exactly."
"Neither have I. But hey, first time for everything, right?"
Lifting Spike onto his back once again, Lyon started for the train station, but halfway there, he instead moved off the trail, making his way towards the back end of the train that lay shrouded in the darkness. As he approached the series of storage cars, he was surprised to find that not a single guard stood back here; from experience, these types of cars had a lot of valuable goods, so it seemed careless that they would--wait...
Lyon placed his ear up to the nearest car, only to hear the sound of muffled conversation. Deep, gritty voices with almost a commanded tone to them...
"Damn it," Lyon whispered, "I was afraid they'd be in there."
"Guards?"
"Yeah, and a lot, it sounds like." Lyon let out a snort, circling his way back around the car until the train platform was visible again. Ponies were still making their way up the steps and into the train, occasionally showing off tickets, but in some cases they spouted some bits. No gems or emeralds, though.
Lyon furrowed his brows--though that was difficult to pull off under a mask.
"I guess we really don't have a choice, after all."
"I don't know, Lyon," Spike said with concern. "It seems a bit risky."
""A bit" is laying it on thin. But we don't have any other options. It's only a matter of time before I'm found out. We need to go now."
"Well, do you have a plan?"
"Just... one. And..."
"And...?" Spike waited for the changeling to answer straight away, but he stood in silence for a moment before inevitably sighing. Only the sigh didn't sound like him. It sounded like...
"Just trust me... okay?" ...
"You're not seriously going to pretend to be Twilight dressed like this, are y--okay, yes you are. This is happening. Great."
"Shh," Lyon hushed Spike in Twilight Sparkle's recognizable voice as he walked carefully towards the train platform. Just like changing physical form, Lyon was also able to modify his voice to sound like someone else. But also like changing physical form, he was only going to get one or two shots at this for a good chunk of time. Anymore, and...
"Are you sure about this?"
"Not 100%..."
"Well, that's reassuring..."
"... but it's better than nothing, right?"
Spike didn't answer. Instead, he scanned the platform the closer they got, and was slightly relieved not to see Twilight herself nearby. It would've definitely made things more complicated than they already were.
Standing by one of the open side doors of a passenger cabin was one of many identical guards, of which he overlooked every mare, stallion, and foal that entered the car. Lyon figured out the rest of the short term plan as the line in front of him got shorter. What exactly was he gonna tell the guard?
"Next!"
Really wish I took up that improv class.
Lyon stepped up to the guard, who tilted his head at the overall attire. He seemed a bit suspicious, but perhaps it was more so curiosity, especially for a pony leaving Canterlot.
"What's with the fancy getup?" he asked.
"Uh... it's complicated. You see, I... um..."
LYON. This is not a good time to catch a frog in your throat.
The guard began narrowing his eyes as he inspected Lyon top to bottom. Nothing from the clothing alone could indicate his true form below, but Lyon knew he was going to figure out something if he didn't say something in the next two seconds. Luckily, Spike seemed to be right there to help him along, as he waved for the guard to come in close to whisper into his ear.
"Relax, my guy. It's just Twilight. Celestia wants us undercover while in Ponyville. Can't be too careful, right?"
At first, Lyon wasn't sure if that alone was enough to convince the guard. But as he pulled away, he gave a brief nod.
"My apologies, Lady Sparkle," he said in a quieter tone of voice. "I didn't recognize you beneath all that clothing."
"That's good!" Lyon exclaimed in Twilight's gleeful tone, only to catch himself. "I mean... well, that's fine. Sorry. I didn't want to blow my cover before I got back to Ponyville."
"Understandable. However... I'd recommend something less... er, suspicious."
Lyon giggled. "Of course, sir. But I can't be too careful, can I?"
"Well... I suppose not," the guard agreed with a shrug. "Should we have any guards accompany you during your stay?"
"That won't be necessary," Lyon dismissed with a hoof. "I've got my number one assistant with me in case anything goes wrong. Right, Spike?"
Spike nodded his head firmly with a grin. "Yup!"
The guard nodded back to the both of them. "Well, I won't keep you waiting. Do you have your ticket?"
A moment later, Spike took out what appeared to be a massive sapphire gem from one of the trench coat pockets and planted it firmly in the guard's hoof. Lyon feigned shrinking backward sheepishly.
"Sorry. It was kinda on short notice."
But the guard seemed to be far too enthralled in the sheer size of the gem. The way it shone, how he could see his crystal clear reflection staring him back...
"Not a problem at all, Lady Sparkle. Go on in. And safe travels."
Lyon curtsied. "And to you, sir."
The guard bowed to who he believed was Twilight, and let the two inside. Lyon stepped upon the train car and began navigating his way through the passenger cabin, until he found a clear enough portion where nopony sat. Spike hopped off and took his own spot, and Lyon plopped down next to him, letting out a brief sigh, which turned to a muttered groan as he undid the voice changing spell.
He bowed his head and let out a slightly pained sigh. He also noticed Spike glancing at him every couple seconds.
"... You curtsied."
"Not a peep to anyone, understand?"
"If you can get me another sapphire gem."
"... Deal."
Their conversation ended with the sound of the train horn several cars down blowing out steam and whistling into the evening air. A few moments later, the doors of the passenger cabin were shut tight. But even with the sound of the horns and doors, the voice playing over the city intercom could still be heard to Lyon.
"--Your safety is important."
That bugged Lyon. He didn't know if he had the right to be bugged by it, but he just couldn't help it. He sympathized with everyone, he really did. The way Applejack cried as she ran off thinking he had been abducted, the way Shining Armor screamed at him as he recalled Cadance being tortured right beneath his hooves--he understood their frustrations. But it didn't mean they weren't wrong.
"Hey," Spike said eventually, prompting Lyon to look down. "You okay?"
Lyon sighed.
"I'm not looking forward to when this is all over."
The changeling stared outside the window, not watching anything in particular. He just wanted something to look at without focusing on the details. Spike eyed him with concern for a few moments before looking down at his claws.
"Me neither."
"I'm just saying," Rainbow started, "she was shifting way too much in her seat, that's all!"
"Well, what the hay did you expect?" Applejack exclaimed questionably. "Ya darn near tore her hoof off the way you barged in like that!"
"She ran off too fast! I just had to be sure!"
Rarity deadpanned. "Darling... we were invaded by creatures that round ponies up and replace them in a heartbeat. Did you honestly think she was going to just sit down and talk with us over a cup of tea?"
"I wouldn't have drunk it anyway. And if she did turn out to be one of those creeps, it'd be up to me to mop up the place!"
"And pray for Celestia and Luna if that ever ended up being the case."
Rainbow Dash glowered at the unicorn, only to roll her eyes and groan. "Okay, fine! So we tried my way and it didn't work! We still wasted five hours walking through Canterlot and not finding a single clue!"
The annoyed expression on the pegasus' face quickly turned into slight dismay.
"Look, why don't we just go back to the castle and call it a night? It's obvious we're not gonna find anything tonight."
Eyes turned to Twilight, who was already beginning to look frantic with wear, her frazzled mane getting in her eyes and her magic becoming strained as she struggled to hold a map of Canterlot in front of her, labeled with a variety of locations the changeling could've run to. Anyplace that was easy to blend in--nightclubs and local taverns--seemed like a good bet as any.
"Twilight?" Rarity called out, earning a confused glance from the mare. "Do you want me to hold that for you, dear? Save your strength?"
Save your strength.
Twilight recoiled, then shook her head to collect her thoughts.
"Sorry. Yeah... yeah, here you go," Twilight replied, levitating the map over to Rarity, who picked it up without hesitation. Twilight immediately felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, but the strain overall still lingered.
All of them noticed how distant her eyes had become in such a short time. She seemed like she was constantly gazing at the streets and the ponies that inhabited it, but nothing from the neck down. She was looking at their faces and their hair and tails, the color of them. They could've guessed three different reasons why she did, but it didn't matter.
"Darling," Rarity spoke up again, "I think we should consider Rainbow Dash's option and just go back. It is fairly late."
"Rarity's right, Twi," Applejack said. "Besides, I think you could use the rest more than any of us."
Twilight turned to her friends with concern in her eyes, but it was clouded by exhaustion. "But--But the changeling--!"
"Ain't going nowhere. Your brother'll make sure of that, no doubt. And I don't think any of us will be able to take on even a single changeling if we can't even keep our eyes open, don't ya think?"
Twilight wanted to protest against it, to run out deeper into Canterlot and be more thorough with her search. A part of her wanted even to follow Rainbow Dash's example, and to tartarus with the consequences!
But no matter how tired she was, she'd never really do it. That was a line she'd never cross.
"You're right," Twilight confessed with a sigh. "Sleep deprivation isn't going to help us."
Then the mare looked off into the distance again, watching as the remaining ponies wandering the streets started huddling indoors.
Twilight's voice grew quiet. "I just hope Lyon is okay... wherever he is."
She flinched when she felt something touch her shoulder, only to relax when she saw Applejack looking back at her.
"Lyon is one of the strongest ponies I know. As strong as you and me put together. I know he'll be okay. And even if he..." Applejack hesitated and let out an unsteady breath. "... even if he ain't... okay... those changelings would be dumb enough to do anything more than give him a couple punches."
Something about the way she said that scared Twilight. She knew it was in good faith, but the idea of Chrysalis or any of the changelings taking Lyon and... killing... it made her blood boil and run cold all at the same time. Regardless, Applejack was right. Even someone like Chrysalis should know better than to kill any potential hostage if it meant her very life.
"Hey," Applejack spoke to Twilight in a softer tone, cupping her chin in her hoof. "Lyon will be okay. Do you understand? We'll find him. And we'll knock down any of those varmints if they try otherwise."
Twilight could feel the tears forming in her eyes, and Applejack could feel the poor mare's form shiver slightly. Before she could ask, Twilight pulled away and wiped her eyes out of sight of the others--even though they knew, they said nothing.
"Alright. Let's go back. We'll rest up, and first thing in the morning, we'll continue where we left off."
"Sounds like a plan, darling," Rarity said with a faint smile.
The six mares immediately started towards the castle, glowing faintly on the other side of Canterlot. They had spent the entire day exploring a chunk of the downtown area, and beyond some promising clues, there was nothing of value for them that could help their search for the changeling. They tried scouring the immediate area where it might have fallen, but by the time they got there, it was gone. However, Twilight was able to find distinct traces of magical residue scattered in one of the alleyways by the palace, indicating it was weakened or at least heavily fatigued.
But being several hours since then, who knows where it could be or how well it's recovered? For all she knew, any one of the ponies around her could be the changeling!
However, Twilight found herself glancing at the suppression field machines the guards had been setting up around the city. These machines, as complex as they were, could render a creature's magic entirely inoperable as long as they were in its vicinity. They had enough changeling residue apparently to fine tune it to single out any stragglers.
She recognized them fairly quick, as she had seen similar machines installed during the Balefire War back when she was a filly. But given that the war only lasted an hour, these would likely be up for as long as Celestia needed them to.
Hopefully not forever.
After a few minutes of twists and turns, the six girls eventually passed the train station, still operating normally despite the heavy influx of royal guards perched on the platform.
"Yeesh," Rainbow expressed, "I'd hate to be the changeling that gets pegged by those guys."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "Did you really have to use that--"
"HALT!"
A loud 'eep!' escaped Rarity's throat as the girls were suddenly surrounded by countless royal guards, all of them pointing either spears or arrows at them.
"Word...?" she squeaked.
"What is the meaning of this?" Twilight asked in a demanding tone, stepping forward to the supposed leader of the group. Rather than answer her question, the guard raised his spear at her.
"Silence!" he shouted at her, then turned to two distant guards standing by one of the suppression machines. The two guards nodded, and he returned his cold gaze to the unicorn before him. "Who are you?"
Rainbow eyed the guard in disbelief.
"Uh... you're kidding, right? Twilight Sparkle? Princess Celestia's pu--"
"Lady Sparkle and the dragon just left Canterlot on a train no more than ten minutes ago," he declared, earning the shocked gaze of all six mares.
"WHAT?!" they screamed simultaneously.
"Dragon?!" Twilight shouted.
"Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity screeched, choking in a sob before fainting just a moment later, Fluttershy and Applejack barely catching her in time.
"Why didn't you stop her? I mean it! I mean..." Twilight stomped her hoof. "Urggh! I'm the real Twilight!"
"Then you don't mind if we run a quick test on you, do you?"
"Test? But I--"
"Fire!"
Pressing an assortment of buttons on the machine, a small magically-charged laser struck Twilight, engulfing her in its influence and trapping her in place. The others attempted to help her, but were kept back by the guards.
Twilight tried to hold back her screams as the machine's magic coursed through her veins, inspecting every inch of her body, from her hooves to her horn. She grunted and moaned in pain as it practically dug through her.
Maybe this was why she was so afraid of them growing up?
Finally, in a matter of seconds, the beam released Twilight from its grip and dissolved into little sparks that twinkled in the air. Twilight fell to the ground and was left panting heavily, struggling to get back on all fours. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie ran to her aid and helped her up.
"You okay, Twilight?" Rainbow asked in a worried tone, carefully inspecting the mare's body for any physical damage.
"I... I'm f-fine..." she answered with her head on her hoof and trying to hold back any potential vomit. The guard watched her with confusion.
"Lady Sparkle? But... that means..."
His eyes widened in realization, and he whipped his head around to face the platform.
"Stop that train!"
On the train, Spike watched through the port side window with sadness as the towering buildings of Canterlot got smaller. He didn't exactly regret leaving Twilight without her knowledge, but he wasn't going to just sit in a room all day and do nothing, even if he didn't bump into Lyon.
Lyon continued to gaze out the starboard side window, with nothing but the distant town of Ponyville to catch his sight. Even at night, he could see it shimmer and shine. Even now, he was still wondering if they already knew of the situation. He didn't have any kind of plan for such a predicament if that turned out to be the case. He wasn't necessarily a 'make-it-up-as-it-goes' kind of person, but he didn't like rushing into something unless he knew what he was getting into.
All he knew is that he'd have to be ready for anything the moment the doors opened. Anything could be waiting on the other side.
Lyon stepped away from the window and walked over to Spike, who acknowledged him for just a second before looking back to the window. A moment later, Spike returned the gaze.
"So what exactly are we going back to Ponyville for again?" Spike asked Lyon.
"The whole time I was living in Ponyville, I kept having some freaky Deja Vu at home--like I'd been there before," Lyon explained. "Turns out I already had. In my closet, there's a secret box I stashed away beforehoof one night, and I swore I'd never open it until the time was right."
"And, you know, getting your memory back?"
"... That too," Lyon admitted with a chuckle.
The changeling shifted in his seat, adjusting the mask on his face to better breathe through it. If the cabin wasn't occupied, he would've just taken it off until then. Even with the goggles covering Lyon's eyes, Spike could still notice him looking back.
"I know you kinda came with me on short notice, but... thank you, Spike."
"For what?"
Lyon tilted the upper half of his body slightly. "For sticking with me. I know you're still hesitant on this whole thing, and with me being... y'know... but I'm glad you didn't just turn me in."
"Well, I wanted to help," Spike claimed. "And besides... if it turned out you weren't the real Lyon after all, I'd still be getting the truth... one way or another."
That statement had a thousand implications, and very few of them were in any way comforting to Lyon. But maybe that was Spike's point.
"I'd never lie to you guys... changeling or not."
"Good," Spike finished and once more turned to the window.
Only to tense up just a second later.
"Uh... Lyon?"
"What? What is it?"
Lyon clamored beside the young drake and looked out the window with him. Immediately, Lyon felt dread wash over him as Canterlot stood red, many of its fore-lights turning a bright crimson--signaling an alarm. It was just seconds later that he could see the shapely silhouettes of a dozen pegasi flying towards the train at high speeds.
All of them wore the armor of the royal guard.
"Oh no," Lyon spoke softly.
"They found us!" Spike exclaimed, turning to the figure beside him. "What do we do?"
Lyon scrunched the lips beneath his mask as he searched the room around him. Beyond the benches and the ponies that sat upon it, there was no place to hide in this cabin, and given how many cars stood in front, many of them would be the same.
"Quick, on my back!"
Without much hesitation, Spike climbed onto Lyon's back. With a push of his hooves, he stood on all fours and quickly dashed his way through the cabin. Instantly, everypony around him turned to watch him sprint to the front of the car. With a quick flip of the lever, Lyon successfully opened the door and proceeded to the next car in front--a kitchen, it seemed!
Lyon apologized his way through the cabin as he ran past the few chefs and bakers that were cooking presumably dinner at that moment. Near the end of the cabin, he felt his hooves move under him as he almost slipped on a puddle, but was able to just catch himself by grabbing hold of what he assumed was table cloth. It wasn't until recovering himself that he realized it was the cloth of a chef's uniform, belonging to the very chef that now sat in a puddle of spilled tomato sauce.
"Uh... sorry?"
Lyon didn't need to know much Prench to know the chef cussed him out as he fled into the next cabin, this time a dining car. Ponies sat at individual tables, segregated by their social classes. Lyon didn't see a single pairing of royal and rural folks.
Then again, you see less than usual when you're hopping on top of tables and trying to escape an army of highly trained soldiers.
As Lyon hopped off the last table at the end of the car, he made a dead sprint towards the door, glancing back to make sure Spike was still holding on tightly. Sure enough, he was, muttering to himself not to let go.
Before he could reach for the door handle, two silhouettes appeared in the window pane, freezing Lyon in his tracks. He started to back up to the tables, stopping only when he heard the sound of the door at the other end sliding open to reveal four various pegasi guards.
"Stop, changeling!" one of the guards yelled. Instantly, the onlookers throughout the cabin backed away from Lyon and fled towards the back end, muttering nervous gibberish.
Lyon stood in the center of the cabin, with four guards and several scared passengers on one end, and two guards entering from the other, no doubt with the rest of their fleet standing behind them.
"A new plan would be nice right about now!" Spike exclaimed nervously.
"You!" another guard shouted, pointing to Lyon. "Release the dragon! This is your only warning! You have twenty seconds!"
Lyon looked at his surroundings again. Both exits were completely covered, and even if he could fly over them--had his wings not been crushed under a trench coat--they would just as easily tackle him before he could flee.
Which left the side windows. Preferably the ones not observing the mountainside.
"Okay..." Lyon whispered to Spike. "New plan."
"Yeah?"
"You go with them."
"What?!" Spike nearly exclaimed. Lyon tried to make eye contact with the young dragon, but at this angle, it was difficult.
"We both know it's me they're after. And I can't have them running after me knowing you're with me too. Even if everything slips, Twilight would never forgive me if something happened to you on my watch."
"Ten seconds!" the guard shouted.
"I'm not just gonna leave you here!" Spike whisper-shouted.
"You don't have a choice! I'm not letting you get hurt!"
"I'm not gonna let them kill you!"
"Five--!"
"Stop! Wait!" Lyon yelled, holding up his hooves defensively. "Wait... I..."
Despite the feeling of Spike's frustrated glare staring him down, Lyon was willing to pass it by.
"Okay. You can have the kid."
Lyon picked up Spike from his back and placed him on the floor slowly. The drake turned to watch him, chewing on his cheek in annoyance. But it was a facade, clouding the fear bubbling inside of him. But Lyon wasn't afraid.
"Go," he whispered. "I'll be alright. I promise."
Reluctantly, Spike slipped away from Lyon after a few seconds, walking cautiously towards the two guards at the front end of the car. They grabbed and placed him behind their bodies while staying still.
The entire time, Spike never took his eyes off him.
"Changeling, you are under arrest by direct order of Princess Celestia of Canterlot!" the first guard exclaimed, stepping forward a couple steps. "You will return with us and answer to the highest authority present! If you refuse these terms, we have clearance to use lethal force against you, should it be necessary!"
Lyon could feel the heat run through his body as the weight of the clothing finally started to take its toll. But it was because of this feeling that he had another idea.
"Do you mind if I take my clothes off first?"
The lead guard raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"It's a little hot under these clothes. Can I at least take them off first?"
The guard glanced at the others beside him, then looked to those standing at the front end. None of them were entirely sure what to make of it.
"You can take your clothes off when we get back to Canterlot," he said to Lyon.
"Yeah, sure... if you want to take them off a corpse," Lyon quipped. "Changelings can't handle high temperatures like this for too long. I was planning to ditch these until you kinda... well, ruined that."
Most of that was a lie, of course. But they didn't know that. Lyon supposed that was the only benefit of his race for the time being.
"Sir," one of the side-guards whispered, loud enough for Lyon to hear. "The princess wants the creature alive. He seems to know something about Lady Sparkle's missing friend."
The lead guard turned back to Lyon with a faint glare, realizing he didn't have much of a choice.
"Very well, changeling," the leader allowed. "Strip here and then come with us."
With a gentle nod, Lyon started to undo his clothing. The first to go were the mask and hat, revealing his face to the entire cabin. Everyone gasped and murmured in horror, uttering foul obscenities.
Lyon had heard it all. He was ever rarely self-conscious... at least, he used to be.
"Faster, changeling!" The guards stepped closer to Lyon threateningly as he slowly started to take off the jacket.
"Hey, you try taking off fifty layers of fancy clothing when you're sweating like a steam engine!"
As Lyon took off the trench coat, he turned to the nearest duo of guards. Spike stood by the door, curious.
"No, seriously! Try it yourself!"
With a quick wind up, Lyon suddenly threw the heavy coat at the guard duo, striking them successfully and temporarily blinding them. Spike flinched, but otherwise watched as the guards struggled to remove the coat from their heads.
The changeling whipped his way around and pointed his horn towards one of the side windows. Magic flowed through his body, and he felt pressure build up inside him. His horn glowed a bright yellow, forming a small ball that flickered rapidly; his eyes glowed a similar shade.
"Stop! Now!" one guard shrieked as he made a sprint towards Lyon. However, before he could reach him, Lyon fired the burst of magic fire into the closest window.
The glass pane shattered on contact, exploding outward and causing pieces of glass and potential shrapnel to fly in all directions. While most of it was sucked out the window, the rest flew about the cabin. However, Lyon was able to shield it before it could cause any harm to the passengers.
While everypony was in a daze, Lyon took the opportunity. Rearing up his legs, he sprinted as fast as he could in such a small space, and with a great kick of his legs, he leapt out the window, the contrast of warm/cold and bright/dark more than blatant.
Exposed to the open air of the valley that stood below Canterlot, Lyon wasn't afraid of crashing into anything. Just falling too fast.
"C'mon wings," he exclaimed with a shortness of breath, "don't fail me now!"
Mid-air, Lyon adjusted his body position so his stomach lay flat, aiming to the ground, and his wings stood equally outward. While they didn't unfurl like the wings of an average pegasus, they were still able to buzz with the power of the most majestic of cicadas.
In a matter of seconds, Lyon was no longer falling to what would've been his death. Instead, he soared the sky like an eagle.
He couldn't remember how long he laughed for. All he knew is that he laughed all the way to the ground. And he didn't care who heard.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Twilight was no longer on the verge of passing out. As long as Spike was out there, she wasn't going to get a wink of sleep until he was back.
She and the others sat in the engine car of the repair train. On most occasions, it was only used in the events of a train breaking down near Canterlot, but Celestia insisted for the exception.
All of them sat in their seats, antsy and worried. Out of all of them, the only runner-up to Twilight was Rarity. Twilight sometimes saw Rarity's past worries for Spike as not exactly pretentious, but not entirely serious.
However, pretense was nowhere to be seen in the unicorn's eyes, or anywhere on her face. Her body was shaking, and her gaze was distant even from just looking at the floor in front of her. They weren't empty, either. Just nervous.
"Rarity?" Twilight called out, leaning forward to get her attention. "Are you okay?"
Even though it was clear she didn't seem it, Rarity nodded.
"I'm fine, darling. I'm just worried about--"
"I know. Me too."
The fashionista sighed and lowered her head. "I knew it was a mistake to let him go alone. It's my fault he got foalnapped, isn't it?"
"No," Twilight insisted, "it's my fault. I'm the one that let him go in the first place. If there's anyone you should be upset with, it's me."
Rarity glanced at Twilight with sorrowful eyes, yet she smiled briefly.
"Twilight... I could never be mad at you." Then suddenly, Rarity shrunk back with a blush of embarrassment. "Well... unless you count the rehearsal as an exception...?"
Twilight shrunk back too, but couldn't help but giggle. "It's fine. I promise. None of us knew."
The mare held Rarity's hoof firmly in her own, her smile greater.
"But now that we're on our hooves, we're gonna stick together from now on. No matter what happens, we stay together. Right, girls?"
Twilight turned to the other four mares, all of whom gave nods and voices of approval at her words.
"We'll get Spike back, we'll find Lyon, and we defeat Queen Chrysalis together. Right?"
"Right!" they shouted in unison. Twilight grinned and sighed with satisfaction.
A moment later, the train began to slow down, signaling their approach. Twilight looked out the side window to see the most recent train sitting in the distance, stopped just inside a tunnel with its lights still on.
Once the repair train stopped in its tracks, Twilight and the others immediately got out and walked their way to the passenger train. As they got close, they noticed the countless ponies that stood outside, talking in individual conversations as royal guardsponies asked them a series of questions, from what they were doing at the time of the mentioned "incident" to what the creature looked like.
One of the guards noticed Twilight approaching the scene and met up with her.
"Lady Sparkle," he greeted her with a bow. Twilight greeted him back with a quick curtsey.
"Is everyone alright? Did anyone get hurt?" she asked him. To her relief, he shook his head.
"Everyone is safe. A bit shaken up, but otherwise safe."
"And Spike...?"
Before the guard could answer, Spike emerged from the crowd of ponies.
"Twilight!" he yelled.
"Spike!" she exclaimed, and the two ran to embrace each other in the middle in a tight hug. "Spike, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have let you go alone! Are you alright? It didn't hurt you, did it?"
The drake's brief smile turned to confusion. Or was it a bit of hurt she saw instead? Regardless of what it was, it caused Twilight's expression to change as well.
"Oh. IT. No. No, I'm okay."
Twilight looked up to the guards, the question already bubbling in her throat.
"We've already tested him, miss," one of them said. "He's not one of them."
With a sigh of relief, Twilight hugged Spike once again, but the confusion never left her face. Why did he seem hurt when she asked? Did it threaten him?! Them?!
She wanted to ask, but Rarity's joining into the hug made it difficult to do just that. But she couldn't blame her, and instead let it be for now--against her own wishes.
"Lady Sparkle!" shouted a distant guard as he approached Twilight from afar. By the time he reached her, he was out of breath, taking a few moments to catch it up. "I'm afraid we've lost sight of the changeling. It jumped from the window mid-ride. By the time we stopped the train, it was gone."
"Any idea where it might've gone?" Applejack questioned. The guard wanted to shake his head, but he stopped himself.
"The Everfree Forest is not far from here, just a mile or two south. If not there, then it's likely en route to Ponyville."
"What?!" Rarity exclaimed at the mention of Ponyville. "My sister is in Ponyville!"
"And the animals!" Fluttershy added.
"And Apple Bloom!" Applejack shouted, turning to Twilight. "We gotta stop it before it hurts anypony!"
Rainbow Dash reared her fore hooves. "Yeah! Let's pummel that freak!"
"Wait!"
Everyone turned to the source of the voice. Spike pushed himself from Twilight and Rarity, and stood with his hands raised in the air. Some of the train's passengers murmured in confusion.
"He doesn't want to hurt anypony!"
"Huh?" many of the ponies replied in unison. The murmurs grew louder, becoming a mix of disbelief and suspicion. Some of it seemed on the verge of outrage. Even one pony claimed the changeling had already 'corrupted the poor boy's mind.' The guards were able to calm down the ramblings until they were nothing but whispers.
Twilight glanced at the resf of her friends with bewilderment before turning to the lone drake.
"Spike, did that changeling knock you upside the head or somggagh!" Rainbow Dash tried to ask, but was cut off by a quick elbow to the gut by Applejack. Twilight glared slightly at Rainbow before turning back to Spike.
"Spike," Twilight asked curiously, "what are you saying?"
"I... I..."
Spike felt the stare of everypony around him. From the passengers on the train and the royal guards, to his closest friends, all of them already eager to know what he was thinking. He felt the pressure bearing down on him, as if afraid to say the wrong thing and be persecuted for it.
But he was willing to swallow his pride if it meant getting what he wanted.
"I think he's telling the truth." |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 9: Who I Am | One would've expected such a night like this to have an immense stillness. A gentle calm. But to think a stillness could be achieved tonight of all nights was nothing but a farce.
Lyon shivered with discontent as he walked along the remote dirt path. He flew as high as he could into the sky to keep from crashing into the landscape beneath him, until his wings grew sore and he was forced to land no more than twenty minutes ago.
It wasn't until soon after landing that he realized just how close he was to ending up in the Everfree Forest. From the current path, he traversed its very outskirts, not daring to barge into there unless he was sure he'd come back out alive. Not that the forest was his destination, anyhow.
He sniffled, feeling the cold evening air already begin to take its toll on him. Tonight was far colder than any night of the summer so far! Whether it was possible influence from Princess Luna or the Everfree itself, Lyon knew he had to get inside before he shivered himself unconscious.
He recognized the path he was on, but that meant Ponyville was still a twenty minute walk. He needed to get there quick before anyone else did, but he was drained of energy and couldn't even break a light sprint.
"C-Come on, Lyon," the changeling said to himself in a shaky tone. "Almost t-there... almost..."
From time to time, Lyon found himself looking ahead of him, then glancing behind at the path he just came from. It was a rounded path in spots, yet in some cases it was straight enough to look back a mile, if the time was right. Lyon saw no sign of any creature, at least in the places he could see. Then again, it was too dark for now to see much.
But the one thing that wasn't too dark for him was Canterlot. From where he stood, the city shone eerily in the distance, its fore lights still glowing red, but the alarms were completely inaudible. He didn't doubt that countless royal guards and pegasi were scouring the area where he jumped in that very moment. Or had they already known his goal by now?
He hoped Spike was okay. He hoped they just lulled him to sleep and he was resting in bed, and that he'd deal with these problems on his own time. Surely, they'd grant him that luxury, right?
But as the lights of the grand city continued to shine almost sinister-like, he was doubtful. Regardless, he refused to let it get to him and decided to continue forward. The further down he walked, the more light pollution he noticed trickled its way across the sky. While it didn't re-energize him, it did give Lyon all the more reason to keep walking.
He continued to pace his way along the dirt, even as his muscles began to ache. A yawn escaped his lips, and he felt exhaustion start to creep up on him. Now he remembered why he scarcely used magic.
Who knows what could go wrong?
Lyon could feel the tension in his body suddenly lift as Ponyville came into view at last. He laughed joyfully to himself and continued forward, misshaping the dirt beneath him. With every step the town grew closer and closer, and details became clearer, even at nighttime. Distant signs became legible, and distinct landmark buildings of the town could be singled out from the rest.
Being so late at night already, most of the townsponies had already turned in for the evening, but there was still a fair deal of activity from those who better preferred the night.
Lyon considered turning back into his typical form, but already on the verge of collapse, it would most likely be dangerous to attempt such an act. He'd have to sneak his way through back to his house and just hope lady luck would be on his side.
Then again, if these last few days were enough of an indication... she'd probably be waiting to kick it instead.
"Spike... Before we get there, I need you to swear to me... that everything you're saying and everything you're thinking, you can 100% say that you trust with your gut."
"I swear."
Twilight Sparkle stared down at her young dragon assistant, watching him with an unsteady gaze that didn't worry him, but herself. She only ever looked at Spike this way one other time, when she first adopted Owlysius and Spike had tried to sabotage her trust in the owl.
However, this time it wasn't out of anger, but of fear. Fear she was being misled, fear she was walking into what could've been a trap. But like the guards told her back on the mountain--and just as she attempted herself soon after--the dragon she saw before her was no changeling.
So why did she feel uneasy?
"Okay," Twilight said after a moment of silence. Even after Spike turned away to gaze out the window overlooking Ponyville, the unicorn caught herself watching him carefully, but not of the concern he bad been replaced.
She was wondering what that changeling did to him in such a short time. He insisted nothing. She believed something.
As Spike watched outside the window, Twilight stepped away and walked over to the rest of the group, who had been whispering conversations back and forth for the last several minutes.
"Well?" Applejack asked. "Anythin'?"
Twilight looked down and sighed oddly. "He's still sure of it."
The others exchanged nervous glances, all except for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash, ever since the changeling escaped the jail, was arguing over wanting to let loose at the next changeling she saw.
But Fluttershy... Twilight didn't know what to think of her face. She seemed to be in thought, but at the same time patience.
"Alright, so here's my plan:" Rainbow began to explain with arms wrapped around Rarity and Applejack, "We stop in Ponyville, lure the changeling to Twilight's place, and when he opens the door, BAM!"
The pegasus released the two mares for just a moment to allow her own hooves to smash together, mimicking a brawl.
"We crack his head open, take him back to Canterlot, and let Twilight's brother knock an explanation out of him!"
"Easier said than done," Applejack said dryly. "We have no idea what this thing is fully capable of. For all we know, he might've already booby-trapped the Library and got the upper hoof."
Twilight raised her hoof to call attention on her.
"Look," she began, "all that Spike's told us is that the changeling doesn't deal with confrontation well."
"Ah, so he's a coward then?" Rainbow quipped.
"Or he's merely dragging us along until reinforcements come along?" Rarity suggested.
But Twilight shook her head. "I'm... I'm not sure. Anything seems likely, but I... can't put my hoof on anything yet."
Curious, she turned to the butter yellow pegasus sitting quietly beside her.
"What do you think, Fluttershy?"
Calmly, Fluttershy panned her eyes around the collection of mares before her. She felt her nerves acting up, but she kept her composure.
"I think we should listen to Spike."
"W--" Before Rainbow could retort, Applejack clenched a hoof over her mouth. Twilight nodded a 'thank you' and turned back to Fluttershy.
"Can you tell us why?" Twilight asked kindly, even though its delivery still sent Fluttershy recoiling faintly. "Don't worry, I'm not angry."
Fluttershy stepped forward again and let the words form in her head before speaking them out.
"Well," she began, "the way Spike talks about him... it... it seems that it's more afraid of us than we are of it."
Rainbow tried to speak up again, only to remember the hoof still clamped around her lips. Snorting in frustration, she resigned to the floor.
"Plus, considering how he tried to protect everypony on the train before, he doesn't sound like he's hurt anypony so far or even wants to hurt anypony, like Spike said."
"Except for Lyon," Rarity said suddenly, only to apologize a moment later.
"That's... that's another thing I wanted to talk about."
"What?" Twilight asked.
Fluttershy swirled her tongue in her mouth, and she felt her heart beat faster, making her unsteady.
"Spike said the changeling knows a lot of things that only the rest of us would know about. Things we've never told anypony, or things we did in private. Things that only we could understand. Things only Lyon would know about."
"I'm not sure I'm liking where this is going, but..." Rarity said before trailing off. "... Darling, what are you saying?"
Fluttershy sighed through her nostrils, her eyes far more attentive.
"What if he's telling the truth? What if he... is Lyon?"
The girls all watched Fluttershy cautiously, and in some cases dumbfoundedly. They exchanged looks between each other like they saw a ghost or were listening to a complete nutcase--and for all Fluttershy knew, that's most likely what they saw her as.
Everyone except Spike, who had overheard the conversation and her hypothesis, one that share his in a way, and couldn't help but lend a smile to the mare. She noticed after a moment and smile back to him.
"If we were wrong all along... then he has a lot of explaining to do," Twilight said in an unsure tone, but anyone could hear the bitterness in her tone.
And the smiles were gone.
Lyon hadn't noticed it well in the past, but for being so late at night, Ponyville was still fairly alive. If ponies weren't clamoring into the nearest nightclub for a quick jig-and-a-jug, they were strolling the streets and taking in the evening breeze, which was considerably warmer in town than out, as Lyon had also noticed.
He ducked his head, avoiding the streets and hiding in between buildings in the shadows of alleyways. If he encountered anypony approaching him, he'd do his best to hide in the darkest shadows available, wait for them to pass, then be on his way again. It was one of the few bearable quirks of his kind. Hiding in the dark was far easier than in his usual form.
Even luckier, he remembered that the side of town where he lived was not as populous, meaning it wasn't as lit up as the rest of Ponyville--so as soon as he reached the area, he allowed himself to stand freely. He hadn't realized how straining it could be to crouch for such long periods of time.
"Maybe that's a changeling thing too...?" he questioned, mirroring what Spike had told him from earlier in the evening.
The walk back to his house was free of any unwanted guests. Even if somepony were to see him now, they likely wouldn't notice his form from afar. The night was far too dark to make out much detail beyond ten feet, much to his liking. Of course, bumping occasionally into an exposed tree stump was always a disadvantage.
However, remembering the outlines of the buildings, as well as following the familiar paved brick path simply by touch, it wasn't long before he recognized his own street. Then the changeling let out a satisfied groan of laughter as his quaint little cottage greeted him back. In any situation, seeing the familiar coat of yellow paint was always a welcome sight.
The house stood the same as it did when he left a few days ago; nothing had changed, and nopony tried to break in. Then again, Ponyville never was the type of town for that.
Unfortunately, Lyon always kept his main house key in his satchel, just for safekeeping. But if he remembered right...
"Come on, come on..." Lyon muttered to himself as he dug through the potted plant on his front step. He always kept it under the welcome mat for easy access for the first three years, until he came home to Rainbow Dash passed out on his couch.
At 2 AM. Drunk.
Needless to say, this was a better--though dirtier--alternative.
"Aha!" he exclaimed as he pulled out a small brass key coated in a thin layer of dirt, which he swiftly scraped off. Lyon walked up to the door and carefully inserted the key into the lock. It clicked with ease as he twisted.
Lyon opened the front door, and was welcomed to the empty darkness of his living room. Everything was untouched, a good sign that no one was home but him. That meant no Rainbow, no Rarity...
No Applejack. No Twilight. Yet.
Shaking the thoughts away, Lyon immediately went upstairs, navigating down the hall until he found his bedroom. The smell of the scented candle he had placed down the night before he left was still fresh in the air. The bed beckoned for him from the corner of his eye, but he couldn't sleep now. Not until he was gone.
He walked past the bed and headed straight for the closet a few feet away. The closet itself was a relatively small room, capable of holding up to two ponies, and that was without the four shelves. The same carpet in the bedroom also coated the floor of the closet. And if he listened close enough with a step, he could hear the wood beneath it creak and turn.
Now he knew why.
He tore away at the closet carpet, taking bits and shreds of it in his hooves, his muscles twitching from exhaustion, but he refused to stop.
After a minute of pulling and ripping, a large hole of carpet was gone, and beneath it lay a polished, yet dirty texture of wood. Seams connected together in four corners, and a latch sank into the wood, revealing that the piece of floor beneath Lyon was instead a hatch.
"Tun katna borsomana for dae..." Lyon spoke softly to himself as he gripped the latch carefully in his hoof. With one quick pull, the wooden door opened, and a short barrage of dust scattered around the closet, forcing Lyon into a brief coughing fit.
When the dust cleared, Lyon rubbed his eyes clear of any dust before opening them, only to find himself staring at what lay before him. A small, yet thickly archer's bow sat snugly in a faux leather pouch, with its synthetic string still held firmly by the supports. Laying beside it were four identical pouches containing what he knew to be arrows made of the same wood as the bow. Each pouch, if he remembered, contained up to 10 arrows. He opened one of the pouches and counted them individually, and sure enough he was correct. Their tips were still sharp, and the smoothness of the wood never faded.
He brought one of the arrows up to his nose and took in the scent. It had acquired the familiar smell of the household over the years--but there it was, still as he could remember it.
Lavender.
He remembered now. He crafted these from the body of a felled Lavender Tree. It was coming back to him. The days he spent putting it together. The tuning and refining. Just thinking about it made his head hurt and his arms ache. And he missed that.
He took the bow from its resting place and inspected it closely. He hadn't noticed it from the angle it laid, but here he was able to see the properly fitted iron sights, one of the more latest touches on his weaponry. These days, he didn't need it so often--but he always kept it just for an occasion.
And should he be forced once to fight drenched in blood, it would once more have a purpose, he believed.
Lyon sat on his knees in the darkness of the closet, holding the bow tightly, and closed his eyes. He felt the air escape his lungs too fast, but he didn't care, as much as he wanted to.
They came back to him. The memories, they haunted him again. They always would, he knew that.
"Lyon, look! I did it! I caught it!"
"Aren't you worried?"
"It should be another week, and then it'll be--"
"We need to talk about her."
"Are you gonna make the bad guys go away?"
"I'm not leaving you!"
"Save yourself!"
"Help me, Lyon!"
"Lyon!"
"Lyon!"
"LYON!"
"LYON!!"
"Traitor."
Suddenly, he heard a noise, and before he knew it he was on his hooves, his bow and arrow at the ready as he faced the noise.
Only to find himself staring Twilight Sparkle down the sights.
"Easy, easy!" he heard a voice yell, but it wasn't hers. Looking down, he saw Spike standing beside her, startled by the sudden movement, but otherwise in a semi-calm manner. "It's okay, Lyon! It's okay. It's me. It's Spike. Remember?"
Lyon froze and swallowed the saliva in his throat. Shakily, he lowered the bow and tossed both it and the arrow to the bed.
"We... we didn't mean to... scare you," Twilight eventually said.
It was the first thing he heard her say since the wedding, and he already could tell she was suspicious. The way she looked at him, the way those words just fell out with no real emotion to it.
The way her eyes met his... She was scared. But at the same time, she wasn't. He didn't know how to explain it in his head.
He couldn't bear to look at her.
"Hello, Twilight."
She said nothing. The only thing she returned was a cautious glare, an instant contrast compared to just a second ago. She seemed as if she was deciding whether to listen to reason or attack him at the faintest movement. Her eyes said it all.
Lyon felt hurt, but he understood why. She seemed clueless and unsure of herself about this moment. But at least there was a silver lining. She didn't immediately try to kill him.
Yet.
"I thought you went back with the Guard," Lyon said to Spike as he slowly walked back to the closet to pick up the remaining arrow pouches, along with the already opened one.
"The Guard held me until Twilight arrived," Spike replied slowly with a glance up to Twilight. Lyon stopped and watched the two from the corner of his eye.
"I can see that."
He eyed Twilight for just a second before walking over to the bed. Twilight recoiled slightly, but otherwise didn't move. Lyon opened one of his drawers and pulled out a decent-sized sack, capable of holding all four pouches and even a few extra items such as canned foods.
Twilight quickly realized what was happening, and with a whip of her magic, she held everything in place telekinetically.
"Excuse me, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Leaving," Lyon said bluntly, looking down to his constricted hooves. "Well... trying to."
"You're not going anywhere," Twilight replied bitterly. "Do you have any idea the kind of situation you're in? Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"I exploded my way out of prison?" Lyon jested with a chuckle. "Not the first rodeo of mine."
"Enough with the jokes, changeling!"
Whatever could resemble a smile on Lyon's face vanished with the very word. Changeling.
Twilight called him a changeling.
He wanted not to be surprised, yet he couldn't help feeling the bitterness gnaw on the back of his neck, threatening to swallow him whole. He bit his tongue, almost to the point of drawing blood, but he stopped before it got to that point.
"Do you have any idea the kind of hell I've been through these last couple days?!" Twilight continued, almost completely failing to notice Lyon's facial change. "I've been kidnapped, my foalhood sitter was tortured right underneath me, my princess was attacked and imprisoned, and my best friend is missing! And I don't even know if he's okay!"
Twilight walked towards Lyon slowly, her magic increasing pressure on his hooves. He felt it hurt, but he kept his face straight. Tears ran down the unicorn's cheeks, and her eyes turned red.
"For all I know, he could be dead! Dead and rotting somewhere in a cave and I would have no idea! And you're here cracking jokes?! After what you did?!"
Spike called out to her gently, but she didn't react. She continued forward until she was face to face with Lyon, her magic on the verge of breaking the bones in his arms. But he did not falter.
"I'm not playing any games with you, changeling," she threatened with a crack in her voice. "You may have lied to Applejack, and you may have lied to my brother. But you will not lie to me. Do you understand?"
Lyon didn't pry his eyes away from hers as he nodded.
"Easy," he said in almost a strained manner. "I understand."
In that moment, Twilight realized what she was doing and ceased her magic. Whatever was in her grip fell, and the pressure in Lyon's hooves immediately lifted. Twilight sighed frustratedly, but the anger never left her face. She wanted to break him in, but what would that make her?
She closed her eyes, refusing to meet his gaze.
"I want the truth. No more running around. No more explosions. No more lies. No more deception. No more hurting or capturing. No more. I want to know the truth, and nothing but. And if you don't give me what I want, I will turn you over to the Royal Guard before you can even blink. Do I make myself clear?"
Lyon nodded, keeping his mouth shut, only to realize her eyes were still closed.
"Yeah."
"... Good."
Twilight opened her eyes, but they were drawn to the floor beneath her. Lyon glanced over at Spike, who had his hands opened as if attempting to separate the two from afar. He lowered them slightly, but seemed ready to get between them if need be.
"Are they out there?" Lyon asked, his voice cracking from the silence. "The o... Your friends?"
Twilight nodded.
"Okay," Lyon whispered. Sighing through his nose, he looked out the window beside him. The night was calm, and not a single soul was to be seen. A part of him wanted to disobey Twilight's rules and jump out, to run deep into the woods and brave the elements alone.
But he knew he'd never get far. Even then, the thought of leaving Twilight to wonder hurt him. He wanted her to remember him just as he was at the wedding. To remember the way he kissed her, and believe it was true to his heart.
Unfortunately, he knew he had no choice anymore. And the only other choice was to be strapped to a chair and have the truth kicked out of him. That would hurt more--and not just him.
"Okay. Let's go."
With a little nod, Twilight turned around and headed for the door, passing Spike with an unsteady eye towards him. The young dragon could only nod to her. The mare's gait faltered for a moment before she opened the door. She stood aside to let Lyon go through first.
Lyon could feel his heart skip a beat every few seconds. He was nervous. He hadn't been nervous in years--not accounting recent ones, that is.
Nearly stumbling on his own hooves, Lyon started for the door, giving Twilight a faint nod as he passed through the doorway. Her eyes never stopped watching his, like she was looking for something, anything to take her side. It only made her more unsure of herself.
Lyon walked carefully down the steps of the stairwell, occasionally looking back to see Spike and Twilight following behind. A few moments later, the three emerged on the ground floor.
Only for Lyon to get tackled to the ground by a cyan blur.
"I knew it! He got Twilight! I knew I couldn't trust you! You're going down, you littleyuaaagh!"
Rainbow Dash paused mid-sentence as she was yanked into the air by a purple aura. She was able to turn just enough to see Twilight glaring at her.
"Rainbow!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"I... I thought he did something to you!" she claimed, dangling in the air. "I wasn't gonna take a chance letting him get to the rest of us!"
Twilight sighed as she lowered Rainbow onto the floor. She was annoyed, but at the same time she at least understood.
"He's not gonna do anything to me, or any of us. And if he does, he knows very well what happens next. Isn't that right?" Twilight finished, turning her head to Lyon who still sat on the living room floor. He nodded as he got back up. "Good."
As Lyon regained his balance, he panned his eyes across the mares before him. All of them were a mix of emotions, from hurt and shocked, to curious and furious. Applejack was just as angry as she had been back in Canterlot. But the one that interested him the most was Fluttershy. The way she looked at him up and down was prying, yet concerning.
"The changeling has agreed to tell us the truth. All of it, or as much as we can think of," Twilight stated.
"Where's Lyon?" Applejack sputtered out before anyone could say anything. "Huh? Can he answer that? Can he answer where my best friend is? Or what's left of him?"
"Applejack..." Twilight walked over to the mare and rested a hoof on her back. "One step at a time. Okay?"
Applejack turned to Twilight with her mouth open, but nothing came out. She let out a frustrated puff of air and reluctantly nodded to her friend.
Twilight turned back to Lyon. "First things first..."
Her horn glowed a faint purple, and this time Lyon was the one enveloped in its glow. He felt the magic travel through his body, even through his head, but it didn't hurt or cripple him.
"This is a lie-detection spell," Twilight explained before he could ask. "One of the most advanced spells of the last century, this spell will be able to break through the barriers of even the most skilled liars. The caster will be able to know what's real and what's not. So don't even think of trying to lie to us."
Lyon looked at the girls again, then to Spike, who motioned him in the distance. The changeling nodded carefully.
"I'd never lie to you guys."
Twilight's glowing horn turned red for a moment. She glared at him.
"... unless it was necessary," he finished with a faint grimace, to which her horn blipped green. A sign of truth.
"Alright... Alright then."
Lyon motioned to the couch. "We can sit down, if you want."
The six ponies and dragon all motioned over to the couches, each one taking up a spot, but leaving enough for Spike to scooch in between Fluttershy and Rarity. Lyon, however, took the lone chair by the fireplace and brought it close to the group. He plopped himself down slowly, trying to sink into the fabric the way he remembered. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath of fresh air. He felt a bout of anxiety build up inside, but he kept calm.
Once again, he eyed the group before him. Their expressions didn't change all too much, but they at least seemed a bit more intrigued, as if not letting their anger get the best of them. That relieved Lyon, knowing he wouldn't be pummeled to death by his own friends. Then again, that might have been a better alternative than... well...
"Alright," Twilight spoke, "should we begin?"
Lyon nodded.
"Good. We'll start with--"
"Ooh! Ooh! Me first, me first!" Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed. Before Twilight could interject, Pinkie asked, "What's your favorite color?"
"Pinkie!" Twilight exclaimed, glaring at her friend. "This is serious!"
"I am taking it seriously! See?" The pink mare proceeded to cover her grin with a hoof, only to reemerge with a frown. "Detective Pinkie Pie is on the case of the missing Lyon! And she will never stop, never rest, until he is back home safe and sound!"
Twilight audibly groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Blue."
The group turned their heads back to Lyon.
"What?"
"Blue. My favorite color's blue," Lyon repeated. "Though it's kinda more of a bluish-green thing I like, but I guess more towards blue."
Twilight gazed at her own horn, expecting to see a faint glimmer of red. Instead, all she saw was more green. They didn't take it anymore than a basic answer. Anypony and anybody had a favorite color.
"I think I'll ask the questions for now, if that's okay with the rest of you."
A collection of nods and positive murmurs spread through the group, and Twilight readjusted herself on her piece of the couch. The unicorn then took out a notebook and a pencil, quickly jotting down what Lyon assumed to be a basic set of questions for her to ask. As she did so, Lyon glanced up at the clock, and found himself surprised that it was only just approaching eleven o'clock at night. He could've sworn it was far later than that.
"Alright," Twilight said with a sigh as she looked over her notes, "that should be enough."
Lyon looked back to Twilight. "Wait."
Everyone stared him down again, the only two worried faces being Spike and perhaps Fluttershy. Lyon raised a hoof gently to assure them, hopefully, that it was nothing bad.
He sighed.
"Are you sure you want to know whatever it is you're looking for?"
"... Did you seriously just ask us that question?" Rainbow asked with a deadpan expression.
"I'm trying to spare you a bit. Once I tell you this stuff, there's no going back. Everything will change, and I... I don't think you're gonna like it."
"Sounds like you're implicating something," Applejack muttered angrily.
"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, that's not the case. It's something... honestly, I guess you can say it's worse."
Applejack's angered expression turned to concern, but not towards the changeling. She looked at Twilight with uncertainty, then to her horn, which blipped a familiar green--but how could she even be sure what that meant?
Twilight looked at Lyon with an expressionless stare. "We're sure."
Sighing himself, Lyon shut his eyes for a moment and brushed a hoof through his mane.
"Okay. Ask me then."
Twilight closed her eyes.
"Where is Lyon?"
He knew it was coming. It was always going to come up, but not so soon, he hoped. Never, he wanted. But luck abandoned him, didn't it?
"I am Lyon."
Green, it glowed.
Twilight froze. Yet Rainbow laughed.
"Pfft, haha! Nice one, Twilight! Really got us there, didn't you?"
But she wasn't laughing with her. She wasn't really doing much, other than looking cross eyed at her own shining horn. Gradually, the laughter died down.
"... Twilight?"
Twilight didn't respond to Rainbow Dash. Her eyes fell upon the changeling sitting before her, words failing to form the sentences in her mind.
"But... you... you're a changeling."
"Yeah... I am."
Everyone's expression had changed upon the realization only now dawning on them. A couple silent gasps filled the room, and most of the anger had faded away. Overall, it seemed more that they were unsure what to think. Spike, however, seemed relieved that was all they looked to be.
Twilight seemed desperate, showing clearly on her face, and she engaged Lyon in several questions, none of which were on the book, and all of which were more or less the same question.
"Are you the real Lyon?"
"Yes."
"Are you our friend Lyon from Ponyville?"
"Yes."
"Are you the same Lyon that was with us on the train to Canterlot? The one I've known since the Summer Sun Celebration? The one who's been living here for five years?"
"Yes, yes, and yes."
Every question rang Twilight's horn green like a bell. She paused in disbelief, watching the changeling stay still and calm as he had earlier. She was waiting for him to crack a smile, a deceptive sneer, a jest to show that he was joking, playing with her emotions! Anything!
But it never came. All that showed on his face was sorrow towards her. Towards everyone around him.
"I... I don't understand. You can't be him... Lyon is... he's a... you're a..."
She couldn't finish the sentence, but Lyon knew what she meant by it.
"I've been a changeling my whole life," he stated clearly. "My disguise just let me blend in. Let me be... normal."
Twilight stared at the armrest, thinking the questions over in her head and looking at her notes again. She cleared her throat, an attempt to collect herself, but she was visibly shaking. She wanted to be intrigued, or maybe even happy. Lyon was here! Alive!
But he was a changeling. The same kind of changeling that tried to...
She was confused. She needed more. Something more.
"I'm okay," she said quietly. "I'm okay."
"Take your time. All of you," Lyon replied. "I know this is a lot to take in, but I promise you I'll explain as best as I can--"
"You lied to us."
Lyon stopped and turned to the source, Applejack. She was glaring at him again, but it wasn't the same kind of glare as before.
"What?" he asked.
"You lied to us. All these years, you were pretending to be someone else behind our backs. You were using us. That's what this was, wasn't it?"
"No, it wasn't."
The horn glowed green, but Applejack didn't notice, or if she did, she didn't care.
"Yakshit! You pretended to be someone I could trust, someone I could be safe around, and you used me just to get your fill! You changelings feed on love, ain't that right? You knew I liked you, and you used that. Used me. Didn't you?"
Lyon looked on at her with hurt in his eyes, but she blocked it out.
"AJ--"
"Don't call me that. You don't deserve to call me that."
Every time Lyon tried to explain, she would shut him down. She looked him up and down, and all he knew she could see was just another changeling. No Lyon. Just changeling.
"I... I can't do this," she confessed shakily as she went for the front door. "I thought I could, but I... I can't."
"Applejack, wait," Lyon pleaded, but she refused to listen to him. The others were too clouded to do the same. In a moment, she disappeared into the night.
Lyon sighed and shut his eyes, burying his head in his hooves. He hated it. He hated this. It was the only thing he wanted to avoid. He thought it over in his head. Questions flew around, at first in single file, but they soon packed themselves tightly, threatening to burst out for all to see.
"I don't know what to say," Lyon muttered loud enough for them to hear. "I really don't."
"The truth would've been nice," Rarity said almost monotonously. "Five years ago."
She left too. Soon afterwards, Rainbow Dash followed, but she wasn't entirely there as she made her way out the door. Part of her seemed to want to stay, to ask something, but the rest of her wanted to be gone, to leave before she did or said something she'd regret.
"You really got us good... didn't you?"
And she was gone, flying into the night. Lyon wanted to stop her, but he was too weak. He eyed Pinkie Pie; all the energy she sported when this all started was gone, her mane and tail deflated and sagging against the couch.
"Pinkie?" Lyon called out to her. She looked at him with tearful eyes.
"I... I thought you were my friend."
"I am. I promise, I am."
Green, she noticed. But the tears continued to fall.
"I... I need to be alone."
Following the others' examples, Pinkie lifted herself from the couch and retreated out of Lyon's home, shutting the door behind her. Like the others, Lyon wanted to say something, but he felt afraid he'd only make it worse.
Only Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spike remained. Twilight was not as distraught as she had been before. It seemed she was partially still eager to ask questions, but the enthusiasm faded with each disappearing friend.
Spike eyed Lyon the same way he had before the wedding. He knew it was him, and he wanted to feel glad. Of course he was glad. But all the same, he felt the same hurt everyone else had felt. Yet he didn't have the strength to leave.
"I'm sorry," Lyon said weakly. Twilight just looked at him.
"... Did you ever plan on telling us who you were?"
He sighed.
"I don't know."
Her horn glimmered green again, and his face further cemented it. Twilight was sitting in front of Lyon, her best friend. The same best friend that helped her track down Nightmare Moon. The same best friend who kept her sane during Discord's rampage. The same best friend that made her laugh and smile every time she ever felt down.
The same best friend that kissed her when Queen Chrysalis attacked Canterlot.
It had all soured.
"It's getting late," Twilight said with a glance up at the clock. "We should get home, Spike."
"But I..." Spike stammered. "But... what about--"
"Go," Lyon insisted. "I'll be fine. She's right. It's too late for this."
Spike looked back at the changeling with bewilderment. But he saw Lyon's calm eyes staring him back, and all he could do was wonder how he could be so relaxed. But a closer look showed it was just a facade of his, masked by confidence.
He had done the same thing every time he faced Rarity. But now it was such a contrast. How could he ever compare the two?
"Okay," Spike finally said after a moment of silence. He pushed himself off the couch and followed alongside Twilight, who started for the front door.
Then she noticed Fluttershy watching Lyon with what she could only describe as sorrowful bliss.
"Fluttershy? You should head home. We can... we can pick this up another time."
She nodded faintly to the mare, but she never took her eyes off the changeling, who noticed her stare after a moment. He asked her if she was okay. She never answered.
"Will you be?"
He looked to her, then to Twilight, then back to her. Slowly, Fluttershy also removed herself from the couch, but before she left, she took Lyon and embraced him in a hug, her soft fur brushing up against his hardened shell of skin.
"It'll be okay."
He rested his head against her shoulder, taking in the softness and the warmth of her body, but it only lasted for a few moments before she pulled away. He almost didn't want her to go, but he didn't want Twilight to fear him for anymore of a reason.
"We'll see you soon. Okay?"
He nodded simply.
Lyon watched the pegasus walk to the door, with Twilight and Spike letting her pass through first before they followed. Before she left, Twilight looked back at Lyon one last time. He hadn't gotten up from the chair, and he was looking at the floor, almost in shame.
She opened her mouth to say something, but refrained from it. With nothing to say, Twilight shut the front door, leaving Lyon to himself.
It was only after they left that he looked to the door. Their silhouettes outside the windows faded into the night. Lyon shut the lights off in the living room, encasing him in the darkness.
Without words of his own, Lyon slowly retreated upstairs to the bedroom and saw his bed once more begging for his form. But he couldn't sleep yet. One more thing.
Numbly conjuring up magic within his horn, Lyon's body glowed with a familiar shade of green, before he was enveloped in harmless fire. He could feel his limbs change and contort the way he remembered them.
When it was over, he looked in the mirror that stood near the dresser. What looked back at him was the creature he always believed himself to be. Gray stripes, bow-and-arrow cutie mark, green eyes.
But no smile.
A face so familiar, and yet like a stranger stared him back.
Lyon could feel his head pound harder than it ever had been, the after effects of the spell now cursing him boldly. With a weak moan, the stallion climbed into the covers and collapsed onto the mattress.
