The Six Million Bit Stallionby tony1695ChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1The castle in Canterlot was easily the most recognisable landmark in all Equestria. Images of the grand structure adorned every work that spoke of both the Princesses and Equestria’s history. Constructed in one day from the purest marble, it was regarded by many as a testament of what Princess Celestia was capable of. Along with the Princesses the inhabitants of the castle included advisors, wait staff, cooks and guards. Nimbus Strike suppressed a yawn. As prestigious as being a royal guard was, it was also incredibly boring. The only time anything interesting happened was when Blueblood or some other idiot noble tried to barge in, or during the most recent Grand Galloping Gala. But that had been different, closer to a small disaster. It had taken three whole days to clean up. He let out a sigh as he tried to settle himself into a more comfortable position and find an interesting patch of wall to stare at. He was sure it would be another long day. He was so deep in thought and boredom that the white pegasus failed to register the panicked screams until it was too late. He poked his head around the doorway to the castle’s magic laboratory and was immediately barreled over by a purple unicorn mare. He was spun around and his head slammed against the marble door frame, knocking him unconscious. He didn’t know that every other pony in that area of the castle was being evacuated, Princess Luna herself having teleported out the instant things failed to go to plan. By the time he woke up, he was completely alone. That wasn’t exactly unusual, but the fact that the whole corridor seemed to be glowing like a small sun definitely was. Instinct took over and he took flight. He nearly made it to safety. He was less than a yard away from the door when there was an earth-shaking tremor and the space behind him ignited and exploded, sending him rocketing out with enough force that when he impacted the wall, he left a small crater. “Luna, are you sure this is a good idea?” “Tia, it’s my fault he’s injured. I can’t just leave him to die.” “I know, but...” Princess Celestia looked through the one-way glass, watching the surgical procedure. “Are you sure this is the best idea?” “That explosion did too much damage to heal magically.” Princess Luna sighed. “He’s just lucky he wasn’t any closer, or the magical radiation would have finished him off.” Both sisters watched in silence as one of the surgeons levitated a bonesaw and brought it to Nimbus Strike’s left foreleg. “Okay, get ready to cauterize this area the moment I finish cutting,” one of the masked ponies ordered to the others. “Can’t risk any major blood loss.” “Why are they...?” Celestia asked quietly as they started cutting. “There was enough radiation to slowly kill parts of his body.” Luna started shaking. “T-this is the only way to make sure he survives. By removing the affected areas, it’ll stop the spread of the entropy.” Celestia didn’t say anything, instead just reaching down to nuzzle her sister. “I should have been more careful. It could have just as easily been me. Or your student.” “Luna, stop. You made a mistake. We all do. You’re trying to make amends, and that’s all that matters.” Celestia wiped her sister’s tears away before becoming still, watching what was happening in the room in confusion. One of the surgeons had brought in what looked like a bundle of electrical wiring. “What are they doing?” A small smile played across Luna’s features. “Healing magic won’t do much good with the amount of radiation he soaked up. Instead, we’re doing the next best thing.” She watched as more electronic parts, along with bizarre equipment, were brought in. “We’re replacing everything we have to.” From within the operating theatre, one of the ponies began to speak. “All right, everypony. I know this is risky, but we can do this. We can rebuild him. After all, we have the technology. Everypony ready?” The princesses watched as the real work began. Nimbus Strike felt heavy. His eyes refused to open, and his legs and wings were unresponsive. His head felt as though it was stuffed with cotton wool, and he was aware of a faint beeping to his left. He forced his sluggish thought processes into action, trying to piece together what had happened. There was the unicorn mare that had knocked him out. At first he was angry, but the longer he thought on the matter the more he was sure that her expression had been one of fear and dread. She had obviously been running from something, and had meant him no harm. Then he remembered trying to outfly something himself. It must have been the explosion that had claimed him afterwards. He didn’t know what had caused it. All he remembered from that was the intense light, the burning pain and the feeling he had been punched by an Ursa Major. Shuddering at the idea of how much force an Ursa Major could put behind a punch, he opened his eye and looked around. He was in a pristine hospital room. Everything was white and seemed to reek of bleach. He tried to move his leg to wipe at his eyes but found it stiff and unwieldy. Must be in a cast, he thought as he used his other leg after pulling it free of the blankets. He didn’t think much of the bandage covering his left eye. He took another, closer look at the room he was in and noticed a few things. Apart from what looked like a heart-rate monitor quietly beeping to his left, there was a lot of other complex machinery the likes he had never seen before. One of the perks of being a royal guard was the best health care in Equestria. Every stop must have been pulled to ensure a full recovery. The door opened and in walked a midnight blue alicorn, the princess of the night. Her look of relief at seeing Nimbus Strike awake would have been amusing in any other situation, it seemed that exaggerated. “Thank goodness you’re awake.” “Your highness,” Nimbus Strike responded with a salute as years of training took over. “I’d bow, but I’m in no position to do so.” Luna smiled a little. If he could attempt to crack jokes, he was obviously going to recover just fine. “I didn’t think you’d be awake for a few more days.” “It’ll take more than a little explosion to keep me down, princess.” Nimbus Strike winced as he tried to force himself up into an uncomfortable sitting position. “A four-headed hydra might, but certainly not an explosion.” The princess ignored that comment and instead bowed her head. “It’s my fault you were hospitalised, Nimbus Strike. I am deeply sorry.” The guard pony could hardly believe what he was seeing. Princess Luna, one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, was bowing down to him, a lowly guard. “P-please, p-princess, it’s okay,” he stammmered. “It was a lab accident. Even the best fliers crash from time to time.” “I know,” Luna responded, looking up while wiping a tear away. “I just didn’t think you’d be so forgiving.” “It was an accident, your highness,” Nimbus Strike said lightly as he waved his hoof around. “And I’m fine. I actually feel pretty good.” “That’s... why I’m here, actually.” Luna bit her lip and tried to decide the best way to proceed. “The explosion you were caught in... It was very dangerous, to say the least.” “Well, yeah, it was an explosion.” “It wasn’t just any explosion, though. The fuel was very volatile.” “Okay...” Nimbus Strike was getting confused. “There was a lot of magical radiation within the explosion, and a large amount remained afterwards. We weren’t sure what effects it might have.” Nimbus Strike held up his hoof. “Forgive me, princess, but I’m neither a unicorn nor particularly knowledgeable on the matter of magic. What do you mean by ‘magical radiation’?” Princess Luna took a moment to think of the simplest way to explain this to a pegasus. “When you fly fast enough, you leave a contrail, correct?” Nimbus Strike nodded. “It’s like that, only it’s not visible most of the time. All unicorns radiate some whenever they use magic, but that’s not enough to cause any harm.” “So...” Nimbus Strike put a hoof to his chin. “The amount of magic in the air during and after the explosion was enough to be deadly?” “At the centre, not even my sister would have survived. Luckily, you were at the very edge and your exposure was minimal. It was still enough, though.” “Still enough for what? I’m not going to grow another set of wings, am I?” the bed-ridden pegasus asked quietly. “No, nothing of the sort. It actually had the exact opposite effect.” Luna took a deep breath, preparing herself for the hardest part. “It caused rapid tissue decay. Your body was dying and the only option was to remove the affected areas.” “Oh.” Nimbus Strike blinked. “How much did you have to cut off?” “A lot,” the princess answered vaguely. “How much is a lot?” “It’d be easier to show you.” With that statement Luna’s horn began to glow and the blanket neatly folded itself at the foot of the bed. Even though she had been present for most of the operation, she was still a little shocked by what she saw. Her shock was no match for the mix of horror and amazement that showed itself on Nimbus Strike’s face. “What... what did you have them do?” Both his hind legs had been replaced with strange metal prosthetics. The one on the right began just below his cutie mark, a nimbus cloud split in two, while the left leg was merged with his body in such a way that half the cutie mark couldn’t be seen. His left foreleg had been replaced as well, the sleek silver starting at his shoulder. “Your heart and lungs were also replaced, as well as your wings.” A third voice, this one belonging to another stallion answered. Nimbus Strike had been too busy looking at what had been done to have heard him enter. He turned to the dirt-brown unicorn. “Who are you? What did you do to me?” “Calm down, Mr. Strike. As for who I am, I am Doctor Turning Cog. Feel free to call me Cog though, most ponies do.” “Answer my question,” Nimbus Strike responded, feeling his temper rising. “What did you do to me?” “Well, we rebuilt you.” Doctor Cog approached the bed and used his magic to slowly highlight the areas that had been affected. “Both of your hind legs were beyond any repair when you were brought in. The same applies to your left foreleg, but we were able to spare your right leg. Your wings suffered varying degrees of damage, the left one little more than bone when we removed it. Your right wing fared better, but don’t expect any of the feathers to grow back any time soon. As for your internal organs,” the glow started coming from within Nimbus Strike, which was a little creepy, “your heart and lungs were heavily damaged. Replacing them was the only option as they were sure to fail within a week. Part of your liver suffered, but that won’t have any adverse affects. A small part of your stomach deteriorated as well, but that will recover in time. I advise against eating anything spicy for several months, though.” It was all too much for Nimbus Strike to take in. More than half of his body had been carved off and replaced. He rolled over onto his legs and managed to get onto the tiled floor, a little shaky. He felt like a character in one of the comic books his nephew read. Three fake legs, fake wings, artificial heart and lungs... “Also, if you let me remove that bandage, I can show you what else had to be removed.” There was more? Nimbus Strike allowed Doctor Cog to unravel the bandages and stood there, not sure what to do now. “Look in this mirror and tell me what you see.” At first Nimbus Strike couldn’t see what the doctor was talking about. He gazed into the levitating mirror but failed to see what was so interesting. “What am I meant to be looking at?” “Princess Luna, could you possibly turn off the lights?” The room went dark. “Thank you.” Nimbus Strike gaped at his reflection. His left eye seemed to glow. It was very faint, almost faint enough to be dismissed as a figment of his imagination. But not faint enough. “You replaced my eye!?” the pegasus yelled. “Why did you replace my eye!?” “You had been blinded in that eye. Your new eye is superior to the old one in every way.” “You think I care about that!?” Nimbus Strike turned to Doctor Cog, fury burning in his remaining eye. “I’m not a pony anymore! Look at me! I’m a goddess-damned machine! How do you expect me to fit in anywhere!? “ He stamped the ground with his front left hoof, not noticing the impressive crack he left in the floor. “We don’t expect you to,” Princess Luna said, putting some authority into her voice. “Your... augmentations put you in a unique position. You’re stronger than an earth pony, and your new wings should allow you to fly faster than you could before. What’s more, your new body parts are capable of taking more punishment than you used to be able to.” “So I’m going to be a hit-pony, am I?” Nimbus Strike asked bitterly. “No!” the moon princess responded angrily. “There are many threats in Equestria that cannot be resolved peacefully. In those cases intimidation or an application of force are the only possible solutions.” “What makes you think I want to do this?” He didn’t care that he was butting heads with an alicorn who could banish him with a thought. He was too indignant about this perceived injustice to care. “You swore an oath to serve, Nimbus Strike,” Princess Luna reminded the angry pegasus, pushing her snout into his. “I swore the oath to Princess Celestia! Not to her little sister!” He stamped again, this time leaving a small dent in the floor. “You swore the oath to the Royal Sisters. That means you serve me as much as you serve Celestia. And I don’t know what she plans on doing with a pony worth six million bits.” “W-what!?” Nimbus Strike’s reaction was just what she had been expecting. “S-six million bits!?” he stammered. A stunned silence, interrupted only by the strange beeping machine, filled the room as he tried to find words. “A little over, actually,” Doctor Cog interjected. “You’re very lucky.” “Why would you spend so much money on keeping me alive?” Nimbus Strike asked loudly. “Because it was my fault you were exposed in the first place. I had to make it