The Northern Guard

Vanhoover, Cosmo’s Loft, Two Hours Later
Cloud

“We’re back!” Cosmo yelled as he swung the door open.

I really didn’t pay any attention to Archer running up to him or Phalanx as he passed the loft’s door and went down to the room that Cosmo had set up for him. I just slipped on by into the room that I had been calling home for the time being and flopped down on the bed as the day finally caught up with me. After a minute or two I heard the door click shut and felt someone sit down on the mattress next to me. Not that I really care right now.

I shifted around and noticed that a bottle of beer had been placed in front of me. “I guess I can’t take a rain check on the drinks?”

“Nope.” Sky said. “Come on, sit your ass up.”

I turned over and sat up with a groan as Sky handed me the extra beer she had brought. That’s when I noticed that she had ditcher her body armor for a low-cut tank top. “Alright, what are you playing at?”

Sky took a swig from her bottle first before she seemed to relax a bit. “Cloud… How the hell do you do it?”

“Didn’t we already go over this?”

“We did, and I’m revisiting it.” Sky insisted. “You nearly died, got surgically altered and have been forced to deal with a war that shouldn’t have even been your problem.”

“I never said anything about the augmentations.”

“I read your file.”

Wait, what? “I have a file?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Sky asked. Alright, I see the point.

“And you must have a desire to know.”

“I do…” She muttered.

“Alright… Let’s start from the beginning.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Hoofington, Equestrian Wasteland, Seven Years Ago
Sky

“You sure this is the place?” I asked.

The radio on Cosmo’s pipbuck was clicking rapidly, almost sounding like a continuous tone. “I’d assume so.” It was an old diner. Through the shattered windows we saw two stallions sitting at the counter sipping away on bottles of Sparkle Cola. “Comet, Strike.”

“So you two decided to come along after all.” Strike said. “Good, good…”

“Here.” Comet slid us both fresh bottles of soda and motioned for us to sit down. “Did anyone follow you?”

“Not that I know of.” Cosmo replied. “So where did you find this mirror again?”

“Old warehouse about a mile and a half northeast of here.” Strike said. “Scouting runs we made seem to make it look like a straight shot there.”

“We’ll need to be quick.” Comet said as he swung out his bow. “I don’t want anyone following us through while the portal is still active.”

“Right, because your world has no way to defend against a pistol.” I droned. “You still expect me to buy that line of bullshit?”

“No I don’t.” Strike said as he rose from his seat. “But they say seeing is believing. Let’s get moving.”

For the most part, the walk down the battered streets into the old industrial park where this warehouse was situated. There was the occasional chirp of some sort of birds flying around the ruined apartment buildings, stones tumbling to the ground as those same avian creatures knocked them from their perches in the ruins. “It’s too quiet.” Cosmo said as he pulled out his revolver.

“And piles of bones are supposed to be noisy?” Comet chuckled. “Dude, we already swept the accessible buildings. There’s nothing to worry about!”

I heard the smack as Cosmo wailed the back of Comet’s head with his open hand. “Never say there’s nothing to worry about you moron!”

“It tends to backfire.” I added just before a bullet smacked into the wall next to us and sprayed the four of us with chunks of brick. “See what I mean?” Two more rounds hit in rapid succession before we all ducked into the building.

“See that?” Cosmo said as he pointed to the sizable bullet hole in the wall. “Whoever’s out there is packing a fifty.”

“So if we step outside our heads go on a one way trip?” Strike asked.

“Yup.” Another round tore through the brick wall, leaving a fourth sizable hole in the wall. “And that shooter will zero in on us eventually if we stay here.”

“Do we even know where he is?” I asked.

Cosmo grabbed a chunk of an old mirror, angling it out the door frame and scanning the old buildings across the street before the mirror exploded in a silvery cloud. “Triple decker across the street at ten o’clock. Second floor, far right window.”

“You two have a plan then?” Comet asked.

I nodded as I reached into my jacket and pulled out a tube tipped with a lantern-shaped warhead. “Panzerfaust?”

Cosmo nodded. “Panzerfaust.” He holstered his pistol and reached around the back of his jacket, producing his 9mm submachine gun. He pulled the stock out and cocked back the receiver as he switched the safety to full auto. “Probably about two hundred feet to the window.”

I adjusted the sights on the top of the launch tube accordingly. “Alright, on your go.”

“In three… Two…. Go!” Cosmo rolled out into the street and started spraying bullets towards triple decker. I was quick to shoulder the launcher before I made a quick tug on the pin.

Beyond the stream of smoke and the explosion deep within the building, there really wasn’t much else to it. “Wait for it…” After a few more seconds, the triple decker collapsed into a pile of old wood and iron. “There we go!” I yelled as I tossed the now useless tube off to the side.

“Too bad those aren’t more common.” Cosmo observed. “Comet, Strike, we leaving or not?”

The duo didn’t say anything as they started walking down the street. The two of us stayed right behind them. I pulled out my own 9mm and started scanning the buildings on my side of the road as we kept walking. “Can we make this any quicker?” I muttered.

“We’re working on-” Comet didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence before he was struck square in the chest with something and was knocked to the ground as a result. Right in the middle of his chest was a small hole over his lungs.

“Contact!” Cosmo yelled as he pushed Strike behind the outer wall of the warehouse.

Strike forced Cosmo off him and ran back out into the street and dragged Comet over to us. “Comet, you hear me buddy?”

“Anyone catch that license plate?” He groaned.

“Nope, hit and run buddy.” Strike said as he dragged Comet and propped him up against the wall. “What the hell was that?”