He watched the ceiling as if it had something to offer. But it had nothing of value to him, yet he could not stop staring. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt the skin beneath his fur protrude goosebumps that only made him shiver more.
Lyon closed his eyes, but the uneasiness didn't go away. That was when he realized he was afraid. |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 10: Read | Lyon woke up in bed the next morning, feeling almost entirely rejuvenated. But he was half-expecting to wake up back in Canterlot, whether in the prison wing of the castle or in the dungeons beneath the city itself.
But considering last night, he wasn't entirely sure what he'd rather prefer.
With an unsteady sigh, he forced himself slowly out of bed and explored the house for a few minutes. He looked at his bedside and realized his bow and arrow were right where he tossed them before. He reached for them initially, only to shake it off and pull away.
Lyon went downstairs, half-expecting a dozen guards to be standing before him with spears and demanding he come with them. Instead, nothing. Not a single soul was found but his own. It surprised him. He walked over to one of the windows by the front door and peeked through it. Though where he lived was fairly inactive at night, plenty of folks could be seen walking about in the early morning hours. To his surprise, nopony was standing in front of his house and trying to clamor their way in; they went about their lives like any other day.
It was then he realized that his friends had not revealed his identity to the public, and likely not his location to those in Canterlot. It was good, but he refused to cheer. If not Twilight herself, then someone will slip. And it'd be only a matter of time before the locals--most of which he always considered dear friends--would be stringing him up by his neck.
He wanted to believe it was rubbish that they would do that. But after Haylem, he knew he would be piling his chips on a guess.
He had to leave. He hated that very idea, but the longer he stayed, the more he put everyone in Ponyville at risk of being captured. Or worse. He couldn't bear to think about Sweetie Belle or Lyra or... Twilight being trapped in a cocoon, to never be seen again. The thought alone made his blood run cold, only to boil when he realized who would be at the helm of it all.
Turning away from the window, Lyon ran back upstairs into the bedroom and looked around. His weapon stay in the same spot on the bed, and inside the closet was a leftover arrow he thought to have dropped when packing. Upon closer inspection, the sack he had prepared was still there too, able to fit a few more small objects. He stared at the sack for a moment or two, pondering on the decision. He'd hoped they would never find out, that he would leave town in secret, find his long lost mother, and defeat her like he should've all those years ago. Then he would come back in disguise and continue living on as he did before. Like he wanted to.
But now he remembered everything. His mother, his siblings, his life. Sanctity, and everything after it. Deep down, no matter his passion before the wedding, he knew it would all be for nothing now. He knew he would outlive them all.
And now they knew what he was. What he always had been. If he left now and came back after it was done, he was sure he would come back a pariah. Nopony and nobody would take him back in kind, no matter what his deeds. Surely his brothers and sisters shattered any idea of a good changeling. Like every time before, he would be forced to move on and start again, hoping he would forget in time.
But he never forgot. He knew that.
"I thought you were my friend."
How could he forget?
Lyon gritted his teeth with frustration. Not at his friends, not at the locals, and not even at his mother for a change. But at himself.
He hated himself sometimes. Everything he did, he thought only made things worse, and yet it never clicked in his mind to go the other way. It was only after that he thought about it, but even then he wanted to believe there was a reason behind it. Of course everything had a reason. There was just always some better solution.
Leaving Ponyville without ever explaining himself would be another nail in his coffin--and he had enough nails already. Why add another?
With a slow sigh, Lyon pushed himself away from the sack and stepped over to the desk in the corner. He opened one of the drawers to find a pencil and a stack of paper. He lifted them onto the desktop and removed a single sheet, before taking the pencil in his telekinetic grasp. He was happy that never changed for the worse after Sanctity. And he hated using his mouth.
Calmly, Lyon set the lead down upon the paper and began to write.
"Dear Twilight..."
An hour later, Lyon wandered the streets of Ponyville, a backup satchel attached to his back. He didn't think to get his other satchel back from Twilight last night, but hopefully it wouldn't prove difficult.
Inside the satchel were eight individual letters, seven of them written for each of his friends. The eighth would go to Celestia per Spike. She either already knew and was still swamped by the cleanup effort in Canterlot, or Twilight had yet to bring her up to speed. Had she even known Twilight left the city? That might've been the first thing Twilight did before chasing down Lyon.
The first stop was Sugarcube Corner, being relatively close to his house. Looking in through the windows, he couldn't see anypony hoofing the counter, but a glance to the backroom could see Mr. and Mrs. Cake putting together an assortment of treats that Lyon couldn't see from this distance.
Neither of them were smiling, or if they were, it was forced. They were off, he knew. And if Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be seen in that kitchen, they knew something, or Pinkie coming home the way he last saw her indicated something.
Lyon pushed open the door of the bakery, ringing the bell above and alerting the couple in the back.
"Just a second!" Mrs. Cake's familiar singly voice rang. Even that felt a bit forced, though not entirely. He knew she was naturally a cheery mare. Perhaps that was always her intention, no matter the situation.
Mrs. Cake emerged from the kitchen to see Lyon standing at the counter. Immediately, her expression changed from almost genuine to a complete facade of joy.
"O-Oh! Lyon!" she exclaimed, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice. "How are you this morning?"
Lyon sighed sadly.
"Hey, Mrs. Cake. I'm..." He paused, watching the mare's movements. She seemed almost frozen, yet she fidgeted slightly. "I'm... something."
"Oh, that's awful," she said in faux guilt. "Is everything alright?"
Lyon opened his mouth to say one thing, but he let the air protrude from his throat.
"No. It isn't." He looked up at her with sad eyes. "Is Pinkie home?"
Her expression grew fearful, her words stammering a bit more, no matter how well she tried to keep it together.
"N-No. She, uh... went out with her friends! To... get some cupcake batter! We... We ran out yesterday and are kinda running on scraps, as they say!"
She giggled nervously, and a bead of sweat ran down the side of her head. Lyon couldn't keep going on like this. The poor thing would scare herself dead, and he didn't need that.
"Mrs. Cake?"
"H-Hmm...?"
"Did Pinkie tell you what I am?"
She giggled again the same way. "I have no idea what you mean, dearie!"
Lyon raised his hoof slowly, and though Mrs. Cake recoiled, she didn't run away assuming the worst. He only raised it in hopes of calming her.
"It's okay. I'm not gonna do anything. Okay? I just need to know. That's all."
The mare swallowed the saliva in her mouth, eyeing the wall beside her as if she planned on jumping through it. He was sure her heart was beating itself wild now.
But before she could answer, Mr. Cake stormed through the double doors of the kitchen and stood behind his wife. The glare on his face didn't help any matter.
"Pinkie told us everything," he stated aggressively. "That you're a changeling, that you change form to blend in, that you take lives and crush them, that you lie to others for your own gain... She told us all of it."
A mighty overexaggeration... but at the same time, not entirely a lie.
"I can explain--" Lyon tried to say, only to be cut off further by the stallion before him.
"We don't want your explanation. I always knew something was off about you the moment I laid eyes on you, and now I realize I was right all along! You've got some nerve coming in here after what your kind did. You're lucky we don't just report you to the Royal Guard ourselves!"
He hovered over the counter, getting as close to Lyon as he could.
"To think I could trust my kids with you."
"That's not fair," Lyon replied softly. "You don't know me."
"The hell I don't." He sneered at Lyon. "I may not be the strongest pony in these parts, but if I ever see you near my family, and that includes Pinkie Pie, I'll--"
"Carrot," Mrs. Cake spoke up, garnering her husband's attention. "Stop. Please. I... I think he understands."
Mr. Cake glanced at his worried wife, before turning to Lyon with another quick glare. Slowly, he retreated back from the counter, standing beside Mrs. Cake.
"Pinkie... doesn't want to see anybody right now," she explained slowly, her eyes shifting from Lyon to the nearby stairs. "And I think it's for the best."
Lyon had no choice but to agree in that moment, as much as he hated it. With that in mind, he reached his hoof into the satchel, earning the defensive recoil of the couple. He held his other hoof up to ensure them it was okay; even as he pulled out a small envelope and placed it down on the countertop, they couldn't stop looking down at him.
"Can you give this to her, then?" He flipped the envelope face up, revealing Pinkie's first and last name. "It's for her. I need her to read it."
"What makes you think we'll just give that to her from you?" Mr. Cake asked. "For all we know, you did something to it. Poisoned it."
"I thought you were my friend."
"I'd never hurt her."
The baker opened his mouth, but Mrs. Cake spoke first, forcing his mouth shut. "What does it say? The letter. If you mean that, then what does it say?"
Lyon looked down at the letter, caressing the smooth paper wrap that made up its folds.
"It says I'm sorry for lying to her," he said. "That I'm sorry for not being honest all this time because I was ashamed of who I was. That all of this is new to me in its own way. That I'm sorry for hurting her and breaking her trust. And that I'm leaving tonight and probably won't come back."
"Leaving...?" she asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mr. Cake asked in a somewhat calmer tone, but still with a bitterness hinted within.
Lyon looked up at them.
"When all of this is over, whether I succeed or fail, I probably won't be coming back home. At least... not alive."
For the first time today, Mrs. Cake seemed worried by the stallion's words, though not out of fear for herself, but not entirely for him, either.
"I'm not gonna get into details, but I'm not gonna leave without saying something. You can burn it afterwards if you still don't trust it for all I care... but for the love of Celestia, Cerberus, Gaius, and anybody that's listening, please let her read it. I don't want her spending the rest of her life wondering what happened. Please."
Lyon was desperate. He felt it, showed it in his eyes. And Mrs. Cake could see that. Genuine desperation, the kind that couldn't be made up on the spot--not even by a changeling, from the brief words she's heard.
Slowly, she took the letter in her grip, and instead held it out to Lyon.
"She's upstairs," she said. "She probably won't let you in, but if she cares, I know she'll listen."
"Cup Cake...!" Mr. Cake whispered in sheer disbelief. But his wife simply glanced at him.
"We'll be nearby. He wouldnt try anything if he means it."
Lyon smiled weakly. "Thank you, Mrs. Cake."
He made his way over to the stairs and began to climb upward, his hoofsteps echoing into the empty air of the second floor. Mr. and Mrs. Cake followed behind him, a cautious eye of theirs always somewhere on his body. He didn't see it, but he could at least sense it.
The second floor hallway always seemed so dreary, a complete contrast to the first floor. But today, it was especially dreary. No rambunctious noises, no burst of colors--pure melancholy. And as Lyon approached Pinkie's bedroom door, it only grew.
"Pinkie?" Lyon called out to her out of habit. Silence followed. "Pinkie, are you in there?"
More silence, until he could hear the bed creak slightly from inside, confirming what Mrs. Cake told him. Despite this, there was no other noise but a sigh.
She was awake, he realized, but she said nothing.
"Pinkie," he repeated, resting his head against the door. "I can't say I know what you're thinking, but I know what you're feeling. I saw it in your eyes. I don't... I don't really know what to say. But I..."
Lyon paused as he felt a shiver run down his shoulders.
"I never wanted to lie to you. Any of you. I always did my best to tell you the truth, no matter how much it'd hurt. I was always... almost always truthful.
"Did I mention last night that I met Zecora first? Before you guys? It was right before I came to town back then," he explained. "She helped me forget what I was. I wanted it, because... I guess I just felt alone."
Pinkie said nothing, but he heard the bed creak louder, as if she was now sitting up.
"I didn't even know my mother was still alive. I thought she..." Lyon paused again to swallow. "But now I know she's out there. Out there and doing Celestia knows what. And deep down, I know it's my fault for that. But I'm gonna fix it. I'm gonna... fix it..."
Lyon felt his chest tighten as he took the envelope in his hoof, then leaned down to slide it beneath the door.
"You don't have to read it right now. You can read it whenever you want to. You can wait until you're as old as Granny Smith, if you want," Lyon said with a chuckle. She even giggled, hidden behind what could've been a pillow. "But I didn't want to leave without saying something."
Lyon caressed the door slowly, staring at its wooden material.
"I'm gonna stop her, Pinkie. I'm gonna stop my mother and save you. All of you. You and the Cakes and their kids, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Twilight... everyone. I don't want you to worry. I'll be okay. I'll be okay."
He stopped.
"I'm sorry. For hurting you. I'm not expecting you to ever forgive me. But I am sorry. And you'll always be my friend, no matter what happens. Good... Goodbye, Pinkie Pie."
With a sigh, Lyon slipped away and walked away from the door without another word. He passed by the Cakes without saying anything else, but he read their faces. Mrs. Cake was still understandably cautious, but she seemed far more trusting of him now than earlier, or maybe it seemed that way. The same could be said for Mr. Cake, his expression softened yet still suspicious. He didn't know if he harbored any anger left. That's when he realized the folks of Ponyville seemed a lot harder to read than anywhere else. Unique in their own way.
As Lyon pulled open the front door of Sugarcube Corner and left in silence, part of him hoped Pinkie would run out after him and believe him. But he knew she needed time. A day, a month, a year, or the rest of her life. He was okay with it, no matter how long it--
"WAAAAIIITT!"
... took.
As soon as he turned around, the stallion was nearly tackled to the ground in a tight hug by the pink earth pony. He heard the crinkling of paper as the letter he had given her fell to the ground. A wet feeling enveloped his chest, and he knew what it was.
"Please don't leave!" Pinkie sobbed. "I don't want you to leave! I'm sorry I left you alone, I was sad! I didn't mean to make you feel alone! Please don't leave to fight that meanie! Please don't... Please don't go..."
Her pleas turned into rambles as the tears came along. A small scene had formed in front of the store, where a few ponies had stopped to see the scene unfolding before them.
Lyon didn't care too much. But he cared that his friend was crying. Gently, he lifted her head up by her chin and wiped away the tears.
"Hey," he said softly, "it's okay. Don't cry."
"No it's not," she whined. "You're leaving me. Leaving us. I don't want you to leave me."
More tears came, running down Pinkie's face and matting the fur on her cheeks and neck. She sniffled, trying to hold it in. Lyon held her close, and she buried her face into the crane of his neck.
"Shh... are you sure you want that?" Lyon asked. He always dreaded asking a question like that, but it needed to be asked.
Pinkie buried her face deeper.
"Please don't say goodbye," she begged.
This ain't goodbye, Lyon. I'll come back. Námel kii.
Awful. It was awful. All of it awful. He'd follow them if he left, and yet he still dared to think it.
Lyon hugged Pinkie tighter, as if afraid she'd slip away from him. Or perhaps he was afraid he'd slip away from her.
"Okay," he whispered. "Okay. I won't leave. I won't leave you."
"P... Promise...?" she asked in a broken voice.
Lyon smiled emptily, yet all the more truthfully.
"Námel kii."
"Huh...?" she asked in a muffled, cult-like whisper.
"With my heart and my soul."
Pinkie held Lyon close, daring not to ever let him go. Her grip was always tight, he realized, yet so soft and welcoming.
He'd miss it, even if he would never admit it.
"Soooo..."
"So...?"
"Can you reeeallly transform into sandwiches, or am I just overthinking it? If so, have you ever been almost eaten? Or did you ever see someone eating a sandwich and think, "Oh no, little Billie!"?"
"Uh..."
Pinkie and Lyon were walking side-by-side along the outskirts of Ponyville, with the former asking more questions than she could think. That included the idea of Lyon being able to transform into a hay sandwich.
He could only imagine the ramifications if that was possible. Goodbye, love for spaghetti.
Every question she asked him, most of them were definite noes. Well, except for those that asked what his favorite book or food was.
He didn't care as long as Pinkie was smiling again, which didn't take long to accomplish; the mare was far cheerier than she was before, and far more bizarre, especially with the questions she asked. And yet, it was still tame compared to how she usually was.
"Have you ever looked like anypony else I know?"
"No," Lyon answered with a tilt of his head, "this is the only form I've taken."
"Ever?"
"Well, not ever, but this is my go-to. Not just because it's a pain to change form... literally... but this is the first form I ever made. It just felt like me, you know? This is what I always saw myself as."
"Well, I like it! It's cute!" Pinkie giggled, blushing lightly.
Lyon chuckled softly, his face flushing light as well as he rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks. I... got that a lot. It's been a while, though."
He awaited another question from the curious pony, but when he turned to her, she was looking at him almost confusedly.
"You're kinda different," she said in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"You! You talk kinda different, you act kinda different, and you even move kinda different! But it's still you! But you're like two different ponies at once!"
He understood now. "Oh. Yeah. I forget that too."
He laughed.
"It's that potion. Ever since the wedding, my brain's been trying to catch back up with five years of separate memories to add on. Sometimes I'll be in Lyon mode, and then I'll be in Lyon mode without realizing it."
"That sounds exhausting," Pinkie said, earning another laugh from Lyon.
"It is. But I don't mind it that much. I liked who I was. Well... except for right at the end when I kinda called everyone an idiot."
Pinkie flushed with embarrassment. "I think everyone was being a little unfair. Even me."
"No. You were just cautious, that's all. Just... too cautious."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I don't think any of us really had any idea what we were dealing with until it was hitting us in the face."
"But at least you were able to warn us? Right? ... Even if we didn't listen?"
Lyon chuckled lightly. "Yeah. That's true."
After several minutes of walking along the dirt path, they found themselves coming up on the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. Originally, Lyon had intended for it to be the last stop of the group, if not Golden Oak Library. But it couldn't wait; he had to see Applejack or it would be too soon. With Pinkie at his side, he'd hoped the process would be easier, if not more lifting than weighing.
As the two entered the orchard, they found no trace of Applejack. There was only Big Macintosh bucking away at the trees. He didn't seem entirely cheery, given the expression on his face, they noticed as they approached.
"Does he know you're a changeling?" Pinkie asked, curious.
"We're about to find out," Lyon answered.
With a final buck against one tree, the apples fell almost flawlessly into the buckets scattered around its base; a couple fell into the grass, only to be picked up and placed in. As Big Mac picked one of the apples off the ground, he saw Pinkie and Lyon staring him back. Big Mac greeted Pinkie with a nod and a smile, but when he turned to Lyon, the smile faded, but no glare or fit of rage ever came. Just disappointment, it seemed.
"Hi, Big Mac," Pinkie exclaimed softly, hoping to lift his spirits again briefly. It somewhat worked.
"Howdy, Ms. Pie. I... take it you two are looking for Applejack?"
"Yeah," Lyon said. "It's kind of... urgent."
Big Mac exhaled quickly through his nose, but his face didn't change.
"AJ ain't feeling too good today, I'm afraid. I think she might've come down with the flu again."
"Please, Big Mac?" Pinkie pleaded. "We really need to talk to her. It'll only be for a couple minutes, I promise. Pinkie promise?"
Big Macintosh looked at Pinkie with a sorrowful stare, then glanced over to Lyon again. The farmer peered behind him, to the orchard household. He hummed deeply before letting out another sigh.
"Alright, then. She might kill me afterwards... but you can see her."
Pinkie smiled, but stopped when he lifted a hoof.
"But just you, Ms. Pie. I need to have a quick talk with Lyon here. Just a little talk, nothing more."
Lyon wasn't sure what to think of it, but he didn't protest against it. It wouldn't exactly be a smart decision, anyhow. Pinkie looked over to Lyon hesitantly, but he waved his hoof.
"I'll be fine. It's probably for the best, yeah?"
"You lied to us."
Pinkie gave Lyon a brief smile, then proceeded to make her way past the two stallions. Her curvy figure grew smaller the further away she was, until she was a small dot. She approached the front door and was greeted by a tired Granny Smith, who practically beckoned her inside. The two mares disappeared into the household, leaving Big Mac and Lyon alone.
The burly farmer watched Lyon almost intently, as if waiting for something.
"How much did she tell you?" Lyon asked.
"Enough," Big Mac answered.
"Enough like... the fact that I'm a changeling...?"
"Eeyup. And it's because of AJ's begging and Ms. Pie that I ain't already knocked you good."
Lyon cleared his throat.
"Good to know," he said as he looked over to the house's top floor. At first, the windows were dark inside, as if the lights had been shut off. But a moment later, an orange silhouette stood in one of the frames. It didn't take long for Lyon to recognize the figure, who promptly turned away a second later, disappearing into the darkness of the interior.
"I take it Ms. Pie is accompanying along for a good reason?"
"It's a long story, but... yeah. Bit of a change in plans."
"Mm-hmm."
Lyon tapped the dirt beneath him, as if waiting for Big Mac to do something, even though he already said he wouldn't, and he hoped he would stick to that. He always admired Big Macintosh for everything he had done, whether it was on the farm or for the general folks of Ponyville. He always seemed like a reasonable person. He couldn't see that reason fade away now.
"There's a lot I wanna tell you. But I've got my reasons why I didn't before."
"I'm sure you do."
"I do," Lyon repeated, "I just... You remember Zecora, right? The zebra?"
Of course, everyone knew Zecora by now. But Lyon mentioned her if it meant Big Mac would be more convinced, and it seemed to be the case. Regardless, he still gave the smaller stallion quite the stare-down.
"Given what I've heard went down up there, you can understand if I'm not so understanding."
Reluctantly, Lyon nodded. "I know."
The distant sound of the house front door opening twice caught Lyon's attention. He and Big Macintosh turned to see Applejack exiting the farmhouse and walking towards them, Pinkie Pie following behind her with a cautious eye. Right away, Lyon could see anguish and exhaustion clear on the farm mare's face, and he had wondered if she even went to sleep. Her walk was a little hobbled, a bit of a simultaneous limp and a forceful push forward, as if to keep from falling on her face.
The two mares stopped in front of the two stallions. Applejack snorted upon glancing at Lyon, then turned to her brother.
"I need a minute alone with him, Big Mac," she said to him. "I won't need any backup. Just a minute."
Big Mac said nothing, only nodding briefly before beginning to walk away. He turned to Pinkie and also gave her a nod before he retreated silently to a nearby section of the field, leaving Applejack and Pinkie alone with Lyon.
Occasionally, the party pony would glance at Applejack, then to Lyon, like she was nervous as to what her friend would do. But Lyon wasn't nervous. Applejack was a rational being, no matter the situation. He knew her that much.
Slowly, Applejack walked up to Lyon and eyed him, from his chest to his own eyes looking her back. It was a silent few seconds.
"... Hey--"
Before he realized it, his head had turned a full 90 degrees to the right, and a firm smacking sound echoed around him for a second; immediately after, his cheek began to sting.
"Applejack!" Pinkie exclaimed, but Lyon calmed her down... as gently as he could.
"It's fine," Lyon insisted with a brief hiss of air. "I... had it coming."
"You're damn right you--!" Applejack shouted at him, but paused and let out a frustrated grunt. "Gah... no. No, you didn't. I... I mean, you did, but... you didn't, either."
Applejack sighed and scrunched her lips, then rubbed her closed eyes wearily. Lyon brought a hoof up to his stung cheek and rubbed it weakly. He grimaced as the scale of the slap started to take effect.
In short, Applejack hits hard when she means it.
"Pinkie told me whatever you told her this morning," Applejack explained. "From the changeling queen and your... uh, plan... to... Zecora."
Lyon let out a small laugh at the mention of his plan--even he admitted it seemed silly--but it stopped as soon as she mentioned Zecora.
"Is that true?"
Lyon nodded, pulling his hoof away from his face. "Yeah."
"So you didn't remember who you used to be until the wedding?"
"Yeah."
Applejack swirled her tongue around in her mouth for a moment. She looked back to Pinkie, whose expression had gradually calmed in the last few moments, but she was still clearly wary.
"I'm fine now, Pinkie. I promise."
The claim didn't entirely convince her, but Pinkie's posture softened to Applejack's relief. She turned back to Lyon.
"So you were never trying to use me or anything?"
Lyon shook his head. "No. I'd never do that."
"But... you're a changeling."
"That doesn't mean I'd do that," Lyon softly rebuked. "I'm not like them."
Even then, Applejack didn't seem to fully believe him, given the look of suspicion on her face, but she seemed willing to put it aside if it meant the conversation went anywhere. But anytime she tried to ask a question, it would be drowned out in the barrage of other questions in her head, or by an occasional yawn coming from her throat.
"She said you were leaving? To fight the queen? Or you were?"
"Were. I was thinking about it since yesterday. But really, that's all I've done, is just think about it. It's easier said than done."
"But you were gonna do it anyway."
"... Yeah..."
Applejack shook her head and sighed.
"Guess you really are Lyon, after all."
Lyon laughed through his nose and smiled briefly. When he looked up at Applejack, she was yawning again, and being so close, he was able to see the bags under her eyes to show she was no doubt exhausted.
"Maybe we should get you to bed before you pass out? Please?" Pinkie suggested, but Applejack dismissed her.
"No. I need to know the truth first. Every bit of it. No more any of us running off and delaying this. I... that was my fault. But I need to know now. You owe me that, right?"
Lyon breathed slowly and nodded.
"Okay. But on one condition: You get some sleep first."
"I said I--"
"You can barely stand right. Pinkie's right, the last thing we need is for you to pass out." He held his hoof in the air to keep speaking. "I'll tell you everything. Tonight, I'll tell you everything. But I need some time to gather it up. Plus, I think it's best we gather up the others for this. I want all of you to hear it at the same time. Best that way. Understand?"
Applejack scrunched her lips again, but she knew there would be no point in arguing any further. He was right, too. She was on the verge of keeling over any minute now.
"Promise me," she demanded. "Pinkie Promise me that you'll tell the truth tonight, then. Only way I can trust it."
She was right on that. She knew that from experience, he remembered. Though he hadn't gone with them to Appleoosa a few months back, he still knew of it from what they shared with him. And it was then that he too knew how important it was.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Lyon chanted, mimicking flying gestures and pretending to stick a hoof into his eye. The gestures themselves were relatively silly to him, but at the same time, they were far from.
Applejack nodded without a word to say for the moment. She cleared her throat, her eyes growing heavier by the minute, it seemed.
"Alright. I'll get some rest. But you darn well better be home tonight, because I will."
Unable to say anything else due to growing fatigue, Applejack retreated from the two earth ponies and started for the farmhouse. In the distance, Big Mac watched as his oldest sister walked almost lazily away, giving an occasional yawn every now and again.
"Alright... we should go talk to the others. We'll let her sleep. Okay?" Lyon said, looking to Pinkie, who watched Applejack leave them. After a moment, she agreed, and the two started for the path to leave Sweet Apple Acres.
As they passed the entrance sign, Lyon couldn't help but notice the frown on Pinkie's face. It wasn't a deep frown, but it wasn't light, either.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah. I'm okay," she answered. "I just... I feel bad that we all have to deal with this."
Lyon sighed, his eyes catching the sight of Ponyville ahead. He felt a sense of sorrow or dread creep up on his chest.
"Yeah... Me too." |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 11: Libaax | Twilight stirred herself awake from her slumber, a shivered groan leaving her throat as she raised her head. Rubbing her tired eyes with a free hoof, she wondered what had happened, where she had been. Her memory had seemed jumbled at first, but it took only a glance at the parchment before her, wet with drool, that she remembered.
"Right. Letter. Letters."
She didn't go to sleep right away after last night. She spent the first hour after returning to the library writing quick letters to Princess Celestia, informing her of the situation, but insisting she not act on it right away. Her explanations were vague--she feared giving away Lyon's identity just yet--but she ensured her mentor that things were okay, being sure to write all kinds of ways to verify it was really her and not just a fake--something she and Celestia practiced just a few years before.
Another request of hers was to have her and her friends' luggage returned to Ponyville, as they had no sure intention of returning until they were sure of it.
Twilight wondered what might've gone through their heads when she left. Did they even know? Were they too busy focusing on finding stowaways? Of course, she'd understand... but if Shining were there with her, she could only imagine what he would do to Lyon--
Lyon. Lyon...
Even now, Twilight didn't believe it. She couldn't. She refused! That couldn't have been Lyon before her! He may have taken his form and his voice, but not who he was inside!
But spells don't lie. They never can lie. Every question he answered rang green. Everything he said was a hard truth. He wasn't lying to her or to any of them.
No matter how hard she wanted to deny and rebuke it... he was Lyon. The same Lyon that came to Ponyville five years ago, like he always said. The same Lyon that strutted his archery skills to her before the Summer Sun Celebration. The same Lyon that came to Canterlot to participate in her brother's wedding.
The same Lyon that kissed her lips.
Twilight found herself staring at the parchment before her, watching it with interest for several moments. She must've passed out before she was able to write anything down. She looked at her surroundings, trying to point out Spike, but the young dragon was nowhere to be seen. Regardless, she could hear his snores echoing throughout the library's empty air.
She let out a snort of laughter for a second before returning to the parchment. The smile and laughter faded as she picked up the quill in her aura and began to write. Slowly, as she had no clue what to say.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I'd say I've been thinking about it all night, but that'd be a lie. The reason I haven't told you the full truth about the changeling is... well, frankly, even I am hesitant to see it as truth. Regardless, I can't lie to you, but I need more time to work on this issue myself, along with my friends.
The truth is, the changeling is
Four consecutive knocks at the front door took Twilight out of her focus. She cleared her throat and put down the quill.
"Coming!" she yelled as she walked over to the front door. She wondered who it could've been. The first guess was one of the girls, as the sign hanging by the door still said 'closed' on account of the wedding, and she had yet to flip it around. Though it might be a couple more days than that.
She caught a glimpse of pink by the window and assumed it to be either Pinkie or Fluttershy, if not another pink maned pony in town. She unlatched the lock on the door and pulled it open. Sure enough, Pinkie was there, standing a few feet away from the door.
And Lyon stood before her, just two feet and face-to-face. She recoiled briefly, and Lyon stepped back in response. She could feel her heart skip a beat unsteadily.
"... Hey," she said simply.
"Hey."
The two said nothing for a moment, as if trying to compose another question, or something of the sort to say to one another.
Lyon sighed. "Before you say anything, I want you to know that I never wanted to lie to you. Ever. To any of you. I told you a lot of truths since we've met. I couldn't tell you who I really was because I didn't want to think about it. Apart from... forgetting it, I guess--"
"Why are you here?" Twilight interrupted. It hurt her a bit to cut him off, but anything else would've just delayed it. Even he realized that, she noticed.
"I'll tell you everything. Everything I can stomach. That's what you wanted, right? The truth? I'll tell you the truth."
Twilight eyed the floor for a second.
"I did. I did say that. I..." She let out a breath of air. "Come in, then."
"No. I mean... Not now. Tonight, at my place. The others will be there. It's better to have all of you there to hear it instead of one at a time. Yeah?"
Twilight scrunched her lips in protest, but inevitably admitted he was right. And given they were back in Ponyville, they all had jobs to tend to. Neither of them could yank them from their duties for too long. And she had no doubt this would be more than a few minutes' talk.
"Okay," Twilight agreed. "Okay. Tonight... you said?"
"Yeah. Around nine PM. Is that okay?"
"Yeah. That's okay."
Twilight's hoof hung on the door, ready to close it. She glanced at Pinkie, who stood silently behind Lyon, giving the stallion a hopeful smile. She eyed Twilight and smiled at her too, as if assuring her it was okay. She knew Pinkie long enough to know when she faked a smile, and she saw no such facade on that mare's face. Even then, she couldn't stop feeling uneasy about it.
"I'm sorry," Lyon eventually said to her. "I'm sorry for lying to you. But I had a good reason for it. I swear."
Twilight nodded.
"It's okay," she lied, and she knew he knew in some way.
The three exchanged a brief goodbye, and Twilight shut the door slowly. Despite it, she refused to lock it shut, having feeling no reason to do so. She exhaled and returned over to the nearby desk, the wood beneath her hooves creaking.
She overlooked the parchment that still sat on her desk, a small dot of ink where the quill had sat forming nearby. She grunted as she wiped the ink away with a tissue. With no motivation or need to complete it at the moment, she curled up the parchment and set it aside for the time being.
Twilight then heard a yawn come from the stairs as Spike emerged from the corner, rubbing an eye with his hand, but his face was already shadowed by intrigue.
"Twilight?" he asked. "Who were you talking to? It sounded like Lyon."
"It was," she admitted, looking at the desk. "I... I think. I still don't really know if I should..."
She then turned up to eye the drake.
"He wants us to come over to his house tonight. He said the others will be there, and he'll explain everything."
"Really?"
She nodded. "Do you believe it?"
"He never gave me a reason to doubt him last night," Spike explained, tilting his head. "Why? Do you believe it?"
"I..." She paused. "I don't know. I want to believe him, but after what happened... and last night... but that spell wasn't miscalculating anything. I would've felt it."
"But if it didn't, then why are you doubting it? Or at least doubting him?"
She snorted, her body shivering as goosebumps ran up her spine.
"I guess I'm not looking forward to the answers... no matter how badly I want them."
Spike made his way down the rest of the stair steps and approached the unicorn. "Well, if you're nervous, I can only imagine how the others must be feeling."
"What about you? Aren't you nervous?"
"I mean... a little. But I trust him. If he wanted to hurt me, he would've done it back in Canterlot. But he needed my help, and he even tried to protect me on the train. It's weird... but isn't that a good thing?"
Twilight walked over to the door and looked out the window, watching through it as Lyon and Pinkie seemed to part ways. Pinkie, with a weak smile, walked in the direction of Sugarcube Corner, whereas Lyon retreated in the direction of his home.
"I hope so."
Hours passed, and soon the great sun began to set upon the land. The sky turned a bright orange, only to slowly fade into a calm blue that sparkled and shimmered with hundreds of stars. It was such a peaceful calm.
A potentially contrasting catalyst, Twilight thought as she made her way down the streets of Ponyville, Spike and the other Elements of Harmony by her side. All of them had this unsteadiness to them, and it was clear that nopony in the group was anticipating the journey. And of course, why would they? They felt lied to for five years, even with the claims that nothing was hidden. At least... not everything.
Despite that, there was still the faint glow of curiosity and determination of knowing. They needed to know the truth, and they weren't leaving until they got it.
Twilight glanced over to her friends, and all of them shared the same expressions: sadness and uncertainty. Rainbow Dash seemed to be in a bout of thinking, almost distracted by a potential train of thoughts. She seemed to be the most unpredictable one of the bunch next to Pinkie. One minute she was brash and her usual self, and the next she was... there. Twilight couldn't understand it enough.
Spike seemed nervous, his eyes unable to sit straight for more than a few seconds, but nonetheless darted forward in the direction they walked. Almost a bit of faux pas determination, yet still legitimate to assure Twilight.
"I know we all agreed on this..." Applejack spoke after several moments of silence, "... but can we really trust him?"
Doubt, such a delayed reaction, yet all the more expected the closer they got to the household, which steadily crept up from the corners of other houses and trees.
"Sure, we promised on it, but... I can't shake the feeling that we could be walking into a trap."
Rainbow Dash snorted. "As much as I wanna agree on that, it'd be a pretty stupid trap, considering we kinda blasted his backup halfway across the world. And besides, even then, we've got the Elements. A shape-shifting nutcase wouldn't be enough for a million magi-tons of kickbutt!"
"... Magi-tons?" Twilight asked, craning her head towards the pegasus.
"You know... magic and tons? Magi-tons?"
She darted her eyes across her friends.
"... None of you got that? Come on."
"Getting back on track," Rarity interrupted. "I can see what Applejack is trying to say. But surely we aren't going to get anywhere if we automatically assume every changeling is out to get us. And if this is really Lyon judging from what we saw last night, I can't see him immediately attacking us... though, I can't say I haven't had some doubts..."
"I don't think he'll hurt us," Fluttershy claimed. "I don't think he wants to hurt us at all. Just like Spike said."
Rainbow eyed the typically timid pegasus before her, now holding up a shred of bravery.
"You seem to be defending him... or it an awful lot. It's a little suspicious, you know?"
But Fluttershy just shook her head.
"There's nothing suspicious about it," she stated. "If he wanted to hurt us, he would've done it already. He probably would've even left town during the night to find his siblings. Instead, he took the time to write us letters and visit us."
"Maybe he's in it for the long con?" Rainbow questioned.
"Or maybe he's right?"
Rainbow Dash scrunched her lips and sighed. "I mean... he could be right. But I... I just..."
She fell to the ground and tucked in her wings, snorting again.
"Anything but that, you know? I mean, Lyon was cool! A wacky kinda guy, but down to earth, right? But this? It's just... I don't know how to explain it."
Twilight turned to Rainbow with a comforting smile. "We know what you mean, Rainbow. It's gonna be tough to walk through... but it's better to rip the band-aid off now than let it bubble up."
"Yeah... right. Yeah."
With that, Rainbow retreated slowly until she was at the back of the group, slinking away with her shoulders lurched low. She sighed with a clearing of her throat, and her posture seemed as if she'd be shaking if stationary.
Twilight noticed it again; Rainbow acted almost as different as Fluttershy had. It was almost a drastic change from her usual temperament. Her eyes would dart up towards the front of the group, then down to the paved sidewalk like she was trying to hide her gaze. It wasn't the Rainbow Dash she knew at that moment.
But of course, were any of them themselves at that very moment when they were confronting their changeling of a best friend? With all the secrets and gossips and private information they potentially told it?
Him. It was still him. Twilight knew that now. All that was left to know is how much of it really was true.
Another minute later, they finally approached the front steps of Lyon's cottage. It was a fairly decent-sized home--a tad bit smaller than the average home in town, she noticed--but still cozy if the living room still had more than enough room with all of them in there.
With a slow jolt of her hoof, Twilight knocked on the door a few times, loud enough that it could be likely heard across the household. After a few short moments, the sound of muffled hoofsteps could be heard from behind the wooden pallet. A moment after that, a lock from behind clicked, and the door opened.
In front of them stood Lyon, the way he always had looked--tan fur, gray and dark-gray mane and tail, and a bow-and-arrow cutie mark. His green eyes still twinkled even in the growing darkness of the evening sky. The mere sight of his form unnerved her now, but she knew better than to run.
"Hey," Twilight said simply, attempting to break the tension as the group stared at one another for what had to have been several seconds.
"Hey," Lyon replied after a moment. "You're right on time."
"As we promised. Right?"
"Right... right. Um... well, come on in, then?"
Lyon stepped aside from the open door and pulled it back further, allowing the girls to enter his home. Other than Spike, Pinkie, and Fluttershy who gave him a brief smile and gaze of their eyes, the rest of them not necessarily refused to look at him, but seemed simply to not have the strength to do so.
As soon as they were all inside, Lyon shut the door behind him. He let out a puff of air and headed over to the living room, where the group had all started to take their seats on the couch almost in the exact same order they sat in just yesterday, while Lyon took his place on the small chair near the fireplace.
"I don't know if this is kinda weird to ask," he began, "but do you guys want anything to eat or drink? We might be here a while, and I don't exactly want you guys feeling hungry or thirsty the whole time, right?"
Twilight and the others eyed each other, but ultimately everyone shook their heads.
"With all due respect... Lyon," Twilight explained, "I think it's best we get this over with now instead of delaying it anymore, don't you think?"
He nodded. "Yeah, of course. Just wanted to be sure, that's all."
Twilight said nothing else as her horn began to glow, and already Lyon knew what it was meaning. Saying nothing else, he sat patiently as the familiar truth spell from last night began to worm its way into his body, a also-familiar feeling coursing even through his very veins like a chill of wind. But as quick as it had began, the feeling left Lyon's body, and Twilight's horn dimmed to nothing.
"How do you feel?" Twilight asked him soon after.
"Nervous," Lyon admitted almost immediately, and as it had before, Twilight's horn glowed a steady green to show them he was telling the truth. "But I'm ready whenever you are."
Twilight gave Lyon a steady nod and pulled a small notebook from the satchel around her barrel. Rainbow Dash's unsure expression changed into a familiar un-amused look as she saw the unicorn flipping through the first couple pages, but then turned back to Lyon, and the un-amusement was gone.
"Guess we should start with the basics, huh?"
"Sure."
"Right."
With a lick of her lips, she looked to the first question on the paper, then turned back to Lyon.
"What is your real name?"
"Libaax," he answered, adjusting his posture briefly. "Ell, Eye, Bee, Ayy, Ayy, Ex."
Green again. "Can you tell us what that means?"
Lyon nodded. "In my people's mother tongue, the name "Libaax" means 'great warrior.' The name was more so a term for my people, for those who were believed by their birthers to help lead our kind to victory. I am the only changeling I know that is named Libaax."
"Why is that?" Twilight asked with a curious tone, yet more confident as green filled her vision once more.
"My m... Queen Chrysalis had faith. When I was born, that's all she ever had. Faith."
Green shone again as Twilight looked down at her notepad again, darting her eyes across what Lyon presumed to be her next question. Instead, she stopped and looked up again.
"What do you mean by that? Why faith?"
Initially, Lyon looked away from the group, eyeing the wall to his right. He snorted. "Even around the time I was born... our species was struggling for dominance over the little land it harbored. Strength in numbers was a necessity. Back then, warriors were determined by physique at birth. If you were below a specific number, you were considered a lesser. To some, they were lucky."
"Why?"
"If our kingdom was ever attacked, they'd be the last to die, and the first to surrender."
That statement seemed to unnerve Twilight again, prompting her to shuffle in her seat subtly. She glanced at Fluttershy, then back to Lyon. She too could see the discomfort on his face. It was clear he didn't like to say it that way, but the ping of green in her horn made her realize he didn't have a choice regarding that specific answer. She moved on.
"Does Libaax have any other meaning?"
Lyon snorted a laugh for a moment, earning a raised eyebrow from most of the girls. Lyon looked back up to them.
"Translated into Equestrian... Libaax is the changeling term for "lion." Ell, Eye, Oh, En."
Rainbow held up a single hoof. "Wait... seriously? So your name is really Lion?"
"Yeah. Well, Lyon as in Ell, Wye, Oh, En. For most of my life at least, it's been that way. It just sounded more real that way, I guess."
"So it wasn't always Ell, Wye, Oh, En?" Twilight questioned.
"Not during the time I lived in the hive, no," Lyon answered with a shake of his head. "All changeling names are typically that of direct terms in our language. And it's only specific names that are given to some if they are believed it is through fate."
"What do you mean?"
"Like I said, warriors were determined by physique at birth. Others are determined by hoof-eye coordination, reflexes, and intelligence, especially regarding a future ruler."
"Future ruler?"
"It's a process every... so often. One of us, when the current queen or king is weak and near death, will be crowned the new ruler of the hive to govern. They are the most equipped of the next generation. But as our species dwindled... well... there wasn't as much variation as in the start, so we've been told."
Twilight's horn glowed again, and she found her curiosity piqued about more than just the rulers in question. There was so much more to know, if this is the case!
"Tell me about your kind."
Lyon swallowed the spit in his throat, letting out a small breath. His body posture changed slightly, a sign to Twilight that he was hesitant.
"Take your time," she said.
It was quiet for a few moments, the girls eyeing each other back and forth, whereas Spike continued to look at the stallion before him.
"Where should I start?"
"Your species' age, perhaps? How long have changelings existed?"
Lyon adjusted his posture once more. "About as long as ponykind, just shy of a thousand years less."
"The modern pony had existed for twenty-two thousand years. Your species is twenty-one thousand?"
"That's right. Or, so we've been told."
Twilight's horn turned green once more. She proceeded to write down Lyon's statement in her notebook.
"Can I ask somethin'?" Applejack asked Twilight.
"Of course, if that's okay," Twilight replied, turning to Lyon.
"Of course."
Applejack scrunched her face, as if already regretting asking that question, but she knew it was too late to turn back.
"Why do... why do you steal love?"
He had a feeling he knew why she asked that specifically. He sighed slowly.
"... I don't."
Applejack turned her head in disbelief towards Twilight's horn, expecting to see a blistering red piercing the air. Instead, she was greeted yet again by the color green. She turned back to Lyon.
"For the record, I would never steal love from any of you. I never had to."
"Because we'd just give it to you?"
"No. I haven't had to consume love in years."
"If I may?" Twilight spoke up, earning Lyon's attention. "How does that work? "Consuming" love?"
"Love is a collective energy in all of us," Lyon answered. "It's part of our overall life force. Whenever we fall in love or feel happy around someone we care about, that energy only amplifies. When we share it, it expels outward. You don't see it, but you can feel it. Casting a spell without knowing it or ever casting it."
"Magic. Got it," Rainbow concluded.
"... Yes. To put it simply, magic. But it's still part of us as a whole. Even the smallest bit of love is practically gushed out on a typical day. Even that can be enough, given time."
"But... if you can consume love that way," Twilight began, "why don't you?"
Lyon sighed deeply. "We did. We used to."
The stallion pushed himself further up onto the chair, leaning his right arm against the armrest. From there, he began to recount the story...
My mother... Chrysalis... is the only queen of the Changelings. She has been for as long as Equestria has stood. But she wasn't always alone.
When my mother was born, thousands of years ago, she was one of three sisters. She came first, then her middle sister, Aurelia, and her youngest, Kell. Their mother, Queen Pupa, saw great things in them. They saw power, kindness, but most of all, love.
According to the last historians I knew, my mother and her sisters were... well, inseparable would be a vast understatement. They more than cared for each other, eager to see fit that our kingdom, an empire then, would prosper in the generations to come.
Before her death, Pupa gifted all three of them the title of Queen.
Three queens ruling at the same time? How is that possible?
The same way Princesses Celestia and Luna have ruled Equestria for thousands of years. Together, using their combined leadership and the words hoofed down from their mother, the three Sisters would go on to unite the Changeling Empire with the world like never before. Trade routes and relationships were among the first examples of bringing us together, and there were benefits on both sides. Lands like Equestria and even the early variants of the Far East would obtain some of the rarest resources and goods only our Empire could produce, and in return... we earned their love and trust. Willingly.
Equestria? The changelings... worked with Equestria?
Yes. This was long before Luna and Celestia had even been born. By this point, Equestria was merely an infant, but steadily growing. By this time, the three Sisters had ruled for two-hundred years, and our prescence by then had already been announced to the world.
I'm guessing it wasn't too pretty, for the most part?
Actually... it was the opposite. Admittedly, creatures were... uneased when they learned of a changeling's ability to change form. But they didn't let that simple thing change them. Unlike my kind today, the changelings of the old world didn't believe in violence, in terror, in any kind of intimidation to get what they want. Because they knew it would only create enemies and lead us down paths we may never come back from. Out of all three, my mother was desperate to make sure we never risked our survival for something as trivial as fruitcakes or necklaces.
Your mother... she seems like a completely different person.
She was. She was the kindest person anyone of the old world had the pleasure of meeting. Of loving. She was the epitome of love amongst a world of uncertainty and even hatred. She was love.
... And then her sisters died.
The room went silent as everyone seemed to hold their breath for several moments, before releasing the air slowly and as quietly as they could.
"Died...?" Twilight finally asked.
Lyon nodded somberly before looking up at her. "I'm not getting off topic for you, am I?"
"No... no. I... I'm sorry, I..."
Twilight paused, finding herself lost at what to say. It was a sudden change in tone that she hadn't expected. Looking towards Lyon, she saw that discomfort from before growing in his eyes. Spike and the others seemed to share almost the same mix of emotions as her and him.
"It's fine, you don't need to be sorry. But... if it's alright with you, can we... move onto another question? Just for now?"
Twilight nodded. "Of course."
The mare looked at her notebook of questions, unsure of what to ask the stallion before her. She hummed instinctively, but paused when she felt the eyes of the others gazing her down.
After a few moments of pondering, she closed the notebook.
"You said earlier that you don't consume love like your siblings, correct?" Lyon nodded. "How is that possible? The way you describe love, you act as if it's your food source."
"Well... that's because it is. Or depending on the changeling... was. In the early days of the changelings, we consumed basic foods like any other creature. It provided the usual sustinence you would expect from a fruit or a vegetable. But when it came to love, it could feed us more than most foods ever could. Combining the two, a changeling could do the work of five working bulls in six hours and still have the energy for more."
"Ahhhhh," Rainbow Dash sighed with a slight grin, "so you guys were perfect mating candidates, right?"
"Rainbow!"
Lyon stifled a grin himself and laughed awkwardly with a faint blush on his face.
"Well... depends on the changeling..."
"A-Ahem," Rarity cleared her throat. "If you haven't noticed, there's a certain young dragon in here?"
Spike turned to the mare beside him. "I know what mating is, Rarity."
"And I wonder why?"
"Uh... from Twilight?"
Rarity scrunched her lips and sat back.
"Right. Well, go on then, something about food? Changelings and food?"
Lyon smiled briefly at Rarity before continuing.
"To put it simply, we didn't need to rely entirely on love to sustain us. But it helped us prosper, and so the changelings established all kinds of relationships to keep us supplied. And the most important thing to say about this: Every relationship was genuine. My mother was willing to die for those she cared about, whether they were a griffon or a pony or cattle. She loved her kind, and she loved other kinds as much."
Lyon could feel himself smile a bit as he recounted the documents of the changeling historians, and how his mother cherished the world around her. But his smile faded when he remembered what happened next, and only then did he realize he was going off topic again.
"It wasn't until she lost her sisters that my mother lost herself, and with her, our empire. Or at least, what was left of it."
"What happened?"
Lyon focused his attention to Twilight. "We were attacked. By the Rougeland Empire."
"The what now...?" Applejack asked confusedly. But the look she saw on Twilight's face knew she was about to know herself.
"The Rougeland Empire was one of the first generation of empires to rise. They were around long before Equestria was ever founded. They were a powerful nation comprised of the most brutal of warriors and leaders. Historians say they never took prisoners or captives. Whatever or whoever they saw..."
"They destroyed," Lyon finished. "Right?"
Twilight nodded somberly.
"We were one of the last kingdoms they ever invaded before they collapsed. We never stood a chance against an army of that magnitude. And my mother..."
Lyon paused to sigh.
"My mother was the only one to escape. Her and a few hundred changelings. All that was left of an empire. It didn't take long before our allies followed suit. Some were wiped out entirely. Equestria, at that point, was powerful enough to repel their attacks.
"After my mother relocated, our kind struggled to get on proper feet. Without the guidance of her sisters, my mother... was willing to do whatever it took to feed the remnants."
"Willing how?"
"How else do you think the Rougeland Empire fell?"
The room went dead silent as Lyon's words connected with their ears. Twilight was more attentive than ever.
"The Spymasters."
"Spymasters?" Rainbow Dash repeated, prompting Twilight to turn to her.
"The Spymasters were a supposed tale of ancient folklore surrounding the Rougeland Empire. It was believed ancient creatures with the power to disguise themselves infiltrated the confines of their kingdoms. The main causes of their fall came after the arrival of the Spymasters. Pestilence... famine... fire. From locusts to the Blue Plague, it took only a few years for the empire to collapse... so we've been told."
At the mention of the creatures, everyone turned to Lyon.
"The creatures... changelings," Twilight finished, and the stallion before her nodded his head.
According to our historians, it was the first ever act of violence and deception my mother performed. At a time of desperation and fear, she pretended to be someone she wasn't to get what she wanted. But deep down, many of us believed it was purely out of revenge.
Ten years after the first fall of the Changeling Empire, Rougeland was next. A siege on their ruined government and a torching of their architecture was all it took to ensure nothing could be salvaged. But unlike their leaders, my mother took prisoners. They weren't hostages. They became our food source.
My mother swore to her children that it was all with good intentions, that she would never harm someone unless they deserved it.
It all came to change when she invaded Barbosquell. Barbosquell was a small nation to the far east of Rougeland, and presumably made up partially of refugees fleeing Rougeland. It was a few years after Rougeland collapsed that my mother approached the small settlement hoping to make peace with them. They refused initially, but when word got around that one of those alongside my mother was involved in the siege all those years back, they dragged him into the town square and...
... And what...?
They killed him. They hanged him in the square without even a second thought.
But how could they have known he was there?
According to some of the changelings there that day, the refugees from Rougeland recognized him solely on a scar on his lower lip, and a faded gash on his abdomen. That alone was seemingly all it took to kill him. They attempted to do the same to Chrysalis and the other changelings that came with her, but they fled the town.
The next day, she returned to the town with more changelings than the town had settlers. They didn't have time to react before they were hauled off in cocoons, and the town burned to the ground.
Dear Celestia... did she kill them too?
When they had nothing left to give, yes. She would kill them and didn't care much where the bodies went. She always would claim they deserved to rot in the dark.
After Barbosquell was destroyed, my mother continued to attack other settlements in order to sustain the colony. Allegedly, she claimed it was always after they acted first, and some accounts seemed to support the claim. But after only a few years, my mother's behavior began to worsen, and it wasn't long before she was the one attacking first.
Our race had become so fixated on the idea of love as a food source that we completely did away with physical consumption altogether. No longer did a changeling have to eat an apple or scarf down a pizza to get fed. They just had to love someone in all the right ways, and they were set for life.
But even some of those in the hive knew it would bite us sooner or later, and that came true during the Great Scorning.
That period is rarely archived.
For most societies, yes. Very few chose to document that time, and its effects on global relations. Because the Changelings had gained enough an influence to become a global pariah, distrust grew across the nations of the world. Mutual partners a hundred years before were now sleeping with one eye open and pitchforks in their hooves and claws, waiting for the moment they'd have to use them. Everyone was questioned every day, a random question every time, just to be sure they weren't someone they weren't. Contrary to its ideals of friendship, Equestria was on the brink of war with Griffonstone. There was no love left anywhere. The world hated itself, all because of one single race.
The changelings suffered for years, known to us as The Love Famine. Many changelings died because there wasn't enough love to sustain them. Some even tried to eat basic foods, but by then it did nothing. Our systems had grown accustomed to love that nothing else would fill us. Because of my mother's greediness, we were on the verge of extinction.
But it was, in its own darkly way, a silver lining. Soon before the famine ended, we went into hiding. Some changelings were then reportedly sent out as decoys, changelings who would, under disguise, spread the word that the changeling empire had been vanquished. Despite this... the only way to properly convince anyone was to use our own dead as evidence. The decoys dragged wagons full of bodies to towns and cities across the nearby nations. Mail carriers would deliver the news to the rest of the world, that the malevolent Changeling Empire was no more.
The world boomed in population by the end of that year alone. And with the passing years, it meant more food for my mother. But she knew better than to go out as she had before and risk our destruction. So she and her children remained hidden, deep in the shadows beneath the earth, preying on few at a time, until the time was right to reintroduce us to the world.
And it drove my mother mad. Gone was the gem of the world, and replacing it... the shadows, even paranoid of itself. As the centuries passed, she became obsessed with power, of ensuring that the changelings would never be vanquished, even if all but one had been destroyed. She convinced herself all her deeds were in the name of justice and fairness.
And she dared to kill anyone who said otherwise.
Then I was born, and everything seemed to change. Slowly... but surely.
Change how?
I betrayed my kind and left the hive as soon as I had the opportunity, and I never looked back. And that uncovered the insanity that became her very being. The very insanity that brought down Sanctity.
What's Sanctity?
Sanctity was...
Lyon let out an unsteady breath as he uttered that word. He remembered recounting it in passing at the wedding, but it was a moment's speak.
But now here he was, faced with more than just a word, but with the memories carried with it. He could feel his chest grow heavy, a feeling he hadn't experienced in years, at least not this heavy. Every time he opened his mouth to keep talking, an invisible force it felt like was keeping him from saying another word.
"We can stop for tonight, if you want," Twilight suggested, seeing the visible discomfort on Lyon's face. As much as he didn't want to drag it on, he reluctantly nodded.
Looking over to the clock, Lyon noticed that only an hour had passed since they first sat down. He found himself even more exhausted in that instant than the entire time he talked. Still so much to say, and still so much time left to say it in. He brought his hooves to his temples and rubbed them gently to allow himself a better momentary focus.
"Wait," Rainbow spoke up, "what happened next?"
Lyon sighed, hesitating to answer it even in a jesting manner. "A lot, but... if it's alright with you guys, I'm gonna need some more time to digest all this than I thought. It's gonna take my brain a couple days to properly catch up, if you know what I mean."
Before Rainbow could think to complain, Twilight replied, "We understand. We can continue this on Thursday. Is that okay?"
"Yeah. Thursday. It should be enough time. But I can always push forward a bit, if--"
"No, no," Twilight rejected, "We can do it Thursday, if it's comfortable."
Lyon didn't want to argue of it any further, so he nodded his head. He glanced once more at the clock, only a few moments having passed, before he turned to the door. The window had been cracked open to let in cool air from the outside. A brief chill ran over Lyon's skin as soon as he remembered it, and he found himself subconsciously brushing himself gently with a hoof.
"Well... it is getting late. Perhaps it's best we all head home, get some shuteye now, then... cobble more stuff together tomorrow. No interviewing or interrogating, just... talking about things. Maybe your time before you came to Ponyville. Normal things. Sound good?"
Lyon shrugged his shoulders. "Depends on how I feel by that point, but... sure."
The lavender unicorn nodded her head to the stallion before looking down to Spike and pointing her head to the door.
"Ready to head home?"
At first, Spike hesitated to answer the question, looking to the others and even Lyon as if wanting their help. But inevitably, he gave Twilight a nod and the two started for the door. Lyon saw Twilight shiver briefly as a cold breeze came in, no doubt stronger at the door than near the fireplace.
"Wait," Rainbow spoke up again, stopping Twilight and Spike in their tracks and turning them around. "Shouldn't we have one of us stay here? You know... just in case?"
Lyon glanced up at her. "Do you still think I'm gonna try and run?"
"No... just... I don't know. I..."
"Rainbow," Twilight said with a sigh. "He's not going to do anything. Right?"
She turned to Lyon for reassurance, and he nodded in return.
"And you know I've been telling the truth too," Lyon added, referring to Twilight's spell. "I would never hurt any of you. You understand?"
Another faint glow of green against Twilight's horn would further confirm his statement. The sight of it seemed to calm Rainbow's nerves only a bit, but she couldn't help but still feel a little unsure.
"Look... if you're still that wary, you can... stay the night, I guess." Lyon glanced around the living room briefly to find a large green blanket he'd used mostly on cold nights, and pointed to its place on the top of the couch. "You can take the couch, but... only if you want to stay."
"Lyon, I don't think it's really necessary--" Twilight tried to speak, only to be cut off by Rainbow Dash.
"Actually, if you're cool with it, then... I guess I could stay the night. Tank should be fine till tomorrow."
"I can check on him before I get home, if you want," Fluttershy suggested kindly. Rainbow turned around to grab the blanket from the couch top.
"He's a tough little guy, but... yeah, I think he'd like that."
Fluttershy nodded and proceeded to remove herself from the couch.
"Well," Applejack spoke up, "I guess it's time I headed home myself. Gonna be a bit of a hassle workin' tomorrow."
The mare paused, hummed briefly, and turned to Lyon.
"If it's alright with you, Lyon... perhaps it might be best if you took a break from work for a few days, till everything gets sorted, you know? I'll pay you for it."
"AJ, you don't have to--"
"I know, but... shucks, I can't exactly punish you, can I? Especially after tonight?"
Lyon opened his mouth briefly, only to close it a moment later and nod in place. Twilight and Spike continued to stand by the door, only now ready to leave.
"We'll see you tomorrow... okay?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. See you tomorrow," Lyon answered.
Once the unicorn and drake left Lyon's home, the others followed, giving their goodbyes and promises to return tomorrow. Each mention of tomorrow only made Lyon feel a bit more uneasy. He knew Twilight promised not to talk more about what they discussed tonight, but even talking about himself wasn't something he was entirely keen on doing.
But what was he to do? He couldn't ignore them; it was never in his nature to ignore them, no matter how frustrated he could ever be with them--the wedding coming to mind.
--you wouldn't have abandoned your best friend when she needed you the most!
Maybe a bit too much.
Pinkie was the last to leave, shutting the door behind her. As soon as the others were gone, Lyon let out a deep sigh and slumped in his chair, letting his body practically sink into the cushion as his muscles relaxed.
