Liberty for All

Chapters

Prologue; Life
Fall; Canterlot Routine
Fall; Torn
Fall; Prison of Safety

Prologue; Life

The little pony sat in the mud, raising a hand to rub away the tears streaming from her golden eyes.

She was a poor thing. Too shy to make her own friends. Kneecaps always tinted with dirt and always with a bandage covering a scrape or cut. There was little which could make her happy. But on this dreary day, everything changed.

The bullies who had shoved her down were scurrying away, fleeing from the edges of the kindergarten playground.

A hand reached down towards her.

“Are you ok? They’re gone now. Those meanies won’t bother you anymore.”

The sobbing pony, her golden mane and white coat caked with muck, looked up to the kind voice.

A filly looked back, about her own age, wearing a purple shirt. Her seafoam coat and teal mane and eyes were unfamiliar. She was covered in bruises from the brawl only moments earlier, though they did not seem to bother her.

Crying softly still, the pony in the mud could not reach for her hand.

“Th-they… They called me blank flank. It’s not my fault that I don’t have one yet…”

The kind filly quickly knelt beside her, holding her shoulder.

“It’s ok. I don’t have my cutie mark either. You’re not the only one.”

The pony in the mud perked up, wiping her runny nose. “Really?”

“Yup! What’s your name?”

“My… My name’s Chorus.” She said.

“My name’s Sea Shell,” The kind filly replied with a grin, “But you can call me Shelly! Now c’mon. Let’s get you to the nurse.”

Shelly grabbed hold of Chorus’ hands and pulled her up, not caring about the mud splattering onto her fur. Chorus kept eyeing Shelly’s bruises, which outnumbered her own.

“What about you? Aren’t you hurting?”

“Nah, I’m ok. Those bullies weren’t so tough.”

“Wow… You’re much stronger than I am.”

Shelly giggled. “I can teach you how to be stronger! My Mommy and Daddy teach me.”

“Ok,” Chorus said, cheering up, “Does… Does that make us friends?”

“It sure does! And just you wait. I bet we will be best of friends forever!”

Chorus smiled like she had never smiled before.

That little pony in the mud… was me.

And that was the day I met my best friend.

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The two-seated sailboat floated beside the pier, bobbing with the gentle waves while moored in place. Baltimare’s vast piers were places I had come to known for much of my early years. They were a popular hangout with most kids like me. Though I never went to the more crowded sections.

Staring at my feet dangling just above the bay water, I waited for my friend to show. We had planned on taking the sailboat out into the bay, stopping at the float which was anchored in the middle of the swimming lanes.

The pattering of bare feet on the wooden boards caught my attention.

“You’re late again, Shelly!” I exclaimed with a smile.

“I’m fashionably late, thank you very much. It still counts as being on time.”

“That’s what you said the last day before summer break. Mrs. Peach didn’t seem to think so.”

“Ehh shaddup,” Shelly smirked, hopping into the sailboat, “Now come on! Let’s get sailing!”

I got up from the ledge, moving to untie our humble vessel’s moorings. The purple sail was all set to take on the wind.

“Shouldn’t you be out collecting shells on the beach with that new cutie mark of yours?” I joked.

“I can do that anytime, but just because I have a sea shell and a wave on my butt doesn’t mean that’s all I can do. My mark probably means I’ll be a treasure hunter! Like in the Daring Do books!”

“Yeah! That’d be so cool! I wish I get a cutie mark like that soon.”

“Don’t worry, you definitely will. We’re both ten, which means if I have mine, then you’ll get yours before the end of the year!”

Shelly’s enthusiasm made me smile. As she finished undoing the last knot, she pushed us away from the pier as I took control of the wind vane’s axis. The winds in the bay gave us a nudge as we began to ride the gales.

“Who do you think will be at the float today?” Shelly asked, sitting just to the side of the sail’s support.

I kept my eyes on the sail. “Maybe Breezy will be there. Though hopefully… some… some of the colts will be there.

“Pfft. I don’t care about ogling any colts.”

“Really? You did last year.”

“Well, that was last year.” Shelly added. Even though we were just out of grade school, we were a bit too young to really understand our own attractions. This was the earliest point in time I could remember when Shelly lost her interest in colts.

I stood to ponder Shelly’s words for but a second before picking up a distant sound. Turning away from the sail, I covered my eyes from the sun and gazed out over the bay.

The sounds were splashes coming from a stallion in the water, crying for help.

“Shelly!” I spouted, already turning hard on the sail pylon, steering our craft in the direction of the struggling pony.

“I see him! How’re we gonna save him though? This boat won’t hold three ponies and stay up!”

The winds suddenly picked up, giving a boost of speed to out sailboat’s course. I guided the craft and kept it balanced until we were within a few feet of the stallion.

Without even answering Shelly, I left the control and dove into the water, swimming through the water and reaching the stallion. I wrapped one arm around his waist and kicked with all my might, bringing him slowly over to the sailboat. I struggled to push the stallion up while treading in the water, but luckily Shelly came to help, effortlessly pulling the stallion onto the sail boat.

As the young stallion wheezed while lying in the boat, I held onto the rim, panting loudly from my burst of speed. Shelly tended to our new passenger.

“Are you ok? What happened?”

“I think so...” said the stallion, a teenager. “I slipped off of the platform of my friend’s yacht over there. I can’t swim, and I’m prone to panic attacks. Thank Celestia for you two. You saved me!”

“Thank Chorus,” replied Shelly, “She’s the one who saw you. And the one who gave you her seat.”

“We should get you to shore.” I affirmed abashed. Shelly took hold of the sail pylon, steering us towards the pier. We went a bit slower with me paddling along, but we made it in only a few minutes.

I lifted herself onto the pier after Shelly and the stallion went ashore. I shook my head to throw off some of the water from my mane, only to find Shelly staring at my waist.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Shelly pointed to my hip, absolutely stunned.

“Cutie mark!!”

Immediately as the words left her mouth, I spun my head down, seeing a cutie mark on my hip.

Shelly and I let loose a cheerful squeal.

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

“I got my cutie mark! It’s a gust of wind! I think!”

“What does that mean?!”

“I don’t know! I don’t care! It’s a Cutie mark! I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad!!”

Shelly and I held each other’s hands while jumping up and down, smiling so gleefully that we felt brighter than even the Sun itself.

My best friend looked me in the eyes.

“See? I told you! Best friends ‘til the end!”

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It was so early in the morning that the Sun had yet to show itself. This was a good thing.

Anytime I think of this, I always have a strange memory from when I was much younger. My parents told me so many stories about the Sun, and I loved hearing about them. One day, I tried to look closer at the Sun. Let’s just say that I never did that again. Shelly never let that go.

I was more than excited for this day, though. Seventeen years old and I felt like I was a five year old getting ice cream for the first time.

Princess Celestia was my idol. I always wanted to go to bed early at night just so my parents could tell me more bedtime stories about her. How she came to rule Equestria, and all that she did to keep us safe. If I could get the chance to meet her, even to just say ‘hello’… I’d likely die happy.

Princess Celestia meant a lot to me. That’s why this day was so important.

The Sun was on the cusp of the horizon, waiting to be called upon. Not a single cloud was hanging in the sky. Baltimare’s weather teams made sure that this day was the perfect day for the biggest event of the year.

The Summer Sun Celebration. Baltimare was the lucky city chosen this year to host the Princess’s arrival.

I thought getting up this early would have helped me in getting a close spot to the Princess. Instead… We were running from the angriest group of seagulls I had ever seen.

“FIN! WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Shelly yelled as we ran for our lives down the street.

“It may have something to do with a cinnamon roll! That I may have tried to steal!” Fin replied in between his panting.

“YOU IDIOT!”

We dashed around a corner, kiting the flock of furious seagulls behind us. Fin lagged behind.

“Keep going! I’ll guide them away! Remember meeee!”

Making a sharp turn into a separate alleyway, Fin ran out of sight, bringing the angry seagulls with him. Their squawking faded off.

Shelly’s brother Fin was a nice guy. But I hoped the gulls would chase him to the ends of Equestria for this flop in our plan. Even then, I couldn’t help but beam from the thrill as my chest heaved from the long sprint.

Shelly and I stopped at the end of the alley and arrived at main street, blocked by the massive crowd of ponies already there for the precession. The huge mass of ponies, of all colors and all ages, was almost impossible to find our way through.

“We’re never gonna get anywhere in this crowd.” I breathed.

Shelly quickly looked around, breaking into a cunning grin as she spotted a solution to our problem.

“There! That lamp post!”

“What about it?”

“We can use it to get you a view! You can climb it!”

I stuttered uncontrollably.

“W-what?? I can’t, but… w-what about you?”

“This isn’t about me, Chorus! It’s about you getting to see your role model in a once in a lifetime chance!”

“It’s not really once in a lifetime though! The precession will come again another year! If I climb that thing it will definitely be a once in my life ending thing!!” I replied. I was shaking just at the thought of being so high up.

“No time to say no! Come on!”

With Shelly’s help, I managed to climb up to the rim of the light, hanging on to the top of the post for dear life as the precession made its way by. A sea of color cheering from both sides of the cordoned off street. Rows of golden-clad royal guards adorned with bright purple cloaks marched just below.

And there she was. In the very center of the rolling float with the golden throne. Princess Celestia.

She sat and waved to the adoring crowds with a pleasant smile, so motherly and sage-like. No story could capture her brilliance in person. And even atop the most precarious of perches, I felt blessed just to be able to see her.

CREEAAK

“…Oh no….”

The lamp post suddenly shuddered at the base, the chilling screech of its metal causing me to tighten my grip. The ground began to approach me as the pole bent forward like a drawbridge.

“CRRAAAAAPP!!”

I screamed in terror as the snapping pole landed right in the middle of the precession, throwing me into the column of guards. They did little to cushion me, their armor serving as my hard and painful pillows.

Nothing felt broken, but I hadn’t felt as hurt and embarrassed like that ever before. The crowds watching gasped, many falling silent.

As some of the guards beneath me shoved me aside, the rest of the column looked on while some guards leapt to defend the Princess’ float, thinking there was some kind of attack.

A pegasus mare, a captain based on her differing armor, quickly approached me.

