Mercenary

by CroakyEngine

Rating: teen
Tags: Drama, Dark, Adventure
Length: 7923

When a combination of knowledge, curiosity and luck led to a new technology able to exploit the temporal threads of the pony mind, a dark secret from before the warming is discovered, one that would tear apart Equestria; starting with its history.

As the Pre-Equestrian Era approaches its end, a new society surfaces. Corruption scorches the land and the encroaching Gryphon army seeks to lay waste to the three pony tribes. However, a much dangerous threat is dwelling within, a threat that could destroy everything that ever existed and will exist.

Two millenniums into the future, Equestria is entering a new, prosperous age. When the researchers of the Canterlot research branch initiates a project that will allow ponies to peer into history, a secret sealed since before the warming is unveiled. An experiment with recreating tangible virtue history stuffs up, possibly changing the very history of Equestria… for better or worse. Was it something that was always meant to happen, or is something more sinister at works here?

Through coincidences, accidents and fate, heroes and villains both past and present rise and fall to create the foundation of the Equestria that we know today.

The gore tag is just to be safe. Nothing excessive or particularly disturbing will be included. This story has its own arc and is not another ponified version of Assassin's Creed thought it borrows a few ideas from the franchise.

Enjoy!

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-02 06:10:02 UTC

Prologue

“No matter how compelling words are, they are still words” – Starswirl the Bearded

Canterlot, Equestria, Year 1954 After Warming

Stable Connection: False

Two ponies traversed down the magnificent hallway of the Royal Canterlot Palace, conversing as they did so. Behind the pair trailed a pair of guards, their faces retaining no trace of known emotions as they followed their charge stoically. It would’ve made a suspicious sight had one of the two ponies not been an Alicorn, and therefore a princess of Equestria.

“Rainbow, are you sure you want to do this?” asked Twilight. Rainbow Dash sighed in exasperation. Twilight might’ve admitted she was being overly concerned had her nerves not occupied her mind. Wrapped in her purplish aura was a neat stack of notes, some of which had been flickering about occasionally before settling again.

“For the last time, Twilight, yes!” exclaimed Rainbow. Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash with an uncertain expression. The pair had to stop as they approached the outer foundations of the Canterlot Palace, where only those with the highest clearance were allowed to go. At the entrance of the classified sections, the normal Celestial guards swapped over with robe clad ponies.

This, of course, went unnoticed by Rainbow Dash, who had started hovering from equal doses of both irritation and excitement.

“I’m sorry, Dash. I guess I’m just not quite prepared for this. The test stage of Project Illuminus has been pushed forward, despite some lacking details. The nobles aren’t making it easier, either,” huffed Twilight, her face souring at the last bit of her comment. Nobles weren’t her favourite kind of ponies before her coronation, but afterwards, they had been nothing but a pain in the back.

At least I can now see why Princess Celestia was so intent on crashing the Grand Galloping Gala all those years ago, thought Twilight with a small smirk on her face. She quickly wiped it as she returned to the task at hand. They were approaching the research wing of the Palace now, as the presence of ponies in white coats now rivals the number of guards stationed here.

Soon, the little group of ponies had stopped outside a vault structure. She brightened considerably when she spied Princess Luna approaching with their friends tagging along behind it. Princess Luna caught her eyes and silently gestured for them to go towards a secluded room of the wing, doing so herself.

“Well, shoot sugarcube. Ah thought we ain’t ever gonna find ya in all this mess.” Twilight gave a warm smile at the orange mare who was now leading the entourage. A pink pony behind her gasped sharply followed by several panicked cries that were uttered from a few scientists wandering the immense hallway.

“Don’t worry Applejack, Luna and I had decided to use a meeting room to brief you and the rest of our friends on what exactly we had been doing these past few weeks,” said Twilight. Several crashes from nearby made her wince internally.

“Phew, that’s gonna be a load of mah mind. Excuse me for saying so, Twi, but all the secrecy is starting to get ta me somethin’ fierce. Ah wouldn’t mind about some good ol’ honesty,” said Applejack, nodding her approval.

“Come on y’all, we better git while the gitting’s good,” hollered Applejack before going into the meeting room Twilight had gestured to her.

“Darling, must you always be crude?” asked Rarity as she daintily trotted into the room behind Applejack.

“At least ah’m not the one flirting constantly with the guards stallions,” rebuked Applejack from inside. Rarity immediately became flustered and gave the chuckling orange mare a silent glare before giving an indignant humph.

The last to go in was a giggling pair of ponies, one of which was Rainbow Dash and the other Pinkie Pie. It would have been nothing but innocent had Twilight not peered behind them to find a trail of destruction and confetti. Twilight gave an insufferable sigh and went into the room, though she was not quite able to completely hide the small smile gracing her muzzle.

“Project Illuminus.” As soon as the words left Twilight, a projector flickered on, presenting a three dimensional representation of a crystalline structure in the shape of a diamond. Numerous descriptions hovered over the projection, each stating a particular detail or status of the strange structure.

“Roughly a decade ago, a famous explorer and archaeologist, who wished to remain anonymous, found this artifact in a long abandoned temple of the Crystal Mountains. However, it was lost due to an unfortunate accident transporting the artifact. All of the cargo had been secured except for this one.