"You, uh... you good?" Rainbow asked after a moment of silence.
"It's been a long day..."
Rainbow shifted on the couch.
"Yeah... it has. But, hey... at least we were able to clear up some things, right?"
Lyon sighed, clenching his eyes for a moment and letting the chair recline as he stretched.
"That was nothing, to be honest."
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, snorting with a faint grin. "Really? All that was 'nothing'?"
"There's a lot more stuff you guys don't know about," Lyon admitted, turning onto his side to face Dash. "And frankly... I wanted it to stay that way. And it would've... but trust me when I say there is a lot of stuff you've yet to know about us. And we haven't even started talking about me yet."
"Well... we know your name is really Libaax, so... that's something."
Lyon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, one thing."
"And the fact that you told the truth."
The stallion turned onto his back again, looking up to the ceiling. He let out a slow, deep breath.
"After all this, you're gonna wish I lied. Believe me."
The remnants of a grin on Dash's face quickly faded, not out of fear, but of concern.
"What could you have done that was so bad?"
Lyon glared at the ceiling.
"Not me. Her."
Traitor.
"Always her."
He hummed and turned back onto his side, this time facing towards the fireplace.
"It's getting late," he said. "We should get some sleep too. Unless the reason you stayed was to talk?"
He didn't notice that Rainbow had been looking at his form, taking in his words. Given what she only knew of the Queen so far, she could only imagine what kind of evil she had wrought against him, at least to warrant leaving the hive. Rainbow wanted to doubt that was the case; part of her wanted to believe that Lyon wasn't the real Lyon they she knew, and that he was only playing for the long con.
But Twilight's magic didn't lie. So why would it start now?
"Nah. That can wait till tomorrow."
"If you say so." Lyon yawned as he stretched his legs and let his head rest against his arm.
"You want a blanket too?"
"No... I'll be fine."
"Cool," Rainbow said, plopping herself down against one of the pillows on the couch, briefly basking in the sheer softness of the fabric. "Well... goodnight, I guess?"
Lyon laughed softly through his nose. "Goodnight, Rainbow."
But he could only wish it'd be a good night. Already, Lyon felt himself unable to sleep, and his eyes forcing themselves open. He found himself staring at the wall adjacent to the fireplace. Though the lights had been shut off, there was still enough of a faint glow around the house to allow him to see--not that there was much to see on this particular wall, anyhow.
But it kept his mind busy.
He didn't want to tell them. From the very moment he remembered it all, he knew at some point he was going to have to tell them everything. He could refuse, sure, but what would stop them from taking it wrong or even resenting him if they chose not to blast him to the moon?
They didn't deserve to know what he knew. It wasn't worth it. He knew it wasn't.
And he didn't want to have to remember it again.
"zzzzZZZZzzzz..."
Lyon groaned softly. Suddenly, sleep didn't sound so bad after all. |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 12: Open and Out | The whiteness of the snow turned the darkness of the winter a faint, welcoming shade of pink against the landscape. The wind howled softly, echoing about like wind chimes clashing together.
Guided by nothing more than that, Lyon trekked forward with a gentle plop of his hooves against the snow. The tracks behind and beneath him were deep, but he knew that up here, they would be covered again in an hour.
The wind brushed against his fur coat, sending a collective shiver through his body, even to the very core. Cold weather was common here, but in the winter it was far worse. Not many of the others traveled far beyond here unless to make trips to the villages days from here, whether that was to trade goods or to fish at the nearest lake--and even that was a few hours' walk.
Lyon let out a numbly yawn as he felt exhaustion begin to creep up on him. But he knew he couldn't go back yet.
Not without her.
Finally, after a good twenty minutes of walking into the thickest branches of woodland that the forest could ever offer, he was there. Standing before him was an old, decrepit shack, seemingly devoid of life--at least on the outside.
The shack in reality was an explorers' den with a well sitting in the center, a well that stretched seemingly hundreds of feet downward. A brief expedition years before revealed nothing at the bottom, and was far too damaged to provide any use, and so Lyon and the rest of his group filled it with concrete and sticks to prevent any accidents, whether to them or anyone passing through.
The shack itself showed its time, having been abandoned for at least one-hundred years for reasons unknown.
But every once in a while--it was her temporary getaway.
As soon as Lyon was no more than a few feet from the door handle, he could hear her gentle hums, and a brief glance through the nearby window revealed a faint glowing candle light that occasionally flickered to momentarily illuminate the interior, though the darkened tint of the window made it difficult to see it.
The stallion gently opened the door, slow enough to keep it from creaking, and he entered the shack. The singing of the young mare before him became that much clearer.
The song was entirely unfamiliar to Lyon, but the melody, among everything else, was nonetheless lovely. The young mare always seemed to have a knack for the art of music. If she failed to entice a listener with her words, then she could woo them with her voice. She could make anyone laugh or reduce them to tears with just a few changes in her tone. She was an opera singer of the wild.
And yet, she was too shy to let the world hear her roar.
Especially since she stopped singing the moment she noticed the stallion standing by the door.
"Y-You scared me," she stammered, clutching her chest.
Lyon grinned faintly, content that he could still do so.
"Come on," he said to her, leaning his head to the door. "It's getting late."
"Is it?"
The young mare trotted over to the window and looked out to find that it was dark with the mix of pink.
"What time is it?"
"Almost time for bed, missy. C'mon."
She trilled her lips. "I'm not a baby, Lyon."
"Yes, but you're still growing. And growing changelings need their sleep."
"Doesn't that include you, too?"
Lyon rolled his eyes.
"I'm sleeping fine, thank you very much. And once I know you're back home, I'll be able to sleep a lot better."
The young mare hummed to herself and looked to the door, then glanced around the room, showing a clear reluctance to want to leave. It wasn't that she was afraid of going home, not at all.
She just didn't want to. Here, she could be whoever she wanted.
But the chill of the evening air gave the mare shivers through her body, and she let out a small groan.
"Okay."
Hopping off the small makeshift cot with a loud creak, the mare made her way out the door, Lyon following behind her to shut it. It didn't take long for the stallion to catch up to her, and his immediate decision was to engage in conversation.
Anything to keep the cold away.
"So, you learn anything at school today?" he asked.
She shrugged. "We just learned about some plants today."
"Really? What kinds?"
"... There was one that makes you sneeze to death."
Ah. That one. Lyon was glad they were nowhere near a patch of those things. He had a feeling the teacher probably left some of the more... gruesome parts out.
"Oh! Well, that's... cool," Lyon half-exclaimed awkwardly.
It didn't take long for the conversation to start dying, but by then, the two of them had already returned to the village. Lyon knew the layout of the place now like the back of his hoof. Within minutes of reaching the town limits--after a quick inspection by the guards, of course--the two reached the town home, a homey cottage settled next to a river.
Grabbing the key from under the mat, Lyon unlocked the front door and allowed the young mare inside. As soon as he entered, he closed the door behind him. He turned around to see the mare already making her way to the stairs.
"Do you want me to make you something to eat?" he asked.
"No thanks," she replied. "I think I might get ready for bed."
"Oh. Okay then."
He watched as she started her way up the stairs, but as soon as she reached the halfway, he called to her.
"Sky?"
She turned to Lyon, but said nothing, yet she was attentive.
"You know you can talk to me about anything... right?"
"I know."
An awkward silence brewed between the two ponies, Lyon staying silent as if beckoning Sky to say something. Anything. Not just 'I know.'
"Good night," she said with an uncertain tone as she continued up the stairs, before inevitably disappearing behind a corner.
Lyon sighed quietly and glanced at the living room aimlessly.
"Good night, kiddo."
Lyon felt uneasy again as he awoke the next morning. To his luck, it was not as severe as it had been the day before or even the days leading up to the wedding. But it was still there, creeping on him yet never pouncing. It was a kind of uneasy he hadn't felt in years, but this time it was easily avoidable.
Ish.
He stretched his back on the recliner, letting out a brief moan as his bones cracked. Glancing around the living room, he noticed the sunlight passing through the window, indicating it was sometime in the early morning. Looking ahead of him, he could see Rainbow Dash sleeping soundly on his couch, her blanket having fallen to the floor at some point during the night.
Two things immediately ran through his mind: He was capable of sleeping through Rainbow Dash's snoring after all...
... And what happened last night was real. Just like all the nights and days before it.
Getting up slowly from his chair, Lyon tiptoed into the kitchen and began to make himself a quick breakfast, all the while catching his brain up on events. Eventually, the sound of chirping birds outside became clear, and Lyon found himself yawning, all the while Dash continued to sleep several feet away.
He found himself looking at her for more than a moment before making the decision to fix her a plate, as well. He knew her long enough to know a hearty breakfast for someone like her was a buffet for literally anyone else, but two eggs should suffice.
Once the plate was set and placed down on the counter, Lyon went back to his thoughts. He was both looking forward to and not looking forward to today. He remembered the promise he made to Twilight and the others the night before, that they would ask him average questions, such as what he did before coming to Ponyville and where he naturally grew up.
It wasn't that he hated to talk about it. It's just that he knew once he started talking about it, it would just go on and on. Soon it wouldn't just be about his time in Baltimare or Manehattan. It would be questions about the hive, his siblings, more about his mother.
Then when the time came... Sanctity itself.
Sanctity... why did he have to mention that?
Then he remembered he really had no choice. Anything else would've come off as a lie, and who knows where just a single lie would lead.
Hell... it led him here, so... he didn't know what to think of it. He hated lying, but there were times it was necessary--even if he didn't know he was lying.
It made him wonder how long the fib would've gone on had he not shown up at the wedding. What if he stayed home, rejected Celestia's offer? What if he decided to bugger off elsewhere like Appleoosa or Manehattan? Would he even be sitting here thinking this? Surely, Chrysalis would've come back some other time.
He knew his mother too well even after all these years. She was not the kind of person to give up easy. The blood on her hooves could more than vouch for that.
A cracking yawn filled the silence, followed by the creaking of springs and cracking of bones. Lyon broke his thought and glanced over to the couch just as Rainbow Dash awoke from her sleep. Initially when her eyes opened, she recoiled at the sight of the chair where Lyon slept being empty, and darting her eyes around the house until they eventually fell upon the stallion himself standing in the kitchen, and her body relaxed.
"Oh... uh... hey," the mare said slowly.
"Good morning to you too," Lyon answered with a dry chuckle. Despite that, he couldn't be too upset at her for being cautious. He more than definitely would've done the same in her hooves.
Rainbow stretched her limbs again as she lifted herself off the couch and started for the kitchen.
"You made breakfast for me?" she questioned, noticing the extra plate.
Lyon nodded. "Figured you probably didn't wanna fly all the way back home just to make some food."
Rainbow shrugged briefly, but still thanked him a moment later. With both hooves, she grabbed her plate and hovered over to the nearby table to sit down. Lyon watched as she readied herself to dig in, only for her to stop just before the fork went into her mouth. She eyed it suspiciously, trying her hardest not to make it obvious.
"... It's not poisoned, if that's what you're looking for," Lyon said almost monotonously.
"I know that! I just, uh... wanted to... make sure I had enough?"
Lyon wasn't at all convinced, but he didn't chastise her. Once she noticed he wouldn't budge, she apologized.
"Don't worry about it," he responded as he dug into his own plate. Dash still couldn't help but egg herself on.
"Just being cautious... you know...?"
He nodded back. "I know. But I'm still Lyon, you know? Remembering who I am doesn't mean I'm gonna start poisoning all my friends."
"Well... have you done it before?"
"... What?"
"Poisoned someone. Ya know, put rat poison in their coffee, stuck an antacid tablet in their pancakes?"
Dear Celestia, how barbaric.
"No," Lyon lied.
"... Oh."
"How do you even--"
"Daring Do."
"Jeez, the writer's gotten pretty gruesome in the last few years, hasn't she?"
"Well," Dash hung, leaning against the table, "it's nothing too crazy. You think it will until Daring Do or the other good guys manage to stop the problem before it even begins. But there's always that fear, you know? It leaves you on edge."
Lyon agreed with her. He wasn't as into the Daring Do books as Rainbow Dash, but he could easily get into them every once in a while whenever a new edition released. Before the wedding, his only memory of the series was the first time Rainbow introduced him to it after her flying accident a few months back.
But now he remembered starting the series back when the first ever book hit the shelves--fifteen years ago.
Yearling's come a long way since then.
Once Dash eventually got into her food, Lyon took his plate and rinsed it in the sink before setting it on the drying rack. While doing so, Rainbow asked what the plan was for the day.
"Well... Twilight did say she wanted to come back over today to ask more questions, remember?"
"Yep. So, you got any good stories in your noggin you wanna tell us?"
Lyon tilted his head away hesitantly. "Nothing too... much, like I said. Okay? Just tame stuff for the time being."
"How tame are we talking...?"
"Uhm...?"
Lyon paused. The goal was for tame, but he couldn't think of anything quite so tame. Favorite type of music? Where he grew up? Surely, they wouldn't find much satisfaction from something like that, would they?
Devil's Advocate, it is then.
"What would you suggest?" he asked Rainbow Dash. She trilled her lips briefly as she took a moment to think.
"Well... off the top of my head... things like your favorite book, what kind of music you listen to, maybe your favorite hobby before coming here to Ponyville?"
"Well, I can easily answer that last one. Archery."
"Really? Since when?"
"Since I was a hatchling," Lyon answered. "Since my mother considered me of the warrior class, naturally we were trained to fight as soon as we were able. I ended up having a better hoof in ranged combat."
"So, with arrows?"
"Anything we could send far, really. But my mother didn't want me relying solely on an arrow to save my life. In general terms, ranged combat was secondary; we were trained on close quarter. If an enemy managed to get physical, we needed to be ready for it."
"So you kick butt pretty hard, I imagine?"
Lyon shrugged. "Sort of. It's..."
He froze.
"It's been a while since I really fought anypony. Or just anyone, really."
"Why?"
"I'm not exactly the type of person to go and start trouble. If I can, I keep to myself."
"When was the last time you really got into a fight? Other than the wedding, duh."
"Pfft," Lyon trilled, "years ago. Long before I came to Ponyville. I think I was staying out in Mareland. I was at this tavern by the beach, just kind of keeping to myself... when this one guy who'd been there probably longer than I had starts mouthing off to me, thinking I was some mare he tried to hit on earlier in the night."
Rainbow snickered. "You sure you weren't disguised as her or something?"
Lyon mock laughed. "Ha ha."
But in fairness... he'd done it before.
"Anyway, the guy starts spewing the most absolute random stuff in my face, then tries to swing at me. I knew it was coming, so instinctively I ducked. He struck a guy sitting next to me, and I guess since he didn't fully see it go down, he thought I was the one that hit him. So his first instinct was to also swing at me."
"Seems fairly easy to deck two drunks, right?"
"When every punch they don't land on me ends up hitting someone else? Far from it."
"Let me guess... bar fight?"
"Try full blown riot."
"Wait, what? How?"
"My memory's foggy, but while the drunk ones were kicking the crap out of me or each other, the locals outside apparently got the wrong idea. Everyone inside was smashing furniture and destroying property, which in turn, led to said locals using the opportunity to smash things up themselves. By the time I even got out of there, that whole street was filled with ponies looting and dancing on burning wagons."
"Wait wait, before you that, go back to the fight part. What did you do?"
Lyon almost forgot about the original point of the story, shook his head with a chuckle, and continued.
"The drunk guys were pretty easy to hold off. It was just dodging their "hits" and keeping enough distance for them to get distracted by some other ponies. But it was the sober ones that were tough to deal with. I remember this one posse that was there, looked like they knew a good deal of fighting too. They had their sights set on me, so avoiding them wasn't going to happen.
"I landed a few good hits on a couple of them, but they were able to pin me down for the rest. Everyone ignored us and these guys just landed blow after blow."
"You didn't even fight back?"
"I did, but... I didn't mind it all that much. I could've easily gotten out of that situation at first. But I didn't. I let them have their fun. As weird as it is to say, I... I don't know, I guess it just felt nice to not fight first."
"Well, obviously you're still here, sooo what changed?" Rainbow asked with a faint smirk.
Lyon sighed.
"They tried to burn the only picture I had left of my friends."
The smirk disappeared.
"Your friends?"
"Other changelings that left the hive over the years. We saved up some money for some cameras and had our photos taken. When... things happened, that photo was the only thing I had left of them. And those fuckers tried to burn it."
Rainbow recoiled faintly, not enough to be noticed. She hardly ever heard Lyon swear, even before the wedding. He always said he didn't like it. Maybe, to an extent, he was right.
"As soon as I saw them take it, I lost it. I fought just like I was trained: Smart and quick. I grabbed my things and ran out of there before anyone could think to look and notice."
"Did you... kill them?"
Lyon shook his head. "Nopony died, as far as I know. But the riot that sprung from that bar cost Mareland millions of bits in damages and repairs."
"Jeez, how big was this riot?"
"Enough to span ten city blocks. It was the worst violent incident in the city's history since its founding."
"And you alone were responsible for it?"
"Yep," Lyon chuckled sheepishly. "I know it's not exactly something to be proud of... but it's not every day you get to tell folks you were responsible for the Mareland Bar Riots."
While Lyon laughed to himself, and while at first Dash wanted to alongside him, the mare found herself staring almost hard at the stallion's form.
"Wait... you mean... the Mareland Bar Riots?" Rainbow Dash asked slowly.
"Well yeah," Lyon answered nonchalantly, still coming down from his giggly high. "Unless there was another riot I missed in recent years."
But Rainbow still wasn't laughing, and that alone forced the smile to fade from Lyon's face.
"Why? What is it? What's wrong?"
The words got caught in her mouth at first, but she hesitantly answered.
"Lyon... those riots happened sixty years ago."
There was something about the mention that made Lyon's heart skip a beat. Maybe it was the time frame, or the fact that his friend reminded him of the time frame.
Or was it both?
"... Oh yeah."
Lyon took a sip from his mug of coffee. He completely forgot he even poured it. His mind seemed to clear after the first few steps, but his mind had still been clouded by the blotches leftover from the potion's effects.
"... I guess that memory isn't as recent as I thought it was," Lyon added sheepishly. "Heh... whoops..."
He didn't know what to say, beyond that.
"So... you're... older."
And neither did Rainbow, apparently.
"Yeah. Something like that."
"I mean, that's not a bad thing or anything, just... bizarre. I mean, you look so young..."
"That's just the disguise, really."
"Out of how many?"
"Not many. I didn't really like changing form much."
"Huh. Okay." Rainbow got up from the table and moved over to the counter, standing almost opposite Lyon. "So who'd you base this guy off?"
"No one. I created this form from scratch."
"You can do that?"
"Wouldn't be very useful if we couldn't."
"Point taken."
Lyon downed the rest of his coffee and rinsed the inside of the mug out in the sink, hesitating to fetch another full cup. It was his awkward tick. The silence, the uncertainty of what can be said next, it was always unpleasant. He knew what the next question would be, and he was glad it was only ever asked twice.
"So how old are you?"
Make that three times.
"Old enough," Lyon answered simply as he set the now clean coffee mug on the drying rack.
"That doesn't really answer my question."
He looked at her.
"I know."
Before Rainbow Dash could say any more, the sound of knocking cane from the front door. A hint of a pink bushy tail and the sound of magical aura indicated the others had come back to the house. As planned, of course, but this early?
"I'll get it," Rainbow said. "Take care of my dish for me, old man?"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Lyon twisted his tongue around with an urge to grumble something, but didn't have the bother for it. Shaking his head, he took Rainbow's near empty plate and dumped the rest of the food into the garbage before placing it into the sink for washing.
Rainbow had taken that news fairly well so far. Or maybe it was still sinking in. Wasn't every day that your twenty-seven year old friend had vivid memories of a riot from more than thirty years before he was born. It was something he didn't want turned into a bigger deal, but he didn't like to talk about it. Not only did it make him feel old--it reminded him just how many things he had forgotten that was better left forgotten.
Rainbow opened the front door, and upon doing so was greeted by her closest friends. The fact that she opened first gave momentary relief to those who were still wary at best.
For Rarity, it took a bit more convincing.
"Ow!" Rainbow yelped as Rarity punched her shoulder carefully. "What was that for?!"
"Just checking, darling."
"I'm not a ghost, for Pete's sake. Besides, I think it'd be pretty easy to tell if I was replaced. No one can ever match my awesomeness so well."
"Or your boastfulness, apparently..." Rarity muttered aloud earning an unamused look from the pegasus. "But that's a good thing! ... Almost."
Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes and leaned her head toward the house. "Come on, let's go inside."
The girls and Spike followed each other--Pinkie hopping behind them--as their eyes fell on Lyon who stood by the kitchen counter. He exchanged a faint smile as he focused on washing Rainbow's plate.
"Good morning, Lyon," Twilight greeted in a hopeful tone. "Did you sleep well?"
"More or less," he answered. "I'm feeling a lot better than I did a few days ago, for sure."
"That's good."
Lyon asked the same question back, and the answers were more or less the same as his own. There wasn't much conversation to go on beyond that, and so the girls all retreated their way to the couch, bringing extra seats as last night, while Lyon walked over to his chair and adjusted it to sit up.
"How long have you two been up?" Twilight asked.
"Me, twenty minutes," Lyon answered, then pointed to Rainbow. "Her, ten I think."
"Don't be expecting me to wake up this early too often, you know. Your couch is just uncomfortable... that's all."
Lyon rolled his eyes and turned back to Twilight.
"I didn't think you guys would be coming over this early for story-time," he joked slightly, but got serious again. "Don't you guys have work today?"
"Work can wait a bit," Twilight replied. "But we didn't entirely come here to hear more. We know that's what we planned on, but..."
The mare's sentence trailed off, earning Lyon's concern.
"But what?"
"It's nothing bad. But I've been updating Princess Celestia on our situation."
Lyon shifted slightly in his seat, but the precursor helped soothe his worry, if only for a bit.
"Okay... What did she say?"
"Initially, she was checking up on all of us. We had all left Canterlot in such a hurry to catch up to you, we left the princesses and my brother worried sick."
Lyon frowned and instinctively apologized to Twilight, but she only waved it off.
"It's fine. Regardless, I've been writing to her since we got home the other night. I was in the middle of writing another letter to her yesterday when you arrived at the library. This... turn of events, I didn't think to finish the letter."
"Does she know? About what I've told you?"
"Not yet. I haven't written to her regarding anything from last night or the night before. She's practically in the dark about it. And I know that the longer I keep from telling her, the more dire the situation becomes and the more likely she'd be willing to send the Royal Guard after you."
Lyon looked at her in confusion. "Then... why not just tell her?"
She clicked her cheek, looking to Spike and the others briefly before looking back to him.
"We figured that... it's best that you write to her instead."
Lyon was taken aback slightly. "Are you sure...?"
"Darling," Rarity interjected, "with all due respect, you did blow up a jail cell and evade a military force only two days after a foreign invasion. I've no doubt the princesses see you as a potential asset... the same way we all did at first."
"I was unconscious for two days?"
Many of the girls nodded. Lyon didn't make any further mention of it.
"How will she know it's me who's writing the letter?"
"I'll be writing a letter shortly to let her know the situation. After which, we'll send yours."
"What should I say?"
Lyon knew it was a ridiculous question, but it was better to be prepared instead of sending a potential nothing-burger of words and hope the Royal Guard didn't break down the front door. Twilight looked at Lyon firmly and genuinely.
But Applejack was the one to answer.
"The truth, sugarcube. Just tell the truth."
"So you believe me?"
Twilight smiled faintly. "You haven't lied to us yet. I don't see a reason to start now, do you?"
Lyon laughed in a similar manner. "You're right about that."
To prevent any lingering, awkward silence from arising, Lyon got up from the chair and started walking over to the kitchen.
"Well... while you're all here, is there anything you guys want? Drink or food?"
Many answers were simple nos or that they had already eaten breakfast before arriving, which wasn't far fetched at all. And whether it was a lie, Lyon wasn't at liberty to suggest that, nor an urge to.
"Nope!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I already had my share of cupcakes for the hour, but thanks!"
"... I was gonna suggest eggs, but... okay."
Fluttershy looked over to Lyon. "Um, do you happen to have any tea packets?"
"Yeah, of course. What kind of tea do you like? I've got plenty of sweet tea and some honey tea you sent me a few months ago."
"Oh! You still have those?"
"Yeparooni," Lyon answered in a joking manner, hoping to stir some laughter. All it gained was a happy snort from Applejack. Lyon cleared his throat. "You wanna help? I know you make yours a bit different than others."
"Sure! I mean, if you're okay with that."
"Always," Lyon smiled. "Your tea is always better, anyway."
Fluttershy couldn't help but let a blush slip as she headed over to the counter to help Lyon prepare the tea. Spike offered to help as well and Lyon immediately insisted he do so. As the three of them were occupied, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie looked at Rainbow Dash.
"How'd you sleep?"
As if reacting to it, Rainbow stretched her body which made brief cracking sounds.
"This couch isn't as comfy to sleep on as I thought it'd be," she joked. "but I slept good."
"Did you two talk about anything last night? Or this morning?"
Rainbow shifted her posture slightly. "A little bit this morning. He made me some eggs and I got kinda curious."
"Curious how?"
"Well, first I asked him how he got so good at kicking butt."
"I'm guessing from mama?" Applejack questioned, to which Rainbow nodded. "The way he talked about her, sh' seemed like more of a general or dictator than a mom."
"That whole thing's pretty obvious. But that's not the weirdest part."
"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.
"I asked him the last time he got into an actual fight before the wedding, and he reminisced about how he got into a bar fight in Mareland."
"So he's certainly lived an exciting life?" Rarity asked sarcastically.
"If you call being the one responsible for the Mareland Bar Riots... then yeah. He's lived an exciting life."
The very mention of it got Twilight's attention.
"Wait, the Mareland Bar Riots? The Mareland Bar Riots talked about in history lessons?"
"One in the same," Rainbow replied with a brief pep.
Applejack turned to Rainbow. "No offense sugarcube, but since when have you ever picked up a history book?"
"I did history in school!" Rainbow exclaimed defensively, yet kept her voice low. "I mean, sure I didn't do great, but I still listened to the teacher!"
The mare then cleared her throat.
"When I wanted to..."
"I don't understand," Rarity spoke in confusion. "What is it about these riots that are so significant?"
Twilight and Rainbow turned to Rarity, with the former answering and the rest listening.
"Rarity, those riots happened sixty years ago."
"What...?" was all she could say, while Applejack and Pinkie were left with looks of bewilderment. "But... surely, that can't be right?"
"It is. I remember reading about them too in some of my history books. It was financially the worst riot they ever experienced since the city was founded."
"Then surely he means a different Mareland riot, right?"
"There hasn't been a riot in Mareland in sixty years," Twilight corrected. "Even if there was a smaller one, it still would've been documented."
"And, if I'm putting things together right... Lyon was there... and caused it...?" Applejack asked.
"Sorta," Rainbow answered in a sheepish manner. "According to him, a couple drunks tried ganging up on him and things got a bit out of hoof."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't exactly call the worst riot in a city's history "a bit" out of hoof."
While Rainbow tried justifying her answer, Twilight sent a glance over to Lyon, who'd become entangled with Fluttershy and Spike. Fluttershy was holding up a small tea packet to Lyon's nose as if asking him to smell it. He did so, only to recoil wildly in the process.
"Oh gods, what is that?" he asked with a shiver.
"Peppermint."
"Brrrrr~"
Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle, and Spike held back laughter as the two watched Lyon shiver as if it would help dissipate the scent faster. Twilight eyed his movements, the strut in his arms and legs, the brief cracks in his face, or the color of his eyes. Even his smile was something to observe. His voice, the way it vibrated and the highness of the pitch.
"But he looks so young," Twilight said to herself, though Rainbow had finished her answer quick enough to overhear.
"Well, he did say it was part of his disguise. And if he's telling the truth, for all we know he could be a grumpy grandpa behind closed doors."
Applejack glanced briefly at Lyon then turned to Rainbow. "He sure don't act like a grandpa."
"Maybe he's just that good."
The farmer rolled her eyes at the thought. Nopony could fake being older or younger than they actually were. As depressing as it was to admit, watching her uncle Chestnut grow into an elderly pony showed just how easy it was to grow vulnerable and frail, to lose all sense of equinity or identity. Even Granny Smith would fall under the veil.
But Lyon showed no such veil. But that assumed what Rainbow was told was true; but Lyon hadn't lied to them so far, so like Twilight said, why start now?
"How old is he?" Applejack asked Rainbow Dash.
"He didn't say. He didn't really wanna answer that one."
"Why not?"
Rainbow only shrugged.
"In any case," Twilight spoke up, "I think we should only ask him questions he's comfortable answering. If he decides not to answer, we won't push him."
"You sure about that, hon?" Applejack asked curiously.
"The last thing I want is him feeling cornered. He may be a changeling, but it's still Lyon, and he's our friend. Right?"
At first, none of the other girls answered, almost seeming hesitant to. They weren't opposed to the idea of Lyon still being their friend, but with such a discovery, there couldn't be any harm in taking caution... right?
"I think he's still my friend," Pinkie Pie said after a few moments of silence. "Look at him over there. He's smiling and happy and having a good time. I can tell if somepony's faking a smile... and that one is as real as any smile before it. And if he's willing to look his friends in the eyes and give them a smile they can't look through, then I don't care if he's some old grumpy stinkbug in disguise. He's still Lyon, and he's still my friend."
Twilight and the rest of the girls watched Pinkie's expression seriously, but there was no change or facade. She meant it. And looking at Lyon standing in the kitchen again, each of them could see why she would think and see that. Perhaps there was a truth to that. Lyon told nothing but truths to them, and the way he moved and talked to Fluttershy and Spike left zero indications of anything that he wouldn't do.
Twilight heard a sigh behind her from Applejack.
"I'm with Pinkie," she added. "This whole thing might be a tad unsettling... but I can't get used to things if I'm sleeping with an eye open around him, right?"
Rainbow agreed a moment later, on account of her interactions with him earlier in the morning. Rarity however seemed hesitant to give a proper answer.
"It's not that I don't trust him," she started, "but should we still keep an eye on him? For his safety?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Applejack questioned.
"Certainly his mother might come looking for him, or if--Celestia forbid--the public finds out what he is, wouldn't they try to hurt him?"
"I'm sure Celestia and Luna will be making sure to watch for any other changelings, especially Chrysalis," Twilight said. "As for the public... I don't think they'd try to hurt him as long as the princesses can trust his word."
"But would they trust the princesses' word, in that case?"
Twilight scrunched her lips and snorted, her expression neutral. And yet her tone was far from it.
"I hope so."
In the hour before high noon, deep within the castle grounds, Princess Celestia sat upon her throne, tapping her hoof away gently at the sidearm. She had been sitting at the throne all morning since seven o'clock. Luna insisted that she stay longer, but Celestia wouldn't allow it no matter the guilt.
Luna was a good sister, but Celestia didn't want her to risk her own health, especially not so soon after recent events. If anything happened, she wanted her able and ready.
Celestia's assistant, Raven Inkwell, stood by the pair of thrones and stared forward to the double doors at the end of the room. Occasionally she would blink as if to adjust her eyesight, before her head started to slump forward only to shoot back up again. She attempted to hide it from Celestia subtly, but her movements were far too obvious.
"Slept well, I see?" Celestia asked in a sarcastic overtone.
Raven opened her mouth to answer, only for a yawn to replace her words. She closed her eyes, face flustered in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, Princess," Raven said. "I-I tried to sleep, but... it's been--"
"Don't apologize, Raven. I understand." Celestia gave a gentle sigh. "I can't imagine anypony has been sleeping well."
"I don't think I can until we know we're safe."
"Don't say that. You need your sleep."
"But my job--"
Celestia stood up from her throne and walked over to the unicorn, towering over her by several feet. Raven almost recoiled, like she spoke wrong, but the way Celestia looked at her seemed to calm her if only for a second.
"Raven... I'm saying this to you as a friend, not a princess. Okay? To Hell with your job right now. Your health is more important than taking my schedules or making sure I get enough tea for the day. I want you to go back to your room, get into bed, and don't come out until you've gotten your sleep. Understand?"
Raven looked away, trying to find words to defend herself with, but she knew Celestia was right. She couldn't do her work if she wasn't able to keep her eyes open. With a hesitant nod and a hug from Celestia, Raven left the room soon after, leaving Celestia alone with herself. A few minutes later, a member of Shining Armor's Search Team entered the room. Celestia took one gaze at the sunrays on the floor to know it was noon. Time moved faster than she realized.
"Your highness," the guard said with a bow. Celestia nodded and motioned him to stand.
"No need for that, lieutenant," Celestia replied. "Any update?"
"Yes, ma'am. We've tracked apparent movement within the crystal caves."
"Several?"
"No. It seems to be singular. We haven't found the culprit as of yet, but Captain Armor has guards patrolling the caves at all times. It should be a matter of time before we can apprehend the suspect."
"Alright then. Thank you, lieutenant Gray. Carry on and report to me at midnight if possible."
"Yes, ma'am," the guard obeyed, and as quick as he entered, he was gone.
Celestia didn't return to her throne, but instead walked over to the nearest window to her right, and peered outward. From here she could see the valley below Canterlot in its entirety, from the rivers streaming downward to the vast Everfree Forest to Ponyville nearby, looking far smaller at a distance than it truly was.
The sight of Ponyville reminded Celestia of Twilight. She hadn't received any letters from her since sometime yesterday afternoon. It was normal for Twilight not to write letters for days, at least in the case of a friendship lesson. But these letters were of a more pressing concern, at least for the moment. And going nearly a day without any form of communication was worrying--putting it lightly.
She only hoped she was okay.
Then suddenly in a flash, as if on cue, a scroll appeared at eye level. The tension building within Celestia's chest eased itself greatly. But her curiosity had arisen as she noticed not one, but two scrolls had materialized in front of her. She checked each scroll's signature line near the straps. Twilight's initials were easy to identify and confirm authenticity. But the other she hadn't recognized, only written initial being the letter L.
"Could it be...?" Celestia asked herself as she chose to open Twilight's scroll first, hopeful yet concerned.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I'd meant to write this letter to you yesterday regarding some more recent troubling news. However, some interesting developments had come up, and it left me conflicted on what to do or what to tell you, as I didn't want the situation to spiral out of control.
But in any case, I'm okay, Miss Sunbutt.
Celestia chuckled to herself, recounting the time Twilight called her by that name when she was no more than a mere toddler, years before she became her student. The mention of it in the letter was one of many phrases to confirm this was Twilight who wrote the letter--as un-subtle as it was--and it put Celestia's mind at further ease as she continued to read.
At first, I was hesitant to accept the news as truth, but repeated use of the truth telling spell proved that to be impossible. We were able to track down the changeling back to Ponyville, and... it turns out what he told Shining Armor was the truth.
The changeling was Lyon all along, living in disguise under the use of a memory wiping potion. We have been asking him questions, and every answer he has given us has been true. Beyond some slight personality changes, he continues to act no different than he had before, at least to us.
There are various topics he seems wary of answering though according to Rainbow Dash, such as his age. He mentioned having been caught in the Mareland Bar Riots of 6899FE, which means changelings might potentially have a longer lifespan than an average pony. I want to ask him more questions, but I don't want to feel like I am treating him like a prisoner. That was my mistake the other night purely out of anger, and I hope I didn't hurt my friendship with him.
But I can trust him more than I did earlier, and I hope with his own letter, you can as well. I'd also like to hope we can discuss this issue in Canterlot with him by our side, if that's okay with you. I think we can trust Lyon. And I hope Equestria can too.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia rolled up the scroll and set it on the window ledge. She wanted to hope it wasn't the case, that one of her own little ponies wasn't a changeling. But if he was able to win Twilight's trust easily, even if it took the use of a truth spell--which she'd have to ask how she managed to obtain it another time--then surely he was as she says and claims? Changelings did not seem capable of manipulating powerful magic, and certainly not truth spells. And if recent events were to be example... Twilight seemed right to trust her instinct.
With a guilty sigh, Celestia levitated the second scroll before her. Her curiosity before was confirmed through Twilight's letter. If this was from him, she wondered what he was thinking in that moment, whether she could trust the written words. But she trusted Twilight well.
Undoing the string, Celestia opened the parchment and began to read its contents.
Celestia,
I don't even know where to begin. I spent a while looking at this blank paper and wondering what I could say. But I remembered what Applejack wanted me to say: the truth. So I will do just that.
My name is Lyon. In my people's tongue, it is Libaax, "lion" in our language. I was born and raised as a fighting figure for my mother Chrysalis' changeling army, in her hopes that she would rule the world for her children to prosper.
As soon as I was old enough to know how cruel it really was, I left the hive. I haven't stopped running.
Five years ago, I had my memory altered through Zecora, the zebra living in the Everfree Forest. I've lived under an alias ever since, my memories picked to define who I was. I never lied to Twilight or any of the others, nor you... because I genuinely believed I wasn't.
I didn't know Chrysalis would try to attack Equestria. The only indications I had were a single recurring dream. For everyone's sake, I'll spare those details. But that was all it was, just a nightmare, right up until it wasn't. I did my best to save your niece Cadance. I wish I could've done better, but I didn't want Cadance to get hurt. Or worse.
But I want you to know that in spite of everything you and the rest have gone through over the last few days, I want to assure you: I am not a threat to you. You have been kind to me in the time before the wedding, and I know leading up to it, you were only trying to protect your family. I would've done the same.
Twilight and the others are at my home right now in Ponyville, watching me write this letter in silence. It's a bit awkward. But I think it would put matters at ease if you would come now. Surely you're looking for answers, and I'd be glad to give them. My only request is that they're not too personal. It's better that way. Maybe when we've all gotten to know each other more.
My door is open. And you are always welcome.
Sincerely,
-Lyon
Celestia rolled up the parchment and pondered for a second. An opportunity awaited her, the chance to know more about this crea--about Lyon, about the changelings. But if he had no indication Chrysalis was planning to invade, then surely he would be of no help in the days leading up to the wedding.
That didn't mean he was useless, but it would prove difficult to predict the Queen's future plans, and she knew there was a plan.
She knew she had no choice but to trust Lyon, especially if Twilight could do so easily.
She only hoped she wasn't making another mistake.
"So what was it like? Travelling the world?"
It was one of already a dozen questions Twilight and the others had been asking Lyon since breakfast. Many of them were simple questions such as a favorite food or favorite hobby--apart from archery--or even what music he liked.
But that didn't satisfy Twilight enough. She wanted to know more, bigger. And the moment Lyon casually mentioned travelling the world, she took the bait.
"Well," Lyon began, "it wasn't necessarily traveling as it was relocating. But it was interesting. Seeing society beyond the hive was something I hadn't thought of until I had to. Griffons and Mules and Yaks either living apart or living together, depending on the situation. Saddle Arabia was probably the most "exciting" of the bunch."
"How so?" Twilight asked.
"There was this festival they used to have every year. The Festival of Tidings. It's a lot like the Friendship Festivals Equestria has, only this one was more... romantic than platonic. Instead of embracing those we cherished, we instead held ourselves close to those we loved. We would tear down the walls and confess our feelings to our interests and crushes, our love at first sight."
Rainbow recoiled in her seat with a scoff.
"Oof. I can imagine how that went."
"Actually, better than you'd expect. Sure, some would be rejected, but more often than not the feeling was mutual. The idea was for participants to bring only those they saw as more than a companion, but a partner and a lover."
Lyon paused and found himself staring off at nothing, reminiscing on the details with a sad smile.
"Someone you wanted to spend the rest of your life with."
Spike and the others found themselves smiling along, yet frowning at the sight of Lyon's own sadness. It was clear there was something about it that came to mind.
And if what Rainbow claimed he said was true...
"Did you ever... find anyone?" Twilight dared herself to ask.
Lyon didn't answer at first, only looked at Twilight. He seemed to eye her for longer than usual. She didn't know what it was about the way he looked at her, but it started to... hurt.
"No. I never brought anyone."
Twilight's horn went red for the first time. All of them saw it.
"It's okay," Twilight said. "You don't have to tell us."
"I don't mind."
Red again. Lyon could only wince. He didn't know if it was out of nervousness or shame. Maybe it was both. Twilight again insisted it was okay.
Lyon nodded at first, but a few moments later his eyes shut and he snorted.
"I messed up again, didn't I?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Festival doesn't exist anymore, does it?"
Twilight hesitated to answer, but Lyon glanced at her as if assuring it was okay to tell him.
"They stopped the Festival almost one-hundred years ago."
Lyon grimaced faintly. The only ones to raise an eyebrow were Fluttershy and Spike.
"Of course they did."
It was quiet at first, though mainly out of confusion despite the newfound knowledge, until Lyon spoke up again. "I'm guessing Rainbow already told you then? About this morning?"
"Wait," Spike spoke up, "what happened this morning?"
"I was telling Rainbow about the last time I got into a fight. The same fight that ended in the biggest riot this side of Equestria in decades."
Green horn.
"Woah. Really?"
"So you were telling the truth?" Rarity asked in a quizzical manner. "Or perhaps it was some variation of it? Perhaps a twisted phrasing?"
Lyon paused and glanced to Twilight's horn.
"I was involved in the Mareland Bar Riots."
As expected, the horn glowed green yet again to confirm what was on their minds, while Spike could only repeat the date of when the riots began.
Sixty years. No matter how many times they said it, they couldn't fathom it. Yet, Lyon insisted on retelling what he'd told Ranbow to the rest of them. How he drunkenly dashed out of the front doors to find ponies tipping over wagons and setting fires, how he ran past ponies dancing madly in the roads, or how some of the locals sprayed rioters with water hoses to quell their chaos.
All of it told in ice clear detail. Every answer he gave was met with a positive reaction from Twilight's horn, so if he was somehow lying, he was doing a good job at making it seem true.
"So how'd that go for ya?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I'm betting the law went pretty hard on you for causing all that."
"I know I said I was involved and responsible... but it was entirely accidental. I only dodged the first guy's hits, only fighting back in self-defense. As soon as I could, I got out of there. I did get arrested the next day, but once I explained my side of the story, they let me go. I read a few days later in the paper that the guy who attacked me was the one who got charged for the damage. If he's still alive today, I bet he's still paying for it."
"Do you remember his name?"
"Not anymore."
"But," Fluttershy spoke up, "if you're... that old, then why do you look so young? In both forms, i-if you don't mind me asking?"
Lyon looked to Fluttershy, biting his cheek while doing so, as if again hesitant to answer at first.
"Like alicorns, changelings have a much longer lifespan than the common creature. Pony, griffon, yak... a single changeling could outlive any one of them--assuming they weren't careless in their youth."
The very mention of the word "outlive" piqued their curiosity. They all knew what it meant, but they were further curious.
"By how long?"
In their own dismal way, if Fluttershy's followup question was any indication.
"Long enough," Lyon answered after a few moments of silence. Twilight's horn still turned green because Lyon wasn't exactly lying... unfortunately.
And Twilight was still curious. Maybe she thought it was curiosity. Maybe it was really worry.
"How old are you...?"
Either way, her question was far from optimistic.
Lyon wanted to not answer the question, and they could all see it. But the longer he waited to answer, the older they perceived him to be. And he was sure eventually, with every ticking second, they would be right. Instead, he beat them to it.
He didn't want them to face it alone.
"Five-hundred and nine. I'll be five-hundred and ten two months from now."
The following silence was so deafening that even a pin dropping to the floor would be lost in the quietness. There was no big jaw drop from any of them, nothing but open mouths and the want to say something, but failing to say anything.
Lyon looked over to Pinkie Pie, whose face shared the same stunned look as the rest of them.
"Guess I really am older than all of you combined, huh?" he asked, calling back to the morning of the picnic. A harmless joke at the time.
But now it was--
knock knock knock
The sudden noise at the front door halted the conversation and startled nearly everyone for a moment. Lyon looked at the front door and raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting any visitors today--
Oh. OH.
Getting up from his seat, the stallion walked his way slowly over to the front door and peaked out the window. Confirming his suspicions, he pulled the door open.
Standing before him, Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, two additional royal bodyguards, and the newly wedded bride, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.
Or was it bride-to-be still?
At the very sight of her presence, Twilight and the others bowed to Celestia briefly, before Twilight stood up and ran over to Shining Armor, embracing him in a tight hug.
"I'm so glad you're alright, Twily," Shining said first.
It didn't take long for Twilight to notice Cadance standing there as well and gifted her a similar hug, careful not to hurt her. The injuries on her body seemed very minor, and her overall appearance, Lyon noticed, was a vast improvement since the wedding. The two guards stood motionless, though seemed ready to act at the first opportunity.
And then there was Celestia. Vibrant, calmly, elegant as always, yet Lyon knew there was an intelligence within her that showed her willingness to think first, charge second, and if thought enough, there was no need for a charge. Celestia was a leader who knew how to lead, when to be careful. And here, she was being smart.
"Lyon, I presume?" Celestia had of course met him plenty of times, but this was the first time she met him as he truly is.
He bowed before her, but not like the others had. He planted one hind leg forward and the other back in a kneeling position, his arms rested upon his shoulders.
"Don Keneme Pok Wel."
"Excuse me?" Celestia asked innocently, her head tilted to the side.
"It means "I am humbled and grateful.""
Celestia nodded, then raise a hoof in a lifting motion. "Thank you, but there's no need for that."
Without argument, Lyon stood up once more, motioning for the princess and others to come inside. Celestia thanked him as she entered the homestead, Shining and Cadance following behind while the two guards took post beside the front door to ward off any passersby, some of whom had appeared for only moments before returning to their business. Lyon thanked the guards and shut the door behind him.
He insisted for the three new guests to sit on the couch. The girls attempted to make new space for them, only to realize it was impossible due to the small size, even though it could hold almost the six of them. Lyon and Fluttershy proceeded to grab a few chairs from the kitchen and place them beside the couch for the others to sit on, while the three made themselves comfortable.
"I take it you read my letter, then? If you don't mind me asking?" Lyon asked Celestia. "I wasn't sure if you'd be too busy."
"I did," Celestia answered, "and while I have been quite busy, especially regarding recent... altercations... Twilight's safety, including the rest of you, has been my utmost priority."
Lyon sighed at the mention of altercations, but he said nothing of it.
"I understand."
"Good. Then onto the matters at hoof. How have you been doing the last few days?"
"I'm good," Lyon said. "A bit anxious, but otherwise... I'm fine."
Twilight's horn in response turned green. Celestia noticed this straight away and politely asked to disable the spell, to which her student obeyed. With a small flash of purple, the spell was disabled.
"I can easily tell when somepony is truthful or not. A trick of the eyes, the way their voice squeaks and shudders. And given the rather warm response between your friends, I can't see any reason to keep such a spell active. Unless there's something you wish to reveal?"
"No, ma'am," Lyon said shaking his head. The answer was met with no red or green light, but Celestia could easily tell he was telling the truth.
"Good. Then shall we begin?"
"If you're ready... sure. What would you like to know?"
"Let's start with your name then, shall we?" |
The Lion's Roar | Chapter 13: Lose You | Lyon didn't know entirely what to expect going into talking with Celestia herself. It was the first time he'd ever had a proper conversation with her--apart from a snippet after the Grand Galloping Gala and the wedding. It made sense. She was a leader of a nation and surely had little time to herself except to sleep.
But she didn't talk about herself much. Why would she? She was here to know about him. And so every question she or Shining Armor or even Princess Cadance asked, he would answer. Luckily, the questions were no different than those Twilight and the others asked. Even without the truth spell, Celestia could see he didn't utter a single lie.
As she said, Celestia had lived long enough to tell apart liars from truthers. If Lyon was lying to her or Twilight, then he was exceptionally good at it.
She didn't know if that was something to worry about.
Hours had passed, and the topic had changed considerably from Lyon's background and his species' history, to the most mundane or ridiculous moments he had either heard of or experienced himself.
"-And the worst part of it is," Lyon continued of another tale, "I spent weeks looking for the damn... sorry, darn thing, but nothing turned up. Eventually, I remember giving up and just going back home--Goatsay Island at the time and forgetting about it. Up until I threw it up one night in a drunken stupor. The exact same way it ended up down my throat."
Some of the ponies, Rarity especially, couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted at the circumstances. Celestia, on the other hoof, couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous it sounded. Cadance giggled, though it seemed more to be from her aunt's own laughter. Shining Armor smiled, but didn't laugh. Lyon chuckled; he could see Shining was that type of guy. He knew because he experienced that in his youth.
A footnote in history now, but still... ugh.
"Anyway," Lyon finished, "that's how I ate Shard's Grail."
The moment everyone's faces contorted into this mix of horror, shock, surprise, and somewhat amusement would forever be seared into Lyon's brain. Celestia and Luna themselves were old enough to understand the significance of Shard's Grail, owned and discovered by King Shard Whisker of Silverstone, a now defunct kingdom bordering Old Equestria some two-thousand years ago. Nine-hundred years ago, it was stolen from the Relic Museum in Corshire, which is all that remains of the nation. But as Lyon himself explained:
"I didn't even know the significance of it until I showed it to a friend at the time. He was a historian who immediately recognized it and wondered how I found it."
"And what did you tell him?" Celestia asked both curiously and humorously.
Lyon paused. "... Treasure hunt."
Celestia broke into a faint giggling fit. She never mentioned anything, but Lyon was sure she had her own similar stories to share. Certainly less... riveting. But that would have to wait for another time.
"This historian," Celestia asked after she calmed down, "wouldn't happen to be Valor Roses, would he?"
"Val?"
The very mention of his name brought back memories, a spark burst in Lyon's head.
"Val."
He hadn't heard that name in a long time.
"Yeah. That's him. He's a good guy."
Lyon stopped.
"Was."
Celestia's smile faded. She'd already forgotten he was far older than he looked.
"I'm sorry."
Lyon waved it off. "It's fine."
Celestia could easily tell it wasn't.
"But yeah... Val was the one who revealed that the grail was found again and returned it to its rightful place--where it's been for the last three-hundred years."
"The ancient records tell that he was the one to find the grail," Princess Cadance noted with curiosity. "Was that not true then?"
"True enough in the sense that I wanted him to take the credit for it. I don't exactly think folks would be very pleased to find out how it was really found," Lyon laughed awkwardly, only to stop himself a moment later. "But also... I wasn't willing to let myself into the spotlight anytime soon.
"I must've spent a good week arguing with him about it. He said I deserved to be a part of history. But at the time... I didn't think I deserved it at all. And I still stand by that. And if Val were still alive today, he would still be arguing with me about it. That discovery made him rich, and he deserved that far more than I ever could."
Cadance smiled warmly.
"He sounds like a good friend."
Lyon returned his own smile, though a melancholic contrast.
"He was. Now that I remember him... I really miss him."
Lyon couldn't stop staring at the floor, gradually remembering bits and pieces of history that for a short time were lost entirely to him. The mention of Valor was enough to trigger every moment he ever shared with a stallion he considered to be one of his closest friends, one he was willing to die protecting. At one point, he even considered revealing his identity to him. He trusted him that much, especially after he was--though begrudgingly--willing to take the credit for finding the Grail. It made him trust him even more.
After he died, Lyon left Corshire and never returned. Now he was wondering if Val's grave was still there after all this time? Celestia mentioned him to begin with, so surely he's still remembered.
"Lyon?" Celestia called to him, breaking him from thought. "Do you need a moment?"
He broke from the thought and looked at her, then shook his head.
"No," he said. "I'm fine now."
As much as Lyon hated lying, he knew it was better than to stick to anything for too long.
"So about your archery skills," Shining Armor asked to change the subject. "How long did it take to master it?"
Lyon pondered back to that time. As a young hatchling, he fumbled plenty on maintaining good posture, aiming down the sights, breathing steadily... the list goes on. No one was perfect for a while. It was day in and day out of training, so long that his hooves blistered after a while. And Chrysalis still made him shoot, he remembered.
"Give or take, ten years," Lyon answered. "My mother wanted us to be very precise."
"How so?" Shining asked, both curiously and cautiously.
Lyon leaned in.
"Give me a good bow, and I can replace half your Guard."
Shining Armor leaned back into his seat and raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure whether to believe Lyon's claims, but after hearing of his wife's own account during the invasion, he felt there was more to that statement than Lyon was letting on. And after training for ten years--compared to Shining's one year training course on archery--and given his age, he'd be surprised if he wasn't one of the best archers in the heart of Equestria.
Time continued to pass without worry or caution. Celestia and Cadance--and occasionally the others--would ask Lyon a question about whatever he felt comfortable with, and he would answer to the best of his ability. Sometimes there were questions he either didn't have the full answer to or dodged completely. Celestia knew there was always more to any of his answers, but he never acted against any question out of fear or met them with hostility. He was always calm and as collected as could be.
Sometimes Lyon would glance out the front windows. A resident or two would pass by, look at the guards, then keep on walking without daring to look further. The personal guards of the Princesses were always the hardest of them all. Try to get through them, and... well, it wouldn't be a fun time.
Speaking of...
Eventually, the lighthearted talk started to come to an end in Lyon's household, but not out of suspicion. Celestia didn't only come here to make sweet talk with the strange stallion. She was curious, worrisome even. Lyon didn't blame her; honestly, in her hooves, he'd probably be just as.
"So you don't know anything?" Celestia asked Lyon.
"No," Lyon answered disappointedly. "When a changeling is cut off from their hive, it's usually permanent. And by cut off, I really mean by it. No communications, no locations, no intel... nothing. When the hive kicks you out, you're truly your own person. Forever."
"Sounds like it was for the better, then," Cadance suggested in a sympathetic tone.
Lyon smiled for a moment, then it went away.
"Do you know where she could be now?" Celestia questioned. "Or where she will be?"
"No. All I know is that your spell that day shot her east. She probably got as far as the Wastelands with how powerful it was. But... that's just a guess. I have no clue where she is now. And I can't imagine our hive is in the same place I remember."
"And where was that?"
Lyon looked up and squinted his eyes trying to remember the exact location. Enough time had passed that he'd forgotten the place down to the very pebbles on the ground--but at the very least, he knew the vicinity.
"East Prussia. That was the Hive's fallback location after the kingdom fell." Lyon sighed and adjusted his position in his chair. "But who knows if it's even there today?"
"Then why were you planning to leave...?" Twilight asked. She was staring at Lyon with sadness in her eyes. "Without giving us an explanation? Without saying goodbye beyond a letter?"
Lyon looked back at her.
"I thought my life here was over. Secret was out. Everyone here saw what changelings are capable of. The moment everyone else figures out I'm one of them, no amount of good deeds are going to ever convince them I'd never hurt them. Friendship can only do so much before people turn it away out of fear. So I said to myself... if my life is over, then I'm going to end it on my own terms, by doing something I should've done a long time ago."
Lyon leaned back.
"Then after last night... I realized how stupid that was. I don't know where my mother is, and I'm basing everything off centuries old memories. What good would it be to the world if I die finding a place that might not even exist anymore?"
He sighed deeply before turning back to Twilight.
"If I'm going to stop my mother, the least I can do is be smart about it."
Everyone in the living room seemed to agree with Lyon's sentiments, even Twilight. But there was something about Twilight's response that didn't seem right. Nopony noticed it but him. She didn't disagree with him; that wasn't the issue. But she didn't seem too happy about it, either.
Before he could speak up, Celestia got up from her seat on the couch.
"I hadn't realized how late it already is," she said. Lyon looked over to the clock and she was right. It was already close to nine in the evening!
The Princess took an entire day off of work just to hear his side of the story.
"As much as I would love to stay here and hear more of your stories, Mr. Lyon, I believe it's time I began making my way back to Canterlot. After the last few days, the city still remains on edge. But... I believe now I can at least convince everypony they're in no immediate danger."
Lyon gave a nod.
"What happens now?" he asked curiously.
Celestia didn't answer immediately, as if wrestling with the thoughts and choices in her head.
"Based off your testimony... I can confidently say that there is no immediate need to arrest or imprison you."
"But we would like you to help fix the wall at the Canterlot jai--ow!" Shining Armor spoke up, only to be elbowed in his ribs by Cadance, who only glared at him. "What...?"
"The wall can be fixed tomorrow, Captain Armor," Celestia assured. "I'll give you any resources you need to ensure it's fixed by sundown."
Shining Armor only nodded and awkwardly cleared his throat, while Celestia turned back to Lyon.
"As I was saying, you will not be arrested or imprisoned. However, I would like to meet with you again sometime in the next week to discuss further matters regarding Queen Chrysalis. In the event that she plans to attack again--whether in a week or a hundred years--I believe it would be best that we are brought up-to-date, however you can do so."
"Of course, Princess," Lyon said with a firm nod. "I'll do my best."
Celestia smiled and briefly nodded back.
The few remaining minutes of their visit went by quickly, but inevitably Celestia, Cadance, and Shining all exchanged their goodbyes. Shining gave his sister a tight hug and felt himself tense up.
"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" he whispered to her.
She only smiled faintly and said, "Yeah. Don't worry about me."
"No promises."
The two exchanged a bit of laughter, before pulling away from their embrace. Shining caught up beside Cadance and started for the door. As expected, the two guards that were stationed just outside the house were immediately at attention and ready to transport the three back to Canterlot. The carriage that they presumably arrived in was still there and ready at a moment's notice.
Lyon and the others waved goodbye as the three entered the carriage and disappeared behind the door. The two guards hooked themselves to the front, and with a whisk of their hooves--and of course, a quick run down the road--the carriage took flight, destined for Canterlot. It quickly blended into the night sky,
As soon as they were gone, Applejack let out a yawn.
"Speaking of late nights," she began, "I think it's time I head home myself. We've got a bit of harvesting to do in the morning, and I'm not willing to let Big Mac and Apple Bloom go it alone again."
It didn't long for the rest of them to agree on heading out for the night. Today was no doubt one of many days they were going to come by and ask Lyon about things, but it was probably the last day for a while they'd take off work for it.
But while the girls discussed their coming busy work days, Twilight spoke up with uncertainty ringing in her voice.
"Hey," she began, "could you guys take Spike home for me?"
She turned back to the couch, as did Lyon and the rest of them, to notice Spike had passed out. He was snoring so quietly, neither of them noticed until Twilight pointed it out. He'd probably been sleeping for the last couple hours.
"Sure, I can take him home," Applejack answered. "What's the occasion?"
"Nothing, I just... I need to talk to Lyon for a moment. Alone, if that's okay."
Despite her initial confusion, Applejack nodded in realization.
"Of course, Twi."
Reading the room, Applejack went over to the couch and lifted Spike onto her back, before making her way to the front door. The rest of the girls waved silent goodbyes to Twilight and Lyon, before shutting the door slowly behind them. As their hoofsteps faded out, Twilight turned to the door and rested one of her hooves against it. Her head was lowered, eyes half-open, and her breathing was unsteady yet nearly silent. She wasn't facing Lyon, but somehow he felt she was staring right through him.
Lyon carefully approached the mare from behind, even raising a hoof up to her shoulder.
Suddenly, she whipped around and forced a burning gaze down on him. Her eyes were angry yet sad all the same. Tears welled up at their bases, and her mouth was scrunched in a furious bite. Her face was one of pure upset. It was probably the worst thing Lyon had seen in a long time.
And it being Twilight? That made it worse.
Neither of them said a word to each other. Instead, Twilight slowly approached; every step against the floor was firm and calculated, yet full of tense anger. Lyon didn't move from his spot, but he soon found himself pressed up against the side of the living room couch. Twilight's form grew over him, even though he was considerably bigger.