“We don’t need a stupid kid interrupting the Princess’ procession. Let’s go.” The stern captain said as she clamped down on my arm, lifting me up while barking orders at another guard to escort me away. It would be better than having the entire crowd keep staring at me.

That’s when she spoke.

“Hold one moment, captain.”

Lifting herself from the throne, Princess Celestia descended the steps of the float and stood before me. I bowed my head as quickly as the captain did, only lifting it when the Princess gave permission.

“I can only assume you were on top of that lamp post to get a better view of the procession.” Said the Princess. Her mane flowed beautifully with the sunlight.

“Y-y-yes. Y-you’re, uhm… Uh… I look up to you.”

Princess Celestia giggled gingerly.

“Well, it seemed as though you were looking down at me for a moment there.” She smiled.

I was a jabbering mess. Princess Celestia just giggled at me. This was better than anything. Ever.

“Nevertheless, you should be more careful. You could have been seriously hurt. And I would not want a pony to be hurt during a visit of mine. You are…?”

“C-Chorus. My name’s Chorus.”

“Chorus. Will you promise to be more careful the next time you need a better view?”

“Y-yes! I promise.”

“Good. Thank you. Captain?”

“Yes, Princess.” The mare said.

“Please escort Chorus off the street. With respect, if you will.”

“Of course.”

Princess Celestia waved goodbye to me as I was given escort to the side of the street. The procession was soon back underway, proceeding as if nothing had obstructed it. The onlookers resumed their usual cheering as Shelly came to get me.

“Chorus! You ok? By the Sun, you got to talk to the Princess!”

“I… I… Talked… Princess Celestia. I…”

I had passed out seconds later, A huge grin stuck on my lips.

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I thought back to the life I had lived in Baltimare. All of the adventures, fun with family and friends, and all that I had learned. It would all come to this point. A decision that would change my life.

Now, nineteen and still growing, I was ready. Ready to dedicate the next three years of my life to train and become one of Princess Celestia’s royal guards.

This was it. I was finally doing it. Pledging myself to protect Princess Celestia. To repay her for all of her kindness and wisdom in ruling Equestria, and for keeping us all safe.

The line in front of the recruiting officer’s stand wasn’t too long. I was all signed up before I knew it, toting my signed form which dictated the date and place to go for my training. I was so excited, that I didn’t see the familiar mare standing right in front of me.

“Careful there! You’re going to have to have better awareness if you’re going to make it in the royal guard.”

“Shelly?” I gasped, “You didn’t…”

Proudly, with one hand on her hip, she held up her signed form, still fresh with the purple ink of the certification stamp. We both wildly grinned, as though we had gotten our cutie marks all over again.

“Why’d you decide to join? I thought you were going into oceanography!”

“I had a change of heart. Figured that it might be more fun to learn what it was like to be a part of the guard. Your folks were ok with it?” Shelly asked.

“Mom and Dad took it well. They’ll miss me… and I’ll miss them. But I think they will worry less once I let them know you’ll be with me.”

Shelly wrapped me in a warm embrace. We smiled and laughed with glee, the bond we shared the strongest thing we knew.

“Royal guards ‘til the end, eh?” Shelly grinned.

“Just because we’re stepping into a new stage of our lives doesn’t mean you can go and change up our motto.” I replied, smirking.

“Alright. Then how about… The best mare I’ve ever known, and the closest of ponies, until the end.”

I smiled, reaching to hold Shelly’s hand. “Until the end.”

Fall; Canterlot Routine

It was me… or him.

I held my double bladed sword tightly as I set up my combat stance. Feet apart, weapon held at my right. Both hands firmly on the hilt. I was ready.

My opponent stood determined, awaiting my next move with heightened clarity. I had to be unpredictable with my next move, and fast.

Pressing a foot forward, I spun into him with my double bladed sword, swinging it upwards to slice with both blades in one swift motion.

“Hyah-AHHFFUUAAAK!”

It would have been a fatal blow, if I hadn’t lost my balance.

One blade connected, but the grip followed instead of the other blade. The mistake sent me stepping back a few paces as I let out a curse from beneath my breath.

I realized that my pitiful attack actually did wound my opponent. He was staggered, though still readying to come at me with desperate force.

Recovering as fast as I could, I sloppily jutted the closest end of my sword straight into his chest. It was the last hit he could take, shuddering before falling to the ground as he slid off of my blade.

The scene of his corpse was horrific to witness. Pieces settling on the floor, limbs twitching, tufts of cotton spewing forth like an endless waterfall of fluffiness.

Alright, it wasn’t like that. It was like one cotton ball.

I lifted the training dummy from the ground and set him upright. Some straw was sticking out from the gashes and holes I had made on his rough, fabric skin. I brushed off the excess straw and patted down the rest.

“Sorry to put you through all this punishment, Mr. dummy. But you are a training dummy for a reason.”

I took a few seconds to pause and collect myself, readying for another go at my combat stance. Before I committed to another try, I peeked at the open textbook I had set against the training room wall; Weapons of Old, Double-bladed Swords Mastery. There were countless kinds of stances and forms to learn, but most would take years to even get the hang of. I had already made the decision the moment I picked this thing up from the old armory that I would only focus on the basics. Even though this weapon could be incredibly dangerous to the user, it’s still freaking awesome.

I stepped close to the wall to take a brief look at the book-marked chapter two, stances and motions. I set my weapon down as I pulled out an awkwardly folded paper from my pocket, containing a host of scribbled notes. Writing things down had always helped me study for tests. I figured it would apply the same way with self-taught weapons training.

“Ok… Feet apart, stance two. Double blade held at hip level... Push forward, swing upward, then… Then… Spin? No…”

My ears twitched at the sound of a knock on the training room door. A very familiar mare came in, bearing a smirk and a swagger as she laid eyes on me.

“I thought I heard the fighting noises of a warrior try-hard at it again.”

“They’re not ‘fighting noises’, Shelly, they’re battle cries. They help me focus on practicing.” I replied. One would think a best friend would be a little more supportive. Though it wouldn’t be Shelly if she didn’t tease me constantly.

“Sure it does,” Shelly said, rolling her teal eyes, “I still don’t understand why you keep practicing with that thing. It’s as old as weapons can get. And it’s not like you can use it in a swordplay competition or anything, it’s too exotic.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. It gives me something to do though. Good exercise too.”

Shelly set her backpack down on the floor. She crossed her arms with a casting glance to the ceiling, as if suddenly doubting her decision to visit me.

“You know what’s good exercise? Going for a run. Or maybe hitting the gym. Or actually making yourself a routine to get the right amount of balanced workout every day.”

“What? I do have a balanced work out! Using my double bladed sword makes me use more than my arms. I also have these unique stances, and-”

“Pfft. Chorus.” Shelly said as she bit her lip to hold back her laughter.

“Alright fine, I don’t have a ‘routine’. But I want more time to learn how to use this, and there’s hardly any time in between our duties.”

“I swear you’re inseparable from that thing.” Shelly remarked with a chuckle as she went over to the equipment closet. She pulled out a longsword and a padded sheath and tossed two more my way. I caught one with my spare hand while the other gently fell beside my foot.

Shelly smiled, wrapping the sheath on her sword as I scooped the other one from off the floor. “If you’re so invested in that weapon, let’s see how well you can use it against a smart opponent.”

I hesitated. “Uh… I don’t think I’m at that stage in the book yet.”

“Come now, dearest Chorus!” Shelly exclaimed, taking on a city elite accent, “Surely you have the desire to prove your skills to me! Shelly, the mistress of duelists!”

“That’s a lame title.” I smiled.

Shelly gasped. “How dare you! Cloak your blades, fool! So that I may beat-eth your sorry butt back to kindergarten!”

Shelly immediately assumed a defensive stance as she prepared to receive me in battle. I just finished securing the padded sheathes upon both ends of my blade and quickly went into my own stance.

I didn’t normally spar with Shelly. Today was different though. She seemed more energetic, and in a good mood despite the daily grind.

Calling upon my training, I stepped forward towards Shelly with my double bladed sword primed for an upward slash. Shelly anticipated this, and effortlessly dodged to her right.

I wheeled around to follow just as Shelly brought her sword down upon me, forcing me to raise my weapon in a defensive staff position. Her blow was staggering, showing me just how much strength she was using. She wasn’t holding back.

Rebuking her move, I shoved her away and decided to use a form of attack I was still learning. It was a spinning strike, consisting mostly of raising my double bladed sword above my head and ending the spin on a downward and powerful slash.

I was amazed at myself when I actually pulled off the move, making several spins and delivering my attack on point. Though Shelly had also dodged this, in a way I was happy she did. Seeing the impactful hole I made in the floor from the tip of the blade alone made me glad she didn’t have to block that.

Shelly made ample use of the few seconds which I spent in awe at my accomplishment to bash her weapon into my side, forcefully knocking me to the ground and causing me to lose grip of my blade. I hastily flipped onto my back, only to have Shelly’s padded weapon pointed directly at my nose.

“Wow. I wasn’t expecting that kind of attack! Did you learn that from your book?” Shelly asked, lowering her weapon and reaching her hand down to me.

“I did. I can’t believe I managed to pull it off,” I said as I grasped Shelly’s hand. She lifted me up onto my feet, “Though it didn’t help me much. You’re still stronger than me.”

“Physically, maybe. But I know for a fact you’re smarter than me. You’d make a fantastic officer, you know.”

“Being a leader isn’t for me. I’d just rather follow orders.”

“I hope you’re not saying that just because you failed the officer school entrance exam.”

“No!... Ok, maybe. No one else here has failed it three times though…”

Shelly placed her hand on my shoulder, smiling at me. “You gotta stop doubting yourself, Chorus. If you actually committed yourself, you’d be next in line for Captain of the Guard in no time!”

I nodded wearily as we put away our equipment and gathered our belongings. We left the training room, making our way down the hallway of the barracks.

“I’ll think about it. But I think I’m fine where I am right now.”

“If you say so. C’mon. Let’s go get some Sun.”

With our golden armor on and spears in hand, Shelly and I walked on the outskirts of the castle grounds. Daily patrols around Canterlot did little more than stretch our legs and hurt our feet. I guess the only benefits were interacting with ponies who needed a hand or had questions, but aside from that, it was anything but fun. Duty to the Princesses by hiking in circles. Woo.