right, and this was the only way how.” The lights were turned back on and Nimbus Strike could see how remorseful the princess seemed. Seeing her like this left him ashamed that he had let his temper get the better of him. He took a deep breath and turned away. “Okay, I’ll do this.” He shook a bit in a subconscious attempt to ruffle his feathers before forgetting that his wings were now different. “What do my wings look like?” Doctor Cog generously floated the mirror towards the pegasus, angling it for ease of use. “Now, we weren’t able to replicate the pegasus wing structure perfectly, so we had to take a few... liberties with the design.” At first, Nimbus Strike didn’t know what the unicorn was talking about. He willed the wings to unfurl, expecting to be met with metallic mockeries of what had once adorned his back. Instead, what he saw were gleaming, functional works of art. Twice as big as the wings he was used to, they were closer in size to the ones of Princess Celestia when they were unfurled. Instead of the multitude of feathers he was accustomed to, there were long slats of metal that stretched out from a frame. The left wing was entirely artificial, with the right wing using what remained of the old one as a base. He gave them an experimental flap, making them clink as he began to hover. He was amazed at both how easy it was and how light he felt. “Your entire skeletal structure was magically reinforced to compensate for the extra stresses use of the prosthetics could cause,” Doctor Cog said with a smile. He was seeing much of his life’s work in front of him functioning better than he could have hoped. If only it wasn’t so costly, he thought. We could make this available for everypony. “And those wings use your own innate magic, so you won’t have to worry about falling out of the sky.” As much as Nimbus hated what had been done to him, he had to admit that he liked his new wings. Maybe this isn’t so bad after all, he caught himself thinking. “So what happens now, your highness?” “Well, you’ll need a few days to adapt to your new body,” Doctor Cog answered. “I should be able to have somepony make something to hide your legs.” “I asked the princess a question,” Nimbus replied in a deadpan. “Doctor Cog is right though, Nimbus,” Luna replied softly. “We can’t have you not knowing your own strength.” The pegasus had a little trouble understanding what the big deal was. “I can’t be that strong, surely.” He went to the door, his metallic hooves making dull clangs. He grasped the handle with his left hoof and pulled the wooden door off its hinges. All three ponies stared blankly before Princess Luna started giggling. “I am?” Nimbus asked dumbly. “We can’t have you tearing off doors, now can we?” Luna said playfully, a hoof covering her mouth. She grasped the door in her telekinesis and reattached it. “I shall return you to the royal guard barracks. The augmentations can withstand teleportation, correct?” she asked the smiling doctor. “Hm? Oh, yes, they are capable of withstanding many things a pony normally couldn’t. Teleportation shouldn’t be an issue.” “Okay then. Could you explain to the staff that I have taken their patient?” Before receiving a response, both the pegasus and the princess vanished in a flash of light. Nimbus Strike lay in a heap on the floor, his natural eye spinning slowly in its socket. After a moment, he shook his head and stood up. He was in one of the guard barracks, five beds against each wall with a chest at the foot of each. There was no-one around, which led him to believe that it was the middle of a shift. The clock above the only door confirmed this, the face reading five in the evening, meaning that the afternoon shift was almost done. He found that he was right next to his bunk, so he went through his stuff to make sure it was all there. His armour was missing, but he was sure that was to do with the radiation. He closed the lid of his chest, cracking it in the process. Note to self, he thought bitterly, use right hoof for opening and closing things. He was interrupted when he heard the door to the barracks open. “Is that you, Nimbus?” Nimbus turned around and saw another pegasus, a dull white one wearing full guard armour. The voice and eyes alone were enough to tell him who this pony was, though. “Hey Sparky.” Sparky approached Nimbus, disbelief in his eyes. “I heard you were dead,” he said loudly. “You got your eye on my stuff, do ya?” he retorted. Both pegasi glared at each other before laughing. “Oh goddesses am I glad you’re okay,” Sparky said, pulling his friend into a rough hug. “Me too, man, me too.” They pulled apart, Sparky staring at Nimbus’ left leg. “So... what’s it like?” he asked hesitantly. “Being, y’know, bionic?” “Bionic?” Nimbus raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t hear that word being used before.” He shrugged and decided to ignore it. “It’s strange. Hay, I could probably kick down that wall now.” “You’re bucking with me.” “No, really.” To prove his point, he stamped the ground with his bionic hoof, leaving a small dent and a lot of cracks. Sparky stepped back. “That’s a little scary,” he said. “Luna, I respect your judgement, but are you sure?” “There isn’t any other way without involving your student and her friends, and you did say that you wanted to give them a break.” “True,” Princess Celestia replied. “I just feel that there must be another approach.” “Sister, I’ve already checked, and the royal guard can’t get involved. It would be too public. We need somepony that can do this as inconspicuously as possible.” “Yes, because a pegasus with metal wings can blend in with a crowd so easily,” Celestia replied sarcastically. “Don’t worry, sister, I have a plan.” Celestia knew that smile, one she hadn’t seen in a thousand years. Luna was scheming. This should have worried her, but she couldn’t help but smile herself. Chapter 2Three days had passed since Nimbus Strike had been ‘discharged’ from the hospital. He was still in the process of adapting to his new body. So far he had broken three doors, five windows, a mess hall bench and was now barred access to the guards’ gym. He hadn’t meant to send that sandbag through a wall. He didn’t even know he was capable of that. As a pegasus, his wings had been simpler to become accustomed to. He had already smashed the guard record around Canterlot by ten seconds, surprising everypony. The commander had refused to put his time down though, stating that it would be unfair to the others, given Nimbus’ unique position. He couldn’t help but agree, though he was still a little upset that the time wasn’t listed. Nimbus shifted uneasily. It was close to three in the morning, Princess Luna had called him for a private audience, and his mind was abuzz with the possible reasons. He took a deep breath before knocking on her door. “Enter.” The soft voice of the lunar goddess drifted through the door, and the bionic pegasus stepped in as it swung open of it’s own accord. He looked at the princess, who was lying on her bed, reading something by the light of a single lantern. “Your highness?” Nimbus asked timidly. “Please, Nimbus, drop the formalities. I got sick of being constantly referred to as ‘princess’ or ‘your highness’ two weeks after my return.” Princess Luna looked up from the scroll she was reading, one eyebrow raised as she gazed at Nimbus over her glasses. “Of course, your high - Luna.” It felt really strange referring to a member of royalty by their name instead of their title. Luna smiled warmly as she set the scroll down. “Now then, as for why I called you. You remember how I said that some situations can only be solved through intimidation or force?” “Has something of the sort happened?” Nimbus asked. “Well, of course,” a third, bored, female voice said from the shadows. “Why else would she have called you?” Nimbus had jumped at the voice and now he was looking around trying to find its owner. “Where are you?” he asked. “Really? He doesn’t know that eye of his can detect heat signatures?” There was a sigh and the sound of hooves on the marble floor as the voice’s owner stepped into the light of the solitary lantern. “Didn’t Cog tell you what you’re fully capable of?” Nimbus regarded the unicorn mare as best he could. Because of her dark coat and deep purple mane, he found her features regularly slipping into the darkness. On the other hoof her cutie mark, a stylized white eye with a black border, stood out vividly. “No, he didn’t get a chance,” the pegasus answered carefully. “Or he just couldn’t be bothered and decided to push the responsibility onto somepony else.” The mare rolled her eyes, a brilliant red that stood out in the darkness. “And now it’s up to me.” “Nimbus Strike, this is Shadow Figment. She is currently researching various illusionary magics.” Shadow Figment nodded, simply acknowledging the moon goddess’ statement. “She is here to assist you.” “Assist me?” “Seeing Cog couldn’t come through with the stockings to hide your bionic legs, and he can’t figure out how to disguise your wings anyway, it’s up to me.” Her horn, which looked to Nimbus as though it had been sharpened to a point, began to glow. “Stay still.” Within a matter of seconds, all three of Nimbus’ bionic legs appeared to be covered in the same white coat that the rest of his body was. His wings were feathered again, and when he unfurled them they seemed just as natural as before the explosion. As he began to hover, all he said was “Wow.” “That’s all you have to say? Really? Not even a thanks?” Figment let out a groan. “I don’t even know why I agreed to this...” she muttered. Luna decided to ignore her. “You look splendid, Nimbus.” Nimbus found himself blushing profusely. “O-oh. T-thank you, princess.” “I thought I asked you to drop the formalities?” Luna stood up. “Anyway, as Shadow Figment was so polite,” one could almost hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice, “in mentioning before, something has arisen that only you two can manage.” “What?” the unicorn mare asked. “Both of us?” “Yes, both of you,” the princess answered serenely. “You have got to be bucking me,” Nimbus said before putting both fore-hooves to his mouth and going wide-eyed, remembering just who it was he was addressing. Luna simply raised an eyebrow, amused at his language. “You cannot pair me with this... this...” In her frustration, Shadow Figment was struggling to find the right words, and she just gave up after a few moments. “You cannot pair me with him,” she said defiantly. “I can and will,” Luna replied, wearing a sly smile. “Are you willing to defy a direct order from your princess?” She couldn’t help but chuckle at the looks of discomfort on their faces. Sometimes being in charge was really fun. “I’m not doing this to be unpleasant. I’m doing this because you’ll need each other for this.” “Really?” Nimbus had trouble believing this. “She’s right,” Figment muttered unhappily. She turned to the pegasus and explained. “If I’m not around, the illusion won’t last long. And your ‘condition’,” Nimbus could hear the indentations being dropped around the word, “is still a secret to anypony who’s not on the guard or helped put you back together.” “So that means I’m her bodyguard?” Nimbus asked the princess, ignoring the mare’s rather insolent tone. “See how easy it is to talk to me like a normal pony?” Luna responded, smiling warmly. Nimbus looked at her, unamused. “And yes, you’ll be making sure she doesn’t get hurt.” “What are we doing, anyway?” Luna mentally berated herself for losing her focus. She had been too entertained by the ponies’ interactions. “Of course, your mission.” She cleared her throat and began to explain, Nimbus’ jaw dropping and Figment’s eyes widening in disbelief. “What?” was all Nimbus could say when the princess had finished. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” “Tia, you worry too much.” “You haven’t had to worry about ruling Equestria for the past one thousand years.” Luna raised an eyebrow at her sister. “Maybe, but I know you well enough to know that your worried about this in particular.” “True,” Celestia sighed. “But truthfully, I’m more worried about Shadow Figment.” “Oh?” Luna was curious. What was it about this pony that had Princess Celestia, the alicorn who controlled the sun and had ruled the land of Equestria for the past millenium, so worried? “She has a... history.” Celestia watched from the balcony they stood on as a sky chariot took off from the front of the castle. “I’m not sure she was the best candidate.” “Oh that.” Luna waved a hoof dismissively. “Wouldn’t Twilight Sparkle have been a better choice, Luna?” “Your student doesn’t have the skill in illusions required. Besides,” she added, “I’m sure she blames herself for what happened to Nimbus. Has she sent you a letter on the matter?” Luna inquired, trying to sound innocent. “Several,” Celestia answered carefully. Luna began to snicker. “I’m just not sure that Shadow Figment can keep her emotions in check.” “Sister, do you think I would have picked her if I was sure she couldn’t?” Luna implored. “You need to loosen up a little. I think a surprise visit to your prized student is a good idea,” the lunar goddess said slyly. Celestia regarded her sister for a moment before she began to smile as well. “Oh Luna, we couldn’t...” She turned and began to walk back inside. “Sister? Where are you going?” “To arrange transportation to Ponyville,” the solar goddess answered. Nimbus Strike stepped off the chariot, taking a look around. “I’ve never been to Manehattan before.” He had never seen anywhere this crowded, not even during the Grand Galloping Gala. The sheer number of ponies was almost overwhelming, and the height of towers he had seen in the distance made him want to stretch his wings and fly between them. “Neither have I,” Shadow Figment replied. “But we’re not here for sight-seeing. We’re here on a mission from Princess Luna.” She watched as the chariot disappeared and turned to the brown earth pony next to her. “Come on, we should find somewhere to stay.” The earth pony, Nimbus in disguise, shrugged and followed. “Whatever you say, Figgy.” Figment stopped