Winds of Change

Chapters

Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres
Ahuizotl Makes His Move
Enter Talon
Great Escapes

Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres

Winds of Change
Chapter One: Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres

It had seemed like such an easy job. A simple case of walking through the front door, and a quick grab and go. On an ordinary day, a heist like this wouldn’t even faze Galeforce for a minute; but this was no ordinary day…
Galeforce pushed open the door to the Carousel Boutique with his hoof, and looked into the room. There was no sign of anypony working there, and also no security measures in place. Celestia bless Ponyville and it’s naïve citizens, Galeforce thought to himself as he entered the room. They have no idea what true crime is like.
He passed from one room to the next, keeping a sharp eye out for anything valuable. Finally, he came to a studio at the end of the hall; where he found a bag of jewels waiting for him on the table. The bag contained far more than what he needed, and he rubbed his hooves together in excitement. Without skipping a beat, he grabbed the bag with his teeth; and turned around to leave... only to be met by a furious unicorn named Rarity.
“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” she demanded to know, as she charged her horn in a threatening manner.
“Name’s Galeforce,” he answered her, as he spread his wings. “Step aside, and you won’t be harmed.”
“Nopony steals from my Boutique!” she shouted at the thief, as she stepped directly in his path. She fired a blast of unicorn magic towards him, knocking him backwards into an assortment of dresses on a rack.
Galeforce chuckled cruelly, and spread his wings in an instant. He flapped them hard enough to send a blast of wind to his attacker, knocking her to the ground as well. He then flew up towards the ceiling, and then towards a window. “Remember this day, my dear,” he mocked her with contempt. “This is the day you lost it all to the mighty Galeforce, Thief Lord of Equestria!”

“Stop!” was all Rarity could say, as the bandit royal made his hasty escape.

Galeforce flew across the skyline of Ponyville, with his newly acquired treasure stowed squarely between his wings. He knew that the contents of the bag would be more than enough to buy his freedom from his oppressors, and he would be able to retire peacefully from the Darkened Hoof as a free (and wealthy) pegasus. His day had finally come, if only he could pull off one last escape. His eyes scanned the horizon for a place where he could lie low for a while, until he finally spotted an apple farm in the distance. The perfect hideout, he thought to himself. Nopony will ever find me in a place that big.

He landed just outside the front of the farm, where a large Earth pony was pulling a cart full of apples. “Hello,” Galeforce greeted him warmly. “Would you happen to have an extra room for a weary traveler?”

The large pony thought for a minute, then gave a simple “Eeyup.”

“How much would it cost me?” Galeforce asked, as he gently shook his bag of jewels off his back.

“It’s free,” the large pony answered him, “provided y’all are willing to work for it.”

“Thank you very much, mister…” Galeforce stated with uncertainty.

“Big Macintosh,” Big Mac told him, before getting back to work.

Galeforce trotted away from his newfound colleague, and headed towards the large red barn ahead of him. It was there that he found a smaller pony wearing a brown hat, who was just finishing up her lunch.

“Hello, miss,” Galeforce greeted her warmly. “I’m the new guy around here, and was wondering if you could tell me who I might see about a job.”

“That’d be me, partner,” she answered him, in her thick Southern accent. “Name’s Applejack, and it’s a pleasure to meet ya.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Applejack,” Galeforce responded, with all the suaveness he could muster. “Where can I start?”

“Meet me in the apple field in ten minutes,” she said. “You and I are gonna do some applebuckin’.”

As Applejack and Galeforce worked together to clear the apples from the trees, she could not stop asking him questions. “So where are y’all from?” she asked, kicking the tree behind her as hard as she could.

“Cloudsdale,” Galeforce told her, with total honesty.

“My friend Rainbow Dash is from Cloudsdale too, you ever met her before?” Applejack asked him.

Galeforce thought for a minute, for he knew the name but couldn’t place it to a face. Then he remembered that she was at the Best Young Fliers Competition, and how interested the Darkened Hoof had been in recruiting her after seeing the Sonic Rainboom. “Unfortunately, I don’t know who that is exactly,” he lied; as he hastily kicked an apple tree. His kick landed awkwardly on the trunk, causing him to slip off and fall to the ground.

“Whoa, are y’all okay?” Applejack asked, as she hurried over to check on him.

“I’m fine,” Galeforce answered her, surprised by her genuine concern for somepony she had only recently met. “Just a little…tired.”

“Come on, then,” Applejack told him, in a kind but disappointed voice. “I’ll show ya to yer room.”

With that being said, Applejack led the (unbeknownst to her) Thief Lord of Equestria back to the Apple family home, where a fresh bed was waiting for him.

Later that night, Galeforce tossed and turned in his bed; as his mind filled with nightmares of his past. He remembered being back outside that tavern in Las Pegasus, where his criminal career began. He could recall the carriage with great detail, and the contents inside it: a bag of apples and a couple of old books. As his imaginary self reached for that cursed bag of apples, Galeforce could only cringe in despair; for he knew exactly what was coming next.