We rounded about the marble stone walls and began our route alongside the river. The castle’s sky bridge loomed over us as we passed underneath, its huge stone supports towering to our sides. The bridge stretched across the river, its end connecting to the Canterlot History Museum. I’d been to the museum a few times since being stationed here in the capital. It was nice to learn about the exhibits they had, but they didn’t change much. Once you were there a few times, you’d basically seen everything. Shame really. Museums are awesome.

Plenty of citizens were out and about on the warm, spring day. Ponies sat at cafes across the river, enjoying the gentle breeze brought in by the weather teams. Geese floated on the flowing water. A small band played their strings to the calm of the city. It was a good day.

Our path arced slightly as we walked upriver. My daydreaming was interrupted when my ears snapped forward as I noticed a pair of lunar guards pass us by. They gave us a nod of comradery as they continued walking. Their eyes were hidden behind darkened shades to protect them from the Sun’s light.

Noctrals were a strange people. They’re not a very outgoing group, hardly ever stepping out into the daylight. It was only fairly recently with the return of Princess Luna had they been more out and about in society. Seeing the Lunar guards on shift in the middle of the day was a surprising change, but the guard commanders probably had their reasons for it. Some guards were given leave to visit their families for the Spring Planting Festival, so they were likely covering for them.

“Look who’s being busy!”

Shelly’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. A familiar sight was ahead of us.

Along the stone wall to our left stood a set of scaffoldings lining the path. Stone carving tools lied on the wooden platforms as a pair of ponies worked on refurbishing the castle wall. Beside the toolkit, a unicorn stallion, with a mahogany coat and brown mane, levitated a chisel up to the pegasus mare floating above him. The mare, fur as dark and deep as charcoal, took the chisel in hand, though stopped as she saw us approach. Her lips broke into a smile.

“Shelly! And Chorus! My favorite pair of guards!”

The mare let out a tiny squee as she fluttered down to the ground, leaving her tools on the scaffolding. Even with our armor on, she had little issue in drawing us into a big hug. I nearly dropped my spear from the squeeze.

“It’s nice to see you again, Jet.” I managed to speak, “You too, Clay.”

“Same to you, Chorus!” Said Clay, “Hope you two have been well.”

Shelly crossed her arms as Jet pulled away. “So, have you two love birds finally found time for your honeymoon yet? You know it isn’t official until you actually stop working your butts off, right?”

Jet giggled. “Oh goodness… It’s been tough. Clay and I are still trying to find a time to fit it in, but we have our eyes on a nice little resort down in Bridle Shores. We’re hoping to find time once the restoration projects are done.”

“Hopefully they go smoothly for you guys. As much as Canterlot could use the touch up, you guys deserve time off more.”

“Aw, thank you! I’m sure it won’t be much longer.” Jet blushed as her blue eyes met the ground.

I nodded and smiled once more. “We should be going, we’ve still got our patrols to finish.”

“Of course, sorry for holding you up. Clay and I have to get back to work too. Have a lovely day you two!” Jet grinned as she and Clay waved goodbye. They returned to their work as Shelly and I continued on our path.

“Oh, wait!”

Jet’s voice caught us just before we went out of earshot.

“I forgot to ask, did you hear about the new exhibit at the museum?”

“What? The museum does new exhibits now?” I asked excitedly.

“It’s a new thing, apparently. The new exhibit is on one of Mage Meadowbrook’s eight enchanted items! It was just discovered in an archaeological dig somewhere. I figured I would let you know, since you two like the museum. You should go have a look!”

“That’s awesome! We’ll be sure to stop by when we are off. Have a good one!”

I waved goodbye once more as Jet returned to her work. It was nice of her to let us know about that exhibit. Anything that brought a bit more diversity to the museum was a good thing in my book. Breaking Canterlot’s monotony of late would be a boon to travelers as well.

Shelly let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Welp, back to the boring routine. Hey, you wanna ditch for the day?”

I stopped in my tracks. “Shelly, we can’t ditch, not again. Even if patrol is boring, it’s our job. We have to be watchful for any danger.”

“Danger?” Shelly scoffed, “Have you forgotten the time we live in, Chorus? Anything that ever threatened us has been beat by the Element bearers! We don’t have anything to worry about anymore. Princess Twilight and her friends do our job for us when it really matters, so why waste our time on patrol when we can go have fun?”

I frowned. “How will we explain this one to the captain?”

“Easy,” Shelly sleuthed, “We’ve covered the most important places, and we stopped to help our mason friends with some of their tedious labor. After graciously helping a few Equestrian citizens, we decided to alter our route to pass by the museum to see if anymore ponies needed our help.”

“We didn’t… That’ll never work and you know it.” I said wryly.

“A bad excuse is better than no excuse.”

“That’s the worst piece of advice I’ve ever heard.”

“Aww come on! Trust me on this, Chorus! We’ll get to see that new exhibit!” Shelly pleaded, casting her puppy-eyes and scrunched snout at me.

I couldn’t bear that face. Not because it was cute. It looked weird when a tall pony did that.

“Alright, alright… Let’s go to the museum.”

My fur rustled at the brush of cool air circling within the museum. It was a notable change in temperature from the heat outside, and definitely for the better. I was suddenly reminded of how often Shelly complains about not having a spring guard’s uniform.

The ground floor lobby was bustling with ponies. Families, tourists and everyone in between were enjoying the cold air as they perused the displays. Fossils of long-dead creatures were encased in giant frames which were held up along the massive walls. Artifacts of world history stood on pedestals to be admired and studied. A giant flag of Equestria hung between two enormous pillars, flowing proudly above the museum-goers. A Spring Planting Festival banner hung beside it.

Shelly and I followed the arrow signs towards the new exhibits while trying our best to appear on duty. It didn’t help that we stood out like sore thumbs with all our armor on. Though luckily it wasn’t long before we entered the large hall containing the new additions to the museum’s collection.

We approached a glass case situated at the center of the exhibit, casted under a low-setting light. Within it laid a cane. There was nothing outstanding about it, aside from it looking hand crafted from some kind of ash-colored bark. I’ve seen elders use canes of similar make sometimes.

“A cane? That’s weird. Doesn’t seem very magical-looking.” I muttered. Shelly had stepped to my left, gazing down at the podium bearing the item’s facts. She read the passage aloud.

“’The Prodigy’s Cane. The Mage Meadowbrook’s First Enchanted Item. The creator of the Prodigy’s Cane is unknown, and it is questioned by scholars how the item even came into Meadowbrook’s possession, as there was never any mention of it in her recorded memoirs. It is the only one of her enchanted items to not be made by her own magical crafting…”

“Meadowbrook didn’t make it? Huh. Where did it come from?” I wondered.

Shelly rubbed her chin. “Says here it was discovered in ruins found in the southern region of the Griffin Kingdoms. The ruins were pretty unique, apparently. There are no other sites like it. And that the scholars don’t even know what the cane is actually made out of…”

Before I could spew more of my thoughts, a whisper interrupted me.

“Did the Princess send you two to steal the cane?”

Shelly and I whisked around to find a stallion in between us. He failed to hold back a grin as Shelly punched him in the chest.

“Fin! I swear if you’re skipping class again…” She exclaimed somewhat hushed. Her brother only laughed.

“No, no! Sis, I haven’t skipped in forever! I’m here doing work for my new internship. Hi, Chorus!” Fin explained.

“Hi, Fin.” I waved with a smile. Fin had moved to Canterlot to study at the university. He loved everything about ancient history and archaeology. It was no surprise he decided to pursue an internship here at the museum.

“Pretty cool exhibit here, huh! Did you read about the Prodigy’s Cane?”

I nodded. “We just did. It’s so cool.”

“Wanna meet the guy who found it?”

I thought about declining as our duties popped back in my head. It was risky enough already with just only a few minutes spent off patrol. Unfortunately, Shelly spoke up on behalf of both of us.

“We’ve got time to kill. It would be awesome to meet him!”

“Heck yeah! Follow me!”

Only a few paces towards the back of the hall had us arrive at a service door, labeled as the research archives for museum administrators. A set of stairs led us up to the floor above, giving way to a set of windows that overlooked the sky bridge extending from the museum below. Turning into another entrance brought us to a packed archive, filled with cluttered shelves, filing cabinets and overloaded desks. It gave way to several individual offices, one of which Fin knocked and pushed open.

The small office was packed with books, papers, and relics. Huge maps of the various nations and regions plastered the walls, the largest map being of the Crystal Empire. A tiny statuette resembling an alicorn rested on the corner of the cluttered desk.

A stallion was sitting on the other side, fiddling with something to himself. Fin knocked on the side of the doorway, causing the stallion to spin his chair around. He kept his eyes on the object in his hands.

“Oh! You’re going to love this, my dear Fin! The little sphere from the geological section isn’t just a rock! I cleaned out the inside, listen!”

The stallion gleefully shook the sphere. A little rattling came from it. He laughed before finally looking up.

“It’s just like… Oh! I see you brought friends, Fin! Yes? Perhaps? Hmm.” The stallion spoke. The only thing I could focus on was his white, bushy mustache. His eyebrows were also very distracting.

“Quick, before I compliment your sphere; Professor Walnut, I’d like you to meet my big sister Shelly, and our friend, Chorus. They’re both a very important part of the Princess’ royal guard.” Fin said, adding some embellishment to his words. Shelly rolled her eyes.

Professor Walnut immediately leapt to his feet, coming to greet us. His coat of fur was a pale cream in color, slightly darker than his mane. He was unusually energetic for an earth pony his age. I wondered if it was the smell of coffee on him that answered why.

“A wonderful pleasure to meet you!” The professor said, shaking my hand and Shelly’s with enthusiasm, “I’m Professor Walnut. Historian, geologist, anthropologist, astronomer, part-time psychologist, and, most importantly, ancients-era archaeologist! Now… I can fancy a guess that you’re here to hear about my discovery of the Prodigy’s Cane! Yes?”

“Yes! It’s great to meet you, Professor. So you and your team found the cane?” Shelly asked.

Professor Walnut brushed his mustache. He briefly scrunched his snout. “Yes, yes. Regularly I’m part of an expedition, but this time I was completely on my own. I do a lot of personal exploring when I can! And one day, I happen upon that marvelous discovery! Fancy that!”

“Wow, really? That must’ve been an amazing feeling when you found it! What were the odds?” I piped in. Professor Walnut grinned.