walking, nearly causing Nimbus to walk right into her rump. “Call me that again,” she said, not turning around, “ and you’re going to wish that you had been left to die.” The sheer anger and force in her voice was enough to make the former guard pony take a few steps back. He knew that to do so again would be to tempt fate. The simple white eye that adorned her saddlebags and flanks suddenly seemed a lot more intimidating. “O-okay,” Nimbus stammered. “Glad that you understand,” Shadow Figment said, turning around. She was wearing a very disturbing smile, one that seemed to scream malevolence. What really scared Nimbus though were her eyes. Where before they held indifference and irritation, they now burned with dark fire and seemed to promise a world of pain. She turned around, leaving Nimbus very shaken. “Come on, we won’t find a hotel just standing around.” As he followed, Nimbus could only think one thing: Why couldn’t Luna get somepony nice? Figment had gotten them a simple room on the fifth floor of a relatively cheap hotel. With two beds, an en suite and a closet it was more than enough. The view from the window allowed them to see the harbour and the great statue of Lady Radiance. It had cost them 100 bits, but given the view it was more than worth it. Nimbus Strike lay down on his bed. He was amazed at how much more comfortable it was compared to the one at the barracks. “I could get used to this,” he said happily. “Don’t get too comfortable,” Shadow Figment warned from her bed, levitating a quill and jar of ink from her saddlebag. “Can I ask you a question?” “You just did,” Figment replied as she removed a small bundle of paper and set it neatly next to her. Nimbus rolled his eyes. “Why do I look like an earth pony?” “A lot of pegasi tend to hover, and I don’t want to get a sore neck from looking up at you all day.” Nimbus couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. Great, he thought, incredibly selfish and arrogant. This is worse than dealing with Blueblood. At least Blueblood goes away. He regarded his false cutie mark. “Why an hourglass?” he asked. “No idea,” Figment replied distantly. “It just seemed appropriate.” “How is an hourglass appropriate in any way?” “Probably something to do with how it’s only a matter of time before you do something you’ll regret?” Figment shot back. “I’m trying to concentrate, so do me a favour and shut up.” Nimbus knew he should have shut up there and then, but curiosity got the better of him. “What are you concentrating on?” “I’m trying to figure out what would be the best method to store an invisibility spell so any unicorn can use it without having to learn it,” she answered distractedly, scribbling something down that he couldn’t see. “Why?” Nimbus asked, intrigued by the concept. “Why not?” Figment replied, still scribbling. “It’s an incredibly useful spell. This way it won’t be limited to just those who have it as their special talent.” “Isn’t that kinda the whole point, though?” Nimbus began to hover. There was no way anypony could see them, and if somepony walked in it was likely they would assume that Figment had a part in it. “Having a special talent that is yours and only yours?” “My special talent is illusions. I’m not giving them everything, am I?” Figment answered smugly, still scratching away with her quill. “How long do you think it’ll take for whoever you develop this for to alter it for any illusions, though?” Nimbus set himself down on his bed again, raising an eyebrow at the unicorn. “What’ll you do then?” Shadow Figment didn’t answer. Instead, her horn began to glow brighter. She smirked when she heard the pegasus-in-disguise yelp. “Hey! Not funny! Get rid of this blindfold-thing!” Nimbus yelled, trying to pull at something that wasn’t physically there. Figment began to snigger, not able to contain her amusement. A thunderous crash from outside caused her to lose her concentration, removing the illusions on the pegasus. “What was that noise?” Nimbus asked nervously. Figment went to the window, and her face turned a pale grey. “It’s here.” Just past the statue of Lady Radiance half a dozen grey tentacles, each one three times as thick as a pony and as long as some of the towers were tall, had extended from the water and were flaying about. Chapter 3Nimbus Strike watched what was happening, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Oh sweet merciful Celestia..." "This is crazy," Shadow Figment muttered. "Luna expects us to deal with a kraken. A kraken." "What I want to know is what a kraken is doing in Manehattan harbour," Nimbus responded. They stared for a moment, watching as the tentacles came down, creating great waves that crashed upon the streets. From where they were they couldn't hear the screams of the ponies trying to avoid getting swept away. Shadow Figment broke the silence. "We need to do something." "What, though?" Nimbus asked, unable to tear his eyes away. "How should I know? You're the muscle," the mare shot back, a trace of her snideness returning. "Get out there already. Do something." Nimbus took a deep breath before pivoting on his front hooves and bucking out the window, the glass giving way as though a boulder had been flung through it. As Shadow Figment stared at the shattered window, he took flight, becoming little more than a silver-blue streak. "How the buck am I meant to explain this!?" she yelled angrily as he disappeared. Nimbus made a bee-line for Lady Radiance, alighting atop the great statue with ease. From his vantage point he could see the local law enforcement escorting the panicking citizens away, and knew he wouldn't have to worry about having to rescue anypony. All he had to do was... face down a kraken and convince it to leave. He gulped, trying to think of what to do. As far as he knew, nopony had ever fought a kraken and survived. For that sole reason they were the most feared of all the beasts that were outside the ponies' control, even more so than dragons. At least with a dragon it was possible to negotiate. A kraken, on the other hoof... He turned and faced the writhing mass of tentacles. In the time since its assault had begun, half a dozen more had risen from the deep. If he wanted to fight it, he had to attack the creature itself. The only thing attacking the tentacles would do was antagonize the beast. He could see the body of the kraken, a great bulbous thing that was a sickly pale green. He saw what he imagined was an eye, though it looked like a great black orb. With a goal in sight, he knew what had to be done. He jumped off, freefalling to gain momentum before spreading his wings, gliding a foot above the waves. He swerved between the tentacles, falling back on memories of his youth at summer flight camp to guide him. Nimbus had nearly reached the eighth tentacle when out of nowhere another appeared, slamming into him. He was sent skipping along the water, bouncing until he smacked into the harbour wall. He hit it with enough force to crack it, but not enough to make a crater or pony-shaped hole. Nimbus recovered quickly, hovering in place. He was vaguely aware that the impact should have broken something, if not outright killed him. He flew at it again, this time keeping an eye open for any stray tentacles. This time, it lashed out at him when he had passed the fifth, but he was prepared for it. With a great flap he pushed himself up a dozen feet, sailing easily over the arm. What he hadn't expected was another to slam into him from below, sending him rocketing up into the air. At the peak of his ascent, easily 200 feet, he started hovering again. Now what? he asked himself, rubbing his aching ribs. Every time I get close it smacks me so hard I should be dead. He paused, a frown creasing his face. Why aren't I dead? He was forced out of his reverie by one of the tentacles attempting to grab him. He rolled away and flew back to the statue where he had started. "About time you got back here." Nimbus' heart would have stopped if he still had one. He looked around and saw Shadow Figment standing in the viewing area within Lady Radiance's head, looking bored. "When did you get here?" "About three minutes ago," she replied. "Nopony saw me, though a lot saw you." "Yeah..." Nimbus Strike started rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Nopony got a good look, did they?" "How should I know? I do illusions, not mind-reading." Shadow turned to the kraken, which was mercifully still far away. "So, no luck?" she asked needlessly. "That thing is fast. I can't get close without getting swatted away like a fly." Nimbus flew in through the open window, landing on the dirty wooden floor. "Well, it's a good thing I'm here then." She closed her eyes and began to concentrate on a spell. Nimbus stared at her, confused. She opened an eye and smiled. "Perfect." Nimbus turned around to see what she was smiling at and jumped. Due to his bionics and the increased strength they provided, this meant he propelled himself into the ceiling, his head making a dull clang as he impacted the top of the viewing area. He fell onto the floor in a heap moaning as more bruises formed on his already-battered body. Shadow Figment was sniggering, trying to keep on all four hooves. "Ha ha, very funny," the pegasus muttered from his position on the ground. Within the viewing area stood five prefect replicas of him, right down to the way his mane hung over his shoulders. They stood motionless, each one looking straight ahead blankly. As he turned away from his clones, he asked the unicorn a question. "So, why?" Shadow's good humour vanished as she groaned. "Isn't it obvious?" When he gave her the same blank stare the illusions were, she face-hoofed. "I swear, they just let anypony join... They're decoys." Comprehension dawned on the pegasus' face. "Oh. Oh! Great!" He began to hover, facing towards the open water and the hostile kraken that was waiting out there. His copies imitated the movement, and in a matter of seconds all six pegasi had flown out, ruining Shadow's mane in the process. I swear they got the dumbest pony possible, Shadow thought angrily to herself. The six streaks of sliver-blue raced towards the beast in unison resembling, in a way, the Wonderbolts aerobatics team. What made them different was that only one was real, though it was impossible to tell which. They flew hard, forgoing any proper formation in favour of flying side-by-side, their wings mere inches from clipping. The kraken sensed their approach and seemed to pause, as though it was wondering where the pegasus had found five more in such a short time. One of the tentacles slammed into the pegasus on the far right, a blow that would have surely been lethal had it not vanished in a puff of smoke the instant the tentacle made contact. With only five left, the pegasi formed a V as the flew on. Another tentacle came crashing down on the lead pony, and again all that did was create a puff of smoke. The ponies split into pairs, one group swerving around to the north while the other swerved to the south. The kraken's blows were sloppier now, as though it was having trouble dividing its attention. The two teams were able to dodge each attack with ease until out of nowhere a tentacle slammed into both ponies of the north team. Nimbus gulped. He knew it had been a matter of time when they started, but now that it was only him and another illusion, he was having second thoughts. The kraken's attacks seemed to have a lot more force in them, if the waves being created was any indication. Even with the spell reinforcing his body he was worried that a single blow would be enough. Still, he couldn't give up now. He was close, so close and he was sure that a buck at near-supersonic speeds would be enough to convince it to leave. A tentacle came at him, and Nimbus rolled under it. He winced as his hooves came into contact with the water, considerably slowing his momentum. He failed to notice the last illusion vanish, too intent on reaching his goal. He pushed himself harder, and he could see the tell-tale Mach cone starting to form, which made him panic. If he went supersonic, he wouldn't be able to pull off the mid-air pivot necessary to buck sense into the kraken. He flared his wings in an attempt to increase drag. He was going too fast for the kraken to land a hit but that didn't stop it trying. Tentacle after tentacle slammed into the water behind him, desperate to stop the pegasus. Despite its efforts, Nimbus got through the gauntlet, wearing a manic grin, not able to believe what he had done. He pivoted, pulled his legs back and unleashed as much force as he could at the monster. He had expected to be met with soft, spongy flesh. What he hadn't expected was a loud metallic clang and a vibration that threatened to shake his teeth loose to go through his body. He hung in the air, shaking like a foal's toy for ten seconds before he could stop himself. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his head and looked at the beast. It was still in the water, the tentacles sticking out of the water like so many strange trees. It unnerved him, but he went closer to try and see what he had done. He went up to the eye, his reflection staring back at him from the blackness. But deeper within, he thought he saw something. Something that seemed very out of place. He turned around, thinking it might have been floating behind him. There was nothing there, which only served to confirm his suspicions. His joy at this victory was gone, replaced with anger and frustration. "What do you mean, it wasn't a kraken?" "I'll tell you when the princess shows up, okay?" They were back in their hotel room and Shadow Figment was trying to get Nimbus Strike to elaborate on what he meant. He refused repeatedly, which caused Shadow's temper to rise until she was sure she was at breaking point. She was about to start yelling when there was a knock at the door. She took a deep breath and calmly called out. "Who is it?" "I'm here to see Mr. Strike and Ms. Figment," came the reply. The two ponies looked at each other. The voice had a familiar ring to it, but they couldn't be sure. "Come in," Shadow said cautiously as she opened the door with her magic. On the other side was a deep purple unicorn, half a dozen bright yellow stars adorning her flank. She walked in and closed the door. "Get the curtains," she said forcefully. In that instant Nimbus knew who was talking to them. He pulled the curtains over the still-shattered window and turned to the pony. "Your highness." "I thought I said to drop the formalities," the unicorn said none-too-kindly. Her horn began to glow and soon before them stood the summoner of the moon and painter of the night sky. "So, I heard you have succeeded," said Princess Luna, sounding politely joyed about this. "Well, I think we have," Shadow replied angrily. "Mr. Head-In-The-Clouds over there thinks otherwise." "What do you mean?" the princess asked, turning to the pegasus. "When I fought the kraken, I managed to get a solid buck in. Can you tell me, what is a kraken meant to feel like to touch?" This question left the lunar goddess baffled. "How is that relevant?" "Because I'm sure that I shouldn't have felt like I bucked a giant clock tower's bell," Nimbus Strike answered. "What's more, when I got a look at the thing's eye, I could see what looked like a camera of sorts. There wasn't anything behind me. It was inside the eye." He waited for a moment for the words to sink in before continuing. "That wasn't a kraken. It was a machine, made by pony or ponies unknown." Luna regarded the pegasus for a moment. "So what you're telling me," she said deliberately, "is that somepony is behind this. Somepony built that kraken and was using it to terrorize Manehattan." "In a nutshell, yeah." "Wait wait wait." Alicorn and pegasus turned to Shadow. "It cost six million bits to put Feathers-For-Brains back together, correct? So how could anypony afford to build something like that?" "I don't know," Luna replied. "This could be a matter of national security. I'll need both of you return to Canterlot as soon as possible." "National security?" Nimbus asked. "Really?" "If somepony is capable of having something like that kraken built, who knows what else they might have," Shadow replied uneasily. Chapter 4"Look at this." "Hmm?" Nimbus Strike leaned over the table and looked at the newspaper Shadow Figment had dropped. It was a copy of the Manehattan Times, the most recent. What caught his attention was the headline. 'Mysterious Pegasus Fights Off Kraken.' "Oh horseapples," he muttered. Below it was a rather bad black-and-white photo of the kraken and what might have been Nimbus, though it was more likely a smudge on the camera lens. "Yeah," Shadow replied, turning back to her blueberry muffin. "Keep reading. It gets better." The pair were sitting at a table in a Manehattan café, the day after the kraken attack. The city had bounced back in a way only pony towns and cities could. There was no trace of the tidal waves that had washed through the streets the day before, and what damage had been done had been easy enough to undo. Shadow took a bite from her muffin and Nimbus, again disguised as a brown earth pony, turned to the article and read it, muttering as he did. "Pegasus made of metal... Super-sonic speeds... What?" he exclaimed. "Everything in here is wrong! I did not break the sound barrier! I didn't buck it so hard it deflated! Who even wrote this thing?" "Look at the bottom of the page," Shadow replied, her mouth full. Nimbus did and bit his lip. The last few lines were the most worrying of the lot. 'Was this mysterious pegasus a lone vigilante determined to make sure that nopony gets hurt? Or is this something more sinister? A possible sign of things to come? A government project gone rogue?' He stopped reading, unable to stomach any more. "This is horrible," Nimbus muttered. "I know. We're gonna get so much trouble when we get back." "Not that. Whoever wrote this article should be fired." Shadow looked up from her muffin, looking at the pegasus as though he had grown a second mouth. "The grammar is appalling, the sentences are disjointed, there aren't any paragraphs and the way this thing ends is like something from one of those bad magazines that runs story after story on B-grade celebrities." Nimbus shook his head. "This pony has to be related to somepony important. How else did they get a job?" "Wow." Shadow blinked. She was impressed, though she wasn't going to let him know. "You didn't strike me as the kind to know anything about that kind of thing." "I took a few journalism courses in high school," Nimbus shrugged. "I wasn't that great, but I know I can do a hay of a lot better than this." He opened to the sports section and continued reading. "See? Here is proper journalism," he said, gesturing to an article about the latest baseball game between the Crowns and the Crusaders. Shadow rolled her eyes and finished off her muffin. "Well, bring the newspaper with you if you want, our chariot back should be showing up in five minutes. Don't want to keep her highnesses waiting." Nimbus took the paper in his mouth and stood up. "Leabf fe vay," he mumbled through the paper. The only source of light in the lunar goddess' room was the small light on her desk. She preferred to work in darkness, as she had for centuries prior to her banishment. She found it calming, which was why she had originally chosen to take charge of the night. What she was reading was far from relaxing, however. A frown was creasing her features as she studied the report, its contents troubling her far more than anything else she had read since her return. A knock at her door made her look up. "Come in." She watched as both the bionic pegasus and the illusionist unicorn stepped in, the pegasus still clutching a newspaper in his teeth. "Good. You're back." The relief in her voice was palpable, matched only by her expression. "Uhh... You did summon us," Nimbus said uneasily. "Yes, of course." Luna shook her head to clear her thoughts. "After I left last night, I started some investigations. There aren't many ponies with the wealth required to construct something of that size and complexity. Those that do are unlikely to have had any part in what happened." "So... what?" "This means that the most likely source of the robotic kraken is outside Equestria's borders. Canida and Aquileon are the best candidates." "Hang on." Shadow Figment, again blending in to the darkness, raised a hoof. "Why would the Diamond Dogs risk jeopardizing the gem trade?" "And the Griffons," Nimbus joined in. "They have no reason to open old wounds." "I know." Luna shook her head. "But they're the only two with anywhere near enough wealth to attempt anything of the sort." "What about the Zebras?" Nimbus asked. "I remember talks with their ambassador breaking down a few months ago." "No, their ambassador got fired a week after that. The papers said something about him taking corporate bribes," Shadow said. "The new one is much more pleasant," Luna said happily. "Did you know she's also an astronomer?" she asked eagerly. The pegasus and unicorn glanced at each other. "Uhh... Your highness, don't we have more pressing issues?" Nimbus asked warily. Luna blinked. "Right. Of course." She returned to her desk and levitated some papers. "Your new task is to go to Aquileon." "Okay, we're meeting Griffons," Nimbus said slowly. "How we going to get there without getting attacked?" "Look, I'm good with illusions, but I'm sure I can't make us look like a pair of those beaked feather-brains for longer than three days before the whole thing falls apart." Shadow then pointed out the true problem. "What's more, I can't fly." "Who said anything about espionage?" Luna asked. Her tone indicated that she was offended, but her eyes held a playful smile. "No, Shadow Figment, you're going there as the new ambassador." The mare stared at the goddess for a moment before giving her a very flat, if loud, "What." There was another silence before she broke it again. "Wow. I guess a thousand years on the moon did drive you insane." That statement had an incredible, if scary effect. Luna's warm expression vanished, replaced with pure anger. Her eyes narrowed to slits and her mane, so much like her sister's except reminiscent of the night sky, flared out dramatically. "Never speak that like again, not even in jest. You do not know the pain I endured. You don't understand the suffering I still cope with to this day over what I did all those years ago." Her voice had deepened and her tone was deathly serious. "Say anything of the sort again and I will not hesitate to deal with you however I see fit." Shadow Figment took a few steps back. She hadn't been thinking when she had said that. "F-F-Forgive me, your highness. I-I didn't mean to insult you in any way. Please forgive me." Luna gave her a dirty glare before turning around. "Do not think you have gotten of so lightly yet. Anyway," she continued, her voice still more forceful than either was accustomed to, "you, Nimbus and another guard will be leaving for the capital of Aquileon in a matter of days." "Your highness?" Nimbus felt that, given the circumstances, addressing the princess by her title was safer. "Protocol dictates that any royal ambassador leaving for foreign lands have a minimum of two guards. With me and her, we'll need at least four." "Do not remind me of protocol, Nimbus, I wrote half of that book fifteen-hundred years ago." Princess Luna was still upset and the pegasus couldn't help but shoot a glare of his own at Shadow. "Now, you need to get to the armoury. You'll need to look your best for the Griffons." Nimbus blinked before comprehension dawned on him. "Ooooh. Okay then." He left the room, muttering "As long as I don't look like canned food..." Shadow made to follow him but the door slammed shut in her face, trapping her. She gulped as she turned to face the wrath of the lunar goddess. Nimbus was a little worried about Shadow. After all, she had gone and angered a being who could easily send her to a dragon's den with little effort. Not that Luna would, but the fact that she could was enough reason to stay on her good side. He entered the armoury and was greeted by the sight of Sparky being fitted by the armourer. "What are you doing here?" Nimbus asked, surprised to see his friend. "Something about some diplomatic mission," Sparky said, shrugging as the armourer, a burly grey unicorn called Steelshod, levitated a helmet onto his head. "This one feels good, thanks." "Were you told where to?" Nimbus asked warily. "Something to do with Griffons." The armoured pegasus looked closely at his friend. "Why?" "Because that means we're working together on this one." He turned to the armourer who had, while the pegasi had been conversing, collected various pieces of armour. "Hold still," he said gruffly. Nimbus did as a steel-grey backplate was levitated in place before being swept away in a pale glow of magic. "Why not the gold armour?" the pegasus asked, a little confused. "The Griffons don't much like showy colourful armour. They think it has to be functional." From the unicorn's tone it was clear he approved of that philosophy. "Besides, the gold stuff is for Princess Celestia's guards. Princess Luna's gets something a bit subtler." Nimbus could see that this armour was a lot sleeker compared to what he was used to, with as few unessential details as possible. Instead of the blue five-pointed star that buckled at the front was a white crescent moon. The helmet lacked the distinctive plume that he knew and hated, instead being a simple smooth dome. He had to admit, he approved of this. "Okay then." He waited patiently as the armourer found pieces that fit and fitted them. He caught the unicorn give a few dirty looks at his hind legs, which made him uneasy. "Can't believe that half the bucking budget got spent on one pony..." he heard Steelshod mutter as he and Sparky left. "Half the budget? Really?" "The budget is 50 million bits, Nimbus," Sparky chuckled. "Unless he meant the armour budget. Then yeah, half the budget." Nimbus started to feel a bit bad. He had never thought of where the money to put him back together had come from. He never thought that he had made the lives of other ponies harder. No matter how bad Nimbus felt, it was nothing compared to the state Shadow Figment was in when she literally ran into them. Bits of her mane and tail were sticking out at odd angles, her eyes were wide with could have been fear and her breathing was so heavy she might have just sprinted through every Running of The Leaves events in Equestria without a break. "Are you okay?" Nimbus asked as the mare lay on the ground, not wanting to move. "What happened to her?" Sparky asked, concerned and confused in equal measure. "She insulted Princess Luna." "What!? Is she insane?" Sparky nudged Shadow with his hoof. "I'm surprised she got out alive." "Princess Luna isn't the kind to go all apocalyptic on somepony because they insulted her," Nimbus said harshly. "He is quite right, Static Spark." Both pegasi looked up from Shadow and saw Princess Luna looking at them, a look of only mild displeasure on her face, levitating a newspaper beside her. "You left this in my room." She turned to Shadow Figment, who was still on the ground. "If anything, I might have gone overboard," she said, worry in her voice. Sparky scrabbled to bow down, and Nimbus sniggered at Luna's exasperated sigh and eye roll. "Stop that," he whispered, nudging his friend in the ribs with his wings. "She doesn't like any of that formality." Sparky quickly stood up. "Those things are sharp," he complained. "So, I see both of you are wearing the new armour my sister promised. I must say, it looks quite nice." Luna turned to the mare on the floor and wrapped her in magic, lifting her up. "Nimbus, could you carry her?" "Sure," he replied, waiting as the princess put her on his back. "Your highness?" Sparky asked, still a little timid. "Please, Static Spark, just call me Luna," she replied, sounding tired and irritated. "Only if you call me Sparky," he retorted. "Uhh, Luna?" Nimbus asked. "What did you do to Shadow, anyway?" Thank you Scatterloon64 for the name for the Griffons' country. And Canida is not my idea. I first saw it in the fic Guardians.