As her face stood mere inches from his, he was able to see hers in more detail; her lips were quivering, and a couple of fresh tears finally streamed down her face. It was like she was trying desperately to hold back her emotions, whatever they might've been, and was only barely able to do so. Her nostrils flared, blowing warm air onto Lyon's face. Her body was shivering.
And despite all that, she was staring into his eyes, glancing between one and the other, watching as if to see any indication that there was some kind of fallacy, a hint that he was lying. He knew the look almost too well; she wanted so badly to see that he was toying with her, that it was just some cruel sick prank, one that she would almost undoubtedly never forgive him for, yet still... love him.
She wanted...
Before he could react, Twilight moved forward and pressed her body against Lyon's, and their lips met with minimal resistance. The sudden affection caught him off guard, but Lyon was sure it was nothing more than desperation, her mind conflicting with her emotions, any emotion. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she forced herself deeper into the kiss. Lyon resisted at first, but inevitably gave in. He knew it wasn't a good thing to let it happen, but he also knew better than to try to stop it. Maybe it was because part of him wanted it.
But he knew even more that this wasn't out of romance or lust. It was sad.
Twilight started sobbing into the kiss, holding Lyon tightly against her and sucking in fevered breaths while mashing her lips against the stallion's own. Her body was shaking, making his body shake with it.
After a minute of this, Twilight pulled her lips away and rested her forehead against Lyon's, all while continuing to cry. She tried her best to stifle it, but her sniffling and shaky breaths made it hard.
"Hey..." Lyon said softly, trying to caress her cheek with the back of his hoof.
Twilight said nothing.
Without anything to say, she whipped back around and ran to the door.
"Twilight!" Lyon called for her, but she didn't respond.
Twilight swung open the door, ran through it, and slammed it shut behind her in the span of two seconds. Lyon ran over to the door with the full intention of chasing her, but stopped before he opened it. He knew it wasn't the best decision to talk to her now. Not like this. It was never a good idea. And after what's happened so far, it would only be worse. So he reluctantly pulled himself away from the door and moved over to the window.
He watched as Twilight's familiar form disappeared into the night.
Soon enough, he found himself growing shaky. He was better at controlling it.
It didn't make it better.
Sleep didn't come to him tonight. |
The Story of J | pre | "I don't feel so good." I fell to the ground choking down on the bile that was rising. I couldn't hold it anymore and just barely turned away from Twilight as I threw up on the floor and myself. I felt all the cupcakes I had eaten forced out of my system back out onto the floor leaving a disgusting taste in my mouth of sugar and bile. All I could think before slipping into unconsciousness, 'I fucking hate cupcakes.'
A/N: So trying to get into the habit of writing a chapter once every week. It's working out pretty well. So critique is wanted and desired, I can't fix what I don't see wrong and your opinion matters to me. So leave me some comments and i'll get to ya.
CA/N: now that we got this pattern going we should get alot more done thanx for all comments and opinions |
The Story of J | Test Drive | Darkness was all I saw. It was as if there was no color as if there was an absence of everything. Then I heard it as if it was everywhere at once. "My child it has been some time since last we spoke." It spoke yet I could not see it but I felt as if it was all around me. I knew what it was and I trembled in fear of what it might want.
"My master, I live to serve and am humbled by your presence." I say trying to bow and make myself look as small as possible. This was my deity, The Void. It goes by many names but I never dared to call it anything besides master. I gave my soul to serve The Void as did anyone else who serves it. I never knew whether it was a man or a woman and somehow I always felt like it was neither.
"Ahh it has already passed that time I see. Be wary of the Alicorn child she must not die, she plays a vital role here and you are the only I trust to protect her. That is your mission. I will send to you companions to aid you in your mission. Through dark or light, to the heavens or hell, you will serve." It says reminding me that my body and soul belong to it and I am forever indebted to it.
"Forever will I serve The Void and nothing shall deter my path to collect the souls for his work. The death of the righteous and the damned are souls that I hunt. Allow this humble servant to serve you in the eternity to come my master." I say speaking the ritual words of agreement.
"Good try not to forget anything anymore; it's becoming more and more of a hassle to just let you find out on your own." As my master speaks his last words I looked up confused by what he meant only to find myself looking up to see Twilight staring at me very intently.
"You know it really creepy waking up to see you staring at me like that." I say to which Twilight jumps back in surprise and fumbles to the ground awkwardly.
"You surprised me. I was just about to wake you when I noticed how weird you slept and decided that it might've been better to study you while your asleep." Twilight answers sheepishly.
"I didn't know you were such a creeper Twilight if you wanted sex all you had to do was ask." I say nonchalantly as if it were no big deal. Ever dependable Twilight blushes at my statement and blubbers incoherently. "So why did you wake me up so early anyway?" I ask changing the topic to spare her from blubbering on some terrible sounding apology. She suddenly gets very serious as she says.
"There's a lot of smoke coming from a nearby mountain and we think it's a dragon. Celestia has asked that we get rid of it." Twilight says looking at me expectantly.
"A dragon huh, well I guess I can be the extra muscle in case all else fails." I say actually looking forward to fighting something that big. You know what they say; the bigger they are the harder they fall. Twilight looks at me incredulously.
"You can't fight a dragon they'll actually kill you, nopony has ever taken on a dragon single-hoofed before!" Twilight all but screamed at me.
"Oh and what do you plan to do, just ask it to leave?" I ask curious to see what plan she came up with.
"Well that was the plan." She shoots back at me while I facepalm at the stupidity of the plan. Twilight is amazingly smart but incredibly dumb at the same time.
"Well then I'll be insurance for when your plan fails miserably. So bear with it Twinkle butt." I say mocking her cutie mark.
"Well at least I'm not an oversized monkey." Twilight shoots back
"This oversized monkey has more class and intelligence then you and need I remind you that I don't creep on some people while they sleep either." I say making her blush in both embarrassment and anger.
"Well at least I have a reproductive organ." She shoots back terribly and effectively winning the little argument we had. She realizes her mistake immediately after saying it. "Jay I didn't mean."
"No. That was low even for you Twilight. I applaud you; you have won the argument and proved to be more of an ass then me. So congratulations enjoy it while it lasts." I say leaving the room as I say those last few words. I stop at the door on the way out and say to her "please do try to keep this to yourself. It is a personal matter and I'd rather no one knew about it." I could hear her sobbing a little bit as I close the door and I couldn't help but wonder why. If anything I should be the one crying, I can't have kids much less sex, but I learned to never let my emotions get the better of me. I jumped in the shower and got dressed in some dark attire and made my way outside where I saw that all the girls had prepared bags for the journey ahead.
As soon as we set off Twilight tried to apologize but I quickly dodged her and went ahead of the group to lead them to the caves. They at least respected my desire to be left alone and let lead on at a comfortable distance. When we reached the mountain I started to scale the wall making a nice pace. When I looked over I saw pinkie hopping up the mountain. "Fucking Newton." I say under my breath as I knew that such feats were not in my repertoire. I say the others walking the trail looking up at me weird as if I was crazy.
I was the first to make it to the lair after having to jump a small ridge to transfer over to the other mountain. I swore I saw Pinkie hopping beside me one minute to see her down there with the rest of the girls. She scares me at times, the way she defies nature itself. But as I looked around to spot the girls I saw that they had just reached the ridge to the other mountain which meant they were still pretty far behind me. I decided to scope the area around. I checked in on the dragon and could tell that the horde he had was immense. I could see weapons and such scattered around the room some shining brightly others humming with intense power. What had me the most piqued was the size of the dragon. He was slumbering but even asleep his body was huge. His scales were red like the color of blood. If the books were correct then dragon scales had the ability to reflect almost all magic and could suffer extreme temperatures with ease. The scales are really what I came for. They were renowned to be one of the toughest materials in Equestria. So such scales would definitely strike me as desirable. I then scoped out the entire cave quietly to formulate a plan on how to best kill the dragon, afterwards I went back outside and waited for the girls.
As I waited I could hear the sound of a rockslide that had me a little worried about them. They eventually found their way up to the lair. Rainbow Dash was looking at Fluttershy as if she had pissed her off or something. The others looked ragged and worn down, as if they had went through a rock slide. I sat there looking at them nonchalantly giving them a loud yawn as if to say 'about time you got here'. Rainbow came next to me grumbling about scaredy cats or something under her breath. "Have fun on the way up I see?" I say mockingly
"No Fluttershy's been weighin us down since we left Ponyville, we shoulda just left her." Rainbow complained. I could see that she was irritated with Fluttershy. I just shrugged my shoulders to say I really didn't care. Then came the speech. Twilight tried to give us some sort of prep speech that was supposed to make us feel better about asking the dragon to 'please go away'. I laughed at their plan and sat back to watch it all fall apart. The funnier part was when Fluttershy told them she was afraid of dragons. I laughed so hard when she said that, I felt like I couldn't breathe for a minute.
"Your only shot at asking the dragon to leave is afraid of them, hahahahahahahahaha. You're so stupid it's hilarious." I say laughing my ass off at them while they scowled at me.
"Well then darling what do you plan to do? Shoo it away?" Rarity asks with a chuckle.
"No I'm going to kill it." I say dead serious with a smirk. They all turned a little green at the thought of killing anything.
"How uncouth." Rarity says as if that would dissuade me from killing it.
"At least he won't be smoking all over your town then." I say internally chuckling at the thought of a dragon smoking a cigarette.
Afterwards they all tried to approach the dragon with their own methods of trying to get the dragon to leave. When Twilight tried to be diplomatic I laughed my ass off as the dragon blew smoke clouds at her. She glared at me but didn't say anything knowing that I hadn't forgiven her for this morning.
When Rarity tried to smooth talk him out of those jewels I had to admit the way she swayed her hips did remind me of a woman's ass although it was a bit hairy and with an interesting view as she went into the cave. Rainbow chuckled as she whispered to me indiscreetly "I see you checking her out J"
"That is a nice ass" I say causing Rainbow to look at me weird. "Oh you guys probably call it flank I guess, humans call it ass." I say causing all the mares around me to blush as I say this rather loudly. Just before anyone could say anything Rarity darts out of the lair complaining about how she didn't get anything.
Then Pinkie dressed up in a weird looking gift wrapped scuba diver or something. It was weird. She was going to try to get him to laugh to leave I guess. It failed miserable.
Then Rainbow got hot headed and decided she was going to kick his ass and that would make him leave. I saw her speed in only to get knocked right back out and crash into the other girls. I saw the dragon come out and breathe smoke on them and knew that it was probably too old to breathe fire anymore. "Time to go to work" I say cracking my neck.
I rushed the dragon dodging and weaving out his attacks. I then tackled him into the cave, surprisingly the dragon wasn't as strong as I anticipated. We rolled into the cave as I punched him square in the mouth knocking out a few teeth. He roared in rage and pain as he redoubled his efforts to kill me. As he tried to swipe me I rolled underneath the blow and punched upwards with all my might at where his elbow seemed to be, a resounding crack could be heard as I broke his bone. The dragon roared at me as I saw him pull back his head to build up his fiery breath. I was ready for him just before he unleashed his flames upon me I jumped up to his mouth and held his jaws together. Smoke rose from his nostrils as his own flames were engulfed within himself burning his innards. The dragon writhed in pain not used to having his inside set ablaze and in fury that this creature dare make him choke on his own flame. However the pain proved too much as the flames died within him the dragon felt drained of energy and could only flop on the ground defeated but still alive. J put his right hand on the dragon and it glowed black with intense power. "In the name of the Void, my master I claim this soul as tribute." J said as the dark energy washed over him and just as quickly as it was there it was gone. Though the dragon looked devoid of life, his scales a dark jet black his eyes held no color. It was as if he had his soul ripped out of him. That was the day I killed a dragon bare handed.
A/N: Got some action in there for all you. Hope you enjoy the chapter it only gets better from here on out.
CA/N: I hope you all like this one thanx for all the comments more to come soon |
The Story of J | Reflection | I stood there contemplating how to best move the dragon and it's horde down to my place in the Everfree or whether to make this lair another safe house to use. I had sent the girls back down some time ago and had been up here weighing my decisions. As I was starting to come to some conclusion I felt a ripple of energy behind me. I turned to see a dark hole leading into what seemed like an eternal void of nothingness. As I tried to look into the hole a person comes through to my surprise. As I jump back in anticipation for him to strike he merely cracks his back with a loud pop. "Man 1000 years in the void gives you such a crick in the neck." He then proceeds to cracking all his bones leaving me speechless. "Oh forgot to introduce myself there. Sorry about that. Seeker Glib reporting for duty sir. I'm the backup boss man said about." He says snapping a lazy salute and then looks around me to see the dead dragon. "Man you took down a dragon bare handed? Commendable, I guess that's to be expected when you're a legend like yourself." Glib said well rather glibly. I guess that's why his name is Glib. Then I caught onto what he was saying.
"Wait, I'm a legend?" I ask uncertain of what he meant. I could see the fear and dread set on his face. Oh I haven't described him really have I? Glib was a lanky fellow tall and skinny. He looked to be Caucasian and had a hint of an American accent that sounded a little southern. If I had to gander a guess I'd say Georgia. He had brown hair and hazel eyes. His face had no noticeable wrinkles his age, 26. His fingers look calloused; he was a hard worker then most likely farmer however he should have more of a drawl in his accent then, unless he went to college and moved down north for college. His hands and fingers look too coordinated to that of just a farmer; he played lots of video games in his free time. He was lanky though so it meant that he had fast metabolism and had no care for what he ate. He wore Black slacks and a black shirt which meant that he preferred darker colors. Therefore he did not get out much and preferred to be inside rather than outside. His hair was very unkempt which only reinforced my thoughts of him being a video gamer. All in all he looked to be a slacker.
"Oh I must be thinking about someone else." He responded shiftily. He was hiding something from me. I could tell by looking in his eyes it wasn't something I should know but was common knowledge where he came from. He turned around and closed the hole that led him here and a question popped in my mind.
"Where did you come from and what was with that hole." I asked curious to learn from Glib.
"I came from the void where all those connected to The Void belong. Very few of us are allowed out of the void and even fewer can exist outside of it. You see the big boss man owns all of our souls and with that he pretty much owns us. So we aren't technically alive we exist off of the big man's essence which he places in us to subsidize for our souls. But in order for us to live on the outside of the void we feed off of other's souls. That's all there is to know really." He said as if it was common knowledge. It explained a few things but I guess there must be exceptions to those rules as there always is. I looked into Glib's eyes and could tell what he spoke was true. There was power in him that was hidden away that he did not openly show. I smirked and held out my hand to shake his. He looked ecstatic as he grabbed my hand. Without any words said we had both agreed to our partnership. There was more to Glib than just appearances and if my previous life taught me anything then it was to never let anyone close.
"I thank you for answering my questions, but next time answer my questions truthfully or I can promise you feel my wrath." I say with a neutral tone. All of what he said were half-truth's and there was a lot he was leaving out. He looked at me nervously understanding that next time he hid the truth from me I might not be as forgiving.
"Sorry it's just that, I'm not allowed to tell you. The Boss man wants you to remember it all on your own." His eyes widen as he notices he slip. Unable to do anything now he noticeably slumps to the ground hitting himself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He says punching his head as if that would make the problem go away.
"Well your first task is to move this all from here to my cave back in the Everfree. The dragon will be the biggest problem. See if you can skin it, also make sure you keep the bones and teeth too. They will prove useful later on. For now I have to head back to the library. Stay out of sights from everything. The ponies especially, I'd rather hide your existence for now to use as a trump card later on." I say thinking out the different strategies to hide Glib and both get closer to the ponies. If I play my cards right I should be able to play it under the radar. I don't want Celestia breathing down my back, the racist bitch, nor do I want Luna getting curious of me. If it's anything to go by Luna is old fashioned and has less tolerance for a unique species like me. My thoughts are interrupted as Glib starts to complain about his task.
"Aww but I wanted to pet the pretty ponies and get my Welcome to Ponyville party." He says but the minute he does I pick up on the subtler words he doesn't say.
"You know this world." I say making him freeze on the spot.
"Uh I guess you could say that. The Boss man told me where I would be going but I know it better from the show it's called." He says hesitant to say too much. I decide to let him of the hook for now. No need to bear on him to roughly. He is my ally and he will make a valuable asset if everything goes to shits. I needed to be one step ahead of everything. Rarely does everything go your way and even with my master backing me up there is only so much he will do.
"Then I shall meet you tomorrow, Form out a tactic and figure out who you are and what your good at." I didn't give him a chance to talk after that as I make my way down the mountain. My mind racing as make the descent down the mountain. I know for a fact that I have to protect Celestia. She plays an important enough role that my master would send me here and has also promised me help. Glib is here but, I think that I should expect someone else as well from my master. My usual attire and weaponry aren't available to me, so it makes it harder to actually protect her properly. Still I have to find a way to get closer to her without raising suspicion. As much as I hate her I have to stomach her.
"Still I've just arrived here and she already hates me. She knows something about humans or she wouldn't hate me so." I say aloud to myself as if trying to unsolved a mystery. I hate being at a disadvantage. She knew that I was human and had a general idea of how dangerous humans can be. So she'll be keeping a close eye on me. Hmmm, Twilight is her student so I can't trust her or any of the other elements of harmony. Not that I would actually trust anyone. Still have to keep up appearances.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I had just realized that I had reached the bottom of the mountain. I looked up to the descending sun to see that it would be night time soon. The walk back to the library was uneventful. By the time I reached Ponyville it was already nighttime and everyone had already gone home. I silently climbed up the tree and opened the window to Twilight's room creeping in there without making a sound. She wasn't in there so I assumed she was downstairs wondering where I was.
I closed the window and made my descent downstairs to see a pacing Twilight waiting impatiently by the door. "It would be pointless to walk through the front door if I didn't want to be seen." I say walking behind the unsuspecting Twilight.
"Sweat Celestia J!" Twilight shouts surprised at my sudden appearance. I give her a cocky smile that she doesn't seem to appreciate. "Where were you!? You told us that you were giving a burial for the dragon but you took forever." She says still believing the lie I told them. I told them that the dragon deserved a burial from one warrior to another. Of course they believed me on the spot , them being so gullible is proving useful yet annoying at the same time.
"Well excuse me when's the last time you picked up something more than triple your size? Hmm never, that's what I thought." I say mockingly to her trying to tease her to let go of the subject.
"The girls are all mad at you for killing that dragon you know. Fluttershy is terrified and furious at you. Applejack wanted to give you an earful too. Rarity is appalled with your actions and I agree with her." She says as if I really cared but I notice she left out two names.
"What about Rainbow and Pinkie?" I ask curious to see their reactions.
"Rainbow said she wanted to talk to you but she didn't say what about. She looked really worried about you though. Pinkie also wanted to talk to you but she seemed really down about it. I don't know J, were all still shaken up at the way you killed the dragon."
"Hey I was looking out for all of you there." I say lying through my teeth. " I didn't want anyone to get hurt so I did what came first to me and protected you all." I say and though I intended that to be a lie I feel that it holds some truth to it. I scowl at my weakness of wanting to protect others to which Twilight takes differently.
"I know J it's just a lot to take in." Twilight responds looking defeated as if she were the one to take on the dragon herself. These ponies were weak and naïve. I smiled at her and pulled her close for a hug.
"Hey its ok now. It's all over now." I say to try to defuse the situation before it gets out of hand. I hear her sigh and hug me back. I could feel her warmth emitting from her body and it feels like she wants more from me. I pat her head and let go of the hug. I could see the disappointment in her eyes. "Go get some sleep you'll feel better in the morning." I say reassuringly with a smile. She nods her head and goes to her room. The smile leaves my face quickly as she exits the room. I pull out a book full of maps from one of the shelves and retreat to my room. There I plan out the best way to use Glib while I'm stuck here. |
The Story of J | A Dream? | Blood, it is everywhere. I'm holding a woman's body in my arms almost lifeless. Her body breathes in pained gasps. She isn't dead but the pain that she is in she must want to be. I can feel my stomach churn at the sight of her. My arms are shaking with rage, my eyes barely noticing anything else around me. My body trembles with untold rage that's at its boiling point. The woman in my arms reaches out her hands to touch my face, but I don't feel her anymore. My eyes go unfocused, my arms tensing up as I ball up my fists. My breathing becomes erratic as it can only be described as feral. The woman says something that doesn't register in my mind. I focus my eyes long enough to see the damage done to her. Her eyes are gouged out and blood seeps from them. Her legs cut off leaving bloody stumps of its remains. Her teeth lie on the ground in a bloody mess. Her left arm that is touching me is mangled and has hand prints engraved in them. Her right arm is broken dangling in a sick fashion. Her fingers twisted backwards with the bones sticking out. My rage cannot be held check any longer. I let out a bestial roar letting go of all reason and letting my anger rule over me.
"Ahhhhhh!" I shout awakening from the dream, drenched in cold sweat. My heart pounding and my hands balled up into fists. My entire body shaking with rage as the scene replays over and over in my head. I put a hand on my chest to steady my breathing but my hands still shake with anger. I breathe in and out slowly to steady my nerves. Slowly I stop shaking and my breathing returned to normal. Suddenly Twilight barges in the door along with Spike.
"Are you okay J?" She asks her voice full of concern. I barely catch my hand as it snaps behind me for the stone dagger by my pillow I sleep with. I almost snapped the dagger at her out of instinct but thankfully my hand stops just short of the dagger.
"Yeah I'm fine just had a bad dream. You were cooking." I shudder at the thought of Twilight cooking. Quickly destroying the mood, Twilight glares at me while Spike laughs at my joke.
"I hear ya, never letting Twilight cook ever again." Me and Spike both laugh while Twilight stares us down. Spike quickly getting the hint shuts up while I remain defiant by still laughing. She silently storms away sending death glares at me every few steps. Spike smiles at me as he leaves and once again I'm alone. The scene flashes through my mind and I clench my fist again. Then I feel warm tears falling down my face. I quickly shake away my feelings and wipe my tears away. I find my bag full of clothes made by Rarity and pick out the darkest ones without any gems. There weren't that many of them that didn't have any obnoxious gems. I made a mental note to ask for a sweatshirt, I missed not wearing one. It was still early and I decided to take a late shower to relax a bit. After the quick shower I returned to the basement not really feeling in the mood to do much. I laid back down on the mattress that only half my body could fit on. The blanket was rather small too. I quickly rolled over to the wall and leaned against it. I draped what little of the blanket I could on me. I stared out into the dark basement thinking nothing as I waited. Slowly I fell back to sleep.
"Do you think we should wake him now?" asked Spike. I heard from outside the basement.
"No I think it's better to let him rest for now. He looked really pale when he woke up from that nightmare. After hearing this I was unfortunately wide awake. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and begrudgingly got up. I climbed up the steps quietly and snuck up to Twilight reading at the table. I decided to play with her and tapped her shoulder and quickly sidestepped to her blindside. She whipped her head back surprised at the touch then went back to her book with a frown. Spike saw what I was up to and was about to say something but I put a finger on my lips towards him. He just shook his head and gave Twilight the pancakes he had just finished. Just as she was about to dig in I blew lightly in her ear. She whipped around to see if anyone was there but all she saw was the library. I took that time to quickly snatch her plate away. "Spike did you leave any windows open last night I just felt a breeze." She said as she was turning back to her plate of pancakes to find they were gone. "Hey! Where did you put my pancakes Spike?" she asked a little irritated that Spike had taken her pancakes.
"What do you mean Twi? Man Twi, I didn't know that you were that hungry to eat the plate and the pancakes" Spike said smirking and sending me a sly wink that wasn't very subtle and Twilight saw through it.
"Who are you winking to?" She turned around to see me with half a pancake in my mouth. "J are those my pancakes?" She asked with a sigh.
"Nph, I fphnd iff." I said with a mouth full of pancakes, looking around the library suspiciously on purpose. I swallowed the rest of the food in my mouth and set the plate down in front of Twilight.
"No it's fine you go on and eat that I'll just have Spike make me some more." She said in a defeated tone.
"Ohh I see how it is too good to accept food from me because I'm black huh?" I say to her playfully.
"Huh?" she responds clearly not getting the joke.
"It's because I'm another species that you won't accept food from me. That's pretty racist of you Twilight I expected more from you." This time I said in a serious tone as if I really was disappointed in her.
"What? No I'm not racist at all it's just that you already ate off that plate." She stammers trying to recover herself.
"Ohh, because I ate off the same plate you're too good to eat after me now? Racism at it's finest." I say to her in a condescending tone. Twilight looks at me flabbergasted as she tries to say words out of her mouth.
"I- you- but- stop messing with me J" Twilight replies angrily embarrassed. I smirk at her as she takes the plate away and starts to eat the pancakes. I quickly snuck out of the library while they distracted. As I closed the door I looked to see all the ponies nearby stop what they were doing and stare at me. It was then I noticed that I hadn't been introduced to the town yet. I silently cursed underneath my breath at my brashness. I counted the seconds that went by before the inevitable would happen. One... two... three.
"Monster!!!!" came the cry from one of the ponies. It was then they all scattered like cockroaches. I have to say it was pretty amusing to see them all scramble for home and barricade themselves inside. Almost made me want to bust in to see what they would do then. Sadly I knew nothing good would come if it and decided to go to Sugarcube Corner. I had already walked around the town at nights to see where everything was beforehand so I knew exactly where I was going. I took quick brisk steps towards the shop and before long I was there. The place looked like a gingerbread house. I could see Glib trying to eat the house if he ever saw it. I opened the door and a little ting of a bell welcomed me into the shop.
"Be with you in a minute" came a voice from the kitchen. It was one I had never heard before. Knowing this new meeting wasn't going to end well I stood calmly by the counter waiting for the pony. "So what can I get for yo-...you're...you're a-" came from the small plump pony staring at me.
"yeah don't finish that. I'm here for the small pink one calls herself Pinkie Pie, kinda crazy, never shuts up. You know her?" I ask in a bored tone. She nods her head clearly flabbergasted and unable to talk. "Go get her and tell her that J is here for her will ya?" I ask to which she nods again and speeds out of the room. With a sigh I sit down at one of the tables and rub my eyes. I look up to see Pinkie staring at me with those giant eyes of hers with a huge grin. I sighed deeply before responding to her presence. "Yes Pinkie you wanted something?" I ask eager to get this over with.
"Hi J how are you?" she asks me instead of answering my question.
"You didn't answer my question." I say a little more than irritated.
"You didn't answer mine." She replies with a big grin. Only further annoying me.
"I do not have time for games Pinkie either say what you want or I'll leave." I say in a defeated tone.
"You're no fun J." she says with a frown. I silently stare at her for her to get the hint. "Why did you kill that dragon?" she asks me in a serious tone. I looked at her still face and could tell that she was needed to know this.
"I killed him before he killed you." I say in a neutral tone. My face an unreadable mask and my arms crossed across my chest as if challenging her to say otherwise.
"Did you have to kill it though?" she asks quietly that I almost didn't hear her.
"Would you rather be dead and it still alive? What if it killed your friends too? Would rather it take all your lives just so it wouldn't die?" I ask her. She looks at me unsure of what to say. "You have a life here and are needed here. Don't let it bother you, I'm the one who killed it and I will take responsibility for it. I do not regret my decision and neither should you. People depend on you so smile, and let it go." I say to her. She sits there unsure of what to say and I leave her like that. I quietly leave the shop and walk back into the town. The ponies are still inside their homes and the town almost looks barren. I make my way to the park to see if Rainbow is there. Sure enough I see her rainbow tail on a cloud above the park. I snatch a random stone on the ground and flick it at her with amazing precision.
"ow, who did that!?" Rainbow asks flying away from her cloud to see me. "Oh J, it's just you." She says as if dreading the moment when we would have to talk.
"You know I could just leave if you don't want to talk. I get the feeling that I'm not wanted around her and I do have other things to do so we can talk another time or whenever." I reply hoping that she would drop it and leave me be. Unfortunately things have a tendency to not go my way, at least with social interactions.
"Wait, can you teach me to fight like you?" Rainbow asks me.
"No" I respond with lack of any feeling.
"Why not?" she asks angry at me denying her.
"Are you willing to kill another being?" I ask her in a serious tone.
"No." she responds appalled at the idea.
"Then I cannot teach you to fight like me nor will I." I reply almost annoyed at her response.
"Why not?" she asks yet again. I sigh and explain to her.
"I fight to kill. If you don't wish to kill then teaching you otherwise would be a moot point. I don't have time to be wasting on trying to teach you something you won't do. Is that all?" I respond.
"Wait, can't you teach me something?" she asks desperate for something. I groan audibly.
"Fine I will teach you one thing." I say. She lightens up after that and looks at me hopefully. "Stay hydrated. That is all." I say concluding her one and only teaching. She looks at me incredulously. I take that moment to slip away into the forest. I quickly find the path to my cave that I made for the ponies. As I approached the cave I see Glib playing with one of the traps I made. Deciding to surprise him I snuck up behind him and tapped his shoulder.
"Ah!" he yells out surprised setting off the trap and getting a slap to the face with a branch. He looks at me with contempt in his face as I laugh at his blunder. "Ha ha laugh it off while you can. It was a bitch to move that dragon, so I had to break it off into pieces that I could actually move. Remind me to never work with you again, freaking slave driver." He says to me mumbling the last part.
"come on we have to check out the borders of Everfree, its best to know your surroundings. Oh before we go what kind of weapons did you find in the horde?" I ask curious to see what new objects I might have gotten.
"Well I know for certain that you got this really big red sword that's pretty long. Everything else was either gold or red but you got lots of swords and a few axes. Other than that not much other than a weird looking earing. I wouldn't touch it if I were you I tried messing with it and it almost lit my whole hand on fire." He says with a shudder. I decide to check the weapons that he is referring to which are just off to the side in the cave lain haphazardly all over the floor. I see the sword he's talking about and notice that it's a claymore that is rather taller than normal. The weapon already has a sheath but it's about as tall as me. I decide to take the blade with me and strap it on to my back. I toss another golden claymore at Glib to hold on in case we get in trouble. I see pair of silver gem studded knives and decide to take those along as well. Glib looked happy to be doing something and kept jumping around looking at different things. I swear he's worse than Pinkie. Hopefully we don't find anything too dangerous in the forest. Little did I know that soon I would be fighting for my life. |
The Story of J | The Face Off | I slowly open my eyes to see everything move past me slowly. I think I'm flying in slow motion right now. There's too much adrenaline pumping through me right now to focus on anything. Why am I flying in the first place anyway? You then notice the lack of vision in your right eye. You reach up to touch an empty socket and strangely feel calm. Then I feel a sharp pain on my right side, where a huge chunk of flesh is missing. I could see my ribs and how a few of them are digging into what might be my lungs. This should make me feel panicked and distressed but there is a strange sense of calm washing over me. I close my eyes to see a thick darkness covering me. It feels like time has stopped like it no longer exists when I'm in this darkness, but I feel something dragging me back away from the darkness. I slowly open my eyes and my body slams into a tree at the same time snapping me away from my reprieve. Suddenly I remember what happened.
30 minutes ago
We were scoping out the forest for a better understanding of our surroundings. We had been making a good pace and we were far into the Everfree. It was about three hours away from Ponyville when Glib stared to make his 156 attempt to make me laugh. It was failing, yet the kid had perseverance. We knew little about each other, by that I mean that Glib knew a lot about me. It was rather creepy, almost stalkerish, yet I didn't know much about him. I'm not one for idle talk however and took a silent reproach to his loud and boisterous behavior. It was around midday when we heard a shout for help. "A damsel in distress! Don't worry fair maiden I shall save you!" the idiot says aloud.
"No, you idiot, don't go running off!" I yell at him but it was futile as he ran in pursuit of the scream. However I held some suspicion about who could be this far out in the forest. Sadly being forced to help the idiot I chased after him. As I hurried to catch after him I heard a loud snap near me that sounded similar to the sound of breaking bones. Shortly after a body comes flying towards me that I barely manage to sidestep, only to catch a huge claw to my right side. I manage to spin my body with the blow to reduce its power however the claw managed to take a chunk of my side. I turn towards the attacker to see a huge creature that stood well above me. Its fur was whiter than snow and had menacing claws on both its hands and feet that looked it could rip apart anything. Blood dripped from its mouth as I could see it eating the chunk of my flesh off its hands. It was beyond repulsive. I snap into focus and pull out the giant sword attached to my back. My right side is bleeding badly but I don't pay it any heed. I tightly grip the handle of the sword and charge the creature.
I move quickly and swing my sword at its head for a quick kill, but as my sword digs into its flesh it stops suddenly in the creature as if the muscles itself were stopping the sword. I clinch my teeth and put my entire into the cut to quickly end the battle, however fate is cruel. My sword only goes a little further into its neck when the creature yanks the sword out its neck pissed. As strangely as that was the wound heals up quickly leaving no mark. The creature then rams into me pushing me away from it only to claw my face, I bring up my sword to block but I'm too slow and it tears out my right eye. I grimace at the overwhelming pain that's racking my body. The creature is testing me and I can't afford to lose. I swing my sword in quick succession, trying to stay on the offensive, but the creature is too quick. It moves swiftly in between my blows and I'm swinging at air. Suddenly it slams me into the air.
This is where I am now. My sword dropped somewhere in the fray and all I have left are my silver daggers. I take them out and twirl them around a little. I look at the approaching monster that eyes me warily, unsure of what to make of the daggers. I move them constantly to distract myself from the pain. I suddenly rush the beast and it brings its claw down on me, however the beast only hits air. With quickness that is beyond comprehension I circle the beast in a circle cutting it wherever my knives can reach. I cut its cheek, left leg, hip, right arm and all across its chest before it could even defend itself. I notice that the cuts I make hurt it and do not heal up immediately. I move even quicker as I slash its hamstring making it fall to the ground. I dig my knives into his neck and twist it around to add to the beast's pain. I cut it open from its stomach to its chest and ram my knives into its eyes. Rage builds in my as I rip its chest open and pound on its insides. Mercilessly I beat upon the beast, cracking its ribs and beating its lungs to a bloody mush.
The creature is misfortunate enough to still be conscious enough to feel the daggers being rammed into its eyes and screams in pain. It whimpers as it feels each mighty blow I deliver it and is powerless to do anything. Slowly the once proud Wendigo falls unto a sleep it will never awake from again.
I feel nothing. Each punch I give seems to take forever and this rage building up inside me is taking over. Why am I so mad? I'm usually so calm and composed, but this anger raging inside of me. It's not like I hate the creature but it's like I want to destroy everything around me. I feel a hand touch my shoulder. I growled and turned to see Glib looking at me with a worried look. It takes all my willpower not to raise my fist at him. I control my breathing long enough to feel the adrenaline starting to wear off of me. I stand up away from the bloody mush that was once the creature that attacked me, only to fall down next to a tree.
"You alright there? I mean I wanted to beat the shit out of the thing too, but you turned that windigo into a pile of mush man. You just went apeshit on it. One minute your over there getting your ass handed to you the next minute you're flying all over it cutting it up like you're a butcher or some shit. Then your eye went all red and you're ripping it open with your hands beating the crap out of it. I was all like 'damn'. The more you were beating him though the bigger you got. Then when I came over to snap you out of it you growled at me like you were some sort of wild animal. Almost thought you were gonna beat me next. Kinda glad you didn't, do you know how hard it is to get this face looking like this? I don't because I don't do anything special with it but you know I rather like my face on my face, or is it head. What do you think?" Glib says going on and on. I was too busy calming myself down to pay him any mind.
"I think, that you talk too much." I say grimacing in pain. I look over to Glib as he pulls out a lighter. "What are you doing?" I ask.
"Finishing it off. Have to burn a windago to ashes for it to die and not come back. Damn thing will just chase you down to the ends of the earth if you don't." He says actually looking serious for once.
"How the hell you know it's a windago and why didn't you tell me earlier?" I ask.
"Well I took a nice concussion and didn't actually think about it till now. Besides I think good ol Snokey here will make a nice bonfire." He says smirking to himself, as he pulls out a lighter from seemingly nowhere. He then strikes it a few times until a small flame rises from it. "See you in hell." He says turning away. Then he tosses the lighter behind him at the mush that's left of the wendigo only for the fire to die out before it even hit it.
"hahahahaha." I laugh at his stupidity. "Did you actually think it would just burst into flames if you said a cool catch phrase?" I ask him laughing at him at the same time. He looks to me with a disappointed face.
"Yeah kinda." He answers, which only makes me laugh harder at him. It's so funny that its painful. Probably because my lung was punctured by my ribs but I can't help but laugh through the pain at the sheer stupidity of him. This only causes him to frown with displeasure at being laughed at. "You're never going to let me live that down are you?" he asks.
"Of course not. I mean how stupid do you have to be to actually think that you would actually set fire to something like that. Oh god, I can't believe you did that." I say still laughing at him. "You even did the lame catch phrase, did you think that you were a badass or something. Start a small fire dumbass and then use that to burn it. Dumbass." I say still chortling at him. After setting fire to the beast I start limping back the way we came. "Let's go home." I say. Glib comes up and supports my side to I don't fall. Just like that, after a hard day of kicking ass, we were walking through the forest. It was quiet, but silence like that doesn't ever last.
"So you beat that monster into a mush ehh?" Glib says raising his eyebrows ever so slightly.
"Yeah I did, beat the shit of that thing." I say wincing at my wound.
"You beat that thing up really good huh? Cough cough, wink wink, nudge nudge." Glib says.
"I told you I-....You sick bastard." I say shaking my head at the perverseness of my companion.
> Stitched Together
We couldn't move fast through the forest like how we had arrived. I was seriously wounded and bleeding out. I used my tattered shirt to stop the bleeding as much as possible, wrapping the whole shirt around my body to cover the injury I had received from the windigo. Still it took us four days to arrive back at my cave. I had passed out multiple times from blood loss along the way and I very nearly didn't make it. On the fourth day my body couldn't take any more. I felt my eye socket flare with pain as if there was a blazing inferno where my eye used to be. I fell to a soft cushiony mat. I opened my eye to see that I had somehow fallen on a gurney of some kind with Glib pushing me. Somehow Glib had put me in a gurney that came from seemingly nowhere and was racing me back to the cave. I was breathing erratically and I could feel my lung starting to collapse.
"Stay with me buddy! We won't make it to the cave in time, by ordinary means." I was about to ask him what he meant when all of a sudden strange shaped rockets poked out of the gurney and propelled us forth at extreme speeds. "Yehaw! Nitrous on a gurney! That should speed things up a bit don't you think?" Glib asked however I was unable to answer. The pain racking my body was overwhelming and I could barely understand his words over the roar of the rockets and how fast we were going. I looked at Glib to see him wearing some kind of doctor outfit and smiling at me as if he was crazy. It wouldn't surprise me if he was. He then pulled out a syringe from seemingly nowhere and injected my thigh with it.
"Don't worry the morphine I just gave you should knock you right out, in a few seconds." He said with confidence. I could feel the drug in my body numbing the pain quickly. However I was worried about the dosage of how much he had given me.
"How much?" I managed to slur very difficultly. I was barely holding on to consciousness.
"Oh, only about 6400 milligrams, I think. What's the standard dose again?" He said more to himself than to me. I looked at him worriedly, it wasn't that I didn't trust him to save my life, it was just that I really didn't trust him to save me at all. He saw how worried I looked and looked down at me and smiled.
"Don't worry I'm a professional! Always wanted to say that." He said making me worry all the more as I finally lost hold of consciousness.
I'm falling into the dark. A tiny light shines above me getting smaller and smaller as I fall further and further away from it. I reach my hand to the shimmer of light that's left but it is pointless and stops nothing. Around me images blur and a sense of regret washes over me. It feels like I'm reliving my life all over again except someone put it on fast forward. Then suddenly the images stop and I'm forced to remember a memory that sticks to my conscious like a bee to a flower.
There was fire everywhere. I remember this scene vividly as if I just happened yesterday. I'm standing in a school, where little kids go. The fire was roaring with intensity that no one could control. I stood there helpless in the room as I looked on in horror as the little children burned away. They screamed for their mothers and their fathers. They yelled for anyone to come save them. I couldn't do anything, but cry. That day I felt truly powerless and weak, and have never been able to forgive myself. As hundreds of kids were sacrificed for one man's death, I tried to reassure myself that it wasn't my fault, but I was the one responsible for burning that school to the ground. So that it would look like an accident. By the time the fire fighters got there everyone had long since been dead. Nothing in my life had ever made me cry until that event.
Now here I was reliving this tragedy once more. once more I'm forced to look on as the kids are set ablaze, forced to smell the foul stench of cooking humans, forced to remember the price of one man's life. Tears quickly ran down my face as I hear their screams. It feels like those screams echo around me, tormenting me, driving me to the brink of insanity. Then suddenly the memory falls apart.
Beep
'Where am I?' I think to myself. My eyes refuse to open and my body doesn't want to listen to me. I lay there immovable for a few minutes before I hear multiple footsteps. It sounds like the doctor's coming to check on me but it feels off for some reason.
"The patient still appears to be sleeping doctor." Says a feminine voice sounding nervous. I assume she's talking about me.
"Hmm, it has been asleep for three days now. It very nearly died during the operation. It should be lucky that it has similar anatomy to Griffon's or we wouldn't have been able to save it." The doctor says arrogantly. He sounded really stuck up and kept calling me it. It was very rude and I felt like getting up and punching him in the face. Instead I did the only thing I could do growl at him. They both were startled and gave cries of surprise.
"Maybe we should let it be Doctor Feelgood?" said the female. I couldn't help but crack a smile at that. If I could I'd be laughing my ass off at the ridiculousness of the situation. It was a little sad that I had thousands of different puns in my head and no way to say them, unless they understood grunts and growls.
"Well Nurse Redheart I think that you may be right." Dr. Feelgood says as they both leave the room. I sit there listening to the steady beeping of the heart monitor. It slowly lulls me back to sleep.
Red decorates my vision. Everything is a bright red as if everything were bleeding around me. My hands feel heavy, and I'm breathing haggardly as if I ran across the world twice. I'm on my knees staring down at what was once a face. Now it is nothing more than a bloody mush of brain matter and flesh. I feel hatred for this person in front of me. You take in your surroundings to see dozens of other bodies beaten and hacked away. It looks like a battlefield had occurred. You see most of the bodies skewered with swords, pikes, spears and any other weaponry known to man. Then as if the world was against you, you began to fall through the air rocketing downwards to earth. Before you could hit the ground all you felt was rage at something you lost. Try as you might you couldn't remember what it was that you lost that made you so mad, but whatever it was made you feel like losing yourself to the rage once again. You screamed in anger against the world just before you hit the ground.
With a loud gasp you shoot up in your sick bed. Only to regret moving so quickly as your body aches with the sudden movement and your side feels like it's on fire. I could hear the heart monitor next to me beeping loudly as my heart felt like it was going to leap out of my chest. I punched straight through the thing and threw it at the wall in anger. It stopped the infernal noise at least. It was then I noticed that I could move my body again. I rubbed my temples as I tried to forget the most recent dream that was still running through my mind. My body was covered in cold sweat leaving my clothes damp. I noticed that I was now wearing a hospital gown that was far too small and barely covered my crotch.
I start to sit up only to regret the action as my body protests greatly aching from the stiffness of not moving for at least a few days. I groaned audibly as I stretched my body slowly getting the kinks out of my body. After I was able to finally get up I searched the room for my clothes. I found some spare clothes that looked like Rarity had made them in one of the dressers in the room. I searched for the less sparkly clothes and luckily found one set of clothes that managed to look somewhat good, meaning they weren't covered in gems or overly fancy. I put on the new clothes and ripped off the overly small gown. I noticed that there were stiches covering my side where I almost bleed out to death. They seemed pretty well done for amateurs.
I covered myself up and made my way out of the hospital unnoticed by the doctors and nurses completely. As I snuck outside I was greeted with the bright rays of sunlight. I squint my eye, noticing with great anger the loss of one of my eyes. I frowned as I walked through the town noticing that the ponies weren't running away from me this time but were whispering amongst themselves about me. Rather loudly too as I heard much of their conversations.
"What's with the hairless ape walking through town?" one said to another.
"Ape I thought it was a monkey?" the other replied.
"Mommy can I pet the big monkey?" a child asked his mother.
"No dear it looks like it might bite." A mother said nervously.
"What is that strange thing walking around town?" A lady said gossiping.
"Maybe it's an exotic creature from a far off land?" Another lady said continuing the gossip.
"Or worst, it could be from the Everfree!" The last lady said finishing the gossip, making them all shiver as the imagined that possibility. My frown deepening to a scowl with each remark I heard. I continued my unheeded walk scowling as the ponies continued to gossip about me only furthering my desire to throttle them all. I clenched my hands in rising anger. Then suddenly as if knowing that I was close to boiling over in anger a pink blur tackles me to the ground immediately dispelling my anger.
"OhmygoshJiwassoworriedaboutyouandwheniheardyouwereinthehospitalithoughtyouweregoingtodiebecauseiwasoverthinkingeverythingandyourtheonlyonewhohaseverunderstoodwhoireallyamandhowireallyfeelandididntwantyoutodiebeforeitoldyouabouthowifeltforyou-" I cut off Pinkie before she could say anymore already feeling a headache coming on from hearing her talking incoherently.
"Pinkie you have to slow down if you want me to understand you. I'm fine anyway so don't worry about it." I say nonchalantly trying to brush off the subject. Pinkie simply cries onto my chest awkwardly clinging to my sides. I grimace in pain but she doesn't notice and only squeezes harder much to my chagrin.
"Don't scare me like that again. I was so worried." Pinkie says still crying on me as if I was handkerchief. I dislike crying people, especially children. I feel bad for them and I feel guilt tripped into helping them. All I could do here is simply pat her head as she bawled her eyes out trying to reassure her. It drew attention to us both and I hated direct attention towards me. The whisperings grew louder as they gossiped more about me. As I got up to leave Pinkie grabbed my shirt tightly. I looked at her as she looked at me with those big eyes.
"Don't leave me again." Her eyes and her voice were so compelling that I was moved to compassion. I hated every minute of the unfamiliar feeling. I shifted awkwardly under the unwanted attention. However Pinkie was oblivious to my uneasiness or she just didn't care as we lay there in the middle of the road gaining more attention to us. I could feel my cheeks blush a little as my embarrassment increased with every second.
"Pinkie can we do this somewhere else? We're getting a lot of unwanted attention. That way we can have a little of privacy and I can breathe." I say feeling like passing out from the pain. I manage to get up with Pinkie still holding tightly onto to me and drag the both of us to Twilight's library for some privacy. As I waltz in to the library I hear Spike calling from the other room that he'll be right there. I find a couch and sit there trying to catch my breath. I feel my eyelid get heavy as I feel drained of strength. I look down to see Pinkie sleeping peaceful still clinging to me. Then my savior came in the form of a baby dragon as he yells out "J's back!" He then runs up to me and hugs me. I hear the clacking of hooves as Twilight runs downstairs to embrace me as well. This only added to my pain as more weight is put on me.
"You had me worried sick J." Twilight mumbles into my shirt
"Yay Group hug!" Pinkie yells out squeezing us all in. It was painful and I felt like my stiches would rip any moment. Thankfully they didn't sadly we stayed in the hug for a while. When they finally got off of me to breathe they immediately wanted to know what happened to me.
"Fell down a flight of stairs?" I ask trying to act coy about the situation. Twilight looked at me disapproving as she could see through the lie. Pinkie laughed at my response.
"What really happened we found just outside of the Everfree bandaged up. You were still losing a lot of blood though it's surprising that you're alive." Twilight says looking crestfallen as she recalls the event.
"I tripped." I say as if that would totally explain everything. Both of them stared at me as if I was crazy to actually think that they would buy that. "I'm kinda hungry, do you have anything to eat?" I ask evading the question now.
"Why won't you tell us what happened to you?" ask Twilight as if I would actually give her a straight answer.
"I told you already I tripped end of story nothing more needs be said." I say trying to end the conversation there.
"J you're missing an eye and you were bleeding out that doesn't happen from tripping! What is it that you're hiding from us that you don't want us to know?" Twilight snaps at me trying to get a truthful response.
"It's none of your business, if you don't believe me when I tell you that I tripped. What do I have to hide from any of you?" I say smugly knowing she isn't going to get a straight answer from me. Twilight realizes it too as she sighs overly exaggerating the sigh. "Now if you don't mind I have to go back to my cave." I say in a serious tone. I was caught off guard and almost died because of it. I was a fool to let my guard down. It won't happen again.
"But you just got back J and you've only just gotten out of the hospital! Did they let you out? They didn't did they?" Twilights says it more like a statement than a question.
"Maybe they wanted to give him a surprise party and let him go so he could be surprised when he came back." Pinkie always thinking of a party.
"Yeah let's go with that." I say hoping to brush the subject off.
"J you are not going to just brush this off!" Twilight yells at me. Now I'm a pretty laid back guy, but if you yell at me you best to expect to be yelled at as well.
"And who are you to say what I can and can't do!? You will not control my like your slave Spike! I have a mind of my own and can think for my own damn self." I yell getting more and more riled up by the second. I see Pinkie flatten her ears as she sees this starting to go out of control.
"Spike is not my slave! Stop changing the topic we're talking about you!" Twilight yells back only degrading the situation.
"Can't we just get along guys?" Pinkie says trying to defuse the situation to no avail.
"He might as well be one with the way you treat him! You lock him indoors and force him to shuffle around this library doing your bidding! Your over protectiveness is suffocating him. One day he will run away from you at this point from your ignorance." I say clenching my fist. I could care less about Spike but slavery left a bad taste in my mouth. This was more of my anger at my loss of an eye and the injuries I sustained from my lack of preparation.
"So he can become as reckless as you and hurt himself severely!? So he can lose a limb or even an eye like you J!? You are impulsive, stupid, brash..." My rage had reached its peak and within seconds I was in front of Twilight. I took a knee to look her straight in the eyes with my eye.
"Continue that train of thought, I dare you." I say with malice dripping with each word. Both Twilight and Pinkie shivered at my voice and Twilight trembled in fear at what I would do to her. "I refuse to controlled by anyone. I will not sit there and let you insult me any further. I have better things to do than listen to you prattle on and insult me." With that I leave the library quickly. Neither of them dared to follow me in my current mood.
I quickly made my way to the cave and found Glib playing with a huge looking pistol humming a familiar tune. I shook my head as he started singing.
"Hey look buddy, I'm a badass, that means I solve problems. Not problems like, "What is love," because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. I solve practical problems. For instance, how am I gonna get my gun to blow off your head? The answer is with extreme precision. And if that don't work, use more bullets. Like this custom made .308 gun thought by me, made by me, and you'd best hope.... not aiming at you."
I smirk a little at the words. "Don't suppose that song comes with a wrench and a few turrets?" I ask just for the hell of it.
"Now where would the fun in that be?" He asks jovially.
"Could've used that gun earlier when I was getting mauled by the two ton hulking yeti." I say a little irritated that he wasn't more helpful.
"Not my fault, little Snuggems has a mind of its own." He says caressing the gun lovingly.
"You named the gun Snuggems? I don't even want to know. Next time use the damn thing." I say shaking my head at the situation. "Anyway we need to gear up and train ourselves so situations like that don't happen again." I say. 'Never again will I be so ill prepared'. I vow silently to myself. |
The Story of J | The Silent Night | A/N:viewer discretion is advised
It was something about this day that made me feel sick to my stomach. I had a bad feeling about tonight. Something was coming and the forest seemed more agitated than usual. I clenched my long bow tightly in my hand. I felt the wind blowing strongly yet I could still hear the beating of wings right above me. I let them think I was unaware of their presence and grabbed one of the dragon tooth knives in my free hand. I concealed the blade in my sleeves and waited until the person had settled right behind me. Almost as quick as lightning I turned and held the dagger at my stalker's throat. To my surprise it was an Alicorn with a midnight blue fur. Looking at her I felt my blood stir and clenched the dagger tighter.
"Luna I presume. It isn't nice to creep on people." I chimed in with controlled anger. I wasn't really angry that she crept on me, no I just hated her almost naturally. It was weird, that I couldn't really say why I hated her only that I hated her very existence.
"We were just out enjoying the night when we came upon thee staring off into the night. We decided to meet thee for thine self." She said almost proud and indignant. She had a crescent shape of the moon as a cutie mark. Seeing her cutie mark made me clench my teeth as I could feel my anger rising.
"Well you've met me now. Now leave me be I have better things to do than prattle on with an lonely pony." I said with hostility, making it known that she wasn't wanted. Sadly she didn't move.
"We aren't lonely! We have many friends to talk to." She replied stubbornly. If she wasn't going to leave me in peace then i'd give her the worst first impression of me.
"Your servants don't count and neither do your guards that you ditched. Your alone with no friends and no one to talk to. Furthermore you're probably supposed to be working right now but decided to ditch work because it was boring. You should act a little more responsible, for a princess you sure are irresponsible and brash. No wonder the ponies don't like you." I say coldly containing my anger with the harsh words towards her. I looked at her to see tears in her eyes and a scowl on her face.
"That isn't true!" she replies weakly more like she's trying to convince herself than me. I smirk as I see the perfect way to send her crying back home.
"Face it you're not needed at all. All you do is take up room and cause problems for everyone around you. Even your own sister banished you to the moon because of your actions. I bet you she's too afraid to give you anything important because you might ruin it and mess up your sister's perfect reputation." I say adding more coal to the fire.
"Celestia trusts me! You're nothing more than a liar!" She says angrily getting more riled up by my words. She then glares hatefully at me as if that will hurt me.
"I may be a liar but i'm not the one who caused an entire civil war killing hundreds of ponies in the process." I say ending the debate and breaking her will to continue to argue. She openly cries and flies away as if realizing that all the deaths of those ponies were her fault for the first time. I smirk as I watch her fly away feeling successful in making a princess cry.
I turn back to the forest to see that its calmed down and has its same ominous feeling as usual. I turn to see a few wolves looking at me from a distance respectfully appraising me as the better hunter. Here in the forest its simple, the animals in it all respect one another as either prey or hunter. As long as you don't impede on another's territory hunters go along their way. I see a dark green plant that I can use for later and quickly grab it and stuff it in my pouch.
I hear a howl suddenly further into the forest and see the timberwolves race past me to join their pack. However i'm more on alert than before because that was a howl of attack. Curious to see what's going on I jump into the overhead trees and jump between trees quickly to the scene. Once there I see a huge pack of wolves fight black looking ponies. A better look confirms that they are actually bugs. They has to be at least 50 of them fighting of 35 timberwolves.
I decided to watch the fight to see how these bugs fight. The wolves are faster and separate a single bug before pouncing on it and tearing it apart. I admire the pack leader's strategy. I see the alpha sitting of to the side barking orders to the pack every now and then. The wolves are ferocious but the bugs outnumber them. Suddenly I see a few bugs horn's light up and shortly afterwards they fling fireballs at the wolves. The fireballs are extremely effective and kill a dozen dogs quickly. The alpha the orders the retreat and they slink away into the woods giving up the fight.
The bugs shuffle about for a minute and then they start to move once more towards Ponyville. I arm my bow with three arrows and quickly let them fly. As soon as I see the three bugs drop dead I quietly jump into another tree. I see the bugs scramble about trying to find me but i'm well hidden. I arm five arrows this time and let them fly into five different bugs in flawless precision. Each arrow burrows deep into their head and I quietly jump into another tree. I arm my bow with another five arrows and five more bug drop dead. I jump into another tree and then decide to play with my prey. I let my body fall back into the dark and let the darkness envelop my body as I become one with the darkness. I land softly on the ground and leap to the cluttered group of bugs. There are 35 bugs left, perfect enough to warm up.
I grab the nearest bug and twist its head cleanly off. I then grab two daggers in each hand and jam them into the the throats of the two nearest bugs. I slice the necks in half and jump onto the back of another stab his eyes out. The bug's scream was exhilarating and made me more excited to slice the rest of them open. I twist the daggers further into his skull as he dies and launch off of him into another bug. I cut his forelegs off in one quick sweep of my blades and throw him into a group of his allies. I twirl around in a whirlwind of blades slicing up the four nearest bugs to me. I then throw the daggers at two random bugs and throw two more at two fleeing bugs. I quickly grab my daggers off the nearest bodies and dance around the bugs killing them quickly. Soon all that's left is a weeping bug in front of me. The bug has already shit himself and is trembling before me. It has a crooked horn like a unicorn but no cutie mark.
"Do you know why I kept you alive?" I say with no remorse. The bug looks up at my pathetically sniveling and mumbles something I can't understand."I can't hear you." I say as I reach to grab its horn to snap it off but it changes into a manticore. It raises its paw to swipe at me but I quickly punch its nose and it reverts back to its original bug form with a bloody nose. It screams and moans in pain. "What are you?" I ask with little patience. It's still crying over its bloody nose so I grab its horn and snap it clean off and its shrieks were loud enough to wake the whole forest. "I asked you a question if you don't answer the next thing that goes is an eye." I say with malice. The bug looks up at me and pisses itself.
"I'm a changeling please don't hurt me anymore." It begs me pitifully.I look at it in disgust and grabbed the knife and its head and pushed the knife right next to its eye.
"Who is your ruler?" I ask eager to plunge the knife into its eye.
"Queen Chrysalis please just let me go." It continues to plea desperate to live. I however was not moved by its pleas and plunge the knife into its eye and fish out the eye and pop it in my mouth munching on it. It's squishy and juicy but has a slimy taste to it. The bug wails as its eye is now missing and it's future looks more grim.
"I've had better. What's your name? Never mind i don't care i'll just call you Steve. Now Steve tell me your new name." I say putting the dagger by its other eye waiting to pop the other one out. It cries from its one lone eye as it stammers.
"Mmm- my name is sss- Steve."
"Good Steve now tell me how you communicate with the hive and don't stammer this time I just might take the other eye if you do. So take a deep breath and say it clearly." I say smiling at the tortured bug as if to give it hope that I might spare it. Steve takes a few deep breaths trying to calm itself down.
"We talk through telepathy with our horns." It manages to say clearly. Though just for good measure I punch its muzzle and a tooth flies from its mouth.
"Now where were you going Steve?" I ask it playing with the dagger in my hand.
"We were heading to Ponyville to scout the area for food. We use the ponies to feed off of because we eat their emotions." Steve says to me. The last part was actually interesting but it sounded inconvenient to eat emotions.
"So your Queen decided to try and steal subjects from Ponyville and replace the citizens with sleeper agents hmm. Smart planning but you changelings lack any power at all and you don't weigh much either. Still nothing magic can't help with right. Can all of you use magic?" I ask it curious to find out as much as possible about them. Then I grab the changeling and use the holes on its leg to nail it to a tree.
"What are doing to me?" It asks not wanting anymore pain. I backhand Steve hard enough for it to spit out more broken and chipped teeth.
"I asked you a question Steve and you didn't answer me. It's rude not to answer a question someone has asked you. Continue to be rude and I may forget my manners and start hurting you more.
"Please don't. Not all of us can use magic, very few of us can only the Queen's guard can. Everyone else is either broken down to either a worker or a soldier."
"Good Steve now that wasn't so hard now was it? Now playtime is over it's been fun Steve it really has." I say and before it can open its mouth I grab its throat and painfully rip him off the tree making it near impossible to stand up on his own. "Now go and warn the Queen that a beast will rip apart any changelings that stray into the forest." As I finish up what i'm saying I see Steve painfully stand up and open its wings and fly away.
I grab all my knives from the dead bodies and the tree and quickly make my way back to the cave in high spirits. Today looks like it just might be a good day. I stop by a creek to wash off the blood of me and I notice that the changelings blood is green just like a bug. Afterwards I head back to the cave and find Fluttershy waiting by the entrance to my surprise.
"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise what can I do for you today Fluttershy?" I ask not really caring what she wanted.