“Oh yes! It was simply astounding! I couldn’t being to describe. And it’s so humorous what happened to me there! Well, not so much humorous, but more enlightening beyond anything I could comprehend. What I saw was… was… Well, it was rather… Oh...”

Professor Walnut trailed off, his expression dropping suddenly. It seemed like his was suddenly in pain.

“… Oops! I seem to be teaching a class soon. I’ll… continue this story another time. Yes! I should be on my way. Pleasure to meet you again, truly! Please stop by again! More often! Yes? Wonderful! Good day!”

In a flash, Professor Walnut grabbed a bag from his desk and flew out of the office, disappearing into the halls. The three of us stood in awe, trying to understand what just happened.

“… Huuhh… He’s usually finishes his story every time. He’s not even teaching any classes today.” Fin noted, scratching his ear.

“Is he ok?” I asked.

“I think he’ll be fine. By the way, shouldn’t you guys still be on patrol right now?”

“Oh crap… We’ve been here way too long!” I exclaimed, glancing at the clock in the office. “Shelly! What are we gonna tell the captain?”

Shelly cracked a smile. “Relax, I’ve got a good story cooked up. Fin will vouch for us, right bro?”

“Uhh… sure?”

“Shelly, you know she isn’t going to fall for this one. We’ve done this way too many times now! It won’t work!” I warned.

“Don’t worry! It’ll work.”

I sighed. “… Famous last words.”

“I told you it wouldn’t work.”

“Fine, fine, you were right. But the captain’s always stuck up like that.”

I closed the door behind us as we stepped into our room. It was a good thing that the barracks was mostly empty. I was less than happy.

“I can’t believe this. Now we have mailroom duty tomorrow. Do you know how stupid that is? It’s not something a guard should be doing! We won’t even get to be part of the procession tomorrow!”

“Hey now… Don’t be getting grumpy on me. Don’t tell me you didn’t have fun today.”

I couldn’t help but crack a smile, despite my frustration.

“Yeah… I guess so. It was nice to see Fin again. And Jet and Clay, too. And Professor Walnut was an… interesting character.”

My fears quickly returned to me as I started to pace. Shelly plopped herself on her bed.

“If we keep this up we could be… we could be dishonorably discharged from the Royal Guard! Just like the guard commander was…”

“Hold on,” Shelly said, raising a finger, “One; No we won’t. Two; Guard commander Crimson wasn’t discharged. He was just demoted and re-stationed in the Crystal Empire.”

I shuddered. “That’s just as bad! I mean, nothing against Princess Cadence or Shining Armor, but I heard it can get cold on the fringes of the patrols there. And it’s so far away from the capital.”

“Even if you were, for whatever ridiculous reason, shipped out there, you would at the most only have two more years of duty. You could leave after that.”

I fell silent. Shelly quickly caught on to my thoughts.

“Buuut… You’re worried about after that too.”

“Yes.” I said meekly, “I… haven’t really been able to figure out my own special talent. I think I make a good guard but… I don’t think that’s because of my cutie mark. I have no idea what I’ll do if I leave the guard. I’d rather stay in.”

“Well, I make a good guard and that’s not because of my cutie mark. But if you’re so concerned about picking up something after, then you can always try officer’s school again.”

I groaned with a hesitant tone.

“You never quit worrying, do you?” Shelly rolled her eyes, though her expression slowly smoothed out. “You know what? You could use something to take your mind off of those nasty worries.”

I couldn’t think quick enough to ask what she meant before I turned around. What I saw before me told me everything in Shelly’s meaning.

“Shelly… stop.” I quivered slightly.

She kept grinning at me as she lied down on her cot, legs crossed and a hand on her hip. Stripped down to nothing but her underwear. She always got a kick from seeing me blush.

“You sure you’re not up for it? You know how stressful life can be here. You gotta release all that… tension, every now and then.”

Her voice started to fade into that zone. That slow and sweet zone which made me wish I could taste sound. Sweet Celestia that sounded corny in my head.

“No, Shelly, stop. I would really like to find a night to spend with a stallion at some point.” I blurted.

“Since when did your barn door swing the other way?”

“No, no, it still swings the other way. Er, your way. Ours! Aggh...” I rubbed my forehead, only imagining how awful I was sounding, “I just… would like to actually spend some time dating a stallion for once. I never really have before, and… yeah.”

“Awww… Are mares like me not good enough?” Shelly said with a noticeable curve in her tone. She was being sarcastic and playful at the same time, like always.

“No, I don’t mean it that way. And I’m sorry if I came off as thinking that. I still like mares, I just… think I’m bi now. I just want to find the other half of things, you know?”

“No, I don’t.” Shelly replied wittily, “But I understand what you mean. Sort of. Kinda hard since I’m only for mares, but I get it.”

Shelly was up from the cot, standing to my side as we gazed out the tiny window we had.

“Listen. I promise I won’t bother you anymore about sharing another wild night. But would you consider just one more time? You know you’ll never find a mare who can push your buttons like I do.”

I would have rolled my eyes at Shelly’s smooth-talking, had she not pulled me by the hips and placed her lips along the crease of my ear. I could only gasp in delight as she focused on one of my weakest spots.

I didn’t even say a word of approval. I whisked around and planted my lips on hers, causing her to giggle. Our hands didn’t need a guide to know where to go as we found ourselves on the bed.

Shelly was more of a good friend than an actual lover to me. We never actually had a date before or anything. Most would call our relationship ‘friends with benefits’, but that never seemed right to me. It was just how we clicked together. Her flirting and my curiosity. It felt both amazing and a little stranger every time. But I know for a fact that I didn’t regret that night.

That was the last good night’s sleep I would get for a long, long time.

Fall; Torn

“… Mmmph… Mhhybe fwe fhon’t hafhhe tuh stahp righ’ afhway… ‘Fhelly?”

I spat out the pillow and wiped off the drool hanging from the corner of my mouth. My head throbbed and my legs ached, like I just ran a few miles and then slammed headfirst into a wall.

That usually meant we went a little overboard.

Shelly was my best friend, but sometimes our relationship got a little too crazy. ‘Friends with benefits’ had always been the way we identified ourselves, though there were times when Shelly treated us like we were a couple. Especially in bed… Or at least, that was how I saw it.

There wasn’t anything wrong with that. I loved her as any best friend would. I couldn’t imagine my life without her. I just hoped that I’d have the confidence someday to let her know that I wasn’t looking to marry her. If only I could find a way to say it without hurting her….

Rubbing my eyes open, I noticed the bed was empty, covers piled on the floor. Shelly wasn’t here. Maybe she went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

I hadn’t even managed to pry myself from the bed before the door suddenly opened. Shelly burst through and slammed it shut, pressing her back against it.

“Woah! Shelly! What’s gotten into you?” I asked, startled.

I expected her to crack some kind of joke about the night before, but something was wrong. She didn’t even look at me. Her eyes were wide and her chest was heaving, as if she had just witnessed something terrifying.

“…W-We have to leave.”

“Did we sleep in again? I haven’t checked-”

“No, Chorus,” Shelly interrupted, her voice suddenly much more frightened, “Something’s happening. I think… I think we’re under attack.”

“W-what?” I said. Shelly ran and grabbed what clothes she could find, hastily putting them on and throwing some to me as I got to my feet.

“Get dressed! We need to get out of here!”

“I don’t understand, Shelly, what’s happening? Who’s attacking us?”

“Chorus!” Shelly turned to face me, trying to keep her voice down. Her hands clamped around my shoulders, “I don’t know what’s happening. The whole barracks is in chaos. Some huge, antlered people I’ve never seen before are grabbing mares left and right. Even stallions in the guard are helping them! We NEED to leave!”

I heard the horror in Shelly’s words. I had never seen her this scared before.

“O-ok. What do we do?”

“We need to find weapons, but the armory’s too far. We can try for the training room and then head to the back exit of the barracks. We’ll take the sky bridge across the river and find our way from there.”

I nodded nervously. We finished getting on our clothes, putting on our padded vestments which we normally wore underneath our armor. Sweat dripped from my head as I lined up behind Shelly, facing the door.

“Stay close, ok, Chorus? We’ll be fine if we stick together.” Shelly said. I could tell she was trying her best to soothe me, even when she was frightened. I felt safe, she felt safe too.

I took a deep breath. My hand found its way onto Shelly’s shoulder.

“Ok. Let’s go.”

The halls were eerily empty. Commotions and cries of help echoed from far away. It was like some pony decided to pull a huge prank just to scare us to death. Except none of this was a joke, if Shelly was right about what she saw. Her quivering breath and jittering hands told me what she saw must have been real.

We skulked along as quickly as we could, hugging the walls and peeking around corners. It didn’t take as long as we had thought to reach the training room. I felt a bit safer knowing we were about to get our hands on a means of defense.

I got lost in my hopes for a second, bumping into Shelly as she stopped at the edge of training room’s open doors. Sounds of struggle and commanding voices carried out from the other side. We both leaned out to see for ourselves.

The training room was anything but empty.

Dozens of mares from our guard unit were being corralled here. I picked out plenty of familiar faces, friends who Shelly and I have had duties, patrols and outings with. Many of them were completely naked, a huge pile of stripped and torn clothing and broken armor clotting one corner of the room. Keeping them captive was a sizeable group of the strangers Shelly described before; an antlered people, brown-furred, tall and muscular. Most had only small patches of armor strapped to them and little else. I’d never seen so many penises in one place before.

With them were stallions, the very same guards which we’d seen and worked with every day, helping to restrain their own friends. I couldn’t believe it, even when I saw it right in front of me. We had lunch with these guys only yesterday. How could they be doing this?!

One by one, the captured mares were tied up in varying ways, each of them receiving some sort of black collar. One of the strangers carried several of the collars on him, clamping them onto each mare with a strange form of magic I had never seen before. Symbols of some kind were etched along the backs of the collars as they snapped into place. The stranger also carried red collars among those that were black, but he didn’t use any of them.

Some of the mares tried to struggle, with little effect. Those that had enough strength to actively resist were brutally beaten. One of the pegasus mares had her wings tied so tightly that they looked like they might snap in half at any moment. A unicorn was so badly pummeled that she couldn’t even muster any magic from her horn. The stallions and the strangers shared laughs as they sifted through the defeated mares like giving out spoils from a battle.