“Three years ago, the crystal had reappeared on the markets of Fillydelphia. The artifact had since then been held at the research facilities of the Canterlot Palace.” The screen flickered to allow a standstill picture of researchers handling the crystal. Twilight grinned simultaneously with Luna, much to the confusion of the others assembled in the meeting room.

“In a likely scenario, the crystal would have to be stored and tested for years before we can somehow use and harness it. However, in an accident, the scientists had discovered a strange property of the artifact.” Twilight paused as she looked over her friends. “What if, say, you can travel into a memory so detailed that it would be indistinguishable from reality? To see what it really was like centuries and even millenniums back in history?”

Several gasps were echoed across the room, and a tiny ‘oh goodness’ from Fluttershy. Only Luna remained relatively neutral though small signs of excitement had surfaced through her regal mask. Rainbow, on the other hoof, was fidgeting slightly, earning some curious looks from the rest of her friends.

“Darling, correct me if I’m wrong, but are you saying that a pony could go back to a recreation of history?” Twilight nodded eagerly. “Oh that would be wonderful! Imagine all the fashion designs that had faded into obscurity!”

“Ah’ll say, even if ah’m not an egghead like you but ah could see some mighty benefits of that fancy crystal yer got there. Maybe ah could even find out the origins of mah family!”

“Aye, the records before the time of Discord is all but non-existent, and my sister and I could only remember so much,” said Luna. “The following months were especially hectic, as my informants had found a clue of the disappearance of the artifact all those years ago. In the end, we – that is Twilight, I and the Canterlot Scientific Council – had come to an agreement that whatever project that concerns the artifact shall be secretive.”

“Yes, it would be a shame for such a wondrous thing to be lost again,” said Rarity with Fluttershy silently agreeing with her.

“Quite. Project Illuminus could be beneficial to all of Equestria, as well as a boon to the relative scarcity of some of the older historical records.” The image flickered again to a variety of models of ancient buildings, clothing and ponies reimaged into life-like images.

“The goal of the project is to send a single pony’s conscience into the imprint of a particular pony’s memories in the past. The designated subject will see, hear and sense everything the ‘host’ can. While the pony remains inside the memory, everything will be life like, except for the fact that the things that happen in the memory couldn’t actually affect the pony’s physical body.”

“Ah see…” Applejack frowned. “But ah still don’t get what this has ta do with Rainbow.” Twilight smiled, shooting Rainbow Dash a look.

“You see, the reason is that out of all the possible candidates for the project, Rainbow scored the highest out of all of them. Which means…

“Rainbow Dash is the pony we’re sending into the memories. She is subject Alpha, the first ever pony to step into the horseshoes of ponies bygones long past. I originally was unsure for Dash to participate, but over the course of the training for the real ‘missions’, I am confident that she will do well.”

“Well, gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Twilight” Twilight rolled her eyes as Rainbow fluttered over.

“Oh how wonderful, Rainbow! It sounds like something that you would really enjoy,” said Fluttershy in quiet voice though carrying compassion and excitement nonetheless.

“Yeah Dashie! It would be super duper awesome wouldn’t!” Before Rainbow could reply, Pinkie gasped loudly, her bubbly pink mane somehow more inflated than usual. “Think of all the new types of parties filled with new ponies! Think, Dash, think!”

“Alright, Pinkie, calm down. If I go to any parties I’ll be sure to tell you what it felt like. And by the way, everything I do is super awesome, no exception.” The cocky grin on Rainbow’s face made Everypony roll their eyes except for Pinkie Pie, who was still gushing about parties and ponies.

Amidst all the congratulations and chatting, Applejack and Rarity stalked over, each wearing a sizeable grin, though outmatched by the slightly dazed smile that was smeared across Rainbow’s muzzle.

“Well, sugarcube, ah sure didn’t know you had it in ya. The way Twi had said it, it sure sounds mighty important,” said Applejack, surprise showing through her eyes.

“Hmm, I agree, Applejack. This will be quite momentous for all of Equestria, and knowing you, I know you won’t disappoint.” Rarity flashed a quick smile before clicking her tongue. “By the way, Twilight never mentioned whose memory you would be visiting Darling”

“Oh, yeah, that,” said Twilight as she cantered over. “I think Dash and I will save it as a surprise. We will be able to see and hear everything Rainbow would be seeing after all.” Twilight gave a wink and cantered off again to join with Luna.

“Twilight,” said Rainbow Dash, slowly and purposefully.

“Just a minute,” Twilight replied casually, ignoring the glare from the cyan pegasi. Rainbow Dash was currently bound inside a contraption made of metal restraints, wires and flashing lights. Rainbow Dash groaned as Twilight ticked off another item off of her checklist.

“Come on, Twilight. I’ve been inside this thing for hours,” whined Rainbow.

“It’s been ten minutes, Dash,” muttered Twilight, and then in a louder voice, “and all your whining isn’t helping one bit!” A moment passed, and another before Rainbow let out another groan.

“It doesn’t normally even take this long during the practice runs,” muttered Rainbow, inspecting the space around her. The room they currently resided was in the shape of a semi-dome with glass panels intersecting every few meters. On the other side of the panels were their friends were waiting, each looked both excited and nervous. She flashed them a winning smile, having practiced this many times before.