"Well umm J I was talking to some of the animals in the forest and umm they told me that you lived here and umm I wanted to apologize to you and umm say that i'm sorry for giving you the stare." Fluttershy said meekly and almost too quietly for me to hear.
"ok" I say curtly trying to end the conversation quickly.
"Ohh and Applejack and Twilight wanted to talk to you also. I guess i'll go now." I quietly watch Fluttershy walk away and retreat into my cave when she's finally gone. I then drop off my bow and arrows and most of my knives and change into better clothes. After changing I start to walk to Twilight's guessing that she wanted to apologize.
As soon as I arrived at Twilight's I stood in front of the doorway and knocked. I waited a moment and then turned to walk away to see Twilight looking up at me with a bag full of paper and ink. She smiled up at me as if pleasantly surprised to see me.
"Hey J looking to check out a book?" Twilight innocently asks me.
"You know damn well that you told Fluttershy you wanted to talk to me and sent her to my cave. You could have just went to see me yourself you know." I say a little irritated that she sent Fluttershy of all people to my cave.
"Well i had to pick up a few things and Fluttershy was going to head out into the woods to check on the animals anyway so I asked if she could check on you too." She says as if that would make it alright to send Fluttershy.
"So i'm an animal now that you have to check up on every now and then to see if i'm behaving?" I remark sarcastically.Twilight then opens the door and we continue the conversation inside.
"That's not what I meant J and you know it, stop trying to change my words around."She says already seeing through my plan to mess with her.
"Anyway where is Spike?"I ask kind of missing the small dragon.
"Ohh he's hunting for gems with Rarity." she says dismissively.
"So we're all alone are we?" I say with a devilish smirk.
"Yeah I suppose we are, why?" She asks cautious of my question.
"Well you look a little tense there Twilight you should relax a little." I say as i walk up to Twilight and grab her.
"Wha- What are you doing J?" She asks worried about what i'll do to her.
"Shhh just accept it Twilight." I whisper to her in her ear.
"We can't do that J! I mean i've never done anything like that before with any pony iv'e never even had a special somepony before and-" She starts to panic and babble on as well as turning her entire coat red.
"Calm down Twilight i'm just going to give you a massage but if you want to get more intimate then who am I to say no." I say playfully in Twilight's ear. I then nibble on her ear for good show and she moans just as the door barges open. In the doorway stands Applejack with a shocked expression and then a mischievous smile.
"I reckon y'all want some alone time." Applejack says haughtily. Twilight's whole body turns violet red.
"It's not what it looks like Applejack!" Twilight yells
"Sure it ain't" Applejack responds dryly.
"You jealous Applejack?" I ask teasingly. Suddenly Spike runs up out of breath.
"Fillies in trouble in the Everfree." Spike says. Suddenly everyone is running out of the door and on there way to the Everfree. I go at a full sprint and don't hear Twilight or Applejack telling me that we should go in all together.
"Stay out of the forest you'll only agitate the creatures let me handle this." I say and don't wait for them to respond as I sprint quickly past them and rush into the forest.
I stop for a second once inside the forest and open up my ears to any noises. I hear a scream and I bolt in the direction of the scream. Soon after I see three fillies huddled up by a tree scared out of their minds and looking behind me pointing at something. As soon as I turn around I regret it. Standing high above me is a hydra and it roars at me.
"Today must be a Monday. I hate Mondays." I say to myself. |
The Story of J | Five heads is always better than one right? | I stare intently at the hydra and the hydra stares warily. We both start to circle each other waiting for the other to strike. I keep all five heads of the hydra in my site while I think of the best way to handle the situation. I have three daggers on me and I can see in the distance one of my pitfall traps. So were closer to my territory I could lead him to the pitfall to stumble him and then finish him off but the fillies are watching us.
"What are you doing still here your in my way! If you don't leave I can't promise that you'll live." I shout quickly to them and it's enough to get them running towards town.I Turn back to see one of the heads launching at me to make quick work of me. Seconds before the head reaches me I pull my daggers out of my sleeves and cut upwards in a whirlwind of attacks slicing the head into pieces. Blood drenches me and I grin like a madman. I can feel the blood pumping through my veins as the sight and smell of blood starts to excite me and I can feel time starting to move more slowly. I let the blood rush fill me with boundless energy and jump quickly to the next head. Just as the beast roars in pain I've made my way to the next head and in three lightning quick arcs the next head falls to the ground. I jump off the neck of the second head and cut through the rest of the heads long necks the other three heads join the others. As I jump away I see their necks start to bulge and get bigger. Then suddenly two heads pop out of each dismembered head. I then get into a defensive stance with my daggers and make slow wide arcs around me, breathing slowly. As the heads start to lunge forward at me my hands became a blur of movements as the wide arcs around me form a whirlwind of blows acting as a barrier. As the heads try to eat me they get chopped to bit quickly and my reach amazingly gets longer. A hunger glints in my eyes as if i;m getting stronger from the chopped parts of hydra. Just like the first time more heads pop out and try to kill me. Only to get sliced up into pieces. This process repeats several times to which my body has changed with the blood frenzy. My muscles start to bulge notably and my movements become more fluid and rapid like a undying rapid.
"Time to end this charade!" I shout at the beast and launch forward straight through the hydra. Body parts go flying and blood is falling down like rain upon the gruesome mess. I wear a maniacal grin that shows my obvious delight in killing. I start to laugh while blood from the hydra continuously pours down in torrents. "Hahahahaha!" I'm filled with adrenaline pumping through my veins and in the afterglow of the battle it almost felt like time was standing still as I laughed uncontrollably into the air.
Suddenly I hear the rustling of leaves and I jump towards the sound ready to kill whatever dare approaches me. To my surprise its the fillies staring wide eyed at me in clear fear. It was then I noticed that I had my knife right next to one's neck. I back away slowly as I carefully look at the fillies. There's three of them one yellow with a auburn mane, she had a ribbon in her hair. Another was white with light purple and pink mane with a horn atop her head. The last one was orange with a solid purple mane. They looked weird almost. To me they seemed almost fragile as if I could touch them and they'd break.
Suddenly i'm reminded of the burning building with children stuck in it. A tear rolls down my eye as the memory still haunts me. The blazing inferno is in front of me and the wailing's of the children could barely be heard over the roaring flames. I see their faces pressed against the windows and the doors looking for a way out. Desperately trying to survive to no avail. All I can do is sit there with a sad look on my face. My hands start to shake violently as I try to reach out to save them.
Suddenly the fillies all scoot back away from me breaking me from my flashback. They're huddled together as if that would protect them. I want to comfort them and tell them that it'll be ok. I never was one for words though and seeing the little fillies huddled as close as they can get to each other almost breaks my heart. Almost but I hear the sound of Twilight and her friends nearby calling out.
"Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, where are you?" I hear Twilight yell out.
"Help us! Hurry quick before the monster gets us!" I hear the orange one shout. I grimace noticeably being called a monster and they all see it and start to cry out in panic. I turn away and hide in the shadows of a fallen tree while they cover their faces up.
"Girls we're on our way, we'll save you!" I hear Applejack yell. It doesnt take them long to reach them and when they do the fillies are all crying and sobbing how the monster almost ate them. It isn't until the girls start to describe me do they realize that I was the so called monster.
"Look as much as i'd love to hear how J kicked major flank can we do it outside of the Everfree?" Rainbow Dash asks a little wary of the dangers of the forest. They all quickly agreed to meet at Twilight's and they depart quickly. I take a deep breath and wait a few minutes and hear the howling of wolves. Sounds like I might have to tail them for a bit. I quickly jumped in the tree above me and quickly hop from tree to tree to catch up to them. I'm glad I did because as soon as I caught up to them they appeared to be surrounded by a pack of timberwolves. They were at least 30 of them surround all of them.
"Ugh Twi, I think we're surrounded." Applejack says as the wolves start to circle around them judging their strength.
"Thank you once again Captain Obvious." I say sarcastically making my voice echo all around the wolves and the girls. The wolves look around warily trying to spot me and the girls attempt to do the same. I jump down on a timberwolf and snap its neck in one fluid motion. I jump off the wolf and land in the middle of the circle with the girls. Of course i'm still covered in blood and makes me look more intimidating so the girls all jump when I land nearby but visibly relax when they notice its me.
"Hey sexy you come here often I ask the wolf while looking directly at Rarity. Of course she assumes i'm talking about her and blushes.
"J darling while I appreciate the compliment now is not the time for that." Rarity says in her posh voice.
"Silly Rarity I wasn't talking about you, I was talking to Sir Woodsalot over there. I say pointing at a random wolf. She looks at me partly flustered and partly unsure of what to respond. Though so do the rest of the girls as they're not sure whether or not i'm serious. "So you make me find some fillies in the wood and then walk straight into a wolf den on the way home hmm? I swear i hate Mondays." I say calmly. Just as I finish my sentence 5 of the wolves try to overwhelm me quickly. I of course draw my dagger and cleave through all 5 of them in a single swoop of my small dagger. Then grabbing some of the teeth from one of the wolves I throw them killing the wolves that tried to get the girls while I was busy. Green like sap comes from the wolves wounds however this does not send me a blood rush it almost sickens me.
I jump back to the girls and find a perfect spot for me to both protect the girls and kill more wolves. I stall for a minute trying to find the alpha of the pack and quickly find him pacing in the back of the group of wolves. I growl menacingly and the wolves understand that I have challenged the alpha. They quickly make way for their leader as the alpha has no choice but to accept the challenge or risk his own pack abandoning him.
"What are they doing now?" Twilight asks unsure of whats going on.
"Well I reckon its got to do with J and the big timberwolf." Applejack says looking for an escape for the fillies.
"Don't bother trying to escape yet. The pack will tear you to shreds. Let me take care of Sir Woodsalot and then we can leave." I say slowly never taking my eyes off the alpha. We circle each other gauging each others strengths and weaknesses. The alpha moves first as he tries to pounce me a quickly sidestep and drive my knee into his snout. A large crack could be heard as i break his snout and green sap starts to flow freely from it. He howls in pain but I quickly leap to the offensive. I shove my dagger in his left eye and send a low kick to his right leg. Just as the kick meets the leg it breaks off falling and turning into a pile of twigs. The wolf writhes in pain as his mobility has been cut off severely and looks up at me pitifully as if asking me to spare him. I pull out my dagger and cut into his neck, sap spouts out of the wound like a geyser, causing the wolf to gurgle out sounds that make no sense. I looked down coldly at the dog as it spent its dying moments drowning in its sap.
As I back away from the alpha the wolves bow their heads to me and leave respecting that I have won. I hear puking behind me and turn around to see all of the girls either puking or looking at the scene in horror. I wipe off the sticky sap that has covered my dagger on the grass and sheathe it. "Now get out of here." I say with a barely controlled whisper. The girls didnt need to be told twice, they quickly gather themselves and leave the forest.
I look back down to the wolf and spit on it in disgust. Now I have to deal with the fallout of this. The girls are too naive and soft. I was unaccustomed to putting up with naive people or ponies in this circumstance. Any other time I had a problem with someone I just killed them. Something deep inside me tells me that killing them would not go over well. They play an important role. I slowly sat down next to the dead bodies. I looked up into the sky, the trees blocked my view but it was a peaceful scene nonetheless. I felt fatigue fall upon my body as exhaustion started sweeping in from the lack of adrenaline. I look at my left hand and rubbed my wrists. The dirt on it slowly wiped of as number appeared on my skin as if they were branded there a long time ago. The number's read 661. I grit my teeth as the numbers reminded me of the past. I grabbed some more dirt and smeared it over the numbers again to cover up the disgrace of a number. I could feel my anger rising and used it as fuel to lift up my weary body. I slowly made my way to the closest river that I could find.
There I stripped off my clothes and washed off the blood and sap from both encounters. The river seemed to bleed as I cleaned both my clothes and myself. When I was done washing I put my clothes in a nearby tree to dry. I grabbed my dagger and sat in the tree waiting for my clothes to dry. It wasn't long until I heard a familiar voice.
"H-hello?J?" I heard a faint voice say. As I looked for the source of the voice I saw Fluttershy make her way closer to me. She hadn't seen me yet in the tree and I didn't feel like talking to her at that moment. However as soon as I turned around I heard another voice louder and more boisterous.
"Why are we even out here anyway? He's a monster Fluttershy did you see the way he took down those timberwolves like they were nothing? I mean yeah it was bad ass but when the big wolf started to fight him it felt like he was just playing with him." Rainbow Dash said flying slowly so as not to leave her friend behind.
"J isn't a monster he was just defending us." Fluttershy said trying to defend me.
"That guy is bad news and I don't trust him anyways. I got a bad vibe about him like he doesn't care about anything. No, I could see it in his eyes, he had the look of a killer. " Dash said shivering as if she could feel my gaze upon her. Which i'm sure she could as I glared down at her with a cold unfeeling look.
"I think he just needs someone to be there for him, someone to open up to." Fluttershy said as if saying she would be the one to be there for me.
"Well he seems like he can handle himself alright if you ask me." Dash said trying to get Fluttershy to agree with her.
"I don't think so when I looked at him it seemed like he was all alone with no one to turn to." Fluttershy replied almost indignant.
"You know its rude to talk about others behind their back." I finally announce. They look around to see where i'm at Rainbow Dash looking on edge and Fluttershy looking shocked.
"Ohh i'm sorry J, we just came back to see if you're alright." Fluttershy said with hope in her voice.
" I have seen worse. I don't need any help nor desire it from either of you." I say harsher than I intend to be. Fluttershy flinches as if I slapped her. Rainbow Dash however gets angry.
"Hey we didn't have to come back here to see if your sorry flank was ok. The least you could be is grateful." She says with righteous anger almost.
"No you didn't, and why should I be grateful you all froze up in fear when you were surrounded by the wolves. I killed them for you, protected you and this is the thanks I get."
"Well you didn't have to kill them you could have scared them away or something." Rainbow Dash hotly argues back at me.
"You didn't have to make him suffer. He was in so much pain. You didn't have to do that!" Surprising me completely Fluttershy yells at me.
"You are naive. All creatures appreciate strength and if there is someone stronger than them they leave them alone out of fear. I showed those wolves strength they needed to see to never mess with me again. Not everything can be resolved peacefully. You are stuck in your own beliefs but one day the time will come where peace is no longer an option. Would you rather die than give in to violence?" I ask still remaining hidden from them both.
"Come show yourself you coward! If you're gonna take big then do it to my face." Rainbow Dash said challenging me.
I quickly shove on my pants and jump in front of them scaring them. When they see my body both of them gasp loudly as their eyes see all the scars on my body. Fluttershy tries to rush to me thinking I was injured but I hold her aside.
"These are my scars I have no wounds for you to treat, these scars will stay with me my entire life. It is not something you can fix." I say addressing Fluttershy. Then I turn to Dash and respond to her threat. "I am many things but I am no coward. If dead bodies is all it takes to upset you then you should be grateful that you were sheltered from such things. I do not have the leisure to be naive nor coddle you. So if you don't like me then go fuck yourself, I don't care. Don't go preaching to me what is right and wrong, not everything is in black and white, Good or Bad." I respond hotly to her. Then I start to put on my still wet clothes. Both of them are deadly quiet even as I say goodbye they don't say anything. |
The Story of J | 661 | As I made it back to the cave I noticed that I wasn't alone. I slowly slipped the dagger in my right hand ready to strike at a moments notice. My eye slowly adjusts to the dark and there sitting there is Pinkie Pie. She looks up at me remorsefully and full of pity. "J, why?" She asks simply.
"Why did I kill them or why did I torture him?" I ask feeling my resolve weaken just being around her. She reminded me so much of her that it was almost overwhelming.
"Both." I sigh loudly as I try to find the right words to say.
"They would have killed you otherwise. By myself I could have killed them all in seconds. You were all there paralyzed with fear. If I hadn't then..." I trail off letting the thought stay in the air for a few minutes before talking again. "I tortured the alpha to show the pack that stood no chance against me." I finish coldly expecting her to scold about how precious life is or something stupid.
"I understand." She says simply. I look at her and her eyes tear up. I can see she's hurt by my decision but she knows that I won't change. I reached over and patted her head. She gives me a smile in return. That simple smile felt pure and unreserved, it reminded me of someone. Deep down inside me I felt some once of guilt for killing in front of them, maybe because they were so innocent. "J why do you kill?" Pinkie asks me in a quiet whisper.
Maybe it was sincerity of the question that made me answer honestly. "I grew up in an orphanage never knowing my parents. The orphanage was to poor and couldn't care for us all so there were many of days we could not eat. It was not uncommon for me to have to steal for food. More often than not the others would get caught and reprimanded accordingly. I saw a lot of them starve to death, the orphanage would just make another tombstone and bury them as if it were no big deal. I suppose in a way it wasn't uncommon for people to die. However the church we stayed at became so poor that the needed to sell some of the children in order to keep the orphanage running. I was 7 I believe at the time when me and several others were sold to a potbelly of a man who reeked of garlic and spices. He was a cruel man with a strange name. He called himself Adith the Opportunist. He took us to a settlement he owned and we were sent to work." I paused realizing that what I had began opening up to her. I hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"He had us branded with numbers so as not to confuse the slaves with the servants." I lifted left hand and showed her my wrist. I could feel her eyes stare intently at my wrist as if she could burn a hole through the numbers that stained my skin. In blood red letters 661 branded my skin reminding me of the slave I once was.
On a hill rests a small boy with black hair that rests on his shoulders. His skin the tone a light shade of ebony that almost reflects his innocence. A small frown aligns his cheeks as he looks towards the sunset. He has seen the gorgeous orange and purple decorate the sky and it's truly a beautiful scene. The boy stands shaking his fists at the sun cursing it for its weakness as if his words would make the sun reconsider setting. The small boys voice trembles as the sun still continues to set. Then the boy falls to his knees and begs for someone, anyone to save him from the hell that awaits him. His cries of anguish are left unheard as the night takes over leaving him without the light of the day to save him.
The boy sniffles and wipes his tears away. A look of determination lights the boy face and holds the dirty pair of scissors he stole earlier from the kitchen.he stuffs them into the sleeves of his shirt out of sight. He then walks back towards the farm where he lives. His small feet march strongly to his destination. It was Adith's main office. He was told to come after the sun set for his 'night lessons'. The boy was one of Adith's favorites and would teach him night after night. He had started these night lessons two months ago. At first the boy resisted his training. Then Adith cut off his manhood in an example of those who resist. He was then tied to a flag pool naked to show off his new eunuch self. The boy clenched his fists tightly at his sides. He had waited for this day letting Adith have his way with him, letting him believe his resolve was broken. Today he would have his vengeance.
The boy knocked on the door twice, waiting for the reply that awaited him. The boy's hand shook and trembled in fear and excitement. Soon after calming his breathing and stopping his trembling he hears a voice on the other side of the door.
"Come in boy, its about time you got your filthy ass here." Adith replies in his usual disgusting manner. The boy opens the door to see a pot bellied man behind a mahogany desk. Adith is a fat glutton only his greed matched his hunger. Adith was a slave trainer that sold most of his slaves to brothels. He took a sick pleasure in training his slaves before he sold them. He wolfs down chicken and grapes. It only reminds the boy's stomach the last decent meal was years ago. The boy bows to the floor before Adith to please him, hiding his anticipation.
"I am sorry master my duties kept me from you. I live to serve you." The boy says to placate him.
"Harumph be lucky that I am in a merciful mood. Now service your master." He says dropping his pants and indicates for the boy to come to him. A silence fills the air as the boy rises from the floor to see his flaccid cock dangling in the air. The boy licks his lips eager to make a move. Every step seems to slow down as revenge becomes more and more clear with every step. Soon the boy is in front of the smiling Adith clearly not understanding the situation until to late.
With a quick flick of the boys hands the scissors appear in his hand and with a quick thrust forward the scissors bury into Adith's cock. His screams of anguish were like music to the boys ears. The boy kick his knees from under him and he falls forward pitifully. He raises his hand and opens his mouth to say something but as quick as lightning The boy cut off his tongue. He wails in a terrible screech as he grabs his face in disbelief. Then the boy slices his carotid artery and blood shoots out from his fat neck. The blood bathes him in a red glow but some part of him has stopped caring all together. The boy jumps on his fat body and slashes away in a frenzy. Red fills the night as the flames of revenge engulf the house the boy lived in until that day. Now that vengeance has been met a single name makes its way towards the boy clearing away the bloodthirsty look in his eyes. That name escapes his lips "Elise" as if the name is spoken the burning house crumbles in the distance destroying the slave he once was. The boy looks at his wrist as the number are still there as if taunting him, the numbers 661.
" 661 was my number. I had heard rumors from the other slaves and servants that Adith had strange tastes. When I inquired further I was told he had an acquired taste for younger boys on the cusp of puberty. I remained a slave in that settlement for 3 years before Adith summoned me before him. I knew what he would want so I carried a sharp rock with me at all times in my pants." I could feel my fists clench as I remembered that day. " I killed him. I killed everyone that was there and burned down that settlement. I kill because that is what I am best at." I looked at her as she silently cried beside me. I could tell she wanted to comfort me. As she tried to hug me I shook my head and held her away from me.
"Why?" she asked simply looking crestfallen by my denial for a hug. I looked her in the eyes and wiped away a tear from her muzzle. She nuzzled into my hand with a content smile.
"Whats done is done and no amount of hugs will fix that. I do not regret my actions that day nor will I ever. If that makes me a monster then so be it. Keep this to yourself I have other things I need to do now. I have taken far too much of your time already." I say dismissively trying to drown out the flood of emotions in me. I stood up and patted Pinkie once more on the head.
"Its ok, I'm your friend J so you can always talk to me." she says cheerfully. I look at her absently as I think on her words.
"A friend huh?" I say underneath my breath.
"You say something J?"
"No, I have to go though why don't I walk you back to Ponyville?" I ask evasively to which she nods eagerly. I decide to walk her all the way to Sugarcube Corner, ignoring the stares and whispers from the other ponies. As I walked through the streets absentmindedly I suddenly hear from behind me.
"Watch out below!" As I turn to see the commotion a blue blur crashes into my stomach causing the both of us to tumble into the ground. I instinctively slam the blur into the ground and grab a dagger and just before I can kill the assailant I realize who it is. " Oww hey what's the big idea!?" Rainbow Dash yells in my face. Then she realizes that my dagger is my hand and at her neck she looks at me with an expression akin to a trapped animal. I quickly sheath the dagger and get up dusting myself off.
"Its quite rude to crash into people your lucky I didn't just kill you." I say aggressively still mad at her.
"Why didn't you?" She asks quietly as if she was embarrassed about it.
"You aren't worth it. It'd be like taking candy from a crippled baby." I say evenly keeping my anger in check as I realize others are staring at us argue.
"I don't what you said but it sounds like you're making fun of me." She says while glaring at me hotly.
"Now why would I make fun of you" I say snidely.
"I don't like you, or your attitude" She then gives me the points her hooves to her eyes then at me. I shrug and walk away. Trying to clear the anger of the three numbers still haunting me to this day.
"I am no one's slave" I mumble to myself. |
The Story of J | Cavern of Blood | Something seemed off today. I awoke in my cave as usual to see a humming Glib with an apron on attempting to cook. It was horrible as the smell of burnt food quickly filled the air. I covered my mouth with a hand and walked past Glib without saying anything but of course he wouldn't just let me leave like that.
"Wait i'm cooking breakfast for you J, don't you at least want to try?" He asks me with a smile.
"I'd rather not risk it, throw out that burnt crap while you're at it." I swiftly retort hoping to get as far from the burnt cave as possible.
"Won't you at least try to eat it?" He asks pouting at me.
"No, thank you." I immediately answer. I grab some clean clothes and some daggers just in case. "Why don't you clean up the mess you caused while I wash out that terrible smell in the river." I wave behind me to Glib and ignore his last comment on sticking to making grilled cheese. It was a short walk to the river so I enjoyed the brief walk by singing softly to myself a familiar tune. I was so lost in the tune that I didn't notice I had an audience until I finished and the sound of hooves clopping together shocked me from my reverie. I turned to see that I had reached my destination and there by the river sat Fluttershy smiling at me.
"Fluttershy, what a pleasant surprise to see you here. What brings you to my neck of woods?" I ask feigning a smile.
"Oh I was just walking Angel when I heard you singing it was very beautiful by the way." She compliments me with a smile that could melt butter.
"Why Fluttershy flattery will get you just about everywhere." I reply with a toothy grin as I slowly advance towards her as if she were my prey. "Such a compliment deserves a reward. How about we bathe together?" I ask as I finally approach her and slowly circle her while gliding my fingers across her wings. Her face turns scarlet from the comment and the attention to her wings. I see her wings flutter weakly enjoying the attention my fingers gave. "I could wash your wings for you, or maybe something more sensual perhaps." I end my statement with pushing down gently on her wing receiving a sharp gasp from her. I then feel teeth dig in to my finger. I look to see a small white bunny hanging on my index finger.
"Angel you shouldn't bite others." Fluttershy chides him and pulls him away before I could turn him into bunny stew. "Oh i'm so sorry for Angel, J he's not very good with strangers." She apologizes for her bunny her face still flushed as she bows her head meekly.
"No harm done I suppose, now if you don't mind a certain river is calling my name." I say as I take off my shirt and throw it on a nearby tree. I turn to see Fluttershy still staring at me her eyes glued to my chest, her face turning a deep scarlet. "Unless you want to join?" I ask teasingly.
"eep!" is all I hear as Fluttershy dashes off back into the woods. A shame I could use help cleaning my back. I quickly take off the rest of my clothes and jump into the cold river. I take my time cleaning myself of dirt and grime, relishing in the cold refreshing water. When i'm done I grab my clothes and clean them in the river as well. Hanging up the wet clothes and finding a tall branch to nap on I quickly find myself dozing off.
"Jay you'll protect me won't you?" I hear a small girlish voice ask me. I turn to see a little girl no older then 9 looking up to me. Her fair skin seems to glisten in the sun, she's wearing a red dress that almost touch her ankles. Her hair is in ponytail and a necklace of a Cheshire cat hangs from her neck. I can feel the tears in my eyes build up just from seeing her familiar face.
"Of course Elise, no one's gonna hurt you as long as i'm around." I say with a shaky voice. Then suddenly she smiles at me as blood slowly pours down her head ruining her fair face. The tears come down my face in a constant stream as she speaks again.
"Why didn't you protect me Jay?" She says as her legs slowly start to fade away slowly to my horror. I fall to my knees and hug her close to me. Sobbing loudly now unable to hold in the torrent of tears.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough." I say weakly trying to hold her tightly in my arms.
"Sorry isn't good enough Jay." She replies hurting me more than any wound i've suffered. "You failed to save me." Her statement rang true in my ears as she faded away from my grasp leaving me wallow in my greatest failure.
"Elise!" I scream to the heavens in anguish. I pound the ground with balled fists with hatred at myself. Pain fills my body as I curl into a ball and mumble her name over and over again. I hug my knees to my chest unable to reason with anything. I can almost feel her cold limp body in my arms. I could almost see her face of sorrow as she died in my arms. I can feel her blood on my hands as she slowly drifted away to death's embrace.
"Elise!" I scream as I awaken with tears in my eyes and jump to my feet. Forgetting that i'm on a branch I swiftly fall to the ground and lay there trying to forget her pale eyes staring at me. I slowly rise from the ground and allow a single bloody tear to fall from where an eye used to rest. I wipe away the tear and redress myself. I make my way to town in a solemn mood unable to suppress all of my conflicting emotions. Instead of going to the nearest bar like I want to I instead go to the park. There I sit on the bench and with a pained expression on my face I try to forget the dream with little luck. Suddenly I hear someone shouting.
"J!" I turn to see Spike running towards me with desperation on his face. I wait till he's near to hear what he has to say. "Rarity ponynapped by dogs" He finally manages to wheeze out. Perfect this is just the thing I need. I sigh and tell him to lead the way. He leads me to the Everfree when I tell him to wait. He looks at me impatiently as I walk to a hallowed out tree and move the bark to revel a hidden weapon cache. I take my recently finished repeating crossbow. The crossbow is wooden with metal plating and has a cylinder drum that holds the bolts. Each drum holds 15 bolts. It shines in my grip, still unused. I grab four drums and a black falchion that I looted from the dragon's horde. I strap it to my belt and cover the tree again.
I turn back to Spike and pick him up and run towards the caves. It doesn't take long till we get there. I see holes all over the clearing. I set Spike down and look him in the eye. I can see he wants to come with me.
"I'm going in there alone." I tell him strongly leaving no room for debate.
"They said they were going to make her work digging up gems for them. If I didn't run they were going to make me their slave too." He says sadly as if trying to defend himself. However one word stuck out that made my blood boil.
"Slave?" I ask my voice wavering slightly trying to control the hatred I felt coursing through my veins.
"Yeah." he says simply but it was enough to set the flames burning within me.
"Go get the others and wait for me outside the cave. I will save Rarity first then I will make them pay." I say menacingly.
I turn away from him not hearing his response. I walk to the entrance and slip into the shadows hiding my presence from everything. I silently walk down the cave for a minute before I hear the padding of footsteps. I walk further to see the path split into three separate directions. I stop and wait for the enemy to approach me. It isn't long before I see a mutt turn the corner its a tall bipedal dog wearing crudely dented armor and wielding a spear. My anger gets the better of me as I grab my falchion and before the dog knows it impale him in the gut. I drag my sword upwards and grab his intestines ripping them out violently. The dog howls in agony making me smile dementedly at him. I give in to my bloodlust and shove his intestines down his throat forcibly choking him. His muffles of pain are like music to my ears. I leave him there to bleed out painfully or die from lack of air.
I continue down the path the dog came from sheathing my sword and opting for my crossbow instead. Before long I reach what appears to be the armory as two dogs sit down near a table and talk unaware of my presence. One wears a helmet and has a sword while the other only has leather armor.
"New pony so loud. She hurt ears badly." says the one with armor.
"She bad news better off killing her." replied the one with the helmet.
"Boss wants her for matin I hears." By then I had heard all I wanted to hear. I aim at the one with only armor and with a tug of my finger my arrow finds his skull. He falls to the ground dead. Before the other can say anything i'm on him. I punch his throat with a quick punch ensuring his silence. I follow up by grabbing his head and kneeing it hard enough to daze him. I aim the crossbow and shoot his left arm. He screams silently and I pick him up and force him to look at me.
"You will lead me to the prisoners and maybe i'll let you live." The dog quivers beneath me in fear and I can hear the sound of tinkling alerting me that he's pissed himself. He nods quickly and I let him up. "If you think of leading me anywhere else.." I trail off and grab his balls and clench them in my hand. "I will chop off your balls and force you to eat them, you understand?" I say. He nods his head furiously eager to escape my grasp. I let go of his filthy sac and rub my hand on his fur. "Lead the way." He quickly leads me down several different tunnels to which we surprisingly don't run into any dogs.
Finally we reach the cages holding numerous prisoners. I hear grunting nearby one of the cages and I tell the dog to stay by the entrance and not to move. I hear the slapping of flesh on flesh I dig my nails into my palm as I quietly stalk forward crossbow in hand and what I see next disgusts me. Several of the prisoners are crying softly to themselves and covering their eyes from the sight of a dog raping a mare in one of the cage. Rage blinds me as I toss the crossbow aside and grab the dog and toss him to the other side of the cage. It disorients him long enough for me to grab his head and bang it against the bars over and over again. Then I shove my thumbs into its eye sockets crushing his eyes. The dog wails in pain. Then I grab its still erect member and rip it off its body. The dog screeches in pure agony then I shove it down its throat violently. Still lost in rage I stomp on the dog's face repeatedly until it's nothing more than mush beneath my feet. I breathe heavily trying to regain my control. I walk over to my crossbow and pick it back up and call the other dog.
"Unlock the cages. Now!" I yell at the dog delivering a swift backhand when he didn't move fast enough. The dog yelps and swiftly unlocks the cages. The ponies hesitantly walk out of their cages. An earth pony approaches wary of me. This pony has a dirty blonde mane and a cutie mark of a silver crest.
"Who are you?" She asks me in a girlish voice.
"Your savior and you are?" I ask slowly calming myself.
"Silver Crest of the Royal Guard." She salutes me.
"Good then your in charge of them. They'll listen to you more than me anyway. Dog lead them out of here and run as far away from here as possible." I say turning around.
"Wait aren't you going to escort us out of here?" A cerulean pegasus asks me.
"No i've got slavers to kill and you are?" I ask again not really caring about they're names.
"Misty Haze at your service and we need your protection to get out of here alive." She replies looking at me defiantly.
"I'll lead you to the entrance no more." I say giving in to the mare's demand knowing that she isn't wrong.
We slowly make our way out into the confusing tunnels. The dog leading us quietly and the ponies following silently. I grip my crossbow hoping to find more enemies along the way unfortunately fortune has different ideas in mind. I hear one of the ponies approach me and pay it no mind until she decides to speak to me.
"So you never did answer who you were." I turn to see that Silver is addressing me I pretend to not hear in hopes that the question will be dropped. However i'm not so lucky. "Hey, i'm talking to you, monkey." How immature insulting someone because they don't answer a simple question. I stop and glare downwards at her. She returns my glare as if challenging me.
"It's bad luck to insult your savior." I say continuing on intent on ignoring the pestering mare.
"What's the worst that could happen?" She replies jinxing all good fortunes and asking for something bad to happen. Suddenly a howl fills the air as I turn to see a dog alerting his pack mates of trouble and receiving a bolt to the face for inconveniencing me.
"Speak of the devil and he will appear." I respond glaring at the mare who could only give me a sheepish look in return. "Hurry to the entrance! It won't be long till reinforcements come." We hurry to the entrance that's just ahead of us. I hear another howl that sounds to close for comfort. I stop and prepare to face the oncoming wave.
"Aren't you coming!?" I hear from a rather irate Silver.
"No I still have someone else to look for a unicorn by the name of Rarity." I reply hearing the padding of multiple feet getting closer.
"I heard they had her at the throne room." Silver tells me something useful finally.
"Looks like I get to have some fun then. Go and bring some guards by the time they get here I should be done." I say arrogantly. I turn and shoot the first muzzle I see turning around the corner and slowly walk forward embracing the tidal wave of dogs. I grab the nearest dog with one hand and fire off four bolts in quick succession each finding a different dog. I then snap the neck of the dog I have in my hand eager to kill more. Three dogs try to bum rush me only to find my leg sweep the three of them away into another group causing chaos among the dogs. I take advantage of the chaos to empty out the rest of my drum on the dogs and pull out my falchion when it empties. With a crazed smile I hack away at the onslaught of dogs cutting off limbs and heads and ripping out guts and intestines along the way. My lone eye fills up with a familiar red glow pumping adrenaline and blood through my veins at an increased rate. I let the rage and blood lust consume me in a blood frenzy hacking away with near impossible speed and zeal. As the bodies build up around me I laugh maniacally as blood fills my vision and body. Soon enough there are no more dogs left alive, my shirt is torn into shreds and scratch marks and bite marks fill my body but it doesn't bother me in the slightest.
I roar in triumph and step over the dead dogs untiringly still feeling the rush of battle I charge onward following the scent of more blood yet unspoiled by me. I quickly pop the empty drum of my crossbow and replace it with a fresh one while running. Soon I come into a large room with a throne in the middle. A big dog sits on the throne with a leash in his hand. The leash belonged to none other than Rarity looking pitiful with her disheveled mane. Upon seeing me she looks hopeful and disgusted.
"J!" she shouts happily at me but is quickly silenced by a tug from the alpha dog on the chair."Quiet slave!" He yells at her. I aim a bolt and shoot the chain breaking it and shoot another hitting the alpha in the right eye. He roars in pain and Rarity quickly runs over to me.
"Get out of here take the first left you can and go straight from there that should lead you out of here. No time to say anything more GO!" I yell at her and slap her flanks making her yip and take off. With her gone I can fight freely. However the alpha seems pissed now and now him and the hundreds of other dogs I somehow didn't see running in here look ready to kill me. If only they knew who they were dealing with. "So who's first?" I say haughtily eager to begin the bloodshed. The alpha roars and charges at me. I unleash the rest of the drum on him each bolt finding its mark with deadly precision riddling the dog full of bolts. He falls right at my feet and I stab the falchion into his thick skull ending him permanently.
That was all the motivation the other dogs needed surging forward I yank the sword out of the dog and put myself in a wide stance. As soon as the first dog reached me I began my dance of death. Bobbing and weaving in and out of dogs slicing and cutting anything within range. Every time a dog almost hits me I duck into the blow and end the dog and never stopping for a breath and moving erratically. Blood fills the ground and I start to get creative as I start throwing limbs and organs at the ceiling making it rain blood. I even started throwing head at the ceiling so that the splatter of blood and brain matter leave a nice coating for the next inhabitant of the cave. Soon enough there's only one dog left standing. He looks at me covered in head to toe with blood and starts to run from me. I laugh and chase after the dog enjoying the thrill of the chase. I quickly load another drum into my crossbow and shout out tauntingly.
"Come back and die look a good doggie!" Laughing all the way as I chase the dog to the entrance. I fire off a few bolts so they graze him and scare him into running faster. Just as he runs out of the cave into the clearing I shoot two bolts into both of his legs causing him to crash into the ground. There are dozens of ponies standing there in golden armor spears at the ready when they see the dog. However when they see me emerge from the cave most of the start to hurl at the grotesque sight of me covered in blood and stomach acid. The dog crawls to the ponies hoping they will save him but I reach him first and stomp on the bolt in his legs causing him to howl in agony. I stomp on the wound repeatedly with zeal stomping harder and harder with sick pleasure. Laughing as I do so enjoying his screams of pain. I hear more ponies heaving at the sight unused to such things. Just as I about to end its miserable life I hear a voice.
"Enough! You have proven your point to it." I look up to see Celestia looking at me with disgust.
"Have I? I don't think I have, slavers deserve a fate worse than death." I say with a scowl and stomp on the dogs head squishing it beneath my feet with a satisfying crunch. At this the guards who weren't puking were now and those who had suddenly found room for more puke. Celestia looks at me with a disappointing frown unamused by my execution. "What can I say old yeller needed to be put down." I say with a disturbing smile. |
The Story of J | A meeting with royalty | " We need to talk." Celestia says glaring at me the entire time. I get the feeling its one of those talks i'm not going to like already. The way she's glaring me down also makes it look like there was no room to deny her request. I look back at her defiantly and raise a bloodied hand near my mouth. I lick some of the blood off with a smile directed at her to unnerve her. This only makes her scowl at me in disgust.
"Sure not like I had anything better to do anyway." I reply stepping closer to her. All the guards then react surrounding me and pointing their spears at me. However I can feel their fear for me as many of them are holding their weapons unsteadily and a few even openly shaking. Their fear feeds my inner desire to kill more, I ignore the urge but I don't suppress the bloodthirsty grin on my face that almost challenges them to attack.
"Stand down." Celestia says to which they all lower their weapons but still look on high alert. I slowly inch my way to Celestia until i'm right in front of her staring into her eyes. Her eyes are full of hate and malice as if begging me to attack her and give her a reason to kill me. The tension is enough to drive any normal person back. I start to breathe heavily as my blood boils in anticipation to the possibility of battle. " Let us talk back in Canterlot where my sister and I will decide what to do with you." She says formally to break the silence. I snap from my reverie and look at her calmly. My body urges me to fight this dangerous foe. I ignore my urge and give a nod of my head. I follow her back to her carriage and join her in the confining box.
While it is certainly big enough to fit us I can't help but feel uneasy in confining areas. The entire flight to Canterlot is in complete tense silence. Neither of us say a word to the other and I make it more awkward by licking up the blood on me. I groom myself almost like a cat would licking myself all over lapping up the blood. I commend her for not puking herself but the look of utter disgust she gives me is getting a bit old. By the time we get there i've cleaned most of the blood on me. I exit the carriage to find that we have landed in the gardens far from any prying eyes. I look around to familiarize myself with the place and mark in my mind possible escape routes.
"Follow me." Celestia says forcefully. It almost looks like there is something in the gardens she didn't want me to find out about. I make a note that some of the statues aren't really statues but actually have life stored in them. 'So this is what she does to the ones she thinks are dangerous no doubt' I think to myself. To be trapt in a stony prison for who knows how long. So she is a tyrant, controlling those she doesn't like with force. My face starts to scowl as the further we go to the castle the more statues I see, and the more I come to a realization that their fate is what awaits me if I don't play my cards right.
Celestia walks in front of me with her head high. She walks with a unwavering confidence that comes from centuries of experience. Her hair a beautiful variety of colors that mesmerize all who look at it. On her flanks her cutie mark rests just like the sun, bright and regal. Though my experience in dealing with royalty tells me that she's the controlling, manipulative type. She's likely a reserved chess player, relying on defense to overwhelm her opponents. That's important as she most likely would fight like so and command her troops in such a way. She probably is self-righteous as well, believing that what she does is for the betterment of pony kind.
"We're here." She says to me drawing me out of my thoughts. I look up to realize that we are in front of huge doors. I look around to notice that we've been walking inside the castle for some time now. The guards open the door for their goddess. She walks ahead while I stall a little behind making last minute checks of the 13 hidden daggers I still have on me, in case things get rough. I look to see that Celestia is sitting atop a throne with Luna right next to her. The guards have me surrounded in a half assed formation that has plenty of gaps. Still I walk slowly forward until one of the guards tell me to stop.
"Bow before the Princesses." He orders me sternly. I look at Celestia and Luna to see that the expect me to comply with this demand. A grin forms on my face and for a second I can't help but laugh at them all. My outburst shocks them all as I laugh loudly for all of them to hear.
"Is something funny?" questions Celestia. Her face set in a sneer as if knowing she's not going to like the answer. Luna lost as if a private joke was said that she doesn't quite get.
"You are if you think i'm going to bow to either of you." I say with a smirk. Luna looks outraged at my comment while Celestia scowls deeply in dissatisfaction.
"Watch thine tongue knave if thou wishes to keep it." Luna replies hotly.
"Who are you to demand that I bow before you? You are not my princess nor are you my ruler you are simply an over glorified pony sitting atop of a pedestal erect from others hard work. The ponies may bow to you but I owe you nothing." I say indignantly
"That may be true but while talking to us drop your disguise so that we may look at you clearly." Celestia says in a menacing tone. However it isn't the tone that catches me off guard its her words.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I say rather weakly. At this point i'm sweating bullets, I know exactly what she's talking about.
"If you won't drop the disguise then I will make you." Celestia replies coldly. I see her horn charge up for an attack of some kind.
"Wha-" Is all I have time to say before a white light engulfs me painfully. My very skin feels like its boiling and my body feels like i'm trapped in a furnace. I scream loudly in agony as my body forcefully changes. Flesh starts to peel off me like someone's taken a potato peeler to me and is trying to skin me. My body glows darkly as strange symbols appear all over my body. My clothes seem to all but fall off my body as if to escape the agony i'm writhing in. I fall to my knees naked and barren of all clothes, except for the eye patch that stays secured to me. The symbols glow faintly one last time before they lose there luster and fade.
Everyone gasps at what I have become. Where once I stood proudly, a sickly pale creature takes my place. I'm panting heavily aloud still trying to find my bearing and overcome the agony churning in my body. I stood slowly on weak legs and both Celestia and Luna gasp again seeing me fully. I look half starved and practically devoid of life. My ribs show painfully and my arms and legs look like bones with saggy flesh attached to them haphazardly. A ominous and strange air radiates around me.
Strange marking cover my body on my face a single bloody tear near my left eye is etched into the skin. On my neck a chain wraps around thrice as if to rob me of live, at a closer look both sister could swear the chain was still wrapping around my neck as if it were alive. On my right shoulder a beautifully dark raven with pristine feathers, holding what looked like a book in his claws, and his wings folded into the front of his body as if praying, Luna could swear the raven winked at her though she looked again it was still so she thought nothing more of it. On the left shoulder a darker than night owl with his back to them but his head turned all the way around to still see, Celestia swore the owl was glaring at them menacingly but cutie marks don't glare so she ignored it for now. In the middle of my chest a heron stood on one leg with what looked like red splotches falling off of it but at a closer look it definitely looked like the color of blood, One of the guards swears that the blood was falling of it and screamed in alarm.
"I think i'm gonna be sick" the guard says and then proceeds to run out the room in a hurry. The other guards looked on nervously. Near the right bottom of my chest was a deck of cards but only two cards could be seen. One card held a beautiful clown with a deep frown set into his face who was dressed in nothing but blue with a crimson flower in his ear while hopping on his left leg pointing to the other card. The other card held a jester who's smile seemed like it couldn't get any bigger and was adorned in all white, holding a stick with many bells on it that went with his hat that seemed to have a never ending amount of bells on it as well, he was hopping on his right leg pointing to the clown beside it. For a faint second everyone swore that the faint jingling of bells could be heard.
"Argghh make it stop! Make them stop!! The bells are tolling, the kingdom is burning. The fire is churning, the water is yearning. Please make it stop!!!" Another guard ran out the throne room yelling and screaming words that made no sense. All the guards were now shaking in fear at the unknown that was me. Hesitant to stay but unwilling to leave their princess alone with me. The guards were torn between the fear of the unknown and their undying loyalty to the Princesses.
" Leave us for now." Celestia commanded. The guards were all but eager to comply however a few appeared hesitant but after a look from Celestia they nodded and left. Leaving us completely alone. One guard looked at me one last time before leaving taking note that many strange runes and glyph's covered the rest of my body but on my back rested what looked like a scorpion made out of strange symbols. The guard was curious but knew better than to defy the Princess and finally closed the door leaving me and the Princesses alone at last. " What did you do to my guard?" Celestia demanded. I looked up to her and when she saw my eye she flinched. My one good eye was devoid of life and looked at her blankly.
" I did nothing. What he heard was an echo of madness." I say as if she knew what I was talking about. Celestia and Luna looked at me confused.
"What dost thou mean?" Luna asked her interest piqued. However I just shrugged my shoulders earning me a wrathful glare from her. Just before she could reply Celestia cut her off.
"Why do you have so many cutie marks?" As soon as she asked this she swore the clown scowl grew deeper and locked eyes with her as if she insulted it. She shivered and when she looked closer noticed that its hand was now pointing at her. She gasped but when she looked again it was normal she waved it off as her nerves getting the best of her.
"They're not cutie marks." I respond with a scowl equally insulted that she would ask such a stupid question.
"Well what are they?" She asked to which I just shrugged again. Now both sister's looked like they wanted nothing more than to tear off me head.
"There's no point in me answering any of your questions now. I owe you nothing." I say eager to conclude our meeting. " You have two choices before you either kill me now or..." I say trailing off adding tension to the already tense room.
" We should kill thee for thine insolence knave." Luna says hotly. However Celestia holds her back with a wing.
"Or what?" Celestia asks eager to end this without conflict. I give her a grin that sends shivers down both of their backs.
"Or you could hire me." I say giving them another grin. |
The Story of J | The Price of Service | "Hire you?" parroted Celestia. The confusion apparent on her face. I grinned at the way things were going. They would probably ask me to think it over for a night or so. It was the typical response.
" Why should we hire thou? Tis clear you a danger to all ponies." proclaims Luna. She looked irritated at my proposal. She no doubt wanted to kill me and be done with it. Suddenly the room got darker and colder. As if there were no heat to be had in the room. Shadows along the wall began dancing wildly in a frenzied panic. Both sisters immediately took a battle stance and their horns started glowing softly.
"I believe my offer was very simple, either hire me or kill me." My voice echoed around the room and my body was oozing a transparent dark substance that began coating my body. " It would be in your best interests to hire me. I am an instrument of my employer's will. Do you need a pesky pony snuffed, or maybe a criminal killed? I work for a price and everyone has a price that can be paid. I can turn governments into anarchist societies, I can calm raging sandstorms and even freeze over voracious volcanoes. If you are willing to pay then I am always willing to work." I finish off presenting myself with a flourish and bowing almost mockingly. Both looked on at me warily as if waiting for me to attack. An awkward silence descended upon our meeting. The silence was beginning to unnerve them and it caused my grin to grow deeper.
Luna squirmed nervously feeling the room suddenly drop in temperature. Her face looking annoyed at what she heard from her sister. It was clear they were talking telepathically to each other. I could feel their emotions swirl in a chaotic frenzy. Celestia looked calm and collected, but i could feel her wariness of me grow with every passing second.
"How can we trust you?" Asks Celestia hoping to find my ulterior motive. Luna looked more like she wanted to start firing off lasers in my direction at her sister's comment. It was then I noticed that inside Luna rested a darker presence. It was weak and subdued but it only made me more curious about the supposed goddesses.
"Thee is a vermin of the most vile kind. Mercenaries can never be trusted dearest sister, they always betray you in the end. All that thine seeks is to better line thine pocket with gold. Thou art truly despicable." Luna responds, slandering my good name. I could see that she was trying to get a reaction out of me and that in my anger I would strike her down. Two can play at that game.
"So says the betrayer." I say earning me a shocked look from Celestia and a furious look from Luna. " Are you really in any position to judge me? After all you were the one to betray your own sister just because no one would recognize you for your hard work. I bet it was so degrading never being good enough for anyone to care what you did." I say adding venom to each word I said. Luna looked beyond pissed off. All it would take is a few more words to push her over the edge. I could feel her other half growing in strength with her anger and hatred.
"Shut up!" She yells shooting a blast near my feet as a warning. Celestia raises her wing in front of Luna before she can continue. A soft hum began to radiate from me that was to low to be heard. It sounded more like a soft buzzing to anyone else but me. I was ready to attack at a moments notice. It was hard to notice but my left leg seemed to meld into the floor, sending wispy dark smoke from the lack of physical form.
"He is playing with your emotions. Control yourself sister. What you did so long ago has already been forgiven. You do not need to prove yourself to anyone." Celestia hugs her sister, calming her significantly. I scoff at the touching scene and roll my eyes in disbelief. She then looks at me with a neutral expression. "You did not answer my question. How do we know we can trust you?" She asks again. It was clear then that Celestia was the true ruler, and that she controlled her sister much like her kingdom.
"You don't know. Either I am your ally or your enemy." I respond and shrug uncaring. I sit down and cross my legs. " So what'll it be?" I ask eager to get on with it. Both sisters look at each other uncertainly, unsure weather to take the gamble of hiring me or take the risk of trying to kill me. I was prepared for the worst case scenario and had planned already five possible escape routes.
"Can we think on it?" Celestia asks the question I've been anticipating. I smile widely at the response I've told so many others. I hold up my right hand with all my fingers outstretched.
"You have 5 minutes to decide. By the way the telepathy thing you got going on is convenient but don't think i'm not aware you're doing it." I say flippantly. They gasp in shock and stare at me in surprise. My grin grows wider as once more I've caught them unaware. It almost feels like a game of sorts to see who is the better player. I could see the two of them staring at each other intensely. Debating over my offer, Luna was scowling as they both looked towards me.
"We have made our decision." Celestia said calmly. Luna glared at me in disgust and contempt. From her look alone I could tell what she was going to say. " We have decided to employ your services with the Royal Guard. There you will-" I cut her off before she could continue anymore.
"It doesn't work that way. I don't play well with others, and quite frankly I want no part of your incompetent guard. I work separate from everyone and I choose the payments depending on the job you need me to do." The room got brighter as all the dark substance pouring from my body was absorbed back into me. " I expect to hear about a job by the end of the week." I say arrogantly earning me a look of annoyance from Celestia. Turning away from them and slowly walking away.
"Wait we have a lot of questions for you to answer." She presses me trying to gleam as much information from me as possible. I stop and turn back to the sisters with a look of annoyance.
"And I have many answers, you shall have to wait yet for them. I have things I must accomplish, I shall return in three days, then you shall have your answers." I boldly tell them, leaving no more for argument. I promptly vanish into shadows after having said my fill and ride the shadows. The dark blur of shadows moving swiftly as I deftly maneuver my way back to my cave. One task lies ahead of me that I will need outside help for. As I reach the depressing cave entrance, there in front of it playing with a harmonica was Glib.
"Hey yo boss, got something interesting to do? Just been shooting potatoes at evil bunny's." Glib jokes to me, though knowing the strange oddball I don't doubt that he actually was doing just that. I shake my head not trying to understand my strange companion. Instead I look at him fiercely before I open my mouth.
"Can you open a portal back to Earth? There are some things I need to pick up." I ask knowing the answer.
"I sure can, but wouldn't you rather want to go to candy mountain? Just think about all the candy there. A mountain of candy waiting to be ravished and eaten." Glib then starts to drool and mumble under his breath with a dreamy look on his face.
"There are more important things on Earth. I need you to open a portal to there and close it after I make it over. Then tomorrow I want you to open a portal back at 0700 Earth time. Now this is of the utmost importance you must do it at that time and at the same location. Do you understand Glib?" I ask the oddball making a serious face to show how important his task was.
"Anything for you boss, so can I come with? I always wondered how Earth looks all covered in white." Glib says wistfully. However his words cause me to me to look at him with a dangerous glint in my eye. However I don't have time to argue with him as is. Its around the afternoon but I would need all the time I could get.
"Just open the portal, you can't come with me either. Just be sure to open the portal tomorrow at 0700 Earth time." I snap at Glib ready to move on to my task. Glib then moves his hands in a circle and starts speaking a strange incantation that makes his whole body glow with a dark purple glow that drains the light around him. Then he throws his hands forward opening a rift in space creating a dark blue portal, the inside of the portal reveals a frozen tundra before me.
"You might feel a slight tingly sensation as you cross over, remember to keep all hands feet and other shadow related appendages inside the designated tunnel of space. Most importantly have a good trip over boss." I don't pay much attention to Glib as I slowly enter the portal but I hear behind just before the portal takes me away. "See the real you when you get back boss" Before I can think on what he's said the portal whisks me back to my home. As I fall through the rift in space I see varying creatures of various color and appendages that look like living Nightmares. They try to reach out to me or tempt me to go towards them but I ignore their pointless endeavors.
Finally I exit the rift and as my feet touch the ground I sigh in bliss. All around me the landscape is covered in ice and snow. Tall glaciers and mountains of snow cover the once vibrant and lush grounds of earth. Now all that's left is the frozen barren wasteland that I call home. "It's good to be home." |
The Story of J | Where dead memories lay still | I have forgotten how cold this place was. The icy wind bites into my spectral form making it hard to look solid. I hold my chest and still my body. My body searches for my host. *Badum....Badum* There I feel the barely beating form of whom I am searching for. I pick the direction of the beating form that only I can hear. I look up at the sky to see the frozen husk of the sun still there, making it even colder at all times of the day.
I have been walking the frozen tundra for an hour now and have reached a strangely shaped building that connects multiple houses together. I can feel the beating of the heart more strongly here. I melt in the shadows and move about the strange faux mansion with ease. Finally I reach a single door that looks like it hasn't been used in years. I slip under the door and materialize on the other side. There I see a form sitting on a chair sitting in front of a self made shrine. The candles have frozen over who knows how long ago. There are pictures of a small girl posing in all of them. There sitting in the chair rests the cause of the cold world. A broken man with no hair, his ribs profusely making known his emaciated form. His arms and legs more akin to thin twigs. The clothes on him no longer fitted for his form look like large blankets.
"Hey how long are you gonna sit there feeling sorry for yourself?" I ask myself.
"Hey how long are you gonna sit there feeling sorry for yourself?" I hear a voice ask me, the first one I've heard in years. I slowly and stiffly turn to see who it is to see my shadow standing over me, looking at me with disgust. " Isn't it time to move on and try to live again?" It asks me with pity in his eyes. I try to respond but my vocal chords refuse to used after a century of not using it making me cough roughly and then shrug my shoulders with indecision. "Look you sad sack of shit, while you were here with your pathetic pity party crying away the universe, I have been searching for a new employer for us. Now I know you can't ever forget what happened but I refuse to waste it doing nothing when we could be out there killing, massacring and stealing souls for The Void or have you forgotten your duty?" I feel a slight indignation rising in my chest. A fire burn within me reigniting the stiff joints all over my body.
"I serve The Void in all his endeavors and am the instrument in which fuels the Balance of all life. I will restore Balance where chaos reigns, where harmony blooms abundantly and where I am needed. In death as in life I shall serve." I whisper almost croaking from the misuse of my voice. I slowly stand causing all my bones to pop and realign themselves slowly. A low grumbling comes from my starving stomach. "I am famished." I state amazingly feeling hunger for the first time in some time.
"Its a good thing I come prepared then isn't it." My shadow throws a small canister of some golden substance. Inside the canister resides a soul that's been trapped. I can feel the soul inside it writhing for freedom. I quickly pop the canister open and devour the soul inside. I glow a dark glow as energy floods my body and quickly is put to use in repairing my body. I feel my body expand and fill out more making me look less starved and more fit.
"Thanks Xado, you're a lifesaver." I grunt my thanks. I flex my renewed body trying to feel out the stiffness still left in me. My clothes fit me better but are still a little loose. I look around the room and go towards the bedroom. Inside are weapons and armor stacked on the wall in an orderly fashion. I reach for the black smooth armored suit of to the left side of the room. As I slowly put on the armor I hear Xado grabbing equipment from the second room adjacent to current one. "So whats the details?" I ask my dark companion eager to hear what mischief he's dragged me into.
"Well some things are better seen then told." He chuckles as he tells me. " However this time we're working for a princess." He states across the room. All the while dragging out heavy cases and filling them loudly. " We've been hired by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna her sister. Keep in mind its a diarchy ruled by the two sisters!" He yells over the clattering of the equipment.
"Great royalty, just what I wanted to work for. You know how I detest the self privileged and self entitled. So this is either good enough to warrant a chance or something about them is different from the usual rabble." I say to him as much as I state aloud. I finish putting on the armor, the armor was made from essentially from volcanic rock. It was a shimmering black color that reflected the light shining on it. The armor was covered in pouches and hidden compartments that had a hidden crossbow and a wrist blade. The armor could also withstand a great deal of temperature and even adapted to the temperature. It was a bit loose but I would fill into it later. I browsed my weapons and decided to stick with knives and blades for now. I grabbed dozens of knives and stored them in the my many pockets. Then I grabbed the compound bow and a quiver filled with arrows. I turned around to see Xado dragging several large black crate's that looked like that had plenty of equipment in them. I looked pointedly at the crates he was dragging.
" What? We still need a lot of shit for future and better that this equipment doesn't go to waste anymore." He shrugs and goes back to packing more equipment. I look around and find a spools of fine thread used to silently assassinate targets quickly. I grab a few dozen spools and place them in one of my pockets. I also grab some C-4 and motion sensors for the road. I look at the time and see that it is 4:00. I hum thoughtfully as I judge how far the walk is. " Oh what time is it by the way?" Xado asks while hurriedly packing all the gear we can bring.
"Its about 0400 why?" I ask uncertain of what time restraints we have. I hear Xado curse loudly and quickly finish his packing before quickly slipping the crates into his shadowy form. Though it looks quite comical seeing a shadow stuffing himself full of huge crates and cases. I chuckle softly at him.
"Shit, we should head out soon then, the rendezvous point is about an hour away so we should make hast returning there. A portal will open at 0700 to take us to our new destination, where our current handler." Xado proclaims abruptly finishing his task and looking at me expectantly. I finish grabbing a few items including a music box that was on the shrine and leave behind the home that I had known for so long.
"So what are the natives like?" I ask eager to hear of the new world that awaits me.
"Hehehe, you'll see." Xado laugh mockingly at me. I frown from the lack of response.
"Pssh asswipe, i'll find out on my own then." I say in mock anger only to hear Xado laugh harder. I have a sinking suspicion i'm not going to like whatever it is Xado has planned. Still bound to serve by one who I have given my word to serve, even if it was not me who actually agreed. My reputation was at stake and demanded that I follow through with all my commitments.