Chapter 1The castle in Canterlot was easily the most recognisable landmark in all Equestria. Images of the grand structure adorned every work that spoke of both the Princesses and Equestria’s history. Constructed in one day from the purest marble, it was regarded by many as a testament of what Princess Celestia was capable of. Along with the Princesses the inhabitants of the castle included advisors, wait staff, cooks and guards. Nimbus Strike suppressed a yawn. As prestigious as being a royal guard was, it was also incredibly boring. The only time anything interesting happened was when Blueblood or some other idiot noble tried to barge in, or during the most recent Grand Galloping Gala. But that had been different, closer to a small disaster. It had taken three whole days to clean up. He let out a sigh as he tried to settle himself into a more comfortable position and find an interesting patch of wall to stare at. He was sure it would be another long day. He was so deep in thought and boredom that the white pegasus failed to register the panicked screams until it was too late. He poked his head around the doorway to the castle’s magic laboratory and was immediately barreled over by a purple unicorn mare. He was spun around and his head slammed against the marble door frame, knocking him unconscious. He didn’t know that every other pony in that area of the castle was being evacuated, Princess Luna herself having teleported out the instant things failed to go to plan. By the time he woke up, he was completely alone. That wasn’t exactly unusual, but the fact that the whole corridor seemed to be glowing like a small sun definitely was. Instinct took over and he took flight. He nearly made it to safety. He was less than a yard away from the door when there was an earth-shaking tremor and the space behind him ignited and exploded, sending him rocketing out with enough force that when he impacted the wall, he left a small crater. “Luna, are you sure this is a good idea?” “Tia, it’s my fault he’s injured. I can’t just leave him to die.” “I know, but...” Princess Celestia looked through the one-way glass, watching the surgical procedure. “Are you sure this is the best idea?” “That explosion did too much damage to heal magically.” Princess Luna sighed. “He’s just lucky he wasn’t any closer, or the magical radiation would have finished him off.” Both sisters watched in silence as one of the surgeons levitated a bonesaw and brought it to Nimbus Strike’s left foreleg. “Okay, get ready to cauterize this area the moment I finish cutting,” one of the masked ponies ordered to the others. “Can’t risk any major blood loss.” “Why are they...?” Celestia asked quietly as they started cutting. “There was enough radiation to slowly kill parts of his body.” Luna started shaking. “T-this is the only way to make sure he survives. By removing the affected areas, it’ll stop the spread of the entropy.” Celestia didn’t say anything, instead just reaching down to nuzzle her sister. “I should have been more careful. It could have just as easily been me. Or your student.” “Luna, stop. You made a mistake. We all do. You’re trying to make amends, and that’s all that matters.” Celestia wiped her sister’s tears away before becoming still, watching what was happening in the room in confusion. One of the surgeons had brought in what looked like a bundle of electrical wiring. “What are they doing?” A small smile played across Luna’s features. “Healing magic won’t do much good with the amount of radiation he soaked up. Instead, we’re doing the next best thing.” She watched as more electronic parts, along with bizarre equipment, were brought in. “We’re replacing everything we have to.” From within the operating theatre, one of the ponies began to speak. “All right, everypony. I know this is risky, but we can do this. We can rebuild him. After all, we have the technology. Everypony ready?” The princesses watched as the real work began. Nimbus Strike felt heavy. His eyes refused to open, and his legs and wings were unresponsive. His head felt as though it was stuffed with cotton wool, and he was aware of a faint beeping to his left. He forced his sluggish thought processes into action, trying to piece together what had happened. There was the unicorn mare that had knocked him out. At first he was angry, but the longer he thought on the matter the more he was sure that her expression had been one of fear and dread. She had obviously been running from something, and had meant him no harm. Then he remembered trying to outfly something himself. It must have been the explosion that had claimed him afterwards. He didn’t know what had caused it. All he remembered from that was the intense light, the burning pain and the feeling he had been punched by an Ursa Major. Shuddering at the idea of how much force an Ursa Major could put behind a punch, he opened his eye and looked around. He was in a pristine hospital room. Everything was white and seemed to reek of bleach. He tried to move his leg to wipe at his eyes but found it stiff and unwieldy. Must be in a cast, he thought as he used his other leg after pulling it free of the blankets. He didn’t think much of the bandage covering his left eye. He took another, closer look at the room he was in and noticed a few things. Apart from what looked like a heart-rate monitor quietly beeping to his left, there was a lot of other complex machinery the likes he had never seen before. One of the perks of being a royal guard was the best health care in Equestria. Every stop must have been pulled to ensure a full recovery. The door opened and in walked a midnight blue alicorn, the princess of the night. Her look of relief at seeing Nimbus Strike awake would have been amusing in any other situation, it seemed that exaggerated. “Thank goodness you’re awake.” “Your highness,” Nimbus Strike responded with a salute as years of training took over. “I’d bow, but I’m in no position to do so.” Luna smiled a little. If he could attempt to crack jokes, he was obviously going to recover just fine. “I didn’t think you’d be awake for a few more days.” “It’ll take more than a little explosion to keep me down, princess.” Nimbus Strike winced as he tried to force himself up into an uncomfortable sitting position. “A four-headed hydra might, but certainly not an explosion.” The princess ignored that comment and instead bowed her head. “It’s my fault you were hospitalised, Nimbus Strike. I am deeply sorry.” The guard pony could hardly believe what he was seeing. Princess Luna, one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, was bowing down to him, a lowly guard. “P-please, p-princess, it’s okay,” he stammmered. “It was a lab accident. Even the best fliers crash from time to time.” “I know,” Luna responded, looking up while wiping a tear away. “I just didn’t think you’d be so forgiving.” “It was an accident, your highness,” Nimbus Strike said lightly as he waved his hoof around. “And I’m fine. I actually feel pretty good.” “That’s... why I’m here, actually.” Luna bit her lip and tried to decide the best way to proceed. “The explosion you were caught in... It was very dangerous, to say the least.” “Well, yeah, it was an explosion.” “It wasn’t just any explosion, though. The fuel was very volatile.” “Okay...” Nimbus Strike was getting confused. “There was a lot of magical radiation within the explosion, and a large amount remained afterwards. We weren’t sure what effects it might have.” Nimbus Strike held up his hoof. “Forgive me, princess, but I’m neither a unicorn nor particularly knowledgeable on the matter of magic. What do you mean by ‘magical radiation’?” Princess Luna took a moment to think of the simplest way to explain this to a pegasus. “When you fly fast enough, you leave a contrail, correct?” Nimbus Strike nodded. “It’s like that, only it’s not visible most of the time. All unicorns radiate some whenever they use magic, but that’s not enough to cause any harm.” “So...” Nimbus Strike put a hoof to his chin. “The amount of magic in the air during and after the explosion was enough to be deadly?” “At the centre, not even my sister would have survived. Luckily, you were at the very edge and your exposure was minimal. It was still enough, though.” “Still enough for what? I’m not going to grow another set of wings, am I?” the bed-ridden pegasus asked quietly. “No, nothing of the sort. It actually had the exact opposite effect.” Luna took a deep breath, preparing herself for the hardest part. “It caused rapid tissue decay. Your body was dying and the only option was to remove the affected areas.” “Oh.” Nimbus Strike blinked. “How much did you have to cut off?” “A lot,” the princess answered vaguely. “How much is a lot?” “It’d be easier to show you.” With that statement Luna’s horn began to glow and the blanket neatly folded itself at the foot of the bed. Even though she had been present for most of the operation, she was still a little shocked by what she saw. Her shock was no match for the mix of horror and amazement that showed itself on Nimbus Strike’s face. “What... what did you have them do?” Both his hind legs had been replaced with strange metal prosthetics. The one on the right began just below his cutie mark, a nimbus cloud split in two, while the left leg was merged with his body in such a way that half the cutie mark couldn’t be seen. His left foreleg had been replaced as well, the sleek silver starting at his shoulder. “Your heart and lungs were also replaced, as well as your wings.” A third voice, this one belonging to another stallion answered. Nimbus Strike had been too busy looking at what had been done to have heard him enter. He turned to the dirt-brown unicorn. “Who are you? What did you do to me?” “Calm down, Mr. Strike. As for who I am, I am Doctor Turning Cog. Feel free to call me Cog though, most ponies do.” “Answer my question,” Nimbus Strike responded, feeling his temper rising. “What did you do to me?” “Well, we rebuilt you.” Doctor Cog approached the bed and used his magic to slowly highlight the areas that had been affected. “Both of your hind legs were beyond any repair when you were brought in. The same applies to your left foreleg, but we were able to spare your right leg. Your wings suffered varying degrees of damage, the left one little more than bone when we removed it. Your right wing fared better, but don’t expect any of the feathers to grow back any time soon. As for your internal organs,” the glow started coming from within Nimbus Strike, which was a little creepy, “your heart and lungs were heavily damaged. Replacing them was the only option as they were sure to fail within a week. Part of your liver suffered, but that won’t have any adverse affects. A small part of your stomach deteriorated as well, but that will recover in time. I advise against eating anything spicy for several months, though.” It was all too much for Nimbus Strike to take in. More than half of his body had been carved off and replaced. He rolled over onto his legs and managed to get onto the tiled floor, a little shaky. He felt like a character in one of the comic books his nephew read. Three fake legs, fake wings, artificial heart and lungs... “Also, if you let me remove that bandage, I can show you what else had to be removed.” There was more? Nimbus Strike allowed Doctor Cog to unravel the bandages and stood there, not sure what to do now. “Look in this mirror and tell me what you see.” At first Nimbus Strike couldn’t see what the doctor was talking about. He gazed into the levitating mirror but failed to see what was so interesting. “What am I meant to be looking at?” “Princess Luna, could you possibly turn off the lights?” The room went dark. “Thank you.” Nimbus Strike gaped at his reflection. His left eye seemed to glow. It was very faint, almost faint enough to be dismissed as a figment of his imagination. But not faint enough. “You replaced my eye!?” the pegasus yelled. “Why did you replace my eye!?” “You had been blinded in that eye. Your new eye is superior to the old one in every way.” “You think I care about that!?” Nimbus Strike turned to Doctor Cog, fury burning in his remaining eye. “I’m not a pony anymore! Look at me! I’m a goddess-damned machine! How do you expect me to fit in anywhere!? “ He stamped the ground with his front left hoof, not noticing the impressive crack he left in the floor. “We don’t expect you to,” Princess Luna said, putting some authority into her voice. “Your... augmentations put you in a unique position. You’re stronger than an earth pony, and your new wings should allow you to fly faster than you could before. What’s more, your new body parts are capable of taking more punishment than you used to be able to.” “So I’m going to be a hit-pony, am I?” Nimbus Strike asked bitterly. “No!” the moon princess responded angrily. “There are many threats in Equestria that cannot be resolved peacefully. In those cases intimidation or an application of force are the only possible solutions.” “What makes you think I want to do this?” He didn’t care that he was butting heads with an alicorn who could banish him with a thought. He was too indignant about this perceived injustice to care. “You swore an oath to serve, Nimbus Strike,” Princess Luna reminded the angry pegasus, pushing her snout into his. “I swore the oath to Princess Celestia! Not to her little sister!” He stamped again, this time leaving a small dent in the floor. “You swore the oath to the Royal Sisters. That means you serve me as much as you serve Celestia. And I don’t know what she plans on doing with a pony worth six million bits.” “W-what!?” Nimbus Strike’s reaction was just what she had been expecting. “S-six million bits!?” he stammered. A stunned silence, interrupted only by the strange beeping machine, filled the room as he tried to find words. “A little over, actually,” Doctor Cog interjected. “You’re very lucky.” “Why would you spend so much money on keeping me alive?” Nimbus Strike asked loudly. “Because it was my fault you were exposed in the first place. I had to make it right, and this was the only way how.” The