“This is completely different from a practice run,” said Twilight, drawing Rainbow Dash’s attention back to her. “Everything needs to be just right in order for this experiment to be running smoothly. Also, I have to monitor your adrenaline levels just in case you thrash out from overdose.”

“Sure, whatever. Just hurry up… please?”

“There, done!” said Twilight after a moment as she panted slightly. It was less physical than mental exertion. Her brain was so hardwired to use magic it was hard to do these things with only her hooves. Looking over it one last time, Twilight pressed a blue button on the monitor machine. The side lights started flashing as distant sounds were voiced beyond the soundproof glasses. Rainbow Dash sighed in relief, fluttering her irritated wings.

Meanwhile, Twilight trotted around the monitor and support machines, she wedged her hoof delicately between devices, tweaking components and switches clumsily, though still remaining aware of the valves and controls nearby. All of the controls eventually rendezvoused back to an irregular alabaster machine. Twilight sighed as she turned around to face Rainbow again.

“Right, Dash. Due to the fact that this is the first official test run of Project Illuminus, I need to make some safety disclaimers.” Twilight had managed to look a little guilty before retaining a neutral outlook.

“Before I begin though, I would like you to meet Professor Ley, expert on Temporal Displacement Arcane theory and Professor Aurora, our leading Historical expert,” introduced Twilight as the hatch shaped door behind them snapped open to admit two ponies. Rainbow looked at them blankly before giving a nervous smile. This wasn’t part of the plan, she thought.

Twilight gave Rainbow an apologetic look before announcing the disclaimers in a monotone voice. After dozens of times hearing it, Rainbow nodded when the disclaimers required her to but otherwise remaining unfocused.

“Lastly, as per any projects, outside magical interference will be cleansed from the quarantined section. This will mainly apply to unicorns, though Earth pony and pegasi magic are not recommended to be used during the during of the experiment. Project Illuminus will commence now”

Their objective given, the two professors went to work as Rainbow carefully laid on top of the bizarre machine to which the controls were connected to. The machine was of a strange alabaster colour, reminding her of Celestia in some ways. She yelped as the machine molded into the shape of her body. Twilight delicately maneuvered several plugged wires across Rainbow as well as a flashing head set.

“Alright we’re powering up the Reality Augmentation Device now,” said Twilight as Rainbow fidgeted in the little grove. “The R.A.D will be ‘life support’ during the test, Dash. On top of stimulating your brain, it also provides a link for the professors and I to communicate with you. If you feel at all uncomfortable, you will send off an erratic single which the professors and I can detect so we can either stop the memory or pull you out completely.”

“Wait, can you talk to me during the simulating something or else?” This was something she was not informed of.

“It’s simulation, Dash. Yes, well sort of, I guess. Most memory sequences don’t allow for any type of conversations though. There might be intervals between memories but besides that, there’s nothing we can really do except to cut the memory short.” Twilight shifted the last linking devices into place.

“Princess Twilight? We’re ready for initiation.” Twilight gave a brief nod before patting lightly on Rainbow’s shoulders. Despite the competitive mare’s façade, she was more than a little anxious. The machine started to whirl as the components of the strange machine flickered on. The screen on the headset flashed alive, displaying lines of codes and figures.

“Rainbow… I want to say thank you,” said Twilight.

“Why? What did I do? Besides being awesome of course.” Twilight chuckled and shook her head slightly.

“No, I mean all this. You agreed to be part of this project when no one else volunteered and you stuck with it. I… thank you Dash, for bearing with me despite how hard it has all been.” Rainbow hummed in thought for a moment before flashing Twilight the biggest smile she could manage.

“You’re welcome, Twilight. Now, are we going to do this or what?” Twilight smiled gratefully before giving the two professors a small nod. With a simple flick of a switch, the machine hummed to life, colours and glyphs appearing across the machine, swirling together until an uniformed beam of rainbow is shot out.

“Alright Everypony, launching R.A.D in Three… Two… One…”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes as time seemed to slow down around her. The seconds drag on for two long. Along with it, there was a strange pulling feeling around her body. She tried to frown at the sensation but couldn’t find the power to move her facial muscles.

“Twi–” Before she could finish, there was a flash of bright, undiluted light, blinding her senses until they all seem to blur into one singularity. For in that moment, Rainbow Dash was no longer in her body.

Disturbance

“It was a strange and dark time. A time when ponies were torn apart… by hatred!” - Spike

Arcolt, Pegasine, Year 17 Before Warming

The golden fields spread as far as the eye could wander. Despite the early hour, the Sun’s rays had penetrated over the horizon, spilling across the wheat fields in a splendid glory. The colour of the fields reflected the sunlight, sure to blind anypony whose gaze lingered too long. On the edge of the fields, was an apple orchard, barely visible yet no less impressive.

Scarecrows dotted the fields, forming curious shapes if one would take the time to observe it. In the middle of the cluster of scarecrows, lay a household accompanied by half a dozen barns. The enormous farmstead had been solely maintained and harvested by three specific families for untold generations, two of which were of pegasi inheritance.

The pegasi families that worked on the farms were looked down upon in the proud nation of Pegasine, being supposedly superior in status and quality. However, no matter how scandalized the “normal” pegasi were, they mainly relied on the scat few farmsteads such as this for their livelihood, especially this far from the Earth pony colonies.