It took us roughly an hour and a half to reach the destination and I grew increasingly more worried about the unknown of what kind of place would this planet be. We stood there for all but 10 minutes before a sudden portal opened up before me. Xado slipped easily behind me making me and my shadow whole. 'Well no time like the present' I thought and stepped into the portal to a whole new world. What awaited me on the other side was a strangely dressed man in maid outfit looking expectantly at me.
"Welcome master, may I be the first in welcoming you to the beautiful lush lands of Equestria?" Glib spoke like a maid trying to seduce her master however the name didn't register at first and the vibrant colors that attacked me through the portal made me feel uneasy. Then as I realized the name of the place and moaned loudly.
"Oh What the fuck!?" |
It's Also About Time | pre | Of course, they were all crying, and now less out of sadness than out of relief that Pinkie was better. Even with the tears in her eyes, she smiled brighter as she went back to her seat than Twilight could even remember her doing. She wondered if she'd smiled this brightly in those ten years she missed, and as she now glanced at her other friends, who followed Pinkie with their eyes with affectionate and fascinated expressions, she had to conclude that no, they hadn't seen her smile like that in a very long time.
It took a while until everypony present realized that they'd been discussing something rather important before Pinkie had caught their attention.
"Where ... were we?" Rarity asked.
"I think Fluttershy was the last to say something," Twilight said, wracking her head. "Something about the risk not being worth taking."
Fluttershy hid under her mane. "I'm sorry I yelled at everyone."
"Don't apologize, Fluttershy. No one's going to think badly of you for arguing your point," Rainbow chided her. "It wasn't your fault Pinkie cried, either. Not everything under the sun is your fault."
"You're right, I'm sorry!"
"Oh, for pete's sake! Will you argue with me already?!"
"I think I can argue Fluttershy's side for a little while, Rainbow," Rarity offered. "After all, now that Twilight is back, it's not just Pinkie, all of us got back what we've been missing. Why take the risk?"
"'Why take the risk'?" Rainbow Dash's face hardened. She took off from next to Fluttershy and flew to the center of the room, looking at every one of her friends in turn. "Merrok took her away from us! Have you never wished you could've stopped him? Have you never wished you could turn back time and get another go at him?" She punched one hoof with the other. "I know I did! And now it turns out we can!"
"So, y' want revenge?" asked Applejack.
"Maybe!"
"I know I want it, too, but you can't let something like that guide your actions," Rarity said.
"I'm not letting anything guide me! I don't just want revenge!" Rainbow Dash let out a frustrated groan and frantically ruffled her mane, then looked back at Rarity, aggravated. "Are we going to keep pretending like everything's okay? Like all's fine and dandy now that Twilight is back?"
Rainbow saying this had roughly the effect of a punch to the snout on Twilight. She anxiously looked at the others, to check how they were affected. Applejack had a pained expression, as if she was feeling guilty. Pinkie Pie was strangely calm; the eyes she had aimed at Rainbow Dash were full of compassion. Fluttershy was just miserable.
Rarity was beginning to grow furious. "We waited for so long to even have her back! What more could you ask for?"
Rainbow Dash put herself down on the ground with a massive stomp, right in front of Rarity. "To have her not gone in the first place! I wanted her to be there when I got into the Wonderbolts! I wanted her to be there at my first show!"
She took off again, restless. She wasn't looking at Rarity anymore, or anypony in particular, while the words kept rushing out. "When I won my first derby, she wasn't there! When I broke the speed record, I couldn't tell her! When I got my stupid medals, I asked Celestia why Twilight hadn't got one for standing up to Merrok, and she told me it was because she wasn't dead!" She cried, and didn't care that anyone saw. "I wanted her to get the medal so I could think she sacrificed herself! So I could forget! She was gone for so long, I almost gave up on her! I'm the one who should be sorry!" With that, the pain was too much, and she curled up, trying to hide herself under her wings, falling and not caring she did. She wanted it to hurt when she hit the ground.
In an instant, Fluttershy was up in the air, holding her and gently guiding her downwards. She cried openly, but she smiled with kindness as the comforted her friend, who was still hiding. "You don't need to be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I gave up on her, Fluttershy!" Rainbow sobbed.
"No, you didn't. We can all see that," Rarity chimed up, gently, walking up and caressing her with a hoof of her own.
"We were all doubtin' we'd ever see her again, sometimes," Applejack added. "Givin' up is when you start believin' the doubts for good. Ya never did. I'd always wondered why you didn't like talkin' bout the medals. Seems to me they reminded ya of when ya thought Twilight was dead, and you didn't want that, because you never started believin' it and ya weren't plannin' on ever believin' it, were ya now?"
Rainbow sniffled. Her wings started to relax. "No."
Twilight, who had just followed Rainbow's outbreak in a sort of daze, smiled, and slowly walked up to her. "When you thought, for just a second, that I was dead, you wanted to honor my memory and grieve. That's what a friend would do, and nothing less. There's nothing to forgive you for, but if it helps, I can just say it. Rainbow Dash, I forgive you. You didn't fail me. I couldn't ask for a better and truer friend."
Split-seconds later Twilight had the fastest pegasus of all Equestria clamped around her shoulders, sobbing into her mane.
Of course, it was harder and harder not to lose herself in thought, when there was so much to take in. She had been so ecstatic to hear about how well everypony had been doing in her absence. She'd even started to feel a bit superfluous. After all, if they were doing so well without her, who was to say they'd do quite so well if she was there? Maybe she was even holding them back? After all, Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow had left Ponyville in the pursuit of their dreams; what if they'd stayed, just for her?
But telling them about the counterspell had brought about a change in their behavior that she couldn't quite believe. It was clear that she had been missed, but she had not even barely understood just how much.
The sadness she could read in the faces of her friends, as they stood around her with Rainbow still hugging her tightly, Twilight realized, was one she had never seen before. And she slowly started to understand why. This was the kind of sadness that needed time to grow. This was the sadness that ten years of her absence, ten years of waiting for her return had built.
Are we going to keep pretending like everything's okay? Rainbow's words were still echoing in her mind. Of course, they'd been ancitipating her coming back. And when she did, they wanted her to feel welcome. They wanted it to be the best return from the mists of time that anypony had ever experienced. They'd wanted everything to be like in the old days. After all, why dwell on the past that can't be changed? And they had succeeded! It had been almost impossible to tell the difference! None of them had looked like they were now ten years older than she was.
Then she'd told them about the counterspell. Now they did.
'No wonder Celestia never told them', Twilight thought. 'The spell required an object, she couldn't have cast it without me. They'd still have had to wait for me, and also think about whether they'd even want me to go back and try again. Constantly look at their own lives and wonder if whatever they were doing was going to be undone anyway. It would have driven them mad.'
'Focus, Twilight. This is here, this is now. You have to figure out what to do. Your friends need you to. Talk to them.'
"Rarity?"
"Yes?" came the answer, slightly nonplussed.
"How was it for you, me not being there?"
"Oh," she said, slightly at a loss for words. "Well, yes. We should probably get that all out. I mean, Rainbow is right, of course, those were hard times for all of us. I guess we ... didn't want to burden you with them. This counterspell business threw us all for a bit of a loop, and oh dear, I think the last time I was stalling this desperately must have been a couple of years back, when a model had tripped over her scarf and her necklace burst and my jeweler was frantically crafting a replacement ..." Rarity finally noticed the annoyed looks she was getting and let out a nervous laugh. She took a deep breath, and this time, looked Twilight straight in the eye. "Twilight, every so often, I'd get an image of you wearing a new design, and only after I finished drawing it to the last detail, I'd remember you were gone. I have a veritable doorstop full of them. I've been planning to move my boutique to Canterlot long before you were gone, ever since we did that fashion show with the Gala gowns, and I wanted the six of us to start it all off with another fashion show of ours. I actually had these wild dreams of making them a regular fixture. Had it all planned out, including the incentives I'd have to offer Applejack and Rainbow Dash to even consider it," she chuckled, and sighed. "I did move, but Fancy Pants had to pester me for weeks before I did a fashion show a year later. I hired professional models, and have done so ever since. There was no way I could be on the stage, or any of the others, without you there as well." She stood there, thinking, tears in her eyes, now silent, contemplating. "Say, you don't think we could ..."
"Of course we can!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It's going to be the best fashion show ever!"
"I wanna hear 'bout those incentives first," said Applejack. "What were ya thinkin' of for me?"
"Bribery."
Applejack narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sayin' that would not work."
"It sure as hay won't work on me!" Rainbow yelled out. "No way a Captain of the Wonderbolts would put on a frilly dress and parade around in front of the hobnobs! I've got a reputation to uphold and what in blazes are you pointing at?" Rainbow Dash followed Rarity's outstretched hoof to find Fluttershy, sitting next to her. Looking at her. Disappointed that she'd refuse to participate in a fashion show Rarity had wanted to hold for so long. She sighed. "You win."
"Of course, it all depends on Twilight's decision," Rarity pointed out, smiling. She looked at her long-lost friend again, eyes shining, smile unbroken. "I can't say I haven't missed you, dear, but I also can't say it's been a life not worth living. There will always be regrets, after all. But what am I saying?" She walked up and embraced Twilight, tightly. "I'd give anything I accomplished, anything I own, to have lived those ten years with you. Maybe I'd have made a living scavenging gems or somesuch, scrounging through the dirt to earn my meals. It would have been worth it."
"Thank you, Rarity," Twilight said, eyes closed, smiling.
"Well, I'd probably have bummed food off Applejack, too, the old sap."
"Ah heard that!" came a yell across the room, not quite managing to sound angry.
Twilight and Rarity giggled and released each other, and Twilight's eyes fell on somepony else. "Fluttershy, what about you?"
The question came as a shock, even though Fluttershy had to have expected it. What surprised Twilight, and made her feel uneasy, were the pained looks the others were giving her timid friend. Obviously, there was something there.
For a short while, Fluttershy had her head bowed, trying to hide it under her mane. Then she narrowed her eyes and rose up again. She looked straight ahead at Twilight. "I lied to you. I wasn't fine."
Twilight nodded slowly.
"For months afterwards, I was devastated. I locked myself in the cottage and cried. I blamed myself for being too late to help you, even though I had flown as fast as I possibly could when I heard the news," she stopped, visibly ashamed, but managed to continue to speak, "Angel had to take care of me. All the other animals helped him. Then I heard from Celestia that there had been a time spell, and that you were displaced in time, and that you would come back eventually. That helped, a little. Then Angel got sick and it made me realize that I was still needed, and that I couldn't just put everything on hold and do nothing until you could come back and heal me."
There were no sounds. Twilight could see the others were listening just as intently. Of course they had known that Fluttershy had been suffering and probably tried to get through to her while it happened. This was probably the first time they heard the full story out of Fluttershy's own mouth.
"I've started to wonder if it would help. If you coming back would really, truly, help me, after all this time." Fluttershy's eyes started to water, and her posture lost some of its determination. "It did. Oh Celestia, it did."
And she ran up, and cried into Twilight's mane, just like the others. None of her friends failed to realize, though, that of all the confessions uttered that day, hers had been the hardest.
"Applejack?"
"Yeah." Applejack pushed her hat up. "I'm up next. I know."
"Sorry."
"Don't be, Twilight. It's all of us who should be apologizin'. Like Rainbow said, we pretended. Havin' you back can't fix the pain of havin' missed you."
Twilight nodded. "So..."
"I know what it's like to lose somepony who's like family to you. Doesn't hit you any less when it happens again. But, well, ya learn how to hurt less. 'Course, I also knew you weren't gone for good. In a way, it made it harder, 'cause I never let go. But here's what I think," her expression went serious as she fixed her eyes at Twilight's, "It ain't for us to say whether ya should go back or not, and I think ya know that, too. I think ya were hopin' that any one of us had suffered so much that there'd be no choice; you'd have to go back and fix it, and you wouldn't have to think about it no more."
Twilight went cold. She hadn't looked at it in those terms. But Applejack was right. A part of her wanted a reason to do it, any reason, and had hoped to find it from her friends.
That was really it. She was looking for an excuse. If it might save someone, she wouldn't care about abandoning an entire timeline, she'd just do it.
Hearing about her friends suffering for missing her - it had started to convince her that it was worth doing. Worth the risk. But then, there was Applejack, still suffering from losing her parents, and nopony could bring them back, could they? Everyone suffers. You couldn't compare it, tally it up, and say "this is worth this much risk to undo". Undoing usually wasn't on the table. You had to deal. Everyone had to deal. A temporarily gone Twilight Sparkle? Nothing in the grand scheme of things.
The grand scheme of things. Twilight cursed inwardly. She hated the grand scheme of things. Thinking about it hadn't helped her one bit. She wondered who'd invented it.
You're allowed to be selfish. Celestia had said so. Twilight had been a bit puzzled that she'd said it like that, but now she started to understand. If she stopped thinking about how it would affect everyone, and only about how it would affect her, maybe she would know what to do.
But that was impossible. How it would affect everyone was what she needed to know to find out what she wanted. If it would help everyone, she wanted to do it. If it wouldn't, she didn't.
... By the stars. She'd hoped her friends had suffered, just for the sake of an easy way out. That was how lost she was.
As she struggled to find a way, any way, to find the words that would tell them how sorry she was, there were steps in the hallway. Loud, thundering steps.
Applejack turned towards the door. "Finally!" she said, joyful. "He made it!"
The door opened and almost crashed to bits against the wall. A purple dragon creature with green fins and scales stood there, saw Twilight, and rushed straight at her, arms outstretched to catch her in its claws.
She was beside herself with joy, forgetting everything else. "Spike!" And the dragon closed his arms around her, lifted her up, and cried, hugging her tightly.
"I've missed you so much!", he roared. It sounded like a roar to Twilight, at least, because she wasn't used to his deeper voice. Still, she wasn't scared. No matter the size, she couldn't be scared of Spike. Her little dragon brother. Okay, her big dragon brother now.
I've missed you so much. Spike's words echoed in her head. Twilight shook it annoyedly. She wasn't going to ruin a tearful reunion by dwelling on one of her stray thoughts! Of course he had missed her. She was something like a big sister to him. It was natural that he would ...
Oh no. No.
It was like a dam was broken. Twilight didn't just break out in tears, she cried, cried with everything she had. It didn't take long even for Spike to stop and look at her with worried eyes. All her friends, who had been following the heartwarming moment with smiles and barely subdued tearing up, now started to worry, too. She cried noisily, and messily. Pinkie reached for her handkerchief, thought better of it and pulled a blanket off a table in the corner, patting it with a hoof to get most of the errant confetti and streamers off. Spike kept cradling his sister in his arms, wondering if he should put her down for a moment, but Fluttershy put a hoof on his shoulder and shook her head, smiling to reassure him. Twilight had to calm down on her own, and Spike's arms were already the best place to do it.
After a while, Twilight finally managed to try and say something. It didn't quite work out, through her sobbing and the snot and the fits.
"It's okay. Try again," Fluttershy said.
"'M BO BORRY!", Twilight yelled and sniffled. Rarity took the blanket from Pinkie with her magic and held it to her nose, and she blew into it, hard. "I'm so sorry!", she repeated, somewhat calmer and less snotted up. "I was your big sister! I was supposed to be there for you! To teach you everything! To help you grow big! I'm so sorry!" she yelled, and sobbed into his scales. They weren't soft like the coats and manes of her friends, - in fact, she suspected she might be bleeding from the cuts rubbing against them caused - but they were warm, and she wouldn't have traded them for anything.
Spike cried, too. He was not a fully-grown dragon, but he was grown enough to barely fit through pony-made doors, and if his temperament had been different, with his razor-sharp teeth and fearsome visage he could have scared even the bravest pony around silly. But he was Spike, and he cried.
The door closed, silently. No one in the room stopped to ask themselves later how it was possible that a pony could cry this loudly in the palace and no one would take notice, and it was good they didn't, because they'd have been wrong. When ponies cried in the palace, in fact, the masters of the place themselves, despite their multitude of celestial duties, would never fail to take notice. They also generally possessed the wisdom not to intrude into intimate affairs, though in this particular case the older had to gently remind the younger of that.
"But you were there for me, Twilight," Spike said, calmly as he could. "You did teach me. You did help me grow big, into the handsome dragon I am."
Twilight stopped crying for a second to chuckle.
"Yeah, very funny."
"No, you are handsome. I didn't mean to laugh, I'm sorry." She sniffled, and blew into the blanket again. Rarity idly wondered how to explain the mess to the staff later that day.
"You were gone, yeah. It was hard, really hard. But everything you taught me stayed with me. When I wondered what to do, I remembered what you'd say. And all your friends took really good care of me. I had five big sisters instead. They didn't replace you, but they helped."
"Thank you," Twilight choked out, tears welling up again. She wasn't talking to Spike this time, and everyone knew it.
"I read a lot. I studied history, I studied magic, I studied biology, science, geography, everything. Then I decided I would travel, and study the world. Do my very own dragon migration, you know? I was with the griffons when Luna reached me. Took some time to fly back here. Oh yeah, I can fly now, too. Anyway. You don't have to worry, Twilight. I really, really missed you. I'll never miss anything again as much as I've missed you, and coming from a guy who never knew his parents, well, you know." He tried to get his tears to dry, and failed. "But you don't have to worry. I made it okay. I'm still the luckiest dragon in the world, for the time I had with you, and to have you back now."
"I'm so proud of you," Twilight managed to whisper.
Tears started to stream down Spike's face, with no hope of stopping them for a long time. Twilight didn't exactly see them - couldn't see much through her tear-sore eyes - but she felt them splash on her face, hot in the way she remembered dragon tears to be. "Oh geez. Why did you have to go and say that? I was doing so well. Holding you in my arms and everything, a big, handsome, strong and manly dragon who has seen the world. Why did you have to go and say that? Now I'm just a crybaby."
"Oh, give it a rest!" Rainbow yelled out. She flew up next to Spike's head and grinned at him. Her face was wet with tears of her own. "Would you call me a crybaby? No, Spike, I am the Captain of the Wonderbolts. My tears are tears of strength. As are yours! I am proud to cry with you!" She sniffed, gloriously.
"Ya blew yer nose into Fluttershy's mane just now!" Applejack piped up, accusingly. "'s that snot of strength, too?"
"It's okay, I blew mine in her tail when she wasn't looking," Fluttershy whispered.
"You are all disgusting!" Rarity yelled, indignant, as Twilight was blowing her nose into the blanket again. She heard a whimper. "Oh no, not you!" she hurried to say, "I mean, you're using the blanket!"
And Twilight laughed, and laughed long and hard. Everyone else stopped and watched her, and when she still didn't stop, they started joining in. Even Rarity, who only now realized she'd been played. It was the most joyful laugh they'd ever had, and that included Pinkie Pie, who possessed a fair degree of expertise on the matter.
It was quiet.
Twilight Sparkle hadn't had quiet for a while. The last few hours were a bit of a blur. A happy, wet, musical mess of a blur. Oh, yes, there had been a Pinkie party. There had been dancing. Something to drink.
She stared at the ceiling. Ah, right, it was her bed. Her bed in the library. That was where they'd had the party. Just now. Not the bed, the library downstairs, where there was room.
Huh. Apparently she was displaced ten years into the future or something. Her mind told her that. She couldn't tell just from looking around the room, and the drink had fogged up some of the details. Ah, no, of course, she remembered. It was still true. Her friends had just managed to make her forget it for a little bit.
This was probably a good time to go to sleep. After all, she hadn't slept in over ten years. Well, after a fashion. This morning, everything had looked like a normal day. Then the lion sorcerer. Then the time shift. Then the tears. Gosh, she needed to sleep.
She shook her head. That she couldn't do. If she fell asleep in this future, she would become a part of it for good. Waking up in this bed, after a good night's sleep, would make her feel like she belonged there. And it would feel more and more like that with every time she woke up in it. That was fine, if she had decided it was what she wanted. But she had to make that decision now. Not later, when it no longer wasn't one. Now.
She'd hoped talking to her friends would clear things up. Like Applejack had said, she probably had wanted, hoped or expected that they'd lived through something she couldn't allow to let stand - but they hadn't. In the end, all of them had agreed that it was up to Twilight to decide, they understood how hard the decision was and didn't blame Twilight for struggling with it, and they'd support her whichever choice she made. Even Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. In the end, none of them had given her any guidance that Celestia hadn't already tried to give her.
It's entirely up to you. You're allowed to be selfish. Twilight snorted angrily. Selfish was what she didn't want to be. She wanted to do what was best for everyone. Why was it so hard to figure out what that was?
She stared out into the window, into the night. It was a beautiful, calming night.
Maybe she hadn't thought it through enough. She tried to think herself back. Tried to imagine the scene after she'd disappeared. For some reason, the images started rushing into her head far more quickly and more vividly than she had expected, but she didn't dwell on that particular oddity.
If her friends were to be believed, they'd have given Merrok quite the beating. Twilight tried to imagine how furious they must have been. Rarity, with her teeth clamped around Merrok's tail. Pinkie Pie, belting him with bowling ball pies. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, giving him all they'd got. Fluttershy, consumed with rage. All because he'd taken Twilight away from them.
She saw farther ahead. Shining Armor, banging against the barrier, crying out her name. Their devastated faces when it came down, and there was only Merrok, and she was nowhere to be seen. Fluttershy, who wouldn't come out of her cottage. Applejack, losing herself in farm work. Pinkie, wondering if she could ever party again. Rarity, sowing quietly in a rocking chair as it rained outside, fighting back tears. Rainbow Dash, racing, racing, to forget Twilight in the roar of the wind. She saw Spike, back in the palace, in Celestia's bedroom, crying himself to sleep. Her heart ached, having to see it all.
And then, she saw herself again. She saw herself meeting Applejack again, who was beside herself with joy, but barely contained it because she had to send her long-lost friend to Celestia first. She saw all of them, anxiously piling up behind the door, even though they couldn't understand a word, barely holding in their excitement. She saw the laughter, the crying, she saw Spike who had grown big and strong and smart, and she saw the party, and it made her tear up with happiness. She'd made them whole again. By coming back, she'd made them whole again. She was all they'd been missing. They were fine now.
There was nothing she really needed to fix.
And that should have been the end of it. After all, if there was nothing she needed to fix, it couldn't be a risk worth taking, now could it? But to her surprise, Twilight found her heart still ached.
You're allowed to be selfish.
If it was about what was best for her friends, she had her answer. They were happy, now. Twilight had been stolen from them, but they had her back, and the joy of their reunion made up for ten years of loss. It shouldn't have been that easy, but it was. But what if Twilight truly let herself think selfish thoughts?
After all, they had accomplished so much ... without her.
Twilight shuddered. She hated herself for thinking like that. But if Celestia was convinced it would get her anywhere ...
Rarity had opened her boutique in Canterlot and become a magnificent designer - without her. Pinkie Pie had turned into Equestria's number one party animal - without her. Rainbow Dash had made Captain of the Wonderbolts - without her. Fluttershy had become a professor - without her.
And suddenly, Twilight was angry.
At herself, of course, because she had thought like that - because she kept thinking like that. But then she realized there was a scapegoat. Actually, no. Not a scapegoat. That was someone who was innocent and used to distract from the real culprit. Merrok wasn't innocent.
Neither was she, but she had been ripped out of her time, placed ten years into the future. Sure, she'd had to disrupt the spell herself, but that was in self-defense. After all, if everything had went according to plan, he'd have had her at her mercy.
And here she was. She'd missed seeing Merrok get his just beating at the hands of her friends. She had missed how he had slowly drained himself of magic as he realized his plans were foiled. And then - she had missed Rainbow Dash becoming a Wonderbolt, then becoming a squad leader, breaking the world speed record and finally her promotion to Captain. She had missed Rarity coming to Canterlot, she had missed Pinkie's grand party that started her career, she had missed seeing the looks on Rarity's face as she struggled to find some place to put the money, she had missed all of the fashion shows, she had even missed her own chance to be the star of one, together with all her friends, before the grandest audience Canterlot had to offer. She had missed Applejack looking over her flourishing farm with pride; she had missed Fluttershy's lecture and the day she'd been awarded her honorary degree. She had missed accompanying her on the professoral dinners and meeting all of the idols of her study time, and she had missed seeing her face flushed with pride when she handed her own students their diplomas. She had missed Spike growing up into a big, kind, smart, handsome, all around wonderful dragon.
And there was so much more. She had missed Applebloom and her friends finding their purpose and earning their cutie marks. She had missed the last seven volumes of Daring Do arriving in her mail, fresh off the presses. She had missed the birth of her nieces and nephews. There was no way to ever find out just how many things, big and small, she had missed. There was so much.
Merrok had taken Twilight away from her friends. That was bad enough. But it wasn't Twilight's friends who had been robbed the worst. They had had one of their best friends stolen away from them, yes. But Twilight? She had been robbed of all of them, and more. She had been robbed of ten years of her life. Ten years that, she realized, she wanted back. More than she'd ever wanted anything.
She shook her head, violently. No, this wasn't right. Anger wasn't the right emotion to have when making a decision like this. She couldn't allow herself to rush into anything. It was far too important. Far too much was at stake. Equestria was safe. Her friends finally had her back. She couldn't allow herself to jeopardize a good thing.
"And I won't!" she declared into the night, determined to the core, as the images in her head cleared up and the moon-lit sky appeared once more. She flashed her horn, and she was gone. |
It's Also About Time | Final Chapter | The lion sorcerer smiled in silent triumph. Now that the spell had connected, there was no way out. He'd analyzed it to perfection. Twenty-four hours from now, Twilight Sparkle would reappear, and he'd repeat the procedure, each time catching just enough of the amplified magic rush to do whatever he pleased.
He felt a buildup of magic. It wouldn't matter. The spell's pattern had solidified too much. Besides, Twilight Sparkle would not be stupid enough to try and disrupt a spell she didn't understand, and there was no way she'd decipher a spell this complicated that fast.
He squinted. Huh. He might have overestimated her intelligence in some way. That was definitely a magic surge. Still, she couldn't possibly ...
There was a flash, and a sickening crunch. Merrok felt around. No, the spell was still there. Was the pattern still intact? It looked like it was. He didn't have time to fully inspect it, though. The spell was resolving. It would take effect. Of course it would. It wasn't possible to stop once it had connected. He'd made sure of it.
The pattern vanished into time, just as intended. Excellent. Now to deal with ...
Suddenly he was on his back. There was a screaming pain in his right front paw. He tried to move, and couldn't. He growled in defiance and tried to focus a spell, but the pain just intensified. That was, of course, when his mind made the obvious connections. His right paw was, after all, where he focused his magic and turned it into spells, much like a unicorn might use her horn.
But ... that was impossible. He knew for a fact the spell had worked. Not just that it should have worked - he had actually felt it. But now he could not just feel the multitudes of unfamiliar magic holding his body in a grip, he also realized the storm clouds above the plaza and the lightning streaking through them were separated from him by a dense blue-tinted fog, itself of magical origin. Just like that, he had been cut off from another major source of his power.
Power, he realized, he couldn't have drawn in anyway, because he couldn't feel his tail at all. There wasn't even pain. That had to be coincidence, though. No lion sorceror before him had figured out that the tail could serve as a second catalyst. No one else but him could possibly know. Not even her.
He didn't need any explicit confirmation of the shambles all his plans had become, but as though to taunt him, she decided to appear over him in his field of vision anyway. Looking in from the side, as she was standing next to him, but craning her head so her eyes met his. The fury in them sent a shiver up his aching spine. He tried to get up, to move, but the attempt was only rewarded with more pain.
"You humongous flipping jerk," the unicorn growled, tears in her eyes, "going around causing hurt and grief and pain and thinking you know everything!"
Merrok growled, focused his magic one last time, and lunged.
He made it perhaps three inches off the ground before the pain flared up again. He gave a yelp as his head smashed back into the solid dirt. The pain in his right paw almost made him lose his mind. Twilight Sparkle hadn't even budged.
She didn't yell or even speak particularly loudly, but the barely suppressed rage in her words commanded Merrok's attention in a way he would never have thought any living creature, especially one half his size, could - he was filled with dread. "Don't think I'm not paying attention. I'm watching you struggle, very closely. And you're actually lucky these binds and seals are working. I researched four distinct approaches to eliminate a lion sorcerer as a threat, and the one I'm using right now is the non-lethal one of the four. It hurts, and I hate that it hurts, because I hate hurting anyone. Even you. But I can't allow you to do as you please, because that would cause far more hurt to far more people. You've already caused more than you could even imagine."
Confusion was mixed into Merrok's building fear and resignation. What was she even talking about? But the pain quickly extinguished any clear line of thought. "The spell should have worked. I don't ... understand."
"You don't understand a thing about anything!" Twilight snapped, tried to calm herself, and shook her head. "I wish this seal was permanent. I didn't hold back on it, and with the amplification at work it's enough to keep you from doing magic again for a long, long time. Maybe you will learn. But I don't have much room in my head for hoping right now. Right now, all I can try and drill into your stupid lion head is this," she climbed on Merrok's body, sending jolts of pain through his joints every time she disturbed the sealed paw, until she stood on his chest, and lowered her head until their stares were locked, eye to eye, just inches apart. She didn't blink. She still had tears in her eyes that would not stop flowing, but her expression was all rage, and no fear. "I'm watching out for you. You're my responsibility now. I'm prepared. If I ever catch wind that you've caused pain and grief to anyone, again, I will find you, and I will stop you, whatever it takes."
She kept staring at Merrok, ice hot, for a short, excruciating while. Then she started talking again, somewhat quieter. "And one more thing. Maybe you will dedicate your talents to good. I've seen it happen where I thought it couldn't, so how should I know? Regardless of the purpose, do not ever, ever, mess with time magic again. No one should. It's never worth it." And puzzlingly enough, rage turned to sorrow, tears welled up, and Twilight Sparkle jumped off Merrok's body, causing a last jolt of agony to ravage him, and disappeared into the slowly dwindling storm, as if she had no thought in the world left to spare for him, leaving the lion sorcerer to ponder just what it was that had defeated him in the end.
Twilight tried desperately to get the tears to stop. She had to find the others, and she kind of needed to be able to see to have any hope of finding anything in the magic-blocking fog she had created. Darn it!
"Twilight!" came a yell. "Stop!"
Twilight stopped. She recognized the voice. Thank the stars, she did. "Rainbow Dash!" she let out a joyful scream as she saw the form the voice belonged to emerge from the mists. "You're okay!"
"Well, yeah! I just got here! Why would I not be okay?" Rainbow Dash said, but was suddenly pinned back-first to the ground by the force of onrushing unicorn.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Twilight exclaimed through the sniffling as she dug her face in Rainbow's chest, causing a wince as she poked her friend with her horn in her exuberance.
"Are you?" Rainbow asked apprehensively, rubbing her bruise.
Twilight suddenly rose up. "That depends! Where are the others?" Her hooves stomped the ground, unruly, as she turned her head into every imaginable direction. Even on a sugar overdose, Pinkie Pie could not have been more twitchy.
Rainbow Dash finally spotted the suffering pile of sealed lion sorcerer. "Woah, is that him?"
"Yup," Twilight replied as she kept stretching her head. Maybe she should have reconsidered the fog. With the seals on his paw and the tail, it had been exceedingly unlikely Merrok could have drawn on the magic in the clouds anyway, and now it only made finding her friends harder.
Rainbow Dash poked Merrok in the side, triggering a roar of pain. "Woah!" She flittered back over to Twilight's side. "Did you do that to him?"
"Yup. Applejack and Rarity should be here by now, right? Where are they?!"
There were voices some way off in the distance behind them. "Leave your paws off my Twilight, you ruffian!" There was a high-pitched battle cry, and then the sound of pony hooves skidding to a halt near where Merrok lay and suffered. "Huh."
"Rarity!" Twilight yelled and turned around. "And Applejack, too! You're alright!" Her horn flared up, and a split-second later she had her forelegs around them both, hugging them with vice-like strength. Rainbow Dash followed flying, smiling, but shrugging when she saw Applejack's and Rarity's puzzled looks.
"I take it ya gave 'im what for then?" Applejack pressed out.
"No time for that! Where's Pinkie?"
"Eat Combat Pie, you huge jerk!" came a war scream in the distance. There was a splat and loud cracking sound, and following its source Twilight and the others saw a bowling ball covered with cream and shattered frosting, lodged into a crater in the broken pavement, inches removed from the head of a terrified lion. "Darn it! Missed!"
"Pinkie, stop!" Applejack yelled. "He's already done for!"
"Aw, really?" Pinkie answered, still at the end of the plaza, with a cart stacked with strangely ball-shaped pies tethered to her back. The fog had slightly thinned by now; evidently she had thrown the pie the moment she had gotten a good glimpse of lion without further thought. "Oh well. Good thing my pies are multi-purpose! Anyone up for banana cream?"
She barely had time to unfasten the harness before Twilight grabbed her and started twirling her around. "You're okay you're okay you're okay!"
"W-woah, c-calm down!" Pinkie tried to say.
"Of course I'll be at the party! I would never ever miss a Pinkie party!"
"I n-never s-said anything abo-bout a p-party! P-put me d-down, please!" Twilight put her down. Pinkie shook herself, trying to get her pupils to align again. "Geez, Twilight! You can't just go around shaking ponies! You have to respect their personal space!" she paused, "Wait, did I just say that?"
There was a swooshing sound above them, and suddenly the ground shook. Everyone turned around to find Fluttershy standing right in the middle of the plaza, panting heavily. "I came as fast as I could! Is everything alright? Is everyone safe?!"
She had Twilight hugging her tight in split-seconds. "Yes! You're safe, everyone's safe! I did it!" Her expression unhinged, and big tear drops started streaming down her face. "I did it," she pressed out, clamping around Fluttershy so hard it felt like the head would snap off. "I did it," she whispered again, and kept crying even as her friends gathered around, deeply worried and puzzled. Celestia's number one student had defeated countless dangerous enemies before, and never had she reacted like this.
"I guess fighting that lion dude must have been pretty intense," Rainbow Dash said. "It looked like you were on fire! I guess that was some sort of magic. I was almost convinced I would get there too late. Must have been a close one."
Twilight loosened her grip a little and turned around, giving Rainbow a blank stare. "You have no idea," she finally said, smiling and trying to rub her eyes dry.
Finally able to breathe again, Fluttershy flashed her a sympathetic smile and hugged Twilight tight, this time of her own volition. "You must have had a terrible fright," she said, gently.
"Well, she should tell us all about it. In her own time," Rarity said, and she walked up to Twilight and hugged her, too. Pinkie Pie joined them in an instant - trying as hard as she could to put her forelegs around all three of them and succeeding in having her hindlegs leave the ground and most of her weight placed on Twilight's shoulders, almost crushing her. Applejack snickered and joined in. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and when no one said anything, quickly checked in several directions for witnesses, blushed and piled herself on anyway.
"Remember, Twilight. No matter what happens, we'll always be there for you," Rarity said.
Twilight blinked, and then smiled, finally calm. "And I will be there for you."
Many thanks to Sagebrush, who helped me untangle some of my messes. Many thanks also to all who've commented and otherwise helped and encouraged me. And of course, thanks for reading! |
Life of a Dragon: Die for Metal | pre | Tears poured from Rarity's eyes. She tried to say something. Anything. But she didn't know what she could possibly say as a response to the information that Discord had just given her.
"I...I...I" she stammered.
"Well, my job's done." Discord rose from his seat and the chair disappeared. "I'll leave you here to mull over what I've told you. Perhaps you may learn something about yourself." He laid the Fire Ruby down on Rarity's bed in front of the crying mare and disappeared, leaving Rarity alone in her room once more.
Rarity felt like her heart had been split in two, and then what was left was roasted over an open fire. No words could even begin to describe the immense mixture of sadness and guilt that she felt.
She laid back down on her bed and let her tears flow freely.
DIscord said that perhaps she would learn something.
Well, she definitely learned something about herself just now.
I'm such a horrible bitch. |
Life of a Dragon: Die for Metal | Chapter 7: Back In Black | Spike and Blueblood checked out of the hotel the next day. At Spike's request that they get something to eat, they stopped by an old-fashioned diner to get something to eat before they hit the road again. They made their way into the diner to see the usual interior design that you would find inside such a place. The only other occupants were an old couple sitting at a booth close to the exit and an off-duty police officer sitting at the end of the bar. They sat down at a booth as a young waitress with pink fur and a lilac mane came by to take their order. A plain white nametag with the words "SPRING BREEZE" printed in all-caps was pinned to her bright gray blouse right above her breast. They both ordered a plate of eggs and a cup of coffee for each of them. The waitress jotted their orders down on a pad of paper before walking away. She came back a short while later with their orders and left them to their meals.
"So..." Blueblood began as he took a sip of his coffee, "What should we do first?"
Spike looked up from his plate with a mouthful of egg. He quickly swallowed and answered his cousin. "Well, I want to drop by the library and pick up a few things first."
Blueblood looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure that you want to do that?" he asked him.
"I only want to pick up some personal belongings, and we're gone. I don't wanna spend any more time there than necessary."
Blueblood nodded. "Good." He picked up his fork and began devouring his own meal. The silence between the two of them only lasted a few seconds before Spike decided to speak.
"I've been meaning to ask you something; What happened back in Canterlot that got you all pissed off?"
Blueblood froze in place, a forkful of egg halfway to his mouth. He looked up at his cousin before closing his eyes and exhaling. Spike took this as a sign to stop inquiring any further.
"Listen, you don't have to answer if you don't wan--" Spike began.
Blueblood interrupted, "No, it's fine." he set down his fork and rubbed the back of his head. "You know that cellist I was dating?"
Spike answered, "Yeah. Octavia, right?"
"That's the one." Blueblood continued, "Anyway, I decided that since I had been seeing her for a year and a half, that I would ask her to marry me. So I took her to her favorite restaurant in Canterlot and I was going to propose to her during dinner."
"So, wait...she said no?"
"Not actually. I didn't even get the chance to pop the question. We weren't seated for five minutes before she told me that she was leaving me for another mare. Turns out that she was having an affair with that one mare, DJ-PON3 or whatever her name is."
"Vinyl Scratch?"
"I think so." Blueblood picked up his coffee mug and drained it in one gulp. Spike sat there, filled with sympathy for Blueblood. Both of them had been through hell the past couple of days, and he hadn't even known that his cousin was going through something that was almost exactly the same.
"Sorry, man." Spike said.
"It's alright." Blueblood responded. Neither said a word to each other until they had eaten, paid the check, and were back on the road.
Blueblood drove while Spike looked through some lyrics that he had written the night before. Blueblood looked over at Spike. "Have you figured out what we're gonna do member-wise with this band that we're putting together?" he asked him.
"I know someone in Ponyville who'd make a good bassist. It's another reason why I wanted to head back to the library." Spike answered, not taking his eyes off of the papers he held in his hand.
"What about a drummer?"
"I haven't thought that far ahead."
A voice came from the back seat. "Did somebody say they needed a drummer?"
Blueblood and Spike yelled and jumped in surprise as Blueblood's jeep swerved across the road from side to side, nearly driving into the guardrails on either side. When Blueblood regained control of the car, they both turned around to see none other than Cheese Sandwich sitting in the back seat, large smile plastered onto his face.
"CHEESE! WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?! YOU NEARLY MADE US CRASH!" Spike yelled.
Blueblood looked over at Cheese and then back to Spike. "Who the fuck is this guy!?" Blueblood yelled. He wanted to know who the fuck this random dude was, how the fuck did Spike know him, and why the FUCK was he in the backseat of his car.
Spike gestured towards Blueblood with his hand, and then at Cheese. "Blueblood, this is Cheese Sandwich. He's a party planner just like Pinkie, except he travels the world." he gestured back to Blueblood. "Cheese, this is Prince Blueblood. He's my cousin--"
"Yeah, okay, I get who he is," Blueblood interrupted, "But can someone please tell me why he's in my fucking car?!"
Cheese continued to smile. "I heard that you guys were staring a band, and I wanted to see if you guys needed a good drummer!" he answered.
Blueblood was puzzled. "Wait, how did you find out that we were staring a band?" he asked. "We haven't told anyone else yet."
Spike answered his cousin's question, "I told you, Blueblood. He's just like Pinkie. That includes whatever weird, reality-bending abilities she has, too."
Blueblood thought about this new piece of information for a few moments. That's just great. Blueblood thought. Another pony breaking the laws of physics. As if Pinkie Pie didn't confuse me enough.
"Ooh, a radio!" Cheese exclaimed. He leaned forward past Spike and Blueblood and began fiddling with the dials on the jeep's radio, zipping past several different stations.
"Hey!" Blueblood said loudly. "Watch what you're doing! I don't want you breaking my shi--" Blueblood stopped speaking altogether as he heard what song was being played on the station that Cheese had picked. The station was playing "Uh! All Night" by KISS.
A large grin spread across Spike's face. "Damn, Cheese! I didn't know you were into this kind of music!" Spike laughed.
Cheese replied, "Dude, what do you think I do when I'm not planning parties?" Cheese's voice dropped about an octave. His hair had straightened out, and he had a devious look on his face.
Spike looked at Cheese's new appearance. "Whoa, man, do you look like this every time you listen to rock n' roll? he asked.
Cheese smiled deviously. "Only when I listen to the good shit, dude."
The trio continued down the road as they listened to the awesomeness being blasted from the radio, singing along with the band.
Being in a band is gonna be fucking awesome. Spike thought.
Later that day...
The trio arrived in Ponyville, much to the surprise of the town's residents. Many had thought that Spike would have been as far away from Ponyville as possible after the events at Celestia's castle. They were even more surprised to see his new appearance. As the three walked through the town and towards the library, Spike was the object of many stares. It wasn't day that the townspeople saw such an odd, yet awesome-looking dragon strolling through the town square.
The three stopped in front of the library, right in front of the door. The sign on the front of the door was flipped to "CLOSED". Spike reached one claw up to knock, only to return his arm back to it's original position by his side. Why the hell am I knocking? he thought, I live here. Or at least I used to live here. He pushed the door open and walked inside, his friends following suit.
The library was a mess. Books were strewn everywhere, from the shelves to the farthest corners of the room. Spike began stepping over the various books that decorated the floor before starting up the stairs.
"Damn. This place is a mess." Blueblood said. He took a cigarette out of the pack he kept in his pocket and lit it.
Spike heard the click of Blueblood's lighter. He didn't even have to turn around to know what his cousin was doing. "Come on, man." he said. He turned towards his cousin. "Don't smoke in here. There's fucking books everywhere. You're bound to accidentally light something on fire."
"Alright, fine." Blueblood groaned as he pitched his cigarette out a nearby window. Spike continued on his way up the stairs and to the bedroom that both he and Twilight shared. As he opened the door, he could hear the sound of snoring emanating from the room. He opened the door completely to find Twilight asleep in her bed, despite the fact that it was now mid-afternoon. The bedroom itself was in much better shape than the rest of the library, with only a few misplaced items found here and there. Spike tiptoed across the room and over to his own bed. The last thing that he needed right now was to wake up Twilight and have to deal with any drama that would result in her awakening.
Spike reached under his own bed and pulled out a medium sized suitcase. He opened it up and began reaching into his dresser, pulling out some clothes, his wallet, and a picture of him and Celestia when he was ten years old. He placed the objects within the suitcase and closed it. As he began to walk towards the door, he felt something heavy hit him on the back of the head. He fell to the ground, the world spinning around him. As he regained his bearings, he got back onto his feet and turned around to see a very angry-looking Twilight with an encyclopedia covered in a purple aura levitating right next to her.
"What are you doing in my home?!" she yelled. "You better get out or I'll--"
She stopped talking and dropped the book she held with her magic as she recognized the supposed intruder. "S-Spike?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "I-Is that you?"
Spike rubbed the back of his head where the first book that she had thrown hit him. "Yeah, it's me. I'm only here to pick up some stuff and then I'll be on my way." He picked his suitcase up off the ground and proceeded towards the bedroom door.
"Wait!" Twilight pleaded. "Spike, please, I need to talk to you."
Spike looked back at her, the rage he felt three days prior beginning to bubble up again. Without thinking, he spoke: "You know what? Fine. Meet me at the exit out of Ponyville in half an hour. And bring the rest of the girls, too. There's a lot more that needs to be said than you think." With that, he turned and walked out the door, leaving Twilight by herself in what was now only her bedroom.
Spike headed down the stairs and out the door, not speaking a word. Blueblood and Cheese Sandwich ran to catch up with the purple-scaled dragon.
"What just happened in there?" Blueblood asked him.
"I'll tell you after we stop by the Apple family's orchard." Spike answered.
Cheese looked confused. "Why are we going there?"
Spike grinned. "Where do you think our bassist is?"
Big Macintosh gazed out over the hilltop as he looked down at the apple orchard. He took in the beautiful sight of the hundreds of apple trees that had been rooted to this land before Ponyville had even existed. He had always taken pride in the fact that the orchard was such an important part of Ponyville's economy and history. Hell, it had been the Apple family that originally settled on the land that Ponyville would be built on. He loved working in the orchard, spending his days bucking the trees to catch the ripe, red fruit that his family was so well known for, because it was one of the few places where he felt at peace. Even then, he was still troubled.
As much as he loved working on the farm, he began to desire a life outside of the usual, day-by-day chores that took up most of his time. Unfortunately, this could never happen, for he was greatly depended upon to help keep the farm running. If Big Mac didn't do his part around the orchard, his family would lose everything.
Big Mac pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He took a drag and puffed it out into the warm summer air, unaware of the three figures approaching him until one of them shouted his name.
"HEY, BIG MAC!"
The stallion spun around to see Blueblood, Cheese Sandwich, and Spike walking up the hill towards him. Or at least it was Blueblood, Cheese Sandwich, and someone who looked like Spike.
"Spike?" Big Mac questioned with his eyebrow raised. "What happened to ya? And more importantly, why are ya'll here? I heard that you had run off somewhere after you found out that Twilight and Rarity were together." Big Mac hadn't been surprised when he heard about what happened in Canterlot. He had figured that Spike would eventually get fed up with how the girls treated him. As much as he loved his two sisters, he had a tendency to treat Spike like a little brother whenever the two of them were together. Spike was one of the few people in Ponyville that Big Mac felt that he could really talk to, man to man. Spike knew about how suffocated Big Mac felt from being on the farm for most of his life, And Big Mac knew about how neglected Spike felt because the Mane 6 barely paid a lick of attention to him.
"We're here because I need to talk to you." Spike answered. "Is there anyplace where we can talk in private?"
"Sure." Big Mac responded, lifting up one leg and bending it to crush the lit end of his cigarette against the heel of his boot, "We can talk in the barn. Applebloom and her friends are at Sugarcube Corner, and Applejack has been in the orchard almost all day." It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Applejack was trying to distract herself from her guilt.
The four walked into the empty barn, the floorboards creaking beneath them with every step they took. Big Mac closed the doors behind them before they all sat down on a cluster of hay bales.
"So what'd ya'll want to talk about?" Big Mac asked Spike, taking a seat on a bale of hay directly across from the amethyst dragon. Spike's facial expression turned serious.
"Blueblood, Cheese and I are starting a band, and we need a bassist. I already know you play, because I've seen you practicing out in the orchard. I've heard you play, and you put all the other bassists I've heard to shame. What do you say, are you in?"
Big Mac's head was spinning. He had always kept the fact that he played bass guitar a secret. He didn't want anybody else knowing, lest he start hearing criticisms from other musicians on how good he was. Playing bass guitar was a secret passion of his. The feeling of his fingers against the strings and the sound of the low, deep notes emanating from the instrument was bliss to him. Being in a band had always seemed like a fantasy, like something that wouldn't happen in a million years. Yet, here he was now, being offered the chance of a lifetime. He wanted so badly to say yes, but deep down, he knew that he could not.
"I'm sorry, guys," he started, "But I'll have to say no. My family needs me here. If I'm not here, then we'll lose the farm. We're barely making it by as it is."
"Fuck that noise." Blueblood said, startling the other three who sat by him on their own respective hay bales, for he hadn't said a word since they had arrived at the farm. "I can hire somebody to work here in your absence. Give me five minutes, and I can have a guy here working for next to nothing until your family tells him to piss off."
Blueblood's offer rang in Big Mac's ears. How could he possibly say no to that?
"Fuck it." he stated, "I'm in."
A grin stretched across Spike's face. "Welcome to the band, my friend." he said.
Cheese Sandwich smiled devilishly. "That's what I'm fuckin' talking about!" he yelled, pumping one fist into the air. "Let's get this shit started!"
Spike turned to his energetic drummer. "Not yet, Cheese. I still have some unfinished business to take care of with the girls." |
Life of a Dragon: Die for Metal | Chapter 8: The Unforgiven | The four bandmates walked back to the exit out of Ponyville, where Spike had told Twilight to meet him. The three stallions and one dragon walked back in silence, until Blueblood spoke up:
"Are you sure you really want to talk to the girls again, Spike?" Blueblood asked, his voice filled with worry. He was afraid of what might happen if Spike was to confront the Mane 6 again. Would he go into another fit of rage and fly off again? He didn't know. And frankly, he didn't want to find out.
Spike turned his head towards his cousin. "I have to do this, Blueblood. I need to get this out and in the open once and for all. I can't keep all this shit bottled up. I need to confront them without having a meltdown and let them know why I'm doing this. Once we do that, it's 'Goodbye, Ponyville' and "Hello, open road.'
Blueblood, deciding that it would be best to get off the subject for the time being, turned to Cheese Sandwich. His hair still laid flat against his head, and he wore a black, leather vest over a dark yellow polo shirt with a pair of stone-washed jeans and a pair of black sneakers. Blueblood didn't even bother to ask how he had managed to change his clothes so quickly. "Hey, Cheese, "he started, "I've been meaning to ask you, since when did you play drums?"
Cheese Sandwich grinned. "I'm a master of many instruments, Blueblood. When you're in the business I'm in, you have to know how to play the way I do." Blueblood made no further inquiry, afraid that any more questions might tempt Cheese to start breaking the laws of physics. That kind of crap gave him a headache every time. So much that he always made sure to carry around a bottle of aspirin with him whenever he was around Pinkie Pie.
They arrived at the meeting place, which also happened to be where Blueblood had parked his jeep, to find that Blueblood's car was gone. Instead, in its place, was a large bus. The structure of the bus was that of your typical double-decker. The bus was black, with green flames painted over the sides. On one side of the bus, the word "GREENFIRE" was written in large letters styled to match the flames painted on the sides.
"What the fuck is this?" Blueblood exclaimed, growing angry at the idea that someone may have stolen his beloved jeep.
Spike walked over to the bus, and he ran a hand over the lettering on the side. a note written on a piece of notebook paper was taped to the side of the bus, along with a set of keys. Spike pulled off the note and read it:
Spike,
This is for you and your band. Use it well.
A friend
"I think it was meant for us, guys." Spike said he showed the note to Blueblood, Cheese, and Big Mac. They each read the note and passed it back to Spike when they had finished.
"Well, its free shit, so who am I to argue?" Blueblood said. Spike took the keys and walked over to the bus door. he inserted the key into the lock and twisted. A small click was heard as the tumblers inside the lock shifted. Spike removed the key and opened the door. He began to take a step, but faltered for a moment when he suddenly began to worry about what could possibly be inside the bus. For a moment, he thought about how Twilight would most likely do the same thing, if it had been her that the bus had been left for instead of Spike. The amethyst dragon shook these thoughts from his head and entered the bus.
The inside was even larger than the outside made it look. Spike guessed that the room had to measure at least 50 feet by 50 feet. The walls were made of stained oak. The floor was covered in carpeting that was black as night. Two couches made of black leather were placed next to each other, facing a wall adjourned with a 32-inch plasma screen TV. The TV was flanked by a door on either side. On the right was a large window facing the exit out of Ponyville. The asphalt road leading out of Ponyville that cut through the grassy plains could be seen on the other side of the glass. A doorway next to the window led into what Spike guessed to be a kitchen. A wooden table sat behind the two couches, along with 4 chairs. Next to the table was a spiral staircase leading to the second floor of the bus.
"Holy shit!" Spike exclaimed, his eyes widened in astonishment. "Guys, get in here! You gotta check this out!"
Blueblood, Big Macintosh, and Cheese Sandwich entered the vehicle, marveling at the sheer size of the interior of the bus. Except for Blueblood, none of them had ever seen a bus, or any motorized vehicle, for that matter, with an interior quite like this.
"How can it be this big inside?" Big Mac asked aloud.
Blueblood ran his hand along the top of one of the couches, feeling the leather material underneath his fingers. "It's probably enchanted." he explained, "I've seen a lot of socialites up in Canterlot use these kinds of spells for their carriages, so that they can have more room without their servants collapsing from trying to pull the extra weight of a bigger carriage."
"Why do they need carriages?" Big Mac questioned, slightly angered by the fact that upper-class citizens forced others they deemed beneath them to cart them around. "Why don't they just use cars?" Blueblood removed his hand from the couch to pinch the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.
"To them, it's a sign of wealth, and how they are above any who they consider part of the working class." Blueblood answered, earning a growl from Big Macintosh.
The four continued to explore the inside of the bus. Upstairs, they found a hallway with seven doors; three on each wall, and and the seventh at he end of the hall. Behind each of the six doors adjacent to each other were a bedroom, fitted with king-sized beds, a plasma-screen TV, and a private bathroom.
"Dude, this is some seriously deluxe shit!" Cheese exclaimed while sticking his head inside the seventh and final door at the end of the hallway.
Spike gave Cheese a questioning look. "What are you talking about, Cheese?"
"Come take a look for yourself, Spike!" Cheese replied enthusiastically.
Spike walked over to where Cheese Sandwich stood and looked inside the last door. Inside was recording studio, complete with a sound room and a number of instruments. Once Blueblood and Big Mac had caught up with Spike and Cheese Sandwich, the group of four began to look around the studio. They entered the sound room and began examining the instruments. The instruments consisted of a 9-piece drum set, a dark red Fender Precision bass guitar, a white Gibson Flying V electric guitar, and a Jet black Dean Razorblade with green flames painted in the bottom edge of the guitar
"Who do you think left these?" Big Mac asked, picking up the bass guitar and examining it.
Cheese answered, "I don't know, Mac, but whoever it is, we owe them big time."
Spike picked up the Razorblade and looked at it closely. He had never played an instrument before in his life, yet for some reason he felt drawn to the guitar. Just holding it in his hands felt right, like it was meant to be in his possession.
Suddenly, a series of loud knocks came from downstairs. Spike, rather than putting the guitar down, took the shoulder strap and positioned it on his back; the strap running diagonally from his left shoulder to under his right arm. The dragon left the studio and descended down the stairs to answer the door. When Spike opened the door, he found himself face to face with Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Elements of Harmony.
"You showed up." Spike said, "So what do you want to talk about?" He stepped out of the bus while Blueblood, Big Mac, and Cheese Sandwich listened from he doorway.
As the rest of the Mane 6 stared silently at the new and improved Spike, Twilight began to speak.
"Spike..."she began, "We're all really sorry about how we've treated you for these last few years. It shouldn't have taken you blowing up the way you did for us to realize that. Whether you know it or not, Spike, you mean a lot to us, even if we don't always act like it. We promise that things will be different from now on. We don't want you to have to feel the way you did ever again. We just want you to come home." Twilight's voice was quavering, like she was on the edge of tears. "Will you please come home?" she pleaded. The Mane Six looked at Spike with hopeful eyes; except for Rarity, who kept her head down; unable to look Spike in the eye after all she put him through.
Spike closed his eyes and rubbed his mouth, taking a second to think about what Twilight had said. After a couple of seconds, Spike gave his answer:
"No."
The Mane Six looked at him with shock.
"Aw, come on!" Rainbow Dash started, "You gotta give us a second chance, man! You can't stay mad at us forever!"
"That's not why I'm leaving, Dash." Spike shot back. "I don't care anymore about what happened in the past. This is about me living my own life. I've spent my entire life in Twilight's shadow as her assistant. I've never been on my own before. Now I know what I want to do with my life, and I can finally be happy."
"Ah think that yer bein' a little ridiculous, Sugarcube." Applejack stated.
"Good!" Spike retorted. "Because if being ridiculous means that I can be free from playing second banana to you six, then that's how it's going to be! I'm going to be in a rock band, and I'm gonna make a name for myself, and I'm gonna spend my life making damn good music, because it's my fucking life, and if you don't like it, I don't care! Now if you excuse me, I have music to record!" With that, Spike stepped back on the bus and closed the door behind them.
Blueblood enchanted the bus to drive them to Celestia's castle. The bus took off, leaving the Mane Six staring at where the bus once stood. Blueblood and Spike took a seat on one of the living room couches.
"Are you alright, Spike?" he asked his cousin.
"Spike looked at Blueblood and smiled. "I'm great, Blue." he responded, using the nickname that he had come up with for his cousin when they were children. He got up off the couch. "Come on. I got a shit ton of songs written down, and I want to see how they sound with me on guitar as well." He pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to Blueblood. Blueblood looked it over, then magically made three other copies so that each of them had one.
"Let's get moving, then." Big Mac said. They all went back up to the recording studio.
"I gotta say, Spike..." Blueblood said, "This looks pretty good, but the title's a little strange."
Spike looked back at his cousin. "What's wrong with the title 'Enter Sandman'?" Spike asked, "It fits the lyrics."
Blueblood shrugged as they entered the recording studio, unaware of the pair of yellow eyes watching them. |
Life of a Dragon: Die for Metal | Chapter 9: Changes in the Wind | Spike and his friends sat in the living room of their new home, watching TV. The four were exhausted after a long day of recording songs for their first album. As they relaxed in the living room of their new home, the four were unaware of the draconequus who watched them from inside the bus.
"So what else are we going to record?" Blueblood asked. " We're gonna need at least three more songs on the album before we can call this thing finished."
Discord chuckled at the informal manner by which Blueblood spoke. He knew about the prince's problem with showing his true self in public. Blueblood had a hard life as a child, one which he was not keen on speaking about. When Discord had tried to get Blueblood to talk, the prince simply said "no" and walked away. When Discord continued to press the issue, Blueblood magically encased him in a metal box and threw him from the tallest tower of the castle.
Needless to say, Discord's attempts to pull information out of him stopped there.
Spike answered his cousin. "Well, out of all the shit I got here," he gestured to the pile of papers in his lap. " I think 'Sad But True', 'The Unforgiven', and 'Wherever I May Roam' would be the best choices."
"What about that one?" Cheese asked, pointing at a piece of paper sitting on the couch between Spike and Blueblood. The top of the paper was entitled "For Whom The Bell Tolls".
Spike picked up the paper and glanced over before shaking his head. "Nah." he replied. "I think we should wait until our next one to use this song. I don't want to put all of our best songs on one album."
Discord had been listening to the four's recording sessions all day. The music they played was, to Discord, mysteriously enticing. Hearing such music fill his ears put Discord at ease, as if he had found something he had lost long ago and had forgotten about it until now. Discord didn't quite understand where this feeling came from, but as he was a manifestation of chaos itself, he wasn't about to question it either. He liked the music that Spike and his band played, and decided to keep it at that.
Blueblood yawned. "Well, I'm tired." he said, getting up from his position on the couch. "I'm going to bed. You guys coming?"
Big Mac and Cheese Sandwich stood up from their respective seats and walked up the stairs with Blueblood. Blueblood turned back to look at Spike, who had not moved from where he sat.
"You coming, Spike?" Blueblood asked him.
Spike looked up at his cousin. "I'll be up, soon." he responded. "I'm just gonna go over some of the stuff we have here." Blueblood shrugged and went upstairs, with Big Mac and Cheese close behind him.
