Sentinel

The splinters in my palms stung, but I ignored them.

The shards of glass cut into my knees, but I ignored them.

A terrified Nurse Redheart, however, I wasn't able to block out as easily.  The earth pony was standing in the doorway of my house, staring, wide-eyed, at the carnage I'd wrought.

“A-Alice?” She meekly spoke, flinching when I slowly turned my head to look at her. Fighting her nervousness, she continued. “W-what happened here?”

I was greeted upon arrival by none other than Celestia herself. Soon as I was in front of her, I gave a little bow. That made her face twist like she'd bitten a lemon.

“There's no need for that, Miss Bradley.”

“Ah'm sorry, but you were the one t'grant me an' my friends Equestrian citizenship. By yer law, you deserve to be bowed to. An' my momma taught me good manners, after all.”

The sour face grew sourer.

“There's no need to stand on formality today, Miss Bradley.” I smirked at that.

“Says she who keeps referrin' t'me by the honorary 'Miss.' So, Ah guess ya summoned me here f'r a reason, then?”

“Yes. I have news for you, the good sort and another that Luna has yet to explain to me. Which one do you want to hear first?”

I frowned at that a little, but banished the thought for now. “Good. Whatcha got for me, Princess?” At that, Celestia perked up a little, regaining her motherly composure.

“Well, it took our scientists a lot of work, but they managed to isolate the virus in your blood and create a potion that will halt the virus' progress in transforming you into a Chimeran Hybrid. If you'll come with me, we can get right to it.”

“Sure. Lead the way, Princess.” She nodded, and off we went, into the Canterlot Castle. It being winter didn't cause the marble-lined halls any colder. I would've inquired about it, but suspected that the answer I'd get would be 'magic'. If Celestia could move a star about twice per day without any apparent effort, I doubted she'd have any trouble keeping the castle warm.

Our path took us lower and lower, and the hallways took on a distinctive dungeon-y feel. The fact that only the occasional guardspony could be seen there didn't do much to dispel that feeling. A while later we arrived at a sturdy door. Celestia bowed her head, touching it with the tip of her horn. There was a faint glow from the door's surface and I heard a click as the door swung inwards.

I have to say I was kind of disappointed at seeing the pristine walls and floors – though why I had expected the cliché dungeon was beyond me. Upon seeing us, a small group of ponies in labcoats bowed to us. Well, Celestia, actually. I was too busy looking around, my attention captivated by the eerily Earth-like lab equipment.

“Welcome, Princess! I assume you're here for the cure?”

“Yes, doctor.”

“And is this Miss Bradley, then?” The unicorn doctor was suddenly in front of me, sticking out a hoof for me to shake. I obliged, of course. “Good to finally meet you in person! I am Clean Stitch and I've had the privilege to be heading the team here!”

“Uh-huh. So, um, don't mean t'be rude, but what did you find out 'bout it?” He grinned at that, beckoning us to follow him.

“Well, from a scientific point of view, it's amazing! It gives one the ability to heal faster, immunity against numerous sicknesses, greater endurance and stamina, and improved reflexes.” His smile waned somewhat, though, a moment later. “However, Princess Celestia told us, at length, what the virus does to a living being if it runs its course. That is not something I could ever approve of.”

I nodded grimly in agreement – the Chimera had rolled across the entirety of continental Europe virtually unopposed, leaving nothing but death in their wake.

“Anyways, the virus was particularly tenacious and resistant to the conventional methods – half of my team were all but pulling their manes out by the end of the first week. But let it never be said that we leave anything half-baked!” His expression turned upbeat once more as he wandered over to a locker, levitating several vials out, all filled with shimmering amber liquid. “There we are! Oh, one last thing – how were your inhibitor shots administered?”

“An injection directly into my brain stem.” Whatever answer he expected, mine was one he didn't anticipate and I had to choke back a laughter as his face turned faintly green. “Those were done in labs, b'fore big missions an' such. But if ya were in field, any vein served just as fine, simply took longer fer the dose to take action.”