lights were turned back on and Nimbus Strike could see how remorseful the princess seemed. Seeing her like this left him ashamed that he had let his temper get the better of him. He took a deep breath and turned away. “Okay, I’ll do this.” He shook a bit in a subconscious attempt to ruffle his feathers before forgetting that his wings were now different. “What do my wings look like?” Doctor Cog generously floated the mirror towards the pegasus, angling it for ease of use. “Now, we weren’t able to replicate the pegasus wing structure perfectly, so we had to take a few... liberties with the design.” At first, Nimbus Strike didn’t know what the unicorn was talking about. He willed the wings to unfurl, expecting to be met with metallic mockeries of what had once adorned his back. Instead, what he saw were gleaming, functional works of art. Twice as big as the wings he was used to, they were closer in size to the ones of Princess Celestia when they were unfurled. Instead of the multitude of feathers he was accustomed to, there were long slats of metal that stretched out from a frame. The left wing was entirely artificial, with the right wing using what remained of the old one as a base. He gave them an experimental flap, making them clink as he began to hover. He was amazed at both how easy it was and how light he felt. “Your entire skeletal structure was magically reinforced to compensate for the extra stresses use of the prosthetics could cause,” Doctor Cog said with a smile. He was seeing much of his life’s work in front of him functioning better than he could have hoped. If only it wasn’t so costly, he thought. We could make this available for everypony. “And those wings use your own innate magic, so you won’t have to worry about falling out of the sky.” As much as Nimbus hated what had been done to him, he had to admit that he liked his new wings. Maybe this isn’t so bad after all, he caught himself thinking. “So what happens now, your highness?” “Well, you’ll need a few days to adapt to your new body,” Doctor Cog answered. “I should be able to have somepony make something to hide your legs.” “I asked the princess a question,” Nimbus replied in a deadpan. “Doctor Cog is right though, Nimbus,” Luna replied softly. “We can’t have you not knowing your own strength.” The pegasus had a little trouble understanding what the big deal was. “I can’t be that strong, surely.” He went to the door, his metallic hooves making dull clangs. He grasped the handle with his left hoof and pulled the wooden door off its hinges. All three ponies stared blankly before Princess Luna started giggling. “I am?” Nimbus asked dumbly. “We can’t have you tearing off doors, now can we?” Luna said playfully, a hoof covering her mouth. She grasped the door in her telekinesis and reattached it. “I shall return you to the royal guard barracks. The augmentations can withstand teleportation, correct?” she asked the smiling doctor. “Hm? Oh, yes, they are capable of withstanding many things a pony normally couldn’t. Teleportation shouldn’t be an issue.” “Okay then. Could you explain to the staff that I have taken their patient?” Before receiving a response, both the pegasus and the princess vanished in a flash of light. Nimbus Strike lay in a heap on the floor, his natural eye spinning slowly in its socket. After a moment, he shook his head and stood up. He was in one of the guard barracks, five beds against each wall with a chest at the foot of each. There was no-one around, which led him to believe that it was the middle of a shift. The clock above the only door confirmed this, the face reading five in the evening, meaning that the afternoon shift was almost done. He found that he was right next to his bunk, so he went through his stuff to make sure it was all there. His armour was missing, but he was sure that was to do with the radiation. He closed the lid of his chest, cracking it in the process. Note to self, he thought bitterly, use right hoof for opening and closing things. He was interrupted when he heard the door to the barracks open. “Is that you, Nimbus?” Nimbus turned around and saw another pegasus, a dull white one wearing full guard armour. The voice and eyes alone were enough to tell him who this pony was, though. “Hey Sparky.” Sparky approached Nimbus, disbelief in his eyes. “I heard you were dead,” he said loudly. “You got your eye on my stuff, do ya?” he retorted. Both pegasi glared at each other before laughing. “Oh goddesses am I glad you’re okay,” Sparky said, pulling his friend into a rough hug. “Me too, man, me too.” They pulled apart, Sparky staring at Nimbus’ left leg. “So... what’s it like?” he asked hesitantly. “Being, y’know, bionic?” “Bionic?” Nimbus raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t hear that word being used before.” He shrugged and decided to ignore it. “It’s strange. Hay, I could probably kick down that wall now.” “You’re bucking with me.” “No, really.” To prove his point, he stamped the ground with his bionic hoof, leaving a small dent and a lot of cracks. Sparky stepped back. “That’s a little scary,” he said. “Luna, I respect your judgement, but are you sure?” “There isn’t any other way without involving your student and her friends, and you did say that you wanted to give them a break.” “True,” Princess Celestia replied. “I just feel that there must be another approach.” “Sister, I’ve already checked, and the royal guard can’t get involved. It would be too public. We need somepony that can do this as inconspicuously as possible.” “Yes, because a pegasus with metal wings can blend in with a crowd so easily,” Celestia replied sarcastically. “Don’t worry, sister, I have a plan.” Celestia knew that smile, one she hadn’t seen in a thousand years. Luna was scheming. This should have worried her, but she couldn’t help but smile herself.
Chapter 2Three days had passed since Nimbus Strike had been ‘discharged’ from the hospital. He was still in the process of adapting to his new body. So far he had broken three doors, five windows, a mess hall bench and was now barred access to the guards’ gym. He hadn’t meant to send that sandbag through a wall. He didn’t even know he was capable of that. As a pegasus, his wings had been simpler to become accustomed to. He had already smashed the guard record around Canterlot by ten seconds, surprising everypony. The commander had refused to put his time down though, stating that it would be unfair to the others, given Nimbus’ unique position. He couldn’t help but agree, though he was still a little upset that the time wasn’t listed. Nimbus shifted uneasily. It was close to three in the morning, Princess Luna had called him for a private audience, and his mind was abuzz with the possible reasons. He took a deep breath before knocking on her door. “Enter.” The soft voice of the lunar goddess drifted through the door, and the bionic pegasus stepped in as it swung open of it’s own accord. He looked at the princess, who was lying on her bed, reading something by the light of a single lantern. “Your highness?” Nimbus asked timidly. “Please, Nimbus, drop the formalities. I got sick of being constantly referred to as ‘princess’ or ‘your highness’ two weeks after my return.” Princess Luna looked up from the scroll she was reading, one eyebrow raised as she gazed at Nimbus over her glasses. “Of course, your high - Luna.” It felt really strange referring to a member of royalty by their name instead of their title. Luna smiled warmly as she set the scroll down. “Now then, as for why I called you. You remember how I said that some situations can only be solved through intimidation or force?” “Has something of the sort happened?” Nimbus asked. “Well, of course,” a third, bored, female voice said from the shadows. “Why else would she have called you?” Nimbus had jumped at the voice and now he was looking around trying to find its owner. “Where are you?” he asked. “Really? He doesn’t know that eye of his can detect heat signatures?” There was a sigh and the sound of hooves on the marble floor as the voice’s owner stepped into the light of the solitary lantern. “Didn’t Cog tell you what you’re fully capable of?” Nimbus regarded the unicorn mare as best he could. Because of her dark coat and deep purple mane, he found her features regularly slipping into the darkness. On the other hoof her cutie mark, a stylized white eye with a black border, stood out vividly. “No, he didn’t get a chance,” the pegasus answered carefully. “Or he just couldn’t be bothered and decided to push the responsibility onto somepony else.” The mare rolled her eyes, a brilliant red that stood out in the darkness. “And now it’s up to me.” “Nimbus Strike, this is Shadow Figment. She is currently researching various illusionary magics.” Shadow Figment nodded, simply acknowledging the moon goddess’ statement. “She is here to assist you.” “Assist me?” “Seeing Cog couldn’t come through with the stockings to hide your bionic legs, and he can’t figure out how to disguise your wings anyway, it’s up to me.” Her horn, which looked to Nimbus as though it had been sharpened to a point, began to glow. “Stay still.” Within a matter of seconds, all three of Nimbus’ bionic legs appeared to be covered in the same white coat that the rest of his body was. His wings were feathered again, and when he unfurled them they seemed just as natural as before the explosion. As he began to hover, all he said was “Wow.” “That’s all you have to say? Really? Not even a thanks?” Figment let out a groan. “I don’t even know why I agreed to this...” she muttered. Luna decided to ignore her. “You look splendid, Nimbus.” Nimbus found himself blushing profusely. “O-oh. T-thank you, princess.” “I thought I asked you to drop the formalities?” Luna stood up. “Anyway, as Shadow Figment was so polite,” one could almost hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice, “in mentioning before, something has arisen that only you two can manage.” “What?” the unicorn mare asked. “Both of us?” “Yes, both of you,” the princess answered serenely. “You have got to be bucking me,” Nimbus said before putting both fore-hooves to his mouth and going wide-eyed, remembering just who it was he was addressing. Luna simply raised an eyebrow, amused at his language. “You cannot pair me with this... this...” In her frustration, Shadow Figment was struggling to find the right words, and she just gave up after a few moments. “You cannot pair me with him,” she said defiantly. “I can and will,” Luna replied, wearing a sly smile. “Are you willing to defy a direct order from your princess?” She couldn’t help but chuckle at the looks of discomfort on their faces. Sometimes being in charge was really fun. “I’m not doing this to be unpleasant. I’m doing this because you’ll need each other for this.” “Really?” Nimbus had trouble believing this. “She’s right,” Figment muttered unhappily. She turned to the pegasus and explained. “If I’m not around, the illusion won’t last long. And your ‘condition’,” Nimbus could hear the indentations being dropped around the word, “is still a secret to anypony who’s not on the guard or helped put you back together.” “So that means I’m her bodyguard?” Nimbus asked the princess, ignoring the mare’s rather insolent tone. “See how easy it is to talk to me like a normal pony?” Luna responded, smiling warmly. Nimbus looked at her, unamused. “And yes, you’ll be making sure she doesn’t get hurt.” “What are we doing, anyway?” Luna mentally berated herself for losing her focus. She had been too entertained by the ponies’ interactions. “Of course, your mission.” She cleared her throat and began to explain, Nimbus’ jaw dropping and Figment’s eyes widening in disbelief. “What?” was all Nimbus could say when the princess had finished. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” “Tia, you worry too much.” “You haven’t had to worry about ruling Equestria for the past one thousand years.” Luna raised an eyebrow at her sister. “Maybe, but I know you well enough to know that your worried about this in particular.” “True,” Celestia sighed. “But truthfully, I’m more worried about Shadow Figment.” “Oh?” Luna was curious. What was it about this pony that had Princess Celestia, the alicorn who controlled the sun and had ruled the land of Equestria for the past millenium, so worried? “She has a... history.” Celestia watched from the balcony they stood on as a sky chariot took off from the front of the castle. “I’m not sure she was the best candidate.” “Oh that.” Luna waved a hoof dismissively. “Wouldn’t Twilight Sparkle have been a better choice, Luna?” “Your student doesn’t have the skill in illusions required. Besides,” she added, “I’m sure she blames herself for what happened to Nimbus. Has she sent you a letter on the matter?” Luna inquired, trying to sound innocent. “Several,” Celestia answered carefully. Luna began to snicker. “I’m just not sure that Shadow Figment can keep her emotions in check.” “Sister, do you think I would have picked her if I was sure she couldn’t?” Luna implored. “You need to loosen up a little. I think a surprise visit to your prized student is a good idea,” the lunar goddess said slyly. Celestia regarded her sister for a moment before she began to smile as well. “Oh Luna, we couldn’t...” She turned and began to walk back inside. “Sister? Where are you going?” “To arrange transportation to Ponyville,” the solar goddess answered. Nimbus Strike stepped off the chariot, taking a look around. “I’ve never been to Manehattan before.” He had never seen anywhere this crowded, not even during the Grand Galloping Gala. The sheer number of ponies was almost overwhelming, and the height of towers he had seen in the distance made him want to stretch his wings and fly between them. “Neither have I,” Shadow Figment replied. “But we’re not here for sight-seeing. We’re here on a mission from Princess Luna.” She watched as the chariot disappeared and turned to the brown earth pony next to her. “Come on, we should find somewhere to stay.” The earth pony, Nimbus in disguise, shrugged and followed. “Whatever you say, Figgy.” Figment stopped walking, nearly causing Nimbus to walk right