Perhaps, it is because of this reason, each barn was a behemoth in its own right and was bigger than the household itself, a coat of rusty red paint covering its wooden frame. It is also from one these barns that a lone pegasi stallion walked out.

The stallion had a sturdy harness attached to his build, modified so that large slits on either side of the harness allowed the pegasi to spread his wings. The stallion had a light goldenrod coat, his mane a pleasant tan and rusty red with a rebellious streak of grey running through it. Behind him, attached to the harness was a giant cart, full of empty wooden baskets and barrels

“What are doing so early out here, Hurricane?” said a smooth feminine voice. Hurricane turned around to face the shadow of one of the rare trees outside of the orchard. Hurricane frowned slightly, recalling the voice.

“Is that you, Emerald?” The mare in question stepped out to face Hurricane, giving him a small smile, fluttering her wings slightly.

The pegasi had a khaki coat, her mane a mixture of shades of green, flowing down the side of her face. Curiously, her wings were also tinged with strands of her namesake colour. In the eyes of many, she was very much a desirable mare. During her trips outside of the farmstead, she had attracted the attention of no mean numbers of stallions, and even of a few brave mares, regardless of her standing in the Pegasine society. However, when Hurricane saw her, his mood immediately soured a little, prompting Emerald to frown as well.

“Are you still angry at me for almost flying into the tree house?” asked Emerald, pouting slightly. Hurricane sighed.

“I’m not angry at you, sis, just worried. I’ll never forgive myself if you get hurt,” said Hurricane. Emerald tried to keep up her pout, but failed miserably. Instead, she opted to nuzzle with Hurricane. Emerald, was, in fact, not at all related to Hurricane. The mannerism and closeness between the trio of families had rubbed off over the generations, until there seemed to be only one, massive family. The truth wasn’t too far off anyway.

“Alright, I’m sorry, Hurricane. I’ll be more careful next time,” said Emerald before frowning at Hurricane again. “You still haven’t answered my question earlier.” Hurricane shrugged indifferently.

“The Apple family said they needed some equipment for the harvest season. I also need to arrange some storms for later this afternoon over at the apple orchard,” said Hurricane while Emerald rolled her eyes. The Apple family was the only non-pegasi family out of the trio, though no less hard working and honest. However, they were also known for being extremely stubborn and impatient. The Apples can wait, thought Emerald wryly, before cracking up at imagining their reactions if she had said it to their face.

Hurricane watched Emerald with an amused expression while she tried to compose herself. Eventually, Emerald was largely ready, with the exception of the occasionally chuckle escaping from her.

“Hurricane, all you do is work all day. When was the last time you took a break?” said Emerald with an exasperated tone.

“At least I do my work, unlike somepony,” grumbled Hurricane. Emerald either didn’t hear or ignored the comment.

“Why don’t you come to Arcolt for the day? The Apple family can wait a single day. Besides, I heard a new flashy restaurant had opened up. We might improve our chances of doing business with them if we visited to sample their dishes,” said Emerald. The city of Arcolt was the nearest city to their farmstead, only an hour or two’s flight away. It also remained the biggest buyer of the stock on the farm.

“Ah know ah told ya to be forward and all, but this is taking things a might too quick, if ya get me.” Hurricane whirled around to meet the stallion standing behind him. The stallion himself was unimpressive, dressed in a simple traveler’s coat which covered his sea green coat, paired with a set of saddlebags.

Upon seeing the earth pony stallion, Hurricane immediately warmed up and gave him a cheerful smile. This made Emerald all the more envious, even as she wondered if Hurricane’s preference was stallions.

“Apple Core, I didn’t expect you to be back this early,” said Hurricane with a good natured smile. Apple Core, as the name suggested, is a member of the Apple family. Apple Core returned the smile with a slightly troubled look in his eyes. The nervous tension also hadn’t gone unnoticed by either Hurricane or Emerald. With a shake of his head, Apple Core brought back his cheerful and playful manner.

“That’s right. Somethin’ came up ta complicate matters and ah have’ta finish up earlier. Ah see yer still workin’ yer flank off this fine morning,” said Apple Core, giving the two pegasi a goofy grin. Emerald jumped in excitedly.

“That’s what I keep telling him!” Emerald then stuck out her tongue playfully at Hurricane, prompting a light chuckle from the Apple Stallion.

“Alright, yer two. Ah got somethin’ to show ya. Let’s go ta the homestead and talk there.” Apple Core waited a little to walk behind Emerald with Hurricane. He offered to drag the carriage instead, which Hurricane denied. After a while, it was Hurricane who spoke.

“What happened, Apple Core?” Apple Core jumped at the question before sighing.

“Was it that obvious?” asked Apple Core with a sad chuckle.

“To Emerald and I, it is,” said Hurricane. Much to his surprise, he saw Apple Core relax.

“Ah guess there’s no hidin’ it. Ah’ll talk to both of yer back at the homestead, yeah?” Hurricane nodded and the two remained silent for the rest of the trip, trailing behind Emerald.