“Ah. Well, er, we'll inject this through the elbow vein, then.” Clean Stitch replied, preparing the dose. “Now, I should warn you that you'll experience side effects for several days as the cure does its work – since your body is accustomed to its current conditions, you'll feel colder, slower and more sluggish. Your metabolism will also be toned down, so any strenuous tasks are out of question. It's also very unlikely that your regenerative abilities are going to remain even half as efficient. We've run trials on several of the samples you provided, but the exact effect on your abilities remains uncertain, at best. But the virus will be stopped completely. This I promise.”

I stared at the syringe, now filled with the faintly glowing liquid. I could, of course, decline, and simply ask them for more inhibitor doses, but that would only delay the virus.

“Let's get it over with, then.”

He nodded and stepped forward, the syringe floating in his magic. “As you wish, Miss Bradley.”

I turned to look at the alabaster alicorn at my side as we trekked back. “So, uh, what's the other news, Princess?”

She shrugged slowly. “I'll let Luna explain. She was the one who found out about it, though she has kept it under the covers, as it were.” As she returned my questioning look, she spoke again. “Let's teleport to there. It'll be faster this way.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Two seconds later I regretted my choice as I fell on all fours, feeling like my guts were trying to swap places with my lungs. I was helped up by Celestia – as I regained my bearings, I saw that we were in what could only be Luna's quarters. The younger alicorn in question was also present, busy with some sort of a mirror on a low pedestal. Upon hearing us appear, she turned to greet us.

“Greetings, Alice Bradley. I thank you for arriving on such short notice.”

“Well, Ah didn't really have a say in it. Yer sister teleported me here.” I responded, still a tad squeamish. When I make hasty decisions, they often come back to bite me in the ass, case in point. “It was mah decision t'do so, though. Kinda regrettin' it now.”

She chuckled at that, gesturing for me to step closer. “Teleporting for the first time can be unsettling, yes.”

“So, uh, what's this thing, anyways?” I gestured towards the mirror.

“Ah. This, is my most treasured creation – a means to spectate upon distant lands or beings!” She floated out a long, cylindrical object out from a small shelf on the wall, presenting it to me – I soon recognised it as a 20-mil slug from a Sabertooth's coaxial Gatling cannon, complete with the casing and all. “Out of pure curiosity, I wanted to see if I could not take a peek into your world.” Celestia took over then, seeming slightly irate.

“The amount of magic needed to observe somepony increases proportionally with the distance. I had to help charge the device to ensure Luna didn't burn out herself. Eventually we simply charged a number of crystals with our magic.”

“Yes, yes, but that isn't important right now. After some fine-tuning, I managed to get a view of this projectile's place of origin – it was a great, sprawling city that could easily give Canterlot a run for its bits. There was also a grand bridge spanning the channel, coloured red.”

“So ya saw San Francisco, then? The bridge yer talkin' about is Golden Gate Bridge. Far as Ah know, it's the longest one back on Earth, too.”

“Amazing... And to think it was assembled without any magic!” Luna muttered in awed voice before shaking herself out of the reverie. “Anyways, let's see if we can find it once more.” She set the huge bullet down in front of the mirror, and her horn lit up in a blinding flash, striking the mirror's surface – the reflective glass pane absorbed it and the glow died away. A long moment passed before I saw it change – vague, blurry shapes took form in the mirror, slowly coming into focus. But when it did, well...

Nothing could've prepared us for what we saw.

San Francisco was on fire. Entire districts were engulfed in terrible firestorms that put the earthquake-induced fire of 1906 to shame – and the culprits were easily found.

A veritable fleet of massive vessels lazily moved through air about a kilometre or so above the city, occasionally letting of a burst of energy bolts to tear into the buildings below. Numerous smaller ships surrounded the airborne fleet, and a fierce air battle seemed to be taking place, if the puffs of explosions peppering the sky were anything to go by.

You know that sickening lurch in your gut, the sinking feeling that happens when you know, bluntly put, that shit's fucked? Yeah, I think all three of us experienced that one right then and there.

“Is... Is this happenin' right now?” I managed to weakly whimper.

“Y-yes... It is.” Luna muttered, numb with shock. Instantly, I moved, knocking the oversized bullet aside. Immediately, the terrifying visage disappeared. With shaky hands, I fished out my necklace, placing it down in front of the mirror before stepping back and praying silently that my fears would be allayed.

No such luck. When the image solidified into something recognisable, the sight drove me to my knees as I let out a low moan, like that of a wounded animal.