“Hey, you!” a voice called out in the distance. It was the voice of Ahuizotl, the former arch-nemesis of Daring Do and current leader of the Darkened Hand (the criminal syndicate responsible for all organized crime in Equestria). “What are you doing?”

Galeforce felt himself freeze in place, as the demonic creature approached him. “N…nothing, Mr. Ahuizotl, sir,” he managed to stammer out in fear.

“A likely story,” Ahuizotl answered him, as he gripped the young pegasus in front of him by the throat. “You were planning to rob me, weren’t you?”

“No, sir,” Galeforce managed to squeak out; as the grip around his throat tightened.

“Don’t lie to me, you fool,” Ahuizotl growled, as he tensed his grip even tighter. “I know who you are. You are Galeforce, the leader of that pathetic band of thieves from Cloudsdale, correct?”

Galeforce struggled to breathe, and he knew there was no point in trying to hide his identity from his captor. “Yes,” he gasped out, as he was released.

“Excellent,” Ahuizotl chuckled cruelly, as his prey gasped for air on the cobblestone ground below. “Then I shall forget this whole incident ever took place… provided you do one little task for me.”

“What would you have me do?” Galeforce asked him.

“I need you to retrieve some treasure for me,” Ahuizotl answered him, as he passed a map to his newly acquired henchpony. “Go to the capital of Equestria, and retrieve the treasure locked deep within the chambers of Princess Celestia.”

“You would have me steal from royalty?” Galeforce shouted back at his captor. “Never!”

“I’m afraid you have no choice,” Ahuizotl answered him with contempt. “My associates have already captured most of your allies, and the rest shall be rounded up within the hour. I will have the Elements of Harmony, or I will keep your friends locked up in my dungeon forever.”

Galeforce cringed in his nightmare, just as he had cringed ten years earlier when it really happened. His band of thieves had always looked to him as a father figure, for most had come to him as orphans and runaways. He knew that he could not betray them, but stealing from the innocent went against everything he stood for. But still, a ‘father’ must do whatever it takes for the safety of his children…

“Time is wasting, Galeforce,” Ahuizotl reminded him. “Are you in, or out?”

Galeforce dreaded what was to happen next, for he wished in his heart that he had never said those words. “Very well,” he heard the ghostly voice of his imagination say, “I’ll do it.”

Galeforce woke from his nightmare at that point, to find himself safe inside the cozy confines of Sweet Apple Acres. He could smell the sweet aroma of a hearty breakfast wafting through the air, and hunger washed over him. A quick bite to eat, he thought to himself, then back to Las Pegasus.

At the table downstairs, the Apple family was just sitting down for their breakfast of oatmeal with apple slices. “Howdy, partner,” Applejack greeted him warmly. “Why don’t y’all join us for breakfast?”

“I’d like that,” Galeforce answered her, as he sat down in a chair next to Apple Bloom. She stared at him for a minute, and Galeforce knew it was because she had no idea who he was. “Hello, little one,” he said to her, as he paused to think of a suitable alias. “My name is Golden Wings, what’s yours?”

“I’m Apple Bloom,” she answered him cautiously, for she was still unsure of what to think of the stranger at the table. “What are you doing here?”

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack scolded her little sister, shocked at her sudden rudeness. “Mr. Wings has come to lend us a hoof around the farm.”

“Speaking of that,” Galeforce said to his newfound employer, “is there any chance I could work alone today?”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Applejack answered him, with a slight frown on her face. “Applebuckin’s a mighty big job for a rookie to do by himself.”

“Please, Miss Applejack,” Galeforce asked her again, feeding her even more lies. “I feel terrible about leaving the job yesterday, and would like to cover both my area and yours to make it up to you.”

“Well,” Applejack thought to herself, as she nudged her spoon around her oatmeal. “I suppose you could this one time.”

“Thank you, Miss Applejack,” Galeforce said to her happily; as he enjoyed his food.

Galeforce trotted out to the vast apple fields of Sweet Apple Acres, with his bag of jewels once again squarely between his wings. He had no intention of bucking even a single apple, yet he needed this job to provide the perfect cover for his escape. He spread his wings for takeoff, only to spot a trio of fillies in the distance. He recognized one of them as the impolite Apple Bloom, yet he was unfamiliar with the other two. One was a small unicorn (who looked shockingly similar to the one he had robbed the day before), and one was a pegasus pony with incredibly small wings. He noticed they were all blank flanks, which seemed odd for ponies of their age. Fascinated by these three plucky ponies, he decided to delay his escape for just a little while.

He watched as the orange pegasus of the group climbed to the top of a nearby ladder, shouted something about gaining a cutie mark through flying… and then crashed promptly to the ground. Galeforce cringed ever so slightly, for he knew just how hard the ground could be to a pegasus that cannot fly. She seemed unfazed by the whole incident, and was soon off to try new things with her friends.