“Make sure we have the whole barracks swept clean. I want all of the weapons found and disposed of.” Commanded one of the strangers, a leader by the looks of him. Some of his subordinates heeded his orders, but none of them were in a rush. Many kept their focus on the captive guards they’d collected thus far.

As the leader went into the storage closet, another stranger chose a mare at random, stuffing something into her mouth and tossing her to the floor. I did everything in my power to hold back a gasp of horror as the stranger grabbed hold of her bound wrists with one huge hand and fitted his erect penis into her without any hesitation. He groaned and uttered some kind of curse in a foreign language as he pushed down on the mare’s back, forcing her rear to ride him further up. She whimpered, squinting her eyes shut in pain.

As the stranger relentlessly plowed into her, the mare’s eyes flew open and caught sight of Shelly and I. She tried to push words through her gag in a desperate attempt to call for help, to ask us to rescue her. Her words were only muffled screams.

Instead of trying to think of some way to save her, I could only reel in fear of possibly being spotted by one of the strangers. Shelly jerked similarly, pushing me to get us back behind the corner and out of sight.

“Shelly, w-we…” my voice trembled, “There has to be a way to help them. R-right?”

Shelly slowly shook her head, her eyes glued to the floor. “I… I don’t think there’s anything we can do for them right now. Even if we had weapons, there’s no way we could hold off that many… We’d end up just like them… We’ll find a way to save them later. Right now, we need to get out of here and get to the sky bridge.”

A part of me refused to believe her. There had to be a way to save them. To somehow beat the odds and free our fellow guards… But I knew that Shelly was right. We would’ve gotten ourselves caught. Running away was the only option… I just hoped they’d forgive us.

We reached one of the back exits of the barracks after fleeing the training room. It was a quick dash to the sky bridge from there. Some luck decided to come our way as we found the bridge to be unobstructed. Bright green and yellow decorations still adorned the bridge in celebration of the Spring Planting Festival. They did little to comfort us.

We stepped onto the bridge and began to cross, only stopping at the peak of its arch to look at the city below.

It was happening everywhere.

Mares were chased down, subdued, and dragged or carried from their homes and through the streets. Stallions of every shape and size were committing acts of horror which I could never have imagined, even in my nightmares. Seizing mares, beating them and violating them in every way they could. All while being helped by the strangers, who spurred them on as they joined in their twisted pleasure.

On our usual river-side patrol routes below, some guards were trying to fight back. A unicorn mare cast a spell towards one of the armor-clad invaders, but it did nothing, the colorful aura dissipating like mist from the chest plate of the stranger. Glowing rods crackling with electricity were brought down upon the royal guards in retaliation. Those hit by the shock-weapons were inflicted with spasms and fell to the ground, convulsing in pain. They were slowly overwhelmed.

I guess this was what it was like to be conquered.

I tried to pull myself away from the terror which engulfed our city, turning my head and squeezing my eyes shut. Shelly tugged at my shoulder, gesturing me to look up.

The sky was a bright and shining hue of pink. A magical barrier had encased the entire city, having wrapped Canterlot within a bubble-like shield. I recognized the spell instantly.

“That’s Captain Shining Armor’s barrier. I didn’t know he was here…”

“I guess we’re lucky then. Maybe there’s still a chance for us to fight.” Shelly remarked.

My worries wouldn’t go away. “But… Something’s still wrong about all of this. Where are the Princesses? Where are the Element bearers? Why haven’t they done anything yet?”

Shelly grew silent. I didn’t think she wanted to even guess what might have happened to the leaders and heroes who she spoke of so highly only a day before.

“I’m… sure they are going to come through for us. They have to. For now, we need to keep moving.”

There was effort behind Shelly’s words. She tried her best to stay hopeful. I did too.

We crossed the sky bridge and entered into the Canterlot Museum’s upper floors. It was deserted, with not a single soul in sight. Whether that was good or bad was something to be discovered as we hurriedly skulked through the narrow halls of the research offices.

I stopped in my tracks as I caught a faint muttering coming from a nearby office door, which belonged to Professor Walnut. I poked Shelly to get her attention and motioned towards the sound. She scanned the hallway and kept a lookout while I wrapped my hand around the doorknob.

I twisted the knob and quickly pushed to make as little sound as possible, but the door thwarted me. I failed to notice that the door was slightly left ajar. My weight nearly caused me to fall as it swung open. It slammed against a bookshelf near its hinges, shaking the texts and relic-like objects resting there. The desk in the center of the office shifted with an audible bump.

Professor Walnut poked out from underneath. He held one hand on the top of his head and a strange sword quivering in the other.

“Ooooowwwwgghh sweet honey iced teeeaaa why did I invooolve myself in that stuudyyy-! Whu- pl-… Moonlight’s graces! The two young guards from yesterday! Shelly and… Chorus, yes? Th-thank heavens you’re safe.” The Professor rattled. He seemed like his normal self, but Shelly and I still kept our distance. I left the door open in case we needed to run.

“Professor Walnut. Are you ok?” Shelly asked cautiously.

Walnut placed his sword on top of his desk and showed his hands to us. “I’m utterly terrified and have been having agonizing migraines since only a few hours ago, which now have been aggrandized from my skull’s impact with my desk. I’m still me, I assure you. But I completely comprehend your caution. For some bizarre reason, nearly all of the stallions in the city are joining these caribou in their occupation…”

“Caribou?” I interrupted, “Is that who they are?”

“Indeed, an antlered race not very well known to us. We’ve not interacted with them for millennia. I’m not surprised you did not know of them.” Said the Professor as he reached up to a nearby shelf to pull down a stack of binders stuffed with notes.

“We can talk about all that once we get some place safe. Can you help us, Professor?” Shelly asked.

Professor Walnut gestured to the sword on his desk as he stuffed as many binders, notes and files into a satchel as he could.
“I was hoping not to subject it to actual combat, but… That sword will be much more viable for our defense in your capable hands. It is a rare gladius, something the museum has been looking to display. Unfortunately, it has undoubtedly seen better days. I do hope you can still wield it effectively. And please, take it as a sign of my utmost and desperate wish for your trust in me.”

Shelly took the old sword and gave it a feel. The edges were dull, and the length was much shorter than most swords used today. Even so, I felt safe with it in Shelly’s hand, even if it did look like it would snap in half the moment it hit something. She was the better swordsmare out of the two of us.

Shelly nodded, “Thank you, Professor Walnut. It’ll do.”

“Superb,” Said the Professor, “Now, as for our place of refuge. The city exits have been blockaded by the aggressors. My home is not too far from here. It is a short whiles towards the markets. It’s not very noticeable to the outsiders, so I believe it will be the best place for us to seek shelter would be there. We can chart a course using the east-side alleyways. I’ll lead the way.”

The Professor slung his satchel bag full of belongings over his shoulder, finding some trouble from the books and papers already in his hands. Shelly spoke up, asking something about staying stealthy while on the move, and that perhaps she should take the lead since she had our only weapon. I found myself staring at Professor Walnut as he replied in earnest. His eyes darted wildly and his breath was short. Uncertainty reflected in his posture, his expression and his words. His fear was the same as our own. That was enough for us to trust him. Whatever plan was made between the stallions of Canterlot and these caribou, the Professor never got the memo.

“Ok. It’s better than nothing. Ready to go, Chorus?” Asked Shelly as she turned to me.

I glanced up with a jolt. My eyes met hers.

“Ready.”

The three of us picked up a jog to the stairwell. Professor Walnut with all his studies, Shelly with the blunt sword, and myself with… well, nothing. It wasn’t long before we made it down to the new exhibit hall, dashing past all of the displays. The museum was completely overturned. Ponies ran inside desperately seeking a place to hide, with the invaders close behind, uprooting and smashing everything in their sights to catch them. It was such a storm of destruction that somehow we went unnoticed on our way to a side exit.

Professor Walnut stopped in his tracks, glancing over to the display case of the Prodigy’s Cane. It was still there, untouched and pristine, just waiting to be destroyed with everything else. Shelly quickly grabbed hold of Walnut’s shoulder, stealing a glimpse at the cane as well.

“Leave it, Professor!” Shelly urged. She managed to tear away the Professor and resume our course.

I glanced back at the chaos as we left, noticing a caribou approach the case. He smashed it with a fist, and took the cane as his own.

The storm of cries and carnage faded as we delved into the city alleyways. The invasion was spreading. Every time we turned a corner or dashed across the open to another alley, we were a step ahead of the deluge of forces sweeping through the streets. But it was all too easy to be reminded that Canterlot was infested with these caribou and their allies at every turn.

One alleyway finally gave us some respite. The walls flanking us were tall and encapsulating. A thick stench of something left over from unattended sewage ravaged our snouts, but the shelter the alley provided helped us to overcome the smell.

As our tired feet slowed down to a quiet pace, Shelly broke the silence.

“Have you seen Fin, Professor?”

Professor Walnut kept his body forward, still navigating the stones beneath him. It took him a few seconds to respond.

“I’m a-afraid I’m not sure where he is… I hadn’t heard from him today, not a hint. My apologies, I… I’m sure he’s safe and sound. He’s a smart one, that one.”

The Professor’s words were strained. He was trying his best to remain positive, or at least coherent. Shelly let the silence settle back in.

Though she tried her best to hide it, Shelly shifted uncomfortably as we went, wracked with worry. I tried to imagine what it would be like if Mom or Dad were here, somewhere, lost in this city. I couldn’t stomach those thoughts.

We jumped into another alley. An intersection lied ahead, branching paths hidden behind corners.

Within my wandering thoughts, I started to entertain the possibility of just escaping from the city itself. After all, shield spell’s like Commander Shining Armor’s had to be tailored to bar entry to a specific magic or entity, like it had been during the changeling threat. That had to be the reason why it was up, to prevent any more caribou from coming in from any entrance to the city. If we could find a clear exit, we would be able to just walk right through-

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A pair of heavy hands belonging to a gruff voice grabbed hold of my waist. They swung me around effortlessly, flinging me back towards the way we came. I counted on my arm and shoulder to absorb my impact as I hit the ground. The cobblestones felt more painful than they appeared, but that wasn’t the reason why I flinched.

A caribou had found us. He had his sights set on me, so much so that I swear I could feel his eyes cutting right through any defenses I could even think of mustering.