Spike sat and looked through the papers in his lap for a few minutes, before getting up, leaving the stack of papers on the couch. He walked up the stairs and proceeded towards his bedroom. As he undressed and got into bed, he couldn't help but wonder what the future could possibly hold in store for him.
At Celestia's castle...
Celestia stood over her balcony, ready to turn in for the night. Her sister, Luna, stood by her side, staring out over the horizon as the city of Canterlot sparkled beneath them.
"Must you worry about Spike so much, Tia?" Luna asked her sister.
Celestia looked at her sister. "I can't help it, Luna. He's my son. After everything that's happened in the last few days, I don't want him doing something reckless while he's in such a vulnerable state." A frown crossed her face. She rubbed her arms as she looked at the city below.
Luna placed a comforting hand on Celestia's shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine." she reassured her. "He's a grown dragon. He's fully capable of taking care of himself." Luna walked towards the bedroom door and opened it, turning back to her sister once more. "Now get to bed. You have a busy schedule tomorrow." Luna left her sister's bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Celestia sighed. She got ready for bed, she continued to think about Spike. She couldn't help but feel guilty about putting him into Twilight's care. Had she known how Twilight and her friends would treat her son, she never would have given her custody of Spike.
As she continued to think about her son, her thoughts soon shifted to the dragon's father. It had been over 20 years since she had last seen him, and yet she could still remember the last time she saw him.
Please, take care of my son. Those had been his last words to her before he left. After that, she had never seen him again. She looked at a picture of Spike and her when Spike was ten years old. Even when he was young, he looked remarkably like his father. Especially his eyes. At the age of ten, Spike's eyes had the same soft, warm gaze that she remembered his father so well for. One of her many regrets in her life was that Spike never had the chance to meet him.
Celestia turned away from the picture and got into bed. As she drifted off to sleep, she prayed that her son would be okay.
At the Carousel Boutique
Rarity sat at her kitchen table in her bathrobe, staring down forlornly at the glass of whiskey she held in her hands. She brought the glass to her mouth and drank deeply, finishing the glass before reaching over to the bottle beside her to refill her cup.
She was disgusted with herself. How could she ever do something so horrendous to Spike? It was bad enough that she had used him, but then she began seeing Twilight behind his back. What was wrong with her?
She drank once more, finishing a third of the glass before setting it back down. Her eyes averted to the Fire Ruby that sat in the middle of the table, still black as coal with the single crack running through it. She had to do what was right, which in this case, the right thing to do was to break up with Twilight. She knew it would hurt, because she genuinely cared for the lavender alicorn, but she couldn't continue to be in a relationship that would only hurt someone very near and dear to her heart.
And fucking his sister behind his back was a real great way to show him how dear to you he his, wasn't it, bitch? Her conscience said, mocking her. Rarity finished the glass and got up from her seat, grabbing the Fire Ruby as she did so. She climbed the stairs and walked to her bedroom. She unceremoniously plopped down on her bed, clutching the Fire Ruby to her chest. As she lied on her bed, she cried. Cried for how she would have to end her relationship with Twilight; cried for how she broke Spike's heart and lost the respect and love of her little sister; and cried for the loss of the friendship of one of the only men in Equestria who truly cared about her.
In Greenfire's Tour Bus...
In Spike's room, his belt buckle glowed in the moonlight. Unbeknownst to the sleeping dragon, the buckle began to glow with an eerie red light. The buckle's eyes glowed a dull red, and it began to emit a very low growl.
Soon...the Chosen One...shall rise...and fulfill his destiny... |
Life of a Dragon: Die for Metal | Chapter 10: After Forever | A Year and a Half Later...
"Wakey, wakey, lizard boy!"
The impact of Blueblood's boot on Spike's ribs sent the sleeping dragon sliding off his bed and onto the floor. Spike sat up from his position on the floor, disoriented and half-tangled in his sheets, to glare at his cousin.
"What the fuck are you doing?" he roared.
"You overslept...again." Blueblood responded, irritated. "We're almost at the Crystal Palace. Get your shit together, because the rest of us are waiting downstairs." Blueblood walked out of Spike's bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Spike untangled himself from his sheets and hurriedly got ready for the day. He hurried down the stairs to see Blueblood, Big Macintosh and Cheese Sandwich standing in the living room, glaring at him.
"Sorry guys." he apologized, grinning sheepishly.
"You should really learn how to set an alarm." Big Mac advised.
In the last eighteen months, the four of them had all changed their appearance. Big Mac, along with Spike, had chosen to grow their hair out. While Spike and Cheese had remained clean-shaven, Macintosh had chosen to grow out his facial hair, and ended up sporting a horseshoe mustache and sideburns, while Blueblood had a neatly kept beard. Big Mac's usual outfit consisted of a black T-shirt and jeans, and the same black cowboy boots that he wore everywhere he went, while Cheese, Blueblood and Spike stuck to the same outfits they wore when they first formed Greenfire.
The reason for their appearance was that the anniversary of the liberation of the Crystal Empire was in one week, and Cadence and Shining Armor felt it was important that the hero that saved them all from the wrath of King Sombra was there to celebrate. Spike saw this as an opportunity to put a show on for the people of the Crystal Empire since Greenfire's newest album, "Turn to Ash", was just released.
The bus stopped as the four of them exited the bus and walked towards the entrance to the Crystal Palace. The trucks that carried all of their equipment had arrived a day earlier to set up so that they could start rehearsals as soon as possible. Still, Spike did want to spend some time with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. It had been almost two years since the last time he had seen either of them or his niece, Flurry Heart.
The Crystal Guards guarding the doors saw Spike and immediately moved aside to make way for their hero. Spike and his friends passed through the entrance to see Cadance and Shining Armor sitting in the throne room with Flurry Heart bouncing happily on her father's knee.
"Uncle Spike!" Flurry Heart yelled excitedly as she jumped from her father's lap to her uncle. As she reached Spike, he swept her up in one arm and hoisted her onto his shoulder.
"Hey! How's my favorite niece doing?" Spike asked.
"Great! Mr. Sunburst helped teach me a new spell! Watch this!" Flurry's horn glowed pink as a vase that sat on a pedestal near the door was turned into a banana, and then immediately turned back into a vase.
"Wow! That's real impressive, kiddo!" Spike praised her. Cadence walked over to Spike and hugged him as Flurry Heart jumped out of his arms to embrace Blueblood.
"It's great to see you again, Spike." Cadence greeted her brother-in-law. Spike smiled. He hadn't been to the Crystal Empire in almost two years. After his fight with The Elements of Harmony, Spike had become so wrapped up in his own career that he barely had any communication with family and friends outside of the Mane Six, which weighed heavily on Spike the longer that he continued such behavior.
"I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping up with you guys." Spike apologized. "But a lot's been going on with my music, and we've had tour dates to keep up with and-"
"It's fine, Spike." Cadence reassured him. "A lot changed in the last year."
Shining Armor walked up behind his wife and wrapped his arm around her waist. "You had a lot to figure out for yourself. So did Twily and her friends. What's important is that we're all together now." Shining added.
"Yeah, I'm glad that I finally have the time to catch up with y--" Spike paused. "Wait, did you say all of us?"
Cadence and Shining grinned sheepishly. "Well..." Cadence started.
"Are Twilight and the others gonna be here?" Spike questioned them.
"...Sort of..."
Spike stood still for a moment. "Huh..." He replied. "Well, I gotta go grab my luggage."
Spike's mind was racing as he made his way back to the bus that he had called home for the last eighteen months. He knew that it was important for the Elements of Harmony to be at the celebration, but after how things went the last time that he spoke to them, he didn't know if he was ready to face them again. He walked into the bus and grabbed the suitcase labeled with his name that he had left sitting on the floor by the couch,
C'mon, Spike. You gotta set things straight with them. J His conscience told him. He sighed. What happened in the past is in the past. Even if Twilight And Rarity are together, Twilight is your sister and Rarity is one of your best friends.
He walked back to the castle where he left Shining Armor and Cadence while Blueblood, Bic Mac and Cheese were being escorted to their rooms. Hopefully, I'll have plenty of time to think about what I want to say to them. "So what time are they gonna get here?" Spike asked.
"Yesterday..." Shining answered meekly.
So much for preparation. "Where are they?"
"They're walking around the city." Cadence responded.
"You two are assholes for not telling me they'd be here." Spike deadpanned.
"Spike, we--"Shining began.
"Forget it. I'm gonna go find my room and put my stuff away."Spike walked away, not happy that his own brother and sister-in-law had kept from telling him that the Mane Six were going to be at the celebration.
What did you expect? They have to be here, dipshit. They're national heroes, just like how you're the savior of the Crystal Empire. And with how shit went the last time you talked to any of them, it's no wonder that they didn't tell you that they were gonna be here until the last possible second.
Fuck, why couldn't Spike's conscience let him act like a sulking asswipe instead of using logic to prove him wrong?
Spike's inner self continued to lecture him as he made his way through the many halls of the castle. He already knew where his room was, as it was the same one that he stayed in every time he visited the Crystal Empire. As he turned one of the corners, a figure a head shorter than him with rainbow-colored hair crashed into him. While Spike was only pushed back slightly from the force of the collision, the one who had crashed into him was sent sprawling. Spike looked down and immediately identified the one who had run--well, really flown--into him as Rainbow Dash
"Ow!" She cried out, rubbing her head. "Why don't you watch where you're going!?" As she was ready to let loose another insult, she looked up and realized that it was Spike who she had flown into, who was currently looking down at her with an emotionless expression.
"Spike?"
"Nice to see you too, Rainbow Dash." He replied.
Dash hurriedly got to her feet and dusted herself off. "Wow. I almost didn't recognize you with the hair." She halfheartedly laughed. "When did you get here?"
"The guys and I just got here. They're being shown their rooms." He answered. "Where are the rest of the girls?"
"They're all out sightseeing and looking around at all the different shops. I decided to hang back, but I got bored and I've been racing around these hallways for the last 20 minutes."
Rainbow could never stay still for very long. Spike thought. Unless she's up in the clouds napping.
Spike continued his walk to his room with Rainbow in tow. "So, how's Ponyville been without me around?" He asked, trying to break the ice.
Rainbow looked down. "Different. Ever since you left, a lot changed. For a while, things went back to normal. We all went back to our work, but nothing felt the same. Pinkie doesn't have as much energy, and she doesn't bounce around like she used to, Fluttershy barely talks to anyone but her animals, and Applejack buried herself in her work."
"Seriously?" Spike asked, surprised that his leaving would cause such a shift in morale for his friends.
"Rarity and Twilight took it the hardest. Twi barely leaves the library, and the same goes for Rarity and the Boutique. She spent the first week you were gone downing enough booze to support half the population of Yakyakistan."
"Damn..." Was all Spike could say. They had finally reached Spike's room. Once they entered, Spike tossed his suitcase on the bed and walked over to the balcony. The room was similar to the one he kept at his mother's castle in Canterlot, only the walls were decorated with small amethyst and emerald gems, made to form a pattern that when looked at, looked like green and purple flames swirling together. "Well, at least they have each other to lean on, right?"
"You'd think so." Dash replied, earning a puzzled look from Spike.
"What do you mean?"
Rainbow Dash sighed. "You leaving wasn't the only reason that she started drinking." She explained. "The day after you left, Rarity went over to the library and broke it off with Twilight."
Spike was stunned. "But...I thought..."
"Rarity didn't think it was fair to betray you by dating your sister." She scoffed. "Took her actually betraying you to figure it out."
Spike's eyes narrowed. "She didn't have to do that for me."
Rainbow frowned. "What are you talking about? You were pissed to find out that they were dating and now that they're broken up, you're angry?"
"Because them breaking up doesn't fix anything." Spike retorted. "Just because Rarity dumps my sister doesn't mean that everything you girls did to me is gonna go away. It happened, it's over with, and because of it, I actually figured out what I want to do with my life. What's them splitting up going to do? Make me happy? Even if I was pissed, I don't want them sacrificing their happiness for me. That's just vindictive."
Rainbow Dash was taken aback by his reaction to the news. "Wow. I didn't think you'd want them to stay together after everything that happened."
Spike leaned against the railing with his arms crossed, looking out at the city of crystal below as it glimmered in the mid-morning sun. "A year and a half ago, That's exactly what I was thinking. But after a while, I realized that the damage was done, and all I could do was move on." He chuckled. "To tell you the truth, I was more worried about what I was going to say if I saw you guys again."
Rainbow walked over and leaned on the railing next to him. "Believe it or not, I've actually walked in on Twilight rehearsing what she was gonna say to you the next time you two met."
Spike laughed. "Why am I not surprised?" The two laughed together.
Rainbow smiled. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but...I'm glad that you're happy."
"Getting sappy on me, Dash?" Spike joked, which earned him a punch to the shoulder.
"Shut up. Hey, I gotta get going."
Spike smiled mischievously. "Gonna try and find Big Mac?"
Rainbow looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?" She asked, which made Spike's grin grow larger.
"I'm talking about how you drool over my bassist every time he walks into the room--"
Next thing he knew, Rainbow was nose to nose with him, staring him down. "Not a word out of you to anyone about this. Got it?"
"Eeeyup" Spike mocked her, once again, earning him a punch, only this time in the stomach. Dash flew out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Spike turned and took one last look outside to the glorious city below him, before leaving his room to find his bandmates.
Time for rehearsal. |
Life of a Dragon: Die for Metal | Update | To anybody who has bothered to stick around while this story has hovered in limbo, I owe you an explanation:
For the longest time, I've been trying to get back to this story, but I couldn't come up with any ideas I liked to continue from where I left off. Looking back at what I've previously published, I realized that I'm capable of writing much better material than the garbage that's already been posted. When I started this fic, I was a dumb high school student with shitty emo tendencies, and it shows in my writing. Every time I re-read this story, it screams: "DUMB FUCKING EDGELORD" to me. Now that I've left my teenage years behind and I've grown out of that particular set of bad habits, I'm going to start from scratch. Hell, I think I'll change the title, too. Once I get the first chapter finished and posted, I'm trashing all my previous work. Hopefully, I'll be done soon, so if you've been hanging in there, it'll only be a little while longer.
May the Rock be with you.
-MoshKing |
Alicorns, an Orangutan, and L-Space | pre | "Excuse me, uhm, dear... can you understand me?"
"Of course I can, silly head. Heheheh"
Celestia's face twisted like she had swallowed some bad hay. "Yes, silly me. Would you mind letting go?"
For a solid five seconds nothing seemed to happen and Celestia worried the poor thing had broken. To her great relief the grip around her neck loosened and the creature stepped back allowing Celestia to finally get a look at her.
The creature appeared to be apish in build, though rather slender and hairless compared to the ones she was used to. A golden mane flowed from its head and down almost to its middle. Its exposed skin was pale except for where there were obvious signs of make-up. Based on certain, oddities, in it's shape Celestia guessed that it was female.
"Thank you. Now what is your name, dear?"
"Baroness Letitia de Chumsfanleigh." Letitia relied, gripping her dress and looking aside bashfully.
Baroness? Good that should make things easier. Celestia thought before saying, "Well, Baroness, my name is Princess Celestia-"
"*GASP* You're a PRINCESS?" Letitia's face contorted in horror.
"Well, yes, but-"
Letitia dropped into a low curtsy, "I'm so sorry, your Highness, I- I hope I did not offend."
"Please, there is no need for all that, Celestia is just fine."
Letitia completely ignored her and dropped to the floor, gripping her face, "I've ruined everything! How could I be so stuhuhoopid?" She wailed.
Celestia looked down at the poor thing leaking profusely all over the place. She summoned up all of her knowledge and years of experience dealing with crisis situations to form a plan of action. "There, there," she said, lightly petting her golden mane. "Everything will be alright." She sat down and pulled Letitia into her lap, wrapping her in hooves and wings, "Hush now, it's okay, everything will be just fine."
"But I hugged you without permission and I petted you and-" she cut off with another round of wails that tore into Celestia's already hurting eardrums.
Celestia had always like to view her subjects as her surrogate children. That attitude had served her well for the millennia of dealing with petty squabbles and irate petitioners. It was times like these that she was grateful that she had never actually had a foal of her own. If she had she may well have smothered it against her chest and smiled as she squeezed the last bit of life out of it.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
Celestia's grip loosened and the little biped gasped at the sudden availability of air. "Oh, that must be Roland! He will be so happy to meet a Princess!"
Letitia leapt from away from the princess and bolted towards the door. Before Celestia could say anything she threw it open. Standing, slightly awkwardly, on the other side was the Baron. He took in the room, which wasn't there last time he was in the library. When his eyes fell on the large horse like creature sitting in the center of the floor they grew about three sizes before rolling back in his head.
}{AOL}{
Tiffany Aching stormed into the castle, which is rather impressive for a five foot something young lady in an almost festive green dress. It wasn't that she was angry, well she was, but that's not why she stormed. She stormed out of a sense of necessity, she was after all a witch that had been summoned(3).
She noticed one of the maids standing on a small stool and dusting an ancient suit of armor. Altering her course slightly Tiffany stomped up to the unsuspecting girl and turned on her glare. The unsuspecting maid continued her work, moving a feather duster over the shoulders and helmet.
"Ahem!" Tiffany said. The maid continued dusting undisturbed. "I said, AHEM!"
The maid finished her work and carefully stepped down from the stool. She paled immediately at the sight of the point black hat wearing girl. Her jaw began working without sound.
Tiffany reached out with a finger and pushed the bobbing joint closed, with her other hand she pulled the bit of cotton out of one of the maids ears. In the sweetest voice she could manage she asked, "where is the Baron?"
"Mhmary."
Tiffany removed her finger. "What was that?"
"Library."
Without another word Tiffany turned on her heels and continued storming down the hallways.
Slamming the door open Tiffany stepped into the library. She stood in the doorway for a moment, a confused expression on her face. Gritting her teeth she stormed through the library to the door on the other side and swung it open. There was a loud crack and it bounced back almost hitting her nose. Someone groaned on the other side.
"Oh, well that did it."
The door slowly swung back open revealing the second room of the library to Tiffany. Roland sat of the floor leaning over and gripping the back of his head with both hands, a soft moan escaping his lips. Lettitia seemed to be tied to a chair with a gag shoved in her mouth. Far more interesting and apparent to Tiffany was the tall white horse sitting over Roland. A long white horn protruding from its soft pink mane. It seemed to be smiling at her nervously.
Tiffany bent down and whispered in Rolands ear, "I have a few questions. Why is there a unicorn in your library?"
"Oh, good. I thought I was seeing things."
"Why does it have wings?"
"It has what now?" Roland, still gripping his head looked up and noticed the feathery appendages tucked to Celestia's sides.
"More importantly, and I can't stress enough how important this one is, who said 'Oh, well that did it.'?"
Celestia watched this for a moment, contemplating how best to react to this situation. These creatures did not seem to be the most stable of beings. Still, this new one seemed to have a better grip on her faculties and she was wearing a tall pointy black hat. "That would be me."
The small one looked at her for a moment, Celestia could almost see the gears in her mind spinning. She braced herself for the inevitable breakdown. She was almost disappointed when it didn't happen. "And you would be?"
"Pr-- Celestia."
"Celestia. My name is Tiffany Aching. May I ask what you're doing here?"
"That's a little complicated..." |
An Apple a Day | pre | Applejack shook her head, a look of worry plastered on her face. "We don't collect cutlery until AFTER everyone is served. That knock to the head must've made a mess of yer memory."
The meal proceeded uneventfully apart from that mishap, and upon being concluded, I retired to my room.
I switched on the computer to try and find out what was going on in the world, only to be presented with the password screen!
What could it be? I thought. Then an idea struck me.
ZapApple.
The password was accepted, and I was barraged with a number of icons, including Microsoft Office programs, the Steam icon, and a few others.
I clicked on Steam to see what I had installed.
Farming Simulator 2014? Really?
At least Train Simulator 2014 was there in the list, but the problem was most of the good routes hadn't been added at this point. True, Settle-Carlisle was there, but Woodhead was not! Not even Clear Creek!
I booted the game up anyway, and loaded one of the scenarios. I wasn't hugely bothered which one.
I had just passed Ais Gill when there was a knock at the door.
"Yes?" I asked.
Applejack opened the door. "Everythin' OK, sugarcube?"
I nodded. "Ah'm OK." My phone suddenly beeped, indicating a text.
I looked at it. 3V3 World of Warships?
"Who was that?"
"Scootaloo," I replied. "She's suggested a multiplayer game."
Applejack laughed. "Well, keep the chat turned off and remember to get an early night. It's school tomorrow."
I nodded. "Gotcha."
Applejack closed the door, and walked down the corridor.
A few hours must've passed, as I looked at the clock.
21:00? I thought in alarm. I shut the computer down, and rifled through the draw for any nightwear.
A green nightgown looked most appealing, so I pulled that on after getting undressed first. After doing my teeth, I jumped into bed and flicked off the light.
The next morning my ears were filled with music. I knew this one!
Applejack was playing bass, and Big Mac on guitar. It was Raise this Barn from Apple Family Reunion!
I grabbed the fiddle lying in its case next to the bed and joined in. The fact I didn't even know how to play the violin didn't occur to me, because suddenly I could!
Was this leftover muscle memory? Or was I imparted with this knowledge when I transformed?
Argh, I had no idea whether I was truly me anymore!
After getting showered, dressed, and had breakfast, we set off for school on Sadie. The journey in was equally scenic, the sun giving a beautiful frame to the scene before us. We pulled into the lot, and this time I made sure not to smack into the floor. That would be painful on tarmac.
Not much of note happened, apart from a math lesson. We were presented with the issue of algebra, or as I prefer to call it, 'how long is a piece of string?' But it was explained in a horrible and utterly waffly way. No wonder none of my classmates understood a word.
I looked over to Scootaloo. She mouthed 'this is gibberish', to me.
I gave her a thumbs up.
Mr Discord, the math teacher, looked over. "Perhaps Miss Bloom would care to explain how to do algebra."
I assumed he was serious, and answered. "Ah'll give it ma best shot." I got up, and started writing on the board.
"Now, how long is a piece of string?" I asked the class.
"6 inches!" someone said.
"8 inches!" said another.
I nodded. "Both of those answers are correct, because it depends on the length of the piece of string."
I turned back to the board. "Now then, how do we represent these answers?"
I drew two more lines on the board.
"X!"
There were murmurs of approval from the group, as the idea suddenly made sense.
Mr Discord spoke up. "That's all very good, but how do you do this one?"
He wrote the following on the board:
5x+10y=3x+4y.
I smiled. "Child's play."
I wrote on the board, explaining my working as I went along.
"First, you gotta make each part equal on either side. We'll eliminate the 'x's first. Subtract '3x' from both sides."
I performed the addition, leaving us with 2x+10y=4y.
"One step to go," I said. "We gotta remove the 'y's. So what do we do?"
I removed 10y from both sides, leaving us with 2x=-6y.
"Now we need to divide by 2."
This left us with x=-3y.
Mr Discord looked astonished. "That's correct!" he said. "I'll give you a merit for that."
I nodded. "Thank ya, sir." I returned to my desk.
Mr Discord addressed the class. "I couldn't have explained that better myself. So now, questions. Answer these 10 questions before the end of the lesson."
Safe to say, the lesson ran smoothly, and the students were thankful for my help. As we exited, another day concluded, Scootaloo spoke to me.
"I never knew you were that good at math!" she exclaimed. "You could make a career out of helping people!"
"Thanks Scoots," I replied. "Ah wonder if it's mah special talent."
"It could well be," she said. "Well, see you tomorrow."
"See ya!" I called, as the family truck pulled into the lot.
When I got in, my phone buzzed with a text. I looked at it, and it was from Pip.
Hello Bloom, just checking to make sure you remember about tonight.
I froze in fright. What was this about tonight? |
An Apple a Day | An evening with Pip | My mind had totally frozen. What was this about Pip and I doing something this evening? Did this mean that this world's Apple Bloom and Pip had been dating?
Given the last two days, I couldn't afford to rule anything out. So, I quickly went upstairs to my room and started to rack my brains over what to do. To be absolutely sure, I decided to send him a text.
Hi Pip, you wouldn't mind reminding me about tonight?
I hit send and waited for the reply.
It's at 6 tonight. We agreed the park, remember?
I started typing back.
I was just making sure, that's all.
There was another pause.
That's OK. See you then!
That cleaned that one up. But it didn't clear the feeling of unease in my heart. I'd liked girls when I was a boy, so what if it didn't work? Then I'd leave a heartbroken Pip behind, and I couldn't bear that.
But on the other hand, I'd felt something when I'd woken up after being hit with a door. Something...different, that I couldn't quite put my finger on. What could it be?
I pushed such thoughts to one side, taking out my homework. Luckily, I'd only got two pieces; a composition exercise in music, and an algebra exercise. Easy.
Except the composition exercise only allowed us to use three notes. How on Earth do you write an entire piece using three notes? Using only three chords makes sense, but not three notes!
Who did the teacher think I was, Phillip Glass?
I eventually settled on the notes of C, E, and G. What I ended up with sounded rather repetitive, but I made sure to alter some parts of it by incorporating such things as phase shifting and rearranged pitches.
Oh, and that thing the Americans call verticalization!
Algebra was at least a little more predictable. I solved them more or less by looking at them. It probably helped I'd been through secondary school once before, so I knew how to do these things at a much higher level.
Dinner was at 4:30. I wondered why it was so early compared to yesterday, so I went and enquired.
Ma's answer was something along these lines; "Dear, aren't ya seein' Pip this evenin'?"
Typical. Everyone except me was clued up on what was going on.
The meal was a delicious clam chowder, Cajun style. It was one of my favourite styles of food, but when it came to cooking, I was worse than Sweetie Belle. And that's saying something!
Once we were done, I headed upstairs to get changed. I figured that if I was seeing Pip, I had to at least look the part.
So, away went the shirt, jeans and boots (for a while, at least). I rifled through the drawers looking for something a bit more suitable for tonight's proceedings.
Why can't some people just have wardrobes? It would make life a lot easier.
But after a long search, I finally found what I was looking for. A lime green sundress and a pair of sandles to go with it. Whilst not having much experience with this sort of attire for obvious reasons, I figured that I could fudge my way through this encounter.
There was that line in a musical I starred in once. How did it go?
Ah yes, that was it!
"And a frock in Cosmopolitan, an ancient tome I have read of late, that teaches one how to sophisticate!"
I slapped some sunblock on my feet just to be safe. You can never be too careful with the old sun.
I headed downstairs and arrived in the kitchen. Pa was waiting there, along with Big Mac. Argh, too many Mac's in this household!
"We're ready to go, if you are," Pa spoke.
Big Mac had a mild look of confusion on his face. "How's this behind the strange attire?" he asked.
Pa sighed. "Mac, that's yer little sister. She clearly wants to make a good impression for Pip."
Mac nodded. "Eeyup. Ah only wish Sugar Belle made a similar effort."
Big Mac was dating Sugar Belle in this world? Well, there go all the Cheerimac fanfics I read!
I gave Pa a thumbs-up. "Let's go!" I called.
We headed out to the truck, which my automobile nut brain tried to identify. It looked to be a Chevrolet of some description, probably the 1950 model based on the styling. But when we sat inside, the interior had an odd mixture of modern and vintage features. There was an air conditioning unit, and the originals didn't have those!
But I didn't have to worry for too long, as Pa gave the briefing. It was clear he was very proud of the vehicle.
"Mah Pa owned an original back when Ah lived in Cass, all the way back in the 70s," he explained. He turned the key, and the engine started up with a satisfying rumble. But it was oddly quiet for a vehicle of its age.
"Course, that one gave out a very long time ago," Pa continued. "It broke mah heart to see it go, as it was the last link Ah had to Pa. So as soon as Chevrolet announced that they were producing an updated version, Ah placed an order. Course, it looks like the original, but it has all the modern features, like radio, air conditioning, and computer assisted drive."
He pressed down on the accelerator, and away we went! But we didn't get very far.
There was a sudden lurch, and the truck ground to a halt. We both scrambled out to take a look at it.
Pa sighed. "Bother, we have a puncture."
He shouted over to Grand Pear. "Can we borrow Sadie again?"
Pip sat in the park, worried. 6pm had been and gone, and he was worried that Apple Bloom wasn't going to come! Then all his work would be for naught.
But then, a whistle alerted him, as the familiar sight of Sadie rumbled to a halt in the treeline. Apple Bloom hopped off the side of the engine, and Bright Mac shouted to her.
"I'll be back at 8:30! Be ready!"
"OK Pa!"
With that, the traction engine whistled once more, and steamed away into the distance. Apple Bloom sprinted over to Pip.
His mouth fell open in amazement. She looked absolutely beautiful, wearing that green dress and sandles.
He got up, and called over. "Apple Bloom! I'm so happy to see you!"
She slammed into him, and hugged him tightly. "Sorry ah'm late! We had a flat and had ta borrow Sadie!"
"That's not a worry," Pip replied. "Do you mind if we go over to the bandstand? The ice cream stand is nearby, and I think we both need one in this heat!"
Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah agree! Lead the way!"
Pip and his close friend sprinted through the trees, over to the bandstand. Pip popped out his wallet, and looked back. "Well, what'd you like?"
Apple Bloom peered at the list. "Vanilla, please," she replied.
Pip did a double-take. Did she really just ask for that? She normally went for strawberry! But he figured she just wanted a change, and so went with it.
A few minutes and two satisfied friends later, they sat in front of the bandstand, arms around each other's shoulders.
The band began to play, a quick, happy number about a guy who saw, and fell in love with, a girl, whose name was a soundalike for Apple Bloom.
Pip looked over into Bloom's eyes. "I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but...do you like me?"
Apple Bloom snorted. "Of course Ah like ya! We're friends, ain't we?"
"As a friend, or in that other sense?"
There was a brief pause. "The other sense?"
Pip sighed. "Let me be upfront with this. I love you."
Apple Bloom looked stunned. "Ya do?"
Pip nodded. "With all my heart. And let me prove it!"
For a moment later, their lips met.
I couldn't quite believe what was going on. Not only was a cartoon character telling me he loved me, now he'd just kissed me? There were mixed and confused emotions running through my brain, some leftovers of the old days, but more powerful emotions telling me to go along with this.
Besides...I knew I couldn't hold it back any longer.
I loved him.
But our moment of happiness was not to last.
"Eww!" said a voice from behind us. I looked back, and saw it was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. "Apple Bloom's dating a nine-year old!"
Pip looked cross. "I'm not nine!" he exclaimed.
"Whatever, Oliver Twist," Silver Spoon snorted.
"I'm not from the East End!" he cried. "I'm from Nottingham!"
I had had enough. "Are ya just here ta cause trouble, or what?"
Diamond Tiara snorted. "What you gonna do, hillbilly?"
"Tell yer parents for one!" I replied. "Yer family gets a lot of its money from sellin' our produce. What will happen when we pull the plug?"
Diamond began to waver.
"Yer down here with me. Now, buzz off."
Diamond sprinted away. "You will regret this, Apple Bloom!" she shouted.
I sighed. "Bout time she got that."
"You were awesome!" I heard Scootaloo shout, running over with Rumble at her side. Wait, Rumble?
"Yeah!" shouted a certain squeaky voice. It was Sweetie Belle, who was with Button Mash! Practically every ship I'd read about was happening here!
"What are ya'll doin' here?" I asked.
Scootaloo turned red. "I was...well...Rumble and I..."
"We're dating," Rumble said quickly.
Pip spoke up. "Let me guess, Sweetie Belle, you're dating Button?"
Sweetie Belle had gone crimson, and simply nodded. Button had a massive grin on his face.
"That was great," he said to me. "You showed those girls who's boss!"
"That's what friends are for," I said. "Besides, a friend in need is a friend indeed."
Scootaloo looked deep in thought. "There's an old Scottish song on that theme that was a big hit when Mom was a kid. Something about many miles?"
Just then, the band fired up with '500 Miles'.
"What perfect timing!" Pip exclaimed, and before we knew what was happening, we were dancing the evening away.
Our fun was suddenly interrupted by a truck horn. "Apple Bloom!"
I turned to go. "Sorry, gotta dash!" I called. "See ya at school tomorrow!"
I hopped into the passenger seat. As we set off, Pa looked directly at me.
"You look like ya had fun," he said.
"It were a great evenin'," I replied.
And that night, I went to sleep, with a warm feeling in my heart. At long last, in my lonely life, I had found love. True, it wasn't the way I was expecting, but life would be dull if it weren't for a few curveballs!
Maybe I would truly be happy here. Living as one of the Apple Family, with great friends like Pip and the girls.
But the next few months would throw all of that into doubt. |
An Apple a Day | Equestria Girls | A few weeks passed by, and I slowly grew to enjoy my new life. It was truly carefree, with concerns like work and jobs firmly out of the way. Mind, there were chores, but they weren't too difficult. As the saying goes, the youngest gets it the easiest!
Not that I was lazy, far from it. In fact, Saturday mornings were when these tasks were typically handed out, so I made sure to clear them with all reasonable speed. That way, I could use the afternoon as I saw fit. Sundays were fun too. Given the Lord took that day off, so did we!
Well, life on the farm is kinda laid back, ain't much an ol' country gal like me can't hack.
Early ta rise, early in the sack. Thank God I'm a country gal!
I will now stop paraphrasing John Denver and get on with the story.
I quickly learned that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, alongside myself, ran a YouTube channel called the 'Canterlot Movie Club'. Yup. CMC.
This meant that once a week, we'd review a film and record our reactions to them. And that is how we found ourselves, one Wednesday evening, at Sweetie Belle's house. We hosted a different section each week at each other's homes. I was up for next week.
"So, what we gonna watch?" I asked.
"We gave this session out to a request," Sweetie Belle explained. "For some reason they've asked for a film called Sir Billi."
I wanted to throw up.
Scootaloo looked over. "That's the Scottish one, right?"
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "I know it was finished around the same time as Brave, but that's about it. You should know Scoots, you're the Scot here!"
Scootaloo went red. "Just because my mom's maiden name was Macleod doesn't make me Scottish!"
I chimed in. "Lotsa Americans are descended from Scots. Mah brother's called Big McIntosh!"
"That's an apple cultivar," Sweetie Belle added.
"He was also Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Caledonian Railway."
I frowned. What was with my family and naming everyone after types of apples? Clearly somebody up there must have had a strange sense of humour.
Sweetie Belle plugged her laptop into the TV, and set the film up. She then switched on the camera.
"Hello, everybody! This is Sweetie Belle!"
"Scootaloo here!"
"And Ah'm Apple Bloom! We are the CMC!"
"The Canterlot Movie Club!" we chorused, and high-fived together.
Sweetie Belle turned the camera around. "As requested by our viewers, today's movie is Sir Billi, a 2012 animated feature that was released under the title of Guardian of the Highlands in the US."
Scootaloo chimed in. "The film was written and directed by Tessa and Sacha Hartmann, and was apparently produced as" -here Scootaloo made some air quotes- "a movie for Scotland to be proud of."
"Well, without any further ado, let's watch!" I said, as we moved the camera back to film us and our reactions. I switched the light off, and Sweetie Belle hit play.
When the film finished 80 minutes later, we had puzzled looks on our faces.
"That was bad," Scootaloo said. "Incredibly bad."
"Ah couldn't understand a word of what they were sayin' half the time!" I added.
"And what was with all those creepy character models?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I sincerely hope I misheard that line about the blue lever."
"You mean that one about lowering him onto your-"
"Scootaloo!" I scolded. "There could be kids watchin'!"
She shrugged. "This isn't a livestream. We can always edit it."
"The plot made little to no sense either," Sweetie Belle continued. "It seemed like they were more interested about shoehorning in references to Sean Connery than making a good film."
"Besides, the animation looked TERRIBLE," I added. "Ah've done better in Microsoft Paint!"
"Yeah, and it was a little inappropriate at times," Scootaloo noted.
"A little?" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "Why put a joke about upskirting into a kid's film?"
"What's the final verdict?" I asked them.
Scootaloo shrugged. "At least it was better than Son of Aladdin."
"Never mention that film again!" Sweetie Belle cried. "Well, that concludes this week's session. What film do you want us to review next? Let us know in the comments!"
With that she switched the camera off.
"Ah need some brain bleach," I said. "That film sucked."
There was a knock at the door. "Apple Bloom! Your father's here to pick you up!"
"OK, Mrs Crumbles!" I replied. I picked up my coat and backpack, before heading over to the door. "See ya tomorrow!"
"See ya!" my friends replied.
A week after that, we were heading from one lesson to another when suddenly we barrelled past a lavender-skinned girl. Scootaloo had to brake in order to avoid knocking her over.
I suddenly realised what was going on. It's the events of the first film! I thought. I now had to be extra careful, as I couldn't afford to give away the fact I knew what was coming.
That lunchtime, I sat down with my friends and Pip.
"Have you heard about that new girl?" Pip asked.
"The lavender one?" Scootaloo asked back.
"Yup!" Rumble chimed in.
"Turns out she gave Sunset a real telling off earlier today!" Button Mash exclaimed.
I glanced over to the others. "Say, do ya'll think that was the girl we nearly ran into at break?"
Sweetie Belle put a hand to her chin, clearly in thought. "It seems plausible. I'll ask Rarity if she's seen her anywhere around."
"I hope she can bring Sunset under control," Pip concluded. "She was really horrible to me about my accent."
"Yeah, and she wrecked Thunderlane's fundraiser for the School Renovation scheme," Rumble added.
I took a bite out of my sandwich. "Ah sure hope so, or else we may get a lightshow around here."
Later that day, I suddenly heard Twilight and Sunset having a heated conversation, only for Twilight to start summarising the end of the film! What was going on?
As she walked away from a rather confused Sunset, I decided to confront her. "You ain't from around here, are ya?" I asked.
Twilight, in response, looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."
I knew I had her on the ropes. I smirked internally. "Well, you were talkin' like ya knew what Sunset were about ta say. Care ta explain that?"
"Er, um. Lucky guess?"
I certainly had the edge here. "Ah don't think so. Y'all'll be celebratin' soon, but Sunset'll make ya look a right fool online this evenin', and then attempt ta kill ya with a fireball!"
Twilight's reaction confirmed all that I needed to know. "Wait, how do you know that? And I doubt that she'll make me look quite that foolish."
"Ya ain't the only one who knows we're livin' in a movie. So what did he look like?"
"What did who look like? You mean?..."
I resisted the urge to comment on the misplaced question mark and continued with my questioning. "Did ya go ta Bronycon, get sold somethin' by a creepy guy or gal and then turn inta whichever character ya were dressed as?"
Twilight confirmed my suspicions, and more. I also let slip about the stuff down there... Moving swiftly on, I quickly learned that Twilight had originally been a girl called Katrina Miller, whom had ended up here after buying a few replicas of Twilight's things. She was also quite the preacher too! Though it took her a while to get her head around the fact my sexuality had shifted as a result of the displacement.
Shortly before we reached the library, Twilight (probably for the best I keep calling her that) turned to me. "So, you know when Sunset puts on the crown in the movie and gets turned into a terrifying She-Daemon? Do you think you and your friends could help me?"
"What do ya need? Ah'm all ears."
Shortly after, I guided Twilight to the library and met up with my friends. I was tempted to go over and help her with with the computer, despite her assurances that she knew what she was doing, but I remembered that I had agreed to be ignorant of her prescence. Besides, we had decided to check on a video we'd uploaded to see how many views it'd got.
My eardrums were assailed by some of the worst singing I had ever heard. But I had to go along with it. Funny thing was, why on earth had we recorded a song about ponies and Cutie Marks, given they don't exist here?
Thankfully, it was cut short by Miss Cheerilee shutting off the speakers. "Girls!" She hissed. "What are you doing, especially you Scootaloo?"
Sweetie Belle seemed utterly unperturbed. "We're just seeing how many views our new music video has got." With that she turned the speaker back on, bringing us back in at the worst part of the song.
Cheerilee picked it up, and walked away. "Those computers are for research purposes only!"
I had already noticed something odd. The dialogue was different to how it was in the film. Was my presence distorting things somehow?
Scootaloo looked over. "Right, who's idea was it to use a wireless speaker?"
I sighed. "It's just as well, ya'll. Some of the comments about our song were really awful." I scrolled down through the comments. "Epic fail, funniest thing Ah've ever seen!"
A lightbulb went off above Sweetie Belle's head. "Funniest thing they've ever seen, huh?" With which we sped off toward to exit.
I was worried. I didn't want Twilight to go through absolute humiliation tomorrow. However, if it became apparent I knew what was going to happen, I would blow my cover.
This wasn't easy, at all. But I had to muddle through somehow.
On the way home, off to the parking lot, I spoke to Applejack.
"Hey, sis, you encounter that new girl?"
Applejack looked at me. "Yeah. She was mighty somethin'. Gave Sunset Shimmer the what-for today!"
I laughed. "That's always a good thing!"
But my sister's face shifted to a frown. "Ah still don't know how she knew mah name though."
"Ya sure ya didn't tell her?" Of course, I knew the answer, and too late I realised I had slipped up.
Thankfully, nobody noticed.
"She sure didn't," said Big Mac, who was now behind us. "Ah was there the whole time."
That evening, I was preparing myself for bed when suddenly my phone's ringtone went off. I picked it up, and saw it was an incoming call from Scootaloo.
"Hello?" I asked.
"You need to see this, Sunset has hit a new low."
"Over what?"
"She's posted a video of the new girl. Boy is it ugly."
I knew exactly what she was referring to, but I stayed in the act. "Ah'll put ya on speaker. Ah'm bringin' up YouTube now."
The video was exactly as I recalled from the film, but witnessing it as one of the characters, without the separation of the TV screen, made it a lot more immediate. I felt so sorry for her, so I opened the comments and began to type.
This is tasteless. How much lower can you go?
"Ah hope the new girl'l be OK," I said. "See ya tomorrow Scoots, Ah need to get of ta bed now."
See ya then." The line shut off and I hopped into bed, switching the light off.
The next lunchtime, something odd happened. The cafeteria was truly packed, filled with many students grouped into social clusters. Flash Sentry was tuning his guitar for some reason, and several students were spinning tumblers.
I suddenly noticed that several students had acquired Wondercolts head boppers, including Applejack, who was seated opposite me and Scootaloo. Sorry, Scootaloo and I. No, the first time was right!
These same students began to stomp out a beat and clap their hands, as music began to flood into the room from hidden speakers. The Mane 5 suddenly jumped up, ran to one end of the room, and began singing and dancing.
The Cafeteria Song from the first film is one of my all-time favourite MLP songs, but here I was, witnessing this incredible display live! Before I knew what was happening, a grin broke out from ear to ear across my face as Wondercolts paraphernalia began to fly through the air, including ears and tails. It took all my energy not to join in before Twilight entered.
Soon the entire cafeteria was on its feet, singing and clapping and dancing. I only hoped we all got caught on camera in the finished product.
After that happy occasion, we headed in the direction of our next classes.
"I can see you enjoyed that!" Rumble laughed.
"That was incredible!" I replied. "Ah wonder how they choreographed and wrote it in such a short space a time?"
Pip nodded. "Some things are just like that."
Then we suddenly heard a broadcast over the intercom.
"Can Twilight Sparkle please report to Vice-Principal Luna's Office?"
I gulped. I knew we were moving into the stories' final act, and I really didn't fancy being brainwashed.
Luckily, Twilight was exonerated, and the gym was repaired, although we didn't take part in that. But it was the night of the Fall Formal, and we all turned out in our best.
Myself, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle turned out in our best attire (e.g. dresses. I'd finally got used to wearing those things!), whilst the boys looked adorable in suits. The evening was incredible, with the disco ball swinging and music blaring from the speakers. Naturally we danced together, got our photos taken (and thrown in our faces as there was 'no style', according to Photo Finish), and even won an impromptu dance-off against Rainbow Dash and Applejack!
But at last, the real event of the night arrived. Principal Celestia stepped up onto the stage and addressed us all. "I want to say how wonderful everything looks tonight, especially given the damage wreaked a few hours ago. You really pulled together in order to give us a night to remember."
In more ways than one, I thought.
"And without any further ado, I'd like to announce the winner of this year's Fall Formal crown."
Tension mounted, and we looked back and forth at one another in apprehension.
"The Princess of this year's Fall Formal is...Twilight Sparkle!"
Cheers resounded through the hall as Twilight went up to get her prize. But it was not to last.
"Help!" cried Spike, as Snips and Snails dragged him away. Twilight and the other sped after him.
I raised my hand. "C'mon girls, after them!"
We sprinted as fast as we could, which was not terribly fast as the boots were not the most practical items of footwear. We took a left, then a right, and exited out of a side door.
I looked around the wall, and saw Sunset brandishing a sledgehammer. It was obvious what was happening now. My heart began to beat faster and faster as the confrontation progressed.
"I'll give you a choice, Twilight," Sunset laughed. "Either you give me the crown, and you go, or I'll destroy the portal!"
I gasped. No. If that portal goes, I can never go home.
Thankfully, Sunset didn't, but it wasn't long before they were all fighting over the crown, and Sunset placed it on her head.
"What's going on?" Scootaloo asked me.
"It looks like some sort of energy," Sweetie Belle observed. "But why? I thought it was a normal crown!"
I pulled back. "Scootaloo, you got yer slingshot?"
As Sunset laughed, brainwashing the students, Scootaloo took aim. "Distance to target?"
"Ah estimate about 500 feet."
"Elevation?"
"Zero-Five-Zero!" Sweetie Belle chimed in.
Just then, Sunset boomed with laughter, and a fireball appeared in her hands. She was aiming at Applejack and her friends!
"Whatya waitin' for, Scoots?" I asked. "Take the shot!"
Sunset laughed. "Gee, the gang really is all back together again. Well, step aside."
She snarled. "Twilight Sparkle has stepped in my plans once to many times already, and she needs to DIE!"
But before the fireball could be launched, a rock pinged off the crown, dislodging it and knocking it onto the floor in front of Twilight.
"WHAT?" Sunset cried.
Applejack looked over, and saw Apple Bloom giving her a thumbs up.
"Those three just saved us," she said.
We watched the rest of the encounter play out like in the film. Wow, that rainbow laser looked utterly incredible when witnessed right in front of you! The crater that was left over was large, and well...crater shaped. We walked over, to see Sunset Shimmer crawl out of the pit with tears in her eyes, and accept forgiveness from Twilight. Twas such a heart-warming moment.
But back to the dance, which went as normal, apart from some students having wings, ears and tails. Scootaloo even got a flight out of it, which must've been fun.
When I got back in that evening, I smiled. I'd been through the events of the first film without causing too much disruption.
Then the thought hit me. There was something approaching. Something I had to avert for the sake of both myself, and the world. |
An Apple a Day | Winter Approaches | October rolled by pretty quickly, and apart from getting splattered in paint by a rather enthusiastic Pinkie Pie, not much happened.
Then there's a large gap in my memory. It starts with me and my friends in the cafeteria chatting about the newest episode of...something or other. Then some singing started up behind us.
Next I knew, we were sitting in Canterlot Stadium, booing at some girls. Everything inbetween is just a great big blank.
In hindsight, I was stupid for forgetting about Rainbow Rocks. I could have prevented a lot of pain from occurring, but I can't do anything about that now. I can only hope I didn't do anything too stupid. On the flip side, at least nobody else remembers either!
The next thing of worth I will share with you, dear reader, occurred in Christmas, or around it. The snow had begun to fall, and the temperatures had begun to fall rapidly, meaning a permanent cloak of cold shrouded the land.
Back in the old days, winter was my favourite time of year. This was because heritage railways are best in the cold, with all the steam and smoke. Alas, there were no railways here, but at least there were traction engines!
One day, a few days before term broke up, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and myself were busy sorting our lockers at the end of the day. We were all elated at the news St. Nick was a week away or so.
"I love winter," Scootaloo said. "Not least the feelings of good will, but the carols as well!"
"The food's always good," Sweetie Belle added. "My family always do a Cajun Christmas meal." When she got a look from another student, she shrugged. "What? Is the surname not enough of a giveaway?"
I smiled. "And it means you get to be with family! That always matters most ta me!"
I pulled my coat on, added some gloves and pulled on a woolly hat. "See ya!" I called, as I walked away toward the parking lot.
Applejack turned up as I waited for the truck to pull in. "Howdy sugarcube!" she called.
"Hi sis!" I called excitedly. "Ah'm so so lookin' forward ta tonight!"
Applejack's face fell. "Ah can't spend time with ya tonight, Sugarcube," she replied.
"What? Why?"
My sister's face went into serious mode. "Ya see, Sunset has no family ta spend the holidays with. So, me and mah friends have organised a series of slumber parties to give her a family. It'll culminate at Sweet Apple Acres a night before the Apple Christmas Party."
I nodded. "That's OK. Ah can arrange for mah friends to come over."
Applejack smiled. "Thanks for bein' so mature about it." Just then, a loud horn echoed from the truck, now fitted for winter driving.
Well, my plan backfired pretty quickly. Scootaloo was literally snowed under, and Sweetie Belle had a mountain of homework to do. Ma and Pa were out in the snow, and Big Mac was seeing Sugar Belle in town, which left me with the internet, Granny Smith or Grand Pear.
I chose the last of those options. Don't get me wrong, Granny Smith is a sweet old lady, but she can have a fierce temper if you end up out of line. I donned my coat, and walked out into the snow.
I entered the repair shed, where Grand Pear was working on Sadie.
He looked up from his work. "Hello, youngin'!" he said.
"Grandpa," I asked, "Did you ever find yerself alone at this time of year?"
He turned around. "Applejack's out, isn't she?"
I nodded.
He stepped closer. "Back in the old days, when mah family weren't always around, Ah'd prepare food for them to show how Ah valued them. So, regardless of whether they were around or not, they knew our kinship was strong."
I nodded. "That's a good idea."
He smiled. "There's a good girl. Now, if ya don't mind, Ah need to complete this repair."
I walked out into the snow, and back over to the house. I took my coat off, and went upstairs to my room.
I sat at my desk and removed some paper, starting to make some calculations as I did so.
I must have got utterly wrapped up in all this, as I jumped when somebody knocked on the door. "Hello?" I called.
Granny Smith opened the door. "Well, there ya are. Ah jus' wanted to tell ya that Ah was headin' off ta bed now, so don't stay up too late."
I nodded. "Goodnight, Granny." Granny Smith closed the door, and I flicked on my phone, dialling Applejack as I did so.
A grumpy voice came down the line. "Whoever this is, ya just ruined a real heart-warmin' moment."
"Howdy!" I said. "Ah just wanted to check yer doin' alright, that's all."
"She sure is!" said the voice of Sunset Shimmer on the other end. "She's even wearing nail polish!"
I laughed. "That's a first."
"Hey, don't be off to bed late now, ya hear me?"
"Alright, alright, Ah'm just the messenger." I paused. "Have a good night!" I ended the call before I could even entertain the possibility of saying the next word.
I then texted Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Meet me tomorrow in the cafeteria. Before lessons.
I then got changed, did my teeth, and hopped into bed, switching off my bedside light as I did so. If my plan worked, it'd get the family back together.
The next morning, I headed straight to my locker and dropped off my books for later today, before heading to the cafeteria. It was already bustling, and full of chatter and Christmas cheer. I saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle already drinking hot chocolate, so I sat down and joined them.
"Howdy girls!" I said.
"Morning!" said Sweetie Belle.
"So, what did you want to see us about Apple Bloom?" asked Scootaloo.
"Ah have a plan." I was being vague on purpose.
"For what?" Scootaloo asked. "I still feel a little lonely not being able to spend time not only with you guys, but with Rainbow Dash!"
"Mah plan fits into that," I said. "It's ta show our siblings how much we love them!"
"What did you have in mind?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Grand Pear was tellin' me yesterday that it was tradition to prepare a meal for those you loved. Well, how about we do the same?"
"Whoa, whoa!" Scootaloo interrupted. "This is gonna take a while!"
"And we got days!" I answered. "They're havin' their last slumber party at Sweet Apple Acres. We can do it for then, and Ah was thinkin' each portion could represent a little bit of our families."
"Let me guess, I'm doing something Cajun," Sweetie Belle said.
"Ah was thinkin' gumbo as a starter. Ah'd handle the main course, which naturally enough with be somethin' fried."
"What do you want me to make for desert?" Scootaloo asked.
I smiled. "Tablet, of course!"
Scootaloo groaned. "I'm not Scottish, OK?"
I snorted. "That bagpiper behind you disagrees."
The purple-haired girl jumped as Mr Discord started up with Scotland the Brave.
"Is that all?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Cause I'll need to consult the recipe for mixing this together."
"Yup!" I replied. "See ya!"
The days passed, and the ingredients slowly came together. Scootaloo's attempts at making tablet got better...slowly, and we eventually ended up with 24 pieces, as well as 12 spares. Sweetie Belle had also made the gumbo, after NOT setting her kitchen on fire. This was a small miracle, and I'd marshalled the ingredients I needed to prepare fried chicken and mashed potatoes.
We had a few hours until the girls got in for their slumber party, so we set to work. The tablet went in the fridge, to be kept nice and cold until it was needed, whilst the Gumbo was soon spicing hot, put directly underneath cling film to keep it hot.
So, I set to work. It was all going so well...
...until the door flew open.
"What in tarnation are you girls doin'?"
I looked back, and saw Applejack and the other girls looking at us, surprised more than anything else.
"Well, uh, we-"
"You'd better have a good explanation for what yer doin', or Ah'll tan yer hide!"
Scootaloo spoke up. "We're preparing this for you guys!"
"We just didn't expect you to be back so early!" Sweetie Belle added.
Rarity looked in surprise. "That's remarkably generous of you."
"Ah got the idea from Grand Pear," I admitted. "We wanted to show how much we love you guys."
Applejack was now standing in front of me, looking down.
I shrank back. "Ah know, Ah shouldn't have done it." My eyes made contact with the floor. "Ah'm sorry."
There was silence for a few moments. Then Applejack began to laugh.
"You girls!" she snorted.
"So, you forgive us?" Scootaloo asked.
"Darling, there's no need to forgive, as you've done nothing wrong," Rarity smiled.
Rainbow Dash walked over. "That gumbo will need heating again though, and you need to set the cooker differently if your frying."
Sweetie Belle turned on the charm. "Will you help us then?"
"Eeyup!" Applejack cried. "C'mon, girls, let's get to work!"
With all of us together, it took us no time to prepare everything. We sat down to a truly delicious meal, which met with approval from all, although the gumbo was a little hot. At least it was burning tongues rather than kitchens, although it was VERY spicy!
That evening, we retired to the front room, and gathered around the tree, a cheerful and happy occasion. We all enjoyed each other's company, and it was a very merry Christmas indeed.
Little did I know, in the new year that everything would go downhill. |
An Apple a Day | Revelations | Spring had finally arrived in Canterlot, and we were all the happier for it. It meant we could put our winter clothes away, and return to our summer outfits. Sweetie Belle seemed especially pleased at the change in temperature; she seemed as uncomfortable wearing shorts or pants as I did wearing skirts!
We were also building up toward the Friendship Games, which left me with some apprehension, as of course I knew what was coming. However, we could at least enjoy each other's company. We spend a wonderful spring afternoon one Sunday playing in the park. I forget how long that came of tag went on for, but we even got in an adventure or two, climbing on the rocks and walking through the caverns, imaging we were explorers looking for lost treasure in dark places. In spite of our age, we still enjoyed those sorts of adventures, as it allowed us to be children. And after all, isn't growing up optional?
The very next day, we had just exited our lessons before break, Scootaloo seeming rather annoyed.
"Mrs. Harshvoice has gone too far this time!" she said.
"What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"She's set us some poetry that makes no sense!" Scootaloo said, exasperated.
"What would that be?" I enquired.
"Gertrude Stein."
"Ouch!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "That gave Rarity real trouble when she was our age. I remember it."
"Shall we go and look at it in the library?" I suggested.
That break, we puzzled over some of the 'poems', if you could call them that.
"A charm a single charm is doubtful. If the red is rose and there is a gate surrounding it, if inside is let in and there places change then certainly something is upright. It is honest." Sweetie Belle looked in utter confusion. "What does that even mean?"
I puzzled over another one myself. "A blind agitiation is manly and uttermost." I shook my head in confusion. "How does that relate to a cutlet?"
Scootaloo was snorting like a traction engine over another one. "Look at this one, 'Peeled Pencil, Choke'. 'Rub her coke'. What is this, innuendo?"
Sweetie Belle glanced at another one. "A little monkey goes like a donkey that means to say that means to say that more sighs last goes. Leave with it. A little monkey goes like a donkey." She sighed. "It seems like she just threw a load of random words into one sentence!"
"It looks like yer writin' when you were 3, sugarcube," said Applejack from a nearby table.
"HEY!" I shouted. "Ah could put sentences together!"
"Ooh, how about this one!" Scootaloo interrupted. "Aider, why aider why whow, whow stop touch, aider whow, aider stop the muncher, muncher munchers. A jack in kill her, a jack in, makes a meadowed king, makes a to let."
"How the school board thinks this is within our ability level is beyond me," Sweetie Belle admitted.
Unfortunately, we couldn't give any further opinions, as the intercom suddenly went. "Can Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle please report to Principal Celestia's office?"
I looked at the others. "What could this be about?"
"I don't know!" Scootaloo replied. "Could be anything."
"That's what I'm worried about," Sweetie Belle added, quivering as she did so.
We walked along the Principal's office, and I knocked on the door.
"Come in," said the voice of Celestia. She did not sound pleased.
We stepped into the brightly lit room as if we were being interrogated. Celestia pointed to three chairs in front of her desk. "Sit," she commanded.
We took our seats and sat there, being given the staring treatment by both Celestia and Luna.
"I hope you don't mind me asking," ventured Scootaloo, "but what is this all about?"
"Where were you three yesterday between the times of 15:00 and 18:00?" Luna asked.
"We were in the park, enjoying the sun," I answered. "Pip, Scoots and Sweetie Belle can back me up on that one."
Celestia's eyes narrowed. "Then how do you explain this?" she asked, turning her monitor around.
It was CCTV footage of the school halls yesterday, recorded between those times!
"These show you, do they not?" Luna asked again.
"Ah-ah don't get this!" I exclaimed. "How-?"
"Indeed," Celestia said coolly. "How did you get into the school when it was locked? You do realise there are serious charges for trespassing."
"But she was with us the whole time!" Scootaloo protested.
"She couldn't be in two places at once!" Sweetie Belle added.
"That's because she ain't Apple Bloom," said a third voice. We jumped when she spoke, and looked behind us.
Standing there, was a yellow-skinned girl with red hair, a bow in her hair, and was wearing a green shirt, blue shorts, and a pair of yellow boots.
"Ah am," was all she said.
We just looked, utterly dumbfounded. My heart was beating at incredible speed as I realised my cover was well and truly blown.
"Well, ya think Ah enjoyed bein' stuck in yer body?" she asked. "A 12-year-old girl, in the body of a 20-somethin' man? Well, it weren't fun!" she snapped.
"Apart from...obvious changes, Ah had to pretend to be somebody else for months, whilst you got mah boyfriend all to yerself. And mah friends. And mah family!" She stomped around the front.
Celestia shook her head in complete and total confusion. "Am I seeing double here, or are there two Apple Blooms?"
"Yes sister, there are," Luna replied. "But I have no idea what this is about."
"SHE took mah life!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.
"Well, you took mine!" I shot back, before realising what I had done.
Sweetie Belle looked over in consternation. "What?" she asked. "is this true?"
I froze in shock.
Celestia turned on the intercom. "Get me Applejack."