“Takin’ a break?” a voice called out from behind him. It was Applejack, come to check on her helper’s progress.

“Sorry, Miss Applejack,” Galeforce apologized, as he cautiously slipped his bag of jewels under his wing. “I was interested in what those three young fillies were up to.”

“Yeah,” Applejack told him warmly, “they sure are special. Anyway, y’all better get to buckin’ if ya want to finish before dark.”

“Right away, Miss Applejack,” Galeforce answered her, as he slowly walked over to the first group of trees. Perhaps I could stay a little while longer, he thought to himself. There may be more to that young pegasus than meets the eye.

Galeforce limped into his bedroom that night, for he had not worked quite that hard in over twenty years. I haven’t broken a sweat since I trained my young charges, he thought to himself; as he cast the tattered cloak he usually wore. His Thiefblade fell to the floor shortly afterward, with a metallic clunk. He looked over the weapon that all Thieves carried in Equestria; for all it’s rusted, dull glory. The ring at the base was well-worn, almost to the point that he could slip his hoof in and out of it without any difficulty. Truly, this was the time-worn symbol of a true Thief Lord, yet he commanded an army of one. After shrugging off these depressing thoughts, he settled into bed for yet another nightmare.

His imagination took him back to that fateful tavern in Las Pegasus, on what was supposed to be the day of liberation for the Equestrian Thieves. He felt the bag slung crudely over his shoulder, containing what he believed to be the Elements of Harmony. He pushed open the door, and stepped into the dim light within. Ahuizotl was seated at a table, surrounded by strange folks that Galeforce wasn’t all that familiar with. He recognized two that were seated as celebrities of a sort, and guessed that the other three were businessponies/griffins.

“Welcome, Galeforce!” Ahuizotl shouted from across the room. “Welcome to the Darkened Hoof!”

“What makes you think I want to join you?” Galeforce asked in disgust. “I’d rather join my friends in prison!”

“Don’t be so hasty, my friend,” Ahuizotl warned him, as he drank generously from his mug of cider. “We are simply profiteers, with a most interesting business proposition for you.”

“Tell me,” Galeforce hissed.

“The Darkened Hoof is a group of… antique dealers of sorts. We find rare and unusual items, and sell them for a profit to interested parties. You are a master at retrieving rare and unusual items, as I can see from the bag on your back. We need your help, and are willing to pay you quite handsomely for your services. Say… fifty percent?”

“No deal,” Galeforce answered him, as he flung the sack towards Ahuizotl. “You got what you wanted; now hold up your end. Release my brothers and sisters!”

“Such a pity,” Ahuizotl admitted, “but a deal is a deal. Flim, Flam, take our guest to the dungeon to retrieve what’s left of his allies.”

It was here that Galeforce’s memories skipped ahead a little bit, to the horrific scene in the dungeon. All of the Thieves that Galeforce had raised as his own fillies and colts were dead, mangled into several pieces amongst a sea of blood. Galeforce raged at the sight, for he knew he had been tricked by the crafty Ahuizotl.

“Is there a problem?” Ahuizotl shouted from the other room.

“You monster!” was all Galeforce could shriek.

“Come now, I’ve done nothing outside of our arrangement,” was Ahuizotl’s cold-hearted response. “I said I would keep your friends in my dungeon, I never said I wouldn’t let my pets play with their food.”

Galeforce woke with a shout, as the ringing of Ahuizotl’s cackles echoed in his imagination. He looked over to the sack of jewels lying on the bed next to him, and began to feel conflicted. He needed these jewels to free himself from Ahuizotl’s clutches, and time was running out. But was it right to betray the tenets of Thievery, and take the wealth from the innocent?

Ahuizotl Makes His Move

Chapter Two: Ahuizotl Makes His Move

While Galeforce was resting uneasily in his bed back at Sweet Apple Acres, Ahuizotl was hard at work in his office at Las Pegasus. In the years since he had last seen the wily Thief, Ahuizotl had gained more wealth than any other creature in Equestria. Naturally, a thirst for power followed shortly thereafter; and he fulfilled that by running for mayor… and winning. The ponies of Las Pegasus were all too quick to accept the lie that he had reformed, which laid perfectly into his plans. Now, he stood before a desk covered in maps; each scored with marks where he knew Galeforce was not hiding.

“Monsieur Le Maire?” a voice asked from the doorway behind him. “What are your orders?”

“Gustave,” Ahuizotl answered him, as he marked yet another spot off the map. “Please come in, my good and faithful servant.”

“Oui, monsieur,” Gustave said, as he entered the room. “I was wondering what is to be done with Galeforce.”

“Tell the guards to double their efforts,” Ahuizotl snapped back harshly, as he wiped his bottle of ink of the table with his arm. “Then, I want you to contact the guards posted at Fillydelphia, Manehattan, and Ponyville. Nopony rests until I have captured him!”