The farmstead was bombed-out. Not a single building was left untouched. Dad's truck was lying on its side, a charred shell that I was hard-pressed to recognise as the trusty Dodge which had weathered many years.

But that wasn't what numbed me to the very core. The dead livestock and destroyed farm machinery weren't to blame, either.

The six fleshy cocoons scattered outside my home's front porch, however, left me void of all emotion.

I didn't say a single thing ever since I'd left the castle – I simply sat there, in my seat, as the chariot took me back to my house. Both Celestia and Luna went out of their way to console me. I just responded automatically, like a machine. Went along with the motions and such, even as they promised to carry out any requests I needed, as a compensation of sorts for the dreadful revelation we'd experienced. I just nodded automatically.

Another realisation struck me as I was back within the privacy of my home. The thousands of soldiers who'd fought and bled in United Kingdom had, in the end, died for nothing. The Chimera had crossed the oceans and fallen upon continental USA with a tremendous fury. The sacrifices of brave men and women were left unknown and unsung. And I was supposed to be okay with it?

No.

No!

NO!

“NOOOOOOO!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs, lashing out at the closest thing – a bookshelf. Blind rage giving me strength, I grappled with the piece of furniture, toppling it over, the items it held scattering across the floor.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAD DIED FIGHTING A FOE THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT! INUMMERABLE FAMILIES WILL NEVER SEE THEIR LOVED ONES AGAIN! AND, DESPITE WHAT WE'D DONE IN UNITED KINGDOM, THE CHIMERA STILL KICKED OUR DOOR DOWN AND BEGAN TO BUTCHER MILLIONS – A BIG 'FUCK YOU' FOR ALL OUR EFFORTS!

Everything that wasn't nailed down or too heavy, I flipped over or smashed against a wall. In a very distant corner of my mind, a pessimistic part of me said that I could pretty much torch my whole house down – the Princess had, after all, offered to pay for anything I wanted, right? But that was a very small part of me. The rest of me wanted to destroy and obliterate anything I could get my hands on – anything I could do to make the grief end.

Eventually, my eyes fell upon the table – a solid thing, made from sturdy oak. Growling, I grabbed hold of its edge, I tried to flip it over in an attempt to further my rampage. But, as I said, it was made from oak. Thus, it was heavy and refused to budge. Grunting with effort, I tried again, but to no avail. With the table resisting my efforts to wreak further havoc, my rage petered out. I let go of the table, sinking once more to my knees, staring blankly ahead.

I was so fucking done. I was done raging, I was done grieving. I was simply. Fucking. Done.

And that's the state Redheart found me in.

My voice fell silent as I finished regaling the mare – Redheart gasped quietly in horror, raising a hoof to cover her agape mouth.

“A-Alice... By Celestia... I d-don't know what to say-”

“There ain't nothin' t'say.” I could practically hear her wince at my tone. A moment later, I heard her  walk over to me – she stood up on her hindlegs, and wrapped me up in a hug with her forelegs.

“Don't bottle it up, Alice. Just let it all out.”

So I did. I'm not ashamed to say that I bawled my eyes out – probably soaked Redheart's shoulder with tears and snot while at it, but being the saint she was, she said nothing, instead being a silent, comforting presence as I hugged her back.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but when she let go, I felt better – just a little bit, but better than before.

“Thanks...” I muttered weakly, my voice raw from all the crying.

“Think nothing of it, Alice. I know it must be terrible to have experienced that awful scene. And I know it hurts. But you have friends here, ones who can relate to what you're going through. Talk to them. They can help.”

Lo and behold, the truth was spoken – I wasn't on my own in this, after all. I just needed a reminder of that. I nodded faintly in agreement and Redheart smiled approvingly.

“I'll tell the hospital's management you're taking a week off. You obviously need the time off.”

“Just like that, huh?”

“I'll just tell them that you've received distressing news. Don't worry, just leave it to me.”

“Thanks, Redheart. Yer a lifesaver. Ah don't rightly know what Ah would've done if ya hadn't come along.”

“Don't think nothing of it. It's what friends do.”

Yeah. Guess it is.

Now I only needed to find a way to break this news to James, Fred, and the rest.