The trio quickly found themselves entering the thick orchard that enveloped the golden fields of the pegasi families. The Apple orchard, while not as big as the pegasi fields, was still of a considerable size and one of the biggest apple growers everywhere. As the harvest season neared, the apples looked riper than ever, approaching the delicious red and golden colour.

After a twenty minute trot, the two pegasi and earth pony found themselves in a large clearing at the far side of the orchard, namely the Apple homestead. Similar to Hurricane’s homestead, the huge barns were laid in straight rows, painted in a bright red. Hurricane unhitched the wagon with practiced ease and followed Apple Core to the household.

Apple Core then bucked open the door with a great wham, followed by sounds of suspicious thuds that sounded like ponies falling off of their beds.

“Come on, ya slackers. Up and yer go!” shouted Apple Core, wearing a mischievous grin.

“Tarnation, Apple Core!” shouted a voice from above.

In the few seconds that followed, Apple Core’s grin expanded into a ridiculously large smile

“Apple Core!” The realization apparently hit home as there were several more resounding smashes and rapid motions of hooves on wood. A moment later, before Apple Core even managed to make it a few steps into the house, four foals hurled themselves into him.

“A-CORE! Yer back!” shouted the foals in unison, causing Apple Core to flatten his ears and wince visibly. They sure have gotten louder since the last time they shouted ah to death. Beside him, Emerald snickered at the nickname, though didn’t say anything under Hurricane’s good natured glare.

“Alright yer four,” said Apple Core with a little chuckle, which died when the four foals didn’t budge. “No seriously, ah need ta breathe.”

The four foals, both big and small blushed simultaneously and got off of Apple Core while he gasped and tried to draw in as much life-sustaining air as he could. The foals consisted of a baby filly, her sister and two twin colts. The most distinctive of the group, however, was that the older filly was a pegasi instead of an earth pony. When the filly was born, much commotion was caused, mostly in the form of juicy gossips and speculations between the elders of the three families.

“Phew, yer four sure have grown. Ah don’t ah ever got winded in a while. Especially you, Sunflower,” said Apple Core, ruffling the filly’s mane whose name was Sunflower.

“Alrighty then, ah have ta speak ta Hurricane and Emerald, so why don’t y’all just hop along.” The foals, especially Sunflower, seemed reluctant and on the verge of pouting. Seeing this, Apple Core added a little bit of motivation.

“I might have a present for y’all if yer’ll be good upstairs,” said Apple Core in a hushed whisper, holding a hoof to his mouth so that no one else could here. The foals’ eyes widened and, after spluttering out a greeting to the other two occupants in the hallway, dashed up the stairs that stood adjacent to the door.

“Never fails ta work,” said Apple Core in a satisfied tone. Looking back over his haunches, Apple Core gestured to a living statue called Hurricane and a mare called Emerald that was stuck in the motion of saying ‘d’awww!.’ “Come on, ah got both of yer somethin’ to gawk over.”

Hurricane stepped into the Apple Family’s household after Emerald. The household always felt deeper, as if it could store years of history and emotion. Decorations and photographs lined and filled every inches of the interior, from kegs of cider generations old to photos and gifts from the last Apple Family reunion. The air was also filled with a rustic sense, with no small amounts of hay.

Finally, they reached the main living room, where an oaken table lay, surrounded by pillows. Hoof stitched pillows, thought Hurricane with a wry smile, remembering his try at the trade. Suffice to say, it didn’t ended as well as he would have liked.

His attention, however, was drawn as Apple Core reached inside his cloak to remove two long and slender objects wrapped in silk cloths, one a beige colour and one a magnificent shade of Emerald. Apple Core hoofed over the two gifts to Emerald and Hurricane respectively.

“Well, open it up will ya,” said Apple Core, though his normally cheery tone sounded strained. Hurricane unwrapped the silk carefully, only to nearly drop it. He looked to Apple Core for clarification, who just nodded.

After unveiling the entirety of the silk, Hurricane was presented with a silver sword, inlaid with crystals and a cylindrical device embedded at the base of the weapon. A gasp was drawn from Emerald as she had uncovered hers as well.

“Core, these are–” started Hurricane.

“Fire Cracker Swords. Took me some time getting ‘em,” said Apple Core, chuckling sadly. Once his chuckling stop, there was only solemn and remorse in his gaze.

“No matter what happens, ah won’t… no, ah can’t let mah family get hurt.” Taking off his saddle bags and cloak, Apple Core stood in front of them, eliciting yet another gasp from Emerald and a very concerned look from Hurricane. For on Apple Core’s coat, the scar in the shape of a big X was carved out.

“What happened, Apple Core,” asked Hurricane gently. Emerald moved forward to cradle and inspect Apple Core, but stopped when Apple Core held a hoof to stop her, giving a somewhat reassuring smile.

“It’s alright, Emerald. Guess the mule’s out of the bag, eh?” Apple Core gestured for them to make themselves comfortable. With a sigh, he resided himself to sit down.

“As y’all know, the convoy ah traveled was one o’ the, if not the safest ones ‘round these days. Ah keep telling that ta mahself that. One day, though, a bunch of griffons, some scouting party, ambushed us.” Apple Core winced as he relieved the memory, while Emerald watched on in horror.