into her rump. “Call me that again,” she said, not turning around, “ and you’re going to wish that you had been left to die.” The sheer anger and force in her voice was enough to make the former guard pony take a few steps back. He knew that to do so again would be to tempt fate. The simple white eye that adorned her saddlebags and flanks suddenly seemed a lot more intimidating. “O-okay,” Nimbus stammered. “Glad that you understand,” Shadow Figment said, turning around. She was wearing a very disturbing smile, one that seemed to scream malevolence. What really scared Nimbus though were her eyes. Where before they held indifference and irritation, they now burned with dark fire and seemed to promise a world of pain. She turned around, leaving Nimbus very shaken. “Come on, we won’t find a hotel just standing around.” As he followed, Nimbus could only think one thing: Why couldn’t Luna get somepony nice? Figment had gotten them a simple room on the fifth floor of a relatively cheap hotel. With two beds, an en suite and a closet it was more than enough. The view from the window allowed them to see the harbour and the great statue of Lady Radiance. It had cost them 100 bits, but given the view it was more than worth it. Nimbus Strike lay down on his bed. He was amazed at how much more comfortable it was compared to the one at the barracks. “I could get used to this,” he said happily. “Don’t get too comfortable,” Shadow Figment warned from her bed, levitating a quill and jar of ink from her saddlebag. “Can I ask you a question?” “You just did,” Figment replied as she removed a small bundle of paper and set it neatly next to her. Nimbus rolled his eyes. “Why do I look like an earth pony?” “A lot of pegasi tend to hover, and I don’t want to get a sore neck from looking up at you all day.” Nimbus couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. Great, he thought, incredibly selfish and arrogant. This is worse than dealing with Blueblood. At least Blueblood goes away. He regarded his false cutie mark. “Why an hourglass?” he asked. “No idea,” Figment replied distantly. “It just seemed appropriate.” “How is an hourglass appropriate in any way?” “Probably something to do with how it’s only a matter of time before you do something you’ll regret?” Figment shot back. “I’m trying to concentrate, so do me a favour and shut up.” Nimbus knew he should have shut up there and then, but curiosity got the better of him. “What are you concentrating on?” “I’m trying to figure out what would be the best method to store an invisibility spell so any unicorn can use it without having to learn it,” she answered distractedly, scribbling something down that he couldn’t see. “Why?” Nimbus asked, intrigued by the concept. “Why not?” Figment replied, still scribbling. “It’s an incredibly useful spell. This way it won’t be limited to just those who have it as their special talent.” “Isn’t that kinda the whole point, though?” Nimbus began to hover. There was no way anypony could see them, and if somepony walked in it was likely they would assume that Figment had a part in it. “Having a special talent that is yours and only yours?” “My special talent is illusions. I’m not giving them everything, am I?” Figment answered smugly, still scratching away with her quill. “How long do you think it’ll take for whoever you develop this for to alter it for any illusions, though?” Nimbus set himself down on his bed again, raising an eyebrow at the unicorn. “What’ll you do then?” Shadow Figment didn’t answer. Instead, her horn began to glow brighter. She smirked when she heard the pegasus-in-disguise yelp. “Hey! Not funny! Get rid of this blindfold-thing!” Nimbus yelled, trying to pull at something that wasn’t physically there. Figment began to snigger, not able to contain her amusement. A thunderous crash from outside caused her to lose her concentration, removing the illusions on the pegasus. “What was that noise?” Nimbus asked nervously. Figment went to the window, and her face turned a pale grey. “It’s here.” Just past the statue of Lady Radiance half a dozen grey tentacles, each one three times as thick as a pony and as long as some of the towers were tall, had extended from the water and were flaying about.
Chapter 3Nimbus Strike watched what was happening, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Oh sweet merciful Celestia..." "This is crazy," Shadow Figment muttered. "Luna expects us to deal with a kraken. A kraken." "What I want to know is what a kraken is doing in Manehattan harbour," Nimbus responded. They stared for a moment, watching as the tentacles came down, creating great waves that crashed upon the streets. From where they were they couldn't hear the screams of the ponies trying to avoid getting swept away. Shadow Figment broke the silence. "We need to do something." "What, though?" Nimbus asked, unable to tear his eyes away. "How should I know? You're the muscle," the mare shot back, a trace of her snideness returning. "Get out there already. Do something." Nimbus took a deep breath before pivoting on his front hooves and bucking out the window, the glass giving way as though a boulder had been flung through it. As Shadow Figment stared at the shattered window, he took flight, becoming little more than a silver-blue streak. "How the buck am I meant to explain this!?" she yelled angrily as he disappeared. Nimbus made a bee-line for Lady Radiance, alighting atop the great statue with ease. From his vantage point he could see the local law enforcement escorting the panicking citizens away, and knew he wouldn't have to worry about having to rescue anypony. All he had to do was... face down a kraken and convince it to leave. He gulped, trying to think of what to do. As far as he knew, nopony had ever fought a kraken and survived. For that sole reason they were the most feared of all the beasts that were outside the ponies' control, even more so than dragons. At least with a dragon it was possible to negotiate. A kraken, on the other hoof... He turned and faced the writhing mass of tentacles. In the time since its assault had begun, half a dozen more had risen from the deep. If he wanted to fight it, he had to attack the creature itself. The only thing attacking the tentacles would do was antagonize the beast. He could see the body of the kraken, a great bulbous thing that was a sickly pale green. He saw what he imagined was an eye, though it looked like a great black orb. With a goal in sight, he knew what had to be done. He jumped off, freefalling to gain momentum before spreading his wings, gliding a foot above the waves. He swerved between the tentacles, falling back on memories of his youth at summer flight camp to guide him. Nimbus had nearly reached the eighth tentacle when out of nowhere another appeared, slamming into him. He was sent skipping along the water, bouncing until he smacked into the harbour wall. He hit it with enough force to crack it, but not enough to make a crater or pony-shaped hole. Nimbus recovered quickly, hovering in place. He was vaguely aware that the impact should have broken something, if not outright killed him. He flew at it again, this time keeping an eye open for any stray tentacles. This time, it lashed out at him when he had passed the fifth, but he was prepared for it. With a great flap he pushed himself up a dozen feet, sailing easily over the arm. What he hadn't expected was another to slam into him from below, sending him rocketing up into the air. At the peak of his ascent, easily 200 feet, he started hovering again. Now what? he asked himself, rubbing his aching ribs. Every time I get close it smacks me so hard I should be dead. He paused, a frown creasing his face. Why aren't I dead? He was forced out of his reverie by one of the tentacles attempting to grab him. He rolled away and flew back to the statue where he had started. "About time you got back here." Nimbus' heart would have stopped if he still had one. He looked around and saw Shadow Figment standing in the viewing area within Lady Radiance's head, looking bored. "When did you get here?" "About three minutes ago," she replied. "Nopony saw me, though a lot saw you." "Yeah..." Nimbus Strike started rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Nopony got a good look, did they?" "How should I know? I do illusions, not mind-reading." Shadow turned to the kraken, which was mercifully still far away. "So, no luck?" she asked needlessly. "That thing is fast. I can't get close without getting swatted away like a fly." Nimbus flew in through the open window, landing on the dirty wooden floor. "Well, it's a good thing I'm here then." She closed her eyes and began to concentrate on a spell. Nimbus stared at her, confused. She opened an eye and smiled. "Perfect." Nimbus turned around to see what she was smiling at and jumped. Due to his bionics and the increased strength they provided, this meant he propelled himself into the ceiling, his head making a dull clang as he impacted the top of the viewing area. He fell onto the floor in a heap moaning as more bruises formed on his already-battered body. Shadow Figment was sniggering, trying to keep on all four hooves. "Ha ha, very funny," the pegasus muttered from his position on the ground. Within the viewing area stood five prefect replicas of him, right down to the way his mane hung over his shoulders. They stood motionless, each one looking straight ahead blankly. As he turned away from his clones, he asked the unicorn a question. "So, why?" Shadow's good humour vanished as she groaned. "Isn't it obvious?" When he gave her the same blank stare the illusions were, she face-hoofed. "I swear, they just let anypony join... They're decoys." Comprehension dawned on the pegasus' face. "Oh. Oh! Great!" He began to hover, facing towards the open water and the hostile kraken that was waiting out there. His copies imitated the movement, and in a matter of seconds all six pegasi had flown out, ruining Shadow's mane in the process. I swear they got the dumbest pony possible, Shadow thought angrily to herself. The six streaks of sliver-blue raced towards the beast in unison resembling, in a way, the Wonderbolts aerobatics team. What made them different was that only one was real, though it was impossible to tell which. They flew hard, forgoing any proper formation in favour of flying side-by-side, their wings mere inches from clipping. The kraken sensed their approach and seemed to pause, as though it was wondering where the pegasus had found five more in such a short time. One of the tentacles slammed into the pegasus on the far right, a blow that would have surely been lethal had it not vanished in a puff of smoke the instant the tentacle made contact. With only five left, the pegasi formed a V as the flew on. Another tentacle came crashing down on the lead pony, and again all that did was create a puff of smoke. The ponies split into pairs, one group swerving around to the north while the other swerved to the south. The kraken's blows were sloppier now, as though it was having trouble dividing its attention. The two teams were able to dodge each attack with ease until out of nowhere a tentacle slammed into both ponies of the north team. Nimbus gulped. He knew it had been a matter of time when they started, but now that it was only him and another illusion, he was having second thoughts. The kraken's attacks seemed to have a lot more force in them, if the waves being created was any indication. Even with the spell reinforcing his body he was worried that a single blow would be enough. Still, he couldn't give up now. He was close, so close and he was sure that a buck at near-supersonic speeds would be enough to convince it to leave. A tentacle came at him, and Nimbus rolled under it. He winced as his hooves came into contact with the water, considerably slowing his momentum. He failed to notice the last illusion vanish, too intent on reaching his goal. He pushed himself harder, and he could see the tell-tale Mach cone starting to form, which made him panic. If he went supersonic, he wouldn't be able to pull off the mid-air pivot necessary to buck sense into the kraken. He flared his wings in an attempt to increase drag. He was going too fast for the kraken to land a hit but that didn't stop it trying. Tentacle after tentacle slammed into the water behind him, desperate to stop the pegasus. Despite its efforts, Nimbus got through the gauntlet, wearing a manic grin, not able to believe what he had done. He pivoted, pulled his legs back and unleashed as much force as he could at the monster. He had expected to be met with soft, spongy flesh. What he hadn't expected was a loud metallic clang and a vibration that threatened to shake his teeth loose to go through his body. He hung in the air, shaking like a foal's toy for ten seconds before he could stop himself. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his head and looked at the beast. It was still in the water, the tentacles sticking out of the water like so many strange trees. It unnerved him, but he went closer to try and see what he had done. He went up to the eye, his reflection staring back at him from the blackness. But deeper within, he thought he saw something. Something that seemed very out of place. He turned around, thinking it might have been floating behind him. There was nothing there, which only served to confirm his suspicions. His joy at this victory was gone, replaced with anger and frustration. "What do you mean, it wasn't a kraken?" "I'll tell you when the princess shows up, okay?" They were back in their hotel room and Shadow Figment was trying to get Nimbus Strike to elaborate on what he meant. He refused repeatedly, which caused Shadow's temper to rise until she was sure she was at breaking point. She was about to start yelling when there was a knock at the door. She took a deep breath and calmly called out. "Who is it?" "I'm here to see Mr. Strike and Ms. Figment," came the reply. The two ponies looked at each other. The voice had a familiar ring to it, but they couldn't be sure. "Come in," Shadow said cautiously as she opened the door with her magic. On the other side was a deep purple unicorn, half a dozen bright yellow stars adorning her flank. She walked in and closed the door. "Get the curtains," she said forcefully. In that instant Nimbus knew who was talking to them. He pulled the curtains over the still-shattered window and turned to the pony. "Your highness." "I thought I said to drop the formalities," the unicorn said none-too-kindly. Her horn began to glow and soon before them stood the summoner of the moon and painter of the night sky. "So, I heard you have succeeded," said Princess Luna, sounding politely joyed about this. "Well, I think we have," Shadow replied angrily. "Mr. Head-In-The-Clouds over there thinks otherwise." "What do you mean?" the princess asked, turning to the pegasus. "When I fought the kraken, I managed to get a solid buck in. Can you tell me, what is a kraken meant to feel like to touch?" This question left the lunar goddess baffled. "How is that relevant?" "Because I'm sure that I shouldn't have felt like I bucked a giant clock tower's bell," Nimbus Strike answered. "What's more, when I got a look at the thing's eye, I could see what looked like a camera of sorts. There wasn't anything behind me. It was inside the eye." He waited for a moment for the words to sink in before continuing. "That wasn't a kraken. It was a machine, made by pony or ponies unknown." Luna regarded the pegasus for a moment. "So what you're telling me," she said deliberately, "is that somepony is behind this. Somepony built that kraken and was using it to terrorize Manehattan." "In a nutshell, yeah." "Wait wait wait." Alicorn and pegasus turned to Shadow. "It cost six million bits to put Feathers-For-Brains back together, correct? So how could anypony afford to build something like that?" "I don't know," Luna replied. "This could be a matter of national security. I'll need both of you return to Canterlot as soon as possible." "National security?" Nimbus asked. "Really?" "If somepony is capable of having something like that kraken built, who knows what else they might have," Shadow replied uneasily.