“Sniper, probably shooting small caliber. You’ll start feeling the bruise tomorrow morning.”

“Bit accurate for a dead-center hit, don’t you think?” I asked.

“Round could’ve been dropping, who knows. We still don’t know where that shot came from.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Strike said. “My goal was to get you two to the portal. Once we get you through and to Dusk, we’ll have to focus on asset denial.”

“We’ve got enough explosives with us to destroy the portal.” Comet added.

“You heard em’ Sky. Let’s get moving.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Vanhoover, Cosmo’s Loft, Present Day
Cloud

Sky sighed before leaning forward and held her head. “Someone shot me right after we broke cover, and I passed out soon after that. When I woke up…” Sky wiped a stray tear off her cheek as she tried to keep her mask up. “I woke up wrapped in my jacket and covered in dirt. I realized once I dug myself out that I’d been buried.”

“Cosmo thought you were dead.”

“He did.” Sky mumbled. “The bullet wasn’t really a bullet… More like a flying syringe loaded with a drug called tetrodoxine. It slowed my heartbeat down so much…”

“And until recently you haven’t been able to find him.”

“Right.” Sky said. “It wasn’t until about three months ago that I finally found evidence that he was still alive, references to some vigilante running around in a black helmet and a beat up old trench coat… Then I saw him.”

“You saw him?”

Sky nodded. “A few days ago when he was leaving Marcie’s. I was a few floors up in the bank across the street trying to get ponies up to the roof when I heard the filly he was carrying out screaming for her parents. After that it was just a matter of finding where he was living.”

I leaned into Sky, wrapping my arm around her. “Doesn’t sound like it was all that easy.”

She shook her head and tried to get up, but I held her back. “What?”

“I didn’t say you had to leave.” I assured.

“Look… I’m-”

I put my free finger to Sky’s muzzle and silenced her. “You just spilled your heart out for what must have been the first time in years. You sure you’re OK?”

“No, I’m not.” She spat. “I’ve said too much as it is.” She tried to move again, but I held her down before wrapping her in a hug. For a minute she was tense before I started feeling my shoulder get wet as she slumped against me.

“Like I said, I didn’t say you have to leave.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Canterlot Castle Garden, the Following Morning
Cosmo

I looked down at the small memorial that had been erected in the palace garden. Two metal plates on a clean-cut slab of granite flanking a small torch in the middle. The names Crossbow and Slingshot were engraved on the plates. “Gone but not forgotten…” I muttered as I ran my fingers over the inscription in the granite. “You OK Archer?” I asked as I heard a sniffle from off to my right.

“I’m alright.” I pulled the filly over and wrapped my arms around her. “Promise me that you won’t leave me.”

“Wouldn’t dream the world of it.” I said as I pulled her tighter.

“Why don’t we go get something to eat?” I heard Trixie suggest.

“The Palace kitchen then.” I said. “I can have the chefs whip us up some pancakes.”

It wasn’t long before we reached the kitchen. A brief discussion with one of the chefs and a few minutes later, my nostrils were greeted to the smell of pancake batter cooking as it hit the pan on the stove. “Smells good.” Trixie noted.

I didn’t pay any attention, instead remaining focused on Archer. Ever since we took her to visit the memorial she had been quiet. Too quiet for my tastes. Shortly thereafter the chef gave us each a plate full of pancakes. “Go on kiddo, eat up.” I grabbed my own fork and dug in.

Archer poked the pancakes with her fork before she started nibbling at the food. I don’t know how long we were actually in the kitchen eating, but it was long enough for the kitchen staff to show up for work and start cooking the day’s meals. “Cosmo?”

“Yes?” I asked.

“Can you promise me something?”

I shrugged. “Sure, what is it?”

“Whatever happens… Promise me that you’ll come back.”

“Archer…” Damn, forgot that kids could be introspective. “I promise I’ll come back.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Somewhere South of Vanhoover
Sky

I never like coming back to this grave. Hell, there’s really no point to pay respects to myself. But something about coming out here is calming. The waves crashing on the bottom of the cliff, the breeze coming from the sea… It’s just peaceful.

Well, it is normally. Today I just can’t seem to slow down my thoughts, running through what I told Cloud last night. I slumped down the tree and shut my eyes to think. That’s when I thought back to the rain and cold from that night oh so long ago. Clawing my way out of the dirt as I started to choke on the useless air in my lungs. Then there was that hand…

“Good to see you again Sky.” I dark grey stallion sat down next to me and leaned against the tree. “How long has it been now?”

“Two years Sombra, two years.” I said. “You find all of Princess Amore’s pieces yet?”

The stallion shook his head. “I’m taking some time off from the search. Hope is trying to piece together what we have so we know what else we need to find.”

“That’s good.”

“Indeed. But what are you doing out here?”

Great, that’s the last question I wanted to hear… “Sombra… I found Cosmo.” The old king didn’t say anything, opting to remain silent. “But he’s different. He’s become cold, distant and even angry. And the look in his eyes when he sees me…”

“He’s wary.” Sombra finished. “And it’s obvious you understand why.”

“Doesn’t make it any easier.” I retorted. “For the longest time I wondered what would happen if I found Cosmo… Now I’m questioning whether searching him out was a smart move.”

“Well try not to focus on that. What are you working on that you can divert your attention to?”

“We’re trying to find some gryphon at the moment. Old coot calls himself De Witt.”

Sombra remained quiet before he hauled the two of us to our feet. “You said his name was De Witt?”

“Damnit, you know who he is don’t you?” I asked.

“We’ve had our dealings.” Sombra said. “I think it’s high time that I meet your friends.”