“None o’ us really stood a chance. I got in a few good hits and got off lucky with only some scars. The others… “ Apple Core faltered. In a flash, Apple Core found himself enveloped by twin wings of Hurricane and Emerald. “Thank ya mighty but ah ain’t gonna sugarcoat it, they all died. Perhaps only three others out of the four dozen ponies escaped with me. We snuck into an Earth pony village and got some help from kind folks. And then…”

Apple Core couldn’t continue as waves of sobs wracked his body. Hurricane gaped at his brother in shock for a full second while Emerald embraced him tightly, helping joining in the sobbing herself. Never had Apple Core broken down before. Depressed maybe, but he had never cried.

“They were slaughtered by them griffons, SLAUGHTERED! When it was over, there were dead bodies everywhere. And… they were there for us and…” Apple Core stumbled with his words, brushing off Emerald’s help. Hurricane could see what’s happening though. Apple Core is coming to terms with it.

“They were there for us. We had to kill two of the griffons before we could escape the carnage. They came looking for revenge, and it was all mah fault,” whispered Apple Core, hoarse from the crying. “We… no, ah brought it on ‘em. Ah don’t deserve ta live afta what ah did ta them.”

A beige hoof slapped Apple Core across his face, not enough to hurt but enough to shock him out of his misery. He was about to protest when a khaki hoof joined in. Apple Core finally looked up to see an angry and a disapproving gaze from his two best friends. Most surprisingly, was the fact that Hurricane was the when who had fire in his eyes.

“Don’t you ever say that!” screamed Emerald, tears in her eyes. “You did it because you wanted to fight for your life and the lives of others. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have possibly known that this would happen.” Apple Core looked to Hurricane desperately, only to flinch under his cold gaze.

“The Apple I knew wouldn’t have ever said that. The Apple I knew would’ve took up arms and drove away those who hurt our people. The Apple I knew wouldn’t even think about taking his own life for a just reason!” Apple Core looked down to the ground, ashamed. Then, without warning, Hurricane’s harsh tone became as soft as a lump of cloud. “The Apple I knew isn’t perfect, but he comes around eventually. He just needs to be reminded by his family.”

Apple Core looked up in surprise, but was late to the party as both pegasi embraced him again. After a moment of silence, the trio released each other, with Apple Core looking a lot more relaxed and genuinely happy since he came back.

“Ah know ah could always count on ya gals ta knock some sense back into me.” The light from the outside had fully filled the living room by then, lighting up the interior with a restrained blaze.

“Well, now that ‘em soppy stuff is outta the way, ah gotta start doing mah share. Don’t worry none ‘bout good old Apple Core.” Apple Core then proceeded to push the two pegasi out into the hall way and the house before anypony could protest.

“Now go an’ enjoy yer date an’ don’t think about comin’ back before yer’ve got some juicy details.” With that, the door slammed shut, but not before the sound of four miniature ponies hitting pony flesh reached their ears.

“It’s not a date, A-Core! Urrg, I’m gonna so kill you when I get back!” fumed Emerald, all the while blushing bleat red. Coincidentally, the sound of smooching could be heard from inside the house.

Eeyup, thought Hurricane, that stallion haven’t changed one feather.

The city of Arcolt, by all means, was an awe-inspiring wonder in Pegasine architecture. The city was essentially an enormous tree made out of clouds, reaching outward with its many branches. The cloud that based the tree was even more enormous, easily shadowing a mountain or two with each passing. It is precisely because of this reason, that the foundation of the cloud city innovated a new time of Pegasus magic; light manipulation.

Through light bending and dispersion, light sentries, as they were called, were placed around the city, and some in it, to prevent the land beneath Arcolt from withering and dying. It is with this genius invention that the modern day city of Cloudsdale. The residents didn’t care much for those on the ground, though. They strut around in their safe cozy homes, gloating about being more superior.

One reason that they were able to do this was the fact that nothing short of a small army could that the city, most notably the rings of defenses and checkpoints that surrounded the tree like city, each stationed by half a dozen guards.

“Next!”

Emerald nudged Hurricane as they moved up in the line. They each wore a simple traveler’s robe, as were the few more ponies before them in the line. Ever since the pair had arrived within the limits of Arcolt, Hurricane was stuck in a trance of deep thought, no doubt about the unfortunate events that befell upon their friend Apple Core.

“Hurricane, are you alright?” asked Emerald.

“Yeah, I’ve just been thinking about something,” replied Hurricane distractedly.

“Somehow, I can’t help but notice that already,” said Emerald with a roll of her eyes.

“Next!”

“Sorry Emerald, I was just wondering why a griffon scouting party would venture so far into Earth pony territory. It doesn’t really make any

sense.” Hurricane frowned and mumbled something under his breath.

“Why not?” asked Emerald.

“Because, we are the closest to the griffon Aeries, and by proxy should be attacked first. Something seems off about the attack. The Earth pony villages are barely worth their trouble compared to Pegasine metropolises.” Emerald pondered over the explanation. Now that she thought about it, it was strange.

“Next!”

Emerald and Hurricane stepped forward to be scanned for any suspicious weapons. Their gaze passed the sword and the stationed guards tensed slightly but did nothing. While uncommon, weapons were known to be brought for protection and such. Again, pegasi superiority and faith in their army had played a part.

“Hey, why are there fewer guards since the last time we were here?” asked Emerald. The stallion who was scanning them shrugged slightly, but a pegasi in a neat uniform stepped up, apparently an officer.