Chapter 4"Look at this." "Hmm?" Nimbus Strike leaned over the table and looked at the newspaper Shadow Figment had dropped. It was a copy of the Manehattan Times, the most recent. What caught his attention was the headline. 'Mysterious Pegasus Fights Off Kraken.' "Oh horseapples," he muttered. Below it was a rather bad black-and-white photo of the kraken and what might have been Nimbus, though it was more likely a smudge on the camera lens. "Yeah," Shadow replied, turning back to her blueberry muffin. "Keep reading. It gets better." The pair were sitting at a table in a Manehattan café, the day after the kraken attack. The city had bounced back in a way only pony towns and cities could. There was no trace of the tidal waves that had washed through the streets the day before, and what damage had been done had been easy enough to undo. Shadow took a bite from her muffin and Nimbus, again disguised as a brown earth pony, turned to the article and read it, muttering as he did. "Pegasus made of metal... Super-sonic speeds... What?" he exclaimed. "Everything in here is wrong! I did not break the sound barrier! I didn't buck it so hard it deflated! Who even wrote this thing?" "Look at the bottom of the page," Shadow replied, her mouth full. Nimbus did and bit his lip. The last few lines were the most worrying of the lot. 'Was this mysterious pegasus a lone vigilante determined to make sure that nopony gets hurt? Or is this something more sinister? A possible sign of things to come? A government project gone rogue?' He stopped reading, unable to stomach any more. "This is horrible," Nimbus muttered. "I know. We're gonna get so much trouble when we get back." "Not that. Whoever wrote this article should be fired." Shadow looked up from her muffin, looking at the pegasus as though he had grown a second mouth. "The grammar is appalling, the sentences are disjointed, there aren't any paragraphs and the way this thing ends is like something from one of those bad magazines that runs story after story on B-grade celebrities." Nimbus shook his head. "This pony has to be related to somepony important. How else did they get a job?" "Wow." Shadow blinked. She was impressed, though she wasn't going to let him know. "You didn't strike me as the kind to know anything about that kind of thing." "I took a few journalism courses in high school," Nimbus shrugged. "I wasn't that great, but I know I can do a hay of a lot better than this." He opened to the sports section and continued reading. "See? Here is proper journalism," he said, gesturing to an article about the latest baseball game between the Crowns and the Crusaders. Shadow rolled her eyes and finished off her muffin. "Well, bring the newspaper with you if you want, our chariot back should be showing up in five minutes. Don't want to keep her highnesses waiting." Nimbus took the paper in his mouth and stood up. "Leabf fe vay," he mumbled through the paper. The only source of light in the lunar goddess' room was the small light on her desk. She preferred to work in darkness, as she had for centuries prior to her banishment. She found it calming, which was why she had originally chosen to take charge of the night. What she was reading was far from relaxing, however. A frown was creasing her features as she studied the report, its contents troubling her far more than anything else she had read since her return. A knock at her door made her look up. "Come in." She watched as both the bionic pegasus and the illusionist unicorn stepped in, the pegasus still clutching a newspaper in his teeth. "Good. You're back." The relief in her voice was palpable, matched only by her expression. "Uhh... You did summon us," Nimbus said uneasily. "Yes, of course." Luna shook her head to clear her thoughts. "After I left last night, I started some investigations. There aren't many ponies with the wealth required to construct something of that size and complexity. Those that do are unlikely to have had any part in what happened." "So... what?" "This means that the most likely source of the robotic kraken is outside Equestria's borders. Canida and Aquileon are the best candidates." "Hang on." Shadow Figment, again blending in to the darkness, raised a hoof. "Why would the Diamond Dogs risk jeopardizing the gem trade?" "And the Griffons," Nimbus joined in. "They have no reason to open old wounds." "I know." Luna shook her head. "But they're the only two with anywhere near enough wealth to attempt anything of the sort." "What about the Zebras?" Nimbus asked. "I remember talks with their ambassador breaking down a few months ago." "No, their ambassador got fired a week after that. The papers said something about him taking corporate bribes," Shadow said. "The new one is much more pleasant," Luna said happily. "Did you know she's also an astronomer?" she asked eagerly. The pegasus and unicorn glanced at each other. "Uhh... Your highness, don't we have more pressing issues?" Nimbus asked warily. Luna blinked. "Right. Of course." She returned to her desk and levitated some papers. "Your new task is to go to Aquileon." "Okay, we're meeting Griffons," Nimbus said slowly. "How we going to get there without getting attacked?" "Look, I'm good with illusions, but I'm sure I can't make us look like a pair of those beaked feather-brains for longer than three days before the whole thing falls apart." Shadow then pointed out the true problem. "What's more, I can't fly." "Who said anything about espionage?" Luna asked. Her tone indicated that she was offended, but her eyes held a playful smile. "No, Shadow Figment, you're going there as the new ambassador." The mare stared at the goddess for a moment before giving her a very flat, if loud, "What." There was another silence before she broke it again. "Wow. I guess a thousand years on the moon did drive you insane." That statement had an incredible, if scary effect. Luna's warm expression vanished, replaced with pure anger. Her eyes narrowed to slits and her mane, so much like her sister's except reminiscent of the night sky, flared out dramatically. "Never speak that like again, not even in jest. You do not know the pain I endured. You don't understand the suffering I still cope with to this day over what I did all those years ago." Her voice had deepened and her tone was deathly serious. "Say anything of the sort again and I will not hesitate to deal with you however I see fit." Shadow Figment took a few steps back. She hadn't been thinking when she had said that. "F-F-Forgive me, your highness. I-I didn't mean to insult you in any way. Please forgive me." Luna gave her a dirty glare before turning around. "Do not think you have gotten of so lightly yet. Anyway," she continued, her voice still more forceful than either was accustomed to, "you, Nimbus and another guard will be leaving for the capital of Aquileon in a matter of days." "Your highness?" Nimbus felt that, given the circumstances, addressing the princess by her title was safer. "Protocol dictates that any royal ambassador leaving for foreign lands have a minimum of two guards. With me and her, we'll need at least four." "Do not remind me of protocol, Nimbus, I wrote half of that book fifteen-hundred years ago." Princess Luna was still upset and the pegasus couldn't help but shoot a glare of his own at Shadow. "Now, you need to get to the armoury. You'll need to look your best for the Griffons." Nimbus blinked before comprehension dawned on him. "Ooooh. Okay then." He left the room, muttering "As long as I don't look like canned food..." Shadow made to follow him but the door slammed shut in her face, trapping her. She gulped as she turned to face the wrath of the lunar goddess. Nimbus was a little worried about Shadow. After all, she had gone and angered a being who could easily send her to a dragon's den with little effort. Not that Luna would, but the fact that she could was enough reason to stay on her good side. He entered the armoury and was greeted by the sight of Sparky being fitted by the armourer. "What are you doing here?" Nimbus asked, surprised to see his friend. "Something about some diplomatic mission," Sparky said, shrugging as the armourer, a burly grey unicorn called Steelshod, levitated a helmet onto his head. "This one feels good, thanks." "Were you told where to?" Nimbus asked warily. "Something to do with Griffons." The armoured pegasus looked closely at his friend. "Why?" "Because that means we're working together on this one." He turned to the armourer who had, while the pegasi had been conversing, collected various pieces of armour. "Hold still," he said gruffly. Nimbus did as a steel-grey backplate was levitated in place before being swept away in a pale glow of magic. "Why not the gold armour?" the pegasus asked, a little confused. "The Griffons don't much like showy colourful armour. They think it has to be functional." From the unicorn's tone it was clear he approved of that philosophy. "Besides, the gold stuff is for Princess Celestia's guards. Princess Luna's gets something a bit subtler." Nimbus could see that this armour was a lot sleeker compared to what he was used to, with as few unessential details as possible. Instead of the blue five-pointed star that buckled at the front was a white crescent moon. The helmet lacked the distinctive plume that he knew and hated, instead being a simple smooth dome. He had to admit, he approved of this. "Okay then." He waited patiently as the armourer found pieces that fit and fitted them. He caught the unicorn give a few dirty looks at his hind legs, which made him uneasy. "Can't believe that half the bucking budget got spent on one pony..." he heard Steelshod mutter as he and Sparky left. "Half the budget? Really?" "The budget is 50 million bits, Nimbus," Sparky chuckled. "Unless he meant the armour budget. Then yeah, half the budget." Nimbus started to feel a bit bad. He had never thought of where the money to put him back together had come from. He never thought that he had made the lives of other ponies harder. No matter how bad Nimbus felt, it was nothing compared to the state Shadow Figment was in when she literally ran into them. Bits of her mane and tail were sticking out at odd angles, her eyes were wide with could have been fear and her breathing was so heavy she might have just sprinted through every Running of The Leaves events in Equestria without a break. "Are you okay?" Nimbus asked as the mare lay on the ground, not wanting to move. "What happened to her?" Sparky asked, concerned and confused in equal measure. "She insulted Princess Luna." "What!? Is she insane?" Sparky nudged Shadow with his hoof. "I'm surprised she got out alive." "Princess Luna isn't the kind to go all apocalyptic on somepony because they insulted her," Nimbus said harshly. "He is quite right, Static Spark." Both pegasi looked up from Shadow and saw Princess Luna looking at them, a look of only mild displeasure on her face, levitating a newspaper beside her. "You left this in my room." She turned to Shadow Figment, who was still on the ground. "If anything, I might have gone overboard," she said, worry in her voice. Sparky scrabbled to bow down, and Nimbus sniggered at Luna's exasperated sigh and eye roll. "Stop that," he whispered, nudging his friend in the ribs with his wings. "She doesn't like any of that formality." Sparky quickly stood up. "Those things are sharp," he complained. "So, I see both of you are wearing the new armour my sister promised. I must say, it looks quite nice." Luna turned to the mare on the floor and wrapped her in magic, lifting her up. "Nimbus, could you carry her?" "Sure," he replied, waiting as the princess put her on his back. "Your highness?" Sparky asked, still a little timid. "Please, Static Spark, just call me Luna," she replied, sounding tired and irritated. "Only if you call me Sparky," he retorted. "Uhh, Luna?" Nimbus asked. "What did you do to Shadow, anyway?" Thank you Scatterloon64 for the name for the Griffons' country. And Canida is not my idea. I first saw it in the fic Guardians.