“Oui, Monsieur Le Maire,” Gustave told him, as he saluted his superior with his left wing. “But first, if you don’t mind me asking: why is he so important?”

“Why?” Ahuizotl asked back, as he grabbed his subordinate by the handkerchief around his neck. “He double-crossed me, and nopony double-crosses Ahuizotl! NOPONY!”

“I understand, Monsieur,” Gustave gasped in fright, as his master threw him to the floor. He ran away as fast as his fearful legs could carry him, and Ahuizotl turned back to his work. Once he had gotten out of sight of Ahuizotl’s office, Gustave took on a whole different attitude; as he once again became the overbearing second-in-command the guards hated. “You there,” he addressed a group of city guards just starting their shift. “The boss wants you to your posts immediately!”

A guard spat in Gustave’s direction, and turned to face his colleagues. These were not the well-trained guards that the royalty employed, but rather a mix of tough ponies eager to earn a paycheck. They were undisciplined, rude, and downright thuggish… the perfect hoofsoldiers for Ahuizotl’s army.

“Gentlecolts,” Gustave told them firmly, “perhaps you didn’t hear me. Ahuizotl commands you to get to your posts at once!” There was still no reaction from the guards. “This is your commanding officer Gustave le Grand, representative of Mayor Ahuizotl and senior member of the Darkened Hoof. Get to your posts NOW!”

This was the final straw for the guards, as one of them proceeded to buck Gustave in the face at full force. His beak bent completely in half, and trickles of blood ran down his moustache. As he laid on the ground writhing in pain, the guard responsible for the attack stepped forward. “Let that be a lesson, Gus,” he uttered, as he repeatedly kicked the griffin in the stomach to emphasize each word. “We’re in this for the money. Not for you, not for that idiot Ahuizotl, and not for some imaginary Thief Lord. You’re on our turf, and we’ll move when we feel like it.”

Back in Ponyville, Galeforce decided to risk yet another visit into the town proper. He was going to escort the three young fillies he had seen yesterday to school, as a favor to Applejack. As he walked along the cobblestone road, he passed the time by talking with the girls. “So,” he asked them, “do you like school?”

“Yeah,” the unicorn (who later introduced herself as Sweetie Belle) answered him. “Mostly.”

“What’s wrong with school?” Galeforce asked. “An education is important, you know.”

“We know,” Apple Bloom answered him. “It’s just Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon we don’t like. They’re always pickin’ on us for bein’ blank flanks.”

“Blank flanks,” Galeforce repeated in surprise. “There is nothing wrong with blank flanks, and you can take my word for it. You three have limitless potential, and don’t ever forget that.”

“Thanks, Mister Wings,” the pegasus answered him with a smile. He had made her feel a little better about being mark-less, and she wasn’t afraid to show it.

“You’re quite welcome, Miss…” Galeforce began to say, before he realized he didn’t know her name.

“Scootaloo,” she told him. “My name is Scootaloo.”

After dropping the girls off with Cheerilee at school, Galeforce decided to wander the town. He walked past ponies of all shapes and sizes, until he noticed one in particular in the distance. It was Applejack, and she seemed to be having a conversation with another pony. He strained his eyes to see who it was, and his body froze. It was the unicorn he had robbed three days ago, and she seemed just as mad now as she was then. He considered slinking away for a second, only to be cut off by the unicorn’s cry of “There he is!”

Applejack ran towards him, and he froze in place from nerves. “Hey, you!” she shouted at him. “How dare y’all lie to me!”

“Miss Applejack, please try to understand…” Galeforce began to stammer, but he couldn’t finish his thought after seeing her face. She bore the look of anger and betrayal, and it broke his heart. “Miss Applejack, I’m sorry.”

“Enough games, ‘Golden Wings’,” Applejack said, as she made air quotation marks with her hooves. “Who are you?”

“My name -my real name- is Galeforce,” he answered her honestly. “I am the last of the Equestrian Thieves, and I stole those jewels from my friend to buy my freedom. However, I would like to make amends… starting now.” He reached into his cloak, and pulled out the bag of jewels. “I would like the chance to earn each and every one of these jewels, by working for you for however long you need me.”

Applejack hesitated, for she was unsure of what to do next. “Fine,” she finally stated with an exasperated sigh. “Y’all can earn these jewels back, but you’re gonna be workin’ long and hard for ‘em.”

“Fine by me,” Galeforce answered her.

“And,” she added without hesitation, “y’all are gonna be doin’ jobs for my friend Rarity, too. You owe her a lot, Galeforce.”

“I will help her however I can,” Galeforce assured her.

“Rarity!” Applejack shouted, calling her unicorn friend over. “You got yourself a helper for the day.”

Rarity trotted over, and looked at the Thief with disgust. “Hello again,” she hissed.

“Hello, Miss Rarity,” Galeforce said to her, trying to be kind. “I’m here to help.”