Before the lumbering caribou could once again grab me, a coarse slash of steel echoed against the walls from behind. He reeled in pain, stepping to the side to reveal Shelly, who had brought the old short sword in a sweeping arc across his back. Blood was drawn, but that didn’t seem to faze the caribou in the slightest.

The caribou loudly cursed and unhooked a weapon from his waist; a long steel rod, which spewed little bouts of electricity.

“Watch out!” I warned. Shelly already had her eyes on the shock baton, bringing her short sword into a defensive stance.

With a massive swing, the caribou slammed his shock baton into Shelly’s sword. The impact forced her to step back. She winced as her sword almost buckled.

The caribou swung again and again, though Shelly weaved in between each strike. She tried to go for a slice at his arm, but she couldn’t get close enough. I could tell she wasn’t happy with the sword’s lack of reach.

Everything was happening so quickly. I snapped myself out of my frozen state and tried to find a way to help. There was hardly anything in this alley. An empty trashcan was the only object I could notice. If a sword did so little damage, then a trash can would be like giving him a backrub.

My eyes whisked back to the fight. Shelly had made a daring move and lunged forward, managing to land a blow on the caribou’s knee.

The caribou only grunted. He swung his shock baton right into Shelly’s shoulder. The blunt sword flew from her hand as she gripped her arm, jolting to the ground. She yelled through her gritted teeth.

My legs sprang into action before I could think. With as much power as I could muster in the short distance, I crashed myself into the caribou’s waist, taking both of us to the ground. The shock baton slid away as I fell unto his back.

Immediately I found myself flung back to the stone beneath us. The caribou’s attention redirected to me, though not for long.

THWACK

Shelly stood above the now still caribou, holding the shock baton in hand. She let it drop to the ground.

“Are-Are you two uninjured?” Professor Walnut asked, peering from his hiding place behind a nearby archway.

Shelly winced as she touched her shoulder. A hole in her shirt and a patch of singed fur marked her wound.

“Shelly-”

“I’m fine.” She said. She scooped the blunt sword in one hand and my own hand in the other to help me to my feet. I felt her hand tremble before she pulled away.

“C’mon… We’ve got to get moving. Lead the way, Professor.”

Our lungs were heaving by the time we finished running. Professor Walnut’s home was in front of us. The tiny house stood near the edge of a complex of similar houses, all connected under the same white stone frame.

The sky above us brightened. Commander Shining Armor’s bubble shield receded, dissolving into nothing but glimmering specks slowly drifting through the air. We had to hide, and quickly.

Professor Walnut shared our sense of urgency and clamored up the small flight of steps, hastily digging into his pockets for his key. He shoved it into the lock and opened the front door.

“Come, my friends! I’ll show you where you can stay.” He said, already bursting past the door.

I jumped up the stairs and stepped foot into the tucked away home. A strange musk filled into my nose, reminding me of a basement full of family photographs collecting dust. The foyer was adorned with antique furniture extending into what looked like a living room. A small plant on one of the tables was shedding its leaves.

“We made it, Shelly. Looks like we’ll… Shelly?”

The door was still open behind me. I stepped back outside.

Shelly stood at the bottom of the steps, staring up at me.

“Shelly, come on! They could find us!”

She didn’t say anything. All she did was give me a heartbroken stare.

“…I have to go find my brother. I can’t leave him.”

I didn’t know what to say in that moment. All I wanted to do was grab Shelly and bring her inside, to keep her safe.

But I couldn’t do that. Fin was still out there somewhere. And I knew Shelly wouldn’t stop looking out for him, even in a time like this. If it were my brother, I would’ve done the same.

“I’ll be back as soon as I find him… I promise you I’ll be back.”

“I’ll go with you.” I stammered as I leapt down the steps to her.

“No. I won’t risk losing you along the way. I can find Fin and bring him back easier on my own. You know me. You need to trust me on this.”

Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t move or think. I just stood there, staring at Shelly’s teal eyes as she looked back into mine.

Something took hold of me. An urge of nothing but instinct.

I stepped forward and kissed Shelly. Her body tensed, but soon relaxed as her arms pulled me closer.
For what felt like an eternity lasted only a second. Our lips parted.

“Y-you better come back.”

“I promise, Chorus… To the best of mares, and the closest of ponies, until the end.” Shelly said. She spoke the very same words she said to me the day we signed up for the royal guard.

I nodded.

“… Until the end.”

Shelly pulled away, and with short sword in hand, disappeared back into the alleys…

Fall; Prison of Safety

Two weeks later

…

Shelly never came back…

Every night, I lied awake and told myself that she was ok. That she had found Fin and hid somewhere, waiting for the chance to try and make it back to us. Things will somehow get better soon, I’d utter to myself as muffled cries seeped through the walls from the homes next door. Each time my head found the pillow, I cried myself to sleep.

My new home was a former closet, tucked-away in a hardly-lit basement. Two small cots were squeezed into the tiny space. Neither one was very comfortable, though Professor Walnut was gracious enough to give me sheets and pillows from his own room for me to use. They helped in making these past two weeks a little more survivable.

Professor Walnut’s basement was, at its core, a workshop; books, desks, cabinets, racks, and shelves took up most of the available space, brimming with tools and boxes and relics. It was the perfect kind of cave for an archaeologist with a lot of research to do. Or maybe, in this case, an overworked college professor.

After doing a series of stretches I learned in the royal guard to keep my limbs awake, I roamed around the basement as part of my current routine, skimming over old, dusty documents and fingering through files kept within neat, plastic coverings. A giant rock carved into the shape of a chair sat in the corner. A note on it said ‘do not sit’. It wasn’t the only piece of stone to have a warning sign on it.

Speaking of warnings, I took special care to stay away from the house’s boiler room. Professor Walnut informed me of a large metal drum stored across from the boiler, explaining that the drum contained an unrefined gas produced from notoriously dangerous dragon powder. The gas was apparently something archaeologists used to preserve artifacts marred by the elements of nature, though that was only the case for when the gas was refined. If the boiler room’s drum of gas was released, it would, and I quote; ‘Envelope and bathe the entire house in a searing cloud of toxic miasma that would melt our skin and choke our lungs. Slowly.’

Why in Equestria did Walnut have to give me all of that detail? It’s hard enough sleeping at night without knowing my new home could literally become my own slow and painful death.

As per the usual time, the Professor had gone outside. Once he had learned that it was safe for him to venture out, he started gathering supplies, assessing Canterlot’s state and recovering undamaged museum pieces when he could. Apparently, as a stallion, the invaders and traitors didn’t suspect him of harboring me. Though from what Walnut had told me, mares were being hunted.

Everything as we knew it was torn away from us. These caribou, and the stallions who helped them, were enslaving mares, declaring them to be sex objects and property. They proclaimed that males were the superior sex, and that the male and the male alone had the inherent right to rule over females in every aspect. I’d seen what these caribou had been doing from the day they arrived, but from what Walnut saw, it was much bigger. Equestria was being conquered, and this new rule was set on destroying our way of life and replacing it with something twisted.

I remember asking myself on the day it all happened where the Princesses and the Elements were. When were our selfless protectors going to save us? Why were our heroes not doing anything? I remember much more clearly the news Walnut had brought me only a few days after staying with him.

The leader of the caribou, a king they call Dainn, defeated Princess Celestia.

I’ve had feelings like this before, during the changeling attack on Canterlot. That was the moment every pony realized how fallible our Princesses could be. I had a hard time accepting it, and I had a hard time accepting it now too. Back then though, the Elements helped save us. They were Princess Celestia’s vital fail-safes; True heroes she groomed in case she, or her sister, could not shoulder the burden of protecting Equestria. The Elements and Princess Luna were also defeated and captured by the caribou, but that didn’t strike me as much as the other revelation Walnut gave me.

Fear had gripped me most when learning of all this. But that fear was nothing compared to the anger I felt when Walnut told me the true nature of Captain Shining Armor’s shield spell, cast on the day of the Fall. It was not protecting us. It was trapping us. Ponies desperately trying to escape the city were stopped by the immovable wall of magic he placed. He was one of the traitors, along with his own wife, Princess Cadence. They allowed all of this to happen. They saved us when Chrysalis attacked Canterlot, and now they betrayed us?! How… How could they?!

As much as I had never felt so much rage, expressing it was difficult. News had become a daily thorn to me, constantly jabbing me and ripping into me ever since I began my stay here with Professor Walnut. Even when I was closed off and buried beneath the happenings of the world, I still couldn’t find any solace.

At this point, my thoughts stopped. I heard an opening of the front door, followed by an irregular pattering of footsteps making their way down to the basement. It sounded like Professor Walnut was taking his time while carrying something cumbersome.

I didn’t expect that cumbersome thing to be an old friend.

“… Is that… Jet?”

“Help me bring her to the cot, would you, Chorus?”

I aided Walnut in guiding Jet to the spare cot in my closet-turned-sleeping quarters. We gently sat her down, joining her on the edge of the cot.

The mare before me was Jet in appearance. Same light charcoal coat, reminiscent of the gem she’s named after. Same grey mane, same grey eyes. But the mare that made her who she was didn’t seem to be there. Her breathing was heavy and slow. Her arms jittered occasionally as she held herself.

I was so fixated on the empty, horrified stare in Jet’s eyes that I failed to notice the clearest signs of her ordeal. A black collar sat firmly around her neck. I had seen those before, but this is was the first time I had seen what the caribou do to pegasi. In place of her wings, Jet sported two box-like sheathes. The material was similar to that of the collar, with etched runes marking the surface as well.

“… What did they do to you, Jet?” I whispered.

Jet’s breathing calmed. Her head turned slightly towards me.

“… P-plucked…”

I almost echoed her words in disbelief. I turned to the Professor just as he stood up to walk to the center of the basement. Glancing at Jet to make sure she wasn’t in any further distress, I lifted myself to my feet and followed him.

Walnut forced out a chilling sigh. His eyes met the floor, his hand wiping the lingering sweat on his brow. Only now did I realize he was panting.

“I discovered her at an… an auction. Her husband was selling her.”

“Her husband…? C-Clay sold her?” I uttered the name with venom. He was with these traitors all along. “How did you manage to buy her?”