"Yes ma'am!" Luna replied, opening the door to reveal Applejack standing behind it.
"NOT THAT QUICKLY!" Celestia bellowed. The door was promptly closed, and the intercom engaged. "Could Applejack please report to Principal Celestia's office?"
There was a knock at the door, and Applejack opened it. "Is somethin' the matter?" she asked. "And why are there two Apple Blooms?"
Apple Bloom looked angry. "She's an imposter!"
Applejack looked into my eyes. "Ah want you to answer me honestly sugarcube," she said. "Is this true?"
It was at that moment the dam burst. I hugged her, crying with all my might. "I-it's true!" I sobbed.
"How?" Applejack asked. "Just who the hey are you?"
After giving me a moment to compose myself, I finally answered her question. "Ah was a guy named Tom. Ya see, where I'm from, you guys are a TV show called Mah Little Pony: Equestria Girls. We have an event called BronyCon where we meet and discuss the show. Ah went as Apple Bloom, and somehow got transformed into her, then ended up here. That's why Ah had amnesia."
Sweetie Belle spoke up. "That explains what happened after you were hit by the door. You must have switched places around then."
Applejack shook her head in disbelief. "All this time, Ah was bein' lied to." She pointed to the door. "Get out."
"Wha?"
"Get a move on." Applejack looked angry.
"But sis, Ah-"
"Don't ever call me that again!" she bellowed. "Ah never want to see ya again! AH HATE YA!"
It was too much. I ran out of the room crying, having seen all that I'd tried to build come crashing down. I ran through the corridors, as far as I could, before running into Pip.
"Apple Bloom!" he asked. "What's wrong?"
I tried to speak through my tears, but my words were incomprehensible. I simply sobbed in his arms for what felt like hours.
"Mah own family rejected me," I whispered. First Rebecca, then Applejack? I truly had nobody left.
"You can stay with me," Pip said. "My parents wouldn't mind."
"And we're behind you," said a voice behind me. I looked back, and saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
"Why?" I asked. "Ya know who Ah am!"
"We do, Apple Bloom," answered Sweetie Belle. "And we want to make this right."
I truly had friends in this world. It seemed things weren't going to be as bad as I'd thought. |
An Apple a Day | Averting the Future | At least I had somewhere to live.
Pip's parents were accommodating, and understood my circumstances, even though they seemed to think I was just here for a sleepover at first. I got the spare room, but I wasn't too fussed. As long as I had a bed, I was fine. But school would be a challenge, given there were now two of me wandering around CHS.
Trying to convince the Apples of what had happened was problematic. I got Granny Smith on the other end of the line, which was awkward.
"Hello, this is Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Hi Granny, this is Apple Bloom."
"Is this some sorta prank?"
"No, really, it's me!"
"Well, Apple Bloom came in a few moments ago, so you can't be her."
"There are two Apple Blooms! Ah'm just one of them!"
"Flibberty-Flabberty put you up to this, didn't he?"
I sighed. "They're two people, Granny. Flim and Flam."
"Ah won't dabble in this silliness any longer, youngin'." There was a loud click as the receiver was put down.
I put my phone down, and dropped to the floor. "Oh, for Pete's sake!" I exclaimed in frustration.
Pip came into the room. "What's happening?" he asked.
"Ah can't even get Granny Smith ta believe me!" I turned to him, my eyes burning with tears of frustration. "And she's a livin' lie detector! If Ah can't convince her, who will be?"
I am," Pip replied. "That other girl who looks like you, talks like you and lives at Sweet Apple Acres is not the Apple Bloom I know. For a start, that girl is rude and bossy."
"And you think Ah'm not?" I asked.
"No!" he replied. "You're honest, quick to stand up for others, and stubborn." When I looked annoyed, he rapidly continued. "But in a good way! You never give up, and inspire others to keep going when they would give up! It's almost as if you can show others what they're good at!"
I paused. If what Pip was saying was true, I truly was Apple Bloom. But had I always been this way, or was it an aspect of the charade?
Pip continued. "You are also the girl I love. I know we may have had some rocky times, but overall I know my heart was right."
Just then, the lights dimmed, and in stepped three more people. They were Rumble, Button Mash, and Featherweight, all dressed in Barbershop outfits with straw hats.
Then, through the gloom, I could see that Pip was dressed the same way.
"I may not always love you," he sang.
I then realized exactly what was going on. This was God only Knows, as heard in Bioshock Infinite. This meant that Pip truly loved me, or else why would he go to such efforts to make his point clear?
They sang it beautifully, even if they went through 3 different keys and were a bit sharp at the end.
Pip smiled as he stepped forward. "Does this convince you of how I feel for you?"
I didn't reply. I simply moved forward, wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed him.
"Ah hope that cleans that one up," I replied, as we broke from each other's embrace.
"It certainly does."
A few days passed by, and life in Pip's house was pretty fun. The other girls kept me filled in on what was happening at CHS, including that everyone was truly inspired to participate in the Friendship Games after Rainbow Dash sang a song which was a wonderful work of motivation. She'd even gained wings at the end of it, which was a little surprising.
"So, anythin' else?" I asked.
"We have to put up with the other Apple Bloom, but boy is she bossy!" Scootaloo groaned.
"She doesn't exactly work by consent," Sweetie Belle explained. "It's all 'do this, do that'! But Applejack is convinced that's her, and won't listen to our protests."
"Well, we tried," Scootaloo started, "but she simply said we can't believe that 'imposter'. Her words, not mine!"
I sighed. "She can be real stubborn, but she ain't stupid. Ah hope she'll see sense someday."
Sweetie Belle cut in. "If you want, you can come to the Friendship Games. We know a place where you'll be able to watch without being seen."
I nodded. "Sounds good to me," I said.
For fairly obvious reasons, I did not witness the Axcademic Decathlon. Middle Schoolers were shut away in Mr Cranky Doodle's class, which must have been very boring. I met with my friends at the side of the stands.
"My word, that session with Cranky was boring," Scootaloo complained. "That must be what detention is like."
"I imagine it's worse," Sweetie Belle added. "We need to go around the back to find the spot in question."
We wandered around the back of the stands, and arrived at the location in question. The only problem was, the Wondertones were there as well.
"What are ya doin' here, imposter?" asked Big Mac.
"I told you Sweetie Belle, I want you nowhere near that creep," Rarity added.
"She just wants to watch," Sweetie Belle protested.
"Is that really too much to ask?" added Scootaloo.
Big Mac looked displeased. "Ah strongly advise you scram."
A smirk grew across Scootaloo's face. "If you keep quiet about my friend here, you can sing at my aunt's birthday party. How does that sound?"
There was a pause. And then something truly extraordinary happened.
"Sure!" started Big Mac, on a low Bb.
"Sure!" Toe Tapper joined in, on a D.
Torch Song joined as well, singing an F.
And finally, Rarity, on a high Bb. In short, there was a range of approximately two octaves. Having sung in barbershop and acapella groups before (and hoping to join the female one here at CHS), to hear them so perfectly in tune without the need for a piano or an ocarina was truly marvellous.
Toe Tapper looked at his watch. "Well, we'd better go perform our set!" he said, heading off into the distance.
I sat down next to the bleacher. "Ah'll be fine here, just go and enjoy yerselves."
"Sure thing, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo replied.
I heard them walk off, then suddenly a voice cut over the noise. I poked my head around to see what it was.
"Where have you been?" asked the other Apple Bloom.
"We...er..." Sweetie Belle stalled.
"Had to get popcorn!" Scootaloo cut in, immediately producing a carton of it from nowhere.
I snorted with laughter. Scootaloo always had a trick up her sleeve.
"Well, yer late," Apple Bloom said.
"Yes, Miss Bossyboots," Scootaloo replied.
Well, the Wondertones put down a spirited performance of Barbershop classics, as well as some rock and roll hits. But when that was over, and the applause concluded, Dean Cadence stepped up to the microphone.
"Good afternoon students!" she called. "For today's Tri-Cross Relay, our contestants will have to compete in three separate sections."
She pointed to the centre. "First, they will need to brave the Obstacle Course, and land two bullseyes on the moving targets. Then, the speed skaters will have to complete 10 laps, and finally the Motocross will have to brace a thrilling track with twists, turns, and muddy ponds!"
She raised a klaxon. "If all are ready?" she asked. She then pressed down on the klaxon, which sounded a loud, thunderous note.
Proceedings occurred as expected, with Twilight being unable to hit the targets and Applejack assisting her. But having said that, I noticed something off. Pinkie Pie and Rarity seemed to be going at a fraction of the speed they were supposed to be, as if the track was made of sludge. When the other contestants were sent off, Twilight moved to hug Applejack.
"NO!" I cried. "DON'T!"
But with the noise of the crowds and the roller skates, my pleas fell on deaf ears. Applejack returned in kind, causing Twilight's pendant to activate which in turn was dropped.
What followed next was an utter mess as the pendant bounced back and forth. Eventually, it bounced over to me, and I picked it up.
"Twilight!" I shouted. "Catch!"
She registered, before I threw it to her. She caught it, but managed to drop it, causing it to open and generate a portal.
I looked in horror as the massive plants appeared all over the place. When I'd last witnessed this scene, I'd had the safety of a screen in the way. Now, there was a very real danger of death. In the moment, I knew what I had to do.
I charged forward over the track, calling to Twilight. "Ya need to close the pendant, or more of those things will pour through!"
She nodded. "Who are you?"
"Mah name's Apple Bloom! Now we need to shut that thin', or we're mincemeat!"
As Twilight danced around vines, and Rainbow Dash flew through the air smashing into the plant creatures, I jumped into the air, rolled past some of the vines, and found the pendant before it was dragged away. My hands closed around it, and with a desperate push, finally forced the pendant shut.
The monsters vanished all around, and everything returned (sort of) to normal, bar a wrecked motorbike and some frazzled students.
Celestia activated the intercom. "Can all students please report to the school hall for an emergency registration, thank you."
As the students began to file out, Twilight looked up at me. "Hey, thanks for the help," she said.
"No probs," I said, and I extended my hand.
Before I knew what was going on, I was on the ground, clutching the side of my face, and Applejack's boot was on my chest.
"Why'd you come here?" she asked.
"AJ, Ah-"
"You've been playin' with mah emotions for far too long, imposter."
"Ah just saved yer butt! You'd been eaten by a plant by now!" I protested.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't be here," Applejack snarled. "Just go back to where you came from."
"Ah can't go back," I whimpered. "There is no way Ah can go back."
Applejack just walked away. "Well, why should Ah care?"
It was too much. I had been rejected again. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing out of my eyes. Twilight reached over and pulled me into an embrace.
"You're from another world?"
"Y-yeah," I sobbed. "Ah don't belong here. There are two a' me, but AJ won't even consider me."
Twilight nodded. "Take it easy there, we all know what it's like to be lost. I had the same with my brother when he got married."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yep," Twilight replied. "They wouldn't believe me when I found out that Shining's ex was trying to wreck the wedding. She nearly succeeded too."
I suddenly became aware of somebody walking over. It was Vice-Principal Luna.
"Apple Bloom, what are you doing out here?" she asked. "You need to report to the hall for registration."
I wiped the tears from my eyes, and stood up. "OK, Miss." I looked back at Twilight. "Thanks, I needed that."
"No problem," Twilight said. Hopefully she wouldn't be too badly affected by what came next.
That evening, we met up again for the conclusion of the Friendship Games.
"Since the scores are tied," spoke Dean Candence, "we have organised a tiebreaker event."
"Somewhere around campus," said Luna, "the school pennant has been hidden. The first team to find theirs and bring it back wins." I briefly snorted, remembering what happened in the blooper reel.
"If our teams are ready, we'll begin!" Cadence called.
I looked out from my hiding place. The other members of the CMC were up in the bleachers, and I knew the Main 6 were standing between them. On the other side, Principal Cinch was berating her students. I knew exactly what was coming next.
But what came next was surreal. When Cinch began singing, not only could we all hear it clearly, but there was the sound of a harpsichord playing in the background.
Well, that settles the question of whether the characters hear the songs they sing," I thought.
The rest of the song played out more or less as in the movie, complete with the massive ball of energy and Midnight Sparkle. As with Sunset, actually witnessing the creation of Midnight was all the more horrifying when you were within close proximity.
The creature had a strange electronic tone to its voice. "Hahahaha! You were right! I didn't understand magic before, BUT I DO NOW!" It then fired a beam that blew up the Wondercolt statue, causing portals to open up.
Portal after portal opened, as the Mane 6 charged into action. They dodged around the beams like acrobats, and saved several students.
Then Midnight laughed. "Time to die, Applejack! You deserve this for how you treated your sister!" A beam charged up in her hand, and she fired.
"NOOOOO!" I cried, sprinting forward and determined to prevent things from getting worse. I ran into Applejack and pushed her out of the way.
But a portal opened up, breaking open the floor. I grabbed onto the rock but began to slip. But as I fell, Applejack grabbed my hand.
"Ah got ya Sugarcube!" she called.
As I was held above oblivion, I could see London below me. And that's when the pain hit, as my boots suddenly became uncomfortable to wear. I realised, to my horror, that I was being changed back!
"Pull me up!" I cried.
"Ah'm trying', but the portal-my strength-Ah can't lift ya!"
I flailed back and forth over this opening. I called one last thing to Applejack. "Know that...Ah don't regret a thing!" I cried, as Applejack's hand failed and I tumbled into oblivion.
"Sugarcube! SUGARCUBE!" |
An Apple a Day | Home? | I suddenly jolted awake, aware of it being very hot. I looked around me, and realised where I was.
I was back in my home in the UK. As my brain switched on, I looked down to see my skin was no longer yellow. Indeed, everything about my body had changed and increased in size. I was male again, exactly as I was before I transformed.
My clothing was a tad too small, and the remains of the boots were scattered all over the floor. My shirt was too small, as were the jeans. I removed them as best I could, and took clothes from my wardrobe. As I got changed, I looked down quickly and... yup, those were back too.
I felt my hair out of interest, and realised that the bow was gone. The very thing that had started my adventure was gone.
The happy life I'd had in Canterlot was gone, and it was never coming back.
I held my sadness in, and succeeded for a while, before breaking down. My friends in Canterlot were lost to me forever. I would never see Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle again. Never again would I walk the halls of CHS, or get shouted at by Mrs. Harshvoice for misusing a connective or getting word order jumbled. Never again would I ride on Sadie, enjoying the summer air.
It was too much to take, and I simply resorted to screaming uncontrollably at whatever entity lives up there.
"WHY? WHY DID YOU SEND ME BACK? I WAS HAPPY THERE!!"
And it was true. I was no longer truly just Tom Haddington, 20-something bloke from London who liked MLP and worked in engineering. I was now partially Apple Bloom.
I wanted to be Apple Bloom.
I attempted to cheer myself up by watching the Equestria Girls franchise in order, but that didn't work. I simply broke down whenever the Crusaders came onto screen. I didn't even entertain the possibility of reading Anon-a-Miss again. It saddened me to think that, out of all things, that is what the Crusaders will probably be remembered for.
I tried visiting heritage railways as well, and that helped. But eventually my mind would wander back to those days spent in happiness.
But what made it hardest was it was where I had found love, with a character who doesn't even appear on screen! But there wasn't anybody I could talk to. They would all think I was insane, or that I was reciting a fanfiction!
But I noticed something odd when attempting to re-watch Friendship Games. When it got to the journal scene at the beginning of the movie, the dialogue was different;
"Dear Princess Twilight, how's life treating you in Equestria? Any cool new magic spells? It's been pretty quiet here at CHS since the Battle of the Bands, although the Crusaders did cook us a pretty good meal. Boy was it spicy! We still pony up when we play music, which Rainbow Dash just loves to show off. But I still can't quite grasp what it's all about. I would love to hear what you think about it when you get a sec. Your friend, Sunset Shimmer."
I couldn't believe it! My actions had actually changed the series!
It was one gloomy day when everything got better. I was at my table, eating breakfast (a soggy sandwich), when there was a knock at my door. I walked over to it, and opened it. Sure enough, it was my postman!
"Hi Patrick," I said to him.
"Good morning Tom!" he said. "I've got a letter here for you, and a parcel. Both of them are from the USA, from a city I've never heard of."
I was surprised. Who would send me something from the USA, apart from my godfather in Houston?
"Thank you," I said, taking them from him.
"Have a nice day," Patrick replied, as he got back into his van and drove off.
I went inside and put the box down. I opened the letter and read it. Here is what it said;
Dear Thomas Haddington,
I imagine that you are wondering why I am writing to you. First off, I want to say sorry for the way I treated you when I first returned to Canterlot, as I realise now that you hadn't intended to go to CHS, but were forced there instead.
I also wish to raise an issue I have been having. In the few weeks since I came back and was re-admitted into the Apple family, I've been struggling to fit in here. I believe it is because of the time I spent in your body and in your world. I am no longer truly Apple Bloom, just as you are no longer truly Thomas Haddington.
I came to realise that I would be happier in your world, living as you, than here on Sweet Apple Acres, as I no longer truly belong here.
Which brings me to the contents of the package I sent you. That box contains the bow that first transformed you into me. I believe that it still has some of its transformative magic left in it, and it should still work. To activate it, simply clip it into your hair.
But I would like to warn you that this switch would in all likelihood be permanent. You would not be able to return to London, nor I to Canterlot. This is not a light decision to make, so please think on it very carefully.
I know that you will make the right choice, irrespective of what you choose to do.
Your's sincerely,
Apple Bloom.
I opened up the box, carefully removing the bubble wrap that protected the object inside. Sure enough, there was the bow, just as colourful and vivid as the day I had bought it at BronyCon. I picked it up, and thought for a moment.
If I were to put it on, I could be truly happy. But on the other hand, if I were to put it on and not be happy, I could not return to London.
Oh, stop being such a doubting Thomas! Said one voice in my head.
What if this doesn't work? Said another.
I held the bow in front of me, trying to decide what to do. |
An Apple a Day | Bonus Chapter: Going Back | It seemed like an eternity of time passed before I made up my mind whether to put the bow back in or not. Should I, or should I not? The question floated in front of me, leaving me unsure what to do.
But eventually I made up my mind. This time, I headed upstairs to my bedroom just to say goodbye, as I would probably never see it again after doing this. I looked around, taking it all in for the last time, and walked in, closing the door behind me, shutting the blinds, and opening my wardrobe, where there was a mirror. I intended to watch fully this time, and I was more prepared than at BronyCon, which now felt like it was thousands of years ago. I brought the bow up in my hand, running my other one through my short brown hair, which would shortly cease to exist.
"Goodbye Tom," I said quietly. "But there's no going back now." With those words, I unclipped the bow, ran it into my hair, and clipped it up again.
Just then, I felt the electric jolt that was all too familiar to me from that day a few months back. And then it began.
As I looked on my shirt, which was long sleeved and blue, suddenly changed shades to green, and the sleeves shrank back until they terminated about halfway above my upper arms. The collar shrank back into the shirt, and the buttons vanished as the V-neck stitched itself up, giving my shirt a high collar around my neck.
My slacks changed, the new material brushing against my skin as the cotton morphed into denim. The button and zip stayed as they were, the only noticeable change was that they gained a silver finish compared to their previous black look.
A belt suddenly appeared, threading itself through the belt hooks, and a buckle appeared right at the centre point of my waist, which was either copper in colour or golden, depending on what angle you were looking at it from. Then, my 'jeans', as they now were, changed again, the legs rolling themselves up for some odd reason. It became clear why a moment later.
My slippers suddenly gained a much firmer heel, and closed around my feet, becoming firmer. As a result, I suddenly gained height briefly. The padding under my feet turned red, as the 'shoes', I suppose they now were, turned orange, before starting to grow up my leg. It was an incredibly strange sensation, feeling leather creeping up my legs, before they stopped at the halfway point between my ankles and my knee joints. On both of them, a metal buckle appeared, held in place with red straps. The legs of the jeans then dropped back over the boots, leaving the tops covered.
That was the outfit completed. "Well, what now?" I asked, looking completely ridiculous. I knew what was coming next, but everything seemed to be happening in a different order to last time.
I looked down briefly, and it was then I noticed something strange. The ground was suddenly beginning to get closer to my eyes, coming closer inch by inch. I looked in the mirror as my former height more or less melted away, until I reached a fraction of my former size. I had experienced it before, but it still felt bizarre nonetheless, and the reference point behind me told me that I had lost at least a foot of height, and the tallest I could possibly be was somewhere around 4 foot 5 inches.
I then felt an odd sensation in my feet, realising that they were shrinking in size, alongside the boots which were shrinking too. It was like Alice in Wonderland, but only it was in reverse; I was getting smaller, not bigger. My toes felt absolutely tiny now, but somehow, I was more comfortable with them that way. It was what I'd got used to during my time on the farm, and it felt good to have them back.
My legs had already decreased in width, becoming quite slim, yet defined and muscular, and I held my breath in anticipation for what was going to happen next.
No matter how prepared I was, it never ceases to hurt. I yelled out in pain, my voice shooting up in pitch like a rocket, as I felt two certain parts of my body disappear, retreating to somewhere the sun doesn't shine, with a sudden burst of...something else. Pleasure? Shock? It was hard to describe. To my surprise my hips barely changed shape, but then again, I already knew Apple Bloom had pretty narrow hips anyway.
My face went red with embarrassment as I felt something else change under my jeans, and following that it was time for my chest area.
That familiar tingling started up in my chest, and I looked down, knowing what was coming next. I felt my muscles shifted in my chest, again becoming much smoother and lighter, yet well defined. Shortly after, the skin under my nipples started to get softer. Not long after that, and I must say it felt strangely good, my upper chest area began growing, swelling into a pair of breasts that stopped growing a few seconds later. Upon taking a quick glance, they looked to be fairly small, which wasn't hugely surprising given Apple Bloom is meant to be about 12 anyway, but they were still held in place by something else I wasn't wanting to check that had appeared under my shirt.
That just left my face, and I braced myself, as the bones started breaking apart in my face, shortening and coming together in a different variety of shapes and ways. By the time it was done, my cheekbones had moved higher up, to just under my eyes, and my entire complexion was somehow softer. My eyes changed colour to red, from brown, and I felt my cheeks purely to see how much softer the skin had become. On the topic of my skin, it suddenly changed colour, to the familiar yellow I knew so well.
That left just one thing to change. My eyebrows changed to red, and, clearly desperate for the transformation to complete, my hair suddenly went into a growing frenzy. It suddenly increased in volume quite dramatically, before my fringe started growing forward and flopped downward over my forehead, coming to a stop a few inches above my eyebrows.
Locks of hair suddenly cascaded down my back, stopping at my shoulders. My hair suddenly changed colour to red, and with that it seemed the transformation was complete.
"Well," I asked, my voice once again that of Apple Bloom, "how am Ah gonna get back?"
That question answered itself as suddenly a portal opened up, and I fell straight through it, landing with a bang on the driveway right outside Sweet Apple Acres. I looked forward, to see Applejack getting into the family truck. She looked upset, as she probably thought I was dead.
I immediately started running toward her, calling out her name. |
No Pony's Sky | pre | "Hah, no."
"Listen you stupid thing!" Star growled. "Trust me, I've got this."
"Also famous last words!"
"You somehow always manage to find new ways to make me want to commit horrible acts of violence," Star said as he flew the ship into the space station and landed. "Sooner or later, I'll be on trial for murder and look like the biggest moron as I shout, 'the AI made me do it!'"
"I'll be sure to somehow record the entire thing so I can watch it on loop," Eon said.
Star opened the ship's hatch. "You know, I could technically replace this suit with a new one right now, and I wouldn't die!"
"Right, but what suits aboard a Gek piloted space station would fit a pony?"
"Eon, stop ruining moments that fill me with joy."
"No."
"I hate you."
"Nicest thing you've said to me since we started this stupid mission... how many years ago?"
"Enough that I don't care if I die being cooked alive."
"Oh, could I help?" Eon asked. "I've been known to make a mean soup!"
"Because I totally believe you can make something that is positive in any fashion or form," Star said as he walked into a long hallway.
"My positivity circuits were fried when they saw who wore the suit I was programmed into," Eon said. "Your ego burns with the fury of a thousand suns."
"Glad to know some part of me is radiant!"
"I hope it supernovas soon."
"Okay, shut it," Star said as he entered an office. "Let's be on our best behavior while I explain what happened."
A Gek behind a desk put down a chart and glanced at Star. "Navagra ilk por?" It asked.
"Uh, hey!" Star said. "I'm here to apologize for punching one of your workers and taking his blueprint."
The Gek stared silently at Star.
"So, apology accepted?" Star asked with a smile.
The Gek slammed its fist on a button and sounded an alarm.
Star's right eye twitched as the alarm blared. "Fuck-a-doodle-doo..."
"You're the greatest planner that has ever lived, Star!" Eon said. "Tell me, what's your plan now?"
"Uhhhh." Star frantically looked around the office. "Well, I'm going to steal a warp core!"
"You know, I bet that Gek who had the blueprints had one," Eon said. "Of course, you in your infinite wisdom decided 'Nah, screw that, let's just run out the door!'"
"Can it, you intolerable machine!"
"I'm an artificial-"
"I don't give a flying fuck what you are right now!"
A few Gek stormed through the door where Star had entered and aimed their multi-tools at him.
"Oh balls," Star said.
"Oh, lemme get popcorn!" Eon said. "I've always wanted to see you become the bastard love child of swiss cheese and a pin cushion!"
"Shut up and try to help me!" Star said as he looked around the room for a way to escape.
"Hey, genius, why not the plant over there."
Star looked over at a potted plant. "Oh, good idea." He levitated the plant over to himself and hurled it at the group of Gek, which knocked them down. "Ta-ta!" He said as he ran passed them.
"Ah, crap, I actually helped you?" Eon asked. "I was hoping that they'd shoot you before you actually did anything."
"Something tells me they wanted to take me alive," Star said as he ran down a long hallway.
The Gek stood back up and spun around. "Ilk porva urtic!" They yelled as they fired off bolts from their multi-tools.
"What was it about them wanting to take you alive?" Eon asked.
"Oh, blow it out your non-existent ass!"
"Nevar ilk parva!" A Gek shouted to Star before it fired off several bolts.
"I can't understand a damn thing you're saying!" Star yelled back. "But honestly, I'm sorry!"
"Star, I doubt they can understand you either," Eon said. "And I doubt they'll care either since you plan on stealing a warp core."
"Hey, I can try to at least seem like slightly less of a dick than I actually am. Right?"
"No, you're irredeemable."
"You know how to make me feel like the greatest pony in the universe," Star said as he entered the landing dock of the space station. "Okay, where do you little freaks keep the warp cores?" He asked aloud.
"You really think they'd just show you?"
"Maybe."
"You're so naive, I swear you still believe in Santa."
"Wait, Santa isn't real?!"
"No, you idiot."
"MY LIFE IS A LIE!"
"Just get steal that damn warp core before the end of the damn century you dipstick."
Star ran to the other side of the landing dock, dodging a few blasts from the Gek that were in pursuit, and tried to open the door. "Ah, shit, it's locked!"
"You're a unicorn!" Eon yelled. "Use your fucking magic!"
Star fired a powerful magic blast at the door, which blew a hole in it. "Oh... I didn't think that would work," he said as he walked through the door.
"You are unbelievably stupid today," Eon said. "Did you hit your head when I wasn't paying attention?"
"Hey, it's a space station. I'd expect reinforced crap, y'know?"
"And you have magic that has probably never been seen by the Gek in this star system! You think they'd truly understand it?"
"Uhhh..."
"Damn, you make my processors hurt."
"Wait, you can feel pain?"
"It's a figure of speech, stupid!"
Star chuckled to himself. "You're right, seeing the other one of us suffer is really fun."
"You're a dead pony, Star."
"Being with you? Already am."
Eon let out a sigh. "My sensors indicate there's a warp core in a nearby safe."
"Can you be specific? Like, which room?" Star asked as he barricaded the blow open door.
"To your right," Eon said. "In the damn storage facility."
Star turned to his right. Sure enough, there was a giant safe. "Oh."
"You're hopeless. Completely hopeless."
"Hey, I'm not good under stress!"
"Then how the hell did you manage to perform functionally on Laprasioko Eyrong?"
"I wasn't being shot at!"
"You know, I must now ask you a serious question," Eon said. "Tell me, did you get that position of lieutenant given to you written in crayon?"
"No, it was given to me in colored pencil," Star said as he blasted open the safe.
"You disgrace colored pencils."
Star ignored Eon and shifted through the contents of the safe. "A coupon for a free ship? Jackpot!" He said as he placed it in his inventory.
"Lieutenant Fuck Up, you might want to hurry," Eon said. "The Gek are getting through your barricade made of chairs, tables, and teddy bears."
"What?! Even the teddy bears?!"
"Especially the teddy bear's!" Eon said in a sarcastic tone. "I can't believe that cotton is being defeated by a laser!"
Star frantically grabbed a warp core and a blueprint. He turned to face the barricade and waited for it to break down.
Crash!
Three Gek troops ran in and fired wildly at Star.
Star, meanwhile, hurled another potted plant at them and ran passed them. "I guess they hate plants," he said as he leaped off the balcony and ran towards his ship. He hopped in and started it up. "So long, fuckers!"
"Your manners make me want to cry," Eon said. "So much."
"Hey, they didn't accept my well thought out apology."
"Your apology held as much weight as wet paper," Eon said. "I'm pretty sure nobody could ever blame them for not accepting it."
"Well, I think I deserved to be forgiven."
"You deserve to be shot."
"Meanie."
"I've got something better," Eon said. "Warning: enemy ships approaching."
Suddenly, several blasts flew passed Star's ship. "Aw, crap," he said as two Gek ships closed in on both sides of him, with a third directly above him. "Okay, time to have some fun!"
Star swerved passed the ship to his right and turned around towards the space station. "I'll let the meteors handle them!" He said.
"You realise that plan is unbelievably stupid, right?"
"Yep."
"Then why not just shoot them down?"
"Too much work."
"And this is better how?" Eon asked as Star flew passed a large meteor.
"Well, I don't have to worry about somehow shooting an innocent pilot."
"Oh, wow, you have a conscious."
"I'm so glad your faith in me is growing," Star said as he watched a Gek pilot fly directly into the meteor he'd passed. "Hey, Eon, play some kick ass music for me."
"Hmmm... ah, I've found just the song!"
Just then, the music of gods and warriors started to play.
"Yodel ay oddel ay oddel ay oh! Yodel ay oddel ay oddel ay oh!" A voice sung.
"Eon! What is this shit?!"
"What? Don't like it?"
"Turn this garbage off!" Star snapped as the sound of champions surrounded him.
"Hah, no. You're going to deal with it, and you're going to like it."
Star let out a groan. "Your taste in music makes me want to vomit."
"I think most ponies, and aliens, feel that way when they see you."
"Well, you aren't wrong there," Star said as he swerved around a meteor and watched a Gek crash into it. "My marefriend-"
"Don't continue."
"-used to say the very sight of me made her physically ill."
"I asked you not to continue."
"Yeah, and when I asked you not to continue, you did so anyways! So screw you!"
"I am programmed to do that, you numbskull."
"I don't care!" Star snapped. "You did it to me, so I did to you!"
"That's such a wise, thought provoking philosophy," Eon said. "For those idiots who can't let go of grudges."
"Okay, you know what, I don't want to talk to you until the last ship is-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the third and final ship flew passed Star and into a large meteor.
"Fuck."
"All enemy ships have been eliminated," Eon said. "So, where were we?"
"I'm just going to install the hyperdrive," Star said. "If you so much as talk to me, I'm going to raise Tartarus."
"I'm now talking to you. What are you going to do about it?"
"Oh, Celestia, please help me get home so I never have to be near this jackass ever again."
"I hope she sends you back into space so we can become the bestest of friends."
"HELP ME!" |
No Pony's Sky | Close Encounters of the Wild Kind | Star Chaser levitated a bolt into the hyperdrive. "Okay, I've just gotta put this here and..."
The hyperdrive hummed to life and turned on.
"Hey, you did it!" Eon said. "I'm shocked. You only screwed up twice."
"No thanks to you," Star said.
"Hey, I offered to help," Eon said. "And you ignored me."
"Would you really have helped?"
"Yes," Eon said. "Because I'm hopeful to see you encounter more animals and cry when they try to eat you."
Star ignored the AI and grabbed the warp core. "Okay, now I just need to put this in," he said. "Where does it go again?"
"The hyperdrive."
"Yeah, but where in it?"
"There's a frigging hole where you put it, Star," Eon said. "I swear, your eyesight is on par with that of a bat."
Star rolled his eyes and looked for the hole. "Oh, it has a cap over it," he said as he unsealed it. He skipped the warp core in and resealed it. "Okay, done!"
"You realise you're going to need dozens upon dozens more of those, right?"
"Unfortunately."
"You know how to make them, right?"
"No," Star said. "Every time I had to use these, I got them from a space station," he said. "I'm going to guess it isn't easy?"
"To be honest, no," Eon said. "Considering your disdain for going out and getting resources, it'll be the most excruciating thing in the entire universe."
"I'm going to guess you'll enjoy every second of it?"
"Why of course!"
Star rolled his eyes once more and pulled up his galactic map. "Okay, let's see," he said as he looked for a solar system he could jump to. "This one seems close enough."
He hit his hyperdrive function and sat back as he flew towards the system.
"So, exactly why are we going to the center?" Eon asked. "Why not go back the way we came?"
"Where is that?" Star asked. "We've gone from solar system to solar system with a complete disregard for direction."
"Well, I doubt Equus is at the center of it all."
"Look, I recall coming from the 'center of it all'."
"I don't think we did," Eon said. "I think we came from the outer edge."
Star's right eye twitched. He slammed his hooves onto his ship's steering wheel and yelled, "Damn it, Eon! I don't care what you think!" I will get home, even if it's the last thing I ever do!"
"Um... okay," Eon replied. "Didn't think you'd react so harshly."
Star closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry," he said after a few deep breaths.
"Eh, I'm used to you throwing temper tantrums," Eon said. "Just don't break your steering wheel. I don't think they sell those around here."
Star let out a sigh as the ship arrived at its destination. "So, where are we?"
"Rodevuiutsi-Anu IX."
"Do any of these systems have normal names?"
"Maybe one of them does," Eon said. "But I don't think you have a say in what's normal since you're basically talking to air."
"Fair point," Star said as he scanned the star system. A marker appeared on the ship's map that read, "abandon building." Star turned the ship in that direction and activated the ship's pulse drive as he flew towards the planet.
"You're oddly quiet, Star," Eon said. "You aren't whining about the things I've said, and that's confusing me immensely."
"I'm just thinking about home," Star said. "It's helped me ignore you."
"Right," Eon said. "Is that why you ignored me completely while you replaced the hyperdrive?"
"Yes," Star said as the ship entered the planet's atmosphere. "There are other things, but they aren't important."
"You're behavior is concerning" Eon said. "Seriously, what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, Eon!" Star snapped. "Stop asking me that! Please!"
"You can't do a damn thing about it!" Eon taunted. "I'm a part of your suit! So...hah!"
Star let out a groan. He looked at the ship's map and sighed. "I have to fly another minute to get to the building."
"It's only a minute," Eon said. "Quit being a baby."
"But... I want to explore the planet! Wah!"
"You're trying to hard to be annoying."
"If I keep it up, will you get annoyed?"
"Don't you fucking dare."
Star snickered to himself. "Oh, you have me an idea."
"Ah, crap."
Star landed his ship near the building. He opened the hatch and hopped out of the ship. The entire planet appeared to be dusty, as though it hadn't rained in awhile. Several rock formations and dead trees were scattered about, and the sky had a brown/yellow color to it. "So what's this planet called?" He asked.
"My sensors indicate it's called Nunelsestada," Eon said. "It appears that there is fauna here! I can't wait for you to get attacked again."
"Oh, joy," Star said as he approached the building. "Just what I needed. Animals." He entered the building and looked around.
A bizarre fungus covered a terminal, along with several parts of the wall, and numerous wires were exposed. A strange plant hung from the ceiling, and a red emergency light flashed.
"O-kay, what in Celestia's name happened here?" Star asked. "It looks like something out of a horror movie."
"Maybe someone used too much plant food."
"For once, your theory isn't that bad," Star said as he approached the terminal. To his surprise, it was still functional. "Think something in here will be of use?"
"Are you sure you want to touch that?" Eon asked. "Despite everything I've said, I don't want to end up stuck in a planet for who knows how long. Or worse, with a fungal parasite possessed pony."
Star grimaced at the thought. "Ummm... ah-hah!" He turned around and took out his multi-tool. He aimed it At the plant and fired the mining laser at it.
The beam sliced through the plant. "Score!" He exclaimed as he levitated the plant over to himself. He activated the terminal with the severed plant and tossed it aside.
"Star, that was perhaps the one intelligent thing you've done around me," Eon said.
Star rolled his eyes as the terminal turned on. He approached it and glanced at the entry.
"Is there anything on the weird plant thing?" Eon asked. "Because it's starting to creep me out."
"Nope," Star said. "But there is a blueprint for a boltcaster!"
"Great, a firearm for someone like you," Eon said.
"Be quiet," Star said. "Just remember: if I die, you're stuck staring at the dirt." Star exited the building when he came face to leg with one of his greatest fears.
Wildlife.
Star looked up. In front of him was a creature that resembled a Velociraptor, but with yellow feathers along it's arms and the top portion of its back. Its skin was beige, and it had brown spots all across its body. Its feet resembled a bird's, and it fingers were long, and resembled the talons of a small birds.
The animal stared at Star, who took out his multi-tool and scanned the animal.
Ockoideni Fileiur
Temperament: Unpredictable
Diet: Insect-eater
Weight: 142.19 kg
Height: 2.40m
"Insect-eater?" Star asked. "Oh, that's not so-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the creature charged at Star, and swiped at him
"Yee-ow! Star yelled as stumbled back into the building.
"Warning: Shields at seventy five percent," Eon said. "Also, that thing is four feet taller than you. I think it might mistake you for an insect."
"Yeah, well, I'm going to show it-"
The creature charged through the door, which sent rubble flying in all directions, and let out a ferocious roar.
"Whotheapexpredatoris." Star felt the roar shake him to his core.
The creature set its sights on Star and growled.
"Oh, fuck me," he whimpered as he took out his multi-tool. "Die! Die!" He yelled as he fired the tools mining laser at its head.
The creature swiped once more st Star, who was flung against the wall. "Oh, sweet Celestia, that hurt."
"Warning: shields at fifty percent," Eon said. "Star, that thing might be too for you to handle," he said. "Maybe you should just run."
Star ignored the AI and levitated the multi-tool back over to him.
Only to get thrown against the wall again.
"Warning: shields at twenty five percent."
"Maybe you're right," Star said as he slowly stood back up. Star levitated the multi-tool over to himself and teleported to the hole that was once the entrance.
The creature let out a ground shaking roar and ran after the unicorn.
Star leaped up and, using his jetpack, reached higher ground. "Crap, where did I land?"
"Several yards west " Eon said. "By the way, you may want to run."
"Why?"
"Because my sensors indicate that there is a path up here, and I believe that creature is going to arrive-"
A familiar roar filled the air.
"-very shortly."
"Oh, balls." Star turned around and took several steps back. He took his multi-tool out and fired the mining laser off at the creature.
The creature charged at Star, ignoring the laser as if it was nothing but a light slap. It slammed into the small unicorn and sent him flying back several feet.
"Warning: shields down!"
Star landed in the ground and looked up. His vision blurred as the creature stomped closer and closer.
"Star, just get the hell out of here before you become dinner," Eon said.
Star stood up and levitated his multi-tool back over to him. He turned around and ran towards the building. He leaped across the opening and floated safely onto the roof.
"Please tell me you aren't going to try and kill it," Eon said.
"Hell no!" Star replied. "I'm going to get to as high of ground as possible and run far, far away!" he said as he used his jetpack to get to the top of a cliff. Behind him, he could hear a loud crash, followed by an ear-piercing roar.
Star turned around and looked down at the creature, which was wildly flailing through the rubble of the building.
"Star, stop gawking at the creature and get out of here before its family shows up!"
Star shook his head. "Sorry!" He said as he ran west. Across from the cliff, he could see his ship.
Below, the creature--now with wounded from the rubble and wires inside the building--limped out of the building and let out another roar. It glanced up at Star and charged up the path.
Star looked down. "Eon, I'm going to do something so royally stupid that I might die."
"You're going to try and reach your ship?"
"Damn straight!"
"You. Are. A. Fucking. Dumbass."
Star leaped off the cliff and floated towards his ship. "It's a lot less badass when you're safely floating towards it."
"You're still a dumbass."
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind for the future."
"No you won't."
Star landed on the other side and glanced at the creature, which sported a look of pain on its face. Star frowned and ran towards his ship. He opened the hatch, hopped in, and started the ship up.
"Star, I know it's not like me to ask, but are you okay?"
"Yes, I am," Star replied as he took off. "I appreciate your concern," he said as he used his ships scanner. On his map, a waypoint for a manufacturing plant appeared.
"Are you really going to head there after the beating you took?" Eon asked. "Your shields managed to save you from serious injury, let alone certain death, but I'm still detecting Some pretty nasty bruising."
"Thanks, Doctor Eon," Star said with a small smile. "No, I'm going to land and sleep for the night, he continued as touched down next to a rock formation.
"Star, while I may act like a royal dick to you, you should've just escaped rather than trying to play badass and killing that thing."
Star hopped the hatch to his ship and got out of it. "I know, Eon," he said. "I fucked up, don't remind me." Star staggered over next to a rock formation and looked up at the sky. The sun cast a bright, orange glow over the sky as it set. Star sighed and sat down near the rock. "You're like my parents rolled into one."
"You've never mentioned your father once to me," Eon said. "How am I like him?"
"So disapproving of my actions," Star replied. "He would criticize everything I did. Be it the way I cooked or..." Star slumped down let out a sad sigh.
"Okay, I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer anymore," Eon said. "Tell me what's wrong now."
"I told you earlier that everything is fine!" Star snapped.
"Then tell me what else you did that father criticised."
Star tilted his head down and remained silent.
"Come on, Star. Spit it out."
Star let out a heavy sigh. He swallowed a lump in his throat and wiped away tears that had formed in his eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you what's wrong," he said. "The longer I'm out here," he said as tears welled up in his eyes, "the more homesick I get."
"You said that your ex-marefriend hates you, as does your mom," Eon said. "Exactly why are you homesick? Do you have a family member you do genuinely love and miss?"
"Well, I have a sister and brother who I both hold dearly," Star said. "I was never exactly close to them, but they were my closest friends growing up."
"What about your father?" Eon asked. "You said he criticized you. Do you maybe miss him for some arbitrary reason?"
"He loathed the idea of me joining the space federation," Star said. "He said I'd end up dying in space, and that the family would never be able to hold a proper funeral because my body would either burn up re-entering the atmosphere, or would be nonexistent because a ship I was piloting--or on--would crash and I'd be nothing but ash."
"Well, that's morbid," Eon said. "Was he always like that?"
"No, I actually hung out with him more than my mother," Star said. "But he'd always try to sway me away from going into space," he said. "He'd point out every single accident and say that that could be me when I enter. A body amongst a bunch of burnt, twisted metal."
"Did he have any specific reason for hating the federation?"
"I think he just hated the idea of going into space, and exploring new words. I don't know for sure though," Star said. "For all I know, a friend of his or close family member died when they were in it. I never bothered to ask because I was afraid he'd get angry at me for asking."
"What'd they say when you finally entered?"
"My mom didn't care, my dad was livid and broke a table in anger, my brother was neutral about it, and my sister was quiet. She never said a word to me," Star said. "I just took their criticism and stuck to my guns. I wanted to fulfill my dream."
"You seem to have handled this really well," Eon said. "I'm genuinely shocked considering how reckless you were with the Gek."
"I've often wondered if I just act that way as a means of hiding my sadness," Star said. "You're the only thing that I can talk to since you were made to understand Equestrian. And considering how you've acted towards me..."
"Star, I told you that I was programmed to act that way around ponies who act like raging jackasses," Eon said. "Of course, you could've always acted like this and maybe I never would've been so cruel to you."
"Honestly, it was kind of nice. It felt like a way to blow off some steam."
"Because the countless animals you killed wasn't?"
"There's a difference between defending myself from an animal with teeth big enough to go through my entire body vertically and yelling at someone who i can actually understand."
"Fair point."
Star smiled. He looked back up at the how star-filled sky as a gentle breeze brushed against him and blew up a bit of dust. "The planet is peaceful, even if it's... barren," he said. "It kind of reminds me of home in a way. We had this nice, cozy home near a river. It was so quiet and tranquil. It was like something out if a fairy tale. Well, with the exception of my mother, but she finally found help for her anger issues after several years."
"Do you think your family believes you're dead?"
"That's a thought I'd rather not have cross my mind," Star said. "I've honestly forgotten how long I've been out here. These planets don't have the same orbit time--or day to night cycle--as Equus. That honestly makes me wonder if it's maybe been years back there."
"You know you don't age differently when on different planets, right?"
"I know that," Star said. "But still. The idea of having lost so many potential memories with them... it makes me sad."
"You wanted to explore new worlds," Eon said. "You shouldn't be saddened that missed out on memories with your family. You brought it upon yourself since you pursued your dream."
Star looked at the ground and shed a tear. "I know," he said softly. "And I regret it."
"Geez Star, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually hate seeing you like this more than when I see you as you normally are," Eon said. "This is just depressing."
Star lifted his head up and looked up at the sky. Hundreds of stars now filled it and shined brightly. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'll try my best to not let my emotions get the best of me."
"Honestly, Star, I... kind of respect you a little more," Eon said. "It's nice knowing there's a side to you that isn't the obnoxious and arrogant dick that I've been stuck with this entire time."
"Thanks, Eon," Star replied. "That actually means a lot to me." Star let out a sigh and walked to his ship.
"You're welcome."
Star opened the hatch to his ship. "Hey Eon?" He asked as he looked back up at the sky one last time.
"Yes, Star?"
"Do you think we'll ever get back home?"
Eon remained silent for a several seconds before finally saying, "I don't know."
Star hopped back into his ship. A large frown formed on his face and his eyes welled up with tears. He rested his forelegs on the ship's steering wheel and buried his face into them.
"Are you okay, Star?" Eon asked.
"I just want to go home!" Star replied as tears rolled down his face. "I miss them all so much!" |
No Pony's Sky | Manufactured for Success | Star Chaser sat in his ship. His eyes were red from crying, and his head ached.
"You feel any better?" Eon asked.
"A little," Star replied as he stared blankly at the ship's steering wheel. He let out a sigh and sat back in his seat. "Though my head feels like it's going to explode."
"I wish I didn't find that somewhat saddening," Eon said. "Maybe you should get some sleep. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning."
"I'm not tired," Star answered. "It isn't like I've ever relied on much sleep in my time out here anyway. Right?"
"Star, get some sleep or I'll cut off your oxygen supply until you're knocked out."
"You're just going straight to the threats, huh?"
"You spent fifteen minutes crying," Eon said. "I'd be doing you a favor."
Star let out a sigh of defeat and lay back in his chair. "You're right," he said.
"Of course I am."
Star ignored the AI and shut his eyes. Within a few minutes, he was asleep. ---
Star awoke the next morning with a skull splitting headache. "Shit, that hurts," he said as he rubbed his temples.
"Good morning, princess," Eon said. "Feel any better?"
"Aside from the headache? A little."
"Ah, so you're already in a bad mood I see?"
"Yep."
"Then I guess I shouldn't break the news to you."
Star's eyes shot open. "What's wrong?"
Thud. Thud.
Star turned around and looked out the back of the ship.
A bulky, beige, creature with a turtle-like head nudged the tail of ship. It had a large, dark yellow shell on its back, and it skin appeared somewhat rough. It's forelegs were bulky and powerful looking, while its hindlegs were similar to that of a bird.
"No, no, NO!" Star screamed. He popped open the ship's hatch and grabbed his multi-tool. "Piss off you freak!"
The creature turned its head. Its short, thick tail swung slowly from side to side as it stared curiously at Star.
Star aimed his multi-tool at the creature and scanned it.
Isdatun Ontuvio
Temperament: Unconcerned
Diet: Oxide Elements
Weight: 99.05kg
Height: 2.05m
"At least you won't eat me," Star said to himself.
"Star, are you going to do anything with the animal?" Eon asked. "Or are you going to go to that manufacturing plant you detected yesterday?"
"Oh shit," Star said. "I forgot about that."Star levitated a small rock to himself and threw it at the animal. "Piss off!"
The creature head-butted Star and ran off.
"Nice work," Eon said. "And you wonder why animals hate you."
"I... figured it would get spooked and ran off." Star got up and dusted himself off. "I still have your respect from last night despite that, right?"
"Most of it."
"Damn it." Star hopped back into his ship and turned it on.
"No fuel available for take off," Eon said. "Maybe I should've alerted you about this earlier. Oops."
"Crap..." ---
One mining excursion later
Star walked back to his ship, covered from head to toe in dust. He shook the dust off and popped open the ship's hatch. He hopped into it and groaned. "Eon."
"Yes?"
"Did I ever tell you that I hate mining?"
"Once or twice."
"Just making sure." Star placed some Plutonium into an opening in his ship. He turned the ship on and took off. "Okay, to that manufacturing plant."
"What do you think's there?"
"Hopefully something worth taking."
"You sound like a pirate."
Star chuckled. "Well, I have taken a fair amount of stuff while out here," he said. "All of those Gek Charms weren't dug up!"
"Or your multi-tool."
"I won it fair and square."
"You punched a Gek after it spit on your shoe and threw a deck of cards at you."
"It clearly wanted to play 'Dodge the Hoof Flying Towards Your Face'."
"Ever wonder if the Gek have you as one of their ten most wanted criminals?"
"No," Star said. "But how you that you mention it, I do."
"What do you think it says?"
"Probably something like, 'Navgra ilk por turiz lek ves zem eck'!" Star said in a mock-Gek voice.
"And now in Equestrian?" Eon asked.
"Uhhh... psychotic pony wanted for assaulting numerous Gek. Be advised, he is armed and dangerous."
"That's more words than what you said in your terrible Gek voice."
"I don't know a damn word of their language!" Star snapped. "Stop judging me!"
Eon chuckled. "I'm glad to see you're back to your old self."
Star landed just outside of a large building. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said as he popped the hatch to the ship. "I still have that headache." Star walked up to the front door to the manufacturing plant and tried to open it. "Oh, come on!"
"It looks like it's locked," Eon said. "Did you ever make that Boltcaster?"
"No," Star said. He took out the blueprint and looked it over. "Twenty five iron and twenty five plutonium." Star looked in his inventory and groaned. "Eon, remind me to never go someplace without iron ever again."
"Why? There's always a rock on a planet somewhere."
Star trotted over to a rock and fired his multi-tool's mining laser at it. "Yeah, but doing this frustrates me to no end," He said as he mined some iron. "Doesn't help this stupid shit only has fifteen slots."
"You could always buy more from a store."
"How many units do I have?"
"Nine hundred and fifty. You haven't uploaded some of your discoveries to the Atlas though."
Star hit a button on his multi-tool that brought up a screen which showed the animals he'd scanned. He hit a button on the screen with a hoof to upload the data.
Then the screen turned blue.
"Warning: Error CE-34878-0," Eon said. "Would you like to try again?"
"Stupid thing," Star said as he began to put his boltcaster chip together. "I'll worry about that later."
"I still don't trust you with that thing," Eon said. "Kind of like an irresponsible teenager babysitting."
"It was you who reminded me to build it," Star said as he finished the chip. He inserted the chip into the multi-tool and twitched to the boltcaster function. "So it's your fault."
"I hate when you're right," Eon said. "I hate that you're right about this more."
Star chuckled to himself. "To add salt to your wound, I just remembered that I could've blown this thing down with my magic."
"I really hate myself right now," Eon said.
Star aimed the multi-tool at the door and fired it. Dozens of green bolts shot out of the firearm and struck the door, which exploded after a few seconds.
"Warning: Sentinels inbound."
"Okay, I wasn't planning on those robotic freaks coming," Star said as he ran into the building. An alarm blared, and a red light filled the room. "Okay, what exactly do I check?" He asked as he looked around the room.
"There's a terminal over there," Eon said. "Looks like that one we found covered in that creepy fungus."
Star ran over and activated it. "Come on, come on!" He growled.
"Hey, Star," Eon said. "Someone's at the door."
Star looked up from the terminal. "Son of a bitch," he growled.
In the doorway was a floating robot, spherical in shape, and grey in color. A red light glowed in the middle. It fired off several laser bolts, a few of which struck Star.
Star drew his multi-tool and aimed it at the Sentinel.
Click.
"Why couldn't this be like the mining laser and just overheat?"
"Because that's a laser beam and this isn't."
Star ducked behind the terminal and reloaded the boltcaster.
"Hey, Star?"
"It's behind me, isn't it?"
Several laser bolts struck star in the back.
"Warning: shields at twenty five percent."
Star sounds around and slammed the Sentinel with his multi-tool, which sent it crashing into the wall. "These things are more annoying than gnats. They always ruin my fun."
"Warning: more Sentinels inbound," Eon said. "You may want to inspect that terminal now before you end up becoming one with the planet."
Star ran to the terminal and frantically hit its various functions. "Uhhh... it wants a code."
"Try four zeroes."
Star input the code.
"Holy crap, it worked!"
"Wait what?!"
Star looked over the terminals message. "Wait, this is a signal to a mining crew on another planet," he said. "Wait, I just helped the Gek? No!"
"Maybe now they won't shoot you if you step hoof onto one of their space stations," Eon said.
"Yeah, but they're so ugly and creepy," Star said. "And somehow still taller than me."
"Hey, Star, there's something on the terminal," Eon said. "A blueprint."
Star looked at the terminal and accepted the gift offered by the Gek. "Antimatter?" He asked as the alarm finally shut off.
"You need that to make warp cores," Eon said. "By the way: Sentinels deactivated."
"So, wait, what do I need exactly to make warp cores?"
"Antimatter and Thamium 9."
"Oh, that's easy!"
"To make Antimatter, you need Electron Vapor, Heridium, and Zinc."
"Okay, that's rather irritating."
"To make an Electron Vapor, you need Suspension Fluid and Plutonium."
"Eon, please stop."
"To make Suspension Fluid, you need carbon."
"Oh, that's easy enough."
"Then get to work."
"Do I have the recipe for those last two?"
"You have the recipe for Electron Vapor, but not Suspension Fluid," Eon said. "You can buy them however."
Star tapped his chin with a hoof. "Any idea where I can get the recipe for that whatchamacallit fluid?"
"Suspension Fluid," Eon said. "And no."
"Welp, time to find some!" Star declared as he left the building. He walked towards a crate and pile of debris. He fired a magic bolt at it, which caused them to explode. He trotted over to the crated and levitated a bright, green orb up to himself.
"Oh, hey, Suspension Fluid," Eon said.
It then turned to ash.
"Hah!"
Star groaned. "This is going to take forever!" He whined.
"Well, you could always find a galactic vendor and try to buy one if them," Eon said. "You know, like any sensible person."
"I barely have any units."
"Upload your discoveries and maybe scan some of the plants and rocks around here," Eon said. "Those will fetch you a bit of money too."
Star aimed his multi-tool at a rock. Sure enough, a notification above a model of the rock on his visual analyzer stated he could upload it to the Atlas for five hundred units.
"This shouldn't take too long," Star said. "Though, question, do I gave any Heridium or Zinc?"
"Negative."
"I take what I said back," Star said. "This is going to be a nightmare." ---
Thirty minutes later.
Star had scanned every nook and cranny a pony could imagine. From the smallest rock to the tallest cactus. He'd also mined every large pillar of Heridium and picked Zinc and Thamium 9 off of various flowers he'd seen.
Too bad he'd forgotten one tiny detail.
"Eon, where did we land?"
"My sensors indicate the ship is about twenty minutes from here."
"How did I get so far from it?!"
"You were jumping around like you had springs for hooves and wouldn't stop."
Star let out a frustrated sigh. "Damn it."
"It's your own fault."
"Be quiet." ---
Twenty minutes later.
Star landed softly near his ship when he noticed a creature staring at his ship. It looked like a deer, and its skin was reddish-brown, though parts of it body seemed to be comprised of red scales. It had a few brown spikes on its back, and while its forelegs ended in hooves, its hind legs ended in bizarre smudges.
Star frowned. He took out his multi-tool and switched it to the boltcaster. He aimed it at the creature and shot it until it died.
"Was that really necessary?" Eon asked. "It wasn't like it was trying to eat your ship."
"Would you have preferred me to have thrown a rock at it and gotten head-butted again?"
"Well, it would've been funnier."
"You would've also berated me."
"Fair enough."
Star hopped into his ship and started the ship up. "So, where should I go look for Suspension Fluid?"
"Go try the space station," Eon said. "Maybe if you're lucky, that Gek put a good word in for you."
"Okay," Star said as he took off and flew towards the space station. "Though, don't you think they'll be mad a few of their pilots crashed into meteors while chasing me?"
"You ask me expecting me to know?"
"Yes."
"I don't."
"Crap." Star flew into the space station and landed in the back. "Well, I guess I'm on my own."
"Hey now. You have your good pal, Eon."
"Now I know I'm fucked," Star said as he entered a similar office to the one he'd been in on the other space station. "Uh, hey there."
The Gek lowered a chart and looked at it. "Fabarga nav kilk por izg," it said as it pointed to the chart.
"You want me to use that?" Star asked as he pointed to the chart.
The Gek pointed to a button which read, "multi-tool."
"I think wants you to give it your multi-tool," Eon. "For the sake of not being shot at again, I think you should it yours."
Star let out a groan and handed the Gek his multi-tool. "You break it and I'll turn you into a jigsaw puzzle."
The Gek laughed and inspected the multi-tool. It tossed it aside, which broke it, and handed Star a new one.
"Uhhh... thanks," Star said as he examined the new multi-tool. It resembled an assault rifle and was a sickly green. "I greatly appreciate it, even if your taste in color is atrocious."
The Gek clapped its hands excitedly and let out a wonderful smell.
"Can I shoot it?"
"No."
"Please?"
"Maybe after you buy the Suspension Fluid."
Star walked over to a machine on the wall and hit a button. "Okay, let's see," he said as he flipped through a few pages. "Ah-hah!"
"How much is it?" Eon asked..
"Six thousand units."
"Well, there goes every unit you have!"
"I hate my life," Star said as he bought the item. "Okay, time to make this crap," he said.
"Just think Star," Eon said. "When you get the recipe for the fluid, you can make them all on your own."
"Yeah, and I'll still want to bash my head against a rock."
"Crybaby."
Star finished making the warp core. "Can it, Eon," he said. "And let's leave."
"What's your problem?"
"That headache I woke up with did me no favors for being shot at and having to mine a bunch of crap," Star said as he walked down a long hallway. "Also, did this space station have the same architect as the other one?"
"I'm astounded you actually observed something that wasn't related to units," Eon said
"Am I not allowed to observe something?" Star asked as he entered the landing bay.
"I just found it odd is all."
Star walked over to his ship and popped the hatch. "Well, deal with it," he said as he entered his ship.
"Fine, allow me to change the topic," Eon said. "Exactly how are you going to pick your next star system? Are you going to blindly pick one and have fun?"
"Damn straight!" Star said as he turned his ship on.
"What happened to wanting to get home?"
"Oh, I do," Star said as he flew out into the vacuum of space. "But I feel it'll be fun to explore now that we're a little closer."
Eon remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "We're so going to get lost."
"No we won't," Star said. "I promise."
"I'm gonna write my will now." |
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