“Very well, darling,” Rarity answered him with a grin. “You can start by cleaning up that horrible mess you made in my studio.”

Once he walked in the door of Rarity’s studio, Galeforce felt the full force of his earlier home invasion. He saw the beautiful dresses ruined by the wind and the magic of their battle, the fabric strewn all over the floor, and the expensive mannequins lying scattered in pieces. He had meant to rob her, but he had not meant to do all this. “Miss Rarity,” he told her, “I never meant for all this to happen.”

“Well, it did,” Rarity coldly answered him, as she magically shoved a broom under his wing. She then took her leave, pausing only to slam the door shut.

“Time to get busy,” Galeforce mumbled to himself, as he gripped the broom tightly.

When Rarity popped in to check his progress three hours later, she was amazed at the sight. The entire room had been cleaned, and everything was (more or less) the way it was before. Galeforce was hunched over his broom sleeping, but he had left a note on the table:

Miss Rarity,
I would like to formally apologize for what I did. I know I can never repay you for the fear you must have felt that day we first met, but I will continue to try.
Faithfully Yours,
Galeforce

The note touched Rarity’s heart deeply, for she couldn’t believe that a pony that had been so cruel could be so kind. She drew the curtains shut, left him alone in the room yet again, and decided to let him finish his nap before sending him home.

Deep inside the realm of dreams, Galeforce fell victim to another nightmare while he napped. He could see himself in the dungeon of Ahuizotl’s tavern, standing in front of the remains of his Thief apprentices. He could hear a metallic clank coming from the room, and knew what was coming next.

“This is just an empty box!” was Ahuizotl’s raging shout, as he threw it against the wall. “Flim, Flam, grab that traitor!”

The Flim Flam brothers advanced on Galeforce, and he knew he had to escape. With a dramatic unfurling of his wings, he took flight; and evaded both the unicorns and their magic quite easily. He blasted out of the dungeon, and flew out the tavern’s front door like a rocket. Freedom was within his grasp, if he could get out of the city alive.

As he sailed across the pitch-black sky, he turned his head to see a true vision of horror. Ahuizotl was in hot pursuit, using all four of his limbs and his mutated tail to furiously climb buildings like a crazed monkey. “You will not escape me, Galeforce!” he bellowed.

Galeforce flew even faster, but Ahuizotl was easily able to catch up to him. “I can’t outrun him,” Galeforce muttered under his breath. “Let’s finish this.” He then pulled a poorly executed U-turn, and flew towards his most hated enemy.

Ahuizotl flashed his nemesis a cruel grin, and tilted his head slightly to the side. This was the signal that the (well-hidden) Great and Powerful Trixie was waiting for, and she fired a beam of wing-freezing magic at the approaching Galeforce. It made contact just before Galeforce could attack, and he fell helplessly into Ahuizotl’s waiting arms. “So nice of you to surrender like this,” Ahuizotl taunted him, as he scaled the rest of the building with Galeforce in tow. The monster and the Thief were on the roof in an instant, and Ahuizotl was all too eager to finally kill his prey. “You betrayed me, Galeforce,” he hissed.

“I did what you asked,” Galeforce uttered, as he struggled to escape.

“The box was EMPTY!” Ahuizotl roared, as he threw Galeforce to the ground. “Do you know how much money you cost me on this deal? DO YOU?!”

“Money means nothing to you, creature,” Galeforce hissed in defiance.

“You insolent little colt, MONEY IS EVERYTHING!” Ahuizotl shrieked, as he brutally punched Galeforce over and over again. After beating the helpless Thief Lord half to death, he picked up Galeforce for the killing blow; not noticing that Galeforce was doing a lot of fidgeting with his right front hoof…

Ahuizotl lifted his right arm for the final shot, and Galeforce slipped his Thiefblade in between his captor’s ribs. The professional crook doubled over in pain, and Galeforce tried once again to make his escape. “Farewell,” he told the furiously bleeding demon.

“Mark me, Galeforce,” Ahuizotl warned him, “I intend to have either my money, or your head. You will repay me one day if you value your safety, or I will hunt you down like the vermin you are. Make your choice.”

The nightmare cut off at this point, and he awoke with a full-bodied shout in Rarity’s studio. There is no choice, he thought to himself. I have to stop this.

Enter Talon

Chapter Three: Enter Talon

Back in the city of Las Pegasus, Gustave le Grand was busy recovering from the surgery he had to have done to his beak. The assault from the city guards had left it a terrible wreck, but the Flim-Flam brothers (both masters of technology) were able to give him a mechanical one. “Doctor!” he shouted, in a robotic monotone. “I need a mirror!”

The unicorn doctor ran into the room, and passed his patient a mirror with his magic. “Here you go, Mr. le Grand,” he said cheerfully.

Gustave looked deep into the mirror, and recoiled in horror at the sight of his face. Scars ran across both sides, and his elegant moustache had been ripped to small strands of stubble. This was all highlighted by the steel mask in the center of his frightening visage, which clicked and whirred with every breath. “Doctor,” he hissed, “what… is this?”