“W-well, I… Bits are nearly useless now. The caribou use gold stags, of which I had a few from my ventures this week. I carried enough to offer for the purchase, along with adding the pretense that I had yet to find a sla-… a slave.”

Walnut brought his eyes up to mine. He tried to form words for another thought, but stopped short. His hand found its way onto my shoulder, resting there for a few seconds before pulling away. “… I’ll go get some things for Jet.”

I nodded as Walnut vanished back up the stairs.

Now there were three of us.

I returned to Jet’s side. She still sat on the cot, though she was more responsive than before. I nearly jumped when she mumbled my name.

“… Chorus.”

She sounded like a husk of her former self. Far from the once jolly stone mason I used to see on patrol.

“… Tell your friend… t-that I’m glad he saved me. Is… Is it just you?”

I took a seat next to her. “I will. And… yeah. It’s just me.”

Jet trailed off once more. She didn’t ask any more questions. I couldn’t tell if it was simply her recessing into shock, or she had a feeling that asking me if Shelly or Fin had made it would have been hurtful.

The only thing I could muster to myself was a tiny spark of happiness. Jet was anything but ok… But she had managed to make it here, to safety with us. Maybe the same would happen to others dwelling in my thoughts.

Two months in hiding

I lifted a quill to the torn sheet of paper pinned just above the writing desk and checked off today’s box. It was a tracing of the calendar Walnut kept upstairs. At this point, we’d made it routine for me to stay in the basement as much as possible. Wasn’t long before it became harder to keep track of the days as they slowly crawled by, unless I peeked out of the tiny basement window. Considering our decision, it wasn’t worth the risk.

Creaks from the basement stairs signaled Jet’s arrival. She gripped the railing as she wobbled down the steps. Everything about her was haggard and worn. All that covered her was a bed sheet she held against her chest. The sheaths choking her wings prevented her from wearing most regular clothes. We managed to cut the backs off a few oversized shirts Walnut gave up, but it wasn’t much.

Jet tossed aside a ball gag clutched in her fist. She sat herself down on her cot and fished for one of her modified shirts from the box underneath.

I chose not to say anything. Jet always looked to be in too much pain after having to entertain guests which forced themselves into Walnut’s home. If he had a choice, Walnut wouldn’t put Jet through any of it. But they came to the necessary agreement of working together to keep up the guise of accepting the new regime’s laws. Even if it took its toll on Jet every day and night.

Somewhere deep down I ordered myself to offer to take Jet’s place. She had been through everything unimaginable. Her husband tortured her and then sold her. She shouldn’t have had to go through this too. But my own conscience put down my urge. I remember once already pleading with Walnut to let Jet rest and have me take her place. He wouldn’t allow it, noting that if the caribou or stallion ‘inspectors’ knew of me, they’d wonder where I’d come from. It was too much of a risk.

That’s what almost everything was nowadays. A risk.

I wasn’t ashamed for asking. Though I felt ashamed for the part of me which was thankful to be hidden away. I loathed myself for being given the cursed fortune of being spared from all these horrors while those around me had no such luck.

Before I could snap myself back, I heard Jet’s bare footsteps stop beside me.

“Hello…”

“Hey, Jet. Uhh… Uhm… Are you…?”

“… Fine…” Jet said, her tone dull, “Are you writing something?”

I noticed the quill was still in my hand. “Nah, I was just checking off the calendar. Did I sleep in?”

“Yeah… Its past noon. Though it’s cloudy, so you wouldn’t be able to tell much, even if you looked past the curtains…” Jet noted, glancing at the carefully covered basement window.

“Shoot. I gotta catch up with my exercises.” I mumbled.

Jet skulked back to the closet space, sitting back down on her cot. I followed her in and sat on my cot across from her.

This was when I first noticed the book in Jet’s lap.

“Is that a new book? Did Walnut give it to you?” I asked.

Jet nodded slowly and lifted up the face of the book. The Catacombs; Canterlot’s Ancient Foundations.

I tilted my head. “The Canterlot Catacombs? That sounds up your alley.”

“Yeah,” Jet bobbed her head, “I’ve been… in them before.”

My ears shot up in interest at Jet’s words. The catacombs buried beneath Canterlot were a labyrinth as old as the founding of Equestria itself. The underground ruins were considered by architects to be what anchored Canterlot on its mountain-side perch. Rumors ran across pages of history books and speculative writers that the complex structure was used to quarantine forbidden forms of magic, from ancient, power-hungry amulets to outlawed spells and practices which warped nature through the study of abhorrent techniques, such as blood magic or necromancy. Those rumors had only been mildly successful in driving up intrigue, enough to convince some to buy a useless book.

Only the Princesses really knew if the catacombs held such dangers, but even they knew little about it. All knowledge of the catacombs had been lost to time, the only stories surviving being casted into myth. One thing was for certain; the catacombs carried a strange magic which protected it. Expeditions into it in the past had proven that the maze had adverse effects on the mind, confusing a pony’s sense of direction and even effecting their memories. Less than a handful of explorers who dared to map the labyrinth ever came back out.

“Y-you’ve been in the catacombs? When? How? You couldn’t… That’s illegal, you know! Not even guard commanders are allowed down there!” I exclaimed. The rule of law regarding the catacombs was drilled into our heads upon being stationed in the city. No pony was allowed down there under any circumstances. That was one of the reasons why the royal guard made their headquarters as part of the castle grounds. The crystal caverns beneath the castle had the largest and most easily-accessible entrance to the catacombs.

Jet paused, though kept flipping through the book’s pages. It didn’t seem like she was actually reading any of it.

“Sorry… I knew it was illegal. I thought that, knowing some architecture, I could try to… navigate it. I did… Somehow… Found myself in passageways which led to the base of the mountain, and away from the city…”

If it was a regular conversation, I would have felt pure amazement at the mere thought. Jet was the first pony to have gone into the catacombs and found her way through them. But this wasn’t a regular conversation. I picked up on Jet’s subtle hints.

“… Jet, are you thinking about using the catacombs to escape?”

I studied Jet closely as I waited for any kind of response. Her posture and exhausted expression remained the same, even as she lifted her head from the book towards me. She didn’t need to say a word. I could see her answer in the way she looked at me.

“J-Jet, listen, I… I want to escape too, I want all of us to escape as much as you do…” I struggled to find the words I wanted, “B-but… we’re safe. It’s too dangerous to make any rash attempts now. We have to wait, until we know we can make it to the catacombs or whichever point safely. There’s… too much to risk if we try too quickly.”

Jet stared at me, then glanced back to her book. She silently closed it. “… I understand.”

Her words scraped against my ears like sandpaper. They only brought hopelessness and misery in meaning. It made me feel like I had just crushed her entire idea of possibly leaving this torturous existence. I felt like a coward.

“I didn’t- didn’t mean to upset you, Jet, I’m sorry. We’ll find a way, I promise.”

I switched over to Jet’s cot and sat beside her. Two months was a long time to be in hiding with someone, in cramped quarters with hardly any privacy. Even with so much time, Jet was still reluctant to any form of comforting. I quickly stopped myself from instinctively trying to place my hand on her shoulder.

Jet seemed to appreciate my best efforts. She sighed and stood up.

“I’m, ah… Going to find something to eat.” Jet said.

As I watched Jet leave the cots and search for food in the basement pantry, I couldn’t take my mind off of how I reacted to the hope of escape. Escaping Canterlot should be our primary plan for the future. We can’t stay in hiding forever…

But I was afraid, even if I didn’t realize it. Nearly every pony I cared for was lost in the rapid and torrential Fall. The one who I cared for most braved that storm to find her family, only to become lost in it.

… Maybe I just couldn’t stand the thought of losing myself, too.

The basement air felt heavy and thick. What was just a dusty basement had now become a fully lived-in space, complete with a collective stench of everything imaginable. From our own sweat-soaked and sweat-dried fur and hair, to the only working toilet down here losing all of its water. The cleaning chemicals Walnut offered to use only made it worse. The only way I could shrug off the malodors was to pick up my staff and keep myself busy.

I went in and out of my practice motions, trying my best to give weight to the staff as if I was holding my double bladed sword. Behind my closed eyes the basement that was my refuge faded away and transformed into the spacious and brightly lit training room at the castle ground barracks. The large walls that would echo my all-too childish fighting noises surrounded me, light seeping through their windows. The only thing missing was my instructions book for my exotic weapon. If only I had managed to save my notes.

Warm memories like those were comforting to replay in my thoughts, but I made sure to keep myself grounded. I wasn’t in the barracks anymore. And sound was a delicate thing that needed to be kept just as muted as our own existence beneath this house.

I kept my breaths and huffs as hushed as I could as Jet lied fast asleep on her cot. She had spent the majority of yesterday upstairs with Walnut. Her time up there had been almost constant ever since the beginning of the week. Walnut’s persistent visitors apparently took a liking to seeing him. Maybe there were advantages with that kind of friendliness to our conquerors, but Walnut was never happy about it. I suppose it was better than being a recluse though. The closer we were to the enemy, the farther we were from being noticed. That was a quote from some pony, I think.

Just as I decided I was done exercising for the day, the gentle click of the basement door gave way to Professor Walnut. He tip-toed down the creaking steps with a pile of books and papers in his arms.

“How is Jet?” He whispered to me. He slid his belongings onto the writing desk by the curtained window.

“Sleeping well,” I replied just as quietly, “She’s exhausted.”

Walnut couldn’t hold back a sigh. “I… I’m aware of the desperation of times like these, however… I can’t stop loathing myself for all of the crimes I’ve committed against her. I’m considering pleading with Jet to transition to a red collar.”

“You want her to transition? What’s the difference?” I asked, concerned.

“The caribou utilize a class-like system for their slaves, based on colors. Black, what Jet possesses now, is given to unwilling and resistant slaves. They are treated the most harshly. Red collars signify willingness, and are favored and treated somewhat better. Less pain, less trauma. More prized, if you will. Jet could ask for a red collar if she proclaims to be willing of her enslavement. It would help alleviate her exhaustion and torment…”

At this point in time, I had grown to trust Walnut with my life. The same self-loathing he just spoke of stuck to every word he uttered, especially with regards to Jet. He was truly looking for the best way to make things easier for her.

Walnut decided to shrug off the subject before I could try to console him. “So, it seems as though you are making good use of that old staff, yes? I’m glad it suits your needs.”