“That’s none of your business. Now, move along before I kick your flank out of here. Or worse,” said the officer gruffly with a threatening tone. Having some experience in these matters, Hurricane dragged off the fuming khaki pegasi out of the checkpoint and into the city beyond.

“Why I ought to show that little…” Hurricane sighed as Emerald started uttering extremely colourful insults that could make a tempered general salute with respect and admiration. The fuming slowly cooled down as they reached one of the main commercial branches of Arcolt.

Emerald went into a sharp dive onto the outer lanes of the branch, stopping in front of a slightly fancy looking restaurant, Hurricane close behind.

“Gentlecolt’s Fine Cuisine,” said Hurricane slowly while his eyebrows inched higher. He looked towards Emerald with a questioning gaze.

“Be nice. Funny name or not, this restaurant could be a local customer,” said Emerald. It was around noon by now and the influx of customers, while to be expected, surprised Hurricane. The entrance to the restaurant revealed that most of the tables had already been taken and seemed awfully full, despite the spacy interior. Bizarre decorations dotted the room, which tried to promote a sort of exotic atmosphere.

In the far corner of the room, a lone hooded pony sat by herself at a table for four, looking out of a window stationed there. Hurricane, seeing no other free reservations stalked across the room.

“Hurricane, where are you going?” whispered Emerald, trotting beside him. Hurricane pointed towards the hooded pony. “Why are we going over there? I thought we were going to have a table only to ourselves.”

“Why, has Apple Core’s taunting struck you so deeply,” said Hurricane slyly and had the side effect of turning Emerald’s coat into a deep red. Hurricane just laughed at the expense of Emerald. Upon closer inspection, the cloak was more similar to a robe, with inlaid designs that bordered the edges. When the two had finally reached the far table, Emerald spoke first.

“Hello, do you mind if my friend and I share this table with you?” asked Emerald warmly, smiling despite knowing that the mare couldn’t see her.

“Sure, I don’t mind,” came a distinctive raspy but feminine voice. The figure took off her hood, revealing her violet coat and pale yellow and blue mane. What was most the stunning feature, though, were her crimson eyes. They were the ones that could lose yourself in. Emerald found herself staring for a bit longer than necessary before blushing violently.

“Sorry,” Emerald quickly said, which the mare just chuckled at.

“It’s alright, I get that a lot.” The mare looked appraisingly at Emerald. ”I’m sure you do too” Emerald just blushed even more as the mare laughed harder.

“Sorry about that. I just couldn’t help myself. The name’s Pansy, what’s you and your friend’s?” asked Pansy, just managing to get her mirth under wraps.

“My name is Emerald, and this is Hurricane,” said Emerald as she gestured to herself and Hurricane respectively.

“Nice to meet ya,” said Pansy casually as she shook hoofs with the other two pegasi. “So, are you two residents at Arcolt? I haven’t seen you two this past few weeks.”

“No, we hail from the Denmare farm to the south of the city,” replied Hurricane with a smile. Pansy’s smile widened.

“Really, that’s impressive. Not many pegasi can handle the work and, from what I know, Denmare is one of the biggest producers,” said Pansy. Emerald joined in the conversation as Hurricane waved over a waiter to order.

“You know the farmstead?” asked Emerald.

“Not personally. Only by reputation I’m afraid. I even heard that an Earth pony family lives there. Must be tough,” said Pansy. Hurricane had finished ordering and looked at Pansy funnily, which Emerald didn’t catch on.

“Not really, but they are a stubborn bunch. What about you, do you live here?”

“Not really, I travel a lot, based on the jobs that I do here and there,” said Pansy dismissively Emerald moved to make herself more comfortable, and a clothed covered object revealed itself. Emerald had brought the sword after Hurricane had insisted, along with his sword which was deep in his own robe.

“Is that what I think it is?” Pansy gestured to the Fire Cracker sword as Emerald took it out. “Huh, I never thought I would see it in my whole life. Where did you get it?”

“A friend gave it to us,” said Hurricane, now looking at Pansy with a slight hint of suspicion. Pansy either didn’t notice or pretended not to.

“That is a very rare type of firearm made from griffon metals.” Hurricane and Emerald both tensed but went unnoticed to the violet mare. “A special martial art was invented to corporate this weapon into it but were lost because barely anyone had ever even seen it, much less own one.”

Hurricane wondered about the lengths that Apple Core had gone to obtain these gifts, if the rarity that Pansy speaks of was true. His ponderings were cut short when a ringing sound echoed from within Pansy’s cloak.

“Sorry about that but that’s my cue. I have to go, I guess. Well, it’s been very nice meeting you two,” said Pansy as she stood up and turned towards the exit, but stopped a few meters away, next to a potted flower. “One last thing, don’t take on the left one.”

Before Hurricane had a chance to question Pansy, she had already left the restaurant. A moment later, the food had arrived, consisting of two bowls of steaming fish soup along with a plate of dumplings.

“That was… interesting,” said Emerald. A few awkward moments later, she dug into her soup and used the feathers on her wings to manipulate the chopsticks provided. The restaurant had also cleared up now that the noon rush hour was over. After Hurricane had finished his meal, they stood up to leave the restaurant.