The doctor hesitated a moment, and then answered him. “It’s your prosthetic, Gustave,” he stated in a matter-of-fact way. “Quite expensive, but Mayor Ahuizotl was more than happy to pay for it.”

“Ahuizotl,” Gustave muttered, “I will curse that name forever.” He stood up, and flung the blanket from his bed off his body. “I’ll be leaving now, Doctor.”

“Mr. le Grand, you can’t do that,” the doctor told him. “You are quite unstable in your current condition. Please get back in the bed, sir.”

“Get out of my way,” Gustave ordered him, but the doctor would not let him pass. Gustave flashed his razor-sharp talons, and uttered a final threat. The doctor still didn’t let him through, and was killed on his hooves by a swift swipe. “Thank you for your cooperation,” Gustave sneered, as he licked the blood from his talons.

After thanking Rarity for the chance to prove himself, Galeforce took his leave; and began to wander the town. He passed by many shops, watching as the busy salesponies made deal after deal with their customers. There were so many faces in the crowd, he didn’t even notice the one that didn’t belong…

Later that night, Galeforce rested with Applejack near a campfire behind the barn. “Thank you for the second chance,” he told her. “It means a lot to me.”

“No problem, partner,” Applejack answered him, as she rolled an apple over to him with her hoof. “In spite of everything that has happened, I still like ya.”

“Thanks,” was all Galeforce could say.

“Hey, I gotta know this,” Applejack began to ask. “Who were you plannin’ to give those jewels to anyway?”

“A demon named Ahuizotl,” Galeforce bluntly told her. “The two of us have a massive score to settle.”

“What’d he do to ya?” Applejack asked with genuine curiosity.

“The beast killed my family,” he answered her. “Every last one, slaughtered by his feral cats. I’m bound to serve him by an old deal, but I wish I had died that day too.”

“Oh my gosh,” Applejack gasped, as she started to cry. “I had no idea.”

“Nopony does,” Galeforce responded with an icy tone. “That’s why I need to give him his money back: to square my debts before he kills me.” With that being said, Galeforce started to walk back to the house; and Applejack doused the fire. He spoke no more, but the silence spoke volumes.

There would be no nightmare for Galeforce that night, for he didn’t have the chance to sleep long enough to have one. Applejack bucked his door in three minutes after midnight, and she started to holler. “Galeforce!” she shouted. “Help me find the girls!”

“What?” was Galeforce’s groggy reply.

“The girls are missing!” Applejack shouted. “Hurry!”

Galeforce and Applejack searched all over the house, looking through every room for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Finally, Galeforce came across a note in the kitchen, which confirmed his worst fears:

Galeforce,
Your time is up, ‘old friend’. I have grown tired of waiting for my investment to be returned to me, and have decided to speed up this game. I have instructed my agents to seize the little foals you are so very fond of, and they will be executed by dawn. Your only chance to spare them this cruel fate is to turn yourself in, and accept your certain death like a stallion. You have eight hours… see you soon.
- Mayor Ahuizotl

“He’s found me,” Galeforce muttered. He then spread his wings, and prepared to take flight. He then flew through an open window, and started his roaring rampage acoss the sky to Las Pegasus.

Ahuizotl poured himself another glass of hard cider, as his eyes darted back and forth across the horizon. Less than eight hours now, he thought as he chuckled.

“Sir!” a voice called out from the hallway. “The fillies are by my side, and all neatly tied.”

“Excellent, Agent Will,” Ahuizotl congratulated his Minotaur spy. “Take them to my spare office, and make sure they stay there.”

Agent Will carried the girls to their destination, and Ahuizotl turned his attention back to the large window in his office. Suddenly, a cloaked figure crashed through the window, wings spread like the Angel of Death. “Galeforce,” Ahuizotl greeted his intruder, “I’ve been expecting you.”

“I am not Galeforce,” the intruder offered in a dull roar. “The name’s Talon, and you are finished… Monsieur Le Maire.”

“Gustave?” Ahuizotl asked in amazement. “Is that you?”

“I AM NO LONGER GUSTAVE LE GRAND!” the intruder shouted, as he lunged at his prey. He swung his limbs wildly, sending his talons flying to the left and to the right. “I am Talon!”

Ahuizotl dodged each of Talon’s moves, until he arrived back at his desk. He pulled the lever in the middle, and dropped through his emergency escape chute. “This isn’t over!” he shouted back at his attacker. “I am the one in control here!”

“Let the reign of Talon begin,” Talon chuckled, as he spat down the chute.

Galeforce arrived on the outskirts of Las Pegasus, and was amazed at how much the city had changed in his absence. Large banners hung across the blood-soaked walls, praising the ‘fearless’ mayor and his bountiful fortune. “Some things never change,” he uttered in disgust. He then spread his wings, and flew towards City Hall.

In the sewers of Las Pegasus, Ahuizotl began his hasty retreat. He knew he was too old to face the deadly traitor Talon on his own, and he was beginning to doubt he could even face Galeforce. He passed through tunnel after tunnel, until he came to an unmarked door. Ahuizotl recognized it as one of the secret entrances he had arranged to be installed during his reign, though he was unsure which one it was. He opened it with some hesitation, and found himself in the pit where he kept his pets. “Friends,” he stammered, as they approached him menacingly. “This… this is your master!” The feline foes were too hard-hearted (from years upon years of starvation and abuse at Ahuizotl’s doing) to hear his cries for mercy, and soon enough he had been devoured. The mighty Ahuizotl died in the same pit he had condemned the Thieves to all those years ago, begging for his life as they had done.

Great Escapes

Chapter Four: Great Escapes

Galeforce threw himself through the open window into Ahuizotl’s office, where he found the Cutie Mark Crusaders tied up on the floor. He bit through the ropes without much difficulty, and the girls hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Mr. Wings,” Scootaloo said to him, as she kissed him on the cheek in gratitude.

“No problem at all,” Galeforce answered her, as he struggled to hold back the tears this raw emotion was bringing up. “Let’s go.”

“Hello, Galeforce,” a voice boomed from an unknown location. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Ahuizotl,” Galeforce growled. “Show yourself!”

“I am not Ahuizotl,” the voice answered him. “I am merely the new mayor of this town, and I am quite eager to see a demonstration of your legendary skills.” A bell rang in the distance, and the voice gave a cruel chuckle. “That would be the emergency bell you are hearing, Monsieur Galeforce. I’d say you have five minutes to escape, before the entire building is overrun with my guards.”

Galeforce picked up Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom with his mouth, and placed them squarely on his shoulders. “Stick close to me, Scootaloo,” he told his young pegasus friend. “We’ve gotta fly.”

“But, Mr. Wings, I can’t fly!” Scootaloo protested, as fear washed over her face.

I forgot about that, Galeforce thought to himself. “Fine,” he told her. “Climb on my back, and hold on tight!”

Scootaloo climbed on his back, and grabbed his mane with her teeth. “Ready!” she shouted out, as she spat out strands of hair through the side of her mouth.

Galeforce spread his wings yet again, and galloped towards the window. He jumped through it, and was soon (awkwardly) flying across the sky. Talon watched this unfold from the clock tower on top of City Hall, and a smile washed over his face. “Flim, Flam,” he instructed his newfound lackeys. “Prepare the magic cannon!”

The Flim Flam brothers pulled the cover off of their latest invention, which was a gun that absorbed unicorn magic and fired it as energy blasts. Flim stuck his horn into the ammunition slot, and Flam manned the controls. “Ready when you are, sir!” he shouted over to Talon.

“Wait for my mark, gentlecolts,” Talon told them. “Let the fool think he’ll succeed.”

Galeforce flew past the scores of guard ponies on the ground, dodging the stones and bits of debris they threw at him. “Are you three okay?” he shouted out to his ‘passengers’.

“We’re fine, Mr. Wings!” Sweetie Belle answered, as she nervously looked at the chaos unfolding around her.

“Excellent,” was Galeforce’s snappy reply, “and call me Galeforce!”

Talon lifted his arm; for he knew the time to strike was now. “FIRE!” he shouted in rage, and the Flim Flam brothers did just that. A beam of magic sailed across the sky, and collided against Galeforce’s body with an audible thud.

Galeforce felt his wings seize up, and he knew a crash landing was in his immediate future. “Girls,” he warned the fillies, “brace yourselves.” His body glided across the horizon of Las Pegasus, losing altitude with every meter. Finally, his body collided with the side wall of a bakery, and he flopped to the ground like a ragdoll afterward. Galeforce had suffered incredible damages, but miraculously the Cutie Mark Crusaders seemed okay.

“Galeforce, let’s go!” Scootaloo shouted with desperation, but it was too late. Galeforce was dead, and Talon had won.

“What do we do now?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo.

“We run,” Scootaloo answered her with intensity. She gave both of her friends a small buck to get them going, and soon all three were on their way to freedom.

“Shall I fire on the fillies, sir?” Flam asked Talon, as he warmed up the gun yet again.

“No,” Talon ordered him, “power down the weapon and stand down. My footsoldiers will make more than short work of those blank flanks.” He then turned sharply around, and headed back into City Hall. “Besides, we have more pressing matters to attend to.”

The CMCs darted from alley to alley, looking around for any sign of guard interference. The streets seemed oddly empty, and the reason was soon clear: the pony guards had been called back, for the new threat was coming from the sky. A squadron of griffons was closing in fast, with the one known to the Crusaders as Gilda leading the charge.

“Griffons!” Sweetie Belle called out.