The staff I used as my proxy weapon was found by Walnut while he was scavenging for literature to save from the book burnings. He gave it to me as a present, something to ‘soothe my spirit’, as he put it. It does help, from time to time.

“Thanks, Professor. It’s been a great help when it comes to taking my mind off things.”

“I’m beyond pleased to hear that.”

Walnut turned his attention to the desk, sorting out the items he had brought down; studies, graphs and maps. As with most of his recent recoveries, these documents and literary works all had one subject in common; The Crystal Empire. I never asked exactly why he was gathering things about the Empire. What other reason does a scholar like him need to rescue pieces of history than for the sake of preserving it?

The Professor snapped me from my thoughts.

“I have a proposition for you, Chorus. A petition for your help with a project of mine…”

“A project?” I asked. Scholarly research wasn’t my field of expertise. Was he going to ask me to go out to salvage with him? No, he wouldn’t. That’d be suicide.

As I expected him to continue, Walnut abruptly turned away, walking to the far end of the basement to dig through shelves of boxes used for mailing and shipping items. It wasn’t long before he returned with something.

A rectangular box rested in Professor Walnut’s hands. Though it shared the same look as every other ancient thing down here, this box was unique. Its design spoke towards an older era, like a work of art created to stand out among everything else that history would create. It had no visible lock or pin to open it.

The Professor stopped. He froze like a statue and sighed deeply. As if he was about to cross a potential line that would have an unknown consequence. Or, perhaps, he was about to do something he had been planning to do for a long time.

Walnut pressed a tiny button on the side of the box. The top flipped open.

There was a collection of small objects inside. An old wooden smoking pipe, a rusted and dull medal of some kind, and a tiny shard of a red crystal, like something found in the Crystal Empire. But those were not what caught my eye as the Professor placed the box on the desk.

Walnut laid his hands into the box and carefully pulled out one of the strangest objects I had ever seen.

It was a cylinder, slightly bigger than a regular thermos. Its surface was a silver chrome, still glistening as though it was recently painted. Small indents marked the cylinder in a pattern which looked completely alien. I had never seen anything like it.

I found myself staring at the cylinder for quite some time, before the Professor caught my attention.

“… I feel as though I should continue my story.”

“Huh?”

“Do you recall when we first met? Fin had introduced me to you and… Shelly. And you had inquired to me about the Prodigy’s Cane. Fin might have told you that I enjoy telling that story often, however… I have never told it truthfully to some pony before. But now, I wish to tell you…

“… I had discovered the Prodigy’s Cane in a place called the Remnant Fell, a location with punishing terrain and dangerous weather in the southern Griffin Kingdoms. I do not know why, but I was gripped by an urge to explore this place on my own. I did so, and delved into an ancient complex of circular ruins which I decreed as the ‘Corona’. At its very center stood an enormous tower… At its base, I found the Cane. A series of… events, which followed, led me to realize that the Cane was a powerful artifact as old as the Corona ruins themselves. It was not made by the mage Meadowbrook, but by someone far older. Its abilities are untold, and now I fear it to be lost in the mayhem of the Fall…”

A memory flashed in my head of the day it happened. We were running out of the museum as caribou were destroying everything.

“I remember seeing a caribou take the Cane from its case in the museum. Are you saying we need to find it?”

Walnut shook his head. “No. It could be anywhere by now. There would be no possibility of us finding it.”

I nodded. “So then what’s the cylinder?”

“I cannot say.”

“You can’t say? Like you don’t know what it is?”

“No. I know exactly what it is. I cannot tell you.”

My ears twitched as I tried to comprehend him. “But I thought you had just said you were going to tell your story truthfully for the first time?”

“I did, indeed, say that. And the truth is that I cannot tell you. At the very most I can disclose, this object is very, very special. It was… given to me, so that I may give it to its proper owner. It is of great importance that it remains safe with me until then.”

“Professor Walnut, why are you telling me this? And why aren’t you telling Jet?”

Walnut’s eyes dropped to the floor. “As a… precaution. I do not know what might happen to us. I want to make sure at least you are aware of something that has taken up a great deal of importance in my life. As for Jet… It is not her fault, but… Jet has been in a state which I do not believe to be reliable for keeping secrets. Please, do not mistake my words as hurtful. She has been through much. But I’d rather speak to you than her.”

In the time I was listening to Walnut, I tried to fill in the blanks of his life’s story involving these artifacts. Did Princess Celestia give them to him to safe-keep in case anything happened, and the ruins were just a front to hide their origin? Or was Walnut some sort of agent for a group which new the truths of the past and the possible causes of the Fall? Ok, maybe I’m dipping too much into wild guesses. Was he an eccentric, boisterous and probably crazy stallion? Yes. But a liar? I don’t think so.

Walnut had already started speaking again. I quickly tuned back in to him.

“… been digressing somewhat this entire time. My initial proposition to you was to ask for your help in my research on the Crystal Empire. You see… due to my experiences and knowledge of such ancient artifacts as the Cane and the Cylinder, I have a suspicion as to why the Fall was so successful. I’m aware that you are no true scholar, but the amount of material I have here is quite a lot for one pony to go through. If I could have your help with this, Chorus, it would help me, and hopefully those in the future, understand just what led us to become so vulnerable.”

There was something about Walnut’s words which struck me as unusually bright. He had been speaking as though he had some kind of clue to the outcome of everything. That he had knowledge he didn’t fully understand, but knew that it meant there was hope for the future. I’d ask him about it, but he’d probably say he couldn’t tell me, for whatever reason. Thinking of it only made me anxious.

“Alright, Professor. I’ll help you with your research.”

A satisfied grin quickly appeared on Walnut’s mustached muzzle.

“Thank you. I’m truly grateful to be able to trust you with this, Chorus. In these times… trust is something that does not exist out there.”

Walnut left the cylinder’s box open as he ascended the stairs and disappeared behind the basement door.

I ran my fingers along the edges of the ancient box, once more gazing at the ominous cylinder which sat within it. It was only now when I noticed what was on the inside of the box’s lid; a small, folded note, like something found tagged onto a birthday gift.

Curiosity compelled me to read it.

For the mare with two minds.

This is the key.

- W.

One year in hiding

I never realized you could lose track of losing track of time. A few months of hiding away and I couldn’t tell what day of the week it was. Now, after a whole year… I don’t even remember it being a year. More like an eternity.

This was the usual rhetoric of creeping insanity that I’d murmur to myself from time to time. Though helping Walnut’s research on the Crystal Empire and spending time with Jet helped, the best cure for this was the writing desk by the curtained window. This is where I wrote whatever was on my mind to once again take myself away from the world. I scribbled thoughts and little stories of adventure and discovery onto whatever free paper was available, telling tales of brave explorers searching through the caverns of a dormant volcano, uncovering a citadel on the Moon, and finding artifacts of a long-forgotten civilization. It didn’t help that Walnut’s mysterious Cylinder was stuck in my mind, now that I was technically the co-guardian of it, or something.

In between the amateur epics and paper monologues, I’d find space to write letters. I’d written dozens upon dozens to my friends back home, to my parents, to Shelly… Every time I put the quill to the lines and wrote out their names, I thought it would bring me some kind of comfort. It never really did…

I stared emptily at the blank page in front of me, ready with quill in hand to pour my thoughts out.

… tap tap… tap…

My ears swiveled. That sound...

… tap… tap.

It was coming from the window.

I pushed back my chair and peeked past the window’s curtain. There, curiously peering back at me, was a pigeon. It might have been looking for seeds which could have rolled towards the window. I dismissed it for a moment, only to swing back to the bird as I noticed the emblazoned crest it carried around its neck.

“You’re a carrier pigeon!”

Carefully pushing open the window, I invited the pigeon with an open hand to come inside. It cooed softly and hopped onto my hand as I let the window fall back into place. The tiny crest resting around its neck had the symbol of the royal guard’s messengers. Pigeon’s like this one were often used to ferry letters quickly, usually from one city to another if the distance was short enough.

I gently stroked the bird’s chest as its claws gripped onto my finger. Sometimes I envied ponies who could understand what animals were saying. It must’ve been like opening a whole new world and the knowledge which came with it. Luckily, I didn’t need to understand this pigeon. Animals serving alongside the royal guard were trained to recognize its members. Somehow this pigeon found me here, even after an entire year…

I slipped a finger down the other side of the chiseled crest, searching for the tiny slot that would hold the bird’s assigned message. The slot was empty.

“No messages then. If you found me down here though, then maybe…”

An idea clicked in my mind. Whether it was a good one or a bad one, I didn’t care.

Placing the pigeon onto the desk, I scooped up my quill and tore out a small sheet of paper from the notepad. I wrote quickly on the scrap of paper and folded it into the tiniest square I could.

The pigeon trilled at me. It seemed interested in the note as I tucked it behind its crest, making sure it was secure.

“Alright, uhh… Do you have a name?”

The pigeon cooed once.

“Ah, right. Can’t understand you. Well, I hope you don’t mind if I call you something. How about… Hope?”

Another coo, though this one was peppier.

“I’ll take that as a yes!” I grinned.

With Hope in my hand, I stood up and pushed open the basement window. I lifted Hope up to the edge.

“Hope… I need you to go out and find a mare named Shelly. She’s a royal guard, like me. Aqua colored coat, teal mane and eyes. Well… You know, I don’t even know if you can see in color or not. Well, please, just try to find her and deliver that message. And if you can’t find her, look for any other ponies who could help us out and give the message to them. Can you do that?”

Hope’s head cocked and uttered what I decided was an understanding tweet.

“Thank you. Be safe, little guy. Er, girl. Whichever you are.”

With a flutter, Hope darted out of the window and zoomed out in sight. I shut the window and drew the curtain over it.

“You’re my only hope, Hope… I really should've picked a better name.” I mumbled as I returned to my seat at the desk. I fiddled with the quill and rested my head on my hand.

I couldn’t get my mind off of what I’d just done. I literally just tried to use a bird as a way to find help. I had never even spent time with any of the guard’s animal messengers here in Canterlot. Was this how desperation looked like? Somehow I could only smile at the concept of actually being crazy.

No. I made the right decision. I took an opportunity to let others know where I am. More importantly, there was a chance that I might reunite with the one pony who I wished every night that I could see again.

Hope’s teal feathers reminded me of Shelly.