As they walked past a potted plant, a note caught Hurricane’s eyes. He remembered this was where Pansy had stopped momentarily and quickly took the note. When they exited the restaurant, Hurricane spread out the note and began reading.

To Emerald and Hurricane,

You must leave the city immediately. It is not safe to prolong your stay. I am sorry that I could not tell you this in person. My job forbids me to… omit some details.

Pansy

“Hurricane, what’s wrong?” asked Emerald. Hurricane hoofed her the note as he surveyed the surroundings. Everything looked normal, but with the ominous message the note carried, something did look out of place.

“Emerald," said Hurricane, getting Emerald's attention. She took the message and scanned it quickly, eyebrows burrowing into a frown.

"Do you think its fake?" asked Emerald with what could only be uncertainty on her face, along with some measures of fear. Growing up on the farms had been tame, even with the occasional bandits.

"Fake or not, I don’t believe Pansy could gain anything by lying,” said Hurricane, "the city surroundings are way too well guarded for her to launch an ambush or anything of the likes." Emerald shakily nodded and followed Hurricane as they approached the nearest checkpoint. Just as they were about pass through, a pair of guards stopped them.

“Madame, sir, you are not permitted to leave the city as of now,” said one of the guards. If the note hadn’t stirred any real suspicion, the guards sure did now. Meanwhile, Emerald looked enraged.

“What do you mean we can’t leave the city?” growled Emerald. The guard she spoke to looked equally agitated. The guard pressed forward but Emerald didn’t even flinch from her position.

“You’ll respect your superiors, you useless ground pegasi!” Before things could escalate anymore, Hurricane and a nearby guard both restrained Emerald and the agitated guard respectively. The agitated guard flew back to his post, grumbling something akin to “you handle this.”

“I’m sorry sir, but for your own safety, we cannot allow anyone to leave the city,” said the guard, managing the professional vacant look the other guard had failed to do.

“What do you mean, sir?” asked Hurricane with a thinly veiled impatience. The pegasi stallion looked conflicted for a split second.

“We… do not know. It was an order from our uppers. However, whatever it is, I’m sure we will manage–” The guard couldn’t finish as a wooden bolt embedded itself deep into his neck. The sentence turned to gurgles as the guard fell towards the distant ground below. Hurricane back winged quickly and avoided another bolt by scant inches. The other guard didn’t even have time to react before a griffon flew up behind him and twisted his head into at an unnatural angle.

“Get out of here Emerald!” Emerald compelled quickly and winged her way away from the approaching griffons. Hurricane glanced over the outer rims and spied the same attacks happening across the outskirts of the city. The two pegasi quickly flew deeper into the city, passing nonchalant Pegasus who were presumably flying home from work.

A wave of griffons had encroached on the city, attacking the checkpoints and pouring into the outer branches of Arcolt. Suddenly, Hurricane realized why the griffons had attacked the villages and convoys.

“It’s all a distraction, Emerald!” shouted Hurricane just as bright lightning lit up in the distance.

“W-what?” asked Emerald, panting from the rapid acceleration.

“The attacks on the Earth pony colonies and the Pegasine frontiers. They are all an effort to draw the main army away so they can attack the major cities!” said Hurricane. The roar or artificial storms filled the air and the dark clouds hung over the sky depressingly. Hurricane himself had never seen battlements and siege weapons, but considering their attacks, the city could be scarred forever. Just as his thoughts wondered, he saw a violet streak not far from them. It took only a moment to realize who it was.

“Emerald, this way!” Hurricane twisted sharply mid-air to follow the violet mare. An eagle’s cry cried out behind them, followed by the screams of ponies. What was worse was that the screams only lasted shortly before the sounds of fluttering feathers reached their ears.

Hurricane pulled to a stop as Emerald whizzed past him, her face contorted in confusion and dawning horror. The company of griffons, five in all, flew awkwardly at him, obviously surprised as well. Hurricane seized the opportunity as he brandished his sword and cut flew head on into the first griffon.

On instinct, the griffon tried to slash at him with its claws. The sword met the claws cut through them with ease, earning a pained cry as Hurricane proceeded to land a hoof on the griffon’s neck, knocking it unconscious.

The other griffons quickly reacted and closed in around him. Hurricane held the sword in his hoof as he tried to trigger the namesake “fire cracker.” He didn’t get the chance to as a violet streak darted in between two of the griffons and cut into them with what must be some hidden mechanism. Using their bodies as a push off pad, she struck her hoof into the beak of a third one. Almost as if they were delayed, blood sprayed out from the griffons as each fell lifelessly towards the ground far underneath them.

The last remaining griffon clawed towards Hurricane, but stopped as a sword was thrust through its chest. The griffon’s eyes contorted, wide with surprise as the sword pulled out and the griffon joined its companions to the afterlife, leaving behind a panicked and disheveled Emerald in its place. Hurricane rushed forward and embraced Emerald tightly, his sword almost lost from his grip.

“Come on, you two lovebirds. We can get all mushy after we get out of here,” said Pansy in exasperation. Hurricane turned to thank her but were interrupted. “You could thank me after you two survive this… or not.”

Without waiting for a reply, she flew off, followed by Hurricane and Emerald into the skies beyond the city.