“Perfect,” Scootaloo uttered, feeling inspired by the spirit of the late Galeforce. “Cutie Mark Crusaders, let’s start crusading!”

The girls then let themselves be caught by three griffons, and then began to fight back. Apple Bloom struck her captor in the gut with a sharp kick, and then proceeded to grip him by the neck with her teeth. Sweetie Belle managed to summon enough magic to temporarily stun her enemy, and she followed that up with strikes from her front hooves.

“Keep it up, girls!” Scootaloo encouraged them, as she blinded her captor with a flurry of wing-flapping.

The other griffons paused briefly, and Gilda looked over the scene with disgust. I really don’t get paid enough for this nonsense, she thought as she attacked. Her attack didn’t go as planned, as the CMCs had escaped the other griffons and were now leaping towards her…

Galeforce opened his eyes, and found himself standing next to a lake made out of what appeared to be lava. He could see other ponies shuffling around him half-heartedly; some looking fairly healthy, and some in various stages of decomposition. None of them seemed aware of his presence, nor did they seem aware of each other. They just wandered to and fro, in their own realities.

Suddenly, a boat pulled up to the shore of the lava lake, and a pair of pony skeletons stepped off. “Galeforce,” one announced, “your time of judgment has come.”

“Where am I?” Galeforce asked.

“You are standing on the shore of the river Styx, just outside the realm of Hades,” the skeleton informed him.

This must be where bad ponies go when they die, Galeforce thought to himself. “What is to become of me?” he further questioned the skeleton.

“You are to be brought before Hades, and he will sentence you to your proper punishment in Tartarus,” was the skeleton’s answer. “Now come along, Hades has been waiting to meet you for such a long time.”

Galeforce climbed on the boat, and it soon casted off towards the land that Hades called home. “Why must I be condemned?” he asked the helmspony. “I’ve changed my ways!”

“Ponies like you can never change,” the helmspony snarled with a sneer. “Once a Thief, always a Thief.”

“That’s not true!” Galeforce protested. “I was given a second chance at life, and I made the best of it!”

“Once a Thief, always a Thief,” the helmspony repeated, as he steered an even course. Soon enough, the palace of Hades appeared on the horizon, and the boat pulled up alongside it’s shore. “Everypony off,” the helmspony snarled.

The two skeleton guards then led Galeforce in through the palace gates, and past the snarling Cerberus to the throne room. There, Hades sat upon a throne made of brimstone; stroking his beard thoughtfully.

“Hello, Galeforce,” he greeted his visitor heartily. “I’ve been expecting you.”

Galeforce didn’t know what to say, for he had not seen a creature like Hades before. He had two legs and two arms, with no hair whatsoever on any part of his body buy his head. “Hades,” he finally said, bowing to his new master.

“Look upon me, Galeforce!” Hades commanded. “You have never seen a human god before!”

Galeforce looked over Hades thoroughly, and stopped at the god’s steel gaze. “How is this possible?” he asked.

“My realm spans more realities then you can possibly imagine, Galeforce,” Hades told him. “There are other worlds beyond Equestria, and all the sinners from there end up here… just like you.”

“Please have mercy, my Lord,” Galeforce begged him. “I swear to you, I’ve changed!”

“I know,” Hades informed his prisoner. “I know all about your redemption in Ponyville, and how you gave the gold you needed to save yourself back to its proper owner.”

“Then why condemn me to the pits of Tartarus?” Galeforce demanded to know.

“Your debt goes far beyond a bag of gold and some lies, Galeforce,” Hades answered him, with some contempt in his voice. “Have you forgotten the colts and fillies you abandoned in Ahuizotl’s dungeon? Have you forgotten the untold thousands of lives you ruined in your career as the Thief Lord of Equestria?”

“I will never forget,” Galeforce snapped back. “I regret each one with all my heart.”

“Then I will allow you a second chance,” Hades told him, as he stood up from his throne. He flicked his right wrist slightly, and a blood-red portal opened next to him. “If you enter this portal and complete your mission, I will grant you a reprieve.”

“What is the mission?” Galeforce asked.

“You must complete the Ten Fatal Tasks, and learn the true nature of Heroism,” Hades challenged his prisoner. “Only then will I provide you with passage back to the land of the living.”

Galeforce peered into the portal, and was certain he saw a brief glimpse of Applejack’s face for a minute. “Why is Applejack there?” he demanded to know. “Is she your prisoner as well?”

“I cannot say,” Hades told him. “The portal is made up of your deepest desires, and your darkest memories. Every monster you face will be a face of your past, and every triumph you enjoy will be a lost dream come true. Do you still desire freedom?”

“Yes,” Galeforce agreed, as he spread his stance. He then galloped into the portal, and it shut tightly behind him.

“Good luck, Galeforce,” Hades mumbled under his breath, though he knew the truth: no-one in recorded history had ever completed the Ten Fatal Tasks, and Galeforce was as good as damned already.

TO BE